Sphinx in the Cafeteria

I looked like a total zombie. Third all-nighter in a row, courtesy of Mr. Henderson's AP History deciding to wreck my GPA. My mom kept shoving those horse-pill vitamins at me every morning, claiming they'd help me "focus." Meanwhile, I was practically mainlining espresso just to stay vertical.

Lunch period. The social hierarchy's natural habitat. I slid into my usual seat, trying to be invisible, when JASMINE—actual lowercase Jasmine, the girl who'd been sitting next to me in Bio since September—suddenly materialized. She was like this sphinx, all mystery and half-smiles, never giving away what she was actually thinking.

"Your braces," she said, deadpan.

I froze. "What?"

"You've got spinach stuck in them. Since third period."

The whole table went silent. I felt my face basically combust. I grabbed my water bottle, chugged half of it, and basically sprinted to the bathroom. When I came back, Jasmine was still there, smiling.

"Everyone gets food in their teeth, Marcus. Even Kai got broccoli last week."

I blinked. Kai. The guy who looked like he walked out of a TikTok tutorial, who I'd been lowkey terrified of talking to.

"Wait, you noticed?"

"I notice everything." She shrugged, like it was nothing. "You should come to swim practice with me. Kai's always there. And trust me, you can't look more awkward than I did my first week."

"I don't even swim."

"Neither does Kai. He just goes for the snacks and the chaos."

So yeah, sometimes your most embarrassing moments end up being the thing that finally breaks the ice. Now I've got swim practice on Tuesdays, a study buddy who's surprisingly chill once you actually talk to him, and Jasmine still hasn't told me how she knows everything about everyone.

Some sphinxes keep their secrets. I guess I'm okay with that.