Riddle of the Half-Eaten Papaya

Maya felt like a total zombie as she dragged herself into Leo's backyard bash. She'd spent three hours getting ready, curling her hair until her arms hurt, trying on seven outfits before settling on the vintage sundress she hoped said effortless cool but probably screamed trying too hard.

She spotted Leo by the papaya tree—yes, his actual family had a papaya tree in their suburban backyard, because of course they did—telling some story while a group of guys laughed. He was in that soccer jersey that made his shoulders look broad, holding a red Solo cup like he owned the place.

"Hey, you made it!" Leo's face lit up when he saw her. Maya's stomach did that thing where it simultaneously filled with butterflies and wanted to evacuate her body entirely. "This is Maya—she's in my English lit group."

The other guys nodded. One with messy curls gave her a once-over that felt like being x-rayed. "Lit group? You guys doing that Sphinx project?"

"The riddle one?" Maya nodded, grateful for something to say that wasn't just standing there awkwardly. "We have to write our own riddle. Leo keeps making ones that make zero sense."

Leo groaned. "They're DEEP, okay? You just don't get my artistic vision."

"Last one was literally 'what has keys but no locks' and you thought for twenty minutes before giving up," she shot back, and for a second, she forgot to be nervous. They had this easy rhythm when they weren't surrounded by his friends and her own insecurities.

Messy Curls laughed. "You burned him, Maya. I'm Jason, by the way."

"You burn literally everyone, Leo," another guy added. "Remember when you tried to tell Mr. Harrison his assignment was total bull and he just stared at you until you sat down?"

Maya relaxed, inch by inch. They were just people. People who ate chips and made bad jokes and had papaya trees in their backyards. She wasn't performing for an audience—she was just hanging out.

When Leo's phone pinged with a reminder about their riddle being due Monday, Maya caught his eye across the circle and grinned. Maybe she didn't have to be the smoothest person at the party. Maybe she could just be the girl who roasted Leo about being unable to solve riddles while somehow still wanting to kiss him.

Maybe that was enough.