The Sphinx Who Knew

Maya was running. Not the casual kind of running that happened when you were late to homeroom, but the kind where your lungs burned and your legs felt like they might detach from your body at any second. She was definitely late, but that wasn't why she was running.

She was running because she'd just seen Tyler—that Tyler with the stupid perfect hair and the smile that made geometry teachers forget to assign homework—talking to Jessica. Beautiful, confident, never-had-a-bad-hair-day Jessica. And Maya had done what she always did: panicked and fled.

A sphinx riddle would've been easier than navigating the social labyrinth of sophomore year. At least with a sphinx, you either solved it or you got eaten. None of this wondering-did-I-make-it-weird nonsense.

She slowed to a walk near the old library building, her chest heaving. That's when she heard it—a tiny, pathetic mew from behind the dumpsters.

Maya crouched down and found herself staring into the eyes of the ugliest cat she'd ever seen. It was missing half an ear, had a patchy coat that looked like it had survived at least three wars, and was currently giving her the most judgmental stare she'd ever received from any living creature.

"Great," Maya muttered, sitting back on her heels. "Even dumpster cats think I'm a loser."

The cat limped over and head-butted her shin.

"Okay, wow, rude. I literally did nothing to you."

The cat just purred like a motorboat, and Maya felt something weird happen in her chest. Not the burning from running, but something else. Something softer.

She heard footsteps—Tyler's actual footsteps, approaching with that easy jog of someone who was never uncool for a single day of his life.

"Maya?" His voice sounded confused. "Why are you sitting behind the library with... is that a cat?"

Maya's face turned approximately the temperature of the sun. "It's a rescue situation. I'm rescuing it."

"From what? Being judgmental?"

"From loneliness. Obviously."

Tyler sat down beside her, and the cat immediately abandoned Maya for him. Because of course it did.

"He likes you," Maya said, bitterly. "Traitor."

"Her," Tyler corrected, scratching behind the cat's remaining ear. "And she has excellent taste."

They sat there for a long moment, just the two of them and the cat who'd chosen Tyler over her actual rescuer, and somehow the burning in Maya's lungs had transformed into something else entirely.

"So," Tyler said, still looking at the cat instead of her. "Jessica was asking me about the history project. Just the project."

Maya's heart did something genuinely embarrassing. "Oh."

"Yeah." He finally looked at her, and there was something in his expression that made her think maybe, just maybe, sophomore year wouldn't be completely terrible. "But I was thinking I could maybe walk you to class? If you're done running away from things?"

The sphinx had nothing on seventeen-year-old girls. Some riddles had answers worth chasing, even if you had to run to catch up to them.

"I'm never done running," Maya said, standing up and brushing off her jeans. "But I could use a walk."

The cat mewed in agreement, like a tiny, judgmental goddess granting permission for Maya's life to finally start happening.