The Vitamin Pyramid Scheme

Marcus stood behind the register at GNC, surrounded by tubs of protein powder and collagen peptides, wondering how his life had become this particular shade of beige. His summer job at the vitamin store was supposed to fund his baseball camp registration, but so far he'd only funded his growing existential dread.

"Yo, you trying that new bear-shaped gummy vitamin?" his best mate Dre asked, sliding across the counter like he owned the place. "Supposedly they're lit for, like, immune system stuff."

Marcus's mom had gone through a papaya phase last year — three months of breakfast smoothies with the weird, orange-flecked fruit she claimed would "activate his potential." She meant well, but Marcus mostly just felt like a failed chemistry experiment. The papaya phase coincided with his benching from the starting lineup, so now the smell alone sent him into an emotional spiral.

"My cousin got mixed up in that pyramid scheme selling vitamins," Dre continued, completely oblivious to Marcus's internal crisis. "You know, those 'wellness entrepreneurs' who blow up your phone with 'hun, you could be earning six figures' energy?"

Marcus laughed. Last month, when he'd benched that crucial game against North High, his dad had given him this whole talk about success being like a pyramid — you gotta earn your foundation before you reach the top. But mostly Marcus just felt like the rocks that got crushed at the bottom.

His phone buzzed. Coach wanted him at practice early. Probably for another pep talk about how baseball wasn't just about the game, it was about character. Whatever that meant when you're sixteen and your entire identity had been one thing until suddenly it wasn't.

"Nah, I'm good," Marcus told Dre, grabbing his backpack. "But hey, tell your cousin if he needs more victims, I know plenty of people desperate enough to fall for anything that promises quick results."

He clocked out, leaving the vitamin-scented air behind. Outside, the real world waited — messy and complicated and definitely not contained in any neat little bottle.