The Pyramid Scheme

Marcus stood frozen in the middle of the cafeteria, clutching his lunch tray like a shield. The first day of summer camp, and already everyone seemed to know each other from last year. He was the odd one out, the new kid, the loser who'd rather be anywhere but here.

"Hey, you gonna stand there all day or actually eat?" Marcus jumped. A girl with messy braids and grinning eyes slid into the seat across from him. "I'm Sam. This camp's not actually that terrible once you survive the first week."

"Marcus," he managed, setting down his tray. "How do you survive?"

"You find your people." Sam pointed across the room at a group playing cards. "See that guy over there? The one who moves like a cat? That's Javier. He's been here four years. He'll teach you the ropes."

Marcus spent the next three days avoiding everyone. He spent hours at the lake, just swimming back and forth until his arms burned, because the water didn't expect him to be cool or confident or interesting. The water just let him exist.

Then came the first cabin challenge. Their counselor announced they'd be building a human pyramid for the camp photo.

"Great," someone muttered. "A literal pyramid scheme."

Marcus ended up in the middle row, pressed between some guy whose deodorant had failed hours ago and a girl who kept apologizing for her existence. He could feel sweat running down his back, his heart pounding like it might burst right out of his chest.

"SUCK IT IN, BUTTERCUP!" someone yelled from above, and the whole pyramid collapsed in a heap of laughing, tangled limbs.

Marcus landed on top of Sam, who cackled like this was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

"See?" she wheezed. "You're fitting right in."

Later that night, Javier sat down next to Marcus at the campfire. "First time at camp?"

Marcus nodded.

"Yeah, I was terrified my first year too." Javier tossed a vitamin gummy into his mouth. "My mom made me bring these. Said I'd get scurvy without her cooking."

"Your mom knows about camp food?"

"Everyone's mom knows about camp food." Javier gestured at the fire. "Look, nobody here has it figured out. We're all just faking it until we don't have to fake it anymore. That's the whole secret."

Marcus watched the flames dance, thinking about the pyramid, about the way his cabin had dissolved into laughter instead of anger when they fell. About how Sam had just sat with him like he was worth talking to.

"Hey," he said. "You think they'll make us do that pyramid thing again tomorrow?"

Javier grinned. "Bro, they're gonna make us do it every single day. You better stretch."

Marcus laughed, and for the first time all week, he didn't feel like running away from everything.