chapter 2

Scott looked at himself in the mirror one morning and was pleased to see that his stomach didn't look as concave as usual. He was sure that the slight bulge he could see was just bloating but it was something he was seeing more often. Since he'd started using the chimes, there was rarely a time he wasn't at least a little bit full.

By the time his second appointment came around, he felt confident in telling Phoebe that her technique was working.

"It's going better than I ever could have expected," he told her.

"I can see that," she said, looking him up and down. "You definitely look healthier."

They talked about the chimes and how exactly they were working but after that, there was little more to be said. Scott returned home and ate four portions of mac n cheese under the influences of the chimes.

He continued to go to the gym three times a week, lifting and doing a little cardio. He found that he had so much more energy and stamina than before and he really felt like he was getting somewhere.

It was a little annoying after a month when his jeans started to get a little tight. Sure, he wanted to gain muscle but not fat. Ryan reassured him that a little extra padding was just going to help him on his way to getting the body he'd always wanted.

"Don't worry about it, you'll level out soon enough and you can always cut back later," Ryan said. "Honestly, it's nothing to worry about, dude. Your jeans should be tighter. Nobody should have a... what is it? 26 inch waist? That's ridiculous."

Scott laughed it off. He was sure Ryan knew what he was talking about. He just couldn't help feeling a little self conscious every time he had to go to class with a painfully stuffed belly. Where he was so tiny, he was sure it must be visible. Still, he continued. He enjoyed the process, he just couldn't wait to get results.

Over Christmas, Ryan was going home so he was going to have the place to himself. Scott cashed the cheques his grandparents had sent him. He was lucky, he knew, to be a college student with $500 in his bank account. Knowing his paycheck was due in one week, he didn't feel bad about dropping nearly $200 of that on food.

Scott spent most of it in the grocery store on things he knew he could keep around and that were high in calories. Boxes of mac n cheese, pints of cheap ice cream, frozen pizzas... everything he could think of. He was planning on stepping up his game: he'd gotten to the point that half an hour of constant eating wasn't pushing him quite so far any more.

Scott had a plan. Four days a week he used the chimes at lunch and dinner. The other three, he only used them for dinner, after he'd gone to the gym. He spent longer lifting on those days. One the other four, by the time the second set of eating was done, he was barely able to move.

Still though, it was working. He was slowly gaining definition on his arms and he was eating more and more even without the chimes. The only downside was that he was definitely gaining more than muscle. His abdomen had gone from fully flat, to constantly bloated, to downright pudgy. His jeans were almost unbearable and Ryan had tried to convince him to go shopping for new ones, telling him that gaining muscle was going to make him thicker all over.

Scott knew he was right. He planned on going on Saturday as soon as he could. Friday was one of his gym days. After pushing himself hard, Scott got home and chucked a pizza in the oven. He honestly couldn't wait for it to be cooked so he could start eating. Even without the chimes, he'd gained a new appreciation for food. There was nothing like a good helping of melted cheese after a workout. Or after a day of just sitting on the couch.