The Summer Everything Fell Apart

Maya sat on the edge of the pool, legs dangling in the water, staring at her iPhone like it might suddenly reveal the meaning of life. The screen showed five unread texts from Sierra—all about the pyramid scheme.

"It's not a pyramid scheme, it's entrepreneurial opportunity," Sierra had insisted three days ago, eyes gleaming with that scary intensity she got sometimes. "We're gonna be rich, Maya. Think about it. No more asking our parents for money."

Now Sierra was at the deep end, laughing with Jordan and the other popular kids who'd actually bought into the wellness supplements. Maya felt sick. Her best friend had turned into a walking Instagram ad, trying to recruit everyone like some multilevel marketing zombie.

"You gonna sit there all summer?"

Maya jumped. It was Leo, the quiet guy from her history class. He held out a paper plate.

"My mom's obsessed with this papaya stuff now. It's actually pretty good."

Maya took a slice. The bright orange flesh looked alien against the blue water. She took a bite—sweet, slightly musky, nothing like the processed snacks she normally ate.

"Not bad, right?" Leo sat beside her, far enough to be respectful, close enough to be friendly. "So, you and Sierra fighting?"

"How'd you guess?"

"The whole pyramid thing. She tried to recruit me yesterday." Leo's voice was wry. "I told her my allowance only covers my Roblox subscription."

Maya laughed, really laughed, for the first time all summer. The social pyramid at school had always seemed so simple—popular kids at the top, everyone else below. But here was Leo, someone she'd barely noticed, offering her papaya and making her feel normal again.

"Hey," he said, "you know what's messed up? We're literally at a pool party in July, and we're the only ones not pretending to have perfect lives."

Maya looked across the water. Sierra was posting a selfie with her supplements. Jordan was flexing. Everyone was performing something.

"Yeah," Maya said, taking another bite of papaya. "But this? This is okay."

Her iPhone buzzed with another text from Sierra. Maya ignored it, letting her phone sink to the bottom of her bag. Some things were more important than climbing to the top of the pyramid—like figuring out who you actually were when nobody was watching.