The Bear in the Pool

The last thing Maya expected to see floating in the Johnsons' pool was a baseball glove. And definitely not a stuffed bear wearing it.

"Dare you to grab it," Liam said, grinning like he'd just won the lottery. His snapback was backwards, and he had that look—the one that made every girl at school either roll their eyes or swoon.

Maya adjusted her bikini top, suddenly hyper-aware of how pale her legs looked compared to Brianna's golden ones. They'd been invited to THE pool party of the summer, and Maya had spent forty-five minutes straightening her hair that morning. Now it was probably frizzy from the humidity.

"No way," Brianna said, flicking her perfect beach waves. "That thing's been in there since, like, forever. Probably haunted."

The bear—obviously some childhood toy someone had abandoned—bobbed near the deep end, its glass eyes staring blankly at the cloudless sky. The baseball glove on its paw was leather and real, though. A Rawlings. Expensive.

Maya's dad had played baseball in college. He'd tried to teach her once, but she'd quit after striking out in front of everyone. Too much pressure. Too many eyes.

"What's the matter?" Liam called out. "Scared?" He did that thing with his eyebrows—challenging her, but also kinda flirting? Maybe?

Her heart did this stupid little flutter thing. Ugh.

She dove into the pool before she could overthink it. The water was perfect, that cool shock against her skin that made everything feel possible. She swam to the bear, grabbed it by its soggy fur.

Up close, it wasn't scary. Just lonely. A forgotten thing someone had left behind.

"You okay?" Liam was suddenly beside her in the water, his voice softer.

"Yeah," Maya said, clutching the bear. "Just thinking about how everything ends up somewhere."

"Deep," he said, but not making fun of her. "My cousin left that bear here last summer. Before he moved away."

The baseball glove slipped off the bear's paw and floated between them. Without thinking, Maya slipped it on her left hand. It fit perfectly.

"Tryouts are next week," Liam said. "You should come."

"I haven't played since I was twelve."

"So?" He splashed water at her, grinning. "Neither has half the team. We're terrible. It's fun."

The bear floated between them, a weird little bridge. Maya realized she was smiling—really smiling, not the fake one she'd been using all day.

"Maybe," she said.

Later, she'd leave the bear on the pool deck to dry. Someone would take it home. But the glove? She kept that.

Some things you outgrow. Others find you when you're finally ready to catch them.