The Sphinx in the Corner

Maya wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans for the third time. Jordan's house party was supposed to be "lowkey" but somehow felt like everyone knew something she didn't. The air smelled like cheap body spray and nervous energy.

She'd been standing by the snack table for twenty minutes, pretending to be fascinated by a bowl of stale chips when she noticed it — a sphinx cat, perched on the back of the couch like it owned the place. The hairless cat stared at her with unblinking eyes, looking like some kind of ancient Egyptian guardian silently judging everyone's awkwardness.

Then her phone screen went black. Perfect.

"Your phone just died, didn't it?"

Maya jumped. Leo, her lab partner from bio, was suddenly beside her, looking amused. His dark curls were messy, and he kept running his hand through them — a nervous habit she'd noticed during their fruit fly experiment last month.

"Yeah, and I was literally Insta-stalking Jordan's cousin to see if he's single," Maya admitted, then immediately regretted it. Too much information for someone she only talked about Punnett squares with.

Leo laughed. "Same. I've been hiding in the kitchen pretending to care about cable management because my phone died two hours ago."

He held up a tangled charging cable like it was a peace offering. "Want this? I figured out which cord works for iPhones."

The sphinx cat shifted on the couch, watching them with its alien-wise eyes. Something about its presence made it okay to be awkward.

"I'm basically failing at being social tonight," Maya said, taking the cable. Their fingers brushed, and she felt that weird electric feeling that was definitely not just from the static in this basement.

"Join the club," Leo said, leaning against the counter. "We could form a support group. People Who Thought This Party Would Be Chill But Are Just Standing Near Appliances."

Maya found herself laughing. Really laughing, not the polite fake laugh she'd been using all night.

The sphinx cat seemed to approve, closing its eyes like their conversation was finally worth something.

"Hey," Leo said, suddenly quieter. "Maybe next time we could just... not come to the party?"

"Yeah," Maya smiled, her sweaty palms finally drying. "Maybe next time."