Taxidermy and First Crushes

The air in Uncle Jerry's roadside attraction always smelled like dust and formaldehyde, but Maya didn't mind. It beat the hell out of another summer stuck at home watching her mom spiral over credit card bills.

"Got more cable in the back," Jerry said, gesturing toward the tangled mess behind the bull. "Fix it before the tourists show up, yeah?"

The bull stared at Maya with glass eyes, its massive head frozen mid-charge. Beside it, the bear reared up on hind legs, mouth open in a permanent roar that looked more like a yawn. They'd been here since before Maya was born, Jerry's pride and joy, even though most people just drove past without stopping.

Maya crawled behind the display, phone buzzin' in her pocket. Him again.

*u coming to jax's party tonight?*

Her fingers hovered over the screen. She'd been crushing on Liam since seventh grade, and now that he'd finally noticed her existed, she was stuck working at a taxidermy museum wearing a shirt that said "UNCLE JERRY'S WILD WORLD" in faded letters.

*maybe,* she typed, then added, *if my uncle doesn't make me stay late.*

Buster—Jerry's ancient German Shepherd mix—thumped his tail against the floor. He always slept near the bear like he was guarding it. "Bull and bear market," Jerry'd explained once, pointing at his prized exhibits. "Up and down, just like the economy. That's life, kid."

Whatever that meant.

The cable connection was fried, just like always. Maya jiggled the wires until the monitor flickered to life, showing grainy footage of the parking lot. Last week, she'd caught some high schoolers messing with the bear. They'd probably be back.

Her phone lit up again. *no way. liam's gonna be there.*

Maya sat back on her heels, heart hammering. This was it—her chance. But Uncle Jerry needed her. The bull's glass eye had come loose last week, and Jerry kept forgetting to glue it back in. The whole place was falling apart, just like her parents' marriage, just like everything.

Buster whined, nudging her hand with his wet nose.

"I know," she whispered. "Dumb choice, right?"

Outside, a car pulled up. Not tourists. Liam's distinctive hatchback.

Maya scrambled up from behind the bull, dusting off her knees. When she pushed through the curtain into the gift shop, Liam was there, leaning against the counter like he owned the place.

"Your uncle said you were working," he said, all crooked grin and easy confidence. "Figured I'd stop by. See if you wanted bail."

Maya glanced at Uncle Jerry, who was busy rearranging postcards of wolves and mountain lions. He just shrugged and winked.

"Go ahead," Jerry said. "Buster and I can handle the bear and bull."

Liam held out his hand. "So? You coming or what?"

Maya looked at the glassy eyes of the bull, the sleepy form of Buster by the bear, the endless stretch of highway outside. Then she took Liam's hand.

"Yeah," she said, letting him pull her toward the door. "Yeah, I'm coming."