Riddles at the Pool Party

Maya stood at the edge of the pool, clutching her iphone like it was a lifeline. The screen displayed 47 unread texts from the group chat, but she couldn't deal with RSVP'ing to Jessica's party anymore. Not after what happened last time.

The pool was already chaos—people swimming laps, doing cannonballs, flirting in that carefully casual way teenagers perfected. Maya's orange bikini felt too bright, like a target. She'd picked it because her mom said it looked "vibrant," which was adult code for "you'll stand out." Great. Exactly what she wanted.

"Hey! You coming in?" It was Devin, the guy she'd been lowkey obsessing over since September. He was treading water near the diving board, doing that thing where he slicked his hair back every forty seconds.

Maya opened her mouth, but her brain short-circuited. She was terrible at the whole flirting thing. It felt like solving a riddle from the sphinx—answer wrong, and you get eaten alive socially. Or maybe just awkwardly splash water everywhere.

"I'm good," she managed, which was definitely the wrong answer because he'd already swum away to talk to someone else.

Her phone buzzed. 10%. Of course. She'd left her charging cable at home because she thought, hey, who needs a cable at a pool party? Someone organized and responsible, that's who. Not Maya.

"You look like you're hiding," a voice said behind her. It was Leo, that quiet kid from AP English who always carried a sketchbook. He held out a can of soda. "Orange soda? It's barely touched."

Maya took it. "Just observing. You know, like a scientist."

"Scientist, huh." Leo nodded at the pool. "I've been mapping the social dynamics like it's an ecosystem. See how Jessica stays in the shallow end? Maximum visibility. And Devin does laps because it shows off his arms."

Maya laughed, surprised. "You're weird."

"Weird is just people who notice stuff." Leo sat on the pool edge, feet in the water. "I saw you looking at Devin earlier. Pretty sure he was looking back."

"Yeah, right."

"No, seriously. He keeps checking his phone every time someone new walks in. I think he's waiting for someone."

Maya's phone died. The screen went black, taking all her anxiety with it. Without the distraction, she actually looked around. Really looked. Devin wasn't slicking his hair anymore. He was standing by the snack table, glancing at the empty spot beside her.

"You should go talk to him," Leo said. "Or don't. But don't let it be because you're scared."

Maya stood up. Her orange bikini suddenly felt like armor. "Hey Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"You're good at this sphinx-riddle stuff. You figure people out."

Leo shrugged, half-smiling. "Still working on myself."

Maya walked toward the snack table, leaving her dead phone on the chair. Sometimes you have to disconnect to connect. Sometimes you need someone else to point out what's been obvious all along. And sometimes, just sometimes, the riddle's answer is simpler than you thought: just say hi.