~BBW, Magic, Eating, Intrigue, ~SWG - Sometimes the fates intervene in strange ways, as two high school coeds find when their roles gradually reverse
Part 1 - Wednesday (Day 1)
Kari was one of those people who always had it easy. She was endowed with both physical beauty and intelligence, as well as very financially successful parents. The lack of hardship and challenge had helped shape her kind and generous demeanor.
Nature had not abandoned her in the field of athletic abilities either. With a grace that bordered on the divine she could have dominated the basketball or tennis courts. Kari, however, was too self assured to feel the need to compete in sports. Cheerleading was what she loved. While cheering she could show her spirit for the school as well as her admiration for the participants.
In the gym the squad was just wrapping up a long practice session. Kari was doing an easy cool down exercise. Even after the rigorous workout she wasn’t even tired. Looking around at her fellow cheerleaders, she could see that she was pretty much the exception. Other than herself and the foreign exchange student Anna, the others were beat. You could see the look of relief on their faces when she called an end to practice. Kari didn’t look down on her teammates, rather, she realized that as captain she had to watch out and not push them too hard.
Unknown to Kari a pair of dark eyes had been watching her. Tawni Pritchard had been in the shadows of the bleachers the whole time. Tawni wasn’t a fan of Kari, in fact she hated her guts. All the things that came so easily to Kari were a struggle for her. Tawni had wanted to be on the cheerleading squad. For weeks she had exercised and practiced. With an amazing amount of will she even got down to a size 12. Tawni lacked the skill and endurance, however, and failed to make the team.
Tawni’s face turned red at the memory of her failure. Early on she had gotten behind in the routines. Desperate to succeed she forced herself even harder. Tawni only succeeded in falling flat on her face. The laughter and jeering of the other tryouts had made her burst into tears. As she ran to the locker she could hear their cruel comments.
“What makes a cow like her think she could be a cheerleader?”, said one rolling her eyes to emphasize her point.
“Did you see the size of her butt!”, said a slender gal off to the right.
Yet another chided in. “How could we miss it the way it was jiggling around. Her butt was still going left when she had already turned right!”
As bad as the cheerleaders treated her, Tawni was almost used to it. Having been heavy and out of shape all her life, it was a common enough occurrence.
Tawni remembered her flight into the girl’s locker room. She had glared at her reflection in the full length mirror. Her soft face was made even more puffy from the crying. Her usually pale complexion flushed from the exertion and humiliation.
“Why me”, she cursed aloud. “Why am I cursed with this fat ugly body!” Tawni pounded on the mirror, noting with disgust that the ripples created did not confine themselves to the glass.
Tawni’s attention was suddenly drawn to the hallway connecting the gym to the locker room. Hoots and hollers of excited young girls could be heard. Tawni, unable to face another humiliating encounter, grabbed her duffel and crammed her street clothes into it. Sans shower, she made a dash for the other door before the first girl entered the room.
Though a month had passed from that awful day, it burned in the pit of Tawni’s stomach. She watched from the safety of the shadows as the group finished. Once again Kari had performed flawlessly. She didn’t even look tired!
Jari's effortless and obviuous superiority made Tawni sick. Hate and jealousy clouded Tawni’s vision, making her look away. Kari was everything she was not. With every fiber of her being Tawni wished she could have all that Kari took for granted. Overloooked in her anger was the fact that Kari, focused on her own perfection and achievement, had never been one of her tormenters.
Then . . .
It was as if a bombshell had went off in Tawni’s brain. There was a bright flash that consumed her entire field of vision. She felt her body falling into nothingness. As the last shreds of her consciousness faded Tawni thought she heard a man’s laughter. She briefly wondered why he was laughing when on the field Kari tumbled to the ground.
------
“….Kari….Kari are you alright?” As the fog lifted Kari could see a ring of concerned faces staring down at her. When her head cleared further Kari realized that she was in the gym.
"How did I wind up on the floor?" she thought.
After a few moments with nothing else happening, Kari got to her feet.
“Are you OK?”, said a voice off to the right.
Kari thought she felt fine. She had no clue what had happened let alone why. She couldn’t remember ever having blacked out like that before. The urgent looks of her friends reminded her that they were expecting an answer.
Kari gave her head a slight shake.
“I feel fine. Maybe I should have cooled down a bit more. I’ll just take a shower”, she said turning towards the locker room.
Stephanie didn’t look convinced, she knew Kari too well. Having done so much together since they were little, Stephanie wasn’t about to let it go at that.
She looped her arm around Kari’s. “Oh no you don’t, you’re going straight to the school Nurse”
Kari knew better than to argue with Stephanie when it came to health issues. She was too much of a mother hen. Stephanie was always trying to get her to eat more.
“You’re too thin, ‘cause you never eat.”, she would say. “A size six is for anorexics and supermodels!”
Kari would always tease her back saying that Stephanie was just jealous because she wore a size eight.
Kari was snapped out of her reverie at the nurse’s office. Stephanie led her through the door and didn’t let go of her arm until the Nurse was apprised of the situation.
“Thank you Miss Williams”, the nurse said to Stephanie. “I think you can let go of her now”.
Even Stephanie realized that she was being overprotective. “Oops! Sorry, I just wanted to make sure she was OK.”
The nurse nodded knowingly. It wasn’t the first time Stephanie had escorted a fellow student to her office. The girl would probably carry them in on her back if she could.
Stephanie had let Kari go, but, was still hovering around her. Finally the nurse had enough and shooed the cheerleader out.
“So Kari, you’re sure you’ve never had this happen before?” The Nurse asked as she removed the blood pressure cuff.
“Positive, Miss Nelson. I don’t know what happened. We had plenty of liquids, and did the cool down routine like we always do.” Kari responded truthfully.
The nurse frowned slightly as she eyed Kari’s figure. She was well aware of the girl’s slight frame. Having been a cheerleader herself she knew of the pressures kids faced to stay slim. A terrible thought came to mind.
“What have you eaten today Kari?” She asked, her voice full of concern.
Kari thought about it for a minute. She had been rushed this morning and had only had a bran muffin and a cup of tea.
Upon hearing what meager food Kari had eaten, the Nurse had a pretty good idea what happened. She informed the cheerleader that rigorous exercise can drop the blood sugar levels severely. She also fell into her well rehearsed speech on growing girls needing good nutrition.
Kari took all this in, even when the nurse launched into her usual speech on how growing girls need good nutrition. As she listened Kari realized that she really was hungry. Miss Nelson was probably right. As if to confirm both their thoughts Kari’s tummy growled loudly. The errant bodily noise brought a blush to Kari’s face and a knowing nod from Miss Nelson…
----------
Tawni opened her eyes. For a moment she had no idea where she was. With a grunt she forced herself to a sitting position. The world was a blur.
“Where are my glasses?” she wondered aloud.
Clumsily she groped around and finally found her hated glasses. Pushing her drab brown hair out of the way, Tawni put them back on. Immediately the gym snapped into focus.
No one had noticed her fainting spell, which didn’t surprise Tawni. She picked this spot to spy on her enemy because of the privacy it offered.
The gym was empty, so Tawni struggled to her feet. Her jeans had crept down so she yanked them back up over her wide hips. They were getting really tight again and she had a bit of a struggle. She hated the feel of the soft fat that rolled over the waistband.
“How could I have gained all this weight back so fast?” she wondered to herself.
Her disgust must have killed her appetite because it was now lunchtime and she wasn’t even hungry. Normally Tawni wouldn’t miss lunch. Even when she was struggling to lose weight to make the team, she had to eat something.
Having an hour to kill Tawni decided to go outside for a walk instead. The fall California weather was pleasant. Warm sunlight soaked into her tense muscles and relaxed them. Tawni was shocked when she realized she had walked all the way around Townsend Park! That was three miles! Her feet ached terribly from the unusual activity. Her back was a bit sore as well, but, she felt amazingly well.
“I'll have to do this more often” she thought as she headed to her next class…
-----
Kari was glad to be out of the nurse’s office. She had to promise to come in once a week for a minor check-up before she was allowed to leave. Kari thought this was a bit overboard, but, was helpless to refuse if she wanted to keep on cheerleading. Nurse Nelson after all had the power to restrict the activity.
The locker room was empty. Kari wanted to spend lunch with her boyfriend Matt, so she hurriedly disrobed. The hot shower was exquisite. As she was drying off she caught a glimpse of herself in the big wall mirror. After a quick check to make sure she was still alone, Kari made a closer inspection. Regular visits to the tanning salon had done their job in keeping her skin a golden brown. Her taut physique was at the peak of it’s form.
Unconsciously Kari ran her hands down her sides. Her fingers found only a sleek cut figure. Her mind may not have initially noticed her actions, but her body sure did. The sudden arousal caused her nipples to harden. Kari took a quick breath as her hands found themselves drawn to her perky B-cup breasts. A soft moan escaped her lips as she was reminded of Matt’s similar caresses. The thought of Matt snapped her back to the fact that she was still in the locker room…naked. Cheeks flushed, she dashed back to her locker to dress.
Once again Kari found herself in front of the mirror. This time to double check her dressed appearance. Her naturally silky blond hair framed her face perfectly. A tight, baby blue crop top matched her eyes. The teasing peek at her flat tummy would drive the boys wild, yet was still within the school’s two inch gap policy. The matching shorts were also within “Legal Limits”, but, were tight enough to leave little to the imagination. The outfit was completed by a sleek pair of patent leather two inch heeled boots. Fashion was easy when you have looks, taste, and a platinum credit card.
The lunch line was agonizingly slow. Squinting slightly, Kari could see Matt at their usual spot. Just the sight of his muscular frame made her weak at the knees. He was laughing at something Stephanie’s boyfriend Jake had said.
A second growl from her stomach brought home another desire. Hunger. Kari was still stuck in line, but, she was suddenly hungrier than ever. An awestruck freshman who had been secretly checking out her ass agreed to hold her place. A quick trip to the vending machines and Kari came back with a couple bags of M&Ms. At least she had something to munch on while waiting.
By the time the lunch counter was at hand both bags were gone. Kari had only a brief moment to register her surprise over that before she had to order. While she usually had the salad, she decided on something more substantial. A cheeseburger, fries, apple pie, and a Coke filled the tray as she wove her way back to the table.
Matt greeted her with his usual hug and kiss. Kari forgot even her hunger at his touch. She fought to keep her composure as his hands slid down and around her waist. She barely kept control of her tray as she plopped it onto the table. Kari’s eyes were locked on Matt’s as for a short time the world ceased to exist.
Matt had been wondering where Kari was. Stephanie had told him about the fainting spell. He had started to worry but thoughts of heading to the nurse's office dissipated when he spotted her in the lunch line. After an eternity she was finally coming to him.
Matt’s pulse quickened at the sight of his Kari weaving her way through the crowded room. Her natural grace and lithe body almost hypnotizing him. Finally she was there, looking down upon him like an angel. Matt put his hands around her thin waist as she was beginning to sit. As his hands slid down, he tightened their grip giving her a half turn so that she ended up on his lap. Though he often did this same maneuver, it seemed far from routine. Matt found himself lost in her eyes just before they kissed.
Kari found the house empty after school. Normally she wouldn’t waste any time and would launch into her homework. Strangely the TV called out to her today. Kari quickly changed into a pair of pink sweats and plopped down on the couch. A pair of sisters were battling over some fat slob that was totally repulsive. The women weren’t all that slim either. Kari unconsciously munched on some chips as she stared at the well fed trio.
“How could anyone let themselves get like that?”, she thought out loud. “Don’t they have any self control?”
The show was substandard even by Jerry Springer standards. Kari knew she should do something better with her time. She knew that almost anything would be better than this. She really should…. She should… She… fell asleep…
-----------
Tawni also came home to an empty house. The tiny little apartment was a far cry to the fancy house Kari lived in. This fact went through her mind on a daily basis. The sparse furnishings were testament to her father’s low paying job. Fortunately he wasn’t here, she thought. He would surely bombard her with the endless details of his latest “breakthrough”. His obsession with developing a gel matrix for hydrogen as a car fuel, exhausted what little income he brought in. They subsisted on what her mother could scrape in as a hairstylist.
Tawni grabbed a Pepsi and some Oreos and plopped down to watch some TV. One of her favorite soaps was on, but, she was unable to get sucked into the plot as she usually did. No matter how hard Tawni tried she just couldn’t get interested. For about fifteen minutes Tawni fidgeted on the couch. Finally, unable to take it anymore, she shut off the TV and left the living room, her snacks barely touched.
-----------------
“Kari honey”, her mother said quietly while looking down at her daughter. “Kari, it’s time to wake up”, she repeated.
After a gentle shake Kari opened her eyes. Her mother was still looking down, a loving look in her eyes containing a bit of concern as well. The nurse had called Rachel this afternoon to tell her about Kari’s spell. When she got home Kari was sound asleep on the sofa. Rachel figured that was a good place to leave her until supper.
Kari took a deep breath and stretched. She looked up at her mother. “What time is it?”
Seeing that her daughter appeared alright Rachel relaxed a bit. “It’s a little after eight dear. I heard from the nurse, so I let you sleep.”
Kari’s eyes went wide. “Eight o’clock! At night? That means I slept over four hours!”
Rachael started heading into the kitchen. On her way, she spoke over her shoulder. “I would have let you sleep longer honey, but, I didn’t want supper to dry out. Hurry now, and wash up.”
Kari couldn’t believe she had slept so long. She trudged over to the bathroom to wash. It felt like she was dreaming still. Kari splashed some water on her face hoping to wake up more. It helped a bit. Looking into the mirror she noted her hair was a mess. A few strokes with a brush and her silky hair fell into place as usual. Satisfied she turned to leave then noticed a few strays. Repeated brushing failed to tame them. Finally Kari gave up vowing a thorough shampoo and conditioning.
Kari’s father was already at the table. She leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek.
“Hi Daddy!” she chirped, happy to see him.
Her father gave a start as if he had been deep in thought. With an obvious effort he tried to sound cheerful.
“Oh hi sweetheart. How’s my little princess?”
Kari knew something was wrong. She noted how his pained expression was poorly veiled behind a smile for her benefit. Kari also noted the hasty way he gathered up some papers he had been looking at. Her father Carl was a successful businessman. Though he valued his work, he never brought it to the table. The fact that he had done so tonight didn’t bode well.
The air was heavy throughout supper. Everyone was being too polite. After a few failed attempts to lift her parent’s spirits, Kari decided to bury herself in her meal. She wished she had paid more attention to what she had put on her plate. While trying to ease the tension, Kari had blindly overfilled it. The amount of food she ate surprised her. Although she felt full, she found a craving for more. Kari was about to reach for seconds when sense kicked in and she excused herself. Frankly she was happy to get away from the tension at the table.
In her room Kari got out her books to study. To her surprise it was uncustomarily hard to concentrate. She felt as if she was still only half awake.
“That’s what you get for stuffing yourself this late” she chastised herself.
Kari found herself rereading things because she couldn’t recall what she had read. Thoughts about her father kept creeping in as well… Kari was an A student and wasn’t happy with her work this night. She knew she should redo some of the assignment, but, couldn’t get up the ambition…
(Continued in post 7 of this thread)
The Acquistion
By Greinskyn
(A long but descriptive WG opera)
By Greinskyn
(A long but descriptive WG opera)
Part 1 - Wednesday (Day 1)
Kari was one of those people who always had it easy. She was endowed with both physical beauty and intelligence, as well as very financially successful parents. The lack of hardship and challenge had helped shape her kind and generous demeanor.
Nature had not abandoned her in the field of athletic abilities either. With a grace that bordered on the divine she could have dominated the basketball or tennis courts. Kari, however, was too self assured to feel the need to compete in sports. Cheerleading was what she loved. While cheering she could show her spirit for the school as well as her admiration for the participants.
In the gym the squad was just wrapping up a long practice session. Kari was doing an easy cool down exercise. Even after the rigorous workout she wasn’t even tired. Looking around at her fellow cheerleaders, she could see that she was pretty much the exception. Other than herself and the foreign exchange student Anna, the others were beat. You could see the look of relief on their faces when she called an end to practice. Kari didn’t look down on her teammates, rather, she realized that as captain she had to watch out and not push them too hard.
Unknown to Kari a pair of dark eyes had been watching her. Tawni Pritchard had been in the shadows of the bleachers the whole time. Tawni wasn’t a fan of Kari, in fact she hated her guts. All the things that came so easily to Kari were a struggle for her. Tawni had wanted to be on the cheerleading squad. For weeks she had exercised and practiced. With an amazing amount of will she even got down to a size 12. Tawni lacked the skill and endurance, however, and failed to make the team.
Tawni’s face turned red at the memory of her failure. Early on she had gotten behind in the routines. Desperate to succeed she forced herself even harder. Tawni only succeeded in falling flat on her face. The laughter and jeering of the other tryouts had made her burst into tears. As she ran to the locker she could hear their cruel comments.
“What makes a cow like her think she could be a cheerleader?”, said one rolling her eyes to emphasize her point.
“Did you see the size of her butt!”, said a slender gal off to the right.
Yet another chided in. “How could we miss it the way it was jiggling around. Her butt was still going left when she had already turned right!”
As bad as the cheerleaders treated her, Tawni was almost used to it. Having been heavy and out of shape all her life, it was a common enough occurrence.
Tawni remembered her flight into the girl’s locker room. She had glared at her reflection in the full length mirror. Her soft face was made even more puffy from the crying. Her usually pale complexion flushed from the exertion and humiliation.
“Why me”, she cursed aloud. “Why am I cursed with this fat ugly body!” Tawni pounded on the mirror, noting with disgust that the ripples created did not confine themselves to the glass.
Tawni’s attention was suddenly drawn to the hallway connecting the gym to the locker room. Hoots and hollers of excited young girls could be heard. Tawni, unable to face another humiliating encounter, grabbed her duffel and crammed her street clothes into it. Sans shower, she made a dash for the other door before the first girl entered the room.
Though a month had passed from that awful day, it burned in the pit of Tawni’s stomach. She watched from the safety of the shadows as the group finished. Once again Kari had performed flawlessly. She didn’t even look tired!
Jari's effortless and obviuous superiority made Tawni sick. Hate and jealousy clouded Tawni’s vision, making her look away. Kari was everything she was not. With every fiber of her being Tawni wished she could have all that Kari took for granted. Overloooked in her anger was the fact that Kari, focused on her own perfection and achievement, had never been one of her tormenters.
Then . . .
It was as if a bombshell had went off in Tawni’s brain. There was a bright flash that consumed her entire field of vision. She felt her body falling into nothingness. As the last shreds of her consciousness faded Tawni thought she heard a man’s laughter. She briefly wondered why he was laughing when on the field Kari tumbled to the ground.
------
“….Kari….Kari are you alright?” As the fog lifted Kari could see a ring of concerned faces staring down at her. When her head cleared further Kari realized that she was in the gym.
"How did I wind up on the floor?" she thought.
After a few moments with nothing else happening, Kari got to her feet.
“Are you OK?”, said a voice off to the right.
Kari thought she felt fine. She had no clue what had happened let alone why. She couldn’t remember ever having blacked out like that before. The urgent looks of her friends reminded her that they were expecting an answer.
Kari gave her head a slight shake.
“I feel fine. Maybe I should have cooled down a bit more. I’ll just take a shower”, she said turning towards the locker room.
Stephanie didn’t look convinced, she knew Kari too well. Having done so much together since they were little, Stephanie wasn’t about to let it go at that.
She looped her arm around Kari’s. “Oh no you don’t, you’re going straight to the school Nurse”
Kari knew better than to argue with Stephanie when it came to health issues. She was too much of a mother hen. Stephanie was always trying to get her to eat more.
“You’re too thin, ‘cause you never eat.”, she would say. “A size six is for anorexics and supermodels!”
Kari would always tease her back saying that Stephanie was just jealous because she wore a size eight.
Kari was snapped out of her reverie at the nurse’s office. Stephanie led her through the door and didn’t let go of her arm until the Nurse was apprised of the situation.
“Thank you Miss Williams”, the nurse said to Stephanie. “I think you can let go of her now”.
Even Stephanie realized that she was being overprotective. “Oops! Sorry, I just wanted to make sure she was OK.”
The nurse nodded knowingly. It wasn’t the first time Stephanie had escorted a fellow student to her office. The girl would probably carry them in on her back if she could.
Stephanie had let Kari go, but, was still hovering around her. Finally the nurse had enough and shooed the cheerleader out.
“So Kari, you’re sure you’ve never had this happen before?” The Nurse asked as she removed the blood pressure cuff.
“Positive, Miss Nelson. I don’t know what happened. We had plenty of liquids, and did the cool down routine like we always do.” Kari responded truthfully.
The nurse frowned slightly as she eyed Kari’s figure. She was well aware of the girl’s slight frame. Having been a cheerleader herself she knew of the pressures kids faced to stay slim. A terrible thought came to mind.
“What have you eaten today Kari?” She asked, her voice full of concern.
Kari thought about it for a minute. She had been rushed this morning and had only had a bran muffin and a cup of tea.
Upon hearing what meager food Kari had eaten, the Nurse had a pretty good idea what happened. She informed the cheerleader that rigorous exercise can drop the blood sugar levels severely. She also fell into her well rehearsed speech on growing girls needing good nutrition.
Kari took all this in, even when the nurse launched into her usual speech on how growing girls need good nutrition. As she listened Kari realized that she really was hungry. Miss Nelson was probably right. As if to confirm both their thoughts Kari’s tummy growled loudly. The errant bodily noise brought a blush to Kari’s face and a knowing nod from Miss Nelson…
----------
Tawni opened her eyes. For a moment she had no idea where she was. With a grunt she forced herself to a sitting position. The world was a blur.
“Where are my glasses?” she wondered aloud.
Clumsily she groped around and finally found her hated glasses. Pushing her drab brown hair out of the way, Tawni put them back on. Immediately the gym snapped into focus.
No one had noticed her fainting spell, which didn’t surprise Tawni. She picked this spot to spy on her enemy because of the privacy it offered.
The gym was empty, so Tawni struggled to her feet. Her jeans had crept down so she yanked them back up over her wide hips. They were getting really tight again and she had a bit of a struggle. She hated the feel of the soft fat that rolled over the waistband.
“How could I have gained all this weight back so fast?” she wondered to herself.
Her disgust must have killed her appetite because it was now lunchtime and she wasn’t even hungry. Normally Tawni wouldn’t miss lunch. Even when she was struggling to lose weight to make the team, she had to eat something.
Having an hour to kill Tawni decided to go outside for a walk instead. The fall California weather was pleasant. Warm sunlight soaked into her tense muscles and relaxed them. Tawni was shocked when she realized she had walked all the way around Townsend Park! That was three miles! Her feet ached terribly from the unusual activity. Her back was a bit sore as well, but, she felt amazingly well.
“I'll have to do this more often” she thought as she headed to her next class…
-----
Kari was glad to be out of the nurse’s office. She had to promise to come in once a week for a minor check-up before she was allowed to leave. Kari thought this was a bit overboard, but, was helpless to refuse if she wanted to keep on cheerleading. Nurse Nelson after all had the power to restrict the activity.
The locker room was empty. Kari wanted to spend lunch with her boyfriend Matt, so she hurriedly disrobed. The hot shower was exquisite. As she was drying off she caught a glimpse of herself in the big wall mirror. After a quick check to make sure she was still alone, Kari made a closer inspection. Regular visits to the tanning salon had done their job in keeping her skin a golden brown. Her taut physique was at the peak of it’s form.
Unconsciously Kari ran her hands down her sides. Her fingers found only a sleek cut figure. Her mind may not have initially noticed her actions, but her body sure did. The sudden arousal caused her nipples to harden. Kari took a quick breath as her hands found themselves drawn to her perky B-cup breasts. A soft moan escaped her lips as she was reminded of Matt’s similar caresses. The thought of Matt snapped her back to the fact that she was still in the locker room…naked. Cheeks flushed, she dashed back to her locker to dress.
Once again Kari found herself in front of the mirror. This time to double check her dressed appearance. Her naturally silky blond hair framed her face perfectly. A tight, baby blue crop top matched her eyes. The teasing peek at her flat tummy would drive the boys wild, yet was still within the school’s two inch gap policy. The matching shorts were also within “Legal Limits”, but, were tight enough to leave little to the imagination. The outfit was completed by a sleek pair of patent leather two inch heeled boots. Fashion was easy when you have looks, taste, and a platinum credit card.
The lunch line was agonizingly slow. Squinting slightly, Kari could see Matt at their usual spot. Just the sight of his muscular frame made her weak at the knees. He was laughing at something Stephanie’s boyfriend Jake had said.
A second growl from her stomach brought home another desire. Hunger. Kari was still stuck in line, but, she was suddenly hungrier than ever. An awestruck freshman who had been secretly checking out her ass agreed to hold her place. A quick trip to the vending machines and Kari came back with a couple bags of M&Ms. At least she had something to munch on while waiting.
By the time the lunch counter was at hand both bags were gone. Kari had only a brief moment to register her surprise over that before she had to order. While she usually had the salad, she decided on something more substantial. A cheeseburger, fries, apple pie, and a Coke filled the tray as she wove her way back to the table.
Matt greeted her with his usual hug and kiss. Kari forgot even her hunger at his touch. She fought to keep her composure as his hands slid down and around her waist. She barely kept control of her tray as she plopped it onto the table. Kari’s eyes were locked on Matt’s as for a short time the world ceased to exist.
Matt had been wondering where Kari was. Stephanie had told him about the fainting spell. He had started to worry but thoughts of heading to the nurse's office dissipated when he spotted her in the lunch line. After an eternity she was finally coming to him.
Matt’s pulse quickened at the sight of his Kari weaving her way through the crowded room. Her natural grace and lithe body almost hypnotizing him. Finally she was there, looking down upon him like an angel. Matt put his hands around her thin waist as she was beginning to sit. As his hands slid down, he tightened their grip giving her a half turn so that she ended up on his lap. Though he often did this same maneuver, it seemed far from routine. Matt found himself lost in her eyes just before they kissed.
Kari found the house empty after school. Normally she wouldn’t waste any time and would launch into her homework. Strangely the TV called out to her today. Kari quickly changed into a pair of pink sweats and plopped down on the couch. A pair of sisters were battling over some fat slob that was totally repulsive. The women weren’t all that slim either. Kari unconsciously munched on some chips as she stared at the well fed trio.
“How could anyone let themselves get like that?”, she thought out loud. “Don’t they have any self control?”
The show was substandard even by Jerry Springer standards. Kari knew she should do something better with her time. She knew that almost anything would be better than this. She really should…. She should… She… fell asleep…
-----------
Tawni also came home to an empty house. The tiny little apartment was a far cry to the fancy house Kari lived in. This fact went through her mind on a daily basis. The sparse furnishings were testament to her father’s low paying job. Fortunately he wasn’t here, she thought. He would surely bombard her with the endless details of his latest “breakthrough”. His obsession with developing a gel matrix for hydrogen as a car fuel, exhausted what little income he brought in. They subsisted on what her mother could scrape in as a hairstylist.
Tawni grabbed a Pepsi and some Oreos and plopped down to watch some TV. One of her favorite soaps was on, but, she was unable to get sucked into the plot as she usually did. No matter how hard Tawni tried she just couldn’t get interested. For about fifteen minutes Tawni fidgeted on the couch. Finally, unable to take it anymore, she shut off the TV and left the living room, her snacks barely touched.
-----------------
“Kari honey”, her mother said quietly while looking down at her daughter. “Kari, it’s time to wake up”, she repeated.
After a gentle shake Kari opened her eyes. Her mother was still looking down, a loving look in her eyes containing a bit of concern as well. The nurse had called Rachel this afternoon to tell her about Kari’s spell. When she got home Kari was sound asleep on the sofa. Rachel figured that was a good place to leave her until supper.
Kari took a deep breath and stretched. She looked up at her mother. “What time is it?”
Seeing that her daughter appeared alright Rachel relaxed a bit. “It’s a little after eight dear. I heard from the nurse, so I let you sleep.”
Kari’s eyes went wide. “Eight o’clock! At night? That means I slept over four hours!”
Rachael started heading into the kitchen. On her way, she spoke over her shoulder. “I would have let you sleep longer honey, but, I didn’t want supper to dry out. Hurry now, and wash up.”
Kari couldn’t believe she had slept so long. She trudged over to the bathroom to wash. It felt like she was dreaming still. Kari splashed some water on her face hoping to wake up more. It helped a bit. Looking into the mirror she noted her hair was a mess. A few strokes with a brush and her silky hair fell into place as usual. Satisfied she turned to leave then noticed a few strays. Repeated brushing failed to tame them. Finally Kari gave up vowing a thorough shampoo and conditioning.
Kari’s father was already at the table. She leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek.
“Hi Daddy!” she chirped, happy to see him.
Her father gave a start as if he had been deep in thought. With an obvious effort he tried to sound cheerful.
“Oh hi sweetheart. How’s my little princess?”
Kari knew something was wrong. She noted how his pained expression was poorly veiled behind a smile for her benefit. Kari also noted the hasty way he gathered up some papers he had been looking at. Her father Carl was a successful businessman. Though he valued his work, he never brought it to the table. The fact that he had done so tonight didn’t bode well.
The air was heavy throughout supper. Everyone was being too polite. After a few failed attempts to lift her parent’s spirits, Kari decided to bury herself in her meal. She wished she had paid more attention to what she had put on her plate. While trying to ease the tension, Kari had blindly overfilled it. The amount of food she ate surprised her. Although she felt full, she found a craving for more. Kari was about to reach for seconds when sense kicked in and she excused herself. Frankly she was happy to get away from the tension at the table.
In her room Kari got out her books to study. To her surprise it was uncustomarily hard to concentrate. She felt as if she was still only half awake.
“That’s what you get for stuffing yourself this late” she chastised herself.
Kari found herself rereading things because she couldn’t recall what she had read. Thoughts about her father kept creeping in as well… Kari was an A student and wasn’t happy with her work this night. She knew she should redo some of the assignment, but, couldn’t get up the ambition…
(Continued in post 7 of this thread)
