Social Pyramid Scheme

The cafeteria was basically a social pyramid, and Zara was somewhere near the foundation level - maybe the recycling bin area.

"You're totally bullshitting yourself," her best friend Jax said, stabbing at his lunch tray. "Leo looked at you THREE times yesterday."

"Dude, he was looking at the orange juice carton behind me," Zara said, though her stomach did that annoying fluttery thing.

So naturally, when Leo left his phone at their table during lunch, Zara did what any rational person would do. She became a spy.

Just for a second. Just to see if her name popped up in texts or whatever.

She grabbed the phone, heart pounding like she'd just finished a 5K, and swiped it open. And there it was - a group chat called "Promposal Ideas" with her name literally at the top of a list.

Zara froze. Was this for real? Was Leo going to ask her to prom? Or was she being punked?

Then the screen lit up with an incoming text: "Bro, who has my phone??"

Zara nearly dropped it. She quickly closed everything and slid it back just as Leo turned around. His friend Marcus was with him, giving her this weird look that made her want to disappear.

"Thanks for finding it," Leo said, giving her that smile that made her brain turn to complete mush.

"No problem," Zara managed, her face basically an orange highlighter at this point.

That night, Zara's phone buzzed. Leo had followed her on Instagram. And sent a DM: "Hey, I was gonna ask you something today but got distracted. You busy tomorrow?"

Zara screamed into her pillow.

Jax called immediately. "OH MY GOD TELL ME EVERYTHING."

"I don't know what's happening," Zara said. "But I think I might have a date?"

"You're welcome," Jax said.

"For what?"

"For telling you to stop being scared and actually talk to him instead of staring at him across the cafeteria like a total creep."

Zara laughed. "Okay, maybe you're right. But don't get used to it."

"Whatever. Just don't come crying to me when he turns out to be a bull in a china shop."

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know! I'm trying to use more idioms! My mom says it makes me sound sophisticated!"

Zara hung up, grinning at her ceiling. The social pyramid didn't seem so towering anymore. Actually, it felt like she might be climbing to the top.

And tomorrow, she'd be climbing it with Leo.

Maybe high school wasn't so terrible after all.