A Heavy Scent Ch 01

"What a surprise, Iris has another question!"

Jessie was getting rather tired of Iris raising her hand, especially when she herself had understood the lesson the first day she heard it. Iris never seemed to understand anything. "I can't stand your stupidity any longer!"

"Shut up, skank!" Iris snapped.

Mrs. Brooke, the English teacher, quickly stepped in. "Ladies, that's enough."

Jessie looked back at Iris and smirked. "Is that the best comeback you have? A kindergartener with a mouthful of paste could do better!"

The students groaned, not relishing the idea of another fight between Iris and Jessie so early in the day. Mrs. Brooke was trying to restore order as Iris tried to answer her foe. "Yeah? Well you...I think—"

"No one cares what you think, fat-ass!" Jessie blurted.

"That's enough!" shouted Mrs. Brooke. She pointed to the door. "Both of you go to the principal's office, and I don't want to hear another word: got it?"

Both girls shut their mouths and marching out of the classroom.

The class breathed a sigh of relief. An unkind word here, and snide remark there: these things were common between Iris and Jesse now that they had their eyes on the same boy.

As they marched down the hall Iris and Jessie said nothing to one another. It was a short distance from Mrs. Brooke's room to the principal's office, and they knew they were being watched by the hall monitors. As Iris approached the door Jessie moved ahead and held it open for her. Iris gave Jessie a dirty look out of the corner of her eye, but walked in anyway. Suddenly she heard Jessie whisper, "Nobody likes fatties."

Iris gritted her teeth. She walked on ahead to principal's room, but she could almost hear Jessie smiling behind her.

The principal advised Iris and Jessie not to end up back in her office again. Once they were released they returned to the empty classroom to pick up their stuff. Mrs. Brooke was waiting there to give them another warning. Iris nodded her head and said "yes" at all the right times, but her mind was elsewhere, brooding over Jessie's comment. She wasn't fat, at least she thought she wasn't. Was that why Don wouldn't go out with her?

Don Jeffers was a nice, handsome-looking boy who sat next to Iris in chemistry class. She had thought of asking him, but then Jessie came into the picture: the smart, pretty girl swooping in to steal Iris's potential boyfriend. That was when Iris decided to make her move, but when she asked Don if he wanted to hang out sometime, he kindly (and devastatingly) turned her down.

What was the matter with her? Did Don already have a girlfriend? Iris had never seen him with a girl before. Did he just not like her enough, and if he didn't, why was he nice to her all of the time? What if he did like Jessie better and decided to go out with her instead? What was she going to do?

Iris walked to her next class pondering all of these things, still unsure of herself, and her feelings still smarting from Jessie's barbed words. She explained to Mr. Jacobsen, the chemistry teacher, why she was late. Embarrassed, she sat down and opened her notebook.

"Another fight, eh?" Don suddenly whispered from the seat to her left. Iris blushed and nodded, too nervous to think of something to say. Don smiled kindly and handed Iris his notebook. "You can copy down the notes you missed. I'll use another notebook for now."

Oh Don, you're magnificent!

Iris stared down at his neatly organized notes. Perhaps there was still some hope. Iris felt the stress of the morning melt away as she copied down everything on the page, right down to the doodles in the margins.

A few hours later was lunch time, and Iris ran into Jane, her best friend. Jane threw her arms around Iris and smiled. "I heard that you got into another fight in English class."

"Yeah." Iris murmured.

"Did you call her a bitch for me, like I told you last time?"

Now Iris smiled. "I was going to, but Mrs. Brooke sent us to the principal's office before I got to it."

"Aw! Well, you'd better remember it next time. I'd do it myself but she's not in any of my classes."

"I want to tell you about what happened. Do you have chorus this period."

"Yeah." Jane replied, disappointed. "Wait until math class, alright? Oh, and one more thing!" Jane reached into her backpack and pulled out a thick book entitled Spells and Potions for Beginners. "There's this really cool boob spell that I found in here. I'll show it to you later."

"Alright! See you later." Iris sighed She had been looking forward to eating lunch with Jane. None the less, Iris grabbed her lunch bag and walked to the cafeteria by herself.

Without Jane to talk to, Iris sat in the cafeteria alone, munching on the carrot sticks Mom had packed, and thought about Don and Jessie. Don had told Iris that he wouldn't go out with her, but had he told Jessie the same thing? Amybe that was the reason that Jessie insulted her all of the time. If Don wasn't with Jessie, there was still a chance. Plus, Iris could take some comfort in the fact that Don had rejected Jessie as well. As Iris was thinking about this she suddenly heard a quiet voice behind her.

"Excuse me, may I sit here?"

Iris turned around to see Jenna, another girl in her grade, standing beside her and holding a lunch tray piled high with all sorts of food. She was a petite girl who wore her long, chestnut-brown hair in a long, thick braid. She was, in fact, a little too petite, so much so that many people though she was in middle school. There were times when Iris wondered whether Jenna really was in 9th grade or not.

Jenna slid into the seat next to Iris and started eating. The rest of the table was empty. They weren't friends; they rarely even spoke to one another. Now Jenna was sitting uncomfortably close, munching on a bag of chips and sipping chocolate milk, practically attached to Iris's hip. Iris reached for her backpack so she could leave. That was when Jenna spoke up.

"Please, I want to ask you something."

"Well, would you mind not sitting so close to me then? It's kind of freaking me out."

"The question I want to ask you is a secret. The closer we sit the softer we can speak." Jenna replied. She took a forkful of salad and brought it up to her mouth, but before she ate it she commented, "I heard about the fight you had with Jessie today."

"So what?" Iris seethed. "I bet everyone knows about that by now."

"Rumor has it," Jenna whispered, "...that you two are fighting over a guy. Is it true?"

"That's none of your business."

Jenna swallowed another forkful of salad and munched for a while. "I see. That's too bad, because I would be kind of mad if you and Jessie were fighting over a guy and she got a hold of him first." Jenna sipped her juice. "Jessie's a jerk, and I'd much rather see you get the guy than her."

Iris said nothing, but looked at Jenna suspiciously out of the corner of her eye as she took a bite out of another carrot.

"If you did say that you were fighting over a guy," Jenna continued, "...I might be able to help you out."

"Really?" Iris replied through a mouthful of carrot. She caught herself, however, and calmly replied, "I mean, that would be nice, I guess."

Jenna stabbed at her lunch tray again, twirling spaghetti as Iris silently sat by. Jenna continued with a small smile on her face. "There is a special perfume that I want you to try out. This may sound weird, but if you wear this perfume I promise that Don won't even look at another woman."

"Perfume? What are you talking about?"

"As I said, it sounds weird, but hear me out for a minute." She finished her salad and moved on to a slice of pizza. "It's a special potion. If you wear it, then you I guarantee that you'll get your man."

"Wait a minute." Iris interjected. "You mean it's like a love potion or something?" "You'll see." Jenna promised, biting the corner off of a pizza square.

Jenna told Iris to meet her behind the school. Iris waited, swinging her duffle bag full of gym clothes back and forth aimlessly to keep her mind occupied. "Jenna better show up soon," Iris mumbled impatiently, "...or I'll have to—"

"Have to what?" Jenna interrupted.

Iris was astonished. "Where did you come from?" she blurted.

"The school, where else?" Jenna coolly replied. "That's not important now, though. I have the perfume."

Eagerly Iris reached out her hands, but Jenna held back. "There's something important I have to tell you before you use this perfume though." she warned, "If you don't put it on correctly, you're going to be in big trouble."

"What do you mean trouble? This isn't going to kill me, is it?"

"No, but it won't work if you don't do exactly as I say." Jenna declared. "When you put the perfume on, you need to be careful not to smell it until it has made contact with your skin. As long as you're wearing it you will be fine, but until it gets absorbed by your skin you could be affected by it in a bad way. Hold your nose or plug it up before you spray it, and wait a minute or so before you start smelling again." Jenna handed Iris a pair of nose plugs like the ones that the swimming team wore.

"Okay, got it." Iris replied as she pocketed them. "Anything else?"

"Just make sure that you don't break the bottle. It's specially sealed so that nothing will leak out, but if this bottle shatters then you're screwed. Understand? It's really important that you not smell this before it's on your skin."

"I get it, fine!" Iris groaned. "Now, will you give me the perfume?"

Jenna nodded, and from inside of her purse she produced a small glass bottle, faceted like a diamond. Inside was a lavender-colored, transparent fluid. Gently, Iris grasped it in her hands and, wrapping it up in one of her gym shirts, she placed it in her bag for safe keeping.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Jenna said as she walked away. "Just spray it on in the morning, and you'll get what you want."

The next morning Iris very quickly showered and put on some clothes. The night before she had trouble falling asleep, wondering what would happen when she put the perfume on and walked into school. Eventually, Iris drifted off to sleep, but when she awoke she practically jumped out of bed. Shaking with anticipation, she removed the bottle from her nightstand drawer and prepared to spray herself. Taking no chances, Iris put on the nose plugs that Jenna had given her and held her breath. Iris took a deep breath, extended her arm, and sprayed.

Iris waited and waited, finally gasping when she could no longer hold her breath. Everything seemed fine. She waited another five minutes to be sure before she pulled the nose plugs off. Once her nose was open, Iris got a whiff of the perfume. It had a strange scent, like tangerines that had been sitting out for too long, mixed with a hint of wildflowers.

It was not a very good scent. If it would make Don fall in love with her, Iris didn't mind wearing it. Still, she hoped that she wouldn't need to wear it for long.

Iris walked downstairs to the kitchen. Rose, her little sister, was sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal. Iris poured one for herself and started munching.

Iris's mom walked in and started washing the dishes that her husband had left behind. She sniffed the air and quickly turned to Iris. "Are you wearing perfume?"

"It's just some lotion that Jane gave me yesterday." Iris lied, looking down into her cereal and gulping down two more spoonfuls.

"Good. There's no reason for a girl like you to be wearing perfume to school."

"Why not, Mommy?" Rose asked. "Doesn't perfume make you smell nice?"

"Yes dear," Mom replied, searching for an explanation. "Perfume is only for...fancy occasions. Now each your cereal."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Rose said. Iris breathed a sigh of relief Mom was distracted from the scent that wafted through the air.

"I know, but perfume's different, honey." Mom concluded, placing a clean plate in the dish rack.

"But why?"

"It just is, now finish you breakfast." Iris smiled as Mom turned back and tried to look as busy as possible, washing up plates while ignoring Rose's continuing questions.

Seeing that she was getting nowhere, Rose returned to her breakfast. However, Iris noticed that her little sister was eating a lot faster than before. She finished her bowl of cereal quickly, and rather than pushing herself away from the table and parking herself in front of the TV, Rose poured herself another bowl and started to really chow down.

"Rose, do you really need a second bowl of cereal?" Mom asked disapprovingly.

"I'm still really hungry, Mommy." As if to illustrate that fact Rose's little stomach sounded off with and immense growl that surprised Mom and Iris alike. Rose was shoveling spoon after spoon of puffed rice into her mouth until Mom had to warn her not eat so fast. Rose slowed down reluctantly, but it wasn't long before she was slurping down the last of the milk in her bowl, and then she reached for the cereal box again.

"That's enough, young lady!" Mom insisted, pulling the cereal box away despite Rose's protests. Rose followed Mom around the kitchen, jumping for the box as it was held high above her. Mom placed it safely atop the refrigerator and ordered Rose to get ready for school.

"But Mommy!" Rose whined, "I'm still really hungry!"

"You had two bowls of cereal, young lady. Now, get your coat and your backpack. We're going soon."

As Rose dejectedly left the kitchen, Mom turned to Iris and said, "She must be going through a growth spurt, the little devil." Iris nodded, agreeing that she had never seen her sister so hungry before.

Rose got a ride with the neighbor to elementary school, while Mom and Iris drove off for the high school. Silently they drove along, until suddenly Mom's stomach growled loudly.

Iris and Mom looked at each other quizzically, then Mom laughed, "I guess I should have had a second bowl of cereal too!"

Mom dropped Iris off in front of the school and warned her not to get into any more fights with Jessie. Iris sighed that she wouldn't, and impatiently headed off. She knew exactly where she wanted to go.

Don's locker was on the other side of the school, so she ran, at times skipped, as fast as she could to meet up with him before the bell rang. 'Just in time!' Iris thought as she turned the corner, seeing Don picking out the last of his books. Composing herself, Iris nonchalantly walked up to Don's side and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hi Don!" Iris giggled, making sure to get as close as possible so that he could smell her perfume.

"Hey, Iris." Don replied. "What are you doing here? I thought your locker was on the other side of the school."

"It is, I just wanted to thank you for lending me your notes." Iris lied. Any moment now Don would smell her perfume and change his mind.

"No big deal. You're welcome." He started walking away.

"I was just wondering," Iris said, "I'm wearing a new perfume, and I was wondering if you could tell me if it smells good or not." Iris held out her bare wrist. "Could you, please?" she begged.

Don shrugged his shoulders and agreed. He lowered his head and took a light sniff.

Any second now

, Iris thought,

and he'll be mine forever!

"It smells a little odd; I can't figure out what it's supposed to be." Don commented. "Still, it's not that bad. What did you say the scent was?"

Iris said nothing at first. 'Any second now, and he'll be drooling over me like a dog for bacon!' she repeated over and over to herself. However, Don seemed no more interested in Iris than he was before. He was just staring at her. Iris just stared into Don's eyes, wracking her brain over what to do next.

"Hello? Are you there, Iris?" Don said, waving his hand in front of Iris's uneasy stare.

"Ah, I mean, yes, the scent...is actually..." Iris wracked her brain for an exotic sounding perfume, "...orchid! It from...the rain forest! Or...something."

"Well, it's a little strange if you ask me. I'll see you in science class, okay?" He smiled and walked off, and Iris was left alone to wonder what happened.

Quickly she ran to find Jenna, but at that moment the bell rang. Class was about to start, and Iris realized that she needed to hurry back before she was late for English.

"What's that smell?" Jessie laughed as Iris stepped into the room. "Did you eat the cafeteria fruit salad yesterday?"

Iris anger now burned hotter, at first only smoldering because of her disappointment, but now stoked further by Jessie. Wisely, however, Iris held her tongue. She could hear the sharp "click-clack" of Mrs. Brooke's heels in the hallway. She hustled over to her desk and sat down, behind and to the right of Jessie, who smiled in smug satisfaction at her insult.

"Good morning, class!" Mrs. Brooke chirped as she walked through the door. "Sorry I'm late. Jesse, Iris: are you both going to behave yourselves today?"

Yes, both girls replied obediently. Smiling, Mrs. Brooke walked up to the board and started writing. The class was studying Shakespeare, so Mrs. Brooke told them to take out their books and start reading.

Iris pretended to read, but as she blankly stared at the page she continued to brood of the ineffectiveness of her perfume. Disappointed, she tried to figure out the reasons why it might not have worked. Maybe it did work right away, or perhaps she hadn't worn enough of it. Then again, maybe Jenna had been screwing with her all along. She was a fool to believe that a perfume could make someone fall in love with her. 'I'm going to find Jenna, and she's going to explain this to me whether she likes it or...'

"Buuuuuuuurrrrrp!"

Two dozen students picked their heads up from their textbooks, their reading interrupted, and quickly their eyes came to rest on Jessie, who sat hunched over her desk in embarrassment with her hands covering her mouth.

"Jessie!" Mrs. Brooke exclaimed. "What was that?"

The students laughed, and although Mrs. Brooke tried to silence them there was still a lot of giggling in the background. Jessie apologized profusely. "I didn't expect it; it just came out!"

Mrs. Brooke eyed Jessie suspiciously, but ultimately let the matter go, happy that it was only a belch rather than a snide remark. Jessie, red-faced, turned back to her book while the boys in the back whispered and sniggered.

Iris smirked, and was about to turn back to her reading when she noticed something strange.

Jessie was wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans: loose enough to be comfortable, but tight enough to show off her figure. Her perky little breasts and tight butt were wonderfully outlined by such simple clothes. However, Iris saw Jessie's hand reach down, perhaps unconsciously, to pull down her shirt as it rode up over her stomach. As she pulled it down, however, it did not stay down. Part of her back was still exposed and, if Iris was not mistaken, that strip of bare flesh was getting wider.

Iris watched with concern and fascination as a soft roll of fat gently pushed out over the waistband of Jessie's jeans. Jessie didn't seem to notice, worried too much about her embarrassing burp a few minutes earlier. However, Iris could see that her clothes were getting a little tighter. The shirt was riding up a little further, and Iris thought she heard a small creak as the jeans started to stretch. Jessie's tummy rumbled, and the girl shifted uneasily in her seat embarrassed that she was making more strange noises.

Iris wondered what on earth was happening, but her train of thought was interrupted by a loud "pop" behind her. Iris looked back and saw that Kelly, the girl who sat behind her, was looking disconcertedly down at her waist.

Kelly had a rather slim figure like Jessie's, but unlike Jesse she liked to wear much tighter clothes in the hopes that it would help her stand out more. Many of the chubby girls admired how comfortable she looked in her skin-tight jeans, jealously wishing they could be that thin. Kelly walked about the school with total confidence, but Iris detected that something was wrong at that moment. She noticed some small button lying under the desk. Kelly quickly picked it up, keeping one hand on her waist and nervously looking around to make sure that no one had heard the sound.