The Sphinx in the Snapback

I was operating on pure zombie mode—three hours of sleep after binge-watching until 3 AM will do that to you. My phone was at 4%, and naturally, I'd forgotten my charging cable at home. Because that's just how sophomore year goes.

Then I saw him by the lockers. The Sphinx. That's what Maya and I called Kai Chen because he was this gorgeous, impenetrable mystery who barely spoke but somehow knew everyone's secrets. Today he was wearing this beat-up dad hat backward, and it was doing things to my cardiovascular system that I wasn't prepared to examine.

"Your phone's about to die," he said, sliding a cable across the bench we were sharing during gym. "I noticed you literally stressing over it since third period."

I stared at him. "You've been watching me since third period?"

"You're not exactly subtle when you're panic-scrolling Instagram." His crooked smile was doing actual damage. "Also, you're wearing a hat indoors. It's bold. I respect it."

My hand flew to my beanie—my security blanket, my armor against the world. "It's not bold. It's necessary. My hair's in that awkward growing-out phase that can only be described as a tragedy."

"Pull it off," he said simply.

I froze. Was he flirting with me? The Sphinx, who'd never said more than three consecutive words to me all year, was now complimenting—okay, not complimenting, but NOTICING—my awkward hair phase?

"Your hair, I mean," he clarified, turning faintly pink. "Not the hat. Although the hat works. You've got this whole mysterious vibe going on."

Mysterious? Me? The girl who'd accidentally walked into a men's restroom yesterday because she was too busy composing a text to notice the sign?

"I'm not mysterious," I laughed. "I'm just tired. I'm basically a zombie in a beanie."

"Zombies can be mysterious." Kai leaned closer. "Maybe that's their appeal. They're always searching for something. Brains, connection, a charging cable..."

Our fingers brushed as he handed me the cable. Electric. Definitely electric.

"Thanks," I managed. "For the cable. And the... mystery assessment."

"Anytime, zombie girl." He stood up, adjusting his backward cap. "Same time tomorrow? I'll bring the portable charger."

As I watched him walk away, something clicked. The Sphinx wasn't impenetrable after all. He was just waiting for someone to look beyond the riddle.

And apparently, that someone was a sleep-deprived girl in a beanie who forgot her cable at home.