The Zombie Vitamin Pact

Maya dragged herself into third period feeling like a legit zombie. Finals week had turned her brain into mush, and even three coffees hadn't revived her. Sliding into her desk, she caught sight of Jordan, Chloe, and Kai huddled in the corner, whispering about something sketchy.

"Dude, you look dead," Jordan whispered. "We need you. The pool needs updating."

Maya blinked. "The what now?"

Chloe slid a crumpled notebook across the desk. On it, someone had drawn a pyramid. But instead of some scammy scheme, it listed names: Kai at the top with "car + license," Chloe below with "homemade cookies," Jordan with "gaming setup," and now...

"You're tier four," Kai said dramatically. "Your contribution: your mom's insane vitamin stash."

"Wait—is this some pyramid scheme?" Maya asked, eyes narrowing.

"No, you dummy," Chloe rolled her eyes. "It's a survival pool. We're pooling resources for the apocalypse. Or, you know, summer break because Maya's parents are grounding her unless she passes bio."

Maya's heart did that stupid fluttery thing. Her friends had built an entire support pyramid around her potential failure. And they wanted her mom's giant gummy vitamin collection as her contribution.

"My mom's vitamins are literally children's gummies," Maya protested, but she was already smiling.

"Perfect," Jordan grinned. "Essential nutrients for the studying undead."

The bell rang, but Maya didn't feel like a zombie anymore. Friendship, she decided, was the best vitamin. And this weird little pyramid they'd built? It was exactly what she needed.