Coming back to my senses, I fired off a reply to Tina:

"150 is definitely on the hefty side, time to trim down."

Minutes later, Tina shot me a diet plan she'd mapped out.

Oatmeal and skim milk for breakfast, a light salad for lunch, and greens for dinner.

Plus, a daily hour of treadmill time at the gym.

"Jess, keep me honest, will you? When I'm skinny, we're gonna snap so many killer pics together."

I cracked a smile. She was still in the "healthy dieting" zone.

But that wouldn't cut it.

I paused, then hit her with, "But summer's right around the corner. At this pace, you won't be beach-body ready till fall."

That got her spooked, "What do I do now, Jess? You're all skin and bones, throw me a bone here!"

I stoked the flames, "Keto's all the rage. People are dropping like 20 pounds a month!"

Tina was all ears.

She kept me posted on her crash diet progress in the following days.

She slimmed down fast following that unhealthy diet, hitting her target weight in no time.

Now she strutted around, all confident, roping me into endless shopping sprees and photo ops.

I noticed she was skinnier but the bags under her eyes and her caked-on makeup couldn't hide her gauntness.

I suggested hitting up a steakhouse, but Tina was like, "No way, still trimming. How about that new vegan joint instead?"

I gave her a quizzical look, "You're already at 120, why push it?"

She pulled me close, showing off a photo on her phone of her gym crush.

"Check out this stud—hot, right?"

I nodded, playing along.

She sighed, eyeing her belly flab, "I saw him eyeing those rail-thin models on Insta, I've got miles to go."

In the last life, Tina had the hots for the same gym rat, Jake Rivers.

Back then, I was her gym buddy, training every day together.

Jake had a habit of "helping" with my form, hands wandering too close for comfort.

I warned him, "Hands off, or I'm reporting you."

Jake just scoffed, "Got proof? It's all part of the job."

Even when I vented to Tina, she sided with Jake. "He's just being a trainer, Jess. They see trainees, not genders. You're reading too much into it."

I caught a glimpse of jealousy in her eyes but brushed it off.

No matter how Tina fawned over him, Jake wouldn't spare her a second glance.

He thought she was too chunky.

From then on, Tina's dieting went off the rails, and her health nosedived.

Until she passed out in the subway.

This time, I just chuckled and egged her on, "Really? Then you better get even skinnier, huh?"

Tina went all in, chasing love like her life depended on it.

Days rolled by, and I watched her face sink in, looking like a walking skeleton.

Her collarbones jutted out so much, they looked ready to poke through her skin.

Watching her, I figured it wouldn't be long before her body just gave out.

But she didn't have a clue, totally wrapped up in her "diet victory."

Sure enough, one morning, Tina dragged me to the gym for an early run, without even grabbing breakfast.

After our run, while we were waiting for the subway, I noticed her sway.

I turned to look at her, eyes half-closed, cold sweat soaking through her gym clothes.

I'd seen this scene play out before.

Like clockwork, I reached out to steady her. "Tina, you alright? Feeling lightheaded?"

Tina weakly nodded, too out of it to even talk.

"How about a cookie? Or maybe some Coke?"

Her body, desperate for food, had her practically drooling, and I saw her throat move as she swallowed.

She looked longingly at the snacks in my hand.

I picked up on her cue and played along: "The cookie's 3,000 calories, and the Coke's 4,000."

Hearing that, Tina shook her head like she'd lost hope, closed her eyes, and passed out cold.

The subway staff asked if I needed help, but I waved them off.

No way was I letting anyone get chewed out by my bestie.

About ten minutes later, Tina came to, smiling weakly. "Low blood sugar? No biggie, just needed a quick nap. Glad I stuck to my guns and didn't eat."

Poor thing, you didn't nap—you blacked out.

But of course, I wasn't about to tell her that.

Tina's hardcore efforts finally paid off.

At the gym, everyone was sweating to build muscle.

Tina? She couldn't even lift the lightest dumbbells, and her yoga pants were hanging off her like they were two sizes too big.

She admired her skinny figure in the mirror, twisting this way and that, obviously pleased with herself.

Her little show caught the eye of Jake, the trainer.

Jake, with a smarmy grin that didn't match his good looks, strutted over and invited Tina to sign up for his courses.

Tina giggled, all shy, and said yes in a heartbeat.

The two of them were flirting up a storm at the gym, drawing stares from everyone around.

On the way home, she couldn't wait to brag, "Jess, remember how guys used to always hit on you? Well, guess who Jake asked out today?"

I rolled my eyes internally. Of course, it was because every time he tried something, I'd shut him down with a glare.

But on the outside, I played nice, "Well, Tina, now that you've slimmed down, you're the real stunner. I'm no match."

Tina giggled, all pleased with herself, but still tried to be modest, "Oh, stop it! You're gorgeous too. Don't worry, once Jake and I are a thing, I'll hook you up with his buddies."

I watched her with a knowing smile.

Karma's a dish best served cold, and I couldn't wait for her to get a taste.

Tina and Jake became official in no time, practically glued at the hip.

She flooded her social media with lovey-dovey posts:

"Love you to the moon and back—let's eat our way through the city!"

The pics were all about them hitting up trendy food spots.

Fried chicken, beer, Thai hot pot— all the high-calorie stuff she used to avoid like the plague.

Yeah, this was bound to blow up in her face...

Sure enough, after a month of radio silence, Tina finally reached out: