Riddle of the Hallway Sphinx

The cardboard sphinx stared at me with painted-on eyes from its throne atop the lockers, looking judgmental as hell. I was already having a day—my crush Marcus had ghosted my texts (again), and I was running on three hours of sleep and an iced coffee that was doing absolutely nothing for my anxiety.

"You look like you're contemplating your entire existence," said a voice behind me.

I jumped. Like, actually jumped. Maya leaned against the lockers, grinning with that chaotic energy that made everyone either love her or find her terrifying. "Also, the sphinx is giving mascot energy. Not sure that's the vibe we want for Homecoming."

"It's for English," I muttered. "We're doing mythology unit presentations tomorrow. I have to explain riddles and fate and stuff while wearing this papier-mâché disaster."

Maya's eyes lit up. "Oh, this is perfect. You're literally going to be the friend who knows all the answers. Speaking of—"

She lowered her voice dramatically. "Marcus is by the vending machines. Looking confused, as usual. I saw him checking your Instagram story three times in the last hour. That boy is down bad."

My stomach did that weird fluttery thing. "He's probably just... bored."

"No cap, he's not bored." Maya pushed me gently toward the hallway. "Go talk to him. I'll cover your back... literally. Nobody's noticing the sphinx is slowly tilting sideways."

I took a breath and started walking, the cardboard wings awkwardly bumping against my backpack. Running away from problems was my specialty, but Maya was right—sometimes you had to stop running and just deal.

"Hey," I said to Marcus, my voice coming out way too casual.

He looked up, surprised. "Hey! I was gonna text you but I didn't want to bother you during your project. That's... a sphinx?"

"Don't ask." I felt myself smiling despite everything. "You want to help me figure out how to get this thing to third period without taking out the entire freshmen class?"

Marcus laughed. "Bet. But first—you have to answer my riddle."

"What?"

"If you're the sphinx, you have to answer the riddle." He stepped closer. "What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? And if you get it wrong, I don't get eaten, right?"

"Man," I said. "That's literally the easiest one. It's a human throughout their life—crawling as a baby, walking as an adult, using a cane when they're old. Did you pay zero attention in English last year?"

Marcus's face lit up. "Okay, you're smart. That's kinda hot, not gonna lie."

My face burned. The sphinx's papier-mâché head bobbed dangerously as I shifted my weight.

"So," Marcus said, rubbing the back of his neck, "maybe after we get your Egyptian friend to English class... you want to hang out? Like, actually hang out? No more ghosting?"

Behind me, I heard Maya muffled-yell, "SAY YES!" from somewhere down the hall.

I looked at Marcus—really looked at him. The boy who'd been running circles around my feelings for weeks, who I'd overanalyzed every interaction with until my brain hurt. But here he was, awkward and genuine and asking exactly what I'd been wanting to hear.

"Yeah," I said. "I'd like that."

The sphinx, still slightly tilted, seemed to approve.