The Sphinx by the Pool

Leo adjusted his whistle for the hundredth time, feeling like a total fraud. Sixteen years old and somehow the community pool had decided he was responsible for everyone's survival. His best friend Jordan called it "The **Bear** Effect" – like that time Leo had accidentally flexed during freshman year gym and now everyone thought he was some athletic jock instead of someone who'd barely passed his **swimming** test three times.

"Your face is doing that thing again," Jordan said, flopping onto the lifeguard chair next to him. "You look like you're solving world hunger, not watching eighth graders do cannonballs."

"Shut up," Leo muttered, but he was grateful for Jordan's presence. They'd been friends since Jordan's **goldfish** had died in third grade and Leo had somehow turned a funeral for a pet named Bubbles into a bonding moment that lasted eight years.

"She's watching you," Jordan singsonged.

Leo didn't need to ask who. The new girl – Maya – had been sitting by the pool's edge for three days, reading the same battered paperback. Something about ancient mythology. She was beautiful in that way that made Leo's chest feel weirdly tight, like he'd **swimming** underwater too long.

"Talk to her, you coward," Jordan pushed.

"I can't just—"

Maya stood up and walked over. Leo's brain short-circuited.

"Hey," she said, tilting her head. "You're the lifeguard who everyone says is secretly a philosopher because you look so thoughtful."

"That's— that's not—" Leo stammered.

Maya smiled, and something in her eyes made him think she knew exactly how awkward he felt and didn't care. "I'm reading about the **sphinx**," she said. "How it asked riddles and ate anyone who couldn't answer. Sometimes I feel like that's what high school is. Just endless riddles you're supposed to solve without getting eaten."

Leo stared at her, and suddenly words were tumbling out before he could overthink them. "Maybe we're not supposed to solve them alone. Maybe the point is finding someone who'll help you figure them out."

Something shifted in Maya's expression – surprise, then something warmer. "Well,**friend**," she said, "want to help me with today's riddle?"

Jordan mouthed "YOU'RE WELCOME" from his chair, but Leo barely noticed. For the first time all summer, the whistle around his neck didn't feel like a weight. It felt like a beginning.