The Pyramid Incident

The cafeteria hummed with that specific kind of teenage energy—clattering trays, whispered gossip, someone's overly loud TikTok audio playing from a phone three tables away. Maya adjusted her beanie for the tenth time, nervous energy making her fingers fidget. She'd finally worked up the courage to sit at the popular table today. Ava had actually invited her.

"So," Maya started, then immediately wished she could teleport to another dimension. Her voice squeaked. Not cool. Not chill at all.

Ava's perfectly manicured eyebrows raised. Something green and leafy was wedged between her front teeth. Spinach. From the salad bar. The ultimate social suicide fuel, and Maya was staring right at it.

"Should I..." Maya gestured vaguely at her own teeth.

Ava's face turned the color of a ripe tomato. "What? Is it—" She bolted from the table, phone clutched in her hand like a lifeline.

The rest of the table went silent. Tyler, who'd been half-asleep over his tray of mystery meat, suddenly perked up. "Dude. That was iconic."

"That was a disaster," Maya groaned, dropping her forehead onto the cool plastic table. "I had one chance. One. And I blew it because I can't just let someone walk around with—" She lowered her voice, "—spinach in their teeth."

"Nah." Tyler pulled his snapback lower, somehow making it look effortless. "You're real. That's rare around here. Everyone else is playing 4D chess while you're out here just telling people they've got salad in their teeth. It's refreshing."

Maya lifted her head. "You think?"

"I know." A slow grin spread across his face. "Hey, what if we make it a thing? Like, we're the people who keep it one hundred. No fake vibes allowed. We could call ourselves the Pyramid of Truth or something dumb like that."

"The Pyramid of Truth? That sounds like a cult."

"Exactly." He winked. "Tomorrow, you're sitting here again. Bring your weird energy. We're gonna need it."

Maya walked to her next class with the weirdest feeling bubbling in her chest—like she'd survived something embarrassing and emerged somehow lighter. She adjusted her hat, realizing she'd been wearing it backward the whole time. Whatever. The Pyramid of Truth would just have to deal with it.