Riddle of the Backyard Sphinx

Maya's iphone buzzed in her pocket, but she ignored it. Jackson's party already had her anxiety peaking, and checking her notifications would only make it worse. The backyard was packed with seniors from North High, their laughs mixing with the bass thumping through the sliding glass door.

"Hey, you gonna actually eat that papaya?"

Maya jumped. A guy with messy curls and a faded black hoodie stood beside her, gesturing to the fruit cup in her hand. "It's, uh, from the refreshments table. I like trying new things."

"Weird flex, but okay." He grinned. "I'm Leo. You're Maya, right? You sit behind me in AP Lit."

Her stomach did that annoying flutter thing. "Yeah. That's me."

"Cool." He leaned against the oak tree. "So what's your deal? You're not really the party type, are you?"

Maya shrugged, embarrassed. "Is it that obvious? My friend Chloe dragged me here. Said I needed to 'experience high school properly' before graduation."

"Same. My buddy Sam claimed tonight was gonna be legendary." Leo rolled his eyes. "Instead, I'm hiding in the corner with someone who's eating papaya at a rager."

They laughed, and something shifted. The noise of the party faded into the background as they talked—about teachers who gave too much homework, the pressure of college apps, how everyone expected them to have their whole lives figured out at seventeen. Maya forgot to check her phone. Forgot to overthink every word.

Then a roar of laughter erupted from the patio. "Bear! Bear's gonna chug it! Bear's gonna chug it!"

"That's Sam," Leo said, shaking his head. "His nickname's Bear because he hibernates through first period every day."

Maya giggled. "Classic."

"Hey, Maya?" Leo's voice dropped. "You know what you remind me of?"

Her heart rate spiked. "What?"

"The sphinx."

"Excuse me?"

"You know—mysterious, quiet, but there's obviously a lot going on up here." He tapped his temple. "Plus you're probably smarter than everyone else here, but you don't show off about it."

Maya felt her cheeks burn. No one had ever described her like that before.

"So, sphinx," Leo said softly. "Wanna get out of here? There's this boba place down the street—"

"Maya! There you are!" Chloe appeared, grabbing her arm. "We're doing TikToks in the bathroom, you have to come."

Maya looked at Leo, then at Chloe. The sphinx didn't have riddles—she had choices.

"Actually," Maya said, "I think I'm good here."