Lake Summer

Marcus stood at the edge of the lake, fingers curling around the rough bark of an old pine. The water glittered like someone had spilled diamonds across the surface, but his stomach churned like it had last year when Tyler—aka 'The Bull'—had shoved him into the cafeteria trash can.

"You coming in or what?" Tyler's voice carried across the sand. He was already waist-deep, water dripping from his cornrows like he owned the entire lake.

Marcus's mom had promised him a cat if he made it through this summer camp without crying. Not that he'd admit it, but he'd already Googled shelter kitties on his phone under his blankets. A cat would never make him feel small.

A ripple across the lake caught his eye. Dark, massive, moving way too fast to be a fish.

"Bear!" someone screamed.

Chaos erupted. Kids scrambled toward the cabins, splashing water everywhere. Tyler surged toward the dock, but his foot caught on something submerged. He went under, arms flailing like a panicked toddler.

Marcus didn't think. He dove.

The shock of cold water punched his chest. He found Tyler thrashing beneath the surface, eyes wide with genuine terror for the first time in his life. Marcus grabbed his shirt, kicked hard, and hauled them both toward the shore.

They collapsed onto the sand, gasping. The bear—if it had ever been real—was gone.

"You..." Tyler wheezed, staring at him like he was seeing Marcus for the first time. "You saved me."

"Whatever." Marcus stood up, wringing out his shirt. "You just got tangled in some weeds."

But the next day, Tyler actually nodded at him across the breakfast table. Small, but something. And when Marcus got home, his mom drove him straight to the shelter where a three-legged calico named Mercy pressed her forehead against his palm.

Sometimes bears aren't what you expect. Sometimes you're the one who has to stop being afraid.