Mascot Summer

The **hair** situation was a disaster. I'd spent three hours perfecting my blue-streaked bangs, only for the Georgia humidity to turn them into a frizzy situation by noon. Welcome to Camp Wannahockaloogie, population: everyone cooler than me.

"You're wearing the BEAR costume tonight," Maya said without looking up from her phone. My former best **friend** had been ghosting me all week, too busy with the popular girls from Cabin 7 to notice I existed.

"The bear? Seriously?" I groaned. "That thing smells like fifty years of teenage sweat."

"It's either that or help build the human **pyramid** for the talent show," Maya said, finally meeting my eyes. "And we both know you'd literally die at the bottom."

Ouch. She wasn't wrong though. Last year at school, I'd literally been at the bottom of the eighth grade pyramid for the fall assembly, holding up Jenna Mitchell and her squad while my face turned purple. The video still circulated occasionally in our group chat. Maya had sent it herself with the crying-laughing emoji.

That night, sweating inside the mascot costume, I watched from behind the bear's mesh eyes as the campers performed. Maya was at the top of the pyramid, of course, her hair somehow perfect despite everything. The crowd went wild.

Then it happened.

The pyramid wobbled. Someone slipped. The whole thing collapsed like a Jenga tower gone wrong — and Maya tumbled right into the bear costume.

"Oh my GOD, BEAR!" she screamed, clutching my furry arm as she scrambled up.

I could've walked away. Could've let her stand there embarrassed in front of everyone.

Instead, I did what any mature former friend would do. I bear-hugged her.

"BEAR HAS SPOKEN," I boomed in my weird muffled mascot voice. "BEAR FORGIVES."

She stared at me. Then she cracked up. Actually laughed.

"Your **hair**," she said. "It looks ridiculous in there."

"It's called VOLUME, Maya. Look it up."

We sat on the edge of the stage while the rest of the camp chaos continued, my bear head between us, talking about everything and nothing until the stars came out. Some friendships have their awkward phases. But like a bad hair day, sometimes you just have to wait it out.