They were silent during their trek back to the dorm. Minho's rage continued to simmer beneath his skin, the tension between them so thick, Thomas could cut it with a knife. Newt's jaw clenched, the muscle ticking underneath his skin like clockwork. Thomas watched them as they walked, the urge to comfort them, to say something just to make them laugh was strong, He wished everything would go back to the way they used to be, before either of them were swept up by love and desire. Life was simple then.
Minho felt like a ticking time bomb. Every step they took felt like they were drawing closer to the athlete's explosion. Thomas didn't want the boy to lose his cool and do something ridiculous on impulse, especially in public. (He didn't want him to lose his cool in private either, but Minho couldn't hold back his rage when he was so far off the edge already.)
Thomas was the last one to enter the dorm. He shut the door behind him, hearing the loud click of the lock sliding into place before he turned back to the others in trepidation. He was barely out of the hallway when Minho whirled on him, black eyes sharp and wet.
"Damn it Thomas! You don't have to keep saving us whenever we're in trouble with Rat Man! I already told you leaving this stupid school would be a godsend to me."
"And have him ruin your record with cheating?" Thomas frowned, jaw clenching. "Minho, that's a serious accusation! Janson would've done anything to keep you from going to school if you let him."
"It would've been better than watching you agree to be his bitch!" He spat vehemently.
Thomas recoiled, horrorstruck. His chest clenched in pain but rage washed over him in a wave. Newt was by Minho's side in an instant, holding the boy back for the second time that day. But unlike in the classroom, Minho didn't resist the blond's touch. He stood rooted in place, dark eyes clouded with a torrent of emotion; guilt the strongest one there.
"We have to report him." Newt suggested, his voice quiet as though he were worried about disturbing the uneasy peace between them. "What he's doing is illegal."
"We can tell the Dean." Thomas suggested weakly.
"Yeah? And then what? He's friends with the Dean you slintheads!" Minho dropped himself on top of Newt's bed, looking as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. "Face it guys, Rat Man's got us fucked. He has power over us. It doesn't matter what we do, he can get rid of us with no problem and keep Thomas for himself."
Newt joined him. He wrapped an arm around Minho's shoulders and leaned into the boy for comfort. Thomas stood off to the side, feeling awkward and out of place, though he wasn't sure why. He felt guilty for everything, like he was the worst piece of klunk to ever set foot in WCKD U. And he wondered, not for the first time nor the last, if things would have been better off had he remained back in their home town. He shouldn't have followed his friends out here.
His chest constricted. His face felt warm.
He released a shaky breath, physically blowing out the anxiety running rampant in his body and fought the urge to join them on the bed. He wanted to comfort them; wanted to apologize for all the trouble he'd cause them thanks to his stupid slip of the tongue, but...
He didn't.
He let them sit there in silence, to ashamed to do anything else.
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