Riddles by the Pool

Marcus stood poolside in his oversized guard uniform, feeling like an imposter. The **baseball** glove tucked in his bag was a secret rebellion—his dad wanted him at sports camp, but Marcus had bailed to work at the Meadow Hills community pool instead. The chlorine smell clung to everything, a constant reminder of the summer he was supposed to be having versus the one he actually was.

That's when he saw her—perched on the lifeguard stand like some mysterious creature from mythology. Raven-dark hair, eyes that seemed to hold secrets, a presence so still and knowing she reminded him of the **sphinx** outside the museum downtown. All riddles and no answers. Astrid. The girl everyone talked about but nobody really knew.

His phone buzzed. A text from his mom: "How's the camp going?"

Marcus shoved it deeper in his pocket. Another lie to maintain. The weight of it sat heavy in his chest.

A movement caught his eye—a ginger tabby cat padding along the pool fence, tail twitching with judgment. The stray **cat** was a regular visitor, appearing at random moments like it was monitoring the situation. Marcus had started leaving it water in a cracked bowl behind the equipment shed. Their thing.

He adjusted his sunglasses, pretending to scan the **pool** while actually watching Astrid watch him. Or maybe she wasn't. Maybe he was just some awkward freshman she'd never noticed. But then their eyes met through the lenses, and something electric passed between them. A recognition. A dare.

"You're not very subtle," a voice said behind him.

Marcus jumped. Astrid stood there, dripping wet from her break, holding something familiar. His **baseball** glove. She'd found it in his bag.

"I wasn't—"

"**Spying** on me?" She finished, a half-smile playing on her lips. "Relax, freshman. I was doing the same."

The cat yowled from the fence, like it approved of this development.

"You play?" She tossed the glove. He caught it automatically, muscle memory taking over.

"Used to. Before... everything."

Her expression softened. "Parents?"

"How'd you guess?"

"The sphinx knows all," she said mysteriously, then laughed at his confusion. "Kidding. But seriously, you're not the only one stuck between who they are and who their parents want them to be."

She pulled out her phone, showed him her screen—a locked folder titled "DO NOT OPEN." "I'm supposed to be at STEM camp. My mom thinks I'm becoming a doctor."

"And instead?"

"Instead, I'm here. Figuring out that maybe I don't have to solve everyone else's riddles first." She paused. "So, baseball player. What position?"

"Shortstop. But I haven't played in—"

"Wanna play catch? After shift?"

The question hung in the humid air. A test. An opening. Something real.

"Yeah," Marcus heard himself say. "Yeah, I'd like that."

The cat purred as if approving. The sphinx had spoken, and for once, Marcus actually liked the answer.