The Sphinx of Saturday Nights

Maya stood by the edge of the pool, clutching her plastic cup like it was the only thing keeping her anchored to earth. The Saturday night party was in full swing — literally. People were swimming laps, doing cannonballs, playing chicken fight in the shallow end. Maya wasn't swimming. Maya was busy being the new girl who'd been in town for exactly three days and hadn't made a single friend yet.

"Hey, you want some?" A girl with neon-blue hair appeared beside her, holding out a slice of fruit. "It's papaya. My mom's obsessed with buying 'exotic' stuff from that fancy grocery store."

Maya took it. "Thanks. I'm Maya."

"Riley. You're the new sophomore, right? Everyone's talking about you." Riley grinned. "In a good way. Mostly."

They ended up sitting on the patio furniture under a swaying palm tree, talking about everything and nothing. Riley had this way of making Maya feel like she'd known her for years instead of twenty minutes. They bonded over their terrible taste in music and their shared hatred of algebra.

Then Riley's expression turned serious. "Okay, time for the sphinx."

"The what?"

"The sphinx," Riley said, like this was the most normal thing in the world. "It's this thing we do. Someone asks you a question — a riddle, basically — and your answer tells you who you really are. Or something cheesy like that. My cousin started it last summer and now it's, like, a tradition."

Maya's stomach did that thing it did when she was nervous and excited at the same time. "Okay. Hit me."

Riley leaned in. "What's something you've never told anyone? Not even yourself."

The question hung in the humid night air. Maya thought about the cable knotted around her wrist — a friendship bracelet from her best friend back home that she'd secretly taken off three days ago and couldn't bring herself to put back on. She thought about how she hadn't even really texted anyone from her old life since moving here.

She looked at Riley, who was waiting patiently, not pushing, just present. And suddenly Maya knew her answer.

"That I'm secretly glad I moved here," Maya said, the words feeling both terrifying and true. "That I was ready to start over."

Riley smiled like this was exactly the right answer. "Well then," she said, reaching for Maya's hand. "Welcome to the sphinx club. We meet every Saturday. Attendance is mandatory."

Maya laughed, and for the first time since she'd arrived, the knot in her chest loosened. She wasn't just swimming anymore — she was finally learning how to float.