Sphinx of the Seventh Grade

Maya's palms were sweating. Like, actually sweating. She wiped them on her skinny jeans for the third time since getting off the bus.

The Egyptian field trip had seemed like a good idea when Mr. Henderson announced it. Three hours away from school, no algebra, and the chance to finally talk to Jake without it looking weird. That was the plan, anyway.

Now she stood in front of the glass case, staring at the miniature pyramid replica while Jake stood three feet away, completely absorbed in his phone.

"So," she started, then immediately regretted it. Her voice came out all squeaky. "Cool. Right?"

Jake looked up, confused. "What?"

"The pyramid." Smooth, Maya. So smooth.

"Oh, yeah, I guess." He went back to his phone.

Great. This was going perfectly.

Her friends kept texting her updates from their side of the museum. Chloe and Emma were apparently having a deep conversation about whether Tyler had posted them on his story. Meanwhile, Maya was over here living her best awkward-turtle life.

She moved to the next exhibit and there it was: a stone sphinx, weathered and ancient, with that mysterious smile carved into its face.

For some reason, it spoke to her. The sphinx was just sitting there, silent and knowing, like it held all the secrets of the universe but wasn't telling anyone. That was Maya, basically. She had plenty to say, but getting the words out was like trying to solve a riddle without knowing the question.

She leaned against the wall near the water fountain, watching Chloe and Emma giggle with some eighth graders by the sarcophagus display. They looked so effortless, so natural in their skin. Meanwhile, Maya felt like she was wearing a costume of someone named Cool Teenager Who Totally Had This Figured Out.

Jake wandered over, finally done with whatever was so important on his phone. He stopped at the fountain, drank some water, then glanced at the sphinx.

"You know," he said, "I read somewhere that sphinxes were supposed to guard sacred places and test people with riddles. Like, prove you're worthy or get crushed."

Maya's heart did this weird fluttery thing. "That's... actually pretty cool."

"Yeah." He paused. "So. This is awkward, but are you going to Winter Formal? Like, with anyone?"

The air left the room. The entire museum. Possibly the entire world.

"Um, no. I mean, I wasn't planning to. Unless...?" She couldn't finish the sentence.

"Unless you wanted to go with me." He said it fast, like ripping off a band-aid.

"Oh." Her palms weren't sweaty anymore. They were ice-cold. "Yes. I mean, sure. That would be... yeah."

Jake grinned. "Cool. Cool cool."

The sphinx seemed to smile at her from inside its glass case.

Maybe some riddles weren't meant to be solved alone.