The Oracle of 42nd Street

Maya's palms were practically dripping as she clutched the red solo cup. Ryan's party. The party everyone would be talking about on Monday. The party she'd almost talked herself out of going to three times today.

"You look like you're about to puke," said Chloe, her best friend since seventh grade, who was somehow already two cups in. "Chill. We're literally just standing by the goldfish bowl."

Speaking of which — the goldfish was just swimming in lazy circles, completely unbothered. Maya envied it.

Then she saw him.

He was leaning against the sliding glass door, wearing this orange hoodie that looked like it had seen better decades. Nile. The quiet junior who sat behind her in AP Bio. The one who always had paint under his fingernails. The one she'd been lowkey crushing on since October but had never actually spoken to.

"Who's that?" Chloe asked, following her gaze.

"No one," Maya said too fast.

"Right. 'No one.'"

Nile pushed off the door and started toward them. Maya's heart did this embarrassing flutter thing. He stopped in front of the goldfish bowl, watching the fish with intense focus.

"Riddle," he said, not looking at them.

Maya blinked. "What?"

"The goldfish." Nile turned to her, and up close she could see the tiny gold flecks in his brown eyes. "It's a classic sphinx setup. What creature has eyes but cannot see?"

The goldfish swam to the surface, mouth opening and closing.

"A... fish?" Maya tried.

Nile's mouth twitched. "Wrong. But I like your confidence."

Chloe cackled. "Maya, you're getting roasted by a fish."

"What's the answer then?" Maya challenged, feeling weirdly bold.

Nile held up his hands, palms stained with something blue and green. "A needle."

They stood there for a solid five seconds before she got it.

"Oh my god, that's actually terrible," she said.

"Right?" Nile grinned, and it transformed his whole face. "But you laughed."

"I didn't—"

"You did. I saw it."

Maya felt herself smiling back. "Okay, fine. But you're still weird for hitting on people with fish riddles."

"I'm weird regardless," Nile said. "Want to see something cooler than a goldfish?"

Before she could answer, Chloe was already pushing her forward. "YES she does. Go. I'll be here. With the fish."

Nile led her through the crowded kitchen, past seniors playing beer pong on the dining room table, out to the tiny backyard where the air was finally cool. He pulled a sketchbook from his back pocket and opened it to a drawing of a sphinx — but modern, street art style, with neon spray-paint wings.

"I'm working on a mural," he said. "For the community center downtown."

Maya looked at the sphinx, then at him. At the paint under his nails, the way he held the book like it was something precious. At the way he was looking at her like he actually wanted to know what she thought.

"It's sick," she said honestly. "The spray-paint effect is insane."

Nile's shoulders dropped like he'd been holding his breath. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Cool." He paused. "You play Overwatch?"

"Main Tank."

"Perfect. We're doing a 3v3. You, me, Chloe versus my cousin and his friends. They think they're cracked but they're actually mid."

Maya laughed, and this time it was real. Her palms were dry. The party noise from inside felt miles away. "Consider yourself lucky I'm feeling generous."

"Goldfish," Nile said suddenly.

"What?"

"The riddle answer for fish is... actually I don't have one. I just wanted to see if you'd come outside."

Maya stared at him. Then she started laughing, really laughing, bent-double laughing.

"You are SO weird," she said.

"You already said that."

"It bears repeating."

Nile smiled, and it was different this time — softer, like a secret he'd been carrying. "So... Overwatch?"

Maya pulled out her phone. "Add your number, weirdo. And your Battle.net tag. If you're lucky, I won't hard carry you."

Inside, the goldfish continued its endless circles, completely unaware that two humans had just spent their entire night missing the point.

But maybe that was the whole point.