The Bear in the Backpack

Maya felt like a zombie. Not the cool, movie kind with dramatic makeup and a tragic backstory. The mundane kind: brain-dead from three AP classes, debate practice, and her mom's new obsession with organic everything.

"Take your vitamin C complex!" her mom had shouted that morning, waving a neon orange bottle. "It boosts immunity and brain function!"

"Yeah, yeah," Maya had mumbled, shoving the giant pill into her backpack alongside everything else.

Now she sat at lunch, picking at cafeteria pizza while her friends dissected the weekend party. Jake had texted her. Actual Jake, with the messy hair and perfect smile. And she'd responded with a thumbs-up emoji like a total loser.

"You okay?" Priya asked, poking her arm. "You look... deadish."

"Just tired," Maya lied.

Her hand brushed against something fuzzy in her bag. Mr. Cuddles. The stuffed bear she'd secretly slept with since she was six. Pathetic, right? Sixteen years old and still needing a plushie to survive. But nobody knew. Some secrets had to stay buried.

At her locker, she opened the bag to grab her chemistry notebook. Mr. Cuddles's ear poked out, ridiculous and judgmental.

"What's THAT?" Jake's voice behind her.

Maya slammed the locker. Too late.

"Is that... a teddy bear?" He wasn't laughing. Just curious. "That's actually kind of... cool. Like, I still have my old blankie somewhere. Don't tell anyone I said that."

Maya's face burned. "You have a blanket?"

"Dude, junior year is wrecking everyone." He leaned against the lockers. "My mom started me on those gummy vitamins. Like that's gonna fix anything."

She laughed, really laughed. The zombie feeling cracked open.

"Yeah, my mom's all about the vitamins too."

"Hey, want to study chemistry later? We can bring our respective childhood comfort objects and be pathetic together."

"I'd like that," Maya said.

Walking away, she touched Mr. Cuddles through her backpack. The zombie was still there, somewhere, but maybe—just maybe—she didn't have to be her alone.