Riddles Under Palm Trees

Maya stood by the **water**, the Pacific lapping at her flip-flops, trying to look casual. Meanwhile her heart was doing literal cartwheels because Jordan was five feet away, looking stupidly gorgeous in that way that makes your brain turn into static.

"You're doing that thing again," said Chloe, materializing beside her with a red solo cup. "That thing where you overthink everything until you literally vibrate. Just talk to him."

"I can't just talk to him!" Maya hissed. "I have to say something that's not awkward or weird or basically anything I would normally say."

"Then say something normal. Ask about track season. Ask about literally anything except the weather."

Maya's palms were sweating. She wiped them on her shorts, which probably looked super gross but whatever. She'd been **running** track all spring, could sprint a 400-meter dash in under a minute, but talking to her crush? That was an entirely different sport.

Across the beach bonfire, Maya was holding court surrounded by like half the party. She was gorgeous, mysterious, basically a **sphinx** in designer swimwear—enigmatic and untouchable and somehow knowing everyone's secrets before they even spoke them out loud. Even Jordan was laughing at something she'd said.

"Okay, what if I just—" Maya started.

"What if you just don't panic?" Chloe interrupted. "You've got this. You're funny, you're smart, you're literally the fastest person on the track team. Just be yourself."

Maya took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay, I'm going. I'm doing it. I'm going over there right now."

She took approximately two steps before Jordan turned and spotted her. His face lit up. "Hey! Maya, right? From track?"

"Yeah!" she squeaked. "I mean—yeah, that's me. Track. The track team. I'm on it."

Her soul was leaving her body.

"You were insane at regionals," he said, moving closer. "That last leg of the 4x400? I thought you were gonna literally catch on fire, you were moving so fast."

"Thanks!" Maya managed. Her brain was rebooting. This was happening. Jordan was talking to her and she hadn't said anything irreversibly embarrassing yet.

"Hey," he said, tilting his head. "You've got a little—" He gestured to his own teeth.

"What?" Maya asked, her stomach dropping.

"Spinach," he said, reaching out like he was going to help but then stopping. "From dinner? It's right there in your—"

Maya's face erupted into flames. She'd eaten like three servings of spinach salad earlier because her coach had been going on about iron levels and performance nutrition. And now Jordan, the guy she'd been lowkey obsessed with since September, was telling her she had green stuff stuck in her teeth.

She wanted to die. She wanted to dissolve into the sand. She wanted to go back in time and not eat anything leafy ever again.

"I got it," she said quickly, scrubbing at her teeth with her finger. "Is it gone?"

"Most of it," he said. "No, wait—here, let me—" He stepped closer and gently brushed something from her smile, his fingers warm against her mouth.

Maya's heart stopped. Just stopped beating entirely.

"There," he said, grinning. "Perfect."

"Thanks," she whispered.

"So anyway," he said, like her entire world hadn't just collapsed and reassembled itself in five seconds. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to get pizza with me sometime? Maybe after next meet?"

The bonfire crackled. The **palm** trees swayed above them in the ocean breeze. Maya blinked, certain she was hallucinating.

"Yeah," she said, and her voice came out steady. "Yeah, I'd love that."

Chloe caught her eye from across the fire and gave her a thumbs-up.

Sometimes the riddles aren't riddles at all. Sometimes they're just spinach in your teeth and a boy who thinks you're worth getting pizza with anyway.