chapter 1

Our story begins with a young man named Will. Will was an athlete back in high school, making it as an outfielder on the school's baseball team. Standing at 6' 5" his senior year, and weighing 230 pounds of mostly muscle, he was a pretty fit guy. Because of this, he gained notoriety around his peers quickly, was able to get a girlfriend, and had colleges keeping their eyes on him, offering scholarships, some full rides, and some partial.

Eventually, he accepted a full scholarship to a local university, and excelled in the sport. Everything was looking good for him so far. His girlfriend and he were doing pretty good, a career as a pro baseball player seemed more likely as time went on, and the world just seemed to be going his way. However, life is funny, because when everything's going great, a wrench gets thrown in your plans and ruins it all.

It was the middle of the season in his sophomore year in college, and Will's school had just won their most recent game. As a celebration, Will, a few of his teammates, and some other friends went out for a few drinks. One thing led to another, and the car they all rode in got hit. Most of the other students didn't get hurt too badly. Aside from a few bruises and cuts, they were mostly fine. But Will got it the worst, as he was sitting directly where the oncoming car hit. He had pieces of the passenger door imbedded into his right leg, multiple broken bones, and internal bleeding. He was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent surgery to save his life.

Will woke up after a week long coma, still in pain from the accident. His doctor told him that his muscles were so damaged, that Will would have to be off his leg for a few months, meaning no more baseball for the rest of the season. So because of this, he lost his scholarship and had to search for a job after he could get back on his feet again.Eventually, he found a job, but it required him to work a full shift of 14 hours a day just to get a little more than minimum wage, making him not able to exercise as often as he used to. The lack of gym time really started taking its toll on him and his figure after a while.

During this time, things were getting edgy between him and his girlfriend, at the time. Natalie was her name, and in high school, the two of them seemed inseparable. Natalie was your basic fitness nut, counting her calories and always working out. That, coupled with her naturally high metabolism, made her a very skinny, yet toned 115 pound girl standing at 5' 8". After the accident, she showed her support by helping with his physical therapy, driving him wherever he needed to be, and checking in on him occasionally. At first, it seemed like they would work through this, but eventually, things got the better of Natalie.

She started visiting less frequently, she began to grow impatient with how long it was taking Will to recover, and stopped giving him rides, saying she was "busy." After some time, Natalie decided to end things between her and Will, saying that she met someone else, and that she didn't sign up to be someone's home nurse.

After that, Will fell into depression, and within a year, Will had gained over 30 pounds, taking him from his formerly trim 240 pounds of mostly muscle, to a 275 pound body of mostly fat. His once flat stomach was now replaced by a sizeable gut. His slim face now had a noticeable amount of fat added to it, and the beginnings of a double chin were visible, forcing him to grow out his beard. His arms, once toned and muscular, were now doughy and had almost no definition to them. His butt had grown with the rest of his body, making his once loose sweat pants now one of the only "pre-surgery" articles of clothing he could barely fit into.

With this weight gain came other things, like a new feeling of humility. As Natalie showed him, Will was no longer the guy all the girls wished they could have a one night stand with. Now, he was the guy the girl slept with when she lost a bet. He was no longer the top dog, he was the "fat guy," the third wheel. He was a background character in the story of his own life.

Will knew that things weren't going to get better if he stayed moping and thinking about the "good ol' days," so he went back to school, and started working towards his bachelor's degree in accounting. Sure enough, he got through it, but not without his body undergoing some changes. During the few years he was working at the restaurant, Will had gone from 275 pounds to 345 pounds.

His moderately sized paunch was now really round and large. He noticed he now had back rolls, and his thighs now rubbed together when he walked. His once barely noticeable double chin was now a very prominent feature to his face, his once muscular pectorals were now flabby man-boobs, and his pant size went from a 44" waist, to a 50" waist.

Everything got bigger on him. From his feet, to his fingers, and everywhere else, there was more Will than there had ever been before. Yet, he wasn't ashamed about his body. In fact, he had grown content with his added girth. Sure, he'd never be the star of the baseball team again, but at least he could enjoy a good burger without worrying about how many laps his coach was going to make him do the next day.