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McKayla's New Job

"Come on, for the love of god, fit!"

McKayla grunted as she struggled to pull her skinny jeans up all the way. While they were once her cutest pants, she now found that she couldn't manage to get them over the curve of her ass. With each tug came another effortful grunt until finally she gave up. She gave an exasperated sigh and brushed a strand of her kinky black hair out of her face.

Turning to face the mirror, she looked herself up and down. There was no questioning that she was in the worst shape of her life. And really, it was no wonder. Ever since she started her job as a secretary, she'd been balling out of control. She'd never really had a good amount of spending money before, and now that she was finally gainfully employed she couldn't help but splurge.

Drinking at the bars every night.

Going out to eat every lunch and dinner.

Trips to the ever-so-tempting pastry shop on the corner...

These were but a few of the reasons that McKayla's weight had ballooned from a modest 120 to over 140 in the past couple months. Last week she weighed in at 139 and had been too scared to check again. Grabbing the bit of paunch that now graced her stomach, she stuck out her tongue at her mirror image.

"Ugh. I really need to find a gym in this city."

It was a lie she told herself often, as she had not exercized since she graduated two months prior. Though she used to be on a volleyball team, once school was out she felt no need to keep up with all of that. So instead she told herself little fibs about going to the gym and in the meantime reached for the pair of stretchy jeggings.

Denial is a powerful thing, but it'll only take you so far. As McKayla buttoned up her blouse, she couldn't help but notice how strained it looked around the buttons.

"Shit." She muttered under her breath.

It'd have to do. She was already on the verge of being late. Grabbing her purse off the dresser, she headed out the door of her 3rd floor apartment. As she rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs, she checked her phone. It seemed like she would miss the bus unless she really hurried. Should she try and catch it, or just hail a taxi?

Run to catch the bus

Try to hail a taxi*