The Riddle Behind the Router

Maya stared at the tangled mess of ethernet cables behind the media center router like they held the secrets to her entire existence. Which, honestly, they kinda did.

"You're overthinking it again," said Jordan, popping a vitamin gummy into their mouth like it was candy. Probably because it literally was candy, but whatever made them feel healthy.

"I'm not overthinking," Maya lied, absolutely overthinking. The LAN party was in three hours. Her first one. If the wifi crashed, she'd die. Social death. The worst kind.

Jordan, who'd been attending these things since middle school and possessed the social graces of a golden retriever, didn't get it. That was the thing about Jordan — everything was "chill" or "whatever." Meanwhile Maya's brain was a browser with 47 tabs open, three of which were frozen and playing loud music she couldn't find to pause.

The new guy, Dev, walked into the tech lab. He had that quiet intensity that made everyone simultaneously nervous and intrigued. Like a sphinx wrapped in a hoodie.

"Need help?" Dev asked, gesturing to the cable disaster.

Maya's face did something weird. Heat rushed to her cheeks. Because yes, she desperately needed help, but also no, she couldn't possibly admit that to the mysterious new guy who'd already fixed Mrs. Chen's 3D printer twice this week.

"I got this," she said, her voice cracking slightly. Great. So cool.

Dev crouched beside her anyway. "You know, riddles aren't supposed to be solved alone."

"What?"

"The cables. They're like a riddle. A sphinx's puzzle, but for IT." He reached in, his fingers moving with practiced confidence. "Red goes to port one. Blue to port two. But the trick is" — his eyes met hers — "sometimes you need someone to hold the flashlight while you untangle the mess."

Something clicked. Not in the router. In her chest.

"Oh," Maya said softly.

Jordan snorted. "That was deep, Dev. You write that in your notes app?"

"Shut up," Maya and Dev said simultaneously.

The wifi blazed to life. All three green lights glowing like tiny victories. And for the first time, Maya didn't feel like an imposter about to be exposed. She felt like someone who could figure stuff out. Someone who could ask for a flashlight when she needed one.

"Vitamin for your nerves," Jordan said, tossing a gummy at her. "You're gonna crush it tonight."

Maya caught it mid-air. She actually believed them.