Riddle at the Pool Party

Maya's palms were sweating before she even reached the gate. This was it — Jason Carter's pool party, the social event of the sophomore year, and she was running five minutes late because she'd changed outfits three times.

The backyard was already packed. Jason was in the deep end, his friends cheering as he tried to ride a giant inflatable bull across the water. Maya stood near the fence, her heart racing faster than if she'd actually been running laps in gym class.

"Hey, you made it!" Jason called, splashing water as he slipped off the inflatable. "Come in!"

Maya hesitated. She'd packed her swimsuit, but the thought of being on display —

"What's wrong?" asked Chloe, who appeared beside her with a knowing look. "Don't tell me you're still overthinking that riddle from English class."

Maya groaned. "Mr. Henderson's sphinx assignment. 'What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?' It's been haunting me all week."

"It's literally just humans, Maya. Baby, adult, old person with a cane."

"I KNOW, but I keep thinking there's a deeper meaning, you know? Like, maybe it's about how we're all constantly becoming different versions of ourselves..."

Chloe rolled her eyes, grinning. "You're so extra. Now get in the pool before I push you."

Suddenly, the inflatable bull drifted toward them. Jason ran over, dripping wet. "Maya! I was hoping you'd come."

Her stomach did that embarrassing flip thing. "Yeah, well, here I am."

"Wanna help me with something?" He gestured toward the pool house. "My little sister Sphinx — that's what we call her because she's always asking impossible questions — won't come out until someone solves her riddle."

Maya blinked. "Wait, her name is actually Sphinx?"

"No, it's Lily. But she's obsessed with riddles. She won't swim until someone beats her challenge."

Chloe pushed Maya toward Jason. "Go. You're literally the riddle queen of Westwood High."

So Maya found herself face-to-face with a nine-year-old in a flowered swimsuit, sphinx-like on her pool chair, surrounded by snacks.

"What gets bigger the more you take away?" Lily demanded.

Maya thought for a second. "A hole."

Lily's jaw dropped. "No one's ever gotten it that fast!" She jumped up. "You can come in the pool with us!"

As Maya dove into the cool water, surrounded by laughter and splashing friends, she realized something: sometimes the riddles aren't that deep. Sometimes you just have to jump in.