Riddle of the Backyard Sphinx

The party was already lowkey dead when Maya spotted him across the crowded backyard. Jason. The sphinx of sophomore year. Beautiful, mysterious, and seemingly impossible to figure out.

"You're literally staring again," whispered Leo, tugging at her sleeve. "You've been carrying this torch forever, Maya. It's getting heavy. You gotta bear it or bury it."

"Shut up, Leo." Maya flipped him off, but her best friend wasn't wrong. Jason was a riddle she'd been trying to solve since homecoming. Every time she tried to talk to him, he either gave short, cryptic answers or disappeared like smoke.

Suddenly, a Golden Retriever burst through the sliding glass door, barking joyfully, and crashed directly into Jason's legs. His red solo cup flew. Ice-cold punch splashed everywhere.

The whole backyard went silent.

Jason looked down at the dog now sitting happily at his feet, tail thumping. Then he looked up, directly at Maya, and burst out laughing. Not cool-I'm-too-good-for-this laughter, but genuine, bent-over, can't-breathe laughter.

Maya found herself moving toward him before she could overthink it. "That's Buster," she said, reaching them. "My aunt's dog. He's a total menace."

Jason wiped punch from his shirt, still grinning. "I figured. Nice to finally meet you, Maya."

Her heart did that stupid flutter thing. "You know my name?"

"Of course I do." He gestured between them. "We're in history together. You sit behind me. You always chew mint gum when there's a test."

Maya's face burned. "You noticed?"

"I notice everything about you." His smile faltered, like he hadn't meant to say that part out loud. "That's why I never talked to you. I was terrified I'd say something stupid."

The sphinx wasn't mysterious after all. He was just as nervous as she was.

"Well," Maya said, her confidence surging, "you just spilled punch all over yourself, so technically you already said something stupid. Want to get out of here? There's a food truck down the street."

Jason's eyes lit up. "Only if you promise to never tell anyone a dog took me out."

"Your secret's safe with me."

As they walked toward the gate, Buster trailing behind them, Maya caught Leo's eye. He gave her a thumbs-up and mouthed, "I TOLD YOU."

Some riddles, she realized, weren't meant to be solved alone.