Riddle Me This

The school mascot—a giant fiberglass sphinx—loomed over Maya as she leaned against its chipped paw base, water bottle sweating in her hand. Tryouts for the cross-country team were in ten minutes, and her nerves were doing somersaults.

"You're actually gonna do it?" Jordan's voice cut through her panic. Her best friend since kindergarten stood there, looking skeptical.

"Yeah. No big deal." Maya took a swig of water to hide her shaking hands. "Just running until I can't breathe. NBD."

Jordan raised an eyebrow. "You hate running. You once called it 'torture disguised as cardio.'"

"People change, J. I'm evolving." Maya's attempt at nonchalance was weak, and they both knew it.

The truth was, Maya was tired of being the quiet girl who sat at the back of every class, who never put herself out there. College applications were looming, and her extracurriculars section was embarrassingly bare. But more than that—she was tired of watching life happen from the sidelines.

"Hey." Jordan's voice softened. "For what it's worth? You've got this. The sphinx statue has seen weirder things than Maya Torres actually joining a sport."

Maya laughed. "Was that supposed to be a pep talk?"

"I'm working on it." Jordan grinned. "Go show them what you got. And if you barf? I'll pretend I don't know you."

"Wow. So supportive."

Maya jogged toward the group of hopefuls gathering near the track, the sphinx watching silently behind her. Her heart hammered as Coach Williams explained the two-mile trial course.

"On your mark..."

She didn't come in first. Actually, she came in twelfth out of twenty. But when she crossed the finish line, chest heaving and legs burning, Maya felt something shift inside. Maybe the ancient Egyptians were onto something with that sphinx riddle stuff. Sometimes the answer wasn't about who you were supposed to be—it was about who you chose to become.

Jordan was waiting at the finish line with another water bottle.

"So?" they asked.

"So," Maya said, catching her breath, "I think I might actually like this running thing."

"Told you," Jordan said. "The sphinx knows all."