Riddle of the rooftop sphinx

It started with a hat. Not just any hat — a vintage dad cap I found at the thrift store, the kind that screams 'I'm trying too hard.' But my bestie Lila said it was a vibe, so I wore it to Jordan's party.

The house was packed. Everyone who was anyone from sophomore year was there, including Chloe, the girl who's been ghosting me since homecoming. I grabbed a soda and headed to the roof to escape. That's where I found the cat.

A sleek black cat was perched on the railing, staring at me with these ancient yellow eyes. It looked like it knew my deepest insecurities — which, at that moment, were plenty.

'Great,' I muttered. 'Even the rooftop cat is judging my outfit.'

Then the roof access door creaked. Chloe stepped out, her perfect hair catching the light. I nearly dropped my soda. We hadn't spoken since the incident at homecoming, when she'd accidentally posted my embarrassing karaoke video to her story.

'Nice hat,' she said, sliding onto the railing beside the cat.

I froze. Was she being sarcastic? Her face gave nothing away. This girl was a sphinx — mysterious, unreadable, holding all the secrets. The cat purred and rubbed against her leg like they were old friends.

'Is that your cat?' I asked, trying to sound casual while my heart did backflips.

She laughed — actually laughed — and the tension dissolved. 'No, he's the neighborhood sphinx. Shows up whenever someone needs to figure something out. We call him Riddle.'

'Riddle,' I repeated. 'Like... riddles?'

'Exactly.' She turned to face me, really face me, for the first time in months. 'Here's one: what's more embarrassing than a karaoke video?'

I blinked. Was she bringing that up to rub it in? 'I don't know...'

'Tripping over your own feet while trying to look cool in front of your crush,' she said, her cheeks turning pink. 'That was me. At homecoming. After I posted your video, I tried to apologize and literally ate it right in front of you. I was so mortified I just... avoided you.'

The cat chose that moment to knock my dad cap off my head. We both laughed, and it wasn't weird anymore.

'So,' I said, adjusting my messed-up hair. 'Want to grab pizza tomorrow? No more riddles.'

'Deal,' she said. 'But you're keeping the hat. It is a vibe.'