I groaned as I lamely tried to shut off my phone’s alarm. My fingers tapped the dismiss button like four times before the ring-tone stopped and my attention was now focused on the time. I started to work in my head that there were roughly forty-five minutes before I could get to my next lecture.

Blinking as I sat up in my bed, I was able to wake my brain up enough to think more clearly.

Something was different. No, everything was different.

At least that was my current feeling at the moment but it was difficult to think beyond that. My body was burning up, it was borderline unbearable and I noticed that I was fully naked.

I must have sweated profusely as I slept last night as the area surrounding my profile was a bit cooler. My body was also covered in a light sheen of sweat.

Damn, it must have been one rough night for some reason if I couldn’t even remember undressing myself.

Getting up out of bed and grabbing my towel I headed to the showers. There were a few people about on my way there but I didn’t give any fucks, I just wanted to get rid of the heat and sweat.

After what I felt was a good thirty minutes under high-pressure cold water I was then content to leave. I stepped out of the shower and toweled myself off in front of a mirror and what I saw made me pause.

My slight form that had once been defined now had some lean muscle on it. I had always wanted to get bigger but not crazy big like Schwarzenegger. At the moment, I looked like someone who was training for the Olympics and I simultaneously observed my new muscles while wondering how I had put on such size in a short period of time.

My abdomen that had been flat was now clearly defined with a six-pack. My traps, triceps, upper back, thigh, and calf muscles were also more obvious to anyone that saw me.

But it wasn’t just my body that had got an upgrade but my face also seemed different. I wiped some of the condensation off the mirror that was obstructing my view and my doubts that it was my imagination were swept away with said condensation.

I looked good.

Like Hollywood good; sure I was being a bit arrogant but why shouldn’t I be.

Once I was satisfied with my new observations I pulled myself away to return to my room, I still had to get to my lecture.

Back in my room, I toweled myself off properly and it was then that I was able to go through my new thoughts.

I felt powerful, like the reality that I had been fed was nothing more than a sliver of what was out there.

My ambition to succeed and surpass my current self was burning harder than I had ever felt. My new looks were just the start and my mind drifted to the back of my wardrobe. I pulled out the smaller envelope, the most amount of money that I had ever held.

On the other hand, Zack’s envelope was so thick, you could dome someone and give them a severe concussion with it. Even though Zack was given so much, surely because I was the one who personally delivered it, then my share should be larger.

I was holding the larger package now and thankfully it wasn’t sealed. Peering into it I completely retracted my statement about what I had been paid earlier being the most I’d ever held. Zack’s envelope had a number of twenty, fifty, and hundred dollars notes and at a rough guess, it was four, maybe a five figure amount.

He wouldn’t miss a few bills…maybe if I told him as I gave him his envelope-

I instantly shook my head dismissing that thought. There was no way that my first idea when getting a large sum of money was that I’m going to screw over my oldest friend. Had I always been this greedy?

I was never going to steal from Zack, besides he would probably notice. Zack struck me as the kind of guy that wouldn’t be down for someone fucking with his money, even if that someone was me.

I put away both of the envelopes but not before fishing two fifty-dollar notes from my cut. Getting dressed and tidying up, I grabbed my things and headed for my lecture; completely well aware that I was going to be late now.

As I moved through the campus I took in the world around me especially at how some people had dressed. A couple was wearing some designer clothing and I was suddenly self-conscious of my own appearance. I would need to take better care of the way I looked after all but it didn’t seem to stop the few lingering looks from the opposite gender that was in my proximity.

Nice.

I arrived at my lecture that was well underway and navigated to a seat not too far from the doorway. My entrance seemed to not have gone unnoticed as the lecturer stopped his dictation and set his attention on me.

“Mr. Rinato,” called Mr. Garcia. “You’re quite late.”

“Sorry about that Mr. Garcia,” I apologised but my heart really wasn’t in it. “I’ll keep it from turning into a habit.”

Mr. Garcia was a stern but fair man of short height and balding demeanor. He was usually the reasonable type but it seemed he wanted the smoke today.

“I certainly hope not,” he started with his arms crossed. “I understand that you have a serious accomplishment under your belt in terms of your scholarship, but you cannot allow yourself to become sloppy. Punctuality is very key.”

“I’ve got it, Mr. Garcia,” I called out without meeting his eyes. I did this not out of nervousness but contempt, he wasn’t worth looking at while being addressed.

Jesus, what crawled up his ass?

I knew there were some courses that had mandatory attendance but this one didn’t, so attendance is even less of an issue.

There was still some silence in the hall so I looked up to finally meet his gaze, he clearly had more to say.

“Mr. Finato, I sincerely hope that you’re well aware your interruption is costing the lecture precious learning time. Must I remind you that-”

“I said I get it,” I asserted, forcing down a growl. “I’m not the one dwelling on this situation.”

He looked like he still wanted to spew some more bullshit my way but it must have been something on my face that told him I wasn’t backing down. I didn’t want to make a scene but he was being a real prick.

His eyes flickered downwards and to me as he looked away and went back to what he was explaining.

A few minutes into the lecture and I had already run out of fucks to give.

The topic was new, the Christian Roman Empire but it was just the introduction. I had already read ahead on his one and was two modules ahead, plus I wasn’t in the most engaging state of mind when I got in.

It had never occurred to me before now just how much Mr. Garcia wasn’t all that great of a teacher, seems like I wasn’t paying that much attention in that respect. I was able to glean more from textbooks but it was boring as hell to read for a long period of time, especially if I didn’t really care for what I was reading. With lectures like these, it was a slight step-up but he was missing out on interesting pieces of information that could have totally been useful for midterms.

My frustration began to slowly build up as the lecture went on and it was close to the end.

So I got up, grabbed my bag, and dipped in the middle of Mr. Garcia speaking. Maybe I should have left when he was done talking but the man just kept rambling when everyone knew he had said everything worth saying.

That was my one and only lecture for the day and I had no shift at the museum either.

I decided that since I wasn’t in a hurry over what to do next, sitting in the park and enjoying the sun would be the perfect way to kill time.

So I did just that. The sun's rays shone over me as I sat on a bench. I couldn’t put my finger on it but it just felt therapeutic to relax and sort my head out in the warm heat.

Some thoughts from earlier about the couple came to me. I had neglected my appearance but now that I had the means, that was going to change.

Not wasting any time, I made my way to the mall and to a barbershop. My hair was getting long so now was actually a good time to get a new style.

“What can I do for you?” my barber asked.

Usually, my mom cut my hair for me to save money so this experience was all sorts of foreign to me.

I looked over to a poster with dozens of styles on it and pointed out the one I liked most.

“This one.”

The barber nodded.

“Okay,” he said as he readied his equipment.

As he was doing so it reminded me of something. I went into my wallet and pulled out a fifty-dollar bill which instantly drew my barber’s attention.

“Would you be able to split this for me? I asked.

When I walked in I had noticed that the cash till was near the entrance and part of me hoped that he said no so I could get it done somewhere else.

I didn’t trust him or anyone else with the money that was mine especially if I couldn’t monitor the exchange. Then I remembered it was unlikely he would pocket my money as it’d be so easy to call him out for stealing.

Nearly twenty minutes later, I came out of the barber looking fresh as fuck.

Next on the agenda would be clothes but I didn’t go all that crazy to be honest. Two pairs of jeans, a sweatshirt, a new pair of vans and a flannel.

One of the pairs was ripped and made from blue denim while the other was black. I also had a real appreciation for red so both the sweatshirt and flannel were that colour.

Satisfied at the moment I flagged a taxi and went back home. I could have called Sophie but I didn’t like the idea of relying on her to get everywhere.

When I got there it was roughly late afternoon, so I decided that now grooming and clothing were taken care of, now I might as well work on my body itself.

Slapping on a vest and some sweatpants I left for the gym. I didn’t mind the long walk, my stamina was still pretty good despite how much I moved about today.

Once I stepped into the gym I was assaulted by the odor and the noise. I swore under my breath at the assortment of smells that overloaded my nose. Had everyone inside been training since the morning? And why the hell was the shitty music so loud? It was so much better when anyone would barely hear it.

I stepped out for a sec to collect myself and had second thoughts about going in.

“No way,” I assured myself. “I made it all the way here, I’m going to see this through.”

I re-entered the gym and moved past the front desk to see Jess on her phone looking at something.

Her eyes flickered over to me then back to her phone but she did a double-take and made eye contact with me. We said nothing to each other and I kept moving towards the weights room.

After some warm-ups and stretches, I went straight to hitting some weights to see what these new gains were capable of. Disappointed was the last word that came to mind when I picked up a twenty-five-kilo barbell and did a few curls. It was like I was only curling the bar itself, scratch that less than the bar.

I switched it up to a forty kilo one and the difficulty with it was only finally noticeable. Despite that, I was able to get out five rounds with ten reps each, my form and stamina not even going below ninety-five percent at a minimum.

“Goddamn,” I muttered under my breath as I put the weight in its rightful place.

After that, I shamelessly flexed my muscles as I stared in the mirror at myself. I was starting to get why gym rats spent some much time at the gym ogling themselves. The sight of seeing yourself at the buffest you’ve ever been and knowing that you can get even better is sure to give your confidence one hell of a trip.

Damn, the blood rushing through my muscles looked like I had been working out for years instead of weeks. No more getting seen as non-threatening or not being taken seriously because of how thin I looked.

I needed to keep this feeling going, but as I was searching for what to do next I caught sight of Jess. The swimsuit model’s eyes caught mine and there was crazy ferocity in them.

Like it wasn’t bad enough that I had made eye contact with the scariest woman I knew but now she was making her way over to me.

As she got closer I was able to pick up the scent of her sweat but based on her appearance there were barely any droplets on her skin. It was intoxicating as well.

“Good workout?” she asked as she nodded to me. Her eyes were roaming over my face intently.

“Well, I just completed a couple of sets so kinda.”

She nodded again. Jessica’s eyes were now focused on my arms and chest and the close proximity of her gazing gave me a chance to get a glance down her sports bra. She must have felt my eyes on her because she made eye contact with me. I didn’t flinch from her gaze like I would have in the past, even though she had this strong silent vibe to her.

“What exercise are you moving on to now?” Jess asked as her eyes snapped to a weight rack.

“Not sure actually, I was still deciding,” I told her.

“How about the military press?” Jess suggested.

“That’s the overhead exercise for shoulders right?” I asked.

She went over to a rack and started to get the weights in place so I moved to the other end to slide on the corresponding weight.

Once that was sorted I got into place and started to do a quick warm-up. I moved behind the rack to observe her.

Each repetition was completed mechanically, as she gripped the bar at shoulder width, resting it on the center of her collarbone. She then shot the bar in the air before slowly returning it to the start position.

As I was stood behind her I couldn’t help but notice how her sculpted back was able to remain near-perfectly symmetrical with each repetition. Her form remained erect the whole time, something that I needed a lot of focus to maintain while she just looked bored.

“You look different?” she asked meeting my eye through the mirror reflection.

“I had a haircut today, didn’t really have much else to do.”

Jess rested the weight back on the rack before moving to add some more.

“Tens,” she prompted and I affixed the ten plate she requested. “Was that all you did? Get a haircut?”

I let out a light chuckle.

“Nah, I did a bit of shopping as well,” I told her with a shrug. “Trying to level up wardrobe and well, just looks in general I guess.”

She nodded again and it was really hard if she was being indifferent or was genuinely acknowledging what I was saying. I got into a position to start my own set and began the exercise, which was a bit of a struggle.

When I had the bar rested on the top of my chest I felt a body press up against me from behind. I could feel Jess’ soft breasts press up against me and I had to fight with myself not to drop the weight.

“Keep your core clenched,” she instructed as she ran her fingers over my abs, “your back muscles as well.”

Her fingers traced down my stomach and even past my navel. Unfortunately or rather, fortunately, she didn’t go any lower and my mind went to the embarrassment I had suffered last night.

The memory actually made me feel kinda pissed.

“Place your grip a bit farther apart as well so you have better leverage.”

“Okay, got it,” I said and Jess regretfully stepped back.

“And don’t forget to breathe but don’t lose your frame.”

I took her advice regardless of how confusing it was and carried on with my set.

I did my best to imitate Jess’ movements from before, shooting my arms up and slowly bringing them down to the top of my chest.

“Much better,” Jess commented.

“Thanks,” I said polishing off the last rep. “You might have to offer me a job after a week."

I turned back to her smirking and she flicked her fingers dismissively against my chest as I moved out the way for her to take a position.

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself,” she said with a hint of a chuckle, “this place isn’t worth the effort if you actually want to make some sort of a living.”

“Then why are you here?” I questioned but she didn’t reply. I was sure as hell she heard me though.

Looking around this gym it occurred just how painfully maintained this place was. Rusty vents and missing panels were just the tip of the iceberg for this shitshack of a gym. This place must have only just passed whatever safety requirements were needed to operate, and there was no doubt that Jess was getting paid next to jackshit. The low price of membership had made me dismiss just how bad the surroundings were.

Leaving this cesspool would be something I needed to address in the near future.

“I heard you were working at your college museum from Sophie,” she said with an exhalation.“Must be good if you’re going on shopping sprees.”

I shrugged with my arms crossed.

“From the little, I’ve worked…I’d say that the pay is adequate,” I said.

My feelings on that matter were completely at odds with what I said.

“Bet it still beats working here,” Jess stated, “I practically run the place when it’s my shift, but the barely above minimum wage salary is still a slap in the face after working a couple of years.”

“Then why stay?” I asked deadpanned.

To my surprise, she actually considered answering the question now and looked pensive.

“It’s complicated. You buy a lot of clothes today?”

“A couple,” I replied, “and a new pair of shoes. Nothing crazy.”

“You must have been planning for a while then.”

I shook my head.

“Nah, I was actually kind of spontaneous thing,” I chuckled while scratching the back of my head.

Jess had a surprised goofy smirk on her face as she raised her eyebrows.

“They must really be paying you something then huh?” she teased as she elbowed me jokingly.

I was surprised by how lighthearted she was been and the sight made me feel a lot more comfortable around her.

“I came into some money recently from a friend, I’m usually not that frivolous with my spending.”

Jess’ smile wavered ever so slightly I swore I almost imagined it.

“Lucky you,” she said and then winked.

I moved to place another weight on the rack with Jess.

“I asked Sophie if you’ve been doing some serious training,” she grunted after the first rep. “She told me that she had no idea what your fitness was like but then here you are planking like you’ve done it for months.”

“I mean it’s kind of difficult to drop the fact that I’m sick at planking without sounding like a douche.”

“True,” she chuckled, “but you’ve never done a military press before correct?”

“Yeah…” I replied slowly.

“Yet you’re easily able to lift seventy kilograms over your head without any problem.”

I paused my rep and rested the bar at the top of my chest and turned my head slightly towards Jess to look at her out of the corner of my eye.

Her glare was intense and there was no hiding the fact that the intentions behind her questions were less than friendly.

“I’m not sure what you are,” she low growled as she slowly shook her head, “but you need to keep your shit away from Sophie. You’re far too damn confident for some loser that’s probably never even seen a pair of tits before.”

Searing hot rage began to bubble up from the core like a volcano. How fucking dare this creature start throwing shade at me and for what?

I placed the bar on the rack which caused it to clang loudly and then fighting with the patience of a saint I turned to face Jess ever so slowly.

“I don’t know what fucking reason that you have that makes you think can talk to me like that. But I don’t know what the hell you’re on about nor am I in the mood for it.”

Jess’ eyes actually bulged for a whole five seconds before she turned neutral and then wore a firm grin on her face.

With an irregular grin, she spoke as if I was acting crazy.

“Learn to take jokes bro, I was only messing with you to see if you’re really about this new you stuff.”

She turned around and then walked off to what I guessed must have been the front desk.

“I got to get back to work, see ya.”

I still wanted to get her attention as there was no goddamn way that she was simply ‘joking’. We weren’t ‘friends’ so she had no business talking shit just because she was a gym rat.

My eye caught someone staring at me and I turned it down a notch. Jess had fucked off and escalating the situation wouldn’t have done me any good now.

Deciding I had had enough training for the night I headed into the showers to get cleaned up. Honestly, I was surprised every time I walked into there I didn’t come out more filthy. Once done, I changed into casual clothes and left the changing rooms to exit the gym itself.

Jess seemed to have been absent from the front desk and I was honestly glad for that but as I exited the gym I ran into Sophie.

She looked surprised to see me, hell I must have looked the same. Sophie smiled and my anger instantly dissipated.

“Hey, I heard you had been in the gym,” she jibbed with an elbow. “But I had no idea that you were still here.”

I looked at Sophie, I mean really looked at her and for some reason, I had a much greater interest in checking out her curves.

She noticed my staring and crooked her head to the side with a smirk. Blinking I opened up my mouth to actually speak to her.

“I just thought I would get in a session cos I didn’t have much to do,” I mused with a shrug of my shoulder.“Why are you here?”

“Jess wanted me to pick her up from the gym but she’s in the car right now,” she explained as she gestured behind her. “She asked me to go grab something while she was sorting an issue with the “

Sophie cut herself off and looked distracted so I scrunched my own face in confusion. Almost at the same time, I felt something firm push into my lower back.

My rage was quickly building but the next words brought me up short.

“Don’t even think about moving.”