The Party Survival Guide

Maya's hands shook as she gripped the red Solo cup. Inside, someone's cheap beer sloshed around, but she'd only taken two sips. Three girls from the volleyball team huddled nearby, their laughter too perfect, their lives too put-together. This was exactly why she usually skipped house parties.

"Hey!" Jake materialized, his chemistry lab goggles still dangling around his neck. "Truth or dare time. You in?"

Before Maya could dodge, someone shoved her into the circle. Three floors below, her parents thought she was at a "study group." The guilt gnawed at her stomach.

"Truth," she chose quickly.

"Boring," Casey rolled her eyes. "Okay, what's your most embarrassing memory?"

Maya's face burned. That summer she'd tried to impress her crush by carrying his pet goldfish home in her water bottle, only to have the bottle open in her backpack during lunch. Dead fish everywhere. He'd never looked at her the same way.

"Pass," she muttered.

"Dare it is." Casey smirked. "You have to wear the bear costume in the corner and dance for thirty seconds."

The inflatable bear costume from someone's homecoming week prank. This was social suicide.

"What if I just—"

Suddenly, a Golden Retriever puppy bounded through the sliding door, followed by a frantic freshman. "Cheddar! Wait!" The dog tripped, crashed into the bear costume, and sent it wobbling across the room.

Everyone burst out laughing. Even Casey. The tension snapped.

Maya grabbed the deflated bear head. "I'll do it." She pulled it on, her voice muffled. "But only if Cheddar joins."

She danced around the living room, the puppy yapping at her foam paws, Jake recording the whole disaster on his phone. For the first time all night, Maya wasn't the awkward freshman. She was just a girl in a ridiculous bear costume, dancing with someone's dog, while maybe—just maybe—becoming part of something real.