Spinach Smoothie Sphinx

Maya stared at the green sludge in her blender like it had personally offended her entire existence. The concoction contained spinach, kale, and some mystery vitamin supplement her mom swore would 'fix her teenage brain.' Maya was pretty sure the only thing that would fix her brain was three consecutive nights of actual sleep, not pulverized vegetables.

"You look like a zombie," said Jordan, leaning against her doorframe, looking annoyingly awake for someone who'd been at the cast party until 2 AM.

"Thanks, that's exactly the vibe I'm going for." Maya pulled her beanie down lower, the hat practically glued to her head since she'd decided growing out her bangs was a mistake. "I have to be at the theater in twenty minutes. We're doing the Sphinx scene today, and Mr. Harrison said if I mess up my lines again, I'm demoted to playing the actual sand dunes."

The school play—*Riddles in the Sand*—was supposed to be her big moment. Finally landing a lead role after years of being Tree #3 and Townsperson with No Lines. But instead of feeling like the dramatic genius she'd imagined in her bedroom mirror performances, Maya felt like her brain had been replaced with cotton candy.

Jordan snorted. "Dude, you're gonna crush it. You memorized all those riddles yesterday."

"In between worrying about whether Tyler thinks I'm weird and calculating how many days until I can legally drop calculus?" Maya took a tentative sip of the spinach smoothie. It tasted like lawn clippings and regret. "This is gross."

"But think about how healthy your brain cells are right now." Jordan flopped onto her bed. "Anyway, Tyler definitely thinks you're weird, but in the good way. He asked me yesterday why you always wear that hat."

Maya almost choked on her vitamin-packed disaster. "Wait, actually?"

"Yeah. I told him it's because your superpower only works when covered in fabric." Jordan grinned. "He laughed. He never laughs."

Grabbing her backpack, Maya felt something shift in her chest. Maybe it was the spinach. Maybe it was Jordan being the world's best hype man. Or maybe—just maybe—she didn't have to have everything figured out at sixteen. The Sphinx didn't have all the answers either, and that chick was literally made of stone.

"Let's go," she said, pulling off her hat and shaking out her hair. "I've got riddles to solve and a brain that's slowly becoming nutritious. What could go wrong?"