chapter 4

That night Rio told me he would need me to be up and ready to run at six. I didn't get up for school until a quarter to seven. Begrudgingly I did a little bit of homework, after a larger than intended after-dinner snack, and hit the hay before ten. When I woke up the next morning I drove to his house after slowly working through my morning routine.

When he came out he had a large smoothie looking drink in his hand. "Drink up," he said, shoving the container in my direction. "You'll need the energy." I groaned slightly. I didn't like eating right before a run. It made me feel sluggish. I downed a few gulps quickly, expecting it to taste like grass or some other healthy shit that wasn't delicious, but it wasn't bad. I drank some more of it.

"Damn, Rio, this isn't half bad," I said. "Do you drink these things every day?" Was this the key to Rio's hot body? If drinking this shake would help me shed a couple of pounds I wouldn't mind drinking it multiple times a day. It was sweet and thick.

"Uh, yeah," he said. "Mine's not as big as yours is. I had to account for like height and your current weight and, uh, stuff." That sounded legit enough. I was pretty sure Rio knew what he was talking about. He must've been a living product of his regiment.

"So, this jog," I stated in a semi-serious way. I had to get ready mentally for the torment that lay ahead. He smiled somewhat sympathetically, but maybe that was only how I saw it. He could have thought I was wasting my time. He could have had no faith in me or my efforts. That made me kind of sad. It was weird, feeling so inferior to someone you really cared about and admired.

We ran for about thirty minutes and that was more than enough for me. The last time I really exercised was the end of the basketball season last school year. I had natural talent, sure, but if I didn't work out more I was definitely not going to make the team this year. That was frightening.

We made it back to his house and he told me to wait in the jeep before going home to get ready for school. He came back out with another large shake and handed it to me. I looked at him questioningly, wondering what the hell he was doing giving me another huge drink. I thought I was supposed to consume fewer calories. He sensed my trepidation. "You have to get your metabolism up. That's what the shakes are for. I'll have one for you at lunch and one for this afternoon." I sipped it slowly, still a little weary of this part of my new weight loss plan. I was barely chubby but what if I got even fatter? "C'mon, I'll make sure you look good."

I smiled and took larger sips until I finished. It really was a tasty drink. I had a shake at lunch just as he promised, as well as one after school. I ran a bit on my own but I didn't get very far. I wasn't sure if it was the shake making me feel a bit tired or the fact I had gotten up so early for my run with Rio.

I walked most of what I was planning to run and when I made it to my car it appeared soccer practice had ended quite a while ago. Was I really moving that slowly? Even in the morning I wasn't getting very far. Rio stood in his usual waiting position for me.

"How was the run?" he asked, slight smile on his face. It seemed encouraging.

"Oh, man, it was alright I guess. Are the shakes supposed to make me feel so sluggish?"

"They will for a bit, but that's only because...because it's working. Yeah, it's working." He cleared his throat. "Are we meeting up the same time tomorrow morning?" We made our way into my jeep as we continued our conversation. My legs were really sore.

"Yeah, I have to keep working at this. I feel like a blob."

"You don't look like a blob," he said, looking out of the window. That must've been a lie; he couldn't even face me. It was a nice gesture, trying to make me feel a little better about my weight problem.

"I won't anymore," I said gleefully. "Not with the Radical Rio Ramos guiding me every step of the way!" His face reddened noticeably. I laughed.

"C'mon Aaron, you know that's so lame." At some point in every soccer game Rio would accomplish something great. The kids at our school would chant out "Radical Rio strikes again!" and would soon be joined by parents and faculty.

"Well, I think it's really cool," I said. I started my car and took him home. I wanted to soak in the tub for a little before dinner. I was actually pretty hungry. Damn.