How I survived in an all boys glade

Chapter Fourteen

- Dirty laundry -

"Sorry boys, but I have to get going now, the cloths aren't gonna wash itself, is it?" I then make my way to the kitchen with my plate rinsing it off before placing it on the counter and as I set my plate down, I feel a pair of arms envelop my waist. The familiarity of the touch sends a shiver down my spine. I know it's Newt before he even whispers, "Hi..." in his raspy voice.

"Hey," I reply, a smile dancing on my lips as he intertwines our hands. The gentle circles his thumb traces on my hand send a rush of butterflies through me. "Tired?" I tease, all too aware of his late-night rendezvous with Alby, discussing some Glade mystery that always seemed to haunt them in the wee hours.

"Yeah," Newt mumbles as he briefly buries his face in my neck, only to retreat as we hear Theo approaching. The unspoken understanding between us forces Newt to let go, his fear of the boys teasing him about his rare display of affection all too real.

"Y/n, please!" Theo pleads as he and the others catch us in the kitchen. A flicker of mischief gleams in his eyes as he says, "make it stop!" referring to the incessant teasing aimed at him about our secret.

"Guys, seriously, give it a rest," I exclaim, brushing past them, murmurs of compliance and a heartfelt thank you from Theo filling the air.

I then make my way to my room collecting my dirty laundry, and then to the boy's restrooms to collect all the dirty laundry that are just laying around on the floor "Need help?" I then hear the familiar voice of Justin by the door as I'm struggling to hold the clothes.

"PLEASE" I exclaim letting out a sigh of relief and he just chuckles lightly before helping carry the laundry to the washing hut, where we throw the clothes on the ground, as Justin takes the guys some of the guy's cloths and I just take mine along with some of the guy's before we make our way to our separate bowls where we wash all the clothes by hand.

I carefully arranged the laundry in neat piles, separating the whites from the darks, "So...?" Justin then breaks the silence "So...?" I copy him smiling over at him "May I ask what you and Theo was laughing so hard about this morning?" he then asks hesitantly, and I let out a soft laughter "This morning?" I ask "you're making seem like we didn't just have breakfast" I laugh as I get to the shirt, I was wearing the day I cut my hand and I stop in my tracks staring at the bloodstain running down the sleeve, along with a big spot on the stomach of the shirt.

As I stood there, staring at the stained shirt in my hands, memories flooded back to the day I had cut my hand while trying for the slicers. The bloodstain was a stark reminder of how panic and scared I had been in the moment. "Shebean!?" Justin's voice pulled me back to the present, and I forced a smile, trying to push away the sudden wave of unease. "You, okay?" he then asks concerned "Yeah, I'm fine," I reassured him, carefully folding the shirt and placing it in the pile of darks. Justin's concerned gaze lingered on me for a moment before he turned back to his task. I could tell he wanted to ask more questions, but he respected my silence.

As we continued washing the clothes, the sound of water sloshing against the bowls filled the air, creating a soothing rhythm. The occasional laughter from the boys outside echoed through the Glade, a reminder of the camaraderie that held us together in this strange place.

Once we finished washing the last piece of clothing, Justin and I carried the wet laundry back to the clothesline. I couldn't help but feel grateful for Justin's help as we hung the wet laundry on the clothesline under the warm sun that peeked through the towering walls of the Glade. The sight of colorful clothing swaying gently in the breeze brought a sense of normalcy to our unconventional lives in this maze.