Pool Party Riddles

I felt like a zombie. Literally. Three hours of sleep + one energy drink = Maya walking through life like the undead. The worst part? I'd promised Leo I'd go to his pool party today. The same Leo who'd been giving me that look across AP Bio for weeks.

Standing by his pool, clutching my towel like a security blanket, I watched everyone else acting normal. Carlos was already in the water, doing that thing where he pretended to be a shark. Sasha and her friends were taking selfies, their laughter carrying across the backyard. And me? I was stuck on the deck, overthinking everything.

"Maya!" Leo materialized beside me, droplets of water clinging to his shoulders. "You coming in?"

"Uh, yeah, just... gotta take my vitamin first." I patted my pocket where I'd stuffed an emergency gummy vitamin because Mom was paranoid about me getting sick at parties. Great. Now I sounded like a preschooler.

Leo laughed. "Cool, cool. No rush. But you're missing the epic volleyball game."

I watched him dive back in, all golden-boy confidence. Meanwhile, his family's Egyptian cat—a sphinx cat, hairless and weirdly elegant—hopped onto the lounge chair next to me and stared with judgment in its enormous eyes.

"What?" I asked the cat. "You think you could do better?"

The cat blinked slowly. Then sneezed.

"Rude."

"She likes you," Leo's voice came from behind me. I jumped. "Cleopatra. She doesn't warm up to just anyone."

"She has a funny way of showing it."

He laughed, that sound that made my chest feel weird. "She's like a sphinx, you know? All mysterious and selective."

"That's deep."

"I try." He held out a hand. "Seriously though, come swimming. The water's perfect, and I promise not to splash you. Much."

I looked at his hand, then at the pool, then at the sphinx cat who was now watching me like I was on a reality TV show and needed to make good choices. The zombie brain fog lifted. Just for a second.

"Fine," I said, dropping my towel. "But if I embarrass myself, I'm blaming the cat."

"Deal." Leo grinned. "Welcome to the deep end, Maya."