What the Sphinx Asked

Maya's first week at Northwood High felt like walking through a minefield blindfolded. Between finding her locker without looking like a total lost cause and trying to figure out the cafeteria hierarchy, she was exhausted. Then she saw the flyer for padel club tryouts.

"Padel?" her cousin Jordan snorted when she mentioned it over Facetime. "That's like tennis for people who can't commit. You're gonna look so goofy out there."

"Shut up, Jordan," Maya shot back, but her stomach did that annoying flip thing. What if she *did* look goofy? What if everyone watched?

Tryouts were worse than she imagined. The coach—a senior named Lucas who definitely knew he was hot—kept calling the ball machine "the sphinx" because it "mystified everyone." Maya was currently 0-for-12 against the sphinx, her racket swinging at air while some juniors giggled behind their hands.

Then her stomach growled. Loud. Like, *really* loud.

"Someone's hungry," Lucas called out. The giggles turned to full laughter. Maya felt her face burn hotter than the sun.

"Actually," a voice spoke up. It was Chloe, the quiet girl from her English class. "She's just fueling up. My coach says padel players need more energy than tennis players anyway."

The laughter died down. Lucas actually looked kind of impressed.

After tryouts, Maya found Chloe sitting outside with a container of what looked like the most depressing salad ever—wilted spinach leaves, no dressing, zero excitement.

"What is that tragedy?" Maya asked, gesturing.

Chloe shrugged. "My mom's on this health kick. Says spinach will make me 'strong like Popeye.' I think she forgot Popeye is a cartoon sailor from like, the 1920s."

Maya laughed. "My mom tried that with me last year. I literally hid the spinach in napkins and pretended I ate it."

"No way. You too?" Chloe's eyes lit up. "I've been doing that for weeks. She thinks I'm a health nut."

"Wait." Maya sat down beside her. "You're the girl who aced the history presentation last week. I thought you were, like, perfect."

"Please." Chloe rolled her eyes. "I just memorize everything. Inside, I'm lowkey freaking out constantly."

Maya blinked. She'd assumed Chloe had it all together—good grades, seemed cool under pressure. But here she was, secretly plotting against spinach like a criminal.

"Hey," Maya said slowly. "What if we come back tomorrow? To the tryouts. The sphinx can't win forever."

Chloe smiled. "Only if you promise to help me figure out how to dispose of this spinach without my mom finding out."

"Deal."

As Maya walked home, something in her chest felt lighter. Maybe high school wasn't about having it all together. Maybe it was about finding your people—the ones who got that sometimes, you just had to fake it till you made it, one spinach leaf at a time.