The Sphinx of Section B

I stood by the snack table like a total loser, nursing my warm orange soda while everyone else pretended to be having the time of their lives. Jordan's house party was supposed to be life-changing, but so far I'd just spent two hours watching people I'd known since kindergarten transform into entirely different humans.

That's when I saw her—the sphinx of Section B. Maya sat cross-legged on the kitchen counter, holding court like she owned the place. She was wearing this vintage jacket with a fox embroidered on the pocket, and every time she laughed, she tossed her hair like she was in a music video.

"Hey, champ," said Tyler, bouncing on his toes like he'd mainlined five energy drinks. He was built like a miniature bull and had approximately zero chill. "You gonna talk to Maya or just stare at her all night?"

I nearly choked on my orange soda. "I'm not staring. I'm... observing. For science."

"Bro." Tyler physically turned me toward the kitchen. "Go say something. Ask her about that fox patch on her jacket. It's literally conversation fuel."

"That's the worst idea ever."

"Do it. I dare you."

So I did. I marched over there like I was walking to my execution. Maya looked down at me, and I swear her eyes were the exact same color as the sunset I'd missed because I was too busy overthinking my outfit.

"Nice fox," I said. Smooth. Extremely smooth.

She grinned. "Thanks. My sister got it at a thrift store. You here alone?"

"With Tyler. He thinks he's my life coach."

"Tyler thinks he's everyone's life coach." She hopped off the counter. "Wanna get some air? The bass in here is giving me a headache."

We ended up on the front porch, sitting on the steps while she told me about how she secretly wanted to transfer to art school and I admitted I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. The sphinx turned out to be just a regular person who was tired of pretending to know everything.

"You know what's funny?" she said, crushing her empty orange soda can. "Everyone thinks they're supposed to have it all figured out by now. Like there's a deadline on being real."

I looked at her—really looked at her—and realized something terrifying and wonderful at the same time. Nobody knew what they were doing. Not Tyler, not the bull jocks living their best lives in the backyard, not even Maya with her vintage jacket and perfect hair.

We were all just faking it until something felt real.

"Hey," she said. "You coming back inside? Or are you gonna stay out here solving life's mysteries?"

I stood up and brushed off my jeans. "Inside. But I'm taking another orange soda first."

"Good choice," she said, and for the first time all night, I actually believed it.