Aegis | The Maze Runner / Minho ✓

fifteen

Gally whistled lowly. Before I could shoot a glare at him, he replied, "Can't say I'd heard that one yet."

"Quincy just told me," I explained with a sigh. "It just makes me wonder what else is floating around. What are people saying about me? Do they really think I'd..." I found myself unable to continue, the words blocking my throat in embarrassment.

"Who cares what people think?" Gally chortled with a shrug. He looked at me with one eyebrow raised. "People say stuff about me all the time and I don't care. What matters is what's true. Then you can care."

"THE SHUCK DID YOU JUST SAY, YOU PIECE OF KLUNK? I WILL BEAT YOUR SORRY BUTT INTO NEXT GREENIE DAY, YOU SHUCK-FACED SLINTHEAD!"

Gally and I turned in sync to see Clark screaming at an older boy who was laughing at him while two others held the tempered redhead back. The Keeper was red in the face; I couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. Either way, it was enough for him to scream and disturb half the Glade.

Winston came rushing over from the Blood House as fast as he could. He stood between the main boy and Clark for a second, presumably trying to get them to say what was up. Then he started shouting, and the other guy was shouting, and everyone was fighting to be heard over one another. Gladers were dropping their things to watch.

"Ugh, I'm gonna go see what this is about," I grumbled to Gally, who waved goodbye and saluted me sarcastically as if I was going off to war. It fit, considering everyone was still yelling when I hobbled my way over there.

"You take that back!"

"How can I if it's true?"

"It's not, idiot!"

"Then why are you getting so defensive?"

"Because it's not true! I'm going to denounce something that's not true!"

"What's going on here?" I demanded as soon as I came within slight voice-raising distance. The small crowd surrounding the boys broke apart to let me in. I noticed with confusion that some of them were hiding snickers with their hands. Their eyes glinted with cruel amusement.

"Nadia, go!" Winston tried to shoo me away immediately, waving his hand toward the Homestead. I refused to follow his instruction and instead planted my feet firmly on the ground. Or, as firmly as my bad leg would let me.

"Not until I break this up," I declined sternly. "You're disturbing the entire Glade. What is this arguing about?"

Clark was still trapped in the arms of two Sloppers named John and Lou. The Indian boys had identical triumphant smirks on their faces- they were twins, which made it even more unsettling. I felt the circle closing behind me and wondered if coming here had been a very, very bad idea.

"Go on, Clark," Lou taunted with a jab of his elbow into the redhead's side. "Tell her."

The poor boy couldn't even look at me. Instead, he focused his eyes on the grass at his feet. "Zeke thinks..." His eyes squeezed shut as if the words physically pained him. "He thinks..."

Winston took over for him. "Zeke thinks that you had a threesome with Alex and Clark."

I was stunned silent. Any background noise reduced to nothing as my mind processed the words. Me. Alex. Clark. Threesome. It felt like a punch to the gut to know that people actually thought I participated in things like that. And to know Clark was gay made it so much worse- the poor boy was probably drowning in embarrassment even more than I was.

"It isn't true," I found myself declaring in a wavering voice.

"It is!" someone in the crowd shouted.