Steel Skeleton

A Bit of a Moment

 Gavin found his nose always itched. They had lied when they said it didn't hurt. It hurt like hell, and he assumed they had done it properly. It was just the procedure. They literally shoved a tube through his nose and into his stomach. It wasn't the absolute worst thing he felt; honestly the pain from his last ankle sprain was worse. It was just a new pain, and now, he was the one with the tube on the ward.

It tended to be a sign of shame; disobedience. No one knew why he had the tube; he still found the explanation odd. It was there for a reason. He obviously knew he couldn't eat 7000 calories in a day.

Yet he hated the thing. It was so itchy; it got in the way, and they seemed to hint at it staying in past the time that the symptoms subside. He found no reason for their logic, but there was never much reason for their logic.

He found himself in the same cafeteria for his morning snack; which was two hours after breakfast. He found it ridiculous. He was on a plan of 4500 calories, and the tube offered the last 2000ish calories he apparently needed. It was ridiculous. He was an adult; he could feed himself. This was all unnecessary. Why did he even come here in the first place?

Gavin clunked his tray beside Lars and Laine. He found himself even more frustrated than before. It was nearing on Wednesday, and he was still deep in the symptoms; they showed no sign of stopping.

"You good dude?" Lars asked, and Gavin just let out a massive sigh. He looked down at his tray.

"Just the same old frustrations; you know. There's a tube in my nose, I'm still somehow not gaining any weight, and they keep giving me masses of peanut butter." Gavin spouted. He started to spread the peanut butter on the same two pieces of toast with seeds.

"That happens during the first week. It's completely normal. Laine seemed just the same, and nothing worked for a while." Lars said; trying to comfort Gavin. Gavin wasn't having it. He ripped a piece of the toast off with a bit of vigor. He sighed.

"I know; I just...I can't do this man. I'm honestly terrified of gaining weight apparently." Gavin stated. Lars had a bit of a grin on his face.

"And the truth comes out," Lars stated as he slammed a palm on the table. He spoke again. "I knew you'd crack soon." Gavin seemed confused, but it seemed something common.

"What do you mean?" Gavin asked, and Lars looked up from the tray.

"Oh; most people really try to be the happy camper. They eat everything, and seem ok with everything that they are met with. Those people are usually there to eat and get out, so they can go back to whatever they were doing. It seems those folks do eventually crack. I've watched it in therapy sessions and around these tables. It's definitely a sight to witness." Lars explained, and Gavin finished the peanut butter sandwich in his hand.

"All I said was that I was scared of gaining the weight." Gavin pointed out. He went on to eat the nuts on the tray.

"It'll evolve. Trust me...It's not a bad thing dude. It's actually really good for recovery." Lars told him. Gavin nodded, and finished the nuts on the tray. He sighed. There was still so much on the tray, and his stomach was still angry at him for the breakfast. The silence didn't help the whole thing. He trekked on to the milk, and then the cheese squares.

"How do they expect people to eat so damn much? It's like nonstop all day." Gavin retorted, and Lars looked at him with a bit of disbelief.

"And how much did you binge on?" Lars asked. Gavin then realized he turned red. He looked at the tray, and began unwrapping the cheese.