Poolside Pyramid Scheme

The social pyramid at Lincoln High had Riley at the apex—cheer captain, straight-A overachiever,possessor of the most followers. I occupied somewhere near the base, possibly the foundation. Maybe the dirt underneath.

"Yo Maya, you gonna float or what?" Jordan waved from the deep end. Jordan, who sat comfortably on tier two of the pyramid—athletic, decent grades, the kind of guy who dated girls like Riley.

I'd been crushing on Jordan since seventh period science last year. Now, end of summer pool party at his house, and I was fully in my head about the cannonball situation. Hair frizz? Check. Anxiety? Double.

The pool water reflected the string lights overhead, creating this shimmering dance across the surface. Everyone looked so effortless. Tyler and Sam were racing. Riley and her friends sat on the edge, dipping their feet in, acting like posing for Instagram was their full-time job.

I perched on a lounge chair, my knees pulled to my chest, still in my street clothes. The humidity was already messing with my curls. Jordan's mom had brought out chips. I could hear laughter and splashing. I felt like I was watching through glass.

Jordan pulled himself out of the water, droplets streaming down his back. He grabbed a towel and flopped onto the chair next to mine.

"You good?" he asked, wiping his face.

"Yeah. Just chillin'."

"You know," he said, lowering his voice, "Riley tried to get me to join this skincare pyramid scheme her cousin's doing. Like, $200 startup kit? Hard pass."

I snorted. "Classic. She tried to get me on that vitamin supplement one last month."

"For real?" He laughed, this genuine sound that made something in my chest loosen. "What is with these people?"

"They never learn."

Jordan studied me for a second. "You're funny, Maya. You never really talk in class."

"I mean, why would I? Mr. Harrison's lectures are basically sedatives."

He grinned. "True that." He leaned back, looking up at the sky. "I hate this stuff, you know? The whole, like, performance of everything."

"Yeah," I said. "It gets exhausting."

He nodded slowly. "You should get in the water. It's actually not terrible temperature-wise."

I stood up, pulling my shirt over my head. My swimsuit was a simple black one-piece. Nothing like Riley's coordinated bikini situation.

But Jordan didn't look at Riley. He watched me walk to the pool edge.

"Race you to the other side," he said.

"You're on."

The water hit cool against my skin. Everything else fell away—the pyramid, the anxiety, the performance. Just the splash and the race and the feeling that maybe, just maybe, high school wasn't going to be so terrible after all.