Riddles in the Zombie Hat

The hat kept sliding over my eyes. Mom's idea, obviously—part of my "family costume" for the Harmony Falls Halloween Dance. Freshman year, and I was already the zombie kid who couldn't even coordinate his own outfit.

"Dude, you look like you crawled out of a grave," said Tyler, pointing at my fake blood streaks. He was dressed as some vampire count, cape flowing like he owned the place. Because Tyler always owned the place.

"That's kinda the point," I mumbled, adjusting the hat.

The gym was already spinning with colored lights and bodies. I spotted Jordan by the refreshment table—she was wearing this sphinx mask that looked legitimately incredible, all gold and mysterious. She'd been winning every class election since sixth grade. Of course she'd nail Halloween too.

Then I saw what she was holding. A papaya.

Who brings a papaya to a school dance?

I found myself drifting toward her, zombie feet practically dragging. "Nice mask," I said, then immediately regretted it. Nice mask? That was all I had?

"Thanks!" She pushed up the sphinx face, revealing her actual face—slight smile, eyes bright. "My dad went to Egypt last summer and brought me back, like, twelve pounds of gold leaf. I went a little crazy with the glue gun."

"It shows. In a good way." I paused. "What's with the papaya?"

Jordan laughed, and it wasn't fake polite laughter. It was real. "My mom's doing this whole 'exotic fruit phase,' and she made me bring 'healthy alternatives' to share. Nobody wants papaya cubes at a school dance, Lucas. It's tragic."

"I'll try one," I heard myself say. Because apparently Jordan could make me do anything.

"Really?" She brightened. "Here!"

The papaya was actually kind of amazing—sweet and weird and nothing like the processed garbage I usually ate. We started talking about everything—how Tyler had been spreading rumors about her (he sucked), how I'd failed my chemistry test (zombie brain, real), how neither of us actually wanted to be at this dance but our parents made us come.

"You know," Jordan said, "the sphinx was all about riddles. What if the real riddle is figuring out who you actually are when everyone's wearing masks?"

I thought about the hat, the costume, how I'd been letting Tyler make me feel small for years. "Maybe the answer is that you don't need a mask to be seen."

Jordan's smile softened. "Yeah. Maybe."

My phone buzzed. Mom: EAT YOUR SPINACH BEFORE YOU GET SICK FROM ALL THAT SUGAR

nI showed Jordan. She cracked up. "Classic."

"Want to get out of here?" I asked. "There's a diner down the street. They have actual food."

"Lead the way, zombie boy."

I left the hat on the table. Didn't need it anymore.