Poolside Pyramids

The air was thick with humidity as I hovered near the snack table, clutching a red plastic cup like it was my only lifeline. Tyler's pool party had social dynamics more complex than my AP Bio final.

I watched from the sidelines as queen bee Sasha lounged on an inflatable flamingo, her followers arranged in a perfect pyramid around her, each tier more desperate to impress than the last. Next to them, a row of palm trees swayed in the breeze like they were judging everyone's outfits.

"You're doing that thing where you look like you'd rather be anywhere else," Leo said, suddenly appearing beside me. "Come on. Live a little."

Leo was the kind of guy who could talk to anyone—social hierarchies just bounced off him like water off a duck's back. I'd been lowkey crushing on him since seventh period English, when he'd defended my right to hate Romeo and Juliet.

"Easy for you to say," I muttered. "You're not the one who's practically invisible in the cafeteria."

"Dude," he said, grabbing my hand. "Let me see your palm. My cousin thinks she's psychic, she taught me this thing."

I laughed as he traced the lines on my palm with theatrical seriousness. "You're gonna have a summer romance," he announced. "And it's gonna be with someone you least expect."

"You're so full of it," I said, but I was smiling now.

Suddenly, a sleek black cat emerged from the bushes, eyeing the pool party like it was calculating exactly how much chaos to cause. It strolled toward Sasha's floating throne, tail twitching.

"That's Mrs. Chen's cat," Leo said. "Her name's Midas because everything she touches turns to... well, not gold."

Midas leaped onto a nearby lounge chair, sending a bag of chips flying. Sasha shrieked, her crown flipping off into the water. Her pyramid of followers scattered like bowling pins. In seconds, the whole social hierarchy was completely wrecked.

"Your prediction," I said, watching chaos unfold. "Is this the summer romance part?"

Leo laughed, and it was the best sound I'd heard all year. "Nah," he said, finally looking at me like he actually saw me. "That part's still coming."

I didn't end up in the pool that day. But I did end up with Leo's number, and Sasha learned that even queens can get dethroned by a cat named Midas. Sometimes the best things happen when someone else's pyramid falls apart.