Count On Me ➵ Newt [1]

FOUR | the assault

▬That night, I sat with Minho, Alby and Newt for dinner.

Frypan especially seemed quite pleased that I'd finally decided to join the other Gladers in the kitchen to eat. He'd come around to table I sat at quite often and chatted with me, Minho, Alby and Newt, cracking jokes and making us laugh. Since I still felt out of place, I didn't contribute much to the conversation, though the others would still try to get me to talk.

I was eating my plate of fried chicken when someone slid right next to me on the bench.

I cringed away immediately and turned to see who it was. It was a boy I saw around the Glade but had never spoken to; if I remember right, his name was Kris. He had dark brown hair and startlingly bright blue eyes, and freckles dotted his cheeks.

"Hi," he said casually. He didn't seemed to notice that I felt uncomfortable - or maybe he just didn't care.

"The hell do you want?" Alby demanded.

"You know, for one of the leaders around the Glade, you're pretty rude," Kris snorted. "Calm down, I only wanted to talk to Rosalind here."

"Rose, you know this guy?" Newt asked. I shook my head.

"Ah, she's just kidding," Kris said, though the way his eyes twitched suggested that he was running low on patience.

"What do you want exactly?" Alby demanded again.

"Are you deaf? I just said - I want to talk to Rosalind. Come on, Rose, come with me."

All eyes turned to me. The other Gladers from nearby tables had started to notice the commotion and were now nudging each other - this was entertainment to them, I realized. They wanted to see how I would respond.

I stubbornly folded my arms and said, "No. I don't know you. Also, you do not get permission to call me Rose."

Kris stared at me for a while. Then without warning he lashed out and grabbed my wrist. He started to drag me, nearly making me topple off the bench. Minho, who was sitting beside me, leaped to his feet and growled at Kris: "Don't you dare touch her!"

When Kris did not respond, Minho marched forward and swung a fist into the face. Gasps erupted from the Gladers around us; Alby and Newt rushed forward to intercept the fight, but Minho and Kris were now engaged in a brawl. I stared in horror as Minho started beating Kris to a pulp - he punched at every inch of the guy, at his face, at his chest, at his stomach. Poor Kris groaned and tried to wriggle his way out, but Minho was too strong.

"Minho, stop it!" Newt cried, trying to grab his friend's arm. He and Alby finally got hold of Minho and pulled him off of Kris, who now laid on the ground in a weak daze.

"What the hell were you both thinking?!" Alby yelled. "Minho, we do not attack people like that without a valid reason! And Kris - do you not shucking understand when someone says no? If Rosalind said no, then she means no. Get it through your shucking head!"

Kris didn't bother responding - he was too badly beaten up anyway. Clint and Jeff arrived on the scene moments later and carried him away to the Homestead, where they would no doubt patch him up.

I sat there on the bench, eyes wide and mouth agape. I was too shocked to say or do anything. The crowd of onlooking Gladers shuffled away, and Newt came over to me while Alby headed toward the Homestead.

"You alright?" He asked.

I nodded hesitantly. I was still trying to process everything that had happened.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said. "If he comes near you again you tell me, alright?"

I nodded again. Newt gave me a nervous yet comforting smile, then trudged off.