Electric Sphinx Night

The vintage fedora sat crushed between my hands. Three hours of hair product wasted, all because SOMEONE decided the school Halloween dance needed a literal thunderstorm effect machine in the gym.

"You got something in your teeth," said Chloe, the only junior who could make observation sound like an insult.

I ducked into the bathroom, already knowing what I'd find. The dinner spinach from earlier, doing a solo performance in my braces. Because obviously.

The bathroom mirror reflected everything I was trying to hide: the hat that made me look like I was cosplaying my grandpa, the foundation that wasn't matching my skin tone anymore, the eyes that kept darting toward the door like I was preparing to flee.

Outside, rain pounded the roof. Lightning flashed, turning the mirror into a strobe light of my own insecurity.

"Just go back out there," I whispered. "It's not like anyone's watching."

Except Marcus was. Marcus in his sphinx costume—half cheap lion fabric, half plastic Egyptian mask—standing by the punch bowl like he didn't realize he looked ridiculous. Which was exactly why I liked him.

A cat darted past the bathroom door, someone's escaped pet from the drama department's prop room. The chaos was complete.

I fixed the spinach. Adjusted the stupid hat. Took three deep breaths that didn't help at all.

When I finally emerged, Chloe was laughing with her friends. Marcus stood alone, sphinx-mask tipped back like a crown, scrolling through his phone. The room spun with electric energy—everyone performing, everyone watching, everyone pretending they weren't terrified of being seen.

The hat slipped from my fingers. I didn't chase it.

"Nice hat," Marcus said, reaching it before I could change my mind.

"It's my grandpa's."

"Better than being a sphinx." He adjusted the plastic mask. "I have no idea why I thought this was cool."

"Because you are. Cool, I mean. Not the sphinx part."

Lightning struck again. The gym lights flickered. Someone screamed. Marcus laughed, and I laughed, and suddenly the hat was on his head and neither of us were performing anymore.