The Vitamin Padel Bull Protocol

The vitamin D gel caps sat in my palm like tiny golden promises. Mom swore they'd help me "bulk up" for basketball, but let's be real — I was five-foot-nothing and built like a pool noodle.

"You coming, bro?" Tyler yelled from his Honda Civic.

Padel. Of course he'd want to play padel today. The sport all the popular kids were obsessing over, with its fancy courts and expensive racquets. Tyler had invited me along, which meant either he was finally accepting me into his crew or he needed a fourth player and was desperate.

"Yeah!" I called back, palming the vitamins. "Just grabbing my stuff!"

I swallowed three vitamins instead of one. What could it hurt? Maybe I'd suddenly develop muscles. Maybe I'd stop being the kid who once got hit in the face with a dodgeball and cried in front of everyone.

The padel court was blistering hot, surrounded by expensive houses I'd never live in. Tyler was there with Sarah and this guy whose name was actually Bull — like, his parents had named him Bull, and he was built exactly how you'd expect. Perfect.

"This my man Leo!" Tyler announced. "He's been practicing!"

I had watched exactly two YouTube tutorials.

Bull smirked. "Cool. Let's see what you got, vitamin boy."

Wait, did he know? Was I glowing? Was that a thing?

The game was a disaster. I tripped. I swung at air. The ball hit me in the knee. Meanwhile, Bull and Sarah were practically flying across the court, high-fiving, shouting "¡Vamos!" like they'd been training for the Olympics since birth.

"You okay?" Sarah asked between points, genuinely concerned.

"Yeah," I gasped, sweating through my shirt. "Just... taking it in."

My stomach lurched. Three vitamins on an empty stomach had been a terrible idea.

I bolted for the bathroom, but Bull intercepted me with a high-five that nearly knocked me over. "You're actually not bad for a rookie! That one serve? Nasty!"

Wait, he was serious?

"I took these vitamins," I blurted. "For energy."

Bull stared at me, then burst out laughing. "Bro, you know those take like three weeks to work, right?"

Sarah rolled her eyes, smiling. "Idiots. Both of you."

We played another set. I still sucked, but Tyler kept inviting me back. Eventually I learned that the only vitamin that actually helped me show up was the one I couldn't buy — the confidence to be terrible at something anyway.