The Bear in the Hallway

Maya pulled her beanie **hat** down to her eyebrows, trying to become invisible in the crowded hallway. Freshman year was supposed to be this big exciting chapter, but mostly it felt like everyone was watching her, waiting for her to mess up.

That's when she noticed him — Liam, the sophomore with the leather jacket and perfectly messy hair, leaning against her locker like he owned the school. He kept glancing around like a nervous **spy** in a bad movie, checking his phone every three seconds. Maya's stomach did that weird fluttery thing it always did when he was near.

"You're Maya, right?" he said, pushing off from her locker.

She nodded, probably too enthusiastically. "Yeah. Hi."

"I need your help." He leaned in closer, smelling like vanilla and old gum. "I heard you're good at coding."

Maya straightened up. This was it — her moment. "I mean, I'm decent. Why?"

"I need someone to hack into the school's website," he whispered. "My **bear** — well, my little sister's stuffed bear, Beatrice — she left it in the library yesterday, and if my mom finds out I lost it again, I'm dead. The library keeps claiming their inventory system says it's not there."

Maya blinked. "You want me to help you... break into the school website to find a stuffed bear?"

"It's not just a bear! Beatrice has been with her since she was born. She cried for three days when we temporarily lost it at Target." Liam's eyes were legitimately wide. "Please. I'll owe you forever."

Maya should have said no. This was exactly the kind of thing that got people in trouble, the thing her older brother warned her about. But Liam was looking at her like she was the only person who could save him, and honestly? She'd never felt more seen in her entire life.

"Fine," she said, already calculating how much trouble she'd actually be in. "But you're buying me boba after."

"Deal." Liam's grin could have powered the whole school. "You're a lifesaver, Maya. Seriously."

As they walked toward the computer lab together, Maya adjusted her hat and realized something: sometimes the most embarrassing moments turned into the best stories. And if it meant spending the afternoon with Liam while hunting for a missing stuffed bear in the school's database? Well, that was a price she was willing to pay.