Sphinx Summer

Maya tugged her baseball hat lower, wishing it could make her invisible. The sphinx statue at the center of the Egyptian-themed mini golf course stared at her with painted stone eyes, mocking her social anxiety.

"You gonna stand there all day or are you gonna play?"

She jumped. Leo. The guy she'd been low-key crushing on all summer stood behind her, holding a putter like he knew what he was doing. Which, unfair. His family owned this place. He probably lived here.

"I'm thinking," Maya said, which was a lie. She was panicking.

"About the sphinx?" Leo grinned. "It's seen better days. My dad bought it from a going-out-of-business theme restaurant. The nose broke off during transport."

Maya blinked. The sphinx was missing its nose. How had she not noticed?

"It's still majestic though, right?" Leo gestured dramatically. "In a broken-but-still-kinda-hot way."

She laughed despite herself. "You think the sphinx is hot."

"I think a lot of things are hot." His eyes flicked to her, then away. "Anyway, your shot."

Her ball sat inches from the water hazard. If she missed, it was splash zone central. She positioned herself, putter ready, and—

Her phone buzzed. Leo's pocket vibrated at the same time. They both reached for their phones instinctively, like the devices were life support.

"Sorry," Maya said. "Habit."

"No cap, same." Leo held up his dead phone. "My charging cable is at home. I'm at 4%. Living on the edge."

"Living dangerously," she agreed, pocketing her phone without checking it. Small victory.

She lined up her shot, focused, and—

The ball skimmed past the water, curved around the sphinx's missing-nose face, and dropped into the hole with a satisfying clunk.

"Yo!" Leo high-fived her. "That was actually sick."

"Beginner's luck," Maya said, but she was smiling.

"Nah, that was skill." He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Hey, so, I was gonna get something from the snack bar. They've got those papaya smoothie things if you're into that. Wanna come?"

Maya's heart did something stupid in her chest. "Only if you promise not to make any sphinx jokes."

"I make no promises." But he was smiling, and Maya thought maybe this summer wouldn't be so bad after all.

The sphinx watched them walk away, noseless and judgment-free. Maya adjusted her hat, finally okay with being seen.