Fox Wisdom

I had to bear it — another weekend stuck in the woods while my friends were at Maya's party posting stories that I would definitely see later and feel weird about it. My mom's new thing was 'nature therapy' which apparently meant dragging me to Lake Tahoe twice a month.

'You need this, Harper,' she'd said, handing me a neon orange vitamin D gummy that tasted like artificial strawberry depression. 'Fresh air, no phone, quality time.'

I'd rolled my eyes so hard I saw my own brain. But whatever. I was here, sitting on a log, watching my mom attempt to set up a tent that looked like it might actually require an engineering degree.

That's when I saw it — a fox, just chilling at the edge of our campsite like it owned the place. Bright orange fur, ears perked up, literally zero fear. It stared at me with this look that said, 'You think you're having a rough day? Try finding breakfast in the wild, princess.'

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I'd managed to sneak it in, obviously. It was Jenna — my supposed best friend who'd been acting distant since she made varsity cheer.

'hey r u coming to mayas's tonight?'

I stared at the message, then at the fox. The fox tilted its head, almost like it was waiting for my answer.

'can't,' I typed back. 'stuck in nature therapy.'

'lol that sucks. anyway ethan asked about u ;)'

Ethan. The same Ethan who'd ghosted me after homecoming when he realized Jenna was 'cooler.' The same Ethan I'd spent three months crushing on like an absolute idiot.

The fox made a chattering sound and trotted closer, sniffing at a granola bar wrapper near my foot. It was so casual, so unbothered. Like it knew something I didn't.

It hit me then — how ridiculous I'd been, stressing over people who treated me like an option. The fox was just living its best life, finding food where it could, not worrying about who thought it was cool enough.

I deleted Jenna's message without responding.

'Mom,' I called out, 'need help with that tent?'

She looked surprised. Then grateful. 'Actually, yes, I have no idea what I'm doing.'

We laughed together as we figured it out. The fox watched us, then slipped away into the trees.

That night, I actually took the vitamin gummy without complaining. Some things really are good for you — even if they don't taste great at first.