The Sphinx of D Block

Maya's orange beanie was basically her shield. Like, she'd been lowkey obsessed with it since seventh grade—partially because the vibrant color matched her hair (thank you, DIY dye job that went surprisingly right), but mostly because pulling it down meant she could avoid eye contact in the hallways. Which, honestly, was the move when you were a sophomore who still got nervous ordering food.

"Yo, Maya!" Jayden called, spinning around with that chaotic energy that made him simultaneously popular and exhausting. "You gonna do it?"

She pulled the beanie lower. "Do what exactly?"

"The Sphinx." He gestured dramatically down the hall. "Nobody's gotten past her yet."

Maya followed his gaze to where a senior sat on a bench. The Sphinx—real name Riley—had this legendary status at their school because she supposedly gave these "impossible riddles" before letting anyone sit at the prime bench by the windows. Which was ridiculous Maya thought, but also this was high school, where literally everything became A Thing.

"No thanks," she muttered, already plotting her escape route.

"C'mon," Jayden grinned. "I bet you could crack her code. You're literally in AP English."

Maya rolled her eyes but then—because she was apparently a glutton for social anxiety—found herself walking over. Her orange beanie suddenly felt like a beacon. Like, hey everyone, watch the shy kid crash and burn.

Riley looked up as Maya approached. "Word is you're here to challenge the Sphinx."

"I'm just trying to sit," Maya said, her voice doing that annoying thing where it barely cooperated.

Riley studied her for what felt like approximately seven years. Then: "What's something you can't take off, even though everyone else can see it?"

Maya's brain short-circuited. She almost said her beanie, but that was wrong—she'd taken it off plenty of times. She thought about identity, about expectations, about the version of herself she projected versus who she actually was.

"Your perspective," Maya said quietly.

Riley's eyebrows went up. "Huh."

"Because like, you can change how you see things, but you can't just take it off. It's always there, shaping how you experience everything."

Riley stared. Maya started mentally planning her transfer to a different school.

Then Riley smiled. "Finally. Someone who actually thinks."

She scooted over. "Sit down, Orange Maya."

Jayden whooped from down the hall. Maya sat, pulling off her beanie and letting her orange hair catch the sunlight. Maybe high school wasn't so terrifying after all. Or maybe it was, but at least she'd found her people.