Spotify Wrapped of the Soul

Leo's notification blinked. Heart rate update from his Apple Watch. "Stress elevated: equivalent to public speaking.\n\n"Great," he muttered, shoving his phone deeper into his pocket. The cafeteria line moved forward like a sluggish pyramid scheme—he kept paying in patience but wasn't sure what he was actually getting.\n\nBehind him, Jordan was ranting about someone's Spotify Wrapped being "basic." The social hierarchy at Westwood High operated like a pyramid, and Jordan sat comfortably at the apex, dispensing taste judgments like currency. Leo usually floated in the middle tiers, invisible enough to survive but visible enough to get targeted.\n\n"Your Wrapped had Olivia Rodrigo in your top five," Jordan announced, as if this were a federal offense.\n\nLeo's face burned. He'd been trying to reinvent himself—different music, different clothes, different everything. But his iPhone had betrayed him with data.\n\n"That's bull," someone said.\n\nLeo turned. Kira, the quiet girl from AP Bio, was actually speaking up. "Music isn't a personality test. You listened to Olivia Rodrigo when her album dropped because you were going through it. We all were. That's the point."\n\nThe table went silent. Jordan's pyramid of influence suddenly seemed shaky.\n\nLater, at lunch, Leo sat with his tray of questionable cafeteria food. A wilted salad that looked like spinach that had given up on life. Kira slid into the seat across from him.\n\n"Sorry about Jordan," she said. "He thinks his opinion is law because his cousin knows someone who knows someone at a record label.\n\nLeo poked at his spinach. "It's whatever. I'm just tired of performing. Like, I'm trying so hard to be chill and aesthetic but I just... I'm still processing everything from last year, you know?\n\nKira nodded. "Yeah. I saw your screen time notification before. You sent like forty texts to your ex last week at 2 AM. We're all just pretending to be over it.\n\nLeo's phone buzzed again. Another notification. But this time, he didn't check it immediately.\n\n"Want to get actual food after school?" Kira asked. "There's this boba place where the barista doesn't judge your order.\n\n"Yeah," Leo said, feeling something unclench in his chest. "Yeah, I'd like that.\n\nThe pyramid could wait. Some things were more important than climbing.