The Freshman... 15?

Shopping Spree

It was now Tuesday, and Ana was bored out of her mind. She didn't need to go anywhere, since all her classes were asynchronous. All she could think about was Cedric. Why is Thursday so far away?  I should get started with that Photoshop assignment I guess, even if it's the last thing I want to do. She opened up her laptop and began playing around with the program. Yet due to her lack of concentration, nothing would get done. After an hour or so, she rage quit, slamming the computer closed.

If there is anything that will lift my mood today, it's food. The thought alone made her happier. A quick search around the cupboards yielded a family sized bag of chips and 2 cans of Seven Up. Ana did a few breathing exercises and went back to work, grazing on the food. She was never much of a snacker, preferring to have 3 solid meals instead of spreading it around the day. But her habits and mentality changed so much in the last week that she was willing to give it a try.

Ana noticed how the work flowed much smoother when her mouth was full. It was all so... mechanical. Change the contrast. Stuff face with chips. Enjoy the crunch. Sharpen the features. Gulp some soda. 

The process was actually calming, and she quickly lost track of time. The only thing that interrupted her stupor was the realization that she was out of snacks. Ana was a  little surprised that she consumed that much junk so easily, but also very proud. Letting out a belch, Ana got up to get more. Yet after checking the cupboards several times, she came to the conclusion that there was no more food. Just when things were kicking off, this HAD to happen. I suppose I should go shopping, and this time I'll make sure to buy enough snacks. 

Grumpy, Ana went outside in search for a grocery store. However there wasn't one nearby, and it took over an hour of walking, attempting to follow directions, and getting lost to stumble onto one. Naturally, this only worsened her mood, since now she was also tired and hungry. She went in, and for the first time that day things were looking good. It was one of those huge supermarkets, where you could easily buy dozens of items for cheap, and no one would question why you needed 50 frozen pizzas.

Ana grabbed the largest cart and stepped in. The choices overwhelmed her. Where to start? The dessert section or the frozen aisle? What snacks should she buy? How much food was too much? Calm down, girl. Take this one step at a time. You discovered you like munching chips today? Good, start there. So she headed to the snacks section, and surveyed her options. There were all sorts of flavors: classical, cheese, barbeque, spicy. She decided to take 3 regulars, and 1 for each new flavor, all family sized. Next, her sweet tooth got the better of her, and she headed to the candy section. The phrase "thinking with your belly, not your head" took a whole new meaning at that moment. Ana's brain completely shut down, and she just dumped in anything that looked large and tasty. Gummy bears, cookies, muffins, snickers, hershey's  and other chocolates. After only a minute of this rampage, her cart was almost full. And she hadn't gotten any actual food yet, or even drinks! Since there was so little space left, she decided to keep it simple. Besides, she mostly ordered takeout anyway. 

A few packets of noodles were added, along with frozen nuggets. Lastly, she grabbed a dozen 2 liter bottles of coke and headed to the checkout. Due to the size of the haul, there were a few awkward minutes of silence between Ana and the cashier. At one point, the elderly lady muttered "These college students and their parties..." just loud enough for Ana to hear. Should I tell her I'm not planning to share this? That as soon as I get home I'll completely pig out on this junk? That this will probably be my diet for the next two years, if not more? No. I'll let my growing body speak for itself. Besides, I'm not brave enough to tell people about my plans yet.

She grabbed the receipt and was stunned for a moment, gaping at the total. Of course, money wasn't a problem for her, but the fact that she succumbed to her gainer instincts so easily terrified and made her happy at the same time. She double checked just to make sure she really bought that much food.

Lays family sized chips x8

Chocolate chip cookies x8

Large Oreos x10

Gummy Goldbears x4

Hershey's x10

Snickers x15

M&M's x12

Muffins 6 pack x4

Coca Cola 2l x12

Frozen Nuggets 20 pack x3

Instant Noodles x10

Yep, it all checked out. I wonder how long will this last. But at that point, she was so hungry she couldn't wait until getting home. Devouring a pack of oreos and two snickers then and there, it satisfied her hunger. Should I keep going, and push my limits here? Her heart said yes, but rationality was slowly returning. No you idiot, you still need to get this home. How do you plan to do that if it simply hurts to move? 

Ana called an Uber, and it arrived in just a few minutes. Thankfully the driver was very polite, and helped her load everything in. Going back was way easier than coming, and they were by the apartment in no time. The guy even assisted in getting the groceries up the stairs, reducing the trips Ana had to make from four to one. 

There was sooo much food on the table, and her stomach was far from stuffed. It emitted a loud gurgle of anticipation. Yes belly. Now you can pig out. Stuff yourself until you stretch so much, I pass out. Go on. You want it. Do it now.