The Bear Who Couldn't Run

Alex's senior year was supposed to be legendary. Instead, he was sweating inside a forty-pound bear costume, the mascot for Northwood High, while his ex-best friend Cody ran the actual race.

"Yo Bear, you good?" Maya asked, leaning against the fence. She was the only person who knew Alex hated every fuzzy second of this. "You look like you're gonna pass out."

"I'm bearing it," Alex muttered through the mesh mouth, then immediately cringed at his own pun.

The truth? He'd quit cross-country after sophomore year when Cody—his friend since kindergarten—had started dating Sarah, the girl Alex had been crushing on since forever. The Bull Creek rivalry run was supposed to be Alex's race. Now Cody was leading the pack, looking effortless, while Alex stood on the sidelines in a polyester nightmare.

"He's been talking about you," Maya said suddenly.

"Yeah, right."

"No for real. After you bailed on that group project last month, he was pissed, but he misses you, dumbass."

Something in Alex's chest twisted. He'd ghosted Cody, not the other way around. Too proud to third-wheel, too stubborn to communicate like a normal human being. Classic Alex behavior.

The runners rounded the final curve. Cody was second, pushing hard, his face that focused intense expression Alex knew so well. But then the Bull Creek leader clipped Cody's ankle, and suddenly Cody was eating dirt.

The whole crowd gasped. Cody's leg was bleeding, his face twisted in pain. But he grabbed at the ground, pushing himself up, limping but still moving forward.

Alex moved before he could think about it.

He ripped off the bear head, shaking his sweaty hair free, and sprinted onto the track. The crowd was screaming now, confused and excited. Alex caught Cody as he stumbled, draping the kid's arm over his shoulder.

"I got you, bro," Alex said, and Cody's head snapped up, eyes wide.

"What are you—"

"Shut up and run."

They hobbled the final hundred meters together, Cody bleeding and limping, Alex shoeless and soaked in sweat, the discarded bear head rolling somewhere behind them. They crossed the finish line dead last, and the crowd went absolutely feral.

Cody collapsed on the grass, laughing so hard he started crying. "You showed up in a BEAR costume to save me?"

"You're welcome for not letting me finish last," Cody shot back, then hesitated. "Hey, you wanna come to Sarah's party tonight? She's been asking about you."

Maya appeared behind them, grinning like she'd planned the whole thing. "Well that was iconic."

Alex sank onto the grass next to Cody, catching his breath, feeling like something heavy had finally shifted inside him. Maybe senior year wouldn't be legendary in the way he'd planned. But this? This was real.

"I'm in," Alex said. "But I'm done wearing that bear suit forever."

"Deal," Cody said. "Now help me up, you dramatic loser."