The Pyramid Scheme at Pineview Pool

Jordan's third mistake of the summer was bringing his iPhone to Jake's pool party. The first was agreeing to come. The second was wearing swim trunks two sizes too small.

"Yo, you joining the pyramid or what?" Jake called from the deep end.

Jordan cringed. The "pyramid" — Jake's latest viral scheme. Get three friends to download some sketchy crypto app, they get three friends, boom: exponential wealth. According to Jake's Instagram stories, he was basically already rich.

"Pass," Jordan said, clutching his phone against his towel. "My mom would kill me."

"Whatever. More for us." Jake turned to Marco, already waist-deep in the water. "You in, bro?"

Marco hesitated. Jordan could practically see the gears turning. Marco's parents were strict about that stuff. But Jake was popular — the kind of popular that made decisions for you.

"Yeah," Marco said. "Yeah, I'm in."

Jordan's stomach twisted. He hated this part — the slow-motion car crash of watching friends make dumb choices while trying to decide if you're brave enough to stop them or cowardly enough to let it happen.

"I'm gonna, uh, get some snacks," Jordan mumbled, but before he could escape, Jake's voice cut through the chatter.

"YO! BEAR CREEK CHALLENGE!"

The music stopped. Six faces turned toward the woods behind Jake's backyard.

"No way," someone whispered.

"Way," Jake said, grinning. "My cousin's friend saw it. Massive black bear, swimming in the creek like it owns the place. Who's coming?"

Jordan's heart kicked against his ribs. A real bear? Here? But even as his brain screamed absolutely not, his feet were already moving.

Because the thing about being sixteen is that the fear of missing out hits harder than the fear of, you know, actual danger.

The creek was dark, swollen from yesterday's rains. Jordan's phone felt heavy in his hand — he should've left it, but what if something happened? What if they needed to call for help? What if he needed proof?

"There!" Marco pointed.

Thirty yards downstream, something dark moved through the water. Not swimming exactly — more like a shadow, huge and impossible.

Then the shadow lifted its head. A massive black bear, shaking water from its fur like a dog.

Jordan's phone was already out, thumb hovering over record. This was it. This was his moment. Jake would finally —

Splash.

Jordan's phone slipped from sweaty fingers, hitting the water with a tiny, catastrophic sound.

For one second, nobody moved. Then Jake started laughing. Then everyone was laughing, Jordan included, because what else could you do? The bear turned, lumbered into the woods, and Jordan's iPhone sank into Pineview Creek, taking whatever viral goldmine he might've captured with it.

"Worth it," Marco said, grinning.

"Yeah," Jordan said, and actually meant it. "Yeah, it was."