Papaya Sphinx at the Pool Party

The papaya sat on the edge of the paper plate like some kind of exotic alien artifact. Kai stared at it, desperately trying to remember if he was supposed to eat the seeds or not. Around him, the pool party raged—students from Northwood High splashing, laughing, seemingly knowing exactly how to exist in this moment.

"You gonna eat that or interview it?"

Kai jumped. Maya stood behind him, dripping wet in her neon bikini, holding a plate of untouched fruit. She'd transferred here three months ago and somehow already knew everyone.

"I've never had papaya," Kai admitted, feeling stupid as soon as he said it.

Maya's eyes widened. "Dude, you're missing out. Here." She speared a piece with her fork and held it out. Then froze, remembering social protocols. "Oh, wait, that's probably weird."

"No, it's—"

"BULL!" someone roared behind them.

They both turned. Tyler, the junior class president and certified human golden retriever, stood on the diving board wearing a plastic sphinx mask from who-knows-where. He struck a dramatic pose.

"I am the Great Sphinx of Northwood!" Tyler bellowed through the mask. "Answer my riddle correctly, or face my wrath! What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?"

Someone in the pool yelled, "That's literally the most basic riddle ever, it's—"

"WRONG," Tyler declared. "The answer is ME. I walk on four legs when I'm drunk, two when I'm sober, and three when I'm carrying this mondo water bottle!" He hoisted a comically huge hydro flask like a trophy. The pool erupted in groans and laughter.

Maya turned back to Kai, still holding out the papaya. "Tyler's such a dork. I love it."

Kai looked at the fruit, at Maya, at the chaotic perfection of this moment he'd been terrified to ruin. "You know what?" He leaned forward and ate the papaya off her fork. Sweet, musky, slightly alien.

Maya grinned. "Well?"

"Weirdly good," Kai said. "Like, if a mango and a melon had a baby."

"High praise from the papaya critic." She nodded toward the sphinx-masked boy still terrorizing the pool. "Wanna go solve some riddles?"

Kai finally smiled. "Yeah. Let's do this."

Some days, he was learning, you just had to taste the papaya. Even if you had no idea what you were doing.