Steel and Stone [The Maze Runner (Scorch Trials) Fanfiction]

If I Care

I reach the group, eerie outlines in the bright moonlight. Now that it is dark, the two cities are more visible, lit up with what appear to be fires. It is now clear that one is slightly in front of the other and a little bit off the the right. The closer one, the one on the right, appears to be smaller than the one on the left, with only one fire as far as I can tell. To me that seems like the logical place to go, since we have almost no weapons, the less people the better. Especially if those people turn out to be cranks. I keep my brain working this way for as long as possible, logic, planning, no feeling, no thinking. Of course someone just has to ruin it.

"What were you doing?" Minho asks suddenly, coming up behind me in the darkness.

"What do mean?"

"I saw you walk over to James."  He states, crossing his arms and looking down at me. "Conveniently for you its too dark for me to see what you were doing."

"Oh relax Minho, I was just giving him his supplies back." I reply, rolling my eyes even though I doubt he can see it.

"Well that was a really long conversation about supplies." He snaps.

"He was just complaining about WICKED and this stupid desert. I agree. So what." I say, waving him off. It is partially true. "Everyone does." There's no way I'm telling him about our real conversation. Not a chance.

"Why were you walking with him in the first place?" He says angrily. He's really starting to get on my nerves with this, he has no right to be mad at me, when it's his fault I had to walk with James.

"Because, in case you forgot, you were walking with Thomas." I retort, gesturing to where Thomas stands with Newt and some of the others.

"Well, still you could have walked with someone else."

"There was no one else!" I shout, "I thought I would walk with you! But no, you were with Thomas, and James was the only one left. I don't care if you walk with Thomas, just don't get mad when I have to walk with someone else."

"You're ridiculous." Minho says, shaking his head.

"I'm ridiculous?! I'm ridiculous?" I scoff, "you know what? The for the last two days, the only time you've talked to me is when your mad because I talked to James, but I'm the ridiculous one, sure that makes total sense." I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Really Skylar? I said I was sorry alright?" He replies flatly.

"Ya, you said sorry, and then immediately did it again!" I yell, throwing my hands up in the air.

"Oh excuse me for wanting to protect my girlfriend."

"You're not protecting me! You don't seem to care what happens to me as long as I'm not talking to James." I spat, clenching my fists in frustration. "You should trust me a little by now."

"That's not true!" He yells back, "I do to care!"

"Really?" I ask, "when is the last time you asked if I was ok?"

"I– ugh, you are so shucking difficult." Minho growls, storming off.

"Shucking slinthead." I mumble, watching him walk away. For someone so intelligent, he could be really stupid sometimes. Sighing, I follow him over to the group of gladers discussing which direction to go.

"I think we should go to the closer city." Newt says, pointing in that direction.

"I agree." I chime in.