Growing Presentation
Added 2023-03-23 00:19:06 +0000 UTCHoward knew he was going to have to present a school safety discussion as the sheriff. He hoped to inspire the kids to become whatever they wanted, but hated the idea of propagating the donut cop stereotype. He wasn't too overweight, but definitely was not as fit as he had been when he started the job.
He blamed the stress for his extra pounds, always eating whenever he was worried. Any time he was nervous, his comfort was stuffing his face. That's exactly what he did whenever he thought about the presentation. He knew the kids would be relentless, seeing a fat cop lumbering in, making jokes at his expense.
It slowly became a self-fulfilling prophecy. He couldn't stop himself as he ate his feelings, panic-struck every time he saw his stomach bigger than it had been before. It became worse as the date grew closer, the weight packing onto his body faster than he thought possible. He knew there was no way avoiding being seen as a fat cop in front of the entire school.
He thought to get some advice from his peers. They suggested shaving his head, that it would look better clean and showing a jawline. He was horrified when the hair came off, his round chubby cheeks exposed without a beard. Where a cut chin was before, a second jaw wrapped around his entire face, jigglying at the slightest movement of his mouth. His neck filled out his entire collar, forcing him to unbutton it to keep his skin from growing irritated.
By the time the presentation rolled around, he had gained at least 50 lbs, his belt and uniform so tight he was worried they would split in front of everyone. He felt like a giant sack of lard speaking to the school body. Everyone could see what a fat bowling ball of a cop he was. He couldn't count the number of times he had been called a fat smooth pig that day, at least, in his head. All he could do was accept it.
