The Pyramid Scheme

Leo's palms were sweating, which was frankly disgusting since he was literally standing in three feet of water. The community pool's summer party was peak social warfare, and someone had definitely forgotten to send him the memo about dressing appropriately.

The graduating seniors lounged at the top of the pool's inflatable pyramid like royalty, while everyone else orbited below like satellites. Jake—the human equivalent of perfect hair and effortless confidence—sat at the very peak, his laughter carrying across the deck.

"Bro, you good?" Maya materialized beside him, looking predictably amazing in her swimsuit. "You've been zombie-walking around this party for an hour."

"Just conserving energy," Leo lied. His parents' old-school cable plan meant he'd binged six seasons of a show nobody cared about, and now he was culturally irrelevant. Again.

Maya rolled her eyes. "You know they're talking about you, right? Up there on the pyramid?"

Of course they were. Leo's chest tightened. Jake was probably telling some story that made Leo look tragic or weird or both. The social hierarchy was brutal, and Leo was apparently trending.

Then Jake's voice rang out: "Yo, Leo! We're doing chicken fights! You and Maya versus me and Sarah!"

The pyramid suddenly felt less like a caste system and more like an invitation.

"You down?" Maya asked, already climbing onto his shoulders like she'd done this a million times.

"Only if you're ready to lose," Leo said, surprising himself.

They charged toward the pyramid's base. Jake and Sarah were already there, looking ridiculously photogenic. But as Maya gripped Leo's head and he found his footing in the water, something shifted. The zombie numbness fell away. The social pyramid wasn't a structure to climb—it was just people, scared and trying too hard.

They won two rounds before falling spectacularly. And as Leo surfaced, spluttering and laughing, he caught Jake's grin across the pool.

Not so different after all.

"Next weekend," Maya said, dripping water everywhere. "You're actually gonna show up on time."

"Wouldn't miss it," Leo said, and for the first time all summer, it wasn't a lie.