Chapter 1 - The Pact

Chapter 1: The Pact

"Seriously, man, you've got to do something about this," I said, my voice a mixture of concern and exasperation. "You're never going to get a girlfriend if you keep this up."

Jake just shrugged, another 10 pounds heavier and seemingly a million miles away. It was beyond frustrating. He'd completely given up on his diet, and every time I came home, it was to the greasy aftermath of another fast-food binge. Popeyes, In-N-Out, McDonald's, Chick-fil-A – you name it, he'd DoorDashed it.

He was a prisoner in his own home, and his gut, now bigger than a basketball, was the warden. It was disgusting, watching him transform into a shadow of his former self. I had to get through to him, somehow.

"You don't get it, dude," Jake mumbled, his voice muffled by a mouthful of fries. "I've been trying, but I'm always hungry. It's not that bad, anyway. I'm only, like, 20 pounds overweight."

I rolled my eyes so hard I think I saw my brain. Twenty pounds? If he was only 20 pounds overweight, then I was a supermodel. He was maybe 6'1" on a good day, and easily pushing 300 pounds. He even had man-boobs now. It was a train wreck, and I couldn't look away.

Me? I was doing alright. 5'10", 150 pounds, with a six-pack I'd worked my ass off for. I could squat 300 pounds without breaking a sweat. Sometimes, I thought about just roughing him up a bit, showing him what he was missing out on. But he was my friend, and I couldn't bring myself to do it. I'd even chased off some jerk who was giving him a hard time at the gym. The nerve of some people, right? Picking on a guy who's actually trying to make a change.

I know, I know. I'm a hypocrite. But I just want what's best for him. I see the way he looks at me when I'm heading out for a date, and it kills me. He's stuck at home, drowning his sorrows in a sea of Grubhub and DoorDash. I'd even considered one of those "fit to fat" experiments to motivate him, but I couldn't stand the thought of letting myself go like that.

Who knows? Maybe I'll be the one to finally get him off his ass and back in the game. I just have to keep the porkers at bay so he doesn't completely lose himself.