Jason's eyes widened as Sam came into view. The man before him was still 6 feet tall, but the padding of muscle had turned into a layer of fat. His chubby frame had ballooned, his cheeks were fuller, and his belly, which had already been pretty round, had doubled in size, looking like Sam had swallowed a beach ball whole. The stubble had thickened into a full beard that matched the hair on his head, which now looked more like a surfer's haircut than a footballer's. Sam's jersey from his school days strained against his torso padded torso, the moobs bulging against the fabric noticably.
"Sam?" Jason's voice cracked with disbelief.
Sam looked up from his phone, his eyes widening in surprise at the sight of his little brother. "Jase!" His face broke into a grin, calling his brother by his childhood nickname.
He stepped forward and pulled Jason into a bear hug, nearly lifting him off the ground. Jason felt the extra padding pressing against him, but he didn't dare say anything.
They sat down in the living room, the couch groaning under Sam's increased weight. The TV flickered in the background, playing highlights of this week's football game. Sam picked up a bag of chips, his hand disappearing into the depths of the bag as he munched away. Each crunch echoed through the room, punctuating the silence that had fallen between them.
"So, how's college?" Jason asked, trying to fill the void.
Sam shrugged, his shoulders moving like rolling hills under the tight jersey. "It's alright, I guess. Just a lot of studying." He took a deep breath, his belly rising and falling like a tide, his jersey unable to cover it all. "But it's not just that."
Jason watched as his brother's smile fade, replaced by a look of something he hadn't seen on Sam's face before - vulnerability. "What's up?"
Sam paused, his hand hovering over the chips. "Remember how I always talked about playing football, making it big?"
Jason nodded, remembering his brother's dream of making it into tge big leagues.
"Well," Sam sighed, "I didn't make the team." He took a chip, popped it into his mouth, and chewed slowly. "I got injured during tryouts freshman year. Tore my ACL."
Jason's heart sank. Sam could be a bit full of himself and a bit of a bullt, but Jason never wanted to see his dreams to be crushed. He knew what that meant for a football player.
"That's tough, man. But you're still in school, right? Maybe you can try again next year."
But as Jason looked at his brother's ballooned figure, he doubt his brother would be even be accepted in practice matches. He will have to spend months to get back into shape.
Sam's eyes searched the floor. "I had surgery, but it's not the same. Coach said I'd never be able to play at that level again." He took another chip, his hand shaking slightly. "It's like a part of me is gone, you know?"
Jason's heart ached for his brother. "Is there anything that can be done? I mean, you can't just give up and waste your life away and get fat. You need to stay in shape and not like...this."
Jason poked Sam's gut. "I know," said his brother as he leaned back into the sofa, "but there is...something else that came into my life."
Jason cocked his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Well..."