Riddles in the Bathroom Mirror

Rio pressed her phone to her forehead, willing the three dots to stop jumping on her screen. The DM from sphinx_queen_99 sat there for twenty minutes now: I know what happened at Kayla's party. Want to talk?

Outside the bathroom door, she heard her friend Chloe's laugh—that fake one she used when she was uncomfortable.

"You coming?" Chloe called through the door.

"Fixing my hair," Rio lied, staring at her reflection. She'd spent two hours trying to replicate that TikTok curling routine, but her waves still looked limp, nothing like the effortless cascade Chloe had achieved in five minutes.

Her iPhone buzzed again. sphinx_queen_99: Your best friend has a big mouth. Just saying.

Rio's stomach dropped. At the party Saturday—when Rio had been crying behind the garage after what happened with Marcus—had Chloe told someone? They'd pinky-sworn confidentiality since sixth grade.

"Rio?"

"Coming!"

She opened the door to find Chloe scrolling through Instagram, looking unfairly gorgeous. They were supposed to be studying for AP History, but Rio's mind raced with possible scenarios. Who was sphinx_queen_99? Someone from school? Or just another internet troll getting off on drama?

Chloe's cat, Pumpkin, wound around Rio's ankles, purring like a motor. At least the cat wasn't keeping secrets.

"You okay?" Chloe looked up from her phone. "You've been acting weird since Saturday."

Rio thought about denial. About maintaining the fragile peace. But sphinx_queen_99's messages burned in her pocket: She told Marcus you were obsessed with him. Everyone's laughing.

"Did you tell anyone what I said?" Rio asked, her voice shaking. "About Marcus?"

Chloe's face fell. "What? No. I promised."

"Then who's saying different?"

Chloe reached for her phone, frowning. "Show me."

Rio pulled up the DMs. Chloe read them, her expression darkening.

"This isn't from someone at school," she said. "This profile? No posts, no followers—that's a burner. Someone's messing with you."

Rio felt like she'd been holding her breath underwater and finally surfaced. "But—"

"Who'd you tell? Besides me?"

"Nobody. Well—" Rio's face heated. "I might've vented to that online support group..."

"There." Chloe grabbed Rio's hand. "Someone from there? Screenshots? Wants to stir up drama?"

"Why would anyone—"

"Because people suck sometimes." Chloe squeezed her hand. "But I don't. And I'm literally right here."

Pumpkin jumped between them, demanding pets. Rio's hair still looked mediocre. Marcus was still probably a lost cause. But she had her friend back, and somehow, that was enough.

"We should block that account," Chloe said.

"Yeah."

"And," Chloe added, "we should definitely order pizza."

Rio smiled. "That's the smartest thing you've said all day."