The Social Pyramid Scheme

Maya adjusted her swimsuit straps, feeling like a total zombie after finals week drained every drop of her life force. The Andersons' pool party glimmered before her—a literal shark tank of Riverside High's social hierarchy.

"You got this, chica," whispered Leo, her best friend since kindergarten. He was currently wearing a ridiculous fox-print swim trunks that somehow worked. "Just don't think about the pyramid."

The pyramid. Of course. Maya's brain decided to replay the PE disaster where she'd literally collapsed the human pyramid during freshman orientation, taking down three varsity cheerleaders and somehow becoming an urban legend in the process.

"Hey, Fox!" someone called. Leo's nickname had stuck since middle school when he'd outsmarted the entire math department by hacking the grading system to prove a point about extra credit. He shrugged, unbothered as always.

Chloe, the queen bee who sat at the top of the invisible social pyramid that ruled their school, waved them over to the pool. "Finally! Truth or dare, loser takes a cannonball."

Maya's stomach did that thing it always did around the popular crowd—full-on panic mode. But Leo squeezed her hand, and she remembered why they'd come. This was supposed to be their summer of finally giving zero cares about what anyone thought.

"Truth," Maya said, before she could overthink it.

Chloe's perfectly manicured eyebrow raised. "Interesting choice." She surveyed Maya like she was solving a puzzle. "What's something nobody knows about you? Something that would absolutely break the 'normal girl' persona?"

The pool seemed to hold its breath. The ripple of whispers died down. And suddenly, Maya understood something about pyramids—they only had power if you believed they existed.

"I secretly write fanfic about our teachers," she blurted. "And I've made forty dollars this month selling it to juniors."

Dead silence. Then Leo burst out laughing so hard he fell into the pool, and Chloe—actual queen of everything—just smirked like she'd been waiting for someone interesting to show up all night.

"Teach me your ways," she said.

Maya dove into the water, feeling lighter than she had in years. The pyramid was crumbling, and she'd just thrown the first stone.