The Bear in the Palm

Maya's palms wouldn't stop sweating. She gripped the Vitaminwater bottle like a lifeline, counting down the seconds until she could escape this party without looking like a total loser. The basement was packed with juniors she barely knew, all laughing at inside jokes she'd never be part of.

"Hey, you're Leo's sister, right?" Some guy in a snapback appeared beside her. "You got that fox energy."

Maya almost choked on her vitamin-enhanced drink. Fox energy? What did that even mean? But before she could process the weird compliment, Leo stumbled over, red Solo cup in hand.

"Maya! Finally!" He draped an arm around her shoulders. "Everyone, this is my little sister. She's basically a bear - all fierce and cuddly until you mess with her hibernation schedule."

The group laughed, but something shifted. They weren't looking at her as Leo's weird sister anymore. They were waiting.

Maya set down her drink. She thought about the spinach stuck in her braces earlier, how she'd spent twenty minutes fixing it because she was so desperate to fit in. She thought about how her palms were still sweating, how she'd been standing in the corner for forty-five minutes.

"Actually," Maya said, her voice steady, "I'm more like those placebo vitamin supplements you guys buy. Looks real, does nothing."

Silence. Then snapback guy cracked up. "Dude, that was savage."

Someone high-fived her. Someone else asked if she wanted to play beer pong. Leo raised his eyebrows like he was seeing her for the first time.

Maya's palms were still sweating, but she didn't care anymore. She'd stopped trying to be who they wanted and started being who she actually was - awkward, funny, and totally okay with not fitting into anyone's box.

The bear in her palm had finally awakened, and it was hungry for more than just Vitaminwater and invisibility.