The Bear in the Pool

Alex's palms were sweating as she ran ethernet cable through the Baumiller's basement ceiling. Jake's older brother had hired her because "you're good with tech, right?" and she'd said yes before she could process that Jake—her crush since seventh grade—might actually be there.

The cable kept snagging on something in the ceiling. She yanked it harder, heard a splash from upstairs, and froze. Was that someone in the pool?

"You spying on my party?" a voice said behind her.

Alex spun around. Jake stood there, shirtless, holding a red solo cup. Her brain short-circuited. "No! I'm just—your brother hired me to—"

"Relax, I'm messing with you." He grinned, and her stomach did that annoying flip thing. "Need help?"

Together they finished running the cable to the outdoor setup near the pool. Alex tried not to stare at how the water reflected light across his shoulders. She tried not to think about how everyone else was at the lake today while she was working a summer job her mom had insisted would "build character."

"So," Jake said, as they tested the connection, "you coming to Eva's thing tonight? Everyone's gonna be there."

"Maybe?" Alex lied. She hadn't been invited.

Suddenly, something crashed through the trees behind the pool. A massive shape lumbered toward the water.

"What the—" Jake grabbed her arm. "Is that a BEAR?"

The bear plunged into the pool, thrashing wildly. Someone screamed. Then the bear's head lolled sideways, and a muffled voice yelled, "THIS HELMET IS FOGGED UP, CAN SOMEONE HELP ME OUT OF THIS SUIT?"

It was Mr. Baumiller in a rented bear costume. For Eva's birthday surprise.

Jake lost it. He was laughing so hard he slipped, falling into the pool himself. Mr. Baumiller, still in the soggy bear costume, extended a furry paw to help him up.

Alex stood there, cable still in hand, watching Jake laugh with water dripping from his hair, and thought: maybe being the weird tech kid wasn't the worst thing in the world. At least she'd never be the dad in a bear costume.

"You're coming tonight," Jake said, pulling himself out of the pool. "Trust me, after this? You're part of the lore."

And for the first time, Alex believed something good might actually happen to her.