The Pyramid Scheme

Marcus hated the social pyramid at Northwood High. Seniors at the top, freshmen at the bottom, and everyone else scrambling somewhere in the middle. He'd been running from his own awkwardness since seventh grade, when he accidentally called his teacher "mom" during oral presentation day.

"You're overthinking it again," said Jade, his best friend since kindergarten. She was perched on the edge of the cafeteria table, sneaking grapes from someone's abandoned lunch. "Just talk to him."

"Him" was Tyler, the senior who'd somehow made bull riding look cooler than football. Marcus had been secretly watching Tyler's Instagram for weeks, mesmerized by the videos of him gripping onto two thousand pounds of pure anger, eight seconds at a time.

"I can't just walk up to him," Marcus protested. "He probably thinks I'm some weird freshman creeper."

"You ARE a weird freshman creeper," Jade grinned, tossing a grape at him. "But you're OUR weird freshman creeper. Besides, Tyler's actually chill. I heard him talking about rodeo practice with Mr. Henderson yesterday."

Marcus's heart did that embarrassing fluttery thing. "He practices HERE?"

"Every Tuesday and Thursday. The old agricultural barn behind the football field. My cousin's on the rodeo team, she told me about it." Jade's eyes narrowed. "I thought you said you weren't obsessed."

"I'm not!" Marcus lied. He definitely was.

That Thursday, Marcus found himself standing outside the weathered barn, his hoodie soaked with nervous sweat. He could hear the rhythmic thumping inside, like something huge was throwing itself against metal walls.

"You coming in or what?" Tyler's voice called from inside.

Marcus stepped into the dim space, smelling of hay and leather and something primal. Tyler was there, dusting off his jeans, with a massive reddish bull snorting nearby.

"This is Blaze," Tyler said, scratching the bull behind its ears. "Don't let him fool you, he's basically a giant puppy. A thousand-pound puppy that could crush you, but still."

"I... I've been watching your videos," Marcus blurted out. "I want to learn how to ride."

Tyler studied him for a moment. "You're brave, I'll give you that. Most people run screaming when they see Blaze up close." He tossed Marcus a helmet. "First lesson starts now."

By the end of the month, Marcus could stay on for three seconds without dying. His social pyramid didn't matter anymore—he was too busy hanging onto a bull for dear life, with Jade filming everything and Tyler actually calling him "rookie" like it was a good thing.

Some friends introduce you to people. Some friends hand you grapes and make you face your fears. Marcus was lucky enough to have both kinds.