Riddle Me This

I've been running from my problems since seventh grade, literally and figuratively. Cross country was supposed to be my fresh start at Northwood High, but apparently fresh starts don't transfer when you move two towns over.

"Hey, library girl," Marcus called out, leaning against my locker with his usual swagger. His crew laughed on cue. "Got any good riddles today?"

I clenched my jaw. The sphinx moth stickers on my laptop were supposed to be low-key, not an invitation for Marcus to make my life miserable every single day.

"Actually," I said, surprising myself, "I do. What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?"

The hallway went quiet. Marcus's forehead scrunched up like he was actually thinking. "That's bull," he finally said. "You're making that up."

"It's the Riddle of the Sphinx," I said, slamming my locker shut. "From Greek mythology. Maybe crack open a book sometime?"

I didn't wait for his response. I took off running toward the gym, my heart pounding in a way that had nothing to do with cardio. Practice started in five minutes, and Coach Miller would kill me if I was late again.

But as I rounded the corner near the art wing, something made me stop.

Marcus was there, alone. No crew. No audience. He was looking at the display case where someone had arranged an ancient Egyptian exhibit for World History week. His eyes were fixed on the small sphinx statue in the center.

"Man," he said, not seeing me. "My grandma had one of these. She used to tell me stories about it before she got sick."

I stood frozen, my cross country shoes suddenly feeling heavy.

"She said the sphinx taught people that the answer was always right in front of them," Marcus continued quietly. "Humans. We change as we grow. That's the answer to your riddle, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Yeah, it is."

Marcus turned, looking almost embarrassed. "Look, about the locker thing..."

"Cross country tryouts are Friday," I heard myself say. "If you can keep up, I'll teach you more riddles."

A grin slowly spread across his face. "You're on, library girl."

I took off running again, but this time, I wasn't running away.