What the Bear Knows

Maya's palms were sweating through her jeggings as she stood outside Mr. Henderson's classroom. The mythology presentation. The sphinx. She'd been lowkey dreading this all week, her anxiety doing that thing where it felt like her chest was hosting a rave she hadn't RSVP'd to.

"You got this," said Jayden, leaning against the lockers like he belonged in a music video. "Just don't let it eat you like it did Oedipus. Or was that his mom? Whatever, you're gonna slay."

Maya rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Jayden. Your confidence in me is truly... peak." She fake-gagged. "But honestly? I'd rather bear witness to a train wreck than be IN one."

"That's not how that phrase goes, but I feel you." He checked his phone. "Yo, isn't your mom still on that vitamin kick? She kept texting you about those gummies, right?"

"Don't even get me started." Maya pulled a rainbow-colored bottle from her backpack. "She says B12 is supposed to help with stress. I'm pretty sure she just bought them because they're shaped like unicorns."

The classroom door opened. Someone walked out looking emotionally wrecked. Great.

"Maya, you're up," Mr. Henderson called.

Here's the thing about sphinxes: they're all about riddles. The answer to who you are isn't straightforward. Maya stood at the front, her palms somehow sweating more, and realized the ancient Egyptians were really onto something with the whole "guardian of secrets" vibe. Because wasn't high school basically one giant sphinx demanding answers you didn't have?

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Probably her mom again: "Did you take your vitamins? Love you!💕"

Something in Maya shifted. The sphinx had kept vigil over mysteries for thousands of years. She could bear five minutes of public speaking. She'd literally been preparing for this her whole life — every awkward interaction, every cafeteria lunch spent wondering where to sit, every time she'd felt too much and not enough all at once.

"The sphinx asks us questions," Maya said, her voice steady. "But maybe the real riddle isn't about the answer. It's about being brave enough to stand in the mystery anyway."

Jayden wolf-whistled from the back. Mr. Henderson pretended not to see it.

Later, as they walked home, Maya fished the vitamin gummies from her pocket. "You know what? These actually kinda slap."

Jayden laughed. "See? Your mom knows what's up."

"Don't push it," she said, grinning. "But yeah. Maybe she does."