Riddle in the Fruit Bowl

Leo tugged the brim of his dad's vintage fedora lower, wishing he could disappear into the punch bowl. Spring Fling. The words alone made his stomach do backflips.

"Hey, Leo!" Maya materialized beside him, wearing a dress that sparkled like she'd personally offended gravity. "You gonna hide under that hat all night or actually dance?"

"Strategy," Leo mumbled. "Camouflage."

Maya rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful. "You're at a school dance, not a wildlife documentary. Come on."

She dragged him toward the refreshments table, where someone had set up what looked like a tropical fruit explosion. Leo's eyes landed on a pyramid of papayas, glistening under the fairy lights.

"Okay, random question," Maya said, popping a strawberry into her mouth. "What's the deal with sphinxes? Like, why riddles? Why not just eat people like normal monsters?"

Leo blinked. "Did you just compare mythical creatures to serial killers?"

"I'm saying." She gestured with her half-eaten strawberry. "A sphinx is basically an ancient troll. 'Answer my riddle or die.' So dramatic."

"It's about worthiness," Leo said, surprising himself. "Knowledge. Proving you're not just some random traveler who wandered in from Ohio."

Maya studied him, really looked at him, for the first time all night. "Since when do you know about sphinxes?"

"Ancient civilizations unit. Mr. Harrison's class. We studied Egypt last month."

"Huh." She picked up a slice of papaya, considering it like it held secrets. "You know what your riddle would be?"

"What?"

"Why the guy who's been sitting behind me in AP English for six months finally talks to me at a dance instead of, you know, in class when I'm awake enough to form full sentences."

Leo's face burned. The hat suddenly felt ridiculous.

Maya took a bite of papaya and grinned. "Also, that hat? It's working. Like, weirdly well. You pull off the mysterious intellectual vibe."

"I'm not mysterious," Leo protested. "I'm just—"

"Nervous?" She stepped closer. "Me too. First dance. I've been hiding in the bathroom for forty minutes."

Leo stared. "You?"

"Humans get nervous, Leo. Even ones who apparently know too much about sphinxes." She held out her hand. "Dance?"

He adjusted his hat, once, then took her hand. "Only if you answer my riddle first."

"What riddle?"

"What happens when you stop hiding?"

Maya's smile widened. "You finally get asked to dance."