Riddles in the Rain

Maya pressed herself against the lockers, heart doing that weird fluttery thing it always did when Caleb walked by. She felt like a total amateur spy, even though she'd been background-stalking his Instagram for weeks. His profile said he liked indie bands, vintage video games, and Egyptian mythology, which was honestly the most random combination ever.

"Hey, you coming to Mr. Henderson's class?" her best friend Jasmine appeared beside her, smirking. "Or are you busy conducting covert operations?"

"Shut up," Maya hissed, but grinned. "I'm not spying. I'm... observing. For educational purposes."

"Riiight." Jasmine hip-checked her. "By the way, did you see the new display case? Apparently Mr. H went full museum curator on us. There's literally a miniature sphinx now. It's kinda extra."

A sphinx. Seriously? The universe was playing with her now.

In History class, Maya found herself sitting behind Caleb (thank you, assigned seating) and staring at said sphinx statue on Mr. Henderson's desk. It was small, golden, with those same unreadable eyes that made you wonder if it knew something you didn't.

"So," Caleb turned around, actually talking to her, "what do you think the sphinx would ask us if we showed up at its gates right now?"

Maya's brain short-circuited. "Uh..."

"Come on, don't leave me hanging." His grin was ridiculous. "I'm thinking something deep. Like, 'What's the one thing everyone wants but nobody can buy?'"

"Friendship?" Maya guessed, then immediately cringed. Wow, could she sound any more like a PS4 health video?

But Caleb just nodded thoughtfully. "Or maybe it's simpler. Like, 'What's that one song you listen to when you're sad but won't admit to anyone?'"

Maya's breath hitched. He couldn't know. There was no way he could know she cried to "Landslide" when her parents got divorced last year. Unless—

Thunder cracked overhead, startling everyone. Through the classroom windows, lightning spiderwebbed across the sky, sudden and blinding.

"Okay, that's our cue," Caleb said, grabbing his phone. "My car's out front. You need a ride home?"

"What?"

"You, me, the weather's about to turn terrible. Plus I need to show you this demo tape my band recorded. If you're gonna stalk my Instagram, you might as well hear the actual music."

He winked. HE WINKED.

Maya grabbed her bag, heart hammering like the rain against the windows. The sphinx seemed to smile as she passed. Maybe the answer to its riddle wasn't something complicated after all.

Maybe it was just saying yes to the ride home.