𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐀𝟖 || 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐭

𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬

"What's going on?" Newt asked as he put you down in a chair, sitting on the floor with his head leaning against your leg. You ruffled his hair and he looked up and grinned.

"You made her a Runner without consulting us?" Gally roared. You jumped a little, wincing as the act pulled your stitches.

"Gally, you may be a Keeper, but you're the Keeper of the shucking Builders," Minho argued. "This decision didn't involve you, and you have no right to be mad. Y/N helped save our asses, and she's even better than Newt."

"Hey!" Newt said, pretending to be offended. "But Minho's right, Gally. Y/N's a good Runner."

"But she's a girl!" Gally yelled. "She'll mess everything up!"

You tried to get up, but Minho forced you down.

"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm weak!" you cried angrily. "And I'd make a hell of a lot better a Runner than you, anyway."

"Look, greenie," Gally said mockingly. "My problem is that you're the only girl. You've been here a few days, alright? I've been here three years. Are you trying to say you know better than me because you can hide behind Newt?"

"That's not what she's saying!" Newt argued. "And why are you being so biased towards Y/N? Stop being such a shuckface, Gally!"

Arguing escalated until everyone was shouting at someone for something.

"I feel like shit," you whispered to Newt. "I shouldn't've started all this."

Newt looked up at you, his messy hair brushing across your legs and giving you the urge to giggle loudly. "It's not your fault. But it's getting tiring."

"I agree," you nodded. You cupped your hands around your mouth. "Hey, slintheads! Slim it!"

Everyone, even Gally, shut up.

"Please, stop arguing, I don't want to cause any fights." You turned to Gally.

"Gally, I know the Glade is a hard place to live. I'm sorry, and I'm trying to respect you, but I can't if you can't respect me. Alby and Minho, if you actually have a problem with me being a Runner that's fine. Everyone else: I may be a girl, but I'm not weak, and I had no choice to be here or be the only exception. Got it?"

"Just so you know, I don't have a problem with you being a Runner," Alby called. "If those two slintheads you hang out with think you're good enough, that's enough for me."

"Y/N, I made you a Runner in the bloody first place," Minho laughed. "Of course I don't care."

But Gally still wasn't done. "Sure, Y/N comes along and you all think she's some kind of hot genius, whatever. But there is no escape from the Maze! We're shucking stuck here, forever, and we may as well die!"

Newt flinched violently at Gally's words as the trouble-stirrer stalked out of the Council Hall.

"Hey," you said soothingly. "Gally was just being... Gally." You winced at the poor wording. "Don't let him get to you, okay?"

"What if he's right, Y/N?" Newt asked, pain raw in his voice. "What if there's no escape?"

"Don't think like that," you stared directly at him, making sure he got the message loud and clear. "Now, come on, it's getting late. I need to sleep."

"You go on ahead," Newt said flatly. "I've got some second-in-command stuff to do."

You shrugged, too tired to question him.

- - -

The whole night, you tossed and turned anxiously, trying to figure out what was worrying you.