Bear With Me

Maya dragged herself through the hallway, feeling like a total zombie after three hours of AP Bio. Her mom's new boyfriend, Ted—this massive guy with a beard who literally looked like a bear—was coming over for dinner tonight. Just what she needed. Another adult to judge her existential crisis.

She crashed in her room, scrolling through TikTok. That's when she saw it: an orange cat, sitting on her windowsill like it owned the place. The same orange cat from next door that she'd secretly named Cheeto.

"You good?"

Maya jumped. Her best friend Priya was FaceTiming her.

"Ted's coming over," Maya groaned. "It's giving major cringe."

"Girl, you'll be fine. Just be your chaotic self."

But Maya wasn't sure what that even meant anymore. Junior year was hitting different—everyone was posting about their "glow ups" while she was just trying not to collapse.

Dinner was weird. Ted was actually nice, but Maya felt off. Later, she found her mom in the kitchen, staring at a bottle of vitamin D supplements on the counter.

"You okay?" Maya asked.

"Just thinking," her mom said. "Ted's great, but... I don't know if I'm ready."

Something clicked. Her mom was just as confused as she was.

Maya grabbed the vitamins. "You need these, Mom. For real."

They laughed, and for the first time in months, Maya didn't feel like she was faking it. Outside, Cheeto the orange cat meowed at her window, and she actually felt kind of okay.

Maybe being a zombie was temporary. Maybe she'd figure out who she was eventually. And maybe—just maybe—she could bear with it all, one awkward dinner at a time.