Bearing the Summer

My palms were sweating inside the bear costume. Like, actually dripping. I'd signed up for what I thought would be an easy summer gig—being the mascot at the neighborhood pool parties—but nobody told me about the heat. Or the middle schoolers who thought it was hilarious to tackle the giant dancing bear.

"Yo Bear, do a spin!" some kid yelled, while his friends filmed.

I spun. The costume head tilted sideways. Crisis.

"You need to chill," said Maya, the girl who worked the snack stand, sliding over a vitamin gummy. "My mom says these help with stress. Or anxiety. Or something."

I fumbled it through the bear paw. "Thanks. You're a lifesaver."

"literally," she said, but she was smiling.

The pool was packed—everyone from my school was there. Including Jason, whose Instagram story from last night showed him hanging with what looked like every popular person in existence. Meanwhile, I was here, inside a polyester bear, making $12 an hour and developing what was probably a permanent back problem.

But then.

Some kid pushed another kid into the pool—except the second kid couldn't swim. I saw it happen through the mesh of the bear head. Splash. Silence. Then panic.

Something in my brain just clicked. I didn't think. I just moved.

The bear dove.

Full-on mascot belly flop into the pool, polyester and foam soaking up chlorine like a sponge. I grabbed the kid, hauled him up, and suddenly everyone was clapping, cheering, someone was yelling "BEAR BEAR" like this was the coolest thing that had ever happened at a community pool ever.

Later, dripping wet and bear-costume-less, sitting on the edge of the pool with Maya, she handed me another vitamin gummy.

"You know," she said, "that was actually kind of heroic."

"Yeah, well." I looked at my palms, still trembling slightly. "Someone had to do it."

"Still." She bumped my shoulder with hers. "Pretty bear move, honestly."

I laughed. "Pretty bear move?"

"The worst." She grinned. "But also kinda legendary."

And maybe that was enough. Maybe legendary was better than popular anyway.