The Bear by the Water

The summer before sophomore year, Mia's mom made her bring the family dog to Jordan's lake house party. Like, who does that? Buttons was a rescue with anxiety issues who somehow sensed Mia's social anxiety and made it worse. Great.

The party was lit—floaties in the water, a cooler spiked with drinks someone definitely stole from their parents, Jordan's older brother DJing. Mia stood at the edge, thumbs-scrolling through nothing, trying to look busy.

"You gonna stand there all night?" said Jake, the senior everyone called Bear because he was six-foot-two and built like a linebacker. He was also painfully hot. Mia's face heated up.

"I'm good."

Bear waded into the water. "Your loss."

Mia watched him. She watched everyone—Cassie and Sam flirting by the inflatable raft, Tyler doing cannonballs off the dock, Jordan scrolling TikTok on the porch. No one noticed her except Buttons, who was currently chasing a duck into the lake.

"Buttons!" Mia yelled, but the dog was already paddling toward the middle.

Then Bear yelled something sharp, and everyone froze. A real bear—a massive one—was lumbering down the path toward the party, drawn by the smell of food. People scrambled. Girls screamed. Someone dropped their phone in the water.

Buttons swam straight for the bear, barking like a maniac. The bear paused, confused. Everyone stared.

Bear (the human) charged out of the water. "BACK UP! EVERYONE BACK UP!" His voice cracked—okay, so he wasn't that brave.

The bear huffed, turned, and lumbered away. Buttons swam back to shore, shaking water all over Mia's favorite skirt.

"Your dog is insane," Bear said, out of breath. His eyes met Mia's, and she actually laughed.

"Yeah, well. He's got issues."

"Same," said Bear. "Wanna get out of here? My dad's got a boat."

Mia looked at Buttons, dripping wet and ridiculous. "Can Buttons come?"

Bear grinned. "Obviously. It's his party now."

They walked down the dock together, the dog leading the way like he'd planned it all along. Later, Mia would find out Bear's real name was Ethan. But for now, he was just Bear, and she was just Mia, and somehow that was enough.