Pyramid Scheme of Lies

Maya's plan was flawless: fake a dog influencer account, become TikTok famous, and finally stop sitting at the loser table during lunch. The social pyramid at Northwood High had been crystal clear since sixth grade—cheerleaders and athletes at the top, band kids somewhere in the middle, and everyone else fighting over the crumbs.

"You're actually doing this?" Jordan asked, looking at Maya's phone where a very fluffy golden retriever named Barnaby was supposedly living his best life.

"People love dogs, Jord. It's not even that deep."

But here's the thing about lies—they multiply. Suddenly Maya was running three accounts, responding to DMs at 2 AM, and the worst part: people at school were starting to notice.

"OMG, is that THE Barnaby?" Maya had literally never been more popular. The same girls who'd ignored her for three years were suddenly obsessed with her "dog."

It should've been perfect.

Until Maya's actual dog—a depressed Chihuahua mix named Burrito—decided to escape the backyard and somehow ended up in Maya's backpack during third period. The chaos that followed was the kind of disaster that became a school legend. Burrito burst out of her bag during English, knocked over Mr. Harrison's coffee, and proceeded to bark at literally everyone while Maya died inside.

The fake dog empire collapsed in approximately forty-seven minutes. By lunch, everyone knew. The pyramid had flipped, and Maya was now at the bottom—grinning and bearing it while Jordan tried not to laugh and the popular girls whispered.

But here's what nobody tells you about hitting rock bottom: it's actually kind of freeing. Maya ate lunch outside with Jordan and Burrito (who'd been retrieved from the office) and finally admitted how exhausting it had been—keeping up with comments and likes and this whole carefully curated version of herself.

"So what now?" Jordan asked. "No more fake dog influencer era?"

"I think I'm done climbing pyramids," Maya said, watching Burrito chase a butterfly across the quad. "This little disaster is enough."