Sphinx's Smile

Maya's palms were practically dripping as she stood outside Tyler's house, bass thumping through the door like a second heartbeat.

"You got this," Chloe said, dragging her toward the entrance. "Just don't be weird."

Weird. Maya's middle name, apparently. She'd spent sixteen years perfecting the art of blending into lockers, but Chloe was determined to socially rehabilitate her.

Inside, the air smelled like cheap body spray and desperation. Maya made a beeline for the food table, her safe harbor. But disaster struck immediately—she took a bite of the spinach dip and could feel green flecks lodge in her braces. Of course. Because the universe had a personal vendetta against her social life.

She retreated to the backyard, escaping to find—no joke—a sphinx statue perched dramatically beside the pool. Some theatre kid must have dragged it out here. Maya collapsed beside it, grateful for something that didn't require small talk.

Then a cat materialized from the shadows—a scrawny tababy with one ear that refused to stand up straight. It head-butted her knee like they were old friends.

"You're literally the only real thing here," Maya whispered, scratching behind its ears. The cat purred like a tiny engine.

"That's Barnaby. He's kind of the host."

Maya jumped. A guy in a faded hoodie stood there, holding a red solo cup like it was a weapon. He nodded at the cat.

"He's Tyler's. Also, you have spinach in your teeth."

Maya's face burst into flames. But then the guy grinned, and she saw he had braces too, currently sporting their own green decoration.

"We match," he said, tapping his metal mouth. "I'm Leo. The sphinx out here is my fault. Drama club project."

"Maya." She actually laughed. "So, do I need to answer a riddle to escape this party?"

Leo's eyes lit up. "Only if you want. But Barnaby might let you off the hook if you share your spinach dip."

They ended up sitting by the sphinx until midnight, accidentally on purpose, while the party raged inside without them. Maya's palms were finally dry, and for the first time in forever, she didn't want to disappear. Sometimes the best moments happen when you're hiding in the backyard with a cat, a sphinx, and someone who gets the awkwardness of being alive.