The Mascot Makeover

Jordan hated the stupid bear costume. It smelled like freshman year and regret, and the foam head made him look like a fuzzy potato with anger issues. But when you're a sophomore trying to save up for a car, you take what you can get — even if it's wearing this ratty thing and waving at middle schoolers during basketball games.

"Yo mascot bro, you good?" Marcus asked, dangling the ethernet cable he'd yanked from the wall. They were supposed to be setting up the livestream setup for the big rivalry game, but Marcus had been distracted by his phone for twenty minutes.

"My dog could literally do this job faster," Jordan muttered, adjusting the bear head for the fiftieth time. His actual dog, Buster, was probably at home living his best life while Jordan suffered.

The real problem wasn't the costume. It was Maya. Senior year, varsity cheer captain, way out of his league. She'd started working at the same vitamin shop last week, and every time she asked if he needed anything for "muscle recovery," he'd nearly dropped a protein powder container on his foot.

"Bro, you're staring again," Marcus said, finally plugging in the cable. "Just talk to her. What's the worst that happens?"

"She laughs in my face and I transfer schools?"

"Dramatic." Marcus tossed Jordan his lucky cap — this faded blue hat with a curved brim that he refused to wash because "it's got game energy." "Put this on. The bear stays in the bag. You've got this."

The game started. Jordan manned the livestream camera, hands sweating, heart doing weird little flips every time he spotted Maya on the sidelines. At halftime, she actually wandered over.

"Hey," she said. "Nice camera work. My friend was watching from home and said the angles are actually decent."

"Thanks," Jordan managed, his brain suddenly empty of every cool thing he'd ever planned to say. "I, uh, I also work at Nature's Bounty? The vitamin place?"

Maya laughed, but not in the mean way. "I know. You helped me find that B12 supplement yesterday. You were wearing that ridiculous bear costume, by the way."

"The whole school knows about that, don't they?"

"Pretty much." She grinned. "It's kinda cute though."

Jordan felt something shift. Maybe it was the lucky hat. Maybe it was Marcus silently doing a victory dance in the background. Maybe it was just that sometimes, unexpectedly, things don't go terrible.

"Hey," he said, "after the game, want to grab food? I promise to leave the bear at home."