Poolside Pyramid

Marcus stood at the edge of the pool, chlorine stinging his nose, clutching his sample kit of 'Luxurious Locks' hair products. His best friend Ty had talked him into this pyramid scheme three weeks ago, promising they'd both be driving convertibles by senior year. Instead, Marcus was stuck here at the community pool party, trying to sell overpriced conditioner to people who just wanted to swim.

Across the pool, Jenna—the friend he'd secretly been crushing on since seventh grade—was laughing with someone else. Her wet hair dripped down her back in dark waves. Marcus smoothed his own hair, which Ty had convinced him to load with too much product that morning. He looked like a grease slick.

"You gonna stand there all day or make some sales?" Ty appeared behind him, already working his charm on a group of incoming sophomores. Ty never let anything get to him. That's why they were friends—complete opposites.

Then Marcus saw him: Tyler Evans, the bull of Central High, shoving past a freshman near the snack bar. Jenna's boyfriend. Marcus's stomach twisted.

Something inside Marcus snapped. He marched over to the freshman, helped him up, and said loud enough for everyone to hear, "You okay? Tyler's being a jerk again."

The bull turned, eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"

"You heard me." Marcus's voice shook, but he didn't back down. "Leave him alone."

For a terrifying second, he thought Tyler would hit him. Instead, Tyler just smirked and walked away, probably realizing a public fight wasn't worth it. But Jenna had seen everything. She was looking at Marcus differently now.

Later, Ty found him sitting by the pool's edge, feet in the water. "Dude, you stood up to Tyler Evans. You're practically a legend now."

"Yeah, well," Marcus pulled a bottle of hair gel from his kit and tossed it into the trash. "Some things are more important than making money off our friends."

Ty grinned. "About time. That pyramid scheme was wack anyway."

Jenna walked over, smiling. "Hey Marcus. That was really brave."

His heart hammered against his ribs. "Just doing the right thing."

"Want to get some food? I'm starving." She ran a hand through her drying hair. "And maybe you can tell me why you were carrying around a case of hair products all day?"

Marcus laughed, really laughed, for the first time all summer. "Long story. But I think I'm done with that."

Sometimes, he thought, you had to let things fall apart—pyramid schemes and fake products and pretending to be someone you weren't—before you could figure out who you actually were. And maybe, just maybe, that person was someone worth knowing.