The Riddle Behind the Bleachers

Chloe's freshman year at Ridgeview High was already a disaster, and now she was hiding behind the gym bleachers during lunch. Again.

"Hey bear," a voice said. Chloe flinched. It was Marcus, the only upperclassman who didn't treat her like invisible furniture. "You know you can't spend every Friday back here."

"Watch me," Chloe muttered, pulling her hood tighter.

Marcus slid down the wall next to her, offering a gummy **vitamin** from a colorful bottle. "My mom says these help with stress. Or maybe that's just what she tells herself."

Chloe snorted but took one. "Thanks."

"I need your help," Marcus said. "There's this **friend** of mine—okay, fine, it's Tyler from the football team. He's failing English, and there's this extra credit assignment. Something about the **sphinx** riddle?"

Chloe perked up. "The riddle of the sphinx? That's easy. What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening."

"Humans," Marcus nodded. "But the teacher's being all extra about it. Said the answer has to be 'unexpected.'"

"That IS unexpected if you've never heard it before," Chloe argued.

"Tyler's been staring at the question for three days," Marcus said. "If he doesn't pass, he's off the team. And if he's off the team, their mascot—the **bull**—has nobody to wear the costume for homecoming."

Chloe stared at him. "Let me get this straight. The football team's mascot is a BULL, and the players are BEARS?"

"Ridgeview has commitment issues," Marcus shrugged.

"What's the really unexpected answer?" Chloe mused. "Maybe the answer isn't a what. Maybe it's a who."

Marcus blinked. "What?"

"The sphinx itself," Chloe said, growing excited. "The riddle's about identity—about how we change throughout the day, throughout our lives. But the sphinx is the one asking. Maybe the unexpected answer is that the questioner is also the answer."

Marcus stared at her for a long moment. "You're actually genius, you know that?"

Chloe felt something warm bloom in her chest. "Maybe. But I'm still not coming out from behind these bleachers."

"Fair," Marcus said, standing up. "But tomorrow? You should sit at our table. Tyler could use a tutor, and honestly, we could use someone who's not obsessed with football stats."

Chloe watched him walk away, then looked at the gummy vitamin in her hand. Maybe tomorrow she'd actually eat lunch somewhere else. Maybe she'd even help save the bull mascot. For now, though, the bleachers were safe. And that was enough.