Bound | Newt Love Story

7 | Bonfire

It hits me again. Did he just call me love? Why does my heart feel like it's going to explode?

Before I can answer Newt, tons of yelling comes from over near the door of the Maze. I turn around really fast and see the new guy running straight for it. 

"Oh shit." Newt mumbles before he takes off after the guy, along with Minho and I and about every other Glader in the area. 

Newt runs over to him, yelling for him to stop. Newt grabs his shoulder and basically shoves him back. 

"Get off me!" The Greenie yells.

"Hey!" I yell walking in front of the Greenie. No one talks to Newt that way. "You just need to calm down, okay?"

"Don't touch me!" Greenie repeats.

"Look, take it easy." Gally groans over to the new guy. 

"Just relax." I try to help.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Greenie asks, his eyes looking crazy.

"Just bloody calm down, all right?" Newt asks.

"No, okay? Why won't you tell me what's out there?" Greenie demands.

I follow his gaze and turn around, staring right into the mouth of the Maze. The churning and whirring of the maze pounds through the Glade. I can feel the vibrations of the Maze closing under my feet, shaking the ground slightly. A gust of wind throws my hair backwards as the doors come crashing together. 

"We're just trying to protect you." Alby's voice comes. "It's for your own good."

Gally laughs in disgust, "Next time I'm just gonna let you leave."

***

I step into the bathroom to just wash up. Not entirely take a shower, because the bonfire's starting soon, but just to like wash my face and such. No one's in here because they're setting up for the party. It's odd to me that they're having a party for this new guy but I never got a party...probably the shock of being the only girl. I walk over to the sinks and grab my towel off of the towel rack. I pull my hair back into a ponytail and grab a  soap bar, scrubbing my face clean, before washing off the suds of soap. I pat my face dry with my towel before brushing my teeth and pulling the elastic out of my hair and running my fingers through it, straightening and flattening it out slightly.

I place my towel back on the towel rack and push open the door of the bathroom. I walk out and night has fallen. The moon is only a sliver in the dark night sky and the stars shine brightly down upon the Glade. 

I walk over to the middle of the Glade where all of the Gladers are standing, each holding torches in their hands.

"I saved you one." Newt smiles, approaching me and handing me a torch as well.

"What're we doing?" I ask.

Newt's smile grows. "You'll see."

Alby comes walking out of the Homestead with a torch in his hand as well, but his is lit. All the rest of the boys gather round, with their torches pushed together and I follow what they're doing, sending confused glances over to Newt every one in a while. Alby finally reaches us and places his flaming torch onto ours, igniting ours as well. 

"Light him up!" Alby yells happily. All the Gladers throw their flaming torches into the bonfire made of sticks and pieces of trees. I follow them, throwing my torch with a little too much force, into the already lit fire. Everyone cheers loudly and I get hit with the immediate heat radiating off of the bonfire. Newt's face is the happiest I've seen it since I got here, the fire shining through his eyes and the fire making his face turn slightly red.

The boys cheers get even louder when the fire bursts upward, sending my hair flying back. They start chanting something that I can't make out, but seeing everyone so happy makes me happy. A smile spreads across my lips as I look over at Newt who seems to  have been put in some kind of trance by the fire. Newt swings an arm around my shoulder and pecks me on the cheek as a dark-skinned boy starts doing flips all around the fire. 

"B!" Frypan's voice comes from the right of Newt. I look over and see him holding a mason jar in his hand. "Made this one specifically for you." Frypan grins.

Newt chuckles lightly as I take the mason jar from Frypan. "What is it?" I question. Frypan doesn't reply he just smiles wider. 

I look over at Newt, uncertain, but he just nods and says, "Well, go on!"

I bring the mason jar to my lips, the smell of the liquid inside horrid, and tip my head back, drinking a large sip of it. The liquid burns my throat as I drink it. 

"Ah!" I groan. "That's strong." I laugh. 

Newt laughs and that's when everyone starts yelling "Cheers!" and clanging their identical mason jars together, taking more and more sips of Frypan's "special drink".

The fire is still burning strongly, sparks flying from the top of it.