Chapter 1

1.
“It’s just some quarantine bloat, quit it!”

Barnold Pane recoiled from the bony finger poking into his side. His roommate Shauna clucked disapprovingly.

“Yea, bloat is what's pushing your sides out, not those new love handles. You better watch it Barnie, once you gain weight it's impossible to lose it all.”

Barnold, though he preferred Barnie, waved her off. He pursed his lips, his roommate’s idea so ridiculous it was funny.

“I know I’ve relaxed the last couple months, but it’s a pandemic! Going outside at all gives me the creeps, how am I supposed to run like I did on campus? Besides, I’m heading for my physical in a bit to assess the damage.” Barnie patted his recently rounded middle and grinned.

Shauna huffed and tucked a lock of long brown hair behind her ear. She spun and walked to her room, delivering one last snide remark, “Couple months… more like eight.”

Barnie rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his computer.

‘It’s not like we have a scale in the apartment to check anyways…’ he thought, settling back into his studying routine. For the next two hours Barnie quizzed himself and finished up assignments for his sophomore year classes. It was the beginning of the winter semester, and he wanted to keep up his recent string of good grades. Lockdown had come last March and totally thrown his life into chaos. The once dedicated runner found himself locked out of the gym, and his studies were the next best use of his energy. Before Barnie knew it, his grades went from C’s and B’s to mostly A’s.

As the year progressed and his fear of the outside waned, Barnie found he could not get back into his old exercise routine. He didn’t realize just how much time it took up in his life. It wasn't just the activity itself, but the preparation. Barnie had skipped out on more nights out to prepare for races and meets than he could count, being away from the team had opened up his social life substantially. There might not be any more bar trips with the pandemic still raging, but Barnie was still having a blast drinking too many beers and eating pizza while gaming over the web. Not running meant he didn’t need to chastise himself for staying up late, for every little overindulgence. That lack of worry felt liberating. The blaring alarm in his mind that he should get back to the track waned over the next weeks that turned to months. Now all the way in January, it also had a noticeable effect on his body.

Barnie frowned and poked at the spot Shauna had moments ago. Where there used to be hip bone was now a puffiness the waistband of his sweats cut into. As much as he hated to admit it, that side had a bit more plushness to it recently. And if he was being real with himself there were other signs that a few pounds had stuck. As fall turned to winter the jeans he used to slip on without a second thought grew uncomfortable to wear. Hard red imprints would line his middle after a long day. Without even thinking the jeans, and really all clothes with buttons, were shoved to the back of the closet, an elastic band based wardrobe replacing it. Other items of clothes fit him worse too, his shirts needed to be tugged down after he bent over, even a few pairs of his underwear had ripped along the thighs.

Still, to Barnie all this seemed minor. It wasn’t like he was gorging himself on junk food, and the underwear was all the way from high school! So what if he had softened up a teeny bit over the pandemic, hadn’t everyone? The fall and winter came and went in comfort and denial, eating well and not just during the holidays. He figured there would be a bit of chub to him after not exercising for so long, but nothing a few months of hard running in the spring wouldn’t take care of. An alert on his phone told him it was time to head to the doctor’s office.

“Guess I can’t put it off any longer,” Barnie chuckled before getting up from his chair. As he did so something happened that worried him. He looked down, for the first time realizing he couldn’t see his crotch. His stomach had rounded and actually protruded enough he had to peer over it to see his lap. During the lazy months of inactivity any moment like this was laughed off due to bloat or overfullness. Now though, with the doctors judgmental gaze only an hour off, it felt sinister.

“Maybe Shauna’s right,” Barnie grumbled, slapping at the flesh and pinching it, the softness still foreign on his recently thin frame, “I definitely do not want this getting out of hand.”

Barnie got up and headed to his car, the slight wobbles he felt in his belly far more noticeable now that he was paying attention. He felt himself blush as he brought a hand up to stop it.

“Yep, it’s been a nice long break. Back to the track.”