Truth Under the Sphinx

Maya's hair had looked better. Much better. The box dye had promised "sunset copper" but delivered "construction cone orange." Standing at the edge of Jenna's pool party, she tugged self-consciously at her frizzy curls, suddenly hyper-aware of how everyone else's hair seemed to cascade in perfect, effortless waves.

"You gonna swim or just pose dramatically?" her best friend Sam called from the pool, splashing water toward her. Maya rolled her eyes but grinned, dropping her towel on a lounge chair. The August heat was already making her palms sweat—ironic, considering what came next.

Lena, the senior who'd been supposedly "reading palms" at parties since sophomore year, had set up shop under the patio umbrella. A tiny porcelain sphinx statue sat next to her crystal ball. The sphinx's painted eyes seemed to follow Maya as she approached.

"Let me guess," Lena said, gesturing to the empty folding chair. "You're overthinking something."

"Is it that obvious?" Maya sat down, extending her hand.

Lena traced the lines on Maya's palm with practiced fingers. "You're at a crossroads. Big changes coming. But here's the thing—" she tapped the center of Maya's palm "—you already know what you want. You're just scared to own it."

Before Maya could respond, a calico cat that had been sleeping under a nearby palm tree padded over and leaped gracefully into Maya's lap, as if on cue. The cat purred loudly, vibrating against her thighs.

"See?" Lena winked. "Even Aristotle knows you're good people."

Maya looked down at the cat, then at her frizzy orange hair in the reflection of the patio door, then at her palm. The truth settled in her chest like a dropped stone. She'd been trying to fix her hair for two hours this morning because she thought she needed to be someone else to fit in at this party. But she'd been invited as Maya.

"Your turn!" someone called from the pool. Marco, that cute junior from her history class, waved at her.

The cat jumped down as Maya stood up. She kicked off her flip-flops and dove into the cool water, orange hair streaming behind her like a sunset. When she surfaced, Marco was grinning at her.

"Nice hair," he said. "Bold choice."

Maya flipped wet hair out of her face and smiled. "Yeah," she said, treading water. "I'm kind of loving it actually."

And for the first time all day, she wasn't lying.