The Sphinx at Recess

The hat was everything. A oversized dad cap pulled low, hiding both the disastrous DIY bangs I'd given myself at 2 AM and the fact that I was absolutely terrified.

"You're going to need your vitamin D," Mom had pressed a gummy into my palm that morning, like it was some kind of emotional armor against starting at Ridgewood Academy. "And maybe some B12. For energy."

I'd shoved them deep in my pocket, right next to my anxiety.

Now, sitting alone at lunch third day in, I watched through the cafeteria windows as everyone played padel on the courts. It was all anyone talked about—who had the best backhand, whose parents could book the premium courts at the club. Padel this, padel that. I'd never even held a racket.

Outside, I spotted him again—the Golden Retriever that kept showing up behind the gym during third period. Everyone called him the Ridgewood Ghost, like he was some mystical creature instead of just, you know, a dog. He'd vanish before anyone could get close, leaving behind nothing but paw prints and mystery.

Then I saw the real reason he hung around: the old sphinx statue near the athletics field, partially hidden by overgrown ivy. The dog would nap beside it like they were ancient buddies.

"That's where they keep the extra balls," a voice said behind me. "The sphinx. Inside the hollow part."

I jumped. It was Leo—the guy who sat behind me in history, the one with the effortless cool that made my stomach do actual flips. He gestured toward the courts. "You gonna just watch all year?"

"I don't play."

"Nobody plays when they start." He grinned. "C'mon."

Something in me shifted. I took off the hat.

My bangs weren't even that bad, honestly.

Later, when I finally hit my first decent shot across the net, the Ridgewood Ghost trotted past, carrying a bright yellow padel ball like he'd just won the lottery. The sphinx watched silently from behind the ivy.

"Think he wants to play?" I asked.

Leo laughed. "Brooklyn? He's been playing longer than anyone."

That night, I found the gummy vitamins still in my pocket. I took them both. Some things really are good for you after all.