Riddles in the Lunchroom

Maya sat across from Jordan in the cafeteria, poking at her tray like it might suddenly become appetizing. The new girl, Quinn, was holding court at the next table, laughing with effortless cool while Maya's former friends nodded along like bobbleheads.

"Total sphinx energy," Jordan said, nodding toward Quinn. "Mysterious, ask her the right questions and she'll either solve your problems or eat you alive."

Maya snorted. "You're so dramatic. She's just new."

"New? She transferred from Ridgeview. That's practically a different hemisphere. My older brother says she got kicked out for—"

"Don't spread rumors," Maya cut in, though her curiosity was killing her. "What if she's actually chill?"

"What if she's not?" Jordan countered. "Remember what happened with Sarah? You vouched for her and she lowkey ghosted you after two weeks."

That stung. Sarah had been supposed to be Maya's best friend since kindergarten, until seventh grade hit and Sarah decided Maya wasn't cool enough anymore.

Outside the cafeteria windows, Maya's family's golden retriever, Buster, waited by the car like he always did. Dad walked him there during lunch breaks because the dog had separation anxiety worse than Maya before a math test. Seeing Buster's goofy grin through the glass made things feel slightly less terrible.

"Look," Jordan said, lowering her voice. "I'm just saying. Be careful. You've got that whole 'trusts everyone' thing. Like a dog that thinks every stranger is its best friend."

"And you've got that whole 'fox in the henhouse' paranoia," Maya shot back, but without heat. Jordan had been looking out for her since the Sarah disaster.

The bell rang. As they gathered their stuff, Quinn caught Maya's eye and actually smiled—not fake polite, but real. Maybe Jordan was wrong. Or maybe Quinn was just another riddle Maya would have to figure out, piece by confusing piece, and the answer wouldn't be what she expected.

Either way, high school was basically one giant sphinx anyway: solve the riddle or get eaten alive. At least this time, she had backup.