Riddle at the Deep End

Maya's palms were sweating before she even touched the gate. The invite said pool party, but this felt like a social minefield. Freshman year at Lincoln High had been a series of awkward waves in hallways and sitting alone at lunch. This party with the popular crowd was her chance to finally be seen.

The backyard was already buzzing — Spotify playlist, string lights, kids from her AP Euro class she'd barely spoken to. Maya clutched her towel like a shield. Then she spotted him by the deep end: Jason, who somehow made everything look effortless, perched on the pool's edge like he owned it.

"What's with the lawn ornament?" someone laughed.

Behind the diving board loomed this crusty concrete statue — some sphinx thing that the previous owners had left. Its painted-on eyes seemed to judge everyone's swimsuit choices.

"The Sphinx," Jason announced, suddenly beside her. Maya nearly jumped. "Legend says if you make a shot off its head, you get one free wish."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Maya said, then panicked. Why'd she say that? Now he'd think she was rude.

Jason grinned. "Yeah? Prove it."

Before she could overthink it, he tossed her a volleyball. Maya caught it reflexively. Every pair of eyes was on her now. The pressure built in her chest — this was it, her moment to either shine or face-plant spectacularly.

She aimed for the sphinx's head and threw.

The ball ricocheted off the concrete nose with a hollow CLUNK — and straight into the pool, where a golden retriever had just launched itself into the water. The dog, named Brody according to his embarrassed owner, surfaced with the ball like he'd just won the lottery, tail wagging like a metronome on caffeine.

Everyone cracked up. In that moment, nobody was cool or uncool. They were just teenagers watching a very dog named Brody become the accidental MVP.

"Sphinx says you get your wish," Jason said, shaking water from his hair. "What's it gonna be?"

Maya looked around at the laughing group, at Brody dropping the ball at her feet with heroic intensity. Something in her chest unlocked.

"I think I already got it," she said.

And just like that, the riddle wasn't so scary anymore.