Chapter 29

• Ariel's POV
• Stacy sat across from me in the noisy cafeteria, she had just returned from a long trip. I couldn’t contain my joy. Her presence was like watching the sun rise after a week of relentless rain.
• We sat across from each other, our lunch trays forgotten, laughing like we were the only two people in the room. I watched her as she animatedly recounted the mundane events of her trip. It hit me then how long it had been since I’d genuinely smiled, let alone laughed, like this. It felt good, the lightness of it, the easy camaraderie that only a best friend could bring.