Nothing But Trouble(Aris Jones x Reader)

4) Jail Time With The Blondie

Beth looked ready to kill me when I entered the Keeper meeting. I caught her putting her hand to her mouth to check for blood. It looked worse than I thought. Anger is a hell of a drug.

"Alright. Let's get started,"Harriet instructed. All at once voices seemed to pile on top of each other. I don't know what I expected. I've never had to be at one of these. I just work in the gardens, and trouble isn't really my style.

"One at a time please. Flora, you first,"She said, pointing at the Nurse. Flora stood up and looked at me as if to assess my facial features for guilt. I had none.

"I wasn't really paying attention. I just heard the hit and fixed up Beth's lip. I remain neutral until I hear them at the end,"She said, in a professional voice.

Harriet nodded before moving on to the Keeper of the Mappers, Minnie.

"I was in the Maze, but I know their usual behavior. Beth most likely said something since Y/N never causes trouble. I vote no jail."

Beth snarled at her, but one sharp look from Harriet was enough to put her in her place. Nobody with half a brain messes with Harriet. Without her everything would be in shambles. Right now it may not be looking the best but if she left we'd all be done for.

If I'm being honest I tuned a lot of them out. Then the Keeper of the Builders was called. I'm pretty sure her name's Ruth. She's obviously going to pick Beth, but I still want to hear her reasoning.

"It's clear Beth is under a lot of stress right now. This boy's bringing problems, and Y/N has the nerve to defend a stranger over us. You all say she must be innocent because she never speaks, but I think it's the opposite. You can never trust the quiet ones,"She said through gritted teeth. She's really not being very professional if you ask me.

"I take it you vote yes?"Harriet asked. Ruth looked like she was going to lose her cool. Her eye slightly twitched. She could only nod which was probably for the best. Things are already bad enough without someone losing their temper on Harriet.

"Sonya, you're up,"She told her. Sonya was calm and composed, but you could see the frustration in her eyes. Again, I knew the answer but still wanted to listen.

"We all know that Beth likes to provoke people. Y/N doesn't just randomly choose violence. I know her very well, and she's unproblematic. Therefore, I vote no jail,"She said calmly. The reasons weren't biased so nobody can use that against her.

"Alright. Beth, state your case first. Then, Y/N,"Harriet instructed. Beth looked at me smugly. I guess she didn't take into consideration that I could debunk her points.

Beth cleared her throat before stating her case. Her reasons were that I was untrustworthy, setting a bad example, being a traitor to the Spring, and I wasn't special just because I had scar. The first few seemed somewhat alright, but it ended up as a rant on why I sucked.

During my turn I gave the following reasons. Being quiet is not a threat, Beth is known to provoke people, she's been violent before, she has no proof the Blondie is even dangerous so I'm not a traitor, and she made fun of what she knows will hurt me. I made sure to leave out never being in trouble because that doesn't mean much.

"Okay those who remained neutral will now vote. All in favor of no jail?"Harriet asked. Flora and one other girl raised their hands. Harriet sighed clearly disagreeing. "All in favor of one night in jail?"She asked them.

The rest of the girls besides Ruth raised their hands. I was extremely glad I was smart enough to bring my journal. It's my only secret, and it makes me feel special that nobody else knows.

"Alright Y/N. You'll be in the one with Blondie as a lookout and protection,"She said, narrowing her eyes at Beth specifically. She didn't need to. We all knew what she meant. I didn't count on that part. How am I supposed to write in my journal if the Blondie's there? Short answer, I can't. I was fine with a small change, but this is huge. They pages are all numbered. What am I supposed to do? Skip the number? Go out of order?

I hope Beth's face scars. That will make this worth it. My night has been disrupted because she couldn't keep her mouth shut.
I admit I could have had a bit more self control, but I'd like to see you try that. It's not very easy when they know where it hurts, and she knew just how to make me break.

ᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗ

Blondie hadn't said a word for the three hours we had been there. Instead, he stared straight past me with his knees to his chest. It was hard to tell if it was from the cold or from fear. Most likely a bit of both.

"Moving around helps with the cold,"I stated. He looked at me with a blank face. "Your hoodie doesn't look very thick, and you're shivering like crazy. I can see it through the dark,"I said.

"I'm not cold. I'm confused,"He said quietly.

"We all were. It's never easy being the Blondie. Especially if the first night you spend it awake is in the jail."

ᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗ

He didn't say anything for a while so I assumed it was safe. I pulled out my journal and positioned it so I could make out a bit of light from the fire. It was harder to see than usual because I was almost underground. It didn't matter much though as my eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness.

Dear Journal,
It's my first time in jail. I know that's a wild way to start an entry, and it's certainly not something I'd ever seen myself doing. I hit Beth hard enough to draw blood. I can't say I regret it, but I can't say it ended the best.

It's not that what she said hurt me because the only people's opinions who matter to me are my friends. It's that she thinks she has a right to speak about something she doesn't know the full story of. I know it sounds sensitive, but it's more than just a scar. It's a reminder of why I'm a gardener in the first place. After what happened in the maze I can't go back. That's why it's easier to let rumors fly. At least then I can't be called a coward.

I heard the boy stir and slammed the book shut. It was louder than intended, and Blondie sat up half asleep.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you,"I told him.

"You didn't,"He responded.

We sat in more awkward silence. I just hoped he meant something else woke him up. The journal is just another weapon that can be used for why I can't be trusted.

"Thank you by the way,"He said quickly. I turned my head confused. "I could hear while asleep, and I know you pulled me out of the box and didn't want to kill me. So thanks for that."

"You heard things in your coma?"I asked, puzzled.

"I don't know why. It was like I was dreaming but awake. That's all I know,"He told me defensively.

No wonder he still looked so tired. He wasn't even asleep at that point.

"Keep that to yourself until we figure out what's going on,"I advised.

"I will,"He agreed.

"Goodnight Y/N."

"Goodnight Blondie."