The Energy Drink Pyramid

Maya stood by the **water** fountain, scrolling through her phone and trying to look busy. The cafeteria buzzed with students slumped over trays, looking like actual **zombies** after three days of finals. Senior year was literally draining her soul.

"Maya!" Sasha appeared out of nowhere, vibrating with that terrifying energy that meant one thing. "You gotta join Vortex. My cousin's roommate's brother makes six figures, and he's only twenty-two. It's a legitimate business opportunity."

"Another **pyramid** scheme?" Maya deadpanned. "Sash, remember when you sold those magic weight-loss stickers?"

"That was different! This is about financial freedom. About being your own boss." Sasha's eyes gleamed. "Besides, aren't you tired of being broke? College isn't gonna pay for itself."

Maya sighed. Sasha had been her **friend** since seventh grade, when they'd bonded over being the only two kids who actually liked the cafeteria pizza. But senior year was changing everything. Sasha was obsessed with getting rich quick, while Maya was just trying to survive AP Calculum and figure out who she actually was beneath everyone's expectations.

"I'll think about it," Maya lied, grabbing her backpack and heading to the pool. Her lifeguard shift started in ten minutes, and honestly? The chlorine smelled better than Sasha's desperation.

Floating in the **water** during her break, Maya watched the **zombie** students shuffle past the fence—heads down, phones up, scrolling through someone else's life while their own slipped away. Sasha's Vortex pitch wasn't really about energy drinks. It was about belonging to something that felt bigger than their tiny town, about escaping before they got stuck.

But scams weren't escape. They were just glittery cages.

"Hey." Jamie sat on the edge of the pool, dangling his feet. "Sasha trying to recruit you again?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"She got me last week," Jamie admitted. "Bought three cases of that blue sludge. It tastes like battery acid mixed with regret."

Maya laughed—actually laughed—for the first time all week. "I'll pass."

"Good call." Jamie splashed **water** at her. "Real friends don't make you buy things."

And maybe that was the lesson all along. Not every friendship was built to last, and that was okay. The **pyramid** collapsed eventually, anyway.