Page 75 of The Anaconda Downstairs

The room fell silent as they considered this, and we gave them that space to think. Declan was the first to speak up, his eyes glued to Kels as he did. “Being the biggest guy around, I've had my fair share of body shaming thrown my way too, and I'm a professional goddamned athlete. I think that's part of what pisses me off about this whole thing so fucking bad.”

Everett nodded slowly, a smile spreading across his face. “I did already tell you about throwing up at my KnightWear photoshoot. I could tell that story. But I should probably check with them first. They've treated me well, and I don't want to tarnish that relationship.”

Chris frowned. “You never told me that.”

“Exactly,” Everett said. “Because we're always trying to project this image of perfect confidence. But what if we showed that it's okay not to be confident all the time? That what matters is how you push through it?”

“Isn't that giving Odin and the haters more ammo?” Chris shook his head and pulled Trixie closer. He didn't want to see her get hurt.

I got that, but this was a promising idea.

“No,” I said firmly. “It's showing strength, it's normalizing. It's saying, 'Yeah, we have insecurities too, but we don't let them define us.' It's exactly what we've been encouraging our followers to do.”

“I know you hate showing your vulnerabilities to anyone but me, sweetheart,” Trixie ran a hand through Chris's hair, “but look around the room. Do you think any less of anyone here for being vulnerable?”

He stared down at Trixie, his eyes flicking back and forth between hers for a few breaths. Then he gave her a soft nod.

“No. Don't tell them,” he stage-whispered to her, “But I think they're all tougher and braver than I am.”

“I won't say a word.” Trixie smiled up at him with so much love, and I wondered if I looked at Everett that way.

“Okay, I'm in,” Chris looked around the room at us and said, “But how do we do this?”

The next hour flew by as we brainstormed ideas, drafted scripts, planned out a shooting schedule, and made calls to theiragents to make sure the companies that sponsored them were on board with their stories.

Watching the Kingman men throw themselves into the project with as much passion as they'd initially wanted to use to attack our critics, I was almost overwhelmed with the amount of unexpected support and joy.

This was more than just damage control now. This was a chance to create real change, to challenge the toxic standards that had hurt so many people—including our big tough men.

I caught Everett's eye across the room. He winked at me, a smile playing on his lips. His anger had transformed into determination, and I knew that together, we could turn this mess into something truly positive. Something bigger than Odin and the other fatphobic people out there, bigger than all of us.

INSTASNAP POST

@BoulderYuppyAndPuppy

[Pic of a woman and her dog sitting in a field with the Front Range Flatirons in the background]

Caption:

I've held onto this memory for years, but it's time to let it go. Back in high school, I was walking to my car in the parking lot my senior year and standing nearby was a group of boys. They were laughing, and one of them said, “Dude, she's got so many rolls, I can't tell which is her tits, and which is her big ole belly.”

They knew I could hear. They didn't care.

Those words lived rent free in my head for years. They shaped how I saw myself, how I dressed, how I moved through the world. I let those thoughtless boys define my worth.

But you know what? I'm done with that. Seeing women like @KelseyBest and @BestiesBestie share their journeys, their struggles, and their triumphs... it's awakened something in me.

I'm not saying I'm 100% confident now. I'm not saying I love every inch of my body every day. But I'm working on it. I'm learning to appreciate my body for what it can do, not just how it looks. I'm learning that my worth isn't determined by some random, stupid boys from high school.

This journey isn't easy, but it's worth it. And I'm not alone. We're all in this together.

#LearningToLoveMyself #BodyPositivity #SelfLoveJourney

VULNERABILITY IS WHAT MAKES YOU BRAVE

EVERETT

Ipaced the length of my kitchen, phone pressed to my ear, listening to the rings. My mind was still upstairs in bed with Pen. I'd rather spend the day with her under me, over me, with her thighs wrapped around my head. But I had practice and needed to make this call to my agent before I headed out. On the fourth ring, Maguire's booming voice filled the line.

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