The Wellness Empire Collapse

Maya's phone buzzed on her nightstand at 2 AM. Another notification from that private group chat where Jordan—the senior with perfect skin and 12K followers—posted motivational quotes with fire emojis.

"You're not just selling products. You're building your EMPIRE."

The truth: Maya had dropped three hundred dollars on starter inventory of glow-elixir packets that promised radiant skin and endless energy. She'd accidentally dragged her best friend Kai into what she now recognized, with sinking embarrassment, was totally a pyramid scheme.

Monday morning dragged like she was underwater. Third-period pre-calc, Maya found herself staring blankly at equations while her brain replayed every awkward moment from the weekend. She'd tried to sell the wellness packets to her cousin, who'd just given her that look. The. Look.

"You good?" Kai slid into the seat beside her, dropping a heavily studied Starbucks on her desk. "You look straight-up zombie. No offense."

"None taken," Maya mumbled. "Probably the vitamin D deficiency. Or the existential dread. Same energy."

Kai snorted. "Pretty sure that's not actually what's in those mystery packets you paid way too much for."

The school day blurred into exhaustion haze. By the time Maya got home, her phone was at 4%. The cable guy was supposed to come between 3 and 5—her mom had finally called about the internet cutting out constantly. Perfect timing for Maya's impending existential crisis.

She was curled on the couch doom-scrolling through Jordan's feed (still posting, still thriving, still acting like she'd literally manifested abundance through ~positive mindset~) when the doorbell rang.

The cable guy was maybe thirty, with tired eyes and a company shirt that had seen better days. He worked efficiently, messing with wires and boxes while Maya pretended to study at the kitchen island.

"So," he said suddenly, tightening something with a wrench. "Your mom said you're into that whole wellness influencer thing?"

Maya froze. "Uh. Sort of? I mean—"

"My sister got roped into one of those last year," he said, not looking up. "Drop-shipping supplements. She lost two grand before she figured out the only people making money were the ones at the top."

He shrugged. "Anyway. Internet's fixed. You got good speeds now."

After he left, Maya sat with the silence. Then she grabbed her phone, opened the group chat, and typed three words:

i'm out fr.

Kai responded instantly: took u long enough bestie. come over we're ordering pizza and watching actual zombies on netflix

The wellness packets went into the trash. The EMPIRE collapsed. Maya finally felt like herself again.