I only smile when I saw her standing there. I had been sitting in the bright green grass for hours by then. I hadn’t been upset as the others might have thought, I just needed to get out and away for the time being.

“Was tired of being inside,” I murmured as she sat down beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I snuggled into her. “Hate being cooped up,” I shrugged, glancing up into her eyes.

“You never need to explain anything to me,” she said quietly, reaching to tuck stray strands of hair behind my ears. “Except when you run off all of a sudden, you know I can’t stand that,” she said, nose wrinkling in a frown.

“I know,” I whispered, turning away from her to stare at the trees on the other side of the meadow. “I just needed to get out before I went insane,” I explained, stuttering. I hated that I let her down like that.

Before I knew it, she was laughing and reached to turn me to face her. I grinned sheepishly when she held my hands in my face, and my heart began to pound.