𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐏 ✩ Minho, TMR AU

073

"And me?"

"Yeah, yeah. Stay safe and don't sneak out. I love you all!" And he was gone.

We laughed, and even louder when Thomas stole snacks right away (that boy had no shame). Nari wanted to watch She's The Man again, so we did.

I lay under a blanket with Thomas and Nari. Everyone else shared a bigger blanket, except for Newt, who sat on a chair all alone, not watching the movie but trying to figure out how he was supposed to post a picture on Instagram.

"He's cute." Nari whispered Duke appeared on the screen.

"I agree." Everyone said.

Thomas got more popcorn. Some ended up on the floor and I ordered them to clean it up before Minho and his parents came back, which meant the movie got slowed down a few minutes.

We were choosing another movie, when Newt spoke. "Isn't Minho supposed to be back yet?"

I stared at the clock. Two hours ago he left. "Probably a busy road."

But after watching half of Twilight, he still wasn't back. I couldn't deny that that got me anxious. Maybe he got into a fight with his dad? He was lost? The car broke down? A very busy road?

"Minho always drives very fast so he expected to be back earlier." Frypan suddenly announced. "And now it's raining and the road is barely visible. He has to slow down."

That made sense.
"Alright."

"He's cute too." Nari peeped.

"Which one?"

"All of them."

We bursted out laughing. And Newt shook his head, denying everything.

Then the phone went off.

"I'll get it." The blonde got off the couch. He walked to the corner of the room, where the main phone hung, as he motioned for Thomas to pause the movie so he could understand the caller.

I slammed my hand on Thomas's mouth to stop him from moaning into the phone again.

All the color drained away from Newt's face. "Uh, yeah." That's when Thomas stopped moving around and I took my hand off.

We looked at each other before turning back to Newt. He listened to the phone for a long time, his eyes slowly closing in horror.

Panic filled my chest and I could barely breathe when Newt said, "Yeah, we'll be right on our way."

"What's going on?" Muttered Frypan. Newt's hand started shaking, his foot tapping on the ground a few times.

"Thank you." When he hung up, the phone stayed in his hands for a long time. An anxious silence in which he just stared at the floor until Harriet asked what was happening.

"Give me your car keys, Thomas." Newt demanded. The boy did as he was told. "I've got to-."

"What's going on, Newt?"

There were tears in his eyes. Tears.
"I'll explain later. Just... Quinn should come with me."

I got up fast, panicked.

"Where are you two going?" Thomas walked after us. Newt didn't stop walking. He struggled to properly open the front door. Sighed a few times, obviously upset.

"Hey!" Thomas lay his hands down on his. "Tell me what's going on."

Newt blinked.

"Newt."

"Look, I don't want Nari to hear." He bent closer to us. "It's Minho. Something... something happened on the road. He's in the hospital but they don't know if he- you know."

Time seemed to stop. I froze. A long shiver went down my spine and sent goosebumps all over my body. I could feel all happiness be sucked out of me in just a second. Speechless, breathless, unable to move, I watched Thomas yell at Frypan to take care of Nari and not to panic and that we would explain later. That we would send them a text.

"Come on." Thomas was the one that got me to walk, yet I couldn't even feel my feet move. I didn't register I got soaked by the rain and that Newt started Thomas's Jeep.

"I should've come with him," I realized, staring straight forward. "I should've-."

"No, we're not doing this 'it's my fault' act." Thomas cut me off. "Newt, drive faster."

"What, you want the same thing to happen to us?!" He was too upset to talk normally; he nearly yelled the words.

I flinched. Swallowed deeply.

"Sorry." Newt apologized when he realized what he said. "I just mean... we don't want the same- yeah, you know."

"I know." I said, voice shaky.

"Do you know what really happened?" Thomas asked Newt.

"Slippery road, driving too fast, bad sight, two cars."

I took a deep breath, tears begging to fall.
"He's still alive, right?"

A silence.

"Newt?"

Newt held into the wheel tighter. Breathed in and out. "They're resuscitating him."

"They're doing what?"

"Don't panic. Please, just stay calm. I'm sure it will be fine. Minho's healthy. The doctors are well these days."

It didn't give me the reassurance it was supposed to give me. All this happiness. All our safe moments were ruined in my mind.

My heart was pounding in my ears and the world around me got blurred by tears and dizzy by my nervousness. My hands were sweaty and my lungs had a lack of oxygen. This couldn't be it. Our story wasn't finished.

Minho couldn't die.