The Vitamin K Incident

Maya's mom stood in the doorway holding the orange bottle like it was evidence in a crime investigation. "You haven't been taking your vitamins."

"I'm literally fifteen, Mom. I can survive without Vitamin K supplements for one week." Maya didn't mention that she'd been too busy stalking Leo's Spotify profile to care about nutritional deficiencies.

The real spying happened later that night. Maya created a fake Instagram account—@art.gallery.fan2024—totally normal behavior—to follow Leo. She'd been doing recon for three weeks, learning that he liked indie bands, vintage tees, and apparently, had posted exactly four photos of his stupidly perfect dreamy jawline.

Her phone buzzed. Leo posted a new story. Maya's thumb hovered, heart doing that weird flutter thing. She watched as he panned the camera around his room—posters, guitar, and then—

Wait.

She paused the video. There, tangled on his floor, was the exact same random rainbow cable her dad had bought at RadioShack before they closed. The one Maya had been looking for since February because it supposedly charged her old iPod faster.

Why did Leo have her cable?

Maya's brain spiraled. Maybe they were meant to be. Connected by technology and missing electronics. This was obviously fate's way of saying she should finally DM him.

"Hey, saw your story. That rainbow cable—any chance you found it at a thrift store?" She typed and deleted five variations before settling on something casual-ish.

He replied in exactly three minutes. "Lol yeah! Got it at this vintage shop downtown. Why?"

Maya stared at her screen. The cable wasn't hers. The universe wasn't sending cosmic signals. Leo was just a guy who bought cool old cables because that's what cool indie guys did.

Her phone buzzed again. "Do you collect old tech? That's kind of sick actually."

Maya grinned. Maybe she'd start now. "My dad has this massive collection in the garage. I could show you sometime?"

"Sounds epic."

From downstairs, her mom's voice floated up. "Maya! Vitamin time!"

She swallowed them dry that night. Some vitamins came in pill form. Others came as unexpected messages from cute boys who liked vintage electronics. Maya was learning to appreciate both.