Pyramid Scheme

The school's social hierarchy worked like a pyramid, and I was definitely in the basement tier. That's why I found myself at the track at 6 AM, running laps until my lungs burned, all because Tyler's Instagram story said he liked "girls who could keep up."

My hair was a disaster—frizzy from the humidity, falling out of the messy bun I'd attempted. I should've taken that vitamin supplement my mom kept pushing, the one that promised "gorgeous glow from within." But no, I was out here chasing a boy who barely knew my existence.

"You're going to collapse," said Chloe, the only other person crazy enough to be awake. She was our school's golden girl—pretty, popular, and somehow genuinely nice. The trifecta.

"Tyler thinks runners are hot," I panted, regretting every life choice that led to this moment.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Tyler thinks Fortnite is a sport. You're really going to base your worth on his opinion?"

Lightning cracked across the sky, making both of us jump. A storm was rolling in, dark clouds swallowing the morning light.

"We should go," she said.

"Yeah."

But neither of us moved.

"You know," Chloe said suddenly, "I used to do this thing where I'd wake up early and run, trying to be enough. Pretty enough. Fast enough. Smart enough. Thought if I checked enough boxes, I'd finally feel like I belonged at the top of the pyramid."

She looked at me, really looked at me. "Turns out the whole pyramid's made of cardboard anyway. You climb to the top, you realize there's nowhere left to go but down."

Rain started falling, big cold drops that soaked through my shirt instantly.

We ran back to the locker room, laughing like idiots, my hair ruined, my vitamin deficiency probably still real, but suddenly it didn't matter.

Sometimes lightning has to strike for you to see what's been there all along.

That night, I did take the vitamin. Not because Tyler would care, but because my mom was right—I did want to be healthy. But more importantly, I started liking who I already was.

The pyramid could wait. I had better things to do.