I felt like I couldn't breathe. My chest was tight. My head was spinning. My lungs were on fire. I leaned my head back, then laid it back on the ground. I gulped down air, trying to calm myself down. My mother seemed to noticed, as she started talking to me, but I couldn't understand any of it through the cotton in my ears. Blake eventually noticed too, but he tried to comfort me by touching my shoulder, making me cringe.
"Sorry," was the first thing I heard. Blake's voice sounded thick with remorse.
"It's fine," I choked out, grabbing my mother's hand, who helped me sit, then helped me to my feet. She looked scared for me. My heart clenched. I was glad at least that she still saw me as her child. "Really, I'm okay," this time, my assurance was directly aimed at her.
"Let's get you back
