ASUNDER (I) : tmr newt

75: I'm Slouching

Michelle 75

Alby, the shucking shank, was already waiting for us when we show up. He is sitting in the Gathering room, with all the chairs in a circle around him. There are more seats than body, so when we walk in and Minho shuts the door, Newt moves a few away.

Alby raises an eyebrow, but he doesn't seem surprised. His eyes sort of linger on Minho, since he's the guy who Alby expected the least. Of course, Newt is a shucking princess, so I'm surprised Alby doesn't immediately ask Newt what he's doing.

I sit down in the chair on the end, although I scoot as far away as I can from the others. I'm still not one hundred percent on if they are going to throw me under the bus or not, so I'm ready to throw them back if I need to. I have a pocket knife that Gally loaned me, and I never gave it back to him, so if one of these shanks snitches, I'm ready.

"So, anymore lies y'all've come to tell me?" Alby crosses his arms over his chest. "I take it my message was shucking clear."

Newt sits on the end farthest from me, and Minho finds himself sandwiched between Newt and Dawn. Fitting, because most of this is his shucking fault. He just had to get shucking caught with Dawn. See, this is the difference between me and that lot. If I do something shucking dumb, I make damn sure I am not getting caught.

And I've kissed more than one Glader in broad daylight. And done way worse than that with the lights off.

"Depends on what Leo told you," Minho tries to joke, but his voice falls flat.

Alby crosses his arms over his chest, so tightly I imagine his shirt is going to pop open. Why is everyone here so over dramatic, beating around the bush like its some deal? I would say something, but like, I don't want to talk. Especially not to Alby, snice I thought he and I were cool.

"That she beat up Ben with a shovel," Alby offers.

I snicker out loud. Does he seriously shucking believe that? Dawn leans over and nudges me, lightly but seriously.

"And you shuckin' believed her?" Minho asks, leaning forward. "Sometimes I think we'd be better off having a Slopper make calls than you."

"I hope you know Minho, that you are the only Shank who can talk to me like that," Alby snaps, although he seems pissed. "And I ain't putting up with that klunk anymore until someone tells me what is happening."

I wait for any of them to speak up, reclining in my chair. Alby simply glares at this decision and I only recline further, until I'm practically lying on the chair. This is exactly how much I respect the Glade as an institution.

"Ben attacked Dawn," Newt rips off the truth, his voice shaking. "Way back when she was hurt, that was him."

"I figured as much," Alby sighs, before biting his lip. "And let me guess, he tried to attack Michelle so she beat him up?"

More or less. I shrug, looking over to let any of them take over. When no one does, I roll my eyes. "I barely hit him. Could've done a lot worse if I wanted to."

Alby only rolls his eyes at this, shaking his head back and forth. I don't care if it isn't what he wanted to hear. Really, I barely touched the guy. This is all Minho's fault.

"I hit him," Minho tells Alby. "Saw him sneak in the Deadheads after Michelle, and I've always thought the guy was a selfish slinthead. I was shucking right. He tried to force himself on them."