WICKED is good

Chapter 12: Changes

During next month, Thomas sulked. He couldn't believe Chuck was taken and it was all his fault. Minho told him they'd spent the whole time looking for Thomas that they didn't notice Chuck was gone until much later.
   Of course, it wasn't Thomas' fault for being kidnapped but he still felt responsible.
   In that month, he didn't go to school, he refused to eat, he barely slept, and he tried to convince WICKED to let him leave to city to find Chuck.
   "Just because you're immune doesn't mean you're safe," Dr. Paige would always say. "The cranks can still hurt you."
   Thomas sighed, hopelessness filling him up inside. Maybe that's why he wasn't hungry anymore.
   Newt walked into the room. "Hey Tommy."
   Thomas grunted, rolling over on his bed so he was facing the wall. Newt visited often in an attempt to get him to do something. After multiple failed attempts, he settled for just sitting and talking. Though Newt did most of the talking with the occasional grunts from Thomas.
   "So," Newt started, taking his usual position on the edge of Thomas' bed. "You hungry?"
   Thomas didn't answer.
   "You really should eat sometime," he sighed, pulling out his phone. "It's not good for you to be so thin. Anyway, I found this video of Minho earlier. Thought you might like it." He leaned over and showed Thomas a video of Minho attempting a backflip before falling onto his face.
   Thomas cracked a smile for the first time in a while.
"See?" Newt said. "Told you."
   Newt decided to show Thomas videos of Minho trying (and failing) to do multiple things in an attempt to cheer him up. He appreciated the effort, and the videos were pretty funny, but Thomas didn't find any real joy in them.
   A few hours later, Mom came back from work.
   "I'm home," she said, peaking her head through the door. "And I brought, your favorite." She pulled a pizza box into view. "It'll be in the kitchen if you're hungry."
   "Thanks Mom," Thomas muttered. "Appreciate it."
   She smiled sadly before closing the door.
   Newt gave Thomas a sideways look before getting up and leaving. He came back a few moments later with two plates of pizza. "Sit up, Tommy."
   Thomas obliged but wrinkled his nose at the food. "I'm not hungry."
   "Well, you're eating anyway," Newt replied, shoving the plate into Thomas' hands. "We're also going to watch a new movie that just came out. I think it's called Hungry Games or something. Minho told me it's good."
   Thomas stared as Newt scrolled through his phone, looking for the movie. Every time he visited, he was always patient with Thomas. He had never forced him to do anything before.
   Newt looked up and glared. "I said you're going to eat, Tommy."
   "Fine," Thomas grumbled. He decided to just nibble on the edges. After taking the first small bite, he realized just how hungry he was. He'd probably only eaten half a meal everyday since Chuck was taken, if not less. He was starving.
   Thomas snarfed down the rest of the slice.
   "That's better!" Newt said, grinning from ear to ear. "I'll go get you some more." He came back with four slices stacked on top of each other.
   Thomas looked up questioningly.
   "Just in case you decide you want more," Newt answered, sitting next to Thomas on the bed. "You haven't eaten enough in weeks."
   Thomas thanked his friend, finishing another slice before the movie even started.
   Newt balanced his phone on his knee, pushing 'play'. "If you're still hungry, I can ask your Mum to make us popcorn."
   Thomas shook his head. "I doubt I'll need it."
   Newt just shrugged.
   For the rest of the night, Newt played movie after movie. They did end up making popcorn halfway through the third movie, about the time when Minho got home.
   "Oh, popcorn," he said, grabbing a handful and shoving it into his mouth. "I'm sure you guys would love my company but I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Night." He clambered on top of his bunk and was snoring within seconds.
   Newt yawned. "I don't blame the shank. It must be nearly midnight."
   "Shouldn't you be getting home?" Thomas asked. He hadn't realized it was so late.
   Newt shook his head, yawning again. "No. I'm gonna stay until you fall asleep."
   "You might be here all night," Thomas warned.
Newt shrugged. "Maybe. But I only have two movies left so you'd better be asleep before they're over."
"I make no promises."
Newt laughed. "I guess we'll have to wait and see."
By the time Newt played his last movie, Thomas started to nod off. He felt like he hadn't slept in weeks which, in a way, he hadn't.
"Thank goodness," Newt whispered, pulling the blanket up to Thomas' chin. "I was starting to think we'd be pulling an all nighter."
"Sorry," Thomas mumbled, his eyes closing all the way.
"Don't be," Newt replied, powering off his phone and adjusting into a more comfortable position. "Now sleep, Tommy. You really need it."
Thomas was too tired to reply so he just closed his eyes. Sleep found him immediately.