The Social Pyramid Scheme

Maya stared at the cafeteria's social pyramid like it was geometry class she hadn't studied for. At the top sat the varsity jacket crew, laughing at something that definitely wasn't funny. Somewhere in the middle: band kids, theater geeks, people who existed. And then there was Maya, currently wearing a spinach smoothie on her white shirt.

"Bro, you look like a zombie," said Jay, sliding into the seat across from her. "Did you actually sleep last night?"

Maya wiped frantically at the green stain. "My mom's new wellness phase. She's got me on these vitamin supplements that taste like chalk and regret. I was up till 3 AM finishing that history paper."

"Living the dream," Jay said, grabbing an apple from her tray. "You know, nobody actually cares about the pyramid. It's just a bunch of people trying too hard to look like they're not trying."

Easy for him to say. Jay had somehow bypassed the whole system by being genuinely friends with everyone. Meanwhile, Maya had accidentally become the person who brought spinach smoothies to school.

"Whatever." Maya took a bite of the salad she'd packed. "At least zombies don't have to worry about college applications."

"True that." Jay checked his phone. "Hey, there's a party Friday. You should come."

Maya blinked. "Me? At a party? I'm literally the girl who—"

"—is funny, smart, and doesn't take herself too seriously?" Jay raised an eyebrow. "Plus, you can bring those smoothies. They're actually kind of fire."

Maybe the pyramid wasn't so rigid after all. Or maybe she'd just found a way to climb it that didn't involve changing who she was. Either way, Maya smiled, and for the first time all week, she didn't feel like a zombie anymore.