The Vitamin Conspiracy

Maya stared at the orange bottle on her sister's desk—gummy vitamins shaped like goldfish. Another thing Layla was perfect at: taking care of herself while Maya survived on vending machine chips and anxiety.

"What are you doing?" Maya spun around to find Jake leaning against her doorframe, looking unfairly good in his basketball jersey.

"Nothing!" She shoved the bottle into her pocket. "Just... spying on Layla. She's been acting weird."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "Weird like 'secret boyfriend' weird or 'joining a cult' weird?"

"Weird like 'sneaking out at 2 AM' weird." Maya pulled him into the hallway. "I followed her yesterday. She went to the old community center. The abandoned one."

"So?" Jake fell into step beside her as they headed downstairs. "Maybe she's meeting someone."

"Or maybe she's in TROUBLE." Maya's whisper-shout echoed. "What if she's mixed up with something bad? What if—"

"What if you're being dramatic?" But Jake was already grabbing his jacket.

They followed Layla that night, Maya's heart pounding like she'd drunk three espresso shots. The community center loomed ahead, windows dark, except for a faint light in the basement.

"See?" Maya hissed. "Suspicious."

"Or normal teenager stuff."

"What normal teenager stuff happens in a BASEMENT?"

Jake didn't answer. He was already prying open a window.

They dropped inside, Maya's stomach doing that flippy thing it always did around Jake. The basement smelled like old paper and something sweet. Maya crept toward the light, Jake behind her.

"What the..." Maya's voice caught in her throat.

Layla stood there, surrounded by boxes of vitamin supplements. But not just any vitamins—homemade ones, carefully packaged in goldfish-shaped molds. A binder lay open on the table, filled with photos of kids from school, notes about who needed what, who couldn't afford proper nutrition.

"You've got to be kidding me," Maya whispered.

Layla jumped. "Maya? Jake? What are you—wait, did you FOLLOW me?"

"We THOUGHT you were in trouble!" Maya stepped forward. "We thought you were... I don't know, doing something illegal!"

"I'm HELPING people, you nosy little—" Layla stopped herself. "Some kids at school can't afford vitamins or healthy food. I found this old recipe online, and I've been making them in home ec. The community center let me use the kitchen."

"You're like... a vitamin dealer?" Jake cracked up.

"I'm NOT a dealer, I'm just—"

"Spying on your own sister," Jake finished, shaking his head. "Classic Maya behavior."

Maya's face burned. "I was WORRIED about you."

Layla's expression softened. "I know. That's... actually kind of sweet. In a creepy, stalker way." She held out a goldfish vitamin. "Want one? They taste like citrus."

Maya took it. "Does this mean I'm part of your operation now?"

"Only if you promise to stop spying on me."

Jake laughed. "No promises. This is way more interesting than studying for chem."

Maya bit into the goldfish, tasted orange and something like pride. Layla wasn't perfect—she was just secretly kind of amazing. And Maya? She was just the sister who'd accidentally stumbled into something good.

"So," Jake said, already planning. "How do we scale this operation?"

Maya grinned. For once, she and Layla were on the same team. And Jake was looking at her like she'd hung the moon.

Tonight was weird. But maybe weird was exactly what she needed.