Heather's debut

“Heather?!”

“That's right! Everyone, please give a big round of applause for this episode's special guest, Miss... Heather Ashbee!”

A thunderous applause arose from the audience, but Sophia barely heard it. Every ounce of her focus was entirely on her friend. She'd known that they'd voted to bring Heather onto the show, but she'd been trying not to think about it in the nonsensical hope they'd somehow forget about it if she did.

“Heather! Look! Over here!”

Sophia tried her hardest to grab her best friend's attention, but though she should have been square in Heather's sight, the girl simply continued to stare straight out in front of her. Her lack of response filled Sophia with a sense of dread.

“She won't hear you I'm afraid. Until the Control Collar wakes her up, the girl will respond only to me.”

Jack's taunting voice came to her from over her shoulder, almost drowned out by the applause sounding throughout the studio. She spared him a glance, then turned back to her friend to take in the state she was in. Just like Sophia, Heather had been dressed up to show her off like a prize, her lithe body packed into a tiny sports bra and skirt. Sure enough the girl had her very own Control Collar in place around her neck, marking the show's absolute control over her, though this one took a more basic form; a simple black band in contrast to the elaborate lacy loop that Sophia wore.

What really caught Sophia's eye though was the look on her friend's face - One completely devoid of emotion. Not a glimmer of life shone in the girl's eyes, like there was not a single thing going on inside her head. The entire time Sophia watched her, she remained completely still with a hip cocked out to the side, not showing the slightest response to her name, the lights or any of the noises going on throughout the hall. It was an unnerving sight that sent chills down Sophia's spine.

“Heather here will be playing a supporting role for the remainder of the show. Sophia's own cheerleader, if you will, though we'll be keeping her ‘switched off’ while she's not in use. Heather my dear, you'll do your best to help us make this the sexiest and most unforgettable episode of Bimbo or Billionaire possible, won't you?”

In the time Sophia stood staring at her friend, the sounds of applause faded to silence and Jack began to address Heather like he found nothing at all disturbing about the zombified state she was in.

“Yes Sir. My only purpose for existing is to use my body to serve Bimbo or Billionaire in making the sexiest show possible.”

Heather's voice came out as lifeless as her expression. It was flat and emotionless, almost unrecognisable from the lively and feisty tones of the real Heather's voice. To Sophia, however, it was still unmistakably the voice of her best friend, and hearing her **** to swear subservience to this twisted game show made her feel sick to her stomach.

“Good girl Heather. That's just what we like to hear from our special guests. How about you start by giving a nice curtsey to our wonderful audience?”

“Yes Sir. I will curtsey for the audience.”

Heather moved to comply with the host's command without a moment's hesitation. Sophia had never seen her best friend curtsey before, even during the ballroom classes she sometimes joined Sophia to. She wasn't sure Heather even knew how to do one, and yet under the guidance of the control collar, her friend's soulless body performed the move with perfect grace, her tiny skirt lifting so close to revealing something intimate.

“Let her go!”

Sophia was as surprised as anyone to hear the words erupting from her own mouth. The Collar was still working to suppress any anger that she felt, but the sight of her best friend being treated like a toy was enough to stir something inside her briefly, seconds before the Collar readjusted and snuffed that feeling out again.

“Oh?” Jack turned back to her, immediately responding to clamp down on Sophia's defiance. “I would have thought you'd be happy to see a familiar face. Weren't you worried earlier that you wouldn't get to see your friends again?”

“I-I wasn't- I-... Please Jack. I'm begging you!”

Sophia knew that there was no hope of convincing the heartless villain, but she couldn't stand back and say nothing while her friend was being dragged onto this perverted show.

Jack strode up to her in response, and she became aware just how well built the man was as he towered over her. The Control Collar tightened around her neck, and Sophia couldn't tell how much of her impulse to kneel and cower before him came from it and how much came naturally from his intimidating presence. He wrapped an arm around to place on her shoulder. To the audience it may have looked like a reassuring gesture, but between the two of them it was an overt display of his power over her.

“The rules demand your maid of honour be here with us now I'm afraid, and even I cannot go against the rules of the game. I couldn't help you even if I wanted to.”

The entire time his voice rang out boisterously and jovially as he projected it through the studio. Remaining presentable to the audience was ever Jack's highest priority, and that spared Sophia from open hostility from the host, but he took every opportunity he could to wear her down in more subtle ways. To him she was nothing more than a toy to titillate the masses, and he welcomed her outbursts as opportunities to put her in her place.

And just like always, Jack saw fit to drop her as soon as his interest waned. Sophia could no longer muster the will to object as he picked up the show where he'd left off.

“Now before I awaken our special guest to make her own introduction, allow me to remind you all of what her role will be for this episode. Heather is here with us to play her own special game of Bimbo or Billionaire, which will play out just a little differently than our main star's. She won't be choosing any of her own cases for one, but rather sharing the category from whichever case Sophia chooses, and her selection will take place after the results of Sophia's vote have been revealed, using a new selection of alterations tailored specifically for her.

“The big difference, of course, lies in how our girls' alterations are chosen. Heather's will not be selected as the result of an audience vote. Rather it will be up to Sophia's to choose which options best fit her maid of honour. At least... that's how it will appear to our darling Heather anyway. In truth, we will be placing Sophia into a sort of mild trance state, similar to being drunk, which will leave her devoid of inhibitions and logically impaired. While she's in this suggestible state, we'll give you all in the audience chance to plant thoughts directly into her head. Make them convincing enough to overcome those last hurdles of logical resistance and she'll come out of the trance believing them to be her own ideas, at least for long enough to seal her best friend's fate.

“Such a 'Metagame' of manipulation and betrayal will no doubt make for some excellent entertainment. Will Heather's transformations serve to complement Sophia's? Or will these two close friends be sent down completely different roads on their journey to bimbo stardom? Only time will tell. For now though, it's time to hear from the lovely lady herself. Heather, dear, it's time for you to wake up.”

Sophia felt the Collar buzz around her neck to steal her voice away; a clear message that Jack did not want her interfering with her friend's induction to the show. She could only watch silently as the light returned to Heather's eyes. The girl blinked rapidly, her blank expression quickly turning to confusion as she reacted just as Sophia had to waking up on this strange stage.

“Wha- Huh?... Whe- I- W- S-Sophia!?” she finally managed as her eyes landed on her friend. “Wh-where are we? What's going on? Is this a dream?”

“Not a dream, my dear. This is Bimbo or Billionaire, the show that your friend here is competing on for life-changing prizes and transformations.”

Jack stepped up immediately between the two girls to grab Heather's attention, though his answer did nothing to alleviate her confusion.

“Bimbo or- What are you talking about?”

Jack rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner, as though it was in any way Heather's fault that she was confused about her situation, garnering laughter from the audience.

“Perhaps we could have the Control Collar kindly remind our guest in on the nature of our show.”

> Remind? So Heather's seen the show too?

Sophia didn't have time to dwell on the revelation before a cry from Heather grabbed her attention. The girl had seemingly been unaware of the Collar around her neck, and almost jumped from her skin when it suddenly jolted her. Her immediate reflex was to tear the band off herself, and by the time she realised how futile that was she'd recovered from the shock. She looked around once again, first to the big screen, then to Sophia and Jack and finally the audience, this time her eyes filled with recognition.

“I don't understand. Why am I here? I didn't sign up for this!”

“That would be down to Sophia actually. She's chosen to have you here with her on the show as her co-star for this episode.”

Sophia's eyes widened at the host's blatant lie. She'd had no part in Heather's involvement here, but Jack was free to spew whatever misinformation he desired while she was silenced. Thankfully her friend's immediate response was not anger but concern.

“Sophia's a contestant?”

“That's right. Our sweet princess is now a few rounds into the game, and has already revealed her Breasts punishment case, awarding her a tantalising collection of body alterations to kick off our show.”

“Wait, breast altera-...?” Heather's eyes unfocused for a short moment as a slow realisation dawned on her. “Sophia, you didn't actually get a boob op, did you?”

Sophia shook her head - the only form of communication she had left - but Heather still seemed too distracted to notice that she couldn't speak.

“Oh my God. I'm so sorry, So! I've been encouraging you all this time, saying how much better you look with them. I thought you were just being shy. I- I didn't realise you didn't want them.”

> It's okay Heather. You couldn't have known. Really.

Sophia wanted so badly to say those words to reassure her friend but she just couldn't get them out no matter how hard she tried. Instead it was Jack who interrupted Heather with a less assuring message.

“Don't worry dear. Sophia won't be the only one getting a nice new rack today. In just a little while from now, your friend will be deciding the size of your own new puppies and picking out the perfect alterations to suit them.”

“M-me? I-I-...”

Heather's face was a picture of panic and confusion. Sophia knew exactly what the girl was going through, having been through it all herself at the start of the show. It wasn't so easy to process information that had been downloaded directly into your brain without warning, especially after waking up facing a crowd of thousands watching you in a place you've never been before. And then to be told you were soon going to be have your body altered on top of all that...

“Before we get to that point though, we're going to need a little context for the audience and for Sophia to make her choices. So then, Heather, let's talk tits. Specifically Sophia's tits, since I understand you have quite the complicated relationship with them.”

“Huh? Wh-what are you talking about?!”

Sophia watched as Heather's face turned bright red. She'd never seen her best friend blush so deeply before. She really didn't want to know her opinions on her breasts.

“Come on now. There's no need to be shy. We're all friends here. Just take a deep breath and speak your mind.”

Jack's demand was a glaring verbal cue for the Control Collar to exert its influence over Heather, but had he not made it so obvious then Sophia might not have noticed anything at all. This was her first time getting to actually see the device in operation and she was shocked to see there were no lights, no sounds, nothing to indicate the Collar was exerting control over the person wearing it. There were only two signs of its operation as far as Sophia could tell: the heat it gave off, imperceptible to anyone but the wearer, and the struggles of its victim as they tried to fight off its command. Sophia knew first-hand that it had the power to completely supress the latter however, and only allowed its wearer mock resistance because Jack enjoyed to see his contestants struggle against its control over their bodies. It was terrifying to realise that Jack could puppeteer them both at his leisure and no one else would know they were acting against their will.

And right then Jack was delighting in the sight of Heather fighting to keep her secrets from pouring from her lips. Sophia had put on that show of resistance several times before and now she was seeing it for herself first hand with a front row seat. Heather's jaw was quivering as she tried desperately to keep her mouth shut, her face scrunched up almost like she was fighting through pain. Her chest heaved rapidly several times like she was on the verge of throwing up. Her efforts were ultimately in vain however against the indomitable will of the device around her neck.

“I-I've always been jealous of women with big tits. They have everything so much easier. Sophia's always had so many boys flocking to her even though she doesn't even try for it, and I have to work so hard to maintain my figure just for scraps of the attention she receives. I'd give up all the effort I've put into my body for her old boobs in a heartbeat. I-I know I shouldn't, but I can't help teasing Sophia on hers because seeing her act all bashful about them makes me feel so much better about myself.”

Heather's spoke faster as she went along, like she'd accepted the inevitable outcome and wanted it over as quickly as possible. Sophia had a little trouble digesting everything her friend said but what she understood was heart-breaking. She'd had no idea that Heather was so jealous of her. All her life Sophia had been so preoccupied with seeing her bosom as a curse, it never even occurred to her that Heather might envy what she had.

“But it also annoys me how Sophia was blessed with these amazing boobs and she doesn't even want them. She should be flaunting how sexy she is, not hiding herself away under thick jumpers. I want her to appreciate how incredible her body actually is. I want her to shove them in everyone's faces and make every girl jealous and every boy's jaw drop at what incredible tits she has.”

The blush on Heather's cheeks had spread across her entire face. Sophia felt her own heating up as well to hear her friend talking about her body like that. Heather's words filled her mind with visions of herself shamefully thrusting her heaving breasts into the faces of everyone she knew. Even more embarrassing, those breasts in her mind were the bouncy, bulging masses the show had inflicted her with, not her own natural home-grown assets. It was chilling to realise that some part of her had forgotten that these absurd fatty milk sacks were not a part of who she really was.

Heather's humiliating confessions finally came to an end as Jack raised a hand to stop her, and she immediately deflated with a nervous gasp as the mental pressure lifted. The host led the audience in laughing at her expense.

“Wow. Quite the powerful range of emotions our cheerleader has for her best friend's udders, wouldn't you all say?”

> Please, stop... Stop calling my breasts by that name. I'm not... I'm not a cow!

Her mind already primed with lewd thoughts of her breasts, the word triggered uncomfortable flashbacks for Sophia. She saw herself wearing the slutty cow-print harness Lena got her, her breasts hopelessly exposed and swinging freely with every move she made. She saw herself feeding her nipple to Jason's lips, spraying her breastmilk directly down his throat. The two memories merged and morphed together in her mind to place her down on all fours, her bloated breasts hanging freely as she allowed the boy to milk her like a mindless human cow. It took all her effort to push the image from her mind and focus back on what was happening around her. She didn't think she'd ever be able to hear that word again without recoiling in shame from the experiences she'd associated with it.

“It seems our darling Heather has contracted a serious case of boob envy, but who can really blame her when her best friend has a rack like that?”

Jack gestured over to Sophia, and in her **** state of mind she instinctively tried to cover herself up with her arms. The Collar forbid her of course, instead forcing her to push her chest out as hundreds of eyes converged on it. Even after all this time on the show, Sophia couldn't get over her shame at being made to exhibit herself like this.

> How could you envy this Heather? You've seen how much stress they cause me.

“That's really just the tip of the iceberg though. Ever since they were little, the bond between our ladies has been an ever-present factor in their personal development. No big change could ever occur to one without leaving an equal impact on the other, and that of course included Sophia's most striking additions as she transitioned into an adult. It's really no exaggeration at all to say that Sophia's boobs have played a huge role in shaping her maid of honour to be the woman she is today. Not even Heather is aware of how much they've affected her over the years. I hope you don't mind, then, that I take up the mantel and guide you all on a journey deep into our darling's subconscious.”

Jack took a moment to pace over to Heather and wrap an arm around the girl's shoulder. Heather was the shorter of the two friends despite her athletic build, causing the host to tower almost a full foot above her. Sophia could see her squirm under the contact, but she looked too stressed and exhausted from her struggle with the Control Collar to resist his advance.

“It all started for them back at school, where teen Sophia was first developing her sex and body complexes on account of the attention she received from her peers. Little did she realise at the time, that she wasn't the only to be affected by her monopoly over the gazes of teenage boys. Our little cheerleader here had taken on an early interest in boys herself, and seeing Sophia hog every inch of the limelight had a profound impact on her young, impressionable mind. Her observations led the girl to internalise one key fact: 'Guys only want girls with big tits'. Severely lacking in that department herself, Heather decided her only possible hope of competing for attention was for her to get fit, and thus began her longstanding interest in sport.”

> Wait, that's why heather got into sport? Please tell me that's not true.

Sophia hated that everything that happened on this show always revolved around her breasts. She couldn't help but cringe every single time they were brought up. No matter how much she was exposed to the constant attention on her chest, it never eased up the shame she felt that they were so utterly unmissable. There was so much more value in her than just these oversized pumpkins, so why, just why did it have to be them that inspired her best friend to take up her favourite hobby?

“Now fast forward to full maturity. Heather has bloomed into a full-fledged gamer and athlete with an upbeat personality and knockout body. Many a guy would kill for a girl like that, and yet this one is somehow eternally on the market. 'How could that be?' I hear you ask. It's certainly not through lack of trying I tell you. Heather has become a very frequent appearance on the dating scene after all. No, this comes back to that one key fact she internalised all those years ago. Even as the boys she knew grew older and their tastes more mature and varied, Heather was still subscribed completely to the conclusion she drew in her youth. That singular belief had become a poison pill embedded in the folds of her brain, and it tainted her behaviour and view of the world in ways she couldn't even imagine.”

Sophia couldn't believe what was happening. It was so surreal to hear her best friend being analysed like some fictional character in a literature exam. That was exactly what this whole scene was though. As far as Jack and all the perverts in the audience watching were concerned, she and Heather were not real people, but merely characters designed to entertain them in the titillating narrative of this vulgar game show.

“People naturally find comfort in blaming our failures on factors outside of our control, and so Heather uses this belief as a scapegoat, telling herself that men are naturally drawn to birds with nicer knockers than hers. That would explain away, after all, how Sophia so effortlessly fell into love while she continued to find it all such a struggle. 'There is nothing wrong with me as a person. I'm just playing this game with a handicap. Guys only want girls with big tits'. The more she leans on this idea for support, the more it entrenches itself as a core belief of hers, and the harder it becomes for Heather to accept any evidence to the contrary.”

> Is this really all true Heather?

Sophia had never known her friend to be the insecure type. She'd always felt like the kind of girl who was completely confident in who she was, never letting what anyone else thought about her bring her down. It made this whole story so hard to believe, but the way her friend stared up slack-jawed at the host as he explained showed how seriously she was taking this. She must have been hiding it so well all this time, perhaps even from herself.

“In fact, so reliant has Heather become on this poison pill to soothe the sting of romantic rejection, that she can never feel comfortable on a date without having that fact firmly established. It's become her safety net. Every time she goes out with a guy, Heather feels compelled to confirm that her date would prefer a busty broad like Sophia to the meagre mounds she herself has to offer.”

“H-hold on!”

Heather called out to interrupt him, finally regaining some of her fire as she came down from the shock of her situation. She shook off Jack's arm and stepped off to the side out of his reach as she turned to address him.

“What the hell are you talking about? You make it sound like I... I mean, sure, I wish I had nice boobs like Sophia does-, uh,... did... but what you're saying is just insane! I do not go around asking guys if my tits aren't good enough for them. I'm perfectly happy with who I am!”

The host simply sniggered in response, completely unfazed by her interruption. He raised an arm to welcome Heather back to his side but the girl refused to budge. Sophia felt a chill run down her neck at her show of defiance, knowing full well that some form of punishment was coming her friend's way but only able to watch as it happened.

It arrived even quicker than she thought. Before their standoff even really had the chance to start, Heather had already succumbed to Jack's will. She stepped under his arm and nestled her body against his like a groupie to a rock star, rubbing herself up against the side of his ribs. She gently took his offered hand and guided it to slide down and across her exposed midriff. Sophia couldn't see where it came to rest from her position, but she had a dreadful fear it wasn't her hip the pervy host was palming.

The whole dramatic exchange, from Heather breaking away from Jack's semi-embrace to her tenderly arriving back in it, took only a matter of seconds all in all, and happened so smoothly that one could have sworn it all to be of Heather's own volition. Jack went back to addressing the audience with Sophia's best friend now draped over him like an affectionate floozie.

“Now you see, my friends, that is where the real poetry lies. As I said before, Heather, like each of us, has no idea of what's really going on inside her own head. So much more takes place in the depths of our subconscious than any of us are even aware of. With the power of the Control Collar, however, we are able to pick apart the inner workings of Heather's mind and what we found in there was most fascinating indeed.

“Heather knows well the pangs of envy she feels as her eyes trace the curves of her friend's ample chest, but what she doesn't know is how deep the roots of those feelings truly run. As a measure to protect both her own ego and her friendship with Sophia, Heather has convinced herself that her jealousy is shallow and superficial, and buried her true feelings of insecurity and inferiority towards her friend's body down in the deepest recesses of her mind. It's from there that they exert their subconscious influence over her emotions and behaviour while flying completely under her radar, maintaining her **** belief that her small tits are enough of a handicap to prevent her finding love, and rewarding her with a sense of comfort when she helps prove that belief true.”

Both the girls were visibly stunned by what they were hearing. The idea that Jack was putting forward was just so unbelievable. Heather was standing with mouth agape, having no idea how to respond to any of the host's accusations. Jack regarded her with a smug grin before addressing her.

“Now I understand that is a lot to take in all at once. You were, after all, completely unaware that these feelings even existed, let alone that they were influencing your behaviour. Perhaps a few examples might help you and the audience understand what I'm talking about. If you'd be so kind as to lend me your voice, my dear...”

Jack lifted his free hand and held it out palm-up; a performative gesture prompting Heather's Control Collar to compel her to speak. The girl was too stunned to put up much of a fight anymore, already gyrating her body against the host at the Collar's command. When she spoke, her voice came out in a cheery, playful tone that Sophia found eerie coming from her friend given what was going on.

“That's a picture of me and my bestie. Doesn't she have a gorgeous figure?... It's okay, I know you were looking. I'm not the jealous type. They're nice, aren't they?”

> Huh, what's going on? What picture? Heather, why are you-

It took Sophia a moment to realise what was happening to her friend. It was a trick she herself had already been subjected to before. The words Heather was speaking were ones she must have said at some time in the past, and the collar was playing them from her lips exactly as she'd said them back then. It felt so creepy to Sophia, being privy to a conversation that she wasn't meant to hear, but the words themselves put her even more on edge.

> She's talking about my body. To a guy she's dating? Heather...

The girl carried on her monologue. Her next lines came out in a completely different tone, likely taken from another time and place. This time her voice took on a convincing drunken slur.

“H-hey look! That's my best friend over at the bar... hic... The one with the massive rack haha... hic... Yeah, now you see her. How'd you like a threesome with her?... hic... Nah, I'm just messing with you, she's taken. That got you excited though, huh?... hic... She's a H cup, y'know? Whadya think of that…”

> Ma-massive-?!... H-Heather!... how could you!?

Sophia was shocked by what she'd just heard Heather say, her Collar's enforced silence holding back a gasp of utter disbelief. She couldn't believe that her own best friend had described her to a complete stranger as 'the one with the massive rack'. She'd always thought she was safe from that degree of objectification with Heather. Sure, the girl made jokes when they were alone together, but harmless teasing from a close friend was one thing, and inviting random men at a bar to have lustful thoughts about her was another thing completely. It felt like a punch to the gut for Sophia. Heather must have known how out of line her words were, as she bowed her head in shame to avoid Sophia's eye.

“Oh no, I'm not wearing a bra today. Don't really need one with these tiny twins, haha. I bet you usually go for girls with a bit more going on down there, huh?... No, you can be honest. I know what you boys are like.”

Heather continued to deliver her lines in a playful tone completely contrasting with the looks of shock and guilt on the girls' faces. Sophia so dearly wanted to empathise with her friend. It was just like Jack had been explaining after all. Heather didn't want to behave like this. She was being driven to it by insecurities she had no control over, and the **** had no doubt drawn them further out. But that still didn't give her the right to trample over Sophia's own feelings, even if she thought those words would never reach her. She knew full well how small and devalued it made Sophia feel to be reduced down to nothing but her breasts.

“Hey Sophia, why don't you come with me on my next date... No, no, I just want to know what you make of him, and it would be good to know if my BF and my BFF get on, you know?... And, uh... maybe flirt with him a little, so I see if he starts checking you out... What do you mean you can't flirt?! It's easy, I'll show you…”

Sophia's internal tirade was undermined by an eerie sense of déjà vu. She remembered having this exact conversation with Heather several years ago, when she'd come to Sophia asking her to flirt with one of her dates. Sophia had expressed discomfort at the idea at first. Flirting just wasn't in her nature after all, especially when she was seeing Alan at the time. Heather had been pushy though and Sophia had eventually relented, considering a test of her best friend's boyfriend's faithfulness a worthy enough cause to go against her own grain.

Had that whole reason really been a lie though? It was true that Heather had pressed her to bare an uncomfortable amount of cleavage to sell the flirtation. Was her goal really just to let a stranger ogle Sophia's chest for her own peace of mind? Did she even realise she was doing that? Sophia so dearly wished she could just talk to her friend and straighten this all out, but Jack would never allow that.

> Jack... Hold on Sophia! This is just what Jack wants. He's trying to drive a wedge between us to stir up drama for his show. Remember who the real enemy is.

The thought of the man pulling their strings spurred a moment of clarity for Sophia, holding her back from falling further into a pit of frustration at Heather. It was obvious now that Jack was making Heather say all this in order to convince Sophia to get back at her closest friend with the most perverted punishments he had to offer. She couldn't let him turn them against each other.

Even with such resolve in mind however, it wasn't so easy for Sophia to overcome the sense of betrayal nestled in her stomach. She couldn't help but feel she might never get a chance to resolve that tension either. Heather was going to forget all about everything that happened here once they were both sent back to their daily lives. She'd have no idea what Sophia was talking about if she ever tried to bring it up. Could she ever hope to do so without stirring up confusion and animosity between them? She really didn't know. All she could do was try her best to let the feeling go for now, so as not to let Jack open a rift between them.

“Thank you most kindly” the host announced, finally bringing an end to Heather's mortifying demonstration. “So what are your thoughts after that, hmm? Still care to deny the will of your subconscious mind or do you need me to provide some more examples?”

“No, no! I believe you!” Heather quickly called out in response. Her pale face and heavy breathing showed how much losing control of her body was affecting her. Guilt nipped at Sophia's heart for only thinking about herself when it was her friend who undergoing all this humiliation.

“That's a good girl.”

Rewarding Heather's for her compliance, Jack lifted his hand back to her shoulder and allowed her to stand up straight beside him again. This time around she didn't squirm under his touch, appreciating that such mild contact could always be so much worse. She accepted his arm around her as he turned his attention back to the crowd.

“Now I'm sure I don't need to explain what you just heard. Those were just a few examples of times Heather fished for her dates to express preference for bigger tits than what she had to offer. She'd go out of her way to point out busty ladies, invite her dates to check out her own best friend and make depreciative jokes about her own bustline. Heather never truly realised why she felt inclined to say these things. In her mind she was simply demonstrating good humour towards that which she obviously lacked. It never once occurred to her that these comments were signs of something deeper, but her obsessive insecurity was crystal clear to almost every guy she dated.”

> Stop it Jack. Please. That's not fair.

Sophia bristled at the host's harsh judgement of her friend's sense of self awareness. Sure it was easy to call her behaviour obsessive when it was played out all together like that, but that was just a small part of how Heather behaved. So small in fact that her best friend had never even noticed it in all the years she knew her. There were so many greater qualities to Heather that made her the woman that she was: her thoughtfulness, her casual geniality, her infectious passion for life. It was outright cruel to cast all that aside and depict her as just a girl insecure about her bust size.

“That leads us on to the final stage of our vicious cycle. Unfortunately for our dear Heather, her chances of finding a healthy relationship have always been doomed from the start. Like a rat trained to seek reward out of pushing a button, our little bunny has conditioned herself to throw out these little tests on every date she goes on. But unlike the harmless tricks taught to those rats, the behaviour Heather ingrained in herself was an act of self-sabotage. Most of Heather's attempts at romance fell flat at this first hurdle, and those that didn't were never the type to work out in the long term.”

Sophia shifted awkwardly in her spot. Heather's love life was not exactly the most comfortable topic for her, and Jack's last line was unfortunately spot on. Sophia had met a few of Heather's 'long term' boyfriends, and her impression of them was never good.

“Ah, but it seems I'm getting ahead of myself here. Our darling ladies' relationship with men is one of possible rounds we have lined up for Sophia today, so I'm sure we'll be hearing all the dirty details of Heather's past flings when the time comes. You'll all just have to wait to hear how it is that our bunny goes about sabotaging her dates.”

> Oh thank goodn- W-wait... possible rounds?

Sophia's relief to hear this particular line of discussion dropped was cut short as it dawned on her the implications of what Jack said. This was her first time hearing about any such 'relationships with men' round. As far as she knew, it wasn't one of the standard categories the show tended to run. The rules had said that some of the categories would get shuffled around. Did that mean there were other surprise rounds she had yet to see? And what did they mean by 'relationships with men' exactly. Were they going to mess with her relationship with her beloved? Were they going to take Alan away from her?!

> No, no! Calm down Sophia. You always jump to the worst conclusions. They promised the show would end with my marriage to Alan, didn't they?... D-didn't they!? No, there's nothing panicking will do for me now. Just focus on what's happening here and now, So. I have to be there for Heather.

Sophia didn't like the sly grin the host was flashing her. He'd probably meant those words as some kind of taunt for her, but she'd resolved not to think further about the implications of what he'd said. It made her stomach churn every time he mentioned future rounds. She had to keep focused on the present and not think about what that man had planned for her or how long she would have to endure this game. For her own peace of mind.

“Well we've managed to wander a little off-track now, haven't we? I can see Sophia is raring to choose her next category, so let's finish up here by coming full circle back to those feelings Heather admitted to at the start of all this.

“Of course, we've already established the source of Heather's envy; her subconscious belief that her breasts are the one thing holding her back from finding a fulfilling relationship like her best friend's. Though she never blames Sophia for it, there's an understandable level of frustration there at how much easier her friend has it. Heather needed a way to let that frustration out, and seeing the girl blush and struggle with the very attention that she'd been robbed of was almost cathartic to her. Teasing became a harmless way for her to get back at her friend for falling so effortlessly into her perfect man.

“But a little teasing wasn't enough to quell the envy she feels. She hated this feeling that welled up inside her every time she noticed how nicely Sophia fills out her tops, or saw her being all lovey-dovey with her beau. Heather just wanted to be happy for her friend. And so she began to counteract those feelings with **** positivity. She'd tell herself over and over that she liked all the attention Sophia received, forcing herself to bask in it. Over time those **** feelings started to come more naturally. She developed a sense of pride for Sophia's tits as if they were her own. Eventually she grew a desire to live out her fantasies of having an incredible rack through her best friend. She began encouraging Sophia to wear skimpier clothes to show off her body. The embarrassment Sophia demonstrated at doing so only spurred Heather on. Her frustrations were still there under the surface after all, giving her a thrill to see her friend blush. Both sides of Heather's internal conflict were in consensus in enjoying Sophia exhibiting herself.”

> Huh... I see...

Sophia couldn't help but be drawn in to the host explanation despite herself. What he said lined up so well with how Heather behaved around her: the teasing, the compliments, the frequent suggestions that they should go to the beach together. Sophia had always known that Heather enjoyed seeing her blush; she just never knew why. Nothing that Jack had said contradicted with what she knew of Heather.

“And there we have it! The complex web of emotions that make up our lovely Heather's feelings towards breasts. From jealousy and guilt to pride and comfort and everything in between. The kind of stuff a therapist might take months to unpack.”

Jack stopped speaking for a moment, but the tone of his last words gave Sophia an uneasy feeling, like that wasn't really the end of it. Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later as the host's lips curled into a grin and he turned to eye her.

“Of course, we know that's not the whole story now, don't we Sophia? There's one other emotion your maid of honour holds towards that sweet bosom of your. One that only surfaces when all her inhibitions come down.”

“Huh?”

Sophia responded on reflex, but she already knew what Jack was talking about. An experience she'd already been **** to allude to on this very show.

“What is he talking about So?”

Heather too looked over to Sophia, her voice a little shaky. Despite the bombardment of humiliation she'd received as her innermost thoughts were unveiled on broadcast, the girl refused to let the show break her.

“Very good question Heather. It just so happens I have a video here that shows these special feelings I'm referring to. Let's take a look now, shall we?”

> N-no! Please!

Sophia tried her best to call out and stop Jack from what he was about to do. She knew exactly what he had been talking about and what the contents of this video would show. It should have been impossible - that night took place long before Sophia was ever involved with this show - but 'impossible' had never stopped these people yet.

> Please! Don't do this to her!

Sophia's silent screams meant nothing however as the giant screen came to life. Her fears were confirmed as she recognised the room it displayed; the hotel bedroom she and Heather had shared one night that she could never forget.

==Author's Notes==

Thanks for reading everyone.

This chapter turned out a lot longer than I expected again so I decided to split it up again so I can focus on writing the next part without continuously coming back to edit this part some more. It took a few rewrites for me to be happy with this chapter with how abstract and exposition-y parts of it got, hence why it took so long to come out. I hope it reads alright for you all. Heather's character is well established at this point so future studio chapters with her shouldn't run into the same problem. The next chapter will be a short flashback scene and then immediately after I'll publish the next poll. It's quite a significant one so I'm quite looking forward to it.