The Vitamin Gummy Conspiracy

I was deep in zombie mode—brain fog from studying until 3AM for AP Chem—when my phone buzzed.

'U up?'

Jordan. Of course. The one person who could text at dawn and somehow make it feel illegal to ignore. I rolled over, my golden retriever Barnaby flopping dramatically against my legs like a fuzzy betrayal.

'Why r u like this,' I typed back, but I was already sliding out of bed.

Jordan's plan: meet at the park before school. Why? To spy on Tyler across the street, who'd been acting sus all week according to Jordan's extremely reliable sources (aka their TikTok FYP).

'Maybe he's dealing,' Jordan whispered, huddled behind the swing set like we were in a low-budget thriller.

'Or maybe he's just walking his dog,' I said, though the plastic baggie in Tyler's hand did look... specific.

We needed to get closer. Naturally, Jordan suggested we adopt cover as a very normal teenage couple doing very normal teenage things. Which is how I ended up fake-dating my actual crush while trailing someone who definitely wasn't a drug dealer.

Then came the plot twist: Tyler caught us. He didn't call us out though. He just handed me a weird gummy.

'Vitamin C blend,' he said. 'My mom makes them. I've been delivering to neighbors cause she over-ordered. Want some?'

The alleged drug deal was a MLM vitamin side hustle. The mysterious morning walks were community service.

Jordan's face went through five stages of crisis in three seconds.

'We weren't—'

'Spying?' I finished. 'Cause that would be super weird.'

Tyler just shrugged, already turning away. 'Whatever helps you sleep at night.'

Barnaby chose that exact moment to escape his leash and barrel toward us, knocking over the vitamin samples like a chaotic bowling ball. As I scrambled to gather gummies while my dog aggressively accepted Tyler's pets, I caught Jordan watching me with this tiny smile.

'Nice cover,' they said quietly.

My face burned.

Later, walking to school, Jordan handed me a gummy. 'For your zombie brain.'

Our shoulders brushed. It wasn't fake anymore. That was the scariest part.