The Cafeteria Sphinx

Maya felt like a total **spy**, scanning the crowded lunchroom while pretending to be deeply interested in her phone. Three tables down, Fox—the nickname everyone used for the new kid with the orange-red hair and sharp features—laughed at something Ashley said. Maya's stomach did that embarrassing flutter thing it always did when he was near.

"You're literally **vitamin** D deficient right now," her best friend Chen said, sliding onto the bench across from her. "You need actual sunlight, not the fluorescent stuff."

Maya sighed, pushing the **spinach** around on her tray. Her mom had packed the "healthy lunch" again, which meant zero appeal and maximum awkwardness if anyone happened to look. "I'm fine. Just... observing."

"You mean creeping?" Chen raised an eyebrow. "Just go talk to him. Or literally anyone. Your social battery's been dead since September."

The truth was, Maya felt like she was facing some kind of ancient **sphinx** riddle every day at school. Speak too much, say the wrong thing, breathe wrong—and the social landscape could crumble around her. Freshman year was supposed to be this grand adventure, but mostly it felt like walking through a minefield with everyone watching.

Fox caught her eye. Actually caught her eye. And then he did the unthinkable: he stood up and started walking toward her table.

Maya's heart went rogue. "Chen, what do I do? He's coming over here."

"I don't know? Act normal?"

Right. Normal. Maya's specialty.

Fox stopped at their table, backpack slung over one shoulder, that casual confidence she'd been studying from afar for weeks now. "Hey," he said, and his voice was somehow deeper than she expected. "You dropped this by the pizza station."

He held out her phone case—the limited edition one with the galaxy print she'd saved up for.

"Oh!" Maya's face was definitely the temperature of the sun now. "Thanks. I didn't even realize—"

"No problem." He smiled, and it wasn't the polite fake smile Ashley always used. It was real, crinkling the corners of his eyes. "I'm Fox, by the way."

"Maya."

"Cool." He paused. "You sit here every day, right? I've been meaning to ask—what's with the spinach?"

And just like that, the sphinx's riddle cracked open, easy as anything. Maya laughed—actually laughed—and for the first time all year, she didn't feel like she was watching from the sidelines. "My mom's on a health kick. You want it?"

Fox grinned. "Pass it over."

Chen face-palmed beside her, but Maya was too busy feeling like maybe, just maybe, high school wouldn't be so bad after all.