The Social Pyramid Scheme

The cafeteria hierarchy was as rigid as an actual pyramid, and I was definitely at the bottom—somewhere near the floor with the spilled juice and abandoned trays.

"You're doing it again," Jordan said, stealing a fry from my plate. "The staring thing. It's creepy."

"I'm not staring. I'm observing. There's a difference."

"You're totally being a spy," Jordan laughed. "Just go talk to them."

Them being Kai, the new sophomore who sat at the apex of the social pyramid like they belonged there naturally. While I spent twenty minutes deciding which hoodie wouldn't make me look like a middle schooler, Kai just existed, effortless and unreadable as a sphinx.

But today I had a plan. Sort of. A twenty-percent-formed plan that was better than my usual zero-percent plan.

Then disaster struck. I mean, not real disaster—no one died or anything. But in the landscape of teenage existence, having spinach stuck in your front tooth while talking to your crush ranks somewhere between "forgot to wear deodorant" and "tripped in front of everyone."

I only found out later, obviously. By then, I'd already had a whole conversation with Kai about the Egypt project in history, grinning like an idiot with green stuff prominently on display.

Jordan took one look at my phone when I showed them the selfie from later that afternoon and lost it. Like, actually fell off the bed laughing.

"This is why we're friends," they said, wiping actual tears. "Because your life is basically a comedy."

"Friends don't let friends walk around with spinach in their teeth all day."

"Friends definitely do. That's the whole point."

Later that night, my phone buzzed. Unknown number.

*You had something in your teeth earlier. Just thought you should know. Also, the Egypt project sounds cool. Want to work together? - Kai*

I stared at my ceiling for a full minute, processing. Kai had noticed everything—my spinach, my awkwardness, my pathetic spying attempts—and still wanted to work with me.

Maybe the pyramid wasn't so rigid after all. Or maybe I'd just found someone who didn't care about which level you were on.

"Jordan," I called. "I think I just got asked out. Kind of. Maybe. I don't know."

"Finally," they shouted back. "It only took you three months and a vegetable-based emergency."