Selena Gomez has been M.I.A. as of late and we've been wondering ourselves what she's been up to ...

Well Us Weekly caught up with Selena's Wizards of Waverly Place co-star and pal Bailee Madison and she spilled the beans! Bailee says it involves plenty of girl-time and chat sessions: "We’re all girls and at the end of the day, we like to talk about what we’re going through and be there for one another, just like any other girl session."

When asked why Madison looks to Gomez to be her "big sis," Bailee replied, "I think she’s been through everything and more and has been so authentic and wonderful on the way up. And as a 19-year-old just trying to navigate the business, it’s lovely to get to have someone like that to look up to."

The pair, along with their squad, hit Big Bear Mountain December 18, shortly after Selena left an east-coast treatment facility to work on some "mental issues," with which she was struggling. Then Selena was out and about in LA -- hiking, lunching out with pals -- almost every day following that but she's since retreated.

We here at X17 have speculated the singer-actress may have found the re-entry into the spotlight a little jarring and perhaps needed to distance herself from the headlines again, so she's decided to keep a lower profile.

Sounds like she's still getting the support she needs from her friends and that her "girl time" is key. We hope Selena's doing well!