The Bear in the Bathroom

Maya's phone buzzed with another text from her former best friend. Are you coming to Jordan's party? Ugh. The months of silence between them since the Incident still stung.

Running late because she couldn't decide between two outfits that screamed I'm trying too hard and I've given up, Maya sprinted toward Jordan's house. Her sneakers slapped the pavement in a rhythm that matched her anxiety.

Then she saw him: Caleb, the quiet guy from her AP Lit class, sitting on a sidewalk curb, shoulders shaking. Not her usual crowd. Not anyone's crowd, really.

She slowed. "You okay?"

Caleb looked up, eyes red. "My emotional support animal escaped."

Maya blinked. "You have... a dog?"

"A bear. Well, a teddy bear that my grandma gave me before she died. It's stupid, I know." He laughed bitterly. "I left it on the bus and now it's gone and I can't go to Jordan's party without it and—"

"Wait, you're going to the party?"

"Obviously not anymore." He wiped his face. "This is so embarrassing."

Maya sat beside him. "Last year, I cried because someone posted an unflattering photo of me on Instagram. Got 47 likes before I could report it."

Caleb snorted. "Beat that: I once pretended my phone was dead because I didn't want to talk to someone. They kept texting me and I had to read their messages over their shoulder."

They sat there as the sky darkened, swapping stories of teenage misery. Maya forgot about the party. Forgot about her former friend and the social ladder she'd been trying to climb since middle school.

"I can't believe I'm telling you this," Caleb said. "We've never even spoken before."

"That's how it works, right?" Maya said. "The people you actually connect with aren't the ones you plan to."

He smiled. "So, we're friends now?"

Maya considered. The party continued without them. Her phone kept buzzing with texts she'd probably never answer. "Yeah," she said. "I think we are."

"Cool." He stood up. "Want to help me find my bear? The bus depot closes at nine."

Maya stood too, leaving behind the version of herself she'd been trying to be all year. "Absolutely. But we're taking my car. I'm not running anywhere else tonight."