The Bear in the Feed

Maya's thumb hovered over the screen, heart rate matching the rapid-fire notifications flooding her iPhone. The group chat was blowing up — someone had posted something about Kai, and now everyone was choosing sides.

"You good?" Liam asked, flopping onto the beanbag next to her. He held out a bag of gummy worms like a peace offering.

Maya nodded but couldn't tear her eyes away. This was it — her chance to finally be part of the popular crowd. All she had to do was react, comment, maybe share the post. Just one tap.

"Dude, you've been doom-scrolling for two hours," Liam said, his tone shifting. "Remember when we used to, like, actually hang out? Without -"

"Without what? Being relevant?" Maya snapped, then immediately regretted it. Liam flinched like she'd slapped him.

Last year, they'd been thick as thieves — two theater kids bonding over shared crushes and stolen snacks. But when Maya got her iPhone and discovered the intoxicating world of followers and likes, something shifted. Liam stayed in their corner of the world while Maya kept reaching for something bigger.

The truth was, she was tired. Tired of performing, tired of waiting for validation from people who wouldn't recognize her in the halls. And she missed her friend — the one who knew her real laugh, not her curated one.

Her phone buzzed again. A notification from the group chat: "Well?? Are you with us or not?"

Maya looked at Liam, who was already standing up to leave. "Wait," she said, setting the phone down on the coffee table. "Want to binge that terrible show again? The one with the -"

"- with the bear costume that looks like it was made by a kindergartner?" Liam's face lit up. "Absolutely."

They spent the rest of the night roasting the show and eating way too many gummy worms. Maya's iPhone sat forgotten on the table, its screen occasionally lighting up with messages she never checked.

Later that night, she saw the meme someone had made about her: "Maya thinks she's too cool for the squad now lol."

She could have corrected them. Could have fought for her spot. Instead, she turned off her phone and fell asleep laughing at Liam's terrible bear impression.

Some things were worth bearing alone.