Baseball Diamonds and Pyramid Schemes

Jordan's thumb hovered over the send button on his iPhone, heart doing that stupid flutter thing it always did around Maya. Three dots danced on screen. She was typing back.

"You coming to the game?"

Jordan typed "yeah" like it wasn't basically his entire personality now. He'd never even liked baseball until Maya became varsity manager sophomore year. Now he spent weekends pretending to understand RBI stats while she cheered from the dugout.

"Whatever," he muttered, flopping onto his bed. The ceiling fan spun above him like the wheels in his head.

Monday at lunch, Jordan found himself running—literally running—toward the cafeteria when he saw his brother sitting at the seniors' table. That table was basically a pyramid: top tier varsity athletes, middle tier AP achievers, bottom tier everyone else hoping for upward mobility through proximity. And there was Austin, Jordan's older brother, holding court like he hadn't spent Sunday eating dry cereal in his boxers.

"Dude," Jordan hissed, sliding onto the bench. "What are you doing?"

Austin smirked. "Network marketing, Jordo. It's the future."

Jordan stared. His brother had tried to sell him protein shakes last week. Before that, it was cryptocurrency. Before that, somehow, essential oils for "masculine energy."

"That's a pyramid scheme," Jordan said.

"It's a MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING OPPORTUNITY," Austin announced, too loud. Half the table looked over. "And you're gonna be my first recruit."

"Absolutely not."

"Come on, little bro. When I make it big, we're both gonna be driving Lambos. You in or what?"

Jordan's eyes shifted to Maya three tables over. She was watching some baseball player's story, laughing at something on her screen. He felt gross then—like he was spying on her private moment. But he also felt something else. The pyramid table. The schemes. The trying to be someone he wasn't just to sit at the right lunch table.

"I'm good," Jordan said, standing up. "I'm gonna go... not do that."

"You're missing out!" Austin called after him, but Jordan was already walking away, phone buzzing in his pocket.

Maya: "Hey I need help with history extra credit?? You're good at that stuff right"

Jordan stopped in the middle of the cafeteria. Baseball games and pyramid schemes and trying to fit into someone else's life—suddenly none of it mattered. What mattered was that Maya noticed him. Not baseball player Jordan. Not seniors' table Jordan. Just Jordan.

He typed back: "Yeah I'm free after school. Library?"

Her response came instantly. "Perfect <3"

Jordan tucked his phone in his pocket, smiling so hard his face actually hurt. The pyramid could wait.