Peer Counseling is Too Troublesome

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I never will. *sigh

Warning: Discusses body image issues

"So... what you're saying is you don't want to lose weight, but you want to be popular?"

Chouji chomped on a couple barbecue chips before replying to Ino's question. "Well, I don't have to exactly be popular, but I want people to stop seeing me as a fatty."

Ino let out a huge sigh of disappointment that only served to tire Shikamaru even more. "Listen, Chouji," she said, cocking her hips to the side as a hand flipped her ridiculously long ponytail over her shoulder. "Me and Shikamaru, we've known you forever so we know that you're a sweet kid, though you can be a little... gluttonous sometimes. But people almost always judge others based on looks; that's just how humans are. So if you wanna fit in and not be made fun of for how you look, you gotta change or do something to make sure they don't have the power to do that!! You can't always have the best of both worlds, y'know?"

"B-but..." Chouji's lips trembled as he looked down at the ground. "I've tried so many times to lose weight through diets but I can never lose more than a pound or two. I just love eating too much!!" Shikamaru internally panicked as he saw Chouji's eyes becoming more moist by the second. He opened his mouth to offer some words of comfort to Chouji when Ino's infamous temper erupted.

"SO DO I!! I LOVE EATING TOO!!! BUT GUESS WHAT?!! I'M NOT LETTING THAT STOP ME FROM WEIGHING 110 POUNDS!! SO STOP COMPLAINING!!! SERIOUSLY, WHAT WERE YOU PLANNING TO DO HUH?!"

"I-I don't know," Chouji whimpered, cowering alongside Shikamaru in the corner. "That's why I came to talk with the Peer Counseling Program."

"H-hey Ino, I think maybe we should just calm down and talk thi-" Shikamaru started, nervously attempting to pat her on the back. At the contact of his hand on her back, she shot him a glare that obviously said 'Stay out of this', and like the man he is, he withdrew back into the corner.

"I am calm," Ino raved. Chouji let out a small squeak in terror. "You boys just need to understand that since our dilemma here is about dieting and looking good, you need to leave this to ME. This is my area of expertise. GOT IT?"

"Um, quick question?" Chouji raised his hand timidly as if in class.

"WHAT?"

"Are you really an expert on dieting?" Ino smirked at his question, her eyes glistening with pride.

"Whyyy of course!! Do you think I'd lie about that?"

"Really," Shikamaru deadpanned. "Cause personally I think 95 pounds is pretty underweight for a girl your age."

Ino just turned to smile at him innocently before slapping him in the face twice, leaving him with two glowing red hand marks on his cheeks. She then walked(though she was practically skipping) away from the shocked boys, acting as if nothing had just happened.

"Man, women are scary," Shikamaru muttered, tenderly caressing his now swollen cheeks.

"Well, you didn't have to call her underweight," Chouji admitted. "Dieting is hard, y'know."

"OH YEAH!" Ino's voice called from the other side of the room. "CHOUJI, I HAVE A BOOK ON DIETING AT HOME, I CAN LEND IT TO YOU IF YOU WANT!!"

Shikamaru chuckled as he watched Chouji's face light up as he yelled back, "Yes, please! Thank you!!"

"YEAH, NO PROBLE-"

"SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" a loud hiss from the librarian resonated through library. Chouji's eyes widened with guilt as he clamped his hands over his mouth. Shikamaru just let out a tired sigh. How is it possible for someone to shush so loud?