The Riddle of Lunch Period

Leo's palms were sweating. Like, actually sweating. He wiped them on his jeans for the third time, staring across the cafeteria at Maya, who was laughing with her friends at their usual table. She had this way of tossing her hair back when she laughed, like everything in the world was genuinely hilarious.

"Dude, you're staring again," said Jamal, sliding onto the bench across from him. "It's getting weird."

"I'm not staring," Leo lied. "I'm observing. There's a difference."

"Whatever you say, man." Jamal popped a chocolate milk carton open. "So, you gonna talk to her today, or you just gonna keep being all mysterious and brooding from afar? Like a emo sphinx guarding your feelings?"

"Sphinxes aren't emo," Leo muttered. "They're guardians of knowledge. I did my mythology presentation yesterday, remember?"

"Right, right." Jamal's eyes widened suddenly. "Speaking of presentations, you got a little something..." He gestured to his own teeth.

Leo's stomach dropped. He grabbed his phone, opened the camera, and flipped to selfie mode. Sure enough—right there in his front teeth, a tiny, vicious piece of **spinach** from his lunch. He'd been sitting here, basically mooning over Maya, with green garbage in his smile. This was it. This was how his teenage experience ended. In flames.

He scrubbed it out with his napkin, his face burning. "How long?"

"Since we sat down, bro. Maybe don't get the spinach wrap next time? Just a thought."

Leo put his head in his hands. The universe had a personal vendetta against his dignity. But then—footsteps. Maya's voice.

"Hey Leo?"

His head snapped up. She was standing right there. Maya. Actual Maya, in her vintage band tee and those boots she always wore. Up close, she had this tiny constellation of freckles across her nose that he'd never noticed from afar.

"Um, hey," he managed. His **palm**s were sweating again. Definitely sweating.

"I saw your presentation yesterday," she said. "About the sphinx riddles? It was actually really good. I like how you connected them to modern stuff."

"Oh. Thanks." Leo's brain was short-circuiting. She'd noticed? She'd actually paid attention?

"Yeah, I was gonna ask." She shifted her weight, looking almost nervous. "Do you want to study mythology together sometime? I mean, if you're not too busy being mysterious and brooding from afar?" She grinned, and it was this real, lopsided thing that made his chest feel weird.

Jamamel was losing it beside them, literally shaking with silent laughter.

Leo smiled. "I'm not busy. I'm definitely not busy."

"Cool." She wrote her number on a napkin. "Text me. And maybe lay off the spinach wraps at lunch. Just saying." She winked and walked away.

Leo sat there, staring at the napkin like it was holy scripture. Beside him, Jamal finally lost it, cackling.

"You're welcome," Jamal said when he could breathe again. "That's friendship. That's what friendship looks like."

Leo's phone buzzed in his hand. Unknown number: Hey, it's Maya. This is weird but do you like coffee?

He stared at the message, his palms still a little sweaty, and smiled. Maybe the universe wasn't out to get him after all.