The Social Pyramid Scheme

Mia stared at her iPhone screen, thumb hovering over Instagram. Another photo from Jessica's party weekend — the one she hadn't been invited to. Again.

"You're spiraling," said her best friend Priya, plopping onto Mia's bed. "Stop stalking their stories. It's literally giving you anxiety."

Mia groaned. "But look at them! They're like, at the top of the social pyramid and I'm... somewhere in the basement. With the spiders."

"Spiders are cool," said Barnaby, Mia's elderly golden retriever, who was currently attempting to eat Mia's homework.

"Help!" someone whispered from outside Mia's window.

Priya screamed. Mia dropped her phone. Barnaby barked.

A face appeared in the window. It was Tyler, Jessica's ex-boyfriend, looking like he'd just survived something traumatic.

"Dude, are you okay?" Mia asked, opening the window.

"I need your help," Tyler said, climbing inside with surprising grace. "I need someone to spy on Jessica's party tonight. I think she's... I don't know. Planning something?"

Mia's heart did that embarrassing fluttery thing. "Wait. You want ME to crash Jessica's party?"

"You're observant," Tyler said. "And you're not obvious about it. Please?"

Three hours later, Mia stood in Jessica's massive backyard, clutching a papaya she'd grabbed from her kitchen because her mom had insisted she bring something. Her Instagram story was strategically posted — casual, vibey, totally not staged.

"Omg, is that papaya?" asked Chloe, Jessica's second-in-command. "That's so random. I love it."

Mia internally panicked but externally nodded. "Yeah, it's... my new favorite fruit?"

"You're so quirky," Chloe said, pulling her into the conversation. "Tyler's been looking for you, by the way."

Wait, what?

Tyler found her near the dessert table. "Did you find anything?" he whispered.

"I found out that Chloe thinks papayas are quirky," Mia whispered back. "Also, why is everyone being nice to me?"

Tyler's face went pale. "Oh no."

"What?"

"Jessica's planning to ask you to join their group. She wants to 'rebrand' them or something. That's why I was supposed to spy — I thought she was plotting against me."

Mia's phone buzzed. Jessica had DM'd her.

"So," Tyler said, "do you want to be part of the pyramid, or...?"

Mia looked around at the people she'd spent months obsessing over, then at Priya (who'd somehow snuck in and was currently aggressively eating cake), and finally at Tyler, who was blushing.

"Actually," Mia said, "I think I'm good with my spot in the basement. Besides, the spiders are way more interesting."

Tyler grinned. "Yeah. They are."

"But I am keeping the papaya, though," she added. "Chloe thinks it makes me quirky."