The Vitamin Cowboy

Marcus practically inhaled his daily vitamin gummy—his mom's latest obsession from her wellness TikTok phase—before grabbing his running shoes. Three miles. That was the deal he made with himself: run until his lungs burned or until he figured out how to survive tomorrow's cross country tryouts without embarrassing himself completely.

"You got this, Marc," he whispered, stretching outside his house. But did he? The new kid Jamal had already clocked a faster mile in gym class, and Marcus's best friend Chloe kept telling him to just "vibe and run." What did that even mean?

His phone buzzed. An invite to the town fair's rodeo event. The annual Bull Run—a sketchy tradition where people literally ran with bulls, for fun, apparently. Marcus had never gone. Too dangerous, too chaotic, too everything.

But then he thought about tomorrow. About Jamal's smug grin. About how his legs felt like lead during every practice. About how he'd been **running** from everything lately—hard workouts, awkward conversations, the fact that Chloe maybe wasn't just his friend anymore.

His mom appeared in the doorway. "Don't forget your **vitamin** pack!"

"Got it, Mom."

She held up another bottle. "Also, take these. They're for energy."

Marcus stared at the pills. Then at his running shoes. Then at the phone still buzzing with notifications from the group chat, everyone discussing who was brave enough for the Bull Run.

"You know what?" Marcus said. "I think I'll pass on the vitamins."

He grabbed his phone and typed: I'm in.

The next morning, Marcus stood in the fairgrounds, heart pounding like a drum solo. A real **bull** snorted nearby, massive and terrifying. People screamed as the gate opened. And Marcus didn't run away. He ran toward it.

Toward the chaos. Toward the fear. Toward whatever waited at the finish line.

His legs burned. His lungs screamed. But for the first time in forever, Marcus felt completely alive. He wasn't running away anymore. He was running straight into everything he'd been avoiding.

And yeah, he maybe tripped over his own feet and face-planted into the dirt while everyone cheered. But as Jamal helped him up, laughing, Marcus realized something: sometimes the most embarrassing moments were exactly what you needed to finally stop running and start living.