The Riddle in the Hallway

Maya dragged her feet through the sophomore hallway, feeling like a total zombie after staying up until 2 AM scrolling TikTok. Her iPhone battery was at 8%, but she couldn't stop checking it — the fear of missing out (FOMO) was real, and her friends were blowing up the group chat about Tyler's party last night. The one she hadn't been invited to.

She was so absorbed in her screen that she almost crashed into Mr. Henderson, the English teacher known for his ancient mythology obsession. He stood by his classroom door like a statue, arms crossed.

"Maya," he said, and she jumped, shoving her phone into her pocket. "Tell me, what riddle would you ask if you were a sphinx?"

"A what now?" she blurted, then immediately regretted it. Smooth. Real smooth.

"A sphinx. The mythical creature who devoured anyone who couldn't answer her riddle. What question would stump someone?"

She thought about it. Really thought about it, her phone forgotten in her pocket. "Maybe... 'What's the one thing everyone's chasing but nobody can hold onto?'"

Mr. Henderson's eyebrows rose. "And what's the answer?"

"Attention," she said, surprised at her own words. "Likes, followers, being seen. We're all desperate for it, but the second you get it, you need more."

"Interesting," he said. "You've been reading philosophy?"

"No," Maya said. "Just surviving high school."

The bell rang. Students flooded the hallway, phones in hand, all of them moving together like zombies toward their next class. Maya pulled out her iPhone, saw three new notifications, and for the first time all day, didn't immediately tap them.

"Good answer, Maya," Mr. Henderson called as she walked away.

She smiled. Maybe being a little less obsessed with her phone and a little more present wasn't such a terrible idea after all.