Orange Hair, Sphinx Riddles

Maya's hair was supposed to be sunset copper. Instead, it came out neon orange—like, traffic cone orange. The kind of orange that screams "notice me" when you're trying to be invisible in the cafeteria.

"It's bold," her bestfriendJada said, but Maya heard "it's a lot." Because everything was a lot lately. The college applications, the pressure to be perfect, the way her chest tightened every time someone mentioned "future plans" like it was a done deal.

Friday night, Maya shoved a hood over her orange hair and went to Leo's party. Leo's house was weird—his parents were antique dealers, so there were random statues everywhere. Including a three-foot sphinx statue by the snack table. Maya was reaching for a red solo cup when she heard him.

"What's the thing that everyone talks about but nobody actually understands?"

She turned. Ethan. The guy she'd been lowkey crushing on since sophomore year, standing there like he owned the place, holding that stupid red cup.

"Um... what?" Maya said brilliantly.

"The sphinx riddle," Ethan said, tapping the statue. "I've been trying to figure it out all night."

"That's not the actual sphinx riddle."

"I know. I'm making up my own." He grinned. "Want to help?"

They ended up on the back porch, making up increasingly ridiculous sphinx riddles while the party thumped inside. The night air was cool, and Maya's hood kept slipping, exposing flashes of orange in the porch light.

"I like it," Ethan said suddenly.

"My hair?" Maya pulled her hood lower.

"Yeah. It's... fearless."

Maya looked up. "I literally just dyed it by accident."

"Exactly. You're walking around with traffic cone hair like it's nothing." Ethan's voice dropped. "I can barely even decide what to post without overthinking it for three days."

Something loosened in Maya's chest. The sphinx statue seemed to be watching them with that weird smile.

"You know what the answer is?" Maya said. "To your riddle."

"What?"

"Being seventeen. Everyone talks about it like it's the best years of your life, but nobody actually understands it."

Ethan stared at her, then cracked up. "That's actually depressing."

"But also true?"

"Also true." He held up his cup. "To sphinx riddles and orange hair."

They clicked plastic cups. Maya's hair caught the light, bright and impossible and hers. Some things didn't need solving. Some things just were. And maybe that was okay.