How I survived in an all boys glade

Chapter Sixty-eight

- You what?! -

"Good morning, sleepyhe-" Theo stops mid-sentence as he bursts through the door to my hut, his eyes widening in surprise when he sees Newt behind me, still sound asleep in my bed. "Not a word," I tell him sternly, crossing my arms and giving him a pointed look. Theo smirks but doesn't argue, turning around to leave. However, just before he closes the door behind him, he gives me a thumbs-up and mouths, 'I approve.' I can't help but roll my eyes, even as a smile tugs at the corners of my lips.

I slowly wriggle out of Newt's grip, careful not to wake him. Making my way over to my dresser, I change into a pair of beige cargo pants and a simple green t-shirt. I sit back on the bed to slip on my tan combat boots, then get up to walk over to the mirror. As I pull my hair into a ponytail, I feel a pair of arms wrap around my waist from behind.

"Morning..." Newt's raspy voice sends a warmth through me as he plants a soft kiss on my cheek. I smile, turning to face him. "Morning, Lizard," I say, giving him a playful grin.

Newt chuckles, his face lighting up with that familiar smile. He leans down to give me a quick kiss on the lips before pulling away. "We should probably head for the doors, they're gonna open soon..." I remind him, my thoughts going back to the events of yesterday.

"Yeah, come on," Newt agrees, grabbing my hand. We walk out of my hut and make our way toward the doors, the tension from the previous day still lingering in the air.

As we approach the other guys, Tyrell raises an eyebrow, looking at us with a sly smirk. "And what did you guys do last night?" he teases. I glance at him, confused, before a sudden realization hits me.

"Theo!" I turn to glare at him, "How many people did you tell?" I demand. Theo just shrugs, his smirk never faltering. "Just Tyrell and Frypan, and maybe Winston and Zart..." he trails off, counting on his fingers before finally adding, "Basically everyone."

I roll my eyes at him. "Great. Thanks, Theo," I mutter, trying not to laugh despite myself.

"What's going on?" Newt leans down to ask me, clearly confused.

"They think we did 'it' last night," I explain, shaking my head. "You guys really just believe everything you're told, huh?" Newt laughs at the absurdity of it all, his amusement clear.

Before I can respond further, Chuck suddenly speaks up. "Hey, guys. Get up," he calls out, pointing as the doors start to open. We all move toward them, hoping to see Minho, Thomas, and Alby. But when we peer out into the Maze, there's nothing.

"Told you, Chuck. They're not coming back," Newt says with a heavy sigh, but Chuck doesn't seem ready to give up. The rest of us start walking away, but then something catches my eye. I see a figure rounding the corner of the Maze walls, and a small smile forms on my lips.

"Wait, is that...?" I ask, barely daring to hope.

"No way," Zart says, squinting at the figures.

"Yeah! Yes!" Chuck exclaims in excitement, and suddenly everyone is turning back toward the doors. We start walking back, and I can't help but feel a rush of joy as I see Minho and Thomas, both carrying Alby between them.

"I got him, I got him, I got him!" Thomas says, his voice full of relief as they lay Alby down on the ground with the help of the others. Everyone gathers around them, eager to know what happened.

"What happened out there?" one of the guys asks.

"How'd you guys make it out?" another one chimes in.

"You saw a Griever?" Chuck asks, looking over at the pair sitting on the ground.

"Yeah, I saw one," Thomas says, his eyes meeting Chuck's.

"He didn't just see it," Minho says, looking around at the group, then meeting my gaze with a smile. "He killed it."

I freeze, my eyes widening in shock as I look over at Thomas. "You what?!" I ask, my voice a mix of disbelief and awe.

"Yeah, he did," Minho confirms with a grin. "Thomas killed it."

I look at Thomas, still trying to process the idea. Before I can ask any more questions, Minho gets up, helping the others move Alby toward the Med-hut. I stand off to the side, watching them talk with Clint and Jeff, and after a while, I start to wander around, waiting for updates.

Suddenly, Minho tackles me from behind, lifting me off the ground in a big hug. "Aarrgghh!" I scream in surprise, startled by his strength, causing Minho to laugh out loud as he sets me down.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened out there?" I ask, my voice full of concern as I turn to face him.

"I'm fine, we're both fine," Minho assures me, his smile never fading. "We got Alby out alive because of Thomas and his crazy idea."

Before I can respond, I spot Newt walking toward us. "Hey, what's up?" I ask as Minho turns to face him too.

"Gally called for a meeting," Newt replies, his expression serious. "He wants to talk about Thomas running into the Maze."

I nod in understanding, and the three of us walk together toward the homestead, preparing to hear what Gally has to say about Thomas's actions.