Meant to be | A maze runner story

Chapter 10 - The pit (TRIGGER WARNING FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT AND HARRASMENT)

I walk towards the middle of the glade and lie down to look up at the stars. I stay there for a couple minutes alone. I look in direction of the pit and see Chuck. I am going to go see Thomas after he leaves. I lay back down.
- "I see Chuck is breaking the rules." Says Newt.
He lies down next to me.
- "Sorry." I say.
- "For what?"
- "Cause Im about to break them too."
He giggles.
- "I'm not surprised." He says.
He lays there in silence. When I first came up the box, Newt and I would always stay up to look at the stars. It kind of was our tradition, but in the last year or so, we haven't done it so often. I missed it. Like I said, Newt and I we have this special connection. Yes, I do have a connection with other boys, such as Minho, but with Newt it's different. Minho is my best friend, but Newt, he's more than that, but not in a romantic way. He's a brother to me. Sometimes I wonder if we are even related.
- "You like him." Asks Newt.
- "Who?"
- "Thomas."
- "Uh...no."
- "Don't lie to me."
- "I'm not!"
He looks at me.
- "I'm going to pretend like you didn't just lie to me again."
I look at him.
- "Seriously Newt."
- "Yeah...yeah...whatever. I know you do."
He looks back up at the stars. I look at him not knowing what to say. I look im direction of the pit and notice Chuck is gone.
- "You should go." Says Newt. "Before anyone notices you've been gone from bed for too long."
He gets up.
- "Good night y/n."
He walks away. I get up and walk in direction to the pit. I don't have a torch so I can't see much. That also means Thomas won't be able to quite see me either.
- "Pst. Hey." I whisper.
I hear Thomas jump to his feet.
- "What? Whose there?"
- "Y/n...sorry I don't have a torch."
- "That's fine." He giggles. "Sorry, I didn't recognize your voice."
I smile. I take out some cheese and bread from my pocket.
- "I know Chuck already gave you some, but here."
I give out my hand to him. He grabs the cheese and bread and our hands touch. I blush and pull away.
- "Thank you."
I get up and I'm about to leave.
- "Hey y/n?"
I turn around and bend back down.
- "Yeah?"
- "Can I ask you something?"
- "Sure."
- "When you said we are similar to each other, what did you mean by that?"
- "Well...first and foremost, I also ran away when I first came into the maze."
- "Really?"
- "Yup!"
He chuckles.
- "We also have the same curiosity. Always asking questions." I say. "We have the same determination, to find a way out of here. I not only wanted to be runner because honestly I was bored of always being in here, but also because I wanted to play in role in finding a way out of here. I know you feel that same way too. As well...well...we think of the same things. Whenever you think of an idea, I know exactly what you're thinking and vice versa. But...also...people either like us or they don't. Obviously you aren't a girl so you won't understand that part but...when I first came in the glade I was accepted. I mean, Gally was a bit skeptical, but I mean it's Gally. I was accepted at first, unlike you. But..." I stop talking, remember what had happened to me about a year and a half ago.
- "But what?" Asks Thomas.
- "But that changed...about a year and a half ago."
- "What happened?"
I take a deep breath and look down.
- "As you know, I'm a very talkative and outgoing person. I was like that when I first came up, but about a year and a half ago I wasn't. Alex," I take a pause and wipe a tear off my face, "came up. He wasn't very nice to me from the start. Always telling me girls couldn't do anything and was very angry that I was allowed in the maze and he wasn't. He also would keep on telling me to join Fry in the kitchen, because that's where I apparently belonged in. At first, I didn't mind it. I mean...I'm strong minded and he was just an idiot teenage boy...but then..." I take a deep breath. "Things got worse. Other greenies were coming up and he would say things to them about me. I was angry about that, but once again I didn't do anything about it. Not long after that, he would start telling me inappropriate jokes...and...well...um..."
- "Hey..." Thomas gives me his hand. "It's ok."
I squeeze his hand, automatically I am relieved. I continue on crying softly.
- "He...um...started touching me in places where I shouldn't be touched...and that made me quiet...He was bigger and stronger than me so I knew that if I told someone, he would hurt me. I started not being myself and that worried the guys, especially Newt and Minho. One day...well...something happened to me and...let's just say...that things changed around here. Alex was banished and Alby created a new rule. The rule that if someone did something to me, because I am a woman, they will be automatically banished...it took some time before I started being like I am today. I was in my bubble at first, but with some time I healed I guess. Some guys still sometimes aren't the best, but I mean that's life...but every month...the night before the box comes back up with a new greenie, I cant sleep. I get too nervous I guess, thinking that someone like Alex will come."
I take a deep breath. Thomas squeezes my hand. I can hear him crying softly.
- "Y/n...I..."
- "I'm sorry. I shouldn't of told you."
I let go of his hand, regretting that I just spilled my guts to him. All I wanted to do was to tell him how similar I thought we were...
- "Y/n. Know that I will never, and i repeat, never, let someone do that to you again." He grabs my hand. "Ever."
I smile.
- "Thank you Thomas."
Even though I can't quite see him, I stare in his eyes. Once again, the world stops and it's like time has stopped. I look away and let go of his hand.
- "It's...um...It's getting late. We should get some rest. Big day tomorrow."
- "Yeah. Yeah."
I get up and turn around.
- "Y/n?"
- "Yeah?"
- "I care about you, always remember that."
I walk away smiling and head to my hammock. I go to bed and fall asleep thinking of Thomas.