Riddles at the Pool Edge

Maya pressed her hands against her hair, frizzy from the humidity, wishing she'd just stayed home. But no, here she was at Tyler's end-of-summer party, surrounded by people who seemed to glide through social situations while she floundered like—well, like the goldfish she'd won at the carnival last summer, the one that died three days later because she overfed it.

The backyard pool glittered with underwater lights. Maya stayed on the edge, dipping her toes in the water, watching everyone else splash and scream inside their own perfect moments.

"You look like you're solving a riddle."

Maya jumped. A girl she'd never seen before was sitting on the diving board, knees pulled to her chest, dark curls spilling everywhere. She had this unreadable expression—like she knew something you didn't.

"What?"

"A sphinx," the girl said, like it was obvious. "You know—stoic, mysterious, guarding secrets. That's your vibe. It's cool."

Maya almost laughed. "I'm not mysterious. I'm just... socially anxious."

"Same thing, honestly." The girl slid into the water with zero splash, surfacing with wet hair plastered to her face. "I'm Riley. You're Maya, right? You sit behind me in English."

"You... notice me?"

"Of course. You draw in the margins of your notebook. Those little fish doodles." Riley paddled closer. "I like them. They're... peaceful."

Peaceful. That was new. Nobody had ever called Maya peaceful before. Anxious, quiet, maybe. But peaceful?

"My brother says goldfish have three-second memories," Maya said, surprising herself. "Sometimes I wish I could forget everything that fast. Just... reset. Start fresh."

Riley considered this. "Or maybe they're just fully present. Like, no past, no future. Just right now. Water. Light. Food." She splashed Maya. "That's not a bad way to live."

Maya wiped water from her face. Her frizzy hair was definitely ruined now. But for the first time all night, she didn't care.

"You're weird," she said.

"Thanks." Riley grinned. "Wanna come in? The water's actually perfect."

Maya looked at the pool—really looked. Not as some obstacle course of social hazards she'd fail at, but just water. Water she could be in.

She slid off the edge and submerged, letting it wrap around her like a second skin. When she surfaced, Riley was still there, waiting.

"See?" Riley said. "Not so scary once you're in it."

Maybe tomorrow Maya would still overthink things. Maybe she'd still worry about her hair and whether people noticed her. But right now, in this water, with this sphinx-like girl who somehow saw her, she could just be present.

Yeah. Not scary at all.