College Weight Gain

chapter one

"Come on..." Kaylin muttered under her breath as she tried to tug on her jean shorts, struggling with the denim that seemed to shrink with every wash.

Kaylin, a 22-year-old college student, had moved into her dorm weighing a comfortable 154 pounds. But after six months of cafeteria food, late-night snacking, and endless cans of Dr. Pepper, the scale had crept up by 30 pounds. She hadn't paid much attention to the gradual changes, but now, as she wrestled with her too-tight clothes, the consequences were impossible to ignore.

Her big, round belly bounced with each jump she made in an effort to squeeze into her shorts, which were now three sizes too small. Her breath came in short bursts as she tugged and jumped, hoping they'd slide up just enough to button. The waistband dug painfully into her thighs, leaving red marks where the fabric stretched far past its limits. Suddenly, her phone rang from across the room, vibrating on her unmade bed.

With the shorts now wedged just under her hips, Kaylin waddled awkwardly across the room, her belly swaying heavily with each step. She sighed as she grabbed her phone.

"Hello?" she said, slightly out of breath.

"Hi baby, are you almost ready? I'm five minutes away," Tyler's voice came through the speaker, his tone warm and excited. They hadn't been out on a proper date in a while, and tonight he was taking her to the movies for a much-needed night of fun.

"Um, yeah! I'm just putting on my shoes now. Just wait for me outside, and I'll run out," she lied, glancing down at the unbuttoned shorts struggling to stay on her hips.

"Nah, I'll come in and walk you out. It's the gentleman thing to do," he replied smoothly.

Her stomach sank. "Uh, okay, see you soon," she responded before hanging up. Panic crept in as she stood there, still in her too-small shorts and a bra that barely contained her breasts, which had grown a couple cup sizes over the past few months. She couldn't deny the tightness anymore, but she still convinced herself that her clothes were shrinking in the wash, not her waistline expanding.

Kaylin gave the shorts one last tug, gritting her teeth as they finally inched their way over her hips. She sucked in her belly, trying to button them, but there was no chance—the sides were inches apart. Laying down on the bed, she sucked in with all her might, and after a few moments of struggle, managed to get the button fastened. The zipper, however, was a lost cause. Defeated but determined, she decided to leave the fly open and threw on a crop top, a tight black shirt she had worn countless times before, still believing it fit just fine.

Even as her midsection spilled out over the waistband of her shorts, Kaylin remained blissfully unaware. To her, the bulge of soft flesh was just bloating from too many sodas, not the result of months of overeating. She still saw herself as slim, and that image guided her hand as she reached for the crop top. The fabric groaned as she tugged it over her chest, seams straining and cracking with every small movement. She didn't even notice how short it had become, the bottom hem barely grazing the top of her belly.

Slipping on her shoes, she grabbed her purse and phone before heading to her mini-fridge for a quick snack. Tyler wouldn't be there for a few more minutes, and she wanted something to tide her over. Rummaging through the cluttered shelves, she spotted a milkshake she'd grabbed from McDonald's the day before. It was half-melted, but Kaylin didn't care. She slurped it down greedily, the thick, sugary liquid coating her throat as she drank.

Just as she was finishing the last sip, a knock came at the door—Tyler.

Startled, she ripped off the milkshake lid and downed the rest in one gulp, making sure to get every last bit of the creamy goodness. She tossed the empty cup aside and hurried to the door, her belly jiggling slightly with each step. Opening it with a smile, she greeted Tyler, her fiancé, standing there with his usual warm grin. If he noticed her ill-fitting clothes or the slight roundness of her figure, he didn't say a word—though inwardly, he admired the new curves she was oblivious to.

Kaylin, still blissfully unaware, stepped out to join him, her open fly and exposed belly catching the evening breeze as they headed off to their movie date.