Back Home Again

We Can't Stay Here

Thomas POV:

"He said what?" Thomas exclaimed.

Thomas, Frypan, Gally, and Minho sat alone at a new table during lunch. Gally had just finished telling the Gladers what Coach had told him that morning. The boys had just sat there dumbfounded until Minho piped up.

"How in the shucking hell did he even find out about this?" Minho asked, pointedly looking around.

"I don't know. The shank just confronted me and asked me about Chuck. And it's stupid because he thinks I killed him on purpose. That I don't feel absolutely horrible about it. He doesn't know that I lay awake every night with those eyes stuck in my head, haunting me, keeping me awake!"

Thomas sighed and looked away, trying to ignore the rest of what Gally was saying. It had happened long ago, but Chuck's death still struck him in the heart whenever he thought about it. Thomas looked over Gally's shoulder to wear Scott, Malia, Isaac, and Lydia were sitting. He thought about what Scott had said the other day. About Newt. He didn't want to think about it- there was no point anyway since Newt was gone. But something inside of him thought that Scott may have been right. He remembered that one night out in the Scorch when Newt had come up to him. When he told him not to give up. He remembered how Newt had put his hand on Thomas's arm, and how a shiver had run through him. He had thought nothing of it then, but now? Thomas wondered if it truly meant something.

Thomas looked back at Gally for a second, then returned his gaze to Scott. He and Scott had been ignoring each other all day after what he'd said. Thomas didn't know why Scott was so upset. He didn't think he'd done anything, but there was still a fiery anger in his eyes. It seemed whenever he looked at Thomas he would glare through him rather than at him. Maybe it was just how upset he was, that his glare had just intensified. Thomas thought that Scott would do anything to get rid of the Gladers, especially after all he'd said last night.

Then it all clicked.

Thomas stood up and walked out of the cafeteria. The other boys shouted after him, wanting to know where he was going, but he just ignored them.

Scott had told Coach about Gally. He'd ratted them out so they would leave. Thomas remembered telling him about how Gally had accidentally killed Chuck, and then later telling them how Chuck was Coach's nephew. He would not get away with this. Thomas stood outside the cafeteria for a minute, then made his way over to Scott's locker. He would make sure Scott saw him.

-𝖘-

The bell rang and Thomas leaned against Scott's locker. When he saw Scott coming, he walked up, grabbed him by the shoulders, and through him to the lockers. Scott, getting up and adjusting from the surprise, shouted out and punched Thomas in the face. Thomas started screaming at Scott, as the boys continued to fight.

"This is your fault! You told Coach about Gally and Chuck and now we're leaving! You're so thick headed that you would do anything to get us out of the school! Why would you do this?! We didn't do anything!"

Scott shouted back, "Of course I told him! How could you say you didn't do anything?! For God's sake Thomas, Gally killed Chuck! That's murder! And you say I'm thick headed? You and your group of dumbasses over there have done nothing but tear this school apart! Isaac lost his spot on the lacrosse team because of you! You're co-captain of the lacrosse team but you don't even remember anything. You can't be captain of a lacrosse team if all you do is whine and cry about that whore who died!" Scott stepped back from Thomas and his voice dropped. "That's why I did it. Because you and your group of bitches have screwed up my life. And you haven't even noticed. All you care about is them."