chapter 2

My dad actually made a really delicious dinner so my "diet" didn't get off to the best start. I was beginning to regret quitting cross country. The next day I was going to go for a run while Rio practiced. I had to stay in shape for basketball. I had to stay around 190.

I tied my shoelaces and got ready to run. I had told Rio about my plans and he talked about how I said I quit cross country so that I could take it easy and how he was going to miss his biggest cheerleader at practice. I rolled my eyes and told him I wasn't some cheerleader and that he wasn't going to be the hot friend while I got all robust. He just laughed and ran over to the rest of the soccer team.

I stretched for a while before I finally felt ready for a jog. As I made my way away from the soccer field one of the chemistry teachers waved me over. "Aaron, aren't I glad to see you. There was a faculty luncheon today and we ordered a good fifteen pizzas too many. A lot of the clubs are having a snack in the lunchroom. Spread the word and go have some!" She continued on to another student hanging around the soccer field. I couldn't pass up free pizza. Who would? I could still run after. I made my way into the cafeteria and saw the chess team, computer club, and language ambassadors chowing down on some pretty tasty looking slices.

I ate a whole pizza myself and joked around with some of the other students. I was having so much fun I didn't even realize soccer practice had ended. Rio was calling my cell phone. He was probably waiting for me at my jeep. I made my way out to the parking lot, grabbing another slice of pepperoni.

"How was your run?" he asked. He was leaning against the spare tire on the back of the jeep. I frowned, thinking about how I didn't actually stick to my promise. I used to enjoy exercising. I really did, but it was something even more enjoyable about eating a whole pizza and just feeling well rested.

"Well, uh, some things came up and I ended up not getting a chance to get really far." He looked at me quizzically before picking up his sports bag and his backpack. "What?" I asked. "When basketball comes around I'll get in shape then. You know they have conditioning two weeks before actual tryouts."

"Whatever, big guy," he said with a laugh. "You like the sound of that, don't you?" I felt my gaze fall to the pavement. I was really embarrassed. He thought I was lazy, that was apparent, but I didn't want him to think I couldn't stay in shape. What was the big deal? He was just full of himself sometimes. It was all because he was one of the best on the soccer team.

"I don't care," I lied. "Besides, you're a shrimp. You weigh next to nothing and I hate having to break my neck to look down at you." That insult was weak sauce, but it was the best I could come up with. He laughed again. He was making me flustered. That would have normally pissed him off.

I thought seriously about my weight for a moment. I hadn't weighed myself since the end of last semester. That meant it had been about three months since then. At that point I had been 191 pounds. My clothes still fit okay. I didn't feel that much larger. I had a slight softness to my stomach that wasn't there before, but I attributed that to my lack of ab workouts. I was just losing definition, I wasn't getting fat. I couldn't be. Could I?

Rio's facetious attitude softened. I think he could sense my crisis and wanted to make me feel better. "Let's go," he said. "I'll buy you a snack." I didn't want a snack, but I let him treat me to an ice cream sundae, extra caramel sauce.

I took him home and when I got to my house I went into the master bathroom to weigh myself. I wasn't ready for it. I was nervous and embarrassed and slightly excited. It couldn't be that bad. I didn't look too fat. I couldn't have gained that much. What could I have been? 195 pounds? 199 pounds at the most.

When I got into the bathroom I stripped down to my boxer briefs. They were really cute, at least I thought so. I wondered if a guy would like them. They were red and had a cool s'mores print on them. The little campfire snack on my underwear was making me hungry. I groaned at the thought of getting hungry from images of food. What was wrong with me? I didn't realize my butt had gotten so...rotund. My ass cheeks ate up some of the fabric and I pulled them out of the crack. It was strangely erotic. I felt myself getting hard.

I remembered I had to weigh myself and stood on the scale. Looking down I noticed my nipples seemed a bit puffier than when I last surveyed my body. What was with that? I was freaking out and when the scale finally showed how much I weighed I felt my stomach tighten. I was 221 pounds. How in the hell did this happen? When did this happen? It felt so sudden. I had been living in denial. I looked in the mirror again.

I had broad shoulders, sure, but my chest looked meatier than I would have liked. I had slight love handles that continued into my wider hips. I was slightly bottom heavy. I turned to the side and I could see my stomach had a slight droop to it. My ass stuck out far behind me, still nice and firm, but large...much larger than it had been. The diet and exercise had to happen. There was no avoiding it anymore. It was a necessary evil.