Chloe and Rafe by Moxie North

Chapter 1
     
    The cloud of hair spray corrupting the air inside Chloe’s tiny bathroom was probably bad enough to get a call from the EPA. But every girl knew going out meant big hair. You know, the hair that you could never get away with in the light of day. The overuse of hot rollers and curling irons, along with salon quality hair spray meant Chloe and her friends might have to proceed through doorways this evening sideways.
    Not that improbably, considering Chloe and her friends were what you might call big boned, husky, or even pleasantly plump.  Chloe on the other hand considered herself spot on. She was 5’6, had long thick legs and was a perfect size 18.
    She loved her curves, enjoyed flaunting them and often had men hitting on her in bars.  Although this was an awesome ego boost, more often than not, Chloe would let them slip away.  No matter how many times she told herself she was a rock star, no matter what size, her self-esteem was constantly being battered by society and it’s ideal of beauty.  Her daily affirmations were necessary to counteract two-story billboards showing waifish models in bikinis.
    Screw em’, Chloe thought, this is going to be an awesome night. Hot guys, drinks, and big hair. What could go wrong?
    Chloe glanced over to her BFF’s, but they really were her sisters in every other sense.  Women who had had stood by her since middle school. They were the outcasts, the girls that weren’t great at sports but had always seemed to find their place on the outskirts of the popular to semi-popular crowds.  That funny, self-deprecating humor all big girls learned early, from years of taunting.
    They were people pleasers and the balance to the skinny pep squad girls who wouldn’t get their hands dirty. They were the girls sitting behind desks raising money for new cheerleader uniforms, helping with the bake sales, and making banners for the football team. Always part of the group as long as they stayed on the edge.
    Looking up into the large mirror, Chloe assessed her outfit choice for the evening.  Skintight “skinny” black pants with a bit of a metallic sheen to them. They showed off her toned thighs and thick round butt, thanks to her odd enjoyment of elliptical machines. She had on her fabulous new silver strappy sandals that she got half off during a hormonal mid-cycle shopping binge last week. For some reason ovulation made her buy slutty clothes.
    Topping off her outfit was a grey one shoulder satin shirt with jet black beading on the front. The top was soft and draped just at her hips, not covering up her hard worked for booty.
    Fluffing her brown curly hair, she touched up her mascara, double checked her smokey eyeshadow and decided her ivory skin, dark blue eyes and brown hair made her look like a china doll tonight. Perfect.
    Giving herself a smile she glanced over to her friend Nikki and gave her a knowing smirk, which Nikki responded to with a saucy wink. Nikki was the first friend she met in middle school after moving from another state. While standing in the cafeteria, wondering where she could sit and eat without disrupting some unknown middle school hierarchy, Nikki jumped up from her seat and without saying a word dragged Chloe back to her table. She sat and started chatting with her like they were old friends.  They were inseparable from that day on.
    Nikki was stunning, Chloe had always thought so. She was tall, 5’10 and around a size 16 at her waist. Her backside and thighs were probably ranging around a 20. But with her height she didn’t look disproportionate; she looked like an Amazon goddess. With mocha brown skin that she usually kept tan year round.
    She had recently decided to forgo her weave of braids that she had been wearing since high school and go au natural. Chloe loved her hair, black with hints of brown and red. She had these perfect corkscrews that were around 5 inches long. They looked like they belonged on a pixie and bounced when she