Sphinx and the Stray Cat Confession

The field trip to the Metropolitan Museum was supposed to be chill—just me, Brianna, and Amani taking aesthetic pics for the feed while everyone else pretended to care about ancient Egypt. But Brianna had been acting weird all week, and today she'd practically ghosted me to hang with the popular girls.

I found myself alone in the Great Hall, staring up at this massive stone sphinx. The creature had the body of a lion, the head of a human—like it couldn't decide what it was supposed to be. Honestly, same.

"You good?" Amani slid up beside me, fake-casual. I'd been crushing on him since September, but Brianna had sworn he only saw me as a friend. Whatever that meant.

"Brianna's ditching me for Alexa's crew again," I muttered, not meeting his eyes. "Think I'm being phased out."

Amani leaned against the railing, his shoulder brushing mine. "She's been different since she made varsity. Like the rest of us are background characters in her main character moment."

Outside the museum entrance, a scrawny cat wound around my ankles—orange fur sticking up everywhere, one ear perpetually folded. I knelt down, and it immediately climbed into my lap like it owned me.

"That's disgusting," Brianna's voice behind me. "It's probably got diseases."

She was with Alexa and Taylor, all matching oversized hoodies and flawless curls. Something in me snapped.

"She's a sphinx," I said, scratching the cat's chin as she purred like a tiny motor. "Mysterious. Ancient. Doesn't explain herself to anyone."

Amani snorted. Brianna rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. But then—surprisingly—Amani crouched down beside me.

"I'm more of a dog person," he said, "but this cat's got vibes." His hand brushed mine as he petted her.

Brianna and her crew walked away, and for the first time all week, I didn't feel like I was missing out.

"Hey," Amani said, still crouched there. "You doing anything later? My mom's making empanadas."

The sphinx cat purred in my lap like she approved.

"Only if I can bring my new friend," I said, gesturing to the cat.

Amani laughed, and it sounded like something real was starting. "Deal."