Poolside Sphinx

The pool party was already at level 1000 when I arrived, late as usual because Mom had to give me the whole "make good choices" speech. I spotted Jordan immediately—the human equivalent of a fox, all clever smirk and easy confidence, holding court by the deep end like they owned every square inch of suburban backyard.

I grabbed a **water** from the cooler, trying to look casual, not like I'd spent twenty minutes psyching myself up in the bathroom mirror. "Hey, Marcus," Jordan called, grinning. "Was beginning to think you'd ghost us."

"Nah, just—"

"Yo, check it!" Tyler burst out of the sliding glass door, phone in hand. "Emma just posted that thing about the **bull** from last year's homecoming. You know, when it escaped and chased the marching band onto the football field?"

Everyone laughed. I forced myself to chuckle, even though I'd been the one filming from the safety of a dumpster, screaming internally while three thousand pounds of Hereford thundered past.

"Anyway," Jordan said, turning back to me with this look—like they knew something I didn't. "I was just telling everyone about your riddle skills. You're, like, the **sphinx** of sophomore English."

"What?"

"The sphinx." They raised an eyebrow. "The riddle thing? C'mon, Marcus. We're doing the party game. You're up."

My stomach dropped. Party games were my personal hell. But everyone was watching—Tyler, Emma, even that junior I'd been lowkey crushing on since orientation.

"Okay," I managed. "Hit me."

"What's green and embarrassing when it's stuck in your teeth?" Jordan's eyes danced with something I couldn't read.

"Uh... **spinach**?"

"Wrong." They stepped closer, suddenly in my space, voice dropping so only I could hear. "It's you standing there pretending you don't know why I invited you."

The noise of the party faded to white noise. My brain short-circuited.

"Wait—you—"

"I've been trying to get you alone all week, Marcus." Jordan's smirk softened into something real. "Tyler's trivia tournament is tomorrow. I need a partner who's actually smart. You in?"

I blinked. "Just trivia?"

"Just trivia." They paused. "Unless you want it to be something else."

The junior I'd been crushing on high-fived someone across the pool. Whatever. Jordan was right here, looking at me like I was worth noticing, and my stupid face was probably doing something incredibly obvious.

"I'm in," I said. "But warning: I'm competitive."

"Good." Jordan's grin returned, sharp and brilliant. "So am I."