There was this guy in my friend group, let's call him Bob. He was the "fat friend," which basically meant he was everyone’s punching bag. No matter what he said or did, the jokes never stopped. It was like they kept him around just to have someone to shit on. I never joined in, but I also never stepped in to stop it.

One night, we were all hanging out in a parking lot after getting food, just talking, when the usual insults started. They went on and on, laughing at him like he wasn’t even there. Something in me just snapped. I told Bob to come with me, pulled him around the back of the building where no one could see, and dropped to my knees.

At first, he was completely caught off guard, but once he realized I was serious, he wasn’t exactly complaining. I made sure it was good. Took my time. Let him actually feel wanted for once. When it was over, he just stood there, breathing heavy, looking at me like he didn’t know whether to thank me or cry. And then he did cry. Told me how he’d been rejected over and over, how he felt like no one would ever see him as anything other than a joke.

I hugged him and told him those assholes didn’t matter. That night didn’t end there, we went back to my place for round two, and honestly? He wasn’t bad at all. Maybe that night flipped a switch in him, because not long after, he started hitting the gym, eating right, and now the dude is straight-up shredded. Crazy how fast people change when they finally believe they’re worth something.