Riddle of the Bathroom Mirror

Maya's reflection stared back like some ancient sphinx guarding the secrets of freshman year. She'd spent forty-five minutes on her hair — twisted into perfect waves that said 'I woke up like this' while screaming 'I actually spent an hour curling each strand.'

The ethernet cable snaked across her bedroom floor, her lifeline to the group chat that buzzed with pre-party anxiety. Kai was going. Kai, with his dimples and the way he tilted his head when he was confused about literally everything.

'You got something in your teeth,' her brother had mumbled at dinner. She'd spent ten minutes with the bathroom mirror, inspecting every angle until finding that single piece of spinach wedged between her front teeth. The mortifying evidence of her smoothie phase.

Now she stood at Jordan's door, heart hammering like lightning trapped in a jar. She grabbed a water bottle from the cooler — desperate for something to do with her hands. The condensation slick against her palms.

'Maya!' Jordan's face lit up. 'You made it!'

The house was already thumping with bass. Bodies pressed together in the living room, kids who'd sat behind her in middle school now transformed somehow. Taller. Hotter. Unfamiliar.

She found Kai by the Spotify setup, wrestling with a tangled cable. 'The sound keeps cutting,' he said, frustration creasing his forehead.

'Still got that piece of spinach?' Maya blurted out.

Kai looked up, confused. 'What? No.' He squinted at her. Then his eyes widened. 'Oh my god, are you talking about seventh grade?'

Her face burned. She'd meant to make a joke. Flirt, maybe. Instead she'd resurrected his most embarrassing moment from two years ago.

But then Kai laughed. Not mean-laughed. Actual-laughed. 'That was literally the most humiliating day of my life.'

'You told everyone you'd tried a green smoothie recipe and it was life-changing.'

'I was trying to be a healthy person!' He was grinning now. 'At least I didn't cry in the middle school bathroom because my crush saw my retainer.'

Maya's jaw dropped. 'I told you that in confidence!'

'You told everyone. You were crying.'

Something shifted. The sphinx in her reflection had cracked open.

'You want some water?' Maya offered, holding out her bottle.

'Sure.' His fingers brushed hers. An electric current like lightning, sudden and undeniable.

Maybe freshman year wouldn't be some riddle she had to solve alone. Maybe she could just live through it — spinach incidents, awkward moments, and all.