The Energy Drink Pyramid

Marcus stood at the edge of the pool, chlorine stinging his nose, watching the popular kids dominate the **padel** courts beyond the fence. Their laughter carried across the water—perfect, golden, entirely out of reach.

"You're staring again," said Lena, slipping onto the bleacher beside him. She smelled like coconut shampoo and determination. "They're not that interesting."

"They're climbing the social pyramid," Marcus muttered. "I'm just... existing."

Lena rolled her eyes. "You know that's literally a pyramid scheme, right?"

Marcus blinked. "What?"

"The energy drinks. Tyler and his crew? They're all selling that 'revolutionary' supplement. It's an MLM. They're not climbing anything except into debt." She grinned. "My cousin got wrapped up in one last year. Lost three hundred bucks and five friendships."

Marcus felt his face heat up. "Wait, seriously?"

"Dead seriously. Tyler tried to recruit me yesterday. Said I could 'be my own boss' and 'unlock passive income streams.'" Lena made air quotes with her fingers. "I told him I was too busy **running** cross country. Which is true, but also—I'm not trying to exploit my friends for commission."

The whistle blew. **Swimming** practice started. Marcus dove in, water cool against his skin, thoughts swirling. Later, he watched from the pool deck as Tyler approached another freshman with that gleaming smile and a sales pitch about financial freedom.

Marcus found Lena after practice. "Hey. About that energy drink thing..."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe I don't want to be part of Tyler's pyramid after all. Maybe I'd rather hang out with someone who sees through it."

Lena's smile was real. "Good choice. Also, we need a fourth for padel tomorrow. Tyler and his crew think they own the courts, but I'm pretty sure we could take them."

"I've never played," Marcus admitted.

"Perfect. You won't have any bad habits to unlearn." She tossed him a towel. "First lesson: the real pyramid scheme isn't the energy drinks. It's thinking popularity equals happiness. Now grab your racket."