Sphinx in the Hallway

Maya's sweaty palms betrayed her every time she walked past locker 217. There he was — Leo, the human equivalent of a perfect multivitamin, giving the entire sophomore class whatever nutrient we were all apparently deficient in. He leaned against the lockers like he owned the hallway, laughing at something his friends said.

"You're literally staring again," whispered Chloe, appearing beside Maya like she'd apparated from the shadows. "My turn to play spy."

Maya's face burned. "I was not. I was... observing. For science."

"Mhm. Sure." Chloe raised an eyebrow, looking very much like the Great Sphinx of Giza — all mysterious judgment and impossible riddles Maya couldn't solve. "You know what you need? To actually talk to him instead of committing his entire existence to memory from twenty feet away."

Easy for Chloe to say. She didn't get nervous-ramble. Last time Maya tried talking to Leo, she'd spent three minutes explaining the historical significance of the cable TV industry because his hoodie said HBO on it. (It stood for "Hate Being Outdoors" — he'd told her, looking equal parts confused and amused.)

But then Leo started walking toward them. Maya's brain short-circuited. Her palms were definitely sweating now. She needed to say something cool. Something mysterious and intriguing. Something that would make him see her as more than just the girl who gave impromptu lectures about telecommunications.

"Hey," Leo said, stopping in front of her. "You dropped this in English yesterday." He held out a highlighter. Her favorite one, the tropical scented one.

"Oh! Thanks. That's... literally a lifesaver." Maya winced. WHY.

"No problem." Leo smiled. A real one, not the polite one. "Hey, some of us are going to the pier this weekend if you want to come. You too," he added, nodding at Chloe.

Maya's heart did something genuinely gymnastic. "Yeah! I mean, sure, that sounds... chill."

"Cool." He backed away, still smiling. "See you around, Maya."

She watched him go, clutching the highlighter like it was made of gold.

"Well," said Chloe, sphinx-smirk firmly in place. "That wasn't so terrible, was it?"

Maya looked at her palm. Still a little sweaty. But also holding something Leo had handed her. "I think," she said, "I'm gonna need a vitamin for these nerves before Saturday."

Chloe laughed. "Girl, same."