"SURPRISE!"

I scream as freezing cold water suddenly splashes over my body from above. Gasping for air, I turn to see Newt, who has met the same fate.

"What the-" he starts.

"Thomas and Minho!" I realize, looking up to see the boys giggling above us in the tree with two empty buckets.

"And Nico!" a small voice yells, and Nico's head peeks out from behind a branch.

"You got him on it too?!" I cry, and the three guys laugh.

"He's great! He came up with the whole thing!" Thomas brags, ruffling Nico's hair.

"Tommy!" Newt groans, shaking the water out of his hair.

"Get down here right now!" I demand sternly. "All of you!"

"No way!" Minho protests.

"You're going to hurt us!"

I roll my eyes, but a plan is slowly forming in my head. "I'm not going to hurt you. Never harm another Glader, right?"

Thomas and Minho share a suspicious look, while Nico just looks confused.

"Do you guys want some pizza? We still have some leftover if it isn't soaking wet."

"Hold on a second," Tom mutters. "You're just going to forgive us for dumping water on your heads?"

I shrug, trying to make it look genuine. "I knew something was up. It's just kind of expected from you two."
They look at each other for a moment, shrug, and start climbing back down the tree trunk, helping Nico down with them. Newt shoots me a glance, and I wink at him. He grins.

Once Minho is on the ground, he starts to talk. "Alright, where's the-"

I quickly shove him towards the murky pond water. He stumbles, trips over his own feet, and tumbles into the water. Thomas's mouth drops open, but before he can realize what happened, I've pushed him into the pond as well.

"You better run," I tell Nico, and the small boy dashes off without a word.

"Nice!" Newt grins, giving me a high five as the older boys sputter and gasp.

"At least our water was clean!" Minho whines, pulling a slimy green plant out of his previously-perfect hair and holding it up with disgust.

Newt and I laugh as Thomas grimaces. "That's what you get!" I chirp.

"Now get out, leave us alone!" Newt groans.

Thomas and Minho reluctantly climb out of the pond, dripping with gunk and cursing under their breaths. They eventually decide to leave us alone, thankfully, but not before stealing the rest of the pizza. Nico chatters with the dripping wet boys as they all drag on back to the Homestead.

"I knew something like that would happen," Newt mutters, shaking his head as the guys' footsteps fade into silence.

"I got 'em good, though," I laugh, taking Newt's hand.

"Did you see Thomas's face? It was hilarious!"

"And the way Minho looked after his hair got messed up-priceless!"

"This is exactly what schadenfreude feels like."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Schadenfreude-happiness at the misfortune of others," Newt explains.

"Where did that evil word come from?" I ask, sticking out my tongue.

He shrugs. "I don't know. I guess our vocabulary stuck when they wiped out our memories."

"You must have been an English professor or something."

Newt chuckles, squeezing my hand as he starts to slowly walk the circumference of the clearing. I follow him, scanning my surroundings and again taking in the clearing's unimaginable beauty.

Then I see the swing, and I gasp. "The swing! I totally forgot!"

I run over to it, and Newt follows behind me, smiling. "Get on, I'll push you."

I quickly climb onto the small wooden board, which creaks but feels sturdy enough. I feel Newt's hands gently press into my back from behind, and the swing starts to move. He pushes me slowly, and it's beautifully peaceful, like the clearing. I feel like I'm flying.

After a while, I hear a quiet noise from behind me. Newt seems to be speaking quietly under his breath.

"Newt?" I ask.

He snaps back into reality. "Oh, it's-nothing."

"Were you singing?" I ask, a genuine smile pulling at my lips.

"Yeah," he admits quietly, and I imagine he's blushing.

I hop off of the swing, landing not-so-gracefully and turning to face Newt. He looks down, embarrassed.

"Can you sing it for me?" I ask quietly.

He blushes even more. "I'm not good."

"I'm sure you are," I assure him, walking over and taking both of his hands in mine.

He looks into my pleading eyes and sighs, giving in. "Alright. But first, come over here. I have to show you the best part of this picnic."

A/N:

YAY FOR SONGS NEXT CHAPTERRRRRRRRRRRR...WHICH I'M POSTING RIGHT AFTER THIS ONEEEEE!

Double update, yaaaaaaasss! And they're both super fluffyyyyyyyyyy!

Okay all of the important A/N is on the next chapter, so be prepared! It's a long one!