The Dog That Saved My Social Life

I was basically a zombie by sixth period on Friday. Three tests, a presentation I'd forgotten to prep for, and my phone had died before lunch. I was so done.

Then I saw Bear.

Okay, not an actual bear. My neighbor's massive black lab, who'd escaped his yard again and was currently running circles around the cul-de-sac like a maniac. Bear was sweet but huge, and he was not having it with being alone.

"BEAR!" I shouted, sprinting after him. Because of course this was my life now. Chasing a runaway dog in my favorite hoodie that I'd just washed.

I finally cornered Bear near the park entrance, panting like I'd just run a marathon I hadn't signed up for. That's when I saw her—Maya, from my English class. Sitting on a bench, reading a graphic novel like this was all totally normal.

She looked up, and I felt my face get hot. Because Maya was the kind of person who actually had her aesthetic together, while I was out here chasing a dog named Bear like my life depended on it.

"That's Bear," she said, like she knew him.

"Yeah, he's my neighbor's. He's an escape artist."

She smiled, and suddenly I wasn't thinking about how messy my hair probably was. "Wanna sit? I've got another chair."

So there we were, two random kids and a very good boy who'd somehow become my social catalyst. Bear flopped between us like he'd planned this whole thing.

"I'm Maya, by the way."

"Sam."

"Nice to meet you, Sam. Thanks for the bear chase."

We sat there for twenty minutes, talking about nothing and everything. Her graphic novel, my failed presentation, how school made us both feel like zombies sometimes. It was easy. It was good.

When I finally walked Bear home, Maya texted me. I'd given her my number somehow without even realizing it. You should come to the park tomorrow, it read. Same time?

I grinned at my phone like an absolute dork. Maybe being the friend who chases dogs wasn't so bad after all.