The Riddle by the Deep End

Maya's palms were sweating as she stood by the gate, the bass from the pool party thumping like a second heartbeat. Freshman year. Her first real party. She'd spent forty minutes on her hair—these perfect beach waves that took three different products and way too much time.

"You coming in or what?"

Jake. The one with the smile that made geometry feel optional. He was in the pool, treading water like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"Yeah," Maya managed, but her voice squeaked. "Just. Yeah."

She kicked off her flip-flops. The deck was slippery. Someone was blasting that song everyone knew the words to. Upperclassmen were laughing in the hot tub. Maya felt like she was underwater already.

Then she saw it—the sphinx.

Okay, not a real sphinx. But someone had brought this garden statue, this ridiculous limestone cat-woman thing, and plunked it on a patio table like it owned the place. And taped to its forehead was a index card with Sharpie: "ASK ME ABOUT YOUR FUTURE."

"That's so weird," said this girl with purple hair, slipping past Maya. "But also, I'm kinda curious."

Maya stood frozen, her flip-flops puddled by her feet. Running through her head: every possible wrong move. Every social miscalculation. Every reason she didn't belong here.

Then Jake swam up to the edge. "Hey. Sphinx lady says you're gonna have a awesome night if you get in the pool."

Maya stared at him. "Did you write that?"

"Maybe." He grinned. "Water's perfect, Maya."

Her name. He knew her name. Of course he did, they had English together, but still. Her palm felt sweaty against her phone where she gripped it like a lifeline.

The sphinx statue seemed to be waiting. The purple-haired girl was already in the pool, splashing someone who definitely deserved it. The music swelled.

Maya took a breath, dropped her phone on a chair, and jumped.

The water was perfect. Jake was right there, grinning like he'd been waiting. Someone passed her a soda. The sphinx watched over everything, stone and mysterious and completely ridiculous.

Her hair was ruined. She was pruning up like a raisin. Some upperclassman told a joke that made actual milk come out someone's nose.

It was, Maya decided, the best night of her life so far.