My fat thighs clapped against each other as I heaved down the street. I had decided to take a nice short run around my neighborhood, but no— some idiot's dog came out of nowhere and now I feel like I can collapse any minute.

It was midnight, the optimal time for a fat girl to run because nobody can see me and nobody would want to rape me.

Step.

I was out of breath.

Step.

The dog was gaining up on me.

Step. Trip.

I slowed down.

Step.

The dog was too close.

Trip part 2.

The dog ate my leg.

Wait, wait, what's going on here. I gasped as the sun light struck my eyes.

As if I would ever willingly run.

I almost laughed. I stretched my oversized arms, hitting my sister's bunk above me. She didn't even stir as I stood up and headed to the

bathroom.

What can I say? I like food. I love food actually. In fact, eating is my favorite hobby.

I brushed my teeth, flossing the gummies I had eaten last night out of my teeth and walked- slowly crawled- back to bed.

I looked at my sister who looked so very peaceful as I decided to turn some very loud music on my phone.

"Going for a jog!" I shouted loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear me. Amy mumbled incoherent wordage and I smiled. Productively walking outside with my phone in hand.

There was nobody outside as I realized it was merely six a.m. Yes- fat girls can wake up early too. The turkey I ate last night wasn't enough to hold me back.

I slithered around the streets, out of breath as I stopped at the closed restaurant. I shrieked, realizing how easily I could die from starvation!

My stomach gurgled as the farts erupted— maybe I wasn't that hungry.

I couldn't believe my eyes as they landed on the only food in sight. A pigeon landed on the wooden bench as I stared at it.

This would be how I could survive another day. I needed to consume this pigeon. I slowly and unintentionally loudly stepped closer to the cross eyed creature. It glanced at my towering body and flew away.

"Darn you! Stupid pigeon! What am I suppose to eat now!" I shut my eyes, praying for food as Diana, the head chef of my favorite restaurant began unlocking the door so she could get to work.

"Diana!" I shouted across the empty area, wishing my thighs would stop rubbing against each other long enough for me to make a decent run.

At the sight of my whale figure, her eyes widened and she quickly entered, shutting the door. She must be eager to cook for me!

I sat outside, waiting for the door to unlock as I mapped out my survival strategy. I would catch the next animal- whatever it may be- and use it to sustain myself for the coming hours of laborious waiting.

I saw a snail slowly make its way across the grass as my gasp erupted. Yes! Free food!

I ran toward the majestic creature, imagining I was in France and that it was already cooked as I snatched it from the ground. I gulped audibly as I held it over my mouth, ready to let its slimy contents enter my acidic stomach.

It was mere centimeters from sliding into my mouth when a voice interrupted me from satisfying my stomach.

"What are you doing?" It asked.

"Can't you see I'm busy eating over here!" I turned to glare and the snail dropped from my fingers.

Wow. My eyes looked over his body once and I just knew he was beautiful— and clearly a runner out for a jog. So, probably not my type. His jaw was chiseled, his bare chest glistening with sweat, and his gray eyes pierced my dark soul.

"I thought the snail had to be at least semi-cooked before you eat it? I mean, don't they at least put salt on it first?" He crossed his arms over his muscular chest, his biceps bulging and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He looked edible enough.

Cannibalism is illegal you idiot. I shook my head quickly, watching the snail enter its dirt mansion again.

"Do you have salt?" I glared at him, "Why don't you go finish your run!" I waited for him to leave but he just laughed.

"See you around snail!" He called, laughing as he quickly disappeared. I wished I could run like that. I wished I could run.

I turned back to find my delicious snail and was met with none other than a hideous dirt covered lawn. I wondered if dirt was edible before I realized I had food in my kitchen.

My mind had a foodgasm as I walked faster than ever before to reach my room.

"No." Amy, my sister, said when I asked her to tell me where my food was.

"What?!" I had erupted and exploded and was two seconds away from choking her.

Maybe a little extreme, but I was a food addict. Food gave me life, food made me strong. Food comforted me. It never let me down. I glared at Amy with all my might as she glared right back.

"Bailey, you ate a whole turkey last night! I'm pretty sure that can sustain you for a week!"

"How did you know about that?!" I shouted as Jamie, my oldest sister came into the room to glare at us.

"You were talking about it in your sleep Bailey!" Amy shouted as Jamie decided to speak.

"I second that." Jamie yawned sleepily, "I heard you from across the hallway."

"I did not!" I declared, but they wouldn't have it.

"Bailey, look, I'm telling you this because I love you and I think being overweight is seriously unhealthy."

"You don't know that." I declared, crossing my arms over my belly rolls. She was as thin as a twig and it was completely unfair how she made fun of my weight. Hell, I made fun of myself first before she got the idea to do so.

"Look, I will give you your food back after your first class- which you're supposed to be at in ten minutes! It's almost eight."

"You're not my mother!" I huffed, leaving the room knowing I couldn't win this fight.

"That's right I'm not. Your mother is never here to take care of you so we have to. And look Bails, I leave for college across the state by the end of this month. I really want you to take care of yourself." Jamie put her thin fingers on my shoulder in the hallway as I brushed her hand away and continued on my path downstairs.

What happened to the whole no fat shaming? I like being like this— I worked hard to be this fat. All those years of eating and eating.

Just thinking about food made me hungrier. I groaned, my stomach growling again as a small fart escaped.

Maybe I could find the snail again, I couldn't go to class on an empty stomach.

I checked my phone as the time plucked itself onto my screen. I had to get to school.

My legs picked up the pace as the calves began to clap as well. My arms rubbed uncomfortably against my sides as my entire body jiggled annoyingly. My face was slapped repeatedly until I stumbled over my own feet and fell.

I glanced up to make sure nobody saw that, but with my luck, there was a fat chance they hadn't. I looked at the tree I had been standing by, realizing I had barely run two feet.

I hate running.

Be the bigger person, they'd said. I was, I was as fat as the entire planet. I was fatter than the struggling elephants in Africa. I needed to use a car wash to take my showers. Okay, perhaps not that large, but you get the idea.

I had not realized how quickly I was gaining weight back when I was a sophomore in high school and the realization that I had exceeded the normal size of a seventeen-year-old female came in the worst way possible.

I'd had experienced that weren't present all because of my realization of my weight.

"I'd like a medium," I sent a smile his way, waiting for my shirt to arrive when he then mentioned some unwanted- and immature commentary.

"Are you sure you don't want a large?" He snickered as my mouth gaped open. I was dumbstruck, replying that I had only wanted a medium-sized shirt. It was safe to say that I ate nothing that night.

I think my problem is that I really like food. I love food actually so the idea of wanting to lose weight and loving food always clash and for me, food always wins.

Amy was never a fan of my methodology. In fact, she hid food from me in the years to come after Jamie left for college.

And with Amy's wild ventures into high school and her meeting the man of her dreams, Aaron, we grew further apart. She was never home and I could live in the present.

The only thing that had become an issue for me was the fact that I drugged random men and ate one of their muscles from time to time. Some call it disgusting, others call it cannibalism, but I call it the only way I, Bailey Bloom, was able to shed 70 pounds.

Amy doesn't know about this and if she ever finds out, I'd be behind bars.

*missing blurb*

In case you're interested in getting the totally edited/revised/changed paperback version of this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Read-Minds-ebook/dp/B08RYV11F2/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=veronica+Soliman&qid=1609863783&sr=8-3

The Boy Who Read Minds (completed!)

. The Boy Who Solved Crimes

Bailey's Story (Butterflies of Gold)

. Joseph's Story (An Era Away)

Anya (Tyler's Story)