Vitamin Gummies & Padel Dreams

Chloe stared at the Instagram story again. Her iPhone screen glowed in the dim light of her bedroom, showing Madison and the rest of the varsity squad at the padel court, laughing in their matching pastel outfits. Another Wednesday night practice she wasn't invited to.

"Chloe! Vitamin time!" her mom's voice echoed up the stairs. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the neon bottle from her desk. The promised benefits of better skin and energy seemed ridiculous when she spent half her nights scrolling through posts that made her feel inadequate.

Her golden retriever, Barnaby, nudged her hand with his wet nose. He'd been her constant companion since middle school, back before friendships got complicated and social hierarchies solidified into something you could actually map.

"At least you don't care that I'm not cool enough for padel," she whispered, scratching behind his ears. Barnaby thumped his tail against the floor, perfectly content with his basic existence.

The notification pinged again. A text from Madison: "hey! free court tomorrow morning if u wanna hit?"

Chloe's fingers hovered over the screen. This was it—the invitation she'd been waiting for all semester. But something in her chest felt heavy. Would showing up tomorrow mean becoming someone else? Someone who cared about the right vitamin supplements and had the perfect padel outfit?

Barnaby let out a soft whine, nudging her phone toward the edge of the bed.

"You're right," she said, setting the phone face down. "If they actually wanted to hang out, they would've asked before."

Instead, she grabbed her old racket from the back of her closet—the one with chipped paint and a grip worn smooth from actual use, not Instagram aesthetics. She texted back: "actually, I'm good. but thanks for asking."

Her heart pounded as she hit send. Rejection felt scary, but not as scary as losing herself to fit in. Barnaby let out a happy bark, like he approved. Some dogs just know when you've made the right choice.