The Pool Party Prophecy

The **water** in the Hernandez's infinity pool glittered like someone had spilled a truckload of glitter into it. Maya stood at the edge, clutching her towel like it was a lifeline, while her so-called friend group splashed and laughed without her.

"You coming in or what?" Chloe called out, flipping her wet hair. The droplets hit Maya's arm. "We've been here twenty minutes and you're still dry. It's embarrassing."

Maya's stomach did that awful knot thing it always did when Chloe used that tone — the one that said *you're lucky we keep you around*. This was supposed to be the summer before freshman year, the summer everything changed. The summer Maya would finally become someone worth noticing.

Instead, she was still the same quiet girl who blended into classroom walls.

"I'm good," Maya managed, backing toward the snack table. "Just... gonna get some food."

A giant inflatable **sphinx** floated past, its painted face frozen in that mysterious smile. Someone had drawn sharpie eyebrows on it. It looked ridiculous and kind of perfect.

The table was loaded with tropical fruit — pineapple, mango, slices of bright orange **papaya** that looked alien and daring. Maya had never tried papaya. It felt like something cool girls ate. Something girls who weren't afraid of pool parties ate.

She speared a piece with a toothpick. It was sweet, musky, unfamiliar. Not bad. Just... different. Like maybe she'd been limiting herself to safe flavors her whole life.

"That stuff's gross," said a voice behind her.

Maya turned. A guy with faded blue hair and a t-shirt that said *QUESTION EVERYTHING* stood there, holding a **palm** frond like it was a staff.

"It's not gross," she said, surprised by her own boldness. "It's just... interesting."

He grinned. "I'm Leo. This is my party."

"You're Chloe's cousin?"

"Unfortunately." Leo leaned against the table. "She's been talking about you all week."

Maya's stomach dropped. "Great."

"No, I mean — she thinks you're smart. Funny. She's just... bad at showing it." Leo pointed his palm frond at the sphinx floating in the pool. "You know what the sphinx represents? Riddles. Truths. The stuff that's hard to say."

"Or someone drew on it with sharpie."

"That too." His eyes crinkled. "Wanna help me plot revenge?"

"On who?"

"The sphinx. Obviously."

Maya looked at Chloe, still laughing with the popular girls in the water. Then she looked at Leo, waiting for her answer like she was someone worth knowing.

"What kind of revenge?"

"Let's just say," Leo said, "that sharpie washes off with soap. And we have access to all the bathroom supplies."

Maya grinned. She abandoned her towel on the chair and stepped toward the house.

"You know what? I think I will try that **papaya**," she said. "After."