The Pyramid Scheme

The invitation came via Instagram DM, of course. Emma's pool party. The Emma. Whose dad owned that company everyone's parents worked for. I stared at my phone, heart hammering. Me, at the party of the century.

My older sister Zara caught me chewing my lip. "Just go, Ash. Worst case, you hang out by the snacks."

"Worst case, I drown in social humiliation."

"Dramatic much?" She grinned. "Besides, you've been working on your butterfly stroke all summer. Show them you're not just 'the quiet kid.'"

The backyard was transformed. String lights everywhere, actual palm trees in planters, a DJ booth. The pool glittered like something from a movie. I felt like I'd walked into the wrong life.

Then I saw it: in the corner of the yard, someone had built actual pyramids out of red solo cups. A literal pyramid scheme. Who even comes up with this stuff?

"Ash! You made it!" Emma herself, in a swimsuit that probably cost more than my wardrobe. "We're doing chicken fights. You in?"

"Uh—"

"Perfect. Chase needs a partner. CHASE!"

Chase. The guy I'd been crushing on since seventh grade. The one who sat behind me in history and drew pyramids in the margins of his notes when he thought no one was looking.

The water felt perfect, but my stomach was doing backflips. Chase offered me his shoulder, and suddenly we were towering over everyone else, the pyramids of cups wobbling as people cannonballed nearby.

"Nice form," he said, like it was completely normal that we were basically embracing in front of half the sophomore class.

"Thanks," I managed. "I, uh, like your pyramid drawings. In history."

He laughed. Actually laughed. "You noticed those? I'm obsessed with ancient Egypt. Kinda pathetic."

"Not pathetic," I said, feeling brave. "It's actually really cool."

"Yeah?" His eyes locked on mine, and for a second, everything else faded. "Maybe you can help me study for the test Monday."

"I'd like that."

Emma's cat, a fluffy calico named Cleopatra (of course), chose that moment to dart past the pool, causing Chase to lose balance. We went down together, surfacing spluttering and laughing while everyone cheered.

Later, wrapped in a towel and watching the palm fronds sway in the breeze, Chase sat beside me. "So, Monday?"

"Monday," I confirmed.

Sometimes falling into the deep end isn't so scary when someone's there to help you back up.