The Sphinx's Secret

Maya's reflection showed a desperate situation: green spinach stuck between her front teeth, and seven minutes until Jordan's party started. Jordan, aka "Sphinx" to everyone at Northwood High, because he was mysterious, unreadable, and somehow knew everyone's secrets without sharing his own.

"Barnaby, you were supposed to be my wingdog," Maya groaned at her golden retriever, who'd watched her demolish that spinach artichoke dip with zero objections. Barnaby thumped his tail, totally unbothered.

The party was already popping when Maya arrived, solo. She spotted Sphinx immediately—floppy dark hair, leaning against the kitchen counter like he owned the atmosphere. Someone had mentioned he might finally reveal something real about himself tonight.

"Hey Maya!" Chloe waved her over. "Sphinx is doing that thing where you ask him three questions and he has to answer one honestly. Legend says he never breaks character."

Maya's stomach did gymnastics. She'd been crushing on Sphinx since October, when he'd returned her lost phone without accepting her offer of a reward. Just nodded and walked away. Enigmatic. Hot. Annoying.

"Truth game!" someone shouted.

Sphinx's dark eyes landed on Maya. She froze. Heart pounding. Hands sweating. Spinach.

"Maya," he said, voice dropping an octave. "Truth: why were you really late tonight?"

The room went quiet. Everyone waiting. This was it—her moment to be smooth, mysterious, intriguing.

"I was..." Maya started, then caught her reflection in a mirror across the room. The spinach. Still there. Brilliant green evidence of her disaster energy.

Barnaby would've judged her so hard.

"I was rescuing a dog," she heard herself say. "Emergency situation. Very heroic. Zero casualties."

Sphinx raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."

"Truth or dare, Sphinx?" Maya challenged, somehow finding courage in her embarrassment.

"Truth."

"What's your real name? Everyone calls you Sphinx, but there's gotta be something on your birth certificate."

He smiled, actually smiled, and her heart did that annoying flutter thing.

"Adam," he said. "But Sphinx stuck because of the riddles I used to leave in people's lockers last year. Before I got cool."

The room erupted. Maya laughed so hard she forgot to be self-conscious about the spinach in her teeth.

"You want to know a secret?" Adam—Sphinx—slid closer. "I came late too. Had to help my neighbor with her golden retriever. He wouldn't stop eating her houseplants."

"Was his name Barnaby?"

"No," he laughed. "But same bad-boy energy."

Maya grinned, spinach and all. Sometimes the universe had a weird way of working things out.