Riddles in the Pocket

Maya's thumb hovered over her iPhone screen, the blue light illuminating her face in the darkness of the coat room. Another notification pinged—someone else posting about how amazing Jordan's house party was. She'd been hiding here for twenty minutes.

"You okay in here?" A voice made her jump. It was Caleb, that weird kid from her English class who always answered questions about symbolism and carried around actual books.

"Fine," Maya lied, instinctively checking her vitamin gummy stash in her pocket. Her mom swore they helped with stress. So far, they were zero for three.

Caleb leaned against the wall, sliding his phone into his back pocket. "You know, the ancient Sphinx had a riddle about what walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening."

"That's the most random thing you could possibly say right now."

"I'm just saying." He shrugged. "Maybe we're all just stuck in the afternoon phase—awkwardly trying to stand on two legs when we barely know how."

Maya stared at him. Was he being profound or just weird? But then she cracked up. A real laugh, not the polite giggle she gave teachers.

"My little brother's going through this phase where he won't eat anything unless I pretend his chicken nuggets are baby bears hibernating for winter," she found herself saying. "It's exhausting. I have to narrate an entire documentary every mealtime."

"That's actually kind of iconic," Caleb said, and the way he said it—like he actually meant it—made something in Maya's chest loosen. "My cat refuses to sleep anywhere except on my homework. I think she's grading me. So far, I'm failing."

They spent the next hour wedged between coats, trading stories and neither of them checking their phones once. When Jordan finally stumbled in looking for more mixers, they emerged from the coat room like they'd discovered something magical.

"Hey," Caleb said as they headed back to the party. "Maybe the riddle's answer isn't about legs at all. Maybe it's about being okay with whatever phase you're in."

Maya's phone stayed in her pocket all night. For the first time, she wasn't watching life happen through a screen.