Page 88 of Bodybuilders for the BBW

This felt like a performance in some ways, one I was ill prepared to carry off, but as I tweaked the folds of the dress, I remembered Natasha’s frank words. Really, her vibe was what had me opening the door to find the two of them standing there. Accept the shit, find a way forward, that seemed to be what she was saying, and this was the shit.

“Oh…” Mandie not having much to say was the reddest of flags as she looked me up and down.

“It’s hideous,” I said.

“Oh, no, it’s?—”

“Dear god, woman.” Natasha bustled forward. “Of course it is. This fabric is too stiff and is giving you a uniboob, so it's a definite no, but you don’t need to patronise Katie.”

I put my hand on my very stiff fabric covered hip and then shot her a smug look.

“Yeah, this is a patronising free zone.” I looked down and plucked at the fabric. “I look like a sausage casing that’s been stuffed with too much meat.”

“Meat…” How my sister passed high school. I don’t know, because mentally she remained about twelve. My eyes narrowed as she snorted. “I mean, maybe this dress works. If the date goes well, you will have tons of sausage and a whole lot of stuffing.”

“Hate you,” I said. “Hate you so very much.”

“Next dress.” Natasha was the only one willing to be an adult here, so she rifled through the dresses and then pulled out another one. “Try this. Softer, more flowing fabric. Sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes it just shows all the lumps and bumps.”

It was definitely better, but when I opened the door, they weren’t wowed. The colour apparently washed me out. Some dresses were too big, more too small, despite them all saying they were the same size, and then, there was this one.

I didn’t care what they thought, this was the dress.

Black and made from a burnout velvet, the subtle floral pattern was replicated across the whole dress. As Natasha instructed, it nipped in at the smallest part of my body, just under my bust. The bodice criss-crossed in what she called a surplice bodice, making sure I didn’t have uniboob. No, each one was cradled and thrust forward, showcased with a plunging neckline. The skirt flared out around my legs, swirling as I moved and my arms were covered with a fluttery bell sleeve.

It was perfect.

“Everything OK, Katie?” Mandie asked. I didn’t reply, shifting back and forth just to feel the fabric play around my legs.

“If this one doesn’t work, we can find other dresses.” Natasha was using her best stay cool voice, but she didn’t need it. With a shaking hand, I undid the latch and the door swung open.

“Oh my god…” Some people might wonder why I was so close to my sister. She was a pain in my arse most days, but then there were moments like this. Mandie blinked, blinked, and then holy crap. Were those tears? “Katie, you look…”

“Beautiful.” Natasha gave me a satisfied nod. “But how do you feel?”

“Beautiful,” I agreed, and that had Mandie rushing forward, folding me into a hug.

“Those guys… If they don’t all turn up, I will personally go around to their house and kick their arses. Don’t think I won’t.”

“No one would doubt you, Maddy Pants.”

I ruffled her hair, just like I used to when we were kids, and that had her pushing away.

“OK, so now we’ve got the dress sorted, we need pretty undies, new shoes. Ooh! What about a facial?” Mandie was getting excited and my bank balance was cringing in anticipation. “Perfume.”

“Just a dress.” I waved a finger in her face. “You told me just a dress.”

“Yeah, but you should go all out.” She stared down at me. “This is special. My baby…” Her hands fanned her face, doing a fair approximation of Mum’s bullshit. “She’s all grown up and getting all the good dick.”

“Underwear we are definitely going to another place for, and Mandie can pay for it,” Natasha asserted.

That evening, I was standing in front of the mirror, dressed in new underwear, my new dress, and applying the new makeup Mandie had insisted I buy, carefully outlining my eyes with mascara. I’d started this year wanting to become a new person and, for the first time, I looked like one. When I stepped back, I tried to take everything in and failed.

There was a reason why I didn’t get dressed up a lot. My skin felt weird and it was like I couldn’t take a proper full breath, the new bra cutting into my ribs. But Mandie and Natasha had done the job. I was tense, on edge, ready to run out of the bathroom and toss everything off, but at the same time, I felt beautiful. That, I wanted to lean into that hard, and as if in response to the turmoil inside me, Mandie appeared.

“You look amazing.” She stepped into the small bathroom and stared at my reflection. “Your outside is finally matching the insides.” Her hands landed on my shoulders and she turned me around to face her. “And this change needs to go further than skin deep.”

“Mandie—”

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