The Vitamin Pyramid Scheme

Maya's mother had left a bottle of gummy vitamins on the kitchen counter with a sticky note: *Take one daily. Love, Mom.* Maya rolled her eyes, grabbed the whole bottle, and shoved it into her backpack. She had bigger problems than her immune system.

The problem was sitting three rows away in AP World History, wearing that vintage denim jacket like it was a crown. Jordan. The same Jordan who had been her best friend since kindergarten, before friendship groups calcified into the high school social pyramid. Now Jordan sat at the apex with the lacrosse team, while Maya remained earthbound in the land of band kids and theater geeks.

"You spying on Jordan again?" whispered Riley, sliding into the desk beside her. Riley's purple hair was currently fading to a questionable gray-green, but she owned it.

"I'm not a spy," Maya hissed, though her eyes betrayed her. "I'm just... observing. From a distance."

"You're practically in the CIA of Jordan-watching," Riley snorted. "Just talk to them. We literally have a group project due Friday."

That Friday, Maya found herself at Jordan's house, surrounded by the smell of expensive candles and the intimidating presence of the popular crowd. They were supposed to be making a poster about ancient Egypt, but most of the group had dissolved into gossip about who hooked up with whom at Tyler's party last weekend.

Maya stood awkwardly by the poster board, clutching a ruler like a lifeline. This was it. The moment she'd been overthinking since September.

"Hey," Jordan said, suddenly beside her. "You know, I actually missed having someone around who doesn't make everything about drama."

Maya blinked. Jordan wasn't looking at her with that cool, distant expression she'd studied from across the classroom. He looked tired.

"Being at the top of the pyramid sucks," Jordan continued, grabbing a marker. "Everyone wants something from you. No one actually sees you."

"I see you," Maya said, before she could stop herself.

Jordan's grin was genuine this time. "Yeah. You always did." He reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of gummy vitamins. "Want one? My mom's obsessed with these now."

Maya laughed, the tension in her chest finally loosening. "I've got the same bottle in my backpack."

"Great," Jordan said, popping two into his mouth. "We can be vitamin-deficient outcasts together."

The social pyramid hadn't disappeared, and neither had the weirdness of high school. But as they worked on the Egypt poster, Maya realized something important: she wasn't a spy in Jordan's life anymore. She was just Maya, and apparently, that was enough.