Nothing happened when Alisson walked into the party.
On the one hand, she was relieved that no one was immediately out to embarrass her, like during her visit to the gym. On the other hand, being ignored was another painful reminder that her days of being adored and wooed by everyone were over.
Alisson looked around, unsure where to go. Usually, someone would immediately approach her, give her a drink, and pull her toward the other popular people. Now, no one at all even looked in her direction. After another minute of standing around unconfidently, Alisson spotted the bar and made her way toward it.
With a drink in her hand, she scanned the room for any familiar faces. Alisson had chosen to go to one of the smaller parties, hoping to avoid any of her old friends and acquaintances. The crowd was indeed full of people she had never seen before, and Alisson allowed her to relax a little. Maybe she could make new friends here who could help her get her life back on track.
She looked around some more until she found a group of four girls who looked nice enough to talk to. Taking a big swig from her drink, Alisson gathered her confidence and started walking. It felt humbling to be the one asking for attention from others. She was used to being chatted up by countless desperate people trying to become her friend. It was a fun pastime to harshly reject anyone she didn’t deem worthy of her time. Now, she was the one desperately looking to get into someone’s good graces.
“Hey, girls! Mind if I join you?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly.
The girls looked her up and down and scrunched up their noses.
“Listen,” one of them said, “we’re not about to do some mean-girl stuff. But we will not have you in our group. You probably don’t know us, but we know who you are and what happened to you. Everyone here does. It’s funny to have you asking for our company when you would have just sneered at us a year ago. But being seen with you in this city is not good.”
“Yeah,” another added, “besides that, weight gain seems to follow you everywhere you go, and we can’t have that here.”
The group giggled and turned away from Alisson.
“O…Okay. I’m sorry to have bothered you,” Alisson replied, her face burning red from embarrassment. She turned around and hurried back to the bar.
Her hands trembling, Alisson poured herself another drink and leaned against the bar, trying to process her shock. Everybody in here knew who she was!? She had been sure that word of her fate had spread in her former social circles, but she wasn’t aware that the entire town seemingly knew about her. Her confidence faltered as she looked around the room again. She wished to talk to multiple groups, but the newest revelation made her want to hide instead.
Still, it was too early to leave. The night had barely begun, and Alisson still had a sliver of hope that it could turn out alright for her. She just needed to lay low for a bit, and maybe someone would come to talk to her. Someone who didn’t mind being seen with the chubby girl dating the city’s biggest fatty. All she had to do was to pass some time and hope for the best.
As Alisson waited, her attention inadvertently turned to the one place she had been desperately trying to ignore since the moment she arrived: the snack bar.
She tried her best to push those thoughts away and distract herself with her drink and music. But it kept crawling to the forefront of her mind until she couldn’t help herself anymore. She slowly made her way toward the snacks, eyeing the selection eagerly. She felt happiness from the thought of trying everything before her, which made her shiver with fear. Was she really this entranced by the thought of overeating? Still, the closer she got, the quieter the worried voices inside her grew until they vanished altogether.
Alisson stood before the snacks and ate her first bites without much thought while greedily filling her plate. For the first time this evening, she felt true joy. Her sorrows over making new friends faded away, replaced by the wonderful taste of the calorie-laden snacks that made their way into her belly.
She had no idea how much time had passed while she lost herself in her gluttonous adventure. The comfort of overeating calmed and relaxed her to the point that she was all smiles while unconsciously shoveling more into her mouth. It was her and the wide variety of snacks, only waiting to make her feel better. She deserved this break after all that she had been through.
Alisson’s frenzy was only disrupted when she heard a voice behind her. She returned to her senses and groaned involuntarily as she realized how stuffed her belly was. Turning around awkwardly, Alisson looked down in shock to see it stick out far beyond her breasts. She felt sluggish and insecure as she looked up at the girl before her.
The girl smiled at her, and for a moment, Alisson believed she had gotten lucky and would make a new friend.
Her hopes were shattered when the girl laughed and poked her belly.
“Looks like the witch finally got to Hansel and Gretel.”