The Bear by the Pool

The water in the Kennedy's backyard pool shimmered like liquid diamonds, but Maya stood at the edge in her oversized t-shirt, heart hammering against her ribs. Everyone else was already splashing around like they'd been born in chlorinated water—Jordan doing cannonballs off the diving board, Chloe and her clique floating on inflatables, looking effortlessly perfect.

Maya had spent her entire freshman year hiding behind oversized hoodies, but sophomore year was supposed to be different. This was supposed to be different.

"You coming in or what?" Jordan called, shaking water from his hair like some adorable golden retriever.

Maya's stomach did that annoying flip-flop thing it always did around him. "Maybe later," she mumbled, reaching for her phone to check a notification that definitely wasn't there.

Inside, the house was cooler. Someone had left the TV on—a baseball game playing on cable, the announcer's voice a steady droning through expensive speakers. Maya curled up on the couch, watching through the sliding glass door as everyone laughed and splashed without her.

Then she saw it.

In the corner of the living room, propped against the Kennedy's trophy shelf, was a giant stuffed bear. It had to be five feet tall, wearing an outdated baseball jersey, glass eyes catching the light like it knew something she didn't.

Maya's dad had won her a similar bear at a carnival when she was seven. She'd named him Barnaby and slept with him every night until sixth grade, when she'd overheard Jordan making fun of someone for still sleeping with stuffed animals. Barnaby had been relegated to the back of her closet that same day.

The front door opened and a girl she didn't recognize walked in—Emma, from the soccer team. She spotted Maya on the couch and the giant bear.

"Oh my god," Emma said, dropping her voice. "Is that the infamous graduation bear? Liam's older brother supposedly won it for him, but it's cursed. Anyone who touches it fails their driver's test."

Maya blinked. "Seriously?"

"Dead serious." Emma plopped down beside her. "I'm Emma, by the way. And you're Maya, right? You sit behind me in algebra."

They sat there for twenty minutes, watching the baseball game, making up increasingly elaborate backstories for the cursed bear, until Jordan came inside, dripping wet, looking for snacks.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked, towel around his neck.

"Discussing bear curses," Emma said deadpan. "What does it look like?"

Jordan's eyes lit up. "No way. Someone told you about Bear-nard?"

Bear-nard.

Maya laughed—actually laughed—and realized something important: she'd been so worried about diving into the pool that she'd forgotten she could just dip her toes in the shallow end first.

"Watch this," Emma whispered, then tackled Jordan into the bear's fuzzy embrace.

The cursed bear toppled onto all three of them, and for the first time all summer, Maya didn't feel like she was watching from the sidelines. The water could wait. She was exactly where she was supposed to be.