The Pyramid Scheme of Us

Maya stared at her reflection, finger-combing her frizzy hair for the third time. The curls were doing that weird pyramid thing on top of her head again—like a sideways triangle of rejection.

"You're overthinking it," said Kai, appearing behind her in the bathroom mirror. They were at Jordan's party, somehow the only freshman invited to the senior shindig. Probably because Jordan's cousin was Maya's lab partner.

Maya's palms started sweating. Great. She wiped them on her dress, leaving tiny damp spots. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one entering the social pyramid's danger zone."

"Social pyramid?" Kai laughed. "You've been watching too much Netflix. These are just people with good lighting and better shampoo."

"Says the guy whose hair literally always looks perfect," Maya muttered. "What's your secret?"

"Trade secret." Kai winked. "Or maybe I'm just chronically well-hydrated. Or vitamins. My mom makes me take those gummy ones. They're basically candy but with pretenses."

Maya snorted. Suddenly, Jordan's older sister Tiana swept in, all confident energy and perfect eyeliner. She grabbed Maya's hand, studying her palm like it was an ancient text.

"Oh my god, I love reading palms," Tiana announced dramatically. "You're going to fall in love this year, I can feel it."

Maya's face burned. Kai looked away, suddenly fascinated by a nonexistent stain on the counter.

"Also," Tiana continued, "your hair is going to do something amazing. I can feel it."

"It's literally doing a pyramid right now," Maya said.

"A crown," Tiana corrected. "It's a crown. You're going to be the main character of your own life, Maya. Stop worrying about the pyramid. Climb it or burn it down, but don't just stand at the bottom looking up."

Later, outside under the string lights, Kai found her sitting on the porch swing.

"Tiana's intense," they said.

"Yeah," Maya smiled. "But she's kind of right. About the main character thing."

"Yeah," Kai said softly. "You kind of already are."

Maya's palms started sweating again. But this time, she didn't wipe them on her dress. Some things were worth the awkwardness.