The Bear in the Cafeteria

Maya's stomach did that embarrassing rumble thing right as she slid into her usual spot at the third table from the window. Her so-called best friend, Chloe, was already there, practically vibrating with the kind of energy that meant either tea was about to be spilled or someone was about to be humiliated.

"OMG, did you hear?" Chloe leaned in, her orange hoodie practically glowing in the harsh cafeteria lights. "Jordan's moving. Like, actually moving. To Oregon."

Maya's fork paused halfway to her mouth, a single leaf of spinach dangling precariously. "What? When?"

"End of the month. His parents got new jobs or whatever." Chloe sighed dramatically. "This is literally the worst timing ever. Finals are coming up and he's supposed to be our bear mascot for the pep rally."

Maya pushed her food around, that familiar hollow feeling settling in her chest. Jordan had been their trio's third wheel since middle school, the one who made bad jokes and let them copy his homework when they were desperate. The one who'd somehow convinced her to try out for track even though she'd wanted to crawl under a rock and die during tryouts.

"So what do we do?" Maya asked quietly.

"We make it count," Chloe said, her voice dropping to that serious tone she only used when things actually mattered. "We're not just letting him ghost without a proper send-off. We need to go big."

Maya looked at her friend—really looked at her—and realized something. Chloe wasn't just being dramatic. She was scared. They all were. Because after Jordan left, everything would be different. The comfortable trio would become a duo, and Maya wasn't sure she was ready for that kind of change.

"Okay," Maya said, finally eating that piece of spinach. "But if we're going big, we're doing it my way. No cheesy speeches. No public spectacles. Just something real."

Chloe's grin was immediate. "Deal. Now pass me your phone. We've got planning to do."

Outside the window, the day looked different somehow—brighter, maybe. Or maybe Maya was just finally noticing that even when things changed, some things stayed the same. Like the way Chloe could read her mind, or how Jordan would probably make some terrible joke about becoming a hipster in Portland, or how she'd somehow figure out who she was on the other side of all this.

Change was coming, sure. But she didn't have to face it alone.