Little lies - NEWT

{1.03}

EDEN, FOR ONCE, HAD DECIDED TO WALK outside without a reason. A leisurely stroll, if you will. She intended to walk a full circle around the glade, checking on the people she ran into along the way to keep her mind at ease about the time the walk would take out of her day. She got around halfway around the planned circular route before a certain conflict caught her attention and dragged her away from the brief calm that the walk had caused within her mind.

She watched and quickened her approach as Thomas got closer and closer to the entrance to the maze, only minutes before it was due to close entirely. She broke into a run once she saw Gally's quicked approach, arms outstretched to shove Thomas onto the ground. "Gally!" she yelled after Thomas came in contact with the floor. Gally paled instantly and turned in her direction. "Leave him alone."

"I saved his life! He's the one being all sporadic and violent," he argued as she stopped in front of the two of them, making sure that Thomas was okay with a quick glance. He had already managed to collect himself and get up from the floor and instead looked into the Maze with such confusion that she felt awful for him.

The frustration practically burst out of him as he exclaimed, "Because no one's telling me what the hell is going on here!"

She looked to Thomas with momentary commiseration, promising to explain everything to him with a look that he did not seem to catch. She turned back to Gally, trying to further defuse the situation. "He's new, cut him some slack. Need I remind you of the things you did on your first day here? In front of everyone?"

A soft grin tugged at one corner of her lips as the Gladers that had crowded around them all at the sound of conflict hooted in intrigue and laughed at the look on Gally's face as he practically clamped his mouth shut. "That's what I thought. Next time you pull something like this, I'll shove you through the gate myself," she threatened before walking away, not wanting to waste any more of her day on something so insignificant. The boys parted the crowd to let her through without a second thought, many of them watching Gally's face turn different shades along with watching as Thomas fought the urge to follow after her to ask all the questions that he so wanted answering. None of them walked back to their jobs though, jobs that desperately needed doing. "Back to work if you want the bonfire!" she yelled as she continued to walk away, listening to the various shuffling footsteps off in different directions.

Newt, who had watched it all from far away while he leant on a garden fork from the storage area, laughed as she walked past him. She shoved him playfully, slight pink dusting her cheeks, "Shut up."

His grin only grew as he turned around, watching her walk further away, "What did he do?"

She stopped and turned around, matching grin forming on her lips, "I can't tell you that!"

"Oh come on Pepper! Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No. I don't tell people embarrassing stories about you."

"You told Minho about when I fell into the river," he countered, a look that clearly displayed winning thoughts plastered on his face.

Suddenly Eden rolled with laughter, loud laughter that formed a thickness and pain in her stomach that radiated all through her ribs. She struggled for breath due to the force of it, making Newt's grin only grow, "I forgot about that!" she managed to choke out between the laughter, sides of her cheeks aching due to the smile. "You looked so..." she trailed off, laughter stealing her words once more.

"So what?" he asked, all signs of a smile whipped from his face as he wriggled his brows suggestively.

She paused the laughter for a moment, trying to compose herself somewhat. "Like that rat, Chuck plucked out of the river a few days ago," she continued to laugh, unable to keep it in any longer. Newt laughed then too, both of them earnt certain glares from other Gladers who wondered what was so entertaining.