The Vitamin Pact

I felt like a total spy, crouched behind the oak tree, watching them. The Fox Squad — that's what Maya called her friend group. Five girls with matching friendship bracelets and that effortless vibe I couldn't quite crack, no matter how hard I tried.

Then there was me, hiding like I was conducting some covert operation instead of just failing at social interaction.

"You gonna stand there all day or come say hi?"

I jumped. Charlie leaned against his fence, holding the leash to Barnaby — his golden retriever, possibly the friendliest dog on planet Earth. Barnaby wagged his tail like he'd just won the lottery.

"I'm not... I was just..." I stammered.

"Spying?" Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Same, honestly. Maya's been acting weird since they started that stupid challenge."

"What challenge?"

He pulled a vitamin bottle from his pocket. "The Gummy Vitamin Pact. They're all taking these weird teen vitamins that are supposed to make you 'glow up.' Maya spent twenty bucks on them."

I stared at him. "Seriously?"

"Dead serious." He tossed me the bottle. The label promised radiant skin, energy, and confidence. Pure capitalism preying on teenage insecurity, basically. "She asked me to hold these during swimming practice yesterday. Forgot them at my house."

The Fox Squad was gathering at the lake — their usual Thursday afternoon swimming meetup. I'd watched them from this exact spot for weeks, wondering what it would feel like to just walk over and say hey.

"You should return them," Charlie said, like it was obvious.

"I can't just—"

"Barnaby, go!" Charlie unclipped the leash.

The dog bolted toward the lake, directly toward Maya and her friends. We both took off after him, sprinting through the grass, me clutching the stupid vitamin bottle like it was a bomb.

"Barnaby! No!" I yelled, but he was already there, splashing into the water where Maya was treading water. She laughed as the dog swam circles around her.

"Is this your dog?" she called out to Charlie, who was already knee-deep in the water, grabbing the leash.

"Sorry! He's escaped again!"

I stood there on the shore, vitamin bottle in hand, water soaking my sneakers, heart pounding. Maya looked at me, then at the bottle, and her eyes widened.

"Is that—"

"Your vitamins," I said, my voice cracking. "Charlie found them."

She grinned. "You saved my glow-up journey."

And then, somehow, I was sitting with them on the dock, towels wrapped around shoulders, watching the sun set over the water. No more spying. Just me, Charlie, Barnaby shaking water droplets everywhere, and the Fox Squad — who turned out to be just five regular girls who fell for a vitamin scam.

"So," Maya said, tossing a gummy vitamin my way. "Wanna join the pact? It's probably BS, but we make it look good."

I caught it mid-air. "Definitely not," I said, and they laughed like I'd just said the coolest thing in the world.

Barnaby barked, and for the first time, I didn't feel like I was watching from the sidelines. I was in the picture. And honestly? That was better than any vitamin promise.