“Hi,” he answered back pleasantly. Nick already had all the females in his own class lusting after him…and now even the seniors found him attractive. He looked back at them; they were hot, their skimpy clothing showing off their full breasts and shapely hips. They were the kind of women Nick would have been all over if he didn’t have Erin, but he would never cheat on his girlfriend. They were nothing compared to her anyway.

“Hey, girls,” Brandon grinned as he strutted around the corner toward Nick. The seniors immediately giggled as they saw him, his flawless body hugged tightly by that UnderArmor shirt he always liked to wear. In fact, it was so taut every bit of his chiseled eight-pack could be seen through the material, right down to his mouth-watering obqliues as they dove underneath his shorts.

“Hi, Brandon,” one of the girls cooed. Brandon gave them his trademark smile – brushing a hand through his blond hair – as he passed them. Their heads turned to follow him, their eyes focused on his round bubble butt. Nick gazed lustfully at him, too – the broad shoulders, the thickly muscled thighs that shifted beneath his shorts…that gigantic bulge that dominated his crotch.

Then Nick blinked. God, stop that, he told himself. Yeah, Brandon was hot…and gay, but what would Erin say if she knew her boyfriend was looking at another guy…and his own teammate at that.

“Did track practice let out yet?” Brandon asked once the girls were out of earshot. Nick peered out toward the football field.

“I think they’re just coming in now,” he answered. There was a reason he and Brandon had met behind the school – they had agreed to talk to Ian. This steroid thing had gotten way out of hand; not only was he ridiculously huge, but he was also endangering himself and everyone around him. Ian wasn’t just obsessed with getting bigger and bigger…he was possessed. They could see it in his eyes as they watched him work out – from a distance of course. He had to be brought back to reality before it was too late.

“Do you think he’ll listen to us?” Brandon muttered worriedly. Nick looked up at his best friend and shrugged. He had no simple answer to that question.

It was easy picking out Ian from a distance as the track team came up the hill; he was the one with the biggest, most freakish-looking muscles. His shorts did almost nothing to cover the size of his legs, his quads quivering heavily with each step he took. His massive arms dangled at his side as he lumbered toward the building, his tremendous body swaying in the swagger that had grown more pronounced the bigger he got. His beefy pecs cast dark shadows over his thick abdomen, his track shirt having long since been discarded. As he came closer, Nick and Brandon could hear him bragging to his teammates.

“Did you see how I smoked you guys?” he crowed. “Imagine that, a 256-pound 15-year-old leaving you puny little upperclassmen in the dust…as usual.” The other guys secretly rolled their eyes, obviously trying not to make eye contact with their boastful teammate – probably for fear that he’d bash them to the ground if they talked back. “It’s all because of these massive wheels!” Ian stopped and looked down at his thighs, flexing them for all to see. “Check them out! Jesus Christ!” he sneered, watching his own muscles jump and twitch on his command. “29 inches of pure power, boys! And getting bigger by the day!” Nick ground his teeth together. He couldn’t imagine being one of the other track guys; they probably had to put up with him constantly making them feel like shit. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Ian sniped as they gratefully headed down the road toward the parking lot. “I’ll be so much bigger by then.”

Ian began sauntering toward the weight room – probably to put in yet another roid-filled session of lifting – when he stopped short. Nick stood up next to Brandon, their combined bulk blocking the doorway.

“Outta my way!” Ian sneered, stepping forward again.

“Not until you tell us why you’re doin’ roids,” Brandon blurted seriously. Nick glanced over at his buddy. At least he knew how to get to the point. Ian snickered condescendingly.

“Why?” he replied. “You wanna get a piece of it too…or are you just jealous?”

“Ian,” Nick spoke up, “do you realize what you’re doing to yourself?”

“Yeah, you’re slowly killing yourself,” Brandon added, his eyebrows arcing upward concernedly. Ian looked the two of them straight in the eyes.

“The only thing I’m killing is school records.” He leaned forward; Nick could practically smell his sweat. “Maybe you girls should spend more time in the gym.” Nick had had enough. The anger had been growing inside of him and he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“What is wrong with you?” he hissed. “You used to be a nice guy…but now you’re nothing but a conceited, roid-pumping meathead!” Suddenly, Ian’s eyes filled with fire and he pounced on Nick with such force, Nick felt the wind being knocked out of him. Ian’s strong fingers grabbed his thick neck and pushed his body against the brick wall of the school. Nick winced in pain as his former best friend stared him down, practically spitting in his face. He tried grappling with Ian’s forearm, but there wasn’t anything to hold onto; it was solid muscle, slippery from sweat.

“IAN!” Brandon tried to intervene, wrapped his own muscular arms around Ian’s gigantic torso, but Ian simply shook him off and threw him to the ground. He was no match for the larger boy’s extra 65 pounds of almost all muscle. His head hit the concrete hard, nearly knocking him out cold.

“I used to be nothing,” Ian shouted, “nothing but a scrawny, little kid with nothing to look forward to in life. But now, I’ve made something of myself…something I can be proud of.”

“Are you…” Nick sputtered, barely able to speak from underneath Ian’s tremendous strength.

“What was that?”

“Are you really proud…of yourself?” Nick repeated calmly. Ian gave a strange look of thought but then narrowed his eyes and pulled his fist back. Nick braced himself for what would surely happen next.

Billy rolled his right shoulder around in a circle as he made his way up the hill from the stadium. God, it was sore from practicing shot put all afternoon. At least he was improving quickly…or that’s what Coach Webber kept telling him. He was closing in on the 50-foot mark, and while that wasn’t near any records, that was definitely better than the 35 feet he had started out at. He had strength, but he needed to work on his technique a lot more.

Billy looked over at his shoulder and watched how the huge muscles shifted efficiently underneath his skin. His shoulders had gotten so broad they felt like they were a mile wide, and at 6’2”, 250+ pounds now, Billy felt bigger than ever. People moved out of his way as he walked down the hall at school and his parents could always tell where in the house he was at any given time…the floors would creak and groan as he moved. Yeah, Billy was feeling surer of himself than ever…except about one thing.

Trish had been on his mind ever since he had left her house the other night. She was so pretty and he liked her so much, it broke his heart when she called him stupid. She had apparently wanted to have sex with him, but it was only the first date. Billy didn’t even know how sex was done…at least not exactly. That’s why he wanted to talk to Brandon, ask him a few questions. He always knew how to handle girls; he always had one hanging onto his arm in the halls at school. He’d surely know what to do.

His head swirling with thoughts, Billy trudged up the hill toward the building. As he neared the weight room, he could just make out in the darkening dusk three large figures on the sidewalk. As he got closer, he quickly recognized them as Nick, Brandon and Ian…but it looked like they were arguing about something. Curious, Billy moved within earshot…holy shit, just as Ian pushed Nick against the wall with one hand!

Billy ran as fast as his legs could carry him toward the scene. Brandon was on the ground, nearly unconscious, leaving Nick helpless against an enraged Ian, who was punching him in the stomach with powerful blows. Billy knew Nick was incredibly strong, especially his fat-free abs, but Ian had a hell of a lot of force behind his gigantic arms – which were nearly the same size as Billy’s, but all muscle. He had to do something; he couldn’t idly stand by and watch his two childhood friends kill each other.

“STOP!” he screamed as he charged at Ian, pulling him away with as much strength as he could muster. Billy immediately turned toward Nick to make sure he was all right. “Did he hurt you bad?” he asked. Nick shook his head, though it was obvious he was in a great deal of pain, holding his stomach.

“Stay the fuck out of this, you retard!” Ian suddenly barked, advancing toward Billy. Billy boldly stood his ground; Ian had to be stopped by someone.

“What did you call me?” he returned, trying not to let Ian’s taunts get to his head. He had to keep it on his shoulders, otherwise someone else would get hurt.

“You heard me!” Ian continued, knowing that his words were getting through. “You’re just a big, fat retard, just like you always were.”

“I AM NOT A RETARD!” Billy roared and pushed Ian hard, causing him to stumble face-first into the street. He rolled over onto his side, slightly dazed. Billy approached him again and bent over his bulky body as it lay on the asphalt. “Don’t ever call me a retard!” he hissed. “I may not be as smart as you, but I’m not retarded.” Billy felt like kicking Ian; he felt like beating him up himself – he knew Ian had never really liked him. He knew he always saw him as just a dumb fat kid. But Billy wasn’t a dumb fat kid anymore. He was someone who had a future, even if he didn’t know what it was yet.

“Wait…” Ian whimpered, his face covered in fear. Billy had never felt so angry in all his life. It was as if something inside of him had abruptly snapped. He puffed out his massive chest to its full size, his wide lats pushing his beefy arms even farther away from his body.

“I’m not waiting any longer,” he growled and swung his leg back to kick Ian in the ribs.

“BILLY! LOOK OUT!” Nick shouted from the sidewalk. On instinct, Billy looked up to see the headlights of an oncoming car that showed no signs of slowing down. He stood there for a split second like a deer, unsure of what to do. His mind told him to run, but he saw Ian’s weakened body out the corner of his eye. The car was going to run Ian over! It was going to kill him! Billy’s body took over and he did the only thing that felt natural to him…he planted his feet firmly on the ground facing the car like he was about to face an offensive line – just like the way Tyler Backton had taught him all those months ago.

“BILLY!” Nick screamed again, but the revving motor drowned his friend’s voice out. Suddenly, an ear-piercing screech sounded as the driver slammed on the brakes, but it was done too late. Billy shut his eyes as he felt the metal of the front bumper make contact with his hands…

Nick hobbled into the street just as he saw the car coming straight toward Billy. What the fuck was he doing? He just stood there, his hulking body hunched over in a football stance, as if he was about to tackle the car.

“BILLY!” Nick yelled, paralyzed. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t watch his own friend get killed, but he couldn’t move. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the sound of his body getting run over. He heard a bump and then a crunching noise…

“AAAAAAAAAARRGH!” Billy roared, his voice echoing off the wall. What the… Nick opened his eyes again and his mouth dropped open. No way! Billy was still standing there, pushing against the car’s front bumper with all his might. The car tried gunning it, the wheels spinning, smoke billowing into the air, but it wasn’t budging. He was actually keeping the car from moving! “AAAAAAAAAAH!” he screamed, his massive arms shaking, every muscle in his body quivering. Sweat, glistening in the beams of the headlights, poured from every crevice. His face was beat red and grimaced in determination. It was immediately apparent that he wasn’t about to lose this fight easily.

“Oh, my God!” Ian gasped from the ground, his eyes wider than Nick had ever seen them. He, too, had never witnessed such a display of strength. Finally, the car gave up and the engine was turned off. Billy collapsed onto the hood and fell back onto the street as the vehicle lurched backward slightly. Nick rushed over to him, cradling his giant shoulders in his arms, his muscles spasming from over-exertion. Billy was still awake, but looked exhausted.

“Billy!” Brandon rushed over – he had finally come to. “Shit, is he ok?”

“I don’t know,” Nick answered, slapping Billy on the cheek. He sputtered, spit flying out of his mouth.

“Is Ian…Is Ian alright?” he asked weakly. Nick blinked. Why was he asking about Ian? He looked over at the other boy who was still frozen in shock at what he had just seen. Suddenly, the driver’s side car door opened and Kim tumbled out, scuffing her knees against the pavement. It almost looked as if she was drunk and could barely control her own body.

“You fuck!” she screamed, getting back to her feet and stumbling over to Ian. “You ruined my life, you fuck!” She began hitting him wherever she could just as he snapped out of it. He automatically brought his arms up to shield himself, her hands glancing uselessly off his thick forearms.

“What the…” Brandon exclaimed, standing up and running over to her, pulling her away from the bewildered Ian. “Kim, calm down,” he said.

“Get off of me,” she continued, her arms flailing wildly. “Go away!” She fought to free herself from the embrace of Brandon’s strong limbs, but she had no chance of escaping. Finally, the door to the weight room opened and Coach Webber, the track coach came outside.

“What the hell is going on out here?” he rumbled, his tall, limber form needing only a few strides to make it into the street. That’s when it occurred to Nick what was going on. Kim had tried to kill Ian – or at least run him over with her car – but Billy had gotten in her way…and left a sizable dent on her front bumper in the process.

“Get the fuck away from me!” she yelped, still struggling in Brandon’s arms. She was hysterical, her eyes puffy from tears. Coach Webber took one look at her, then at Ian, then at Billy lying in front of Kim’s damaged Porsche and began to put it together.

“Nick, go get the nurse,” he ordered. “Brandon, bring her to me!” Brandon began dragging Kim, who by this time was beginning to reduce her movements, toward Webber. “Ian!” the coach continued, but Ian was gone. He had bolted. Webber thought for a split second and turned back toward Brandon and Kim. She had now settled down to mere whimpers, at last giving up. “What is going on?” Webber repeated.

“It’s Ian,” she stammered. “He ruined my life!” Her eyes were wide with rage and her breathing was uneven.

“What are you talking about?” Webber asked calmly.

“He’s on steroids.” Kim cracked.

Ian ran at breakneck speed down the street. He had to get away from that scene as quickly as possible. Especially with Webber now there, it would only be a matter of time before his girlfriend blurted the truth about him…and then he’d be in trouble. Shit, he already was anyway. Kim had tried to kill him. And that was right when Billy was about to pummel the hell out of him himself. What the fuck was going on? Why was everyone turning on him all of a sudden?

Ian stopped and leaned against a tree. His half-naked body was drenched in sweat and his legs were pulsating with blood from running. There was only one reason for all of this…the steroids. Ever since he started taking that stuff, his life began spinning out of control. All he wanted to do was get a little bigger – just catch up with Nick and Billy – but that goal quickly became an obsession. Getting a little bigger became getting bigger than everyone else…but that still wasn’t enough. The roids had done their job, but he wanted more, always more. And pretty soon, it became all about the roids – he didn’t care about anything else but juicing. He just wanted the feeling of the drugs flowing through him.

Ian had become addicted. But how? Steroids weren’t supposed to be physically addictive.

“Hey, man,” a voice whispered. Ian jumped and frantically looked around him in the darkness. “You looking big.” Just then, Travis stepped into the light of a nearby streetlamp.

“What the fuck you doin’ here?” Ian hissed. Travis chuckled and shook his head, taking a drag on his cigarette, the orange light of his butt glowing ominously.

“What are you now?” he went on. “250? 255?”

“What did you put in those roids?” Ian blurted, stepping toward him. He had to have done something. Travis shrugged and leaned against the pole.

“A little something to keep you…interested,” he answered as if it had been some kind of harmless prank. Ian suddenly grabbed the boy by the front of his shirt and shoved him into the pole.

“You know I can break you in half without even trying,” he sneered. Travis just grinned and flicked his cigarette to the ground.

“No, you won’t,” he replied, unruffled. He cocked his head to one side, meeting Ian’s glare head on. “You need me.” Ian then realized the reason for his nonchalance and let go of him. “I’ll see you later,” Travis added, flippantly turning and walking away. Ian stood under the streetlight, his massive body casting a large, looming shadow on the fence behind him.

Ryan walked out of class and across the entrance plaza of the community college. Suddenly, he stopped short, spotting Ashley across the way walking by herself. He felt his stomach begin to churn and his blood pump. He was still deeply in love with her, but he knew that giant obstacle that was Brionna stood between them. But I love her, he thought to himself, the words of his brother echoing through his head – screw what Brionna says! Ryan took a deep breath and strode up behind his girlfriend, his eyes focused on her long, flowing brown hair.

“Ashley,” he called, fighting the frog in his throat. She instantly turned around and nearly looked away.

“I can’t talk to you,” she replied, her eyes already weakening.

“I need to,” Ryan persisted. He stepped toward her; she didn’t move. He could tell she wanted to be with him more than anything, but her sister had damaged her. “I don’t care what your sister says,” he continued. “I don’t give a fuck what she does.” Ashley raised her eyes up to Ryan’s and he immediately fell into them; they were so beautiful. His voice grew quieter, gentle. “Let her try to ruin us…”

“Oh, Ryan,” she sobbed, the corner of her lip quivering with emotion. She couldn’t stay away from him any more than he could stay away from her. Her eyes softened as she practically read his mind, knowing what was coming next.

“Ashley, will you marry me?”

Ryan fished into his pocket and pulled out the ring. He had sold his car to buy it – she was everything to him; nothing else mattered. Ashley began crying, tears streaming down her cheeks. She almost couldn’t respond as she stared at the ring.

“Yes,” she gasped and clutched his thick forearms, leaning in to kiss him. Ryan kissed her back and his body instantly felt warm. The two embraced, his muscular arms wrapped around her slender body. Just let Brionna try to tear us apart, he thought, just let her try.

Ian lay in bed, his huge body hunched up in the fetal position. He couldn’t control the shivering, every bit of him shook, but he was sweating profusely. He was in withdrawal; he needed the steroids – no, he needed whatever was in those steroids. He squeezed his eyes shut. No, he was going to stop shooting up. It was slowly killing him. Yet he felt like he was dieing right now. Why did he have to resort to drugs to get big? Why didn’t he just lift weights like Nick and Billy did? Ian knew why. It was because he really was nothing. No one cared about him – they all saw him as just a self-centered jock. Even his own parents were oblivious to what was going on – his mom just assumed his withdrawal symptoms were that of a fever and made him rest.

The package of steroids sat on his desk, staring at him. God, how he needed a fix right now! But I can’t give in, he told himself, I can’t. He wiped the sweat off his face with his clammy hands. How much longer would this happen? He knew it would eventually pass, but it kept getting worse by the minute. He heaved his body over, facing away from his desk…but then he saw the reflection of the drugs in the mirror on the opposite side of the room. Shit! It was irresistible; he needed it.

Hungrily, Ian whipped the covers off of him and stumbled over to the package. Then, with tears streaming down his face, he went through the motions that were all too habitual. As soon as the needle plunged into his side, he took in a deep breath. Almost immediately, the shivering began to subside and he slumped to the floor. What was he doing to himself? Why couldn’t he stop this? Ian Antoncelli was supposed to be invincible; nothing could stop him.

But I’m nothing now, he said to himself.

“You be a good boy, Joe,” Erin ordered melodramatically, “and do as Lola tells you to do.” She pushed Nick backward onto a bench as the orchestra began playing. They were onstage, the backdrop of a baseball locker room behind them; it was opening night of the school musical, Damn Yankees, and the auditorium was sold out.

Whatever Lola wants…Lola gets And little man, little Lola wants you Make up your mind to have…no regrets Recline yourself, resign yourself, you’re through*

Erin continued singing, breaking into a sultry striptease, planned by the Devil to seduce Nick’s Joe. Piece by piece, her costume came off, much to the cheers of the audience. God, she’s hot, Nick said to himself. He didn’t need to act in this scene. He fell to his knees, completely taken by his girlfriend’s incredible body.

I always get what I aim for And your heart and soul is what I came for. You’re no exception to the rule I’m irresistible you fool Give in…give in…give in*

“Nick, you were amazing!” Brandon gushed as he met up with his best friend outside the auditorium. “Where did you learn to sing like that?” Nick shrugged, clasping hands with him.

“I guess you liked the show,” he smiled. Brandon peered at him with his baby blue eyes and Nick instantly felt a chill. He looked down at his feet. Brandon blushed, realizing what had just happened.

“Hey, boys!” Erin suddenly came up to them and wrapped her arm around Nick’s broad shoulders.

“Hey, Erin,” Brandon greeted her. “You looked so hot on that stage. I don’t know how Nick could stand doing that Lola number with you everyday.”

“Oh, he’s a pro, trust me,” she replied, seductively gazing at her boyfriend. Nick bit his lip. He knew what was going to happen back at home…another all-night sex marathon.

“I’ll see you later, Brandon,” he patted his buddy on the shoulder and – his arms still around Erin – walked out to her car.

They couldn’t help but keep looking at each other on the ride home. If she wasn’t driving, he was sure he’d jump her right then and there. As soon as they stopped at a red light, Nick reached over and planted a kiss smack on her lips, using just the right amount of tongue he knew she liked. Erin moaned, placing her hand behind his head, urging him to keep going. He was just about to put his hand up her shirt when the car behind them honked. The two quickly pulled apart.

“Oops, the light’s green,” she giggled.

“Sorry,” Nick muttered. Suddenly, Erin slammed on her brakes as another car ran the red light and sped across the intersection, nearly blind-siding them.

“Shit,” Erin yelled. “What a jerk!”

“Wait a second,” Nick exclaimed, looking twice at the vehicle. “Isn’t that Ian’s car?” Erin squinted to look for herself.

“Holy crap, it is!” she agreed. “Where is he going?” Nick looked over at his girlfriend and knew he was thinking the exact same thing she was. She turned the wheel and began to tail Ian, Erin’s Jetta easily weaving through traffic on the Fairfax County Parkway after the GTO. Nick’s heart was racing as they exited onto Ox Road. “I think he’s headed for the Occoquan,” Erin noted. Why? What was he doing? As Ian approached the bridge, he began to slow down and eventually pulled onto the shoulder at the crest.

“Oh, shit,” Nick breathed under his breath. He isn’t going to do what I think he’s going to do, he said to himself. “Erin, pull over!” he said. His adrenaline was really pumping now. She obeyed him and the two watched as Ian climbed out of his car and began trudging toward the railing. “Fuck!” Nick shouted and his instincts took over. He threw open the car door and got out, racing toward Ian as the boy swung a leg over the side.

“IAN!” Nick screamed, but Ian wasn’t listening. His entire body on the opposite side of the barrier now, he hesitated for a moment, staring blankly out at the river far below. Nick began running faster, his sides aching from the effort. This cannot be happening, he thought.

Then, Ian jumped… •