Mascot Problems

The bear head smelled like three years of teenage sweat and desperation. I rotated the heavy foam helmet, checking my reflection in the gym bathroom mirror. Perfect. Just me, Benny, dressed as the school mascot for my first varsity baseball game.

"You look ridiculous, but like, in a cool way?" Maya said from behind me, blasting lemonade vape into the air. "Is that even possible?"

"That's the goal," I muttered, my voice muffled by the giant foam snout.

Truth was, I'd barely made JV last year. But Coach_needed_ a mascot. Needed someone to hype up the crowd, do funny dances between innings, bear the weight of school spirit on their suffocating shoulders. That someone was me.

"You gonna be okay out there?" Maya asked, genuinely concerned for once. Her blue hair matched her eyes today, which was either coordinated chaos or intentional aesthetic. She knew I still had nightmares about striking out in front of everyone during eighth grade gym.

"I got this."

The stands were already packed when I waddled onto the field, my giant feet mascot paws slapping against the dirt. The air smelled like popcorn and teen hormones. I caught Coach's eye behind home plate and did a little spin. He gave me a thumbs-up, which somehow made it worse.

Our team was crushing it. Tyler hit a double in the first. Jasmine's pitching was nasty. And I was dancing like an absolute idiot in the mascot costume, watching everyone cheer and chant and feel things together while I cooked inside a furry prison.

Then came the seventh inning stretch. The crowd started roaring. Someone pointed at me.

"BEAR! BEAR! BEAR!"

They wanted the Chicken Dance. Obviously.

I locked eyes with Maya in the front row, now holding a sign that said GO BEAR GO in sparkly letters. She mouthed: _do it._

So I did it. I flapped my imaginary wings, I wiggled my mascot tail, I owned that ridiculous moment so hard that by the time I finished, the entire section was doing it with me.

After the game—which we actually won—Tyler pulled me aside while I was de-mascoting behind the bleachers. I was sweating through everything.

"Yo, that mascot stuff?" He said it like he was admitting something embarrassing. "That was actually kinda lit."

"Thanks," I said, wiping three pounds of sweat off my forehead.

"Seriously." He looked around to make sure no one was watching. "I've never been able to do that whole... perform in front of people thing. You're fearless, man."

I laughed. "You hit a double in front of everyone, Tyler. I'm just a guy in a bear costume making a fool of himself."

"Yeah but," he paused, "people actually saw you. That counts."

Maya found me by the bike racks, swinging her helmet like she owned the world.

"So?" she asked. "How's it feel to be the most popular bear in school?"

"Terrible," I said. "But also... not terrible?"

"That's called character development, Benny." She tossed me a Gatorade from her bag. "Welcome to high school."