The Bear in the Mascot Suit

Maya squeezed into the polyester bear costume, sweating through her third period as Northwood High's mascot. The padel courts outside buzzed with the popular crowd—Tyler with his perfect hair, Chloe with her laugh that sounded like wind chimes. Maya's iphone buzzed in her backpack, tucked away in the locker room. Probably her mom asking if she ate her spinach-packed smoothie that morning. Because evidently, being a mascot wasn't enough—she had to be a WELL-FED mascot.

The game tied at set point in the final match. Tyler's smash landed inches from the line, but his opponent called it out.

"That's such bull!" Tyler yelled, slamming his racquet.

The referee hesitated. Then he nodded, awarding the point to Tyler. The crowd roared.

Maya's stomach twisted. She'd seen it too—the ball had clearly landed OUT. Her bear paws shook as she raised her arms in outrage, but nobody noticed a giant fuzzy bear protesting injustice. Just another day of being invisible inside a costume that literally screamed for attention.

After the game, she found Tyler by the benches, already posting about his "epic comeback" on Instagram.

"Hey, congratulations," Maya said, peeling off her bear head. Her hair matted to her forehead. "But you know that ball was out, right?"

Tyler froze. His iphone clattered onto the bench. "Whatever. The ref called it."

"The ref called it because you made a scene. You know it. I know it. That bear costume inside there?" She pointed at her discarded suit. "It has better vision than you think."

Chloe appeared behind Tyler, phone in hand. "Wait, what?"

"Maya's right," someone said from the padel court. Tyler's opponent, a sophomore named Jenna, stepped forward. "I was gonna let it slide because he's Tyler, but honestly? I'm tired of letting people get away with stuff just because they're... Tyler."

More nods. A freshman Maya didn't recognize muttered something about "main character energy."

That night, Maya sat at dinner, pushing spinach around her plate. Her phone lit up with a notification: a group chat. "Bear Witness Club," Chloe had named it. The message from Jenna read: "Next time someone tries to bull their way through life, we're calling it out. Who's in?"

Maya typed back: "I'll bring the costume."