The Riddle of the Cafeteria Sphinx

Maya stared at the monstrosity on her tray. The lunch lady had called it 'salad,' but the pile of wilted spinach looked more like something that had died under a refrigerator.

"You gonna eat that?" Leo asked, flopping onto the bench across from her. His hair was doing that thing where it stuck up in three different directions — 'the lightning strike,' his friends called it. Maya thought it was adorable. Not that she'd ever tell him that.

She pushed the tray away. "I'd rather bear the weight of social humiliation than subject my body to whatever biochemical warfare that is."

Leo laughed. Maya loved his laugh. It was this deep, rumbling sound that made her chest feel weird, like when you're on an elevator that suddenly drops.

"Speaking of social humiliation," Leo said, leaning in, "did you hear about Trevor's party Friday?"

Maya's stomach did a little flip. "The one everyone's talking about?"

"Yeah. He's inviting, like, everyone." He paused. "Even Chloe."

Chloe. The cafeteria sphinx herself. She sat three tables away, holding court like she was some kind of ancient Egyptian deity deciding mortals' fates. Today she'd ordered an iced coffee and spent twenty minutes poking at the ice cubes with her straw, eyeliner sharp enough to cut glass, glaring at anyone who breathed too loud.

"Why would Trevor invite Chloe?" Maya asked. "She literally started a rumor that his dog doesn't love him."

"Exactly," Leo said. "It's a test. Like, if you can handle Chloe at a party, you're basically ready for anything."

Maya glanced over at the Sphinx again. Chloe was now taking a selfie, tilting her head at that precise angle that made everyone look like a different, prettier version of themselves. Maya had tried that once in her bathroom mirror for twenty minutes straight and ended up looking like she was having a stroke.

"So... are you going?" Maya asked, trying to sound casual. Her palms were sweating. Please say yes, please say yes.

Leo grinned. "Only if you go. No way am I facing the sphinx alone."

Maya's heart did that thing where it felt like it was trying to escape through her throat. "I guess I could bear the embarrassment of my dancing if you're there to witness it."

"Deal." Leo stood up, backpack slung over one shoulder. "See you in history? We're covering ancient Egypt. Appropriate, right?"

Maya watched him walk away, then looked down at her spinach. Actually, maybe it wasn't so bad. She took a bite. It was definitely so bad. But she chewed anyway.

Some things were worth suffering through.