How I survived in an all boys glade

Chapter Thirty-six

- a couple weeks later -

"Careful..." Newt tells me, his voice laced with concern as he and Minho help me navigate the path to my bed. Honestly, they're doing most of the work—I'm barely able to support myself with how badly my ankle hurts. "If you tell me to be careful one more time," I snap, trying to mask the pain in my voice, "I swear to God, I'll smack you in the head with a book." I wince a little at my own harshness, but I'm just so tired of being treated like I'm fragile.

Newt doesn't seem to be fazed, though. He simply chuckles and helps me settle onto the bed. "You can try," he says, the corner of his lips curling into a teasing smile. Minho gives me a sympathetic look but doesn't comment on the outburst, just gently guiding me to sit up against the wall.

Once I'm in place, I look around my small hut, already feeling the stirrings of boredom creeping in. "So...?" I ask, glancing at the others for something—anything—to break the monotony. "What now?" I add, scanning the room for something to distract me. Minho pulls up a chair and sits backward in it, as was his habit. Newt sits beside me on the bed, and Theo leans against the desk, his arms crossed. All of them are watching me, a mix of concern and amusement on their faces. They know how hard it is for me to sit still for long.

"Well, we could play a game of cards," Theo suggests, his voice light, though it's clear he's trying to keep me entertained.

"Or we could just talk," Newt adds, his hand brushing against mine as he gives me an encouraging smile.

"I don't know about you guys, but I could use a good nap," Minho chimes in with a yawn, then casually gets up and walks over to my bed. He flops down on the small part of the bed that's still available, making us all chuckle. "This bed is actually pretty comfortable," he says, settling in and stretching out. "Considering the small space I've got," he adds, making the rest of us laugh harder.

I can't help but smile at the sound of their laughter, but the boredom is still gnawing at me. I look around the room again, then, without much thought, ask, "If you could travel back in time and kill your own grandfather, would you still exist?"

The question hangs in the air, completely unexpected, and the room goes silent as the guys stare at me, stunned.

"What the hell kind of question is that?" Minho asks, blinking in confusion as he sits up, fully turning to face me.

"What? I'm bored," I say with a shrug, glancing at him like it's the most logical thing in the world.

"So, you ask a question like that?" Newt laughs, raising an eyebrow at me and letting go of my hand, looking genuinely amused but also a little puzzled.

"I don't know what I was thinking," I admit with a sheepish smile, already feeling a little embarrassed.

Newt rolls his eyes, clearly trying to hide a smile. Theo chuckles softly, shaking his head. "Well, if you did, then you wouldn't exist," he explains, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. "Because if you killed your grandfather, your mother or father wouldn't be born, which means that neither would you."

"Yeah, but if you don't exist, then how could you kill your grandfather?" I shoot back, crossing my arms as I look around at the group. Minho leans back against the wall with a raised eyebrow, his lips twitching upward into a grin.

"She's got a point though," Minho says, clearly impressed despite himself.

"Exactly," I say, a smug smile forming as I sit up a little straighter. "I mean, think about it," I continue, my eyes lighting up with excitement now that I've got them engaged in the paradox. "If you kill your grandfather, then your parents wouldn't meet each other since one of them won't be born, so you wouldn't be born, right?"

The guys nod slowly, following my logic, though they look a little lost.

"But if you aren't born, then you can't go back in time and kill your grandfather, so both your parents would live, and you would exist," I continue, feeling like I'm on the verge of cracking the case wide open. "But then later on, you would go back in time and kill your grandfather again—"

And then, I pause. Realization hits me like a ton of bricks, and I laugh out loud. "And I just confused myself." I let out a deep sigh, shaking my head at the impossible loop.

The guys stare at me, their faces a mix of confusion and disbelief, as they try to wrap their heads around what I just said.

"Well, I think it's safe to say we won't be time traveling anytime soon," Newt says, laughing and breaking the silence. His smile softens as he looks at me with affection, clearly glad to see me in a better mood despite everything.

I can't help but grin, happy to have given them something to think about, even if it was just for a moment. "Yeah, probably not," I agree, letting out a small laugh. I feel a little lighter, a little more at ease, as I relax against the bed again. Maybe I can handle being stuck here for a little while longer, especially with the company of these guys.