Orange Pyramid Blues

Maya's mom had found her calling, apparently. The kitchen counter was now a shrine to the Orange Pyramid Wellness Empire—bright orange juice bottles arranged in literal pyramid formations, next to stacks of brochures promising financial freedom through vitamin sales.

"You just need to find three people," her mom said, pouring Maya a glass of something suspiciously neon. "Then they find three people, and—"

"That's literally a pyramid scheme, Mom." Maya pushed the glass away. "I have to finish my history project."

She escaped to her room, where her goldfish, Bubbles, floated in his bowl near the window. He'd been her only reliable confidant since Dad left—just swimming, eating, never asking why she didn't try out for volleyball or why she'd stopped hanging out with her old friends.

The next day, Maya found three goldfish crackers arranged in a pyramid on her napkin at lunch. Sasha, her lab partner, slid onto the bench beside her.

"Your mom DM'd my mom about those vitamin things," Sasha whispered. "She's really excited about it."

Maya's face burned. "I'm so sorry."

"Actually?" Sasha popped a goldfish cracker into her mouth. "My mom's into that stuff too. It's kind of hilarious."

Something in Maya's chest loosened. For the first time in months, she didn't feel like the weird kid with the chaotic home life. She took a goldfish cracker herself.

"Want to come over after school?" Maya asked. "We can finish the history project. My mom will probably try to sell you vitamins, but—"

Sasha grinning. "I'm down. As long as there are snacks."

That night, Maya set up an extra chair at the kitchen table, moving the orange juice pyramid aside. Bubbles the fish watched from his bowl on the counter, doing his little happy swim when Sasha arrived.

For once, the orange pyramid didn't feel like her whole world. Just background noise to real friendship, finally blooming.