The Cat That Toppled My Pyramid

Maya's hair was supposed to be her armor for freshman year. Instead, it looked like she'd lost a fight with a lawnmower.

"It's giving 'I tried,'" Chloe said, barely looking up from her phone. "But also, no offense, it's giving 'I gave up.'"

Maya fought back tears. She'd spent two hours attempting beachy waves, which somehow transformed into a frizzy disaster. Now she was hiding in the girls' bathroom while Chloe—a sophomore who sat at the apex of Franklin High's social pyramid—waited outside like this was some kind of favor.

Chloe had invited Maya to sit with her and the varsity crowd at lunch. A big deal. Maya's older brother had warned her about high school's invisible pyramid schemes—freshmen at the bottom, seniors and athletes at the top—but somehow she'd caught Chloe's attention. Probably because she'd helped Chloe's cat, Princess Fluffington, escape from a tree last week. Chloe had been impressed, calling her a "cat whisperer" or whatever.

Now her hair was sabotaging everything.

She emerged from the bathroom. Chloe sighed, long and dramatic. "Okay, listen. My mom's a stylist. Come over before school tomorrow. I'll fix whatever"—she gestured vaguely at Maya's head—"this is."

"Really?" Maya asked, hope rising.

"Duh. But seriously, what were you going for?"

"Beachy waves?"

Chloe snorted. "Girl, your hair texture said 'no.'"

They walked to lunch together, and Maya noticed something: Chloe's perfect ponytail had a tiny bump where a bobby pin had slipped. Her Instagram-famous outfit had a small stain on the sleeve. The girl at the top of the pyramid wasn't actually perfect.

The next day, Chloe gave her a sleek blowout that actually looked good. But by then, Maya had already realized something better: Princess Fluffington had been the bridge, but Maya herself was going to have to be the architect. She wasn't climbing anyone's pyramid—she was building her own, one honest moment and one (increasingly rare) bad hair day at a time.