The Riddle in Your Pocket

Maya's phone buzzed for the third time. group chat blowing up about Jordan's party tonight, and she still hadn't decided if she was going.

"You're overthinking it again," said her best friend Ren, flopping onto Maya's bed. "It's just a party. Not the SATs. Not the entire rest of your life."

"Easy for you to say," Maya muttered, scrolling through messages. "You're not the one who froze up last week when Tyler tried to talk to you in the cafeteria. I literally stood there like a—" she paused, searching for the right comparison "—like a confused goldfish. Mouth opening, closing, absolutely nothing coming out."

Ren cracked up. "Okay, that's lowkey accurate. But also? Tyler thinks you're cute. My sources confirmed."

"Your sources being your cousin who sits next to him in bio?" Maya rolled over. "Whatever. I'm staying home. I'll just—watch Netflix or something."

"Nope. Not happening." Ren sat up. "You know what you need? A riddle. Something to focus on besides all the overthinking."

"What?"

"Like, something mysterious. A puzzle." Ren gestured dramatically. "You should be a sphinx tonight. Keep people guessing. Drop a random riddle, walk away leaving them intrigued. It's giving major main character energy."

Maya laughed despite herself. "You're unhinged."

"I'm a genius." Ren grinned. "Fine. Tell you what—if you go, I'll handle the social battery stuff. You can just vibe. We'll leave early if it's mid. Deal?"

Maya's stomach did that nervous flip thing it always did before something scary-but-maybe-good. The HDMI cable connecting her laptop to the TV suddenly seemed fascinating. She'd been hiding in her room for weeks now.

"Fine," she said finally. "But if anyone asks why I'm being weird, I'm telling them you dared me to act mysterious."

"Deal." Ren checked their phone. "Also, I invited Tyler."

"RENA!"

"What?! It's called wingman duties!" Ren dodged the pillow Maya threw. "Look, you've got this. You're clever, you're funny when you stop panic-spiraling, and tonight? Tonight you're going to be the most interesting person in that room. Or at least the most cryptic." Ren winked. "Channel your inner sphinx, bestie. Let them figure you out."

Outside, a fox barked in the woods behind Maya's house—a rare sound, wild and unselfconscious. Her cat, Luna, jumped onto the windowsill and stared out, tail flicking with interest.

Maya took a breath. "Okay. Sphinx mode."

"Now we're talking," Ren said. "Get changed. This night is gonna go hard."