Deadly Weight Loss

My bestie swears by that "skinny is the new black" beauty vibe.

To shed those pounds, she's all-in on the keto craze, down to one meal a day.

One day, she hit the deck at the subway station, with low blood sugar. I hooked her up with a stick of sugarcane to tide her over.

That night, after discovering she'd gained a fraction of a pound, she freaked out and blamed it all on that 1600-cal sugarcane.

To get even, she sneaked a load of hormone pills into my birthday cake, aiming to puff me up.

But the plan backfired—overdosed on hormones, I ended up kicking the bucket in the ICU.

When I came to, I was back on the day she kicked off her diet.

1

My phone buzzed me awake—a text from my bestie, Tina Scott.

"Jess, can you believe this? I hit 150!"

I was glued to the screen, in shock.

Just before, I was in the ICU, hooked up to oxygen.

I was all puffed up, itching like crazy from these massive rashes.

The doctor told me it was a nasty reaction to hormone meds.

But I hadn't popped any pills recently!

Tina tried to see me, but got barred at the ICU doors.

After they pumped the last of the antihistamines into me, I caught her eye through the glass, begging her to fetch the doctor.

But she just gave me this weird smirk as she glanced at the IV bag.

I figured out what she mouthed, my eyes bulging with fear.

She was like, "Die already."

That's when it clicked—all her doing!

That birthday cake was messed up!

Freaked out, my breathing got ragged, and the swelling in my throat felt like choking on a golf ball.

I suffocated and died with my eyes wide open.

Now, seeing Tina's text, that wicked grin of hers haunted me again.

I gasped for air, thankful the block in my throat was gone.

It hit me—I'd gotten a second shot.

I got back to the day Tina decided to diet.