Bulls, Bears, and Bad Decisions

Marcus's phone buzzed under his desk during fifth period AP History. A text from Jordan: *Dude, Shelby's gonna wear the bear costume to the game. North High's gonna roast us.*

The North High bulls were relentless. Their mascot—a student in a foam bull head—had spent last year's rivalry game charging at their bear mascot until the costume literally split open. This year, Marcus's friend Shelby was determined to redeem Riverdale's honor, even though she was five-foot-nothing and allergic to polyester.

"You're gonna bear the weight of our entire school's dignity," Marcus told her at lunch that day, poking at the spinach on his tray. The caf's "garden salad" was mostly brown lettuce and tragic spinach leaves that smelled like depression.

Shelby rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just don't let me crash into the cheerleaders like last year."

But by Friday, the plan had evolved. Shelby was bored with redemption—she wanted espionage. She convinced Marcus that their mascot should "accidentally" trip North High's bull during the halftime show, YouTube-famous style.

"It's not cheating," she insisted. "It's tactical humor."

Marcus got stuck being the lookout. His job: spy on North High's pre-game huddle and figure out which poor sucker was in the bull suit. He stationed himself behind the bleachers, phone in hand, trying to look casual while staring at the rival team like a total creep.

He spotted the bull instantly. It was doing stretches. Who stretches in a foam bull head? The person inside was short, probably Shelby-sized, moving with deliberate precision like they'd rehearsed this moment.

Then the bull turned.

Marcus froze.

It was Tyler. The Tyler. Junior class president, track star, the guy Marcus had been lowkey stalking on Instagram since September. Tyler was inside the bull costume, looking ridiculous and majestic all at once.

Marcus's heart did something embarrassing. He was supposed to sabotage this guy?

The game started. Riverdale's bear emerged from the tunnel—Shelby, waddling like a majestic potato. The crowd went wild. The North High bull charged onto the field, and Marcus's stomach twisted. This was it. Shelby was gonna Tyler-bowl the hottest guy in school.

But as the bull and bear circled each other at halftime, something happened. Tyler-as-bull did a little pirouette. Shelby-as-bear responded with a casual dab. The crowd lost it. Both mascots broke character, and Marcus could hear Tyler laughing from inside the foam head.

Later, behind the bleachers, Tyler took off the bull head, sweating but grinning. "Your bear's got moves," he said, catching Marcus's eye.

Marcus, forgetting how to English, blurted, "Your bull's got... fur?"

Cool, Marcus. Cool.

But Tyler laughed. "You're that guy who was spying on me earlier, right?"

Marcus's face burned hot enough to power a small city. "I was—"

"Scouting competition?" Tyler winked. "Admirable." He held out his phone. "Put your number in. For... strategic purposes."

That night, Marcus texted Jordan: *Bulls, bears, and bad decisions. Somehow I think I won.*