The Vitamin Bull

Marcus stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at the bottle of protein powder his brother had left behind. "Big T's Muscle Mass" it promised, like swallowing some magic powder would suddenly transform him from string-bean freshman to varsity linebacker. He'd been choking down the stuff for weeks, mixing it with orange juice because he didn't know how else to make it taste less like chalk.

"You're not actually drinking that garbage, are you?" Maya stood in the doorway, her judging face in full effect.

"It's got vitamins and stuff," Marcus mumbled, even though he knew she was right. He knew it was total bull, but he also knew what happened in gym class last week when he couldn't bench press the bar. The laughs. The "bro, you okay?" comments that weren't really questions.

Maya rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful. "You know that stuff's basically expensive sand, right?"

Marcus hated that she could see right through him. That was the thing about having a sister two years ahead – she'd already survived everything he was going through, and she treated his struggles like reruns of a show she'd already watched.

The real problem wasn't the powder, though. It was Tyler, the junior who'd somehow decided Marcus was his personal project. "Bro, you gotta bulk up," Tyler'd told him last week, all helpful and intimidating at the same time. "I'll hook you up with my guy."

"Your guy?" Marcus had asked, and Tyler had winked like it was some big secret.

That's when the paranoia started. Because suddenly Tyler was everywhere. At lunch. In the hallway. Standing weirdly close to Marcus's locker while texting aggressively. Was he spying on him? Was Marcus being tested? Was this some kind of weird frat pledge thing he didn't understand?

"You're overthinking it," Maya said when he finally confessed his suspicions. "But just in case, maybe stop doing that thing where you look over your shoulder every five seconds. It's suspicious as hell."

The confrontation happened on Thursday. Tyler caught Marcus behind the gym, where he'd been hiding out to avoid lunch. Marcus's heart was pounding – this was it, whatever it was.

"Hey," Tyler said, and then stood there.

"Hey," Marcus said back.

They looked at each other. Tyler's phone buzzed.

"So," Tyler said. "You gonna tell her?"

"Tell who what?" Marcus's brain was racing.

"Maya, dumbass. She thinks you're avoiding her because I'm supposedly 'spying' on you for whatever hazing ritual you think exists." Tyler actually used air quotes. "She asked me to find out what's up with you."

Marcus processed this. "Wait, you're spying on me for my sister?"

"I'm doing a favor for a friend who's worried about her little brother." Tyler looked at him. "Also, that protein powder is garbage. Come to the gym with me Saturday. I'll show you how to actually work out."

Marcus stood there, the vitamin pills in his pocket suddenly feeling ridiculous. "You're not... gonna make me do anything weird?"

"Bro, what?" Tyler looked genuinely confused. "No. I'm just gonna help you not hurt yourself. Also Maya threatened to "end me" if I made this weird."

Later, Marcus threw away the protein powder. Maya pretended she wasn't relieved. Tyler actually showed up Saturday, and yeah, Marcus could barely bench the bar, but Tyler didn't laugh. Just said " everyone starts somewhere," and spotted him like it was nothing.

Sometimes the bull you're scared of is just your own brain making things weird. And sometimes the spy in your life is just your overprotective sister being herself. The vitamins? Those he kept. Maya could be right about everything else, but she wasn't his doctor.