The Big Lie

The silence stretched for three full heartbeats while Zoe's brain processed what her eyes were seeing—Samantha's torso wrapped in damp athletic tape that strained against the obvious swell of breasts trying to escape their compression. Then Zoe's face transformed from shock into pure delight, her mouth opening in a gasp that became an excited squeal.

"Oh my god!" Zoe exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth. "You got a boob job!"

It wasn't a question. It was a realization, spoken with the confidence of someone who'd just solved a puzzle they hadn't even known they were working on. Her eyes were wide and bright, darting between Samantha's taped chest and her face with unmistakable excitement.

Samantha froze completely, her mouth hanging open as her brain short-circuited trying to process what was happening. Beside her, Harry made a sound that might have been a word but came out as more of a strangled wheeze, his hand gripping the back of the visitor's chair hard enough that his knuckles went white.

"I—what—no, that's not—" Samantha stammered, but Zoe was already moving, her hands coming up to quickly zip the hoodie back up with practiced efficiency.

"There's no shame in it!" Zoe said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper even though the only other person in the room was ****. "Seriously, Sam, I'm so excited for you! This is amazing!" She stepped back, her expression mixing surprise with what looked like genuine sisterly pride.

Samantha's mouth worked silently, no sound coming out. Her eyes found Harry's across the small space, and in that look they had an entire conversation in half a second. Should they correct her? Should they tell the truth? But what truth could they possibly tell that would sound more believable than what Zoe had already decided?

"We, uh..." Harry started, then stopped, clearly having no idea where that sentence was supposed to go.

"When did you get it done?" Zoe asked, bouncing slightly on her toes with excitement. "It had to be recent, right? Because you definitely didn't have them at your place when we played twister the other night. Wait—" Her eyes went even wider. "Did you get them done yesterday? That soon?"

Samantha swallowed hard, her throat dry despite all the sweating. This was it. This was the moment where they could either fight against Zoe's assumption and probably make everything worse, or they could just... go with it. Let Zoe believe what she wanted to believe because somehow, impossibly, her conclusion was more believable than the actual truth.

"Yeah," Samantha heard herself say, her voice sounding distant and strange. "Yesterday morning. Early appointment."

The lie hung in the air for a moment, and Samantha braced herself for Zoe to see through it, to ask follow-up questions that would unravel everything. But instead, Zoe's face lit up even more, and she nodded enthusiastically.

"I knew it!" Zoe said, clapping her hands together. "That's why you were acting so weird at dinner! You were all distracted by my boobs and spent so long in the bathroom—you were checking them out, weren't you? Comparing your new ones with mine? Making sure everything looked okay?"

"Uh, yeah," Samantha managed, her voice weak. "Yeah, that's exactly what I was doing."

"And the hoodie makes so much more sense now," Zoe continued, apparently on a roll and perfectly happy to fill in all the gaps herself. "You're trying to hide them while they heal! Girl, you should have just told me. I would have totally understood. I mean, I would have been a little hurt you didn't ask for my advice first, but I get it—this is a big decision and you probably wanted to process it yourself before telling everyone."

Harry cleared his throat, drawing Zoe's attention. "She was really nervous about how people would react," he said, and Samantha had to give him credit—the lie came out smooth and natural. "So we decided to keep it quiet until, you know, until things settled."

"That's so sweet that you were there for her," Zoe said, beaming at Harry. "Honestly, this is amazing. Sam, I'm so happy for you!" She moved closer again, her eyes dropping to Samantha's chest with unconcealed interest. "Can I... I mean, once you're healed, can I see them properly? Compare notes?"

"Sure," Samantha said automatically, because what else could she say? Her mind was still reeling from how easily Zoe had bought the story, how perfectly she'd constructed an explanation that fit all the weird details without requiring any input from Samantha at all.

Zoe began circling Samantha slowly, and the gesture reminded Samantha uncomfortably of how she'd examined herself in the mirror that morning—appraising, cataloging, studying proportions. The fluorescent hospital lighting was harsh and unforgiving, making Samantha's flushed face look even redder and highlighting every drop of sweat on her skin.

"The doctor did amazing work," Zoe said, her voice taking on a professional quality like she was a surgeon herself evaluating a colleague's technique. "I mean, I can't see much through the hoodie and all that compression, but the shape looked really natural. Not too round, good projection. And they looks so soft! What size did you go with? Silicone, I assume?"

Samantha's brain scrambled for an answer that would sound reasonable. She had no idea what size implants would create breasts like Zoe's. "Um, I wanted... something substantial. But not, like, huge."

"They look like solid Ds to me," Zoe assessed, tilting her head as she studied the bulky hoodie's silhouette. "Maybe even pushing DD. Not quite my natural Js, but girl, you jumped from nothing to Ds? That's bold! I love it!"

"Thanks," Samantha said weakly, her arms crossing back over her chest in a protective gesture that probably just made her look more self-conscious about her supposed new acquisitions.

Zoe continued her examination, moving to see Samantha's profile, and Samantha had to resist the urge to turn with her to keep facing forward—that would look even weirder. "And they're going to be so perky," Zoe continued, her enthusiasm not dimming at all. "That's the best part about bolt-ons—they don't sag like natural ones. Mine are already starting to head south and I'm only twenty-six. But yours? Those are going to stay up there for decades."

Bolt-ons. Samantha latched onto that term, letting it echo in her mind as a reminder of how thoroughly Zoe had bought into this narrative. She thought Samantha had gone through the painful process of surgically implanting fake boobs into her chest, thought she'd gone under the knife and spent thousands of dollars to achieve what Samantha had actually gotten through impossible genetic magic in about three minutes of concentration.

"We should go bra shopping together," Zoe said, moving back around to face Samantha directly. Her hands came up like she wanted to touch, to feel, but she stopped herself—probably aware that post-surgical breasts would be sensitive. "Like, as soon as you're healed enough. I know all the best places for big sizes. You're going to need proper support now, and trust me, the regular department stores don't cut it once you get above a C-cup."

"That would be great," Samantha said, the words coming out mechanical and rehearsed. She shot another **** look at Harry, silently begging him to find some way to end this interaction before she said something that would give them away.

But Zoe was on a roll now, her natural tendency to dominate conversations taking over. "Oh, and sleeping!" she said, her finger pointing up like she'd just remembered something crucial. "When my coworker Lisa got hers, she was saying that for implants you have to learn to sleep in a bra for a while, especially while they settle. Find some good ones that are supportive but not too tight. And that you have to avoid sleeping on your stomach for at least a few weeks, obviously. And—actually, did the doctor already tell you all this?"

"Yeah," Samantha lied again. "Lots of instructions."

"Good, good," Zoe nodded approvingly. She reached out and squeezed Samantha's shoulder—thankfully avoiding anywhere near her chest. "I'm just so excited for you, babe. This is going to be amazing for your confidence. Not that you weren't beautiful before!" she added quickly. "But I know you always felt a little... you know. Self-conscious. And now you don't have to!"

Samantha managed what she hoped was a grateful smile, though it felt more like a grimace. Sweat continued to run down her back and between her breasts—her borrowed, temporary, stolen breasts that would disappear in about seven hours and leave her flat-chested again while Zoe waited for her to show off her supposed surgical results.

That was a problem for tomorrow-Samantha to deal with.

Behind them, Tina's monitor beeped its steady rhythm, a reminder that their friend lay **** just a few feet away while they engaged in this absurd charade. Guilt twisted in Samantha's stomach, mixing with the relief and anxiety and physical discomfort into an emotional cocktail that made her feel slightly nauseous.

"You must be so uncomfortable," Zoe said, her expression shifting to concern as she took in Samantha's obvious distress. "Between the healing and the heat and all that compression. Do you need to sit down again? Should we get you more water?"

"I'm okay," Samantha said, though she absolutely was not. The tape was definitely coming loose now—she could feel it peeling away on both sides, could feel her breasts trying to expand back to their full size against the weakening restraints. "Just... yeah, really warm."

"Well, you're a trooper for coming here the day after surgery," Zoe said, giving her another careful shoulder squeeze. "Seriously. That's friendship right there."

Samantha nodded mutely, not trusting herself to speak without her voice cracking. She could feel Harry's presence beside her, solid and supportive, and she was grateful he was there even if he couldn't actually do anything to help. They'd stumbled into an unbelievable stroke of luck—Zoe had provided them with the perfect cover story, one that explained every weird detail without them having to work for it at all.

Now they just had to figure out how to maintain the lie after Samantha's breasts returned to their normal flat state tonight.