Chasing the Bear

Maya's legs burned as she rounded the third mile marker, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Cross country practice wasn't supposed to be this intense, but Coach Martinez had them running hill repeats like their lives depended on it.

"You've got a bear chasing you, Martinez!" someone shouted from the bottom of the hill. The team's inside joke — whenever they felt like quitting, they imagined a bear was gaining on them. ridiculous, but it worked.

Maya adjusted her dad's old baseball cap, pulling the brim lower. The hat had seen better days, but wearing it made her feel closer to him, even if he was three states away with his new family.

After practice, she headed to Sweetgreen with the team. That's when she saw him — Liam, the cute junior from AP English. He was sitting with his friends, wearing that vintage beanie Maya had secretly Instagram-stalked.

"Hey, nice race today," he said as she walked by.

Maya froze. Then she remembered her reflection in the restaurant window. The massive chunk of spinach stuck between her teeth from lunch.

"Thanks," she mumbled, rushing to the bathroom.

Her phone buzzed. Unknown number: "This is Liam from English. Some of us are studying at the library tomorrow if you want to join."

Maya stared at the screen, her heart doing that ridiculous fluttery thing. She'd been running from everything since her dad left — running on the trails, running from conversations, running from anything real. But maybe it was time to stop.

The bear she'd been imagining wasn't chasing her anymore. It was waiting for her at the finish line, and for the first time in months, she was ready to face it.