Spinach and the Social Pyramid

Maya's mom was doing that thing again where she snuck spinach into the smoothie and pretended it was just 'extra green.' Maya took a sip, grimaced, and checked her iPhone under the table. Three notifications from the group chat:

jake🔥: u trying out for baseball??

tyler😤: lol a girl on baseball??

sofia✨: ignore them

The cafeteria at Northwood High operated like a pyramid scheme, and Maya knew exactly where she sat. Third tier. Above the band kids, below the jocks, and nowhere near the padel court royalty who'd discovered the sport during summer vacations in the Hamptons.

'Tryouts are today,' Jake had told her yesterday at lunch, while Tyler made vomiting noises in the background. 'You've got an arm, Maya. Seriously.'

Her mom packed her lunch with extra spinach that morning because 'you're growing, athlete or not.' Maya grabbed her bag and headed to the field.

The baseball tryouts were everything she expected. Coach Miller squinting at his clipboard. Tyler and his friends doing that thing where they laughed obviously loud whenever she missed. The sun beating down on the back of her neck like it had something personal against her.

'Rivera, let's see what you got.'

She stepped into the batter's box. The pitcher wound up, and she saw it—that perfect moment where the ball hung in the air like it was waiting for her. Crack. The ball sailed over the fence.

Silence.

Then Tyler shouted, 'WHAT.'

At dinner, her mom served salmon with—predictably—more spinach.

'How was it?' her mom asked, not looking up from her phone.

Maya pulled up her iPhone. The group chat was blowing up.

sofia✨: DID U SEE THAT

jake🔥: TOLD YOU

sofia✨: even tyler shut up for once

'Mom,' Maya said, pushing the spinach around her plate. 'I think I might be playing baseball this spring.'

Her mom looked up. 'Really?' Then, surprisingly: 'That's amazing, honey.'

Later that night, Maya FaceTimed Sofia from her bed. 'So, about the pyramid,' Sofia said, grinning.

'What pyramid?'

'Exactly.'