After hooking up with Lina, they both left the store without buying anything. Lina talked about how run-down the shop was and predicted it wouldn't stay in business for very long. Amy was half-listening. Ever since they left the store, Amy had been feeling hungry. As they continued walking downtown, she tugged on Lina's shirt to usher her into a fast food joint.
"Can we stop for a sec? I'm ravenous."
"All right," Lina said. "But don't expect me to eat any of the garbage they're selling.
"Three double-cheeseburgers, please," Amy told the pimple-faced kid behind the counter.
"Three?" Lina asked, surprised.
"Better make that four," Amy said. "And two cartons of milk."
In a few minutes, Amy had plopped herself down at a booth and began scarfing down the burgers. Lina watched with unbelieving eyes.
"I've never seen you eat like that before," she said. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Jussht hungry," she said with her mouth full. Small bits of meat dripped onto the table as she spoke, making Lina gag.
When Amy was finally done, she leaned back in the booth and rubbed her stomach. "Oh, wow. I've never felt that full before."
"Probably because you've never pigged out like that before."
"I was hungry," Amy retorted. She didn't want to admit it to Lina, at least not now, but she was wondering herself what was wrong with her appetite. She usually avoided fast food, but for some reason her cravings told her to eat double-cheeseburgers and drink more milk. "Anyway, let's get going. I've held us up long enough."
They window shopped for a little while, then headed home. Lina had completely forgotten about the magic store, or Amy's pig-out, and instead chatted with her on more normal topics such as their least favorite teachers and how they were going to write ten pages of a book report by next Wednesday.
Lina bade goodbye to Amy as they reached her house. Once inside, Amy's nose picked up the smell of steak from the kitchen. Her mind was flooded with hunger once again.
"Good to see you," her father said as she floated into the kitchen. "Dinner's almost ready. Would you set the table?"
Amy quickly arranged the table for four; Her parents, her younger brother Troy, and herself. Her father put the steak on the table and called the rest of the family to dinner.
She could hardly wait for everyone to gather. She eyed her father eagerly as he carved slices for everyone. He gave her the usual half-portion, as she usually didn't care much for steak. She gobbled the juicy meat in a flash and asked nicely for more. She knew her father shot her a curious look, but she didn't care. She was hungry.
"You haven't touched your potatoes," he mused. "When you've finished everything in front of you, we'll talk seconds."
She tried to eat her side portions quickly, but something about the potatoes seemed off from what her father usually made. The salad was fine, however, the bread was too lacking in flavor and substance. Finally, she finished everything, and her stomach was craving for meat despite feeling full.
A second, larger portion of steak seemed to satisfy her cravings, and she thanked her father for the meal. She said she had to do more homework, and slipped through the kitchen on her way upstairs for a tall glass of milk.
Up in her room, she guzzled the milk. A long satisfactory sigh was followed by a loud and surprising burp. She put her hand to her mouth, surprised. Then she rubbed her stomach, which was noticeably larger when she lifted up her shirt.
"What's up with me today?" she wondered aloud. "I can't believe I ate like that...and I can't believe I didn't even care!" She felt her forehead. No fever. Maybe it was some kind of freaky post-puberty thing.
Having eaten so much made her feel exhausted. She flopped onto her bed, feeling the contents of her stomach shift. A hand absent-mindedly rubbed it as she drifted off to sleep.