A/N: so uh...this book has 1 million reads?? I don't really know what to say to that other thank YOU readers, who have always supported me and helped me explore the world of writing. You all carried me through one of the worst times in my life by just being there, giving me a platform. Thank you so much.
Here's just Gally being my favourite
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Gally reached out his heavy hand to the newcomer in the box. They looked just as petrified, sick, and stunned as any other he'd ever seen. This Greenie though, for once, he wanted to make a good impression on.
The builder was exhausted of being the person everyone was afraid of. Sure, he had tough days, just like everyone else. He'd said the wrong words here and there. When anxious about the future, caught overthinking, he could be short and put up a harsh exterior.
It didn't make him bad. Deep down, he knew that. For once, he wanted a Greenie to not be made afraid of him. If just one person could be on his side, maybe things would come around. Maybe, the others would finally see he wasn't so awful of a person after all.
A rush of warmth ran through his arm when the Greenie took his hand. He helped haul them out of the box and onto the grass. Awkwardly, he still held tight onto her hand as she coughed and and shook her head, trying to get her vision cleared.
Not quite sure what to do, he knelt down, still holding the hand. He reached out to help push the hair out of her face.
Someone swat away his hand. Another set of hands grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back.
"Gally, don't—" Someone hollered.
Everyone else now was arriving at the box. Being a builder, with his work station close to the box, Gally was already the first one there.
Gally felt his hand leave the Greenies as those hands on his shoulders pulled him up and away. Soon, bodies were filing in around the Greenie and he was quickly pushed out of the crowd.
Immediately, trying to get a glimpse over the heads of his fellow Gladers, Gally felt a sinking feeling in his chest. He hadn't even said anything and all of his chances at making a good impression had been squandered. He'd been pushed away, made to look like he was a threat.
He saw the girl, still on the ground, being helped up by Newt and Winston. She still seemed stunned but was aware enough to be scanning her surroundings. She was looking at everyone amongst the crowd, jumping from face to face. Eventually, she landed on his.
She stopped her erratic search. Gally stood frozen, not sure why she was staring at him specifically. Either way, it didn't seem to be coincidence.
Afraid, unsure, brimming with shame, Gally turned and walked back towards his work station. Even if he wanted to say something, there was no way anyone would let him through the barrier of people or even get a word in.
Deep in his heart, Gally took this as a sign that trying to get the others to see him differently was a losing battle. He wondered if he was meant to be like this. Maybe, he thought, some people had to play the role of the monster. He had no choice. It was a predetermined fate.
The girl watched as Gally ambled off away from the group. She wondered why he'd been pushed away by everyone else when all he'd been trying to do was help. To her, he seemed gentle and kind. It didn't make sense why he was walking in the opposite direction with rounded shoulders, riddled with anxiety.
The feeling Gally got the day Y/N arrived stuck with him. So, he spent most of his time avoiding her. He wholly had convinced himself it wasn't worth trying to befriend her, especially since she'd probably been told all kinds of stories about him. He also doubt himself. Maybe, he was as bad as everyone made him out to be, and the Greenie wasn't someone he wanted to hurt. Closing himself off was the best thing he could do for himself, and everyone else.
For a whole month, Gally successfully avoid conflict and walked around the Glade on eggshells. He became quiet, sullen. Almost a ghost. No one seemed to mind that he'd retreated into his own, silent and lonely world. All that gave was more evidence to Gally which said the Glade was better off without his influence.
Y/N had spent that whole month also walking on eggshells, curious about Gally. Sure, she had been told many stories about how he wasn't worth getting to know. That, eventually, he'd lash out and hurt her if she tried. But, she didn't necessarily believe that.
No story ever contained evidence that he'd ever actually hurt someone. What Y/N understood from all the stories which detailed all the bad things Gally had said, it had all been done in reaction to Gally trying to protect the other Gladers from doing something stupid. Most of all, everyone seemed to just believe he was scary because of the fighting ring on bonfire nights where he'd gone undefeated.
She hadn't gotten to fight on her bonfire night, but tonight, there might just be a chance for her.
He did seem a little unpredictable and closed off, but Y/N was sure there was more to it all.
Y/N knelt down behind a stack of boxes by Gally's workstation. She peered over them slightly, watching him. She was just trying to understand what made him so worthy of being hated. Right now, he looked quite at peace and anyone who came to ask a question he happily answered and continued working quietly.
The girl sneezed. She could't help it. It was always so much dustier around the builders section of the Glade. She ducked, but it was too late. Gally had spotted her and she smiled nervously.
For a moment, Gally was stuck wide-eyed with his heart hammering against his chest. Once he got control over his senses, he did a double take at the girl and then turned so his back was facing her.
So, Y/N tried again. At lunch, she ran to catch up to Gally as he walked towards Frypan. He heard her coming up from behind, panicked, and began to walk faster. She almost had him until Minho intercept and took her in the opposite direction, blabbering about something he saw in the maze.
Finally, the evening rolled around. Now, she was determined. One way or another, she was going to crack the situation open.
"You have a bone to pick with Gally, love?" Newt asked, shoving Y/N's shoulder. They sat side by side at the fire and Newt had taken notice to the fact she hadn't been listening to him.
"I—no." Y/N tried to refocus. "I just—how did Gally end up like that?"
"Like what?" Newt stifled a laugh.
"The day I showed up in the box, he was the first to help me. And then everyone pushed him away like...like he was going to hurt me. Since then, I've hardly spoken a word to him."
"Listen, love." Newt leaned back a little, watching the fight currently going on. "He's been through a lot, just like the rest of us. Somedays, it's hard to tell how he'll react to things. So, it's best to try and avoid any messes by leaving him alone."
"And pushing him away all the time?" Y/N asked sadly. "Maybe he wants to be involved but feels alienated."
"...he seems like a good person." She trailed off.
"He is good. Gally and I were once better friends." Newt admit. "But he started snapping, and in order to keep the peace, Alby asked I keep him in check. I didn't know what to do other than to just...tell him to go away when things started heating up. Now, it's a bad habit on all our behalves."
Y/N furrowed her brows and looked to Newt sadly. She could see the guilt in his eyes and the regret swelling around him. "Ever think about taking to him?"
"I'm not sure he'd want to hear what I have to say," Newt gripped the jar in his hands tight. "I fear I've burned that trust straight through."
"What if I talked to him? Think he'd listen to me?" She asked.
"Maybe—"
Y/N took that as a whole yes and jumped up from where she sat. Newt didn't even have time to react. She was already at the fight ring, making her way into the crowd.
A ruckus was breaking out and the moment Y/N got through the group of boys, to the edge of the ring where she could see the people inside, someone got thrown to the ground right in front of her.
Jeff rose up onto his elbows, looking up at Y/N, and smiled awkwardly. "Hey, Y/N."
"Hi, Jeff." She greet him back flatly. "Mind if I take your place?"
"Uh, sure!" Jeff was more than happy to get up, dust himself off and pat Y/N on the back as she switched spots with him.
The visual space Jeff had once occupied now opened up and there was Gally, standing nervously. His demeanour quickly changed. He raised a hand and waved her toward him.
Y/N smirked. She was surprised, and glad, that Gally had accepted her approach.
"Rules are—"
"I know the rules," Y/N spoke up. "Minho told me."
Gally looked surprised. Normally, Greenies were horrified the first time they stepped inside the circle. Even though it was a month since she'd arrived, Y/N seemed a little too at ease for his liking. It was almost like she had some other motive.
"Y/N! Psssst!" Minho nearly tumbled over the rope in the sand himself. He hung off of a few other Gladers around the circle and tried to get her to come over to him. It was not sly in any way.
Y/N carefully kept her eyes on Gally as she shuffled to where Minho was beckoning from. "What?" She asked.
Minho opened his mouth to speak and then, with a shocked expression, realized his words had left him. That was, if he'd ever really had any to begin with.
"Minho...?" Y/N spoke quietly through barred teeth awkwardly. "What is it?"
"It was something important you should know—" He rubbed his chin.
Y/N looked to Minho and waved her hands around in front of his face. As if that was going to bring anything to the front of the runners brain.
The girl felt a sharp pain in her side and the wind knocked from her lungs. When she came to, she was on the ground, outside of the circle. Gladers towered above behind her, all a little quieter than she would have liked.
Gally stood in front, arms crossed. His expression was unreadable.
"Oh yeah, I wanted to tell you not to get distracted." Minho pushed his way through the crowd so he could see Y/N. "There's nothing in the rules about that."
"Thanks, Minho." Y/N got up and smacked some of the dirt off of her legs. "I want a redo."
Gally's eyes went wide and he almost let his arms drop. But, Y/N noticed, he held himself together. He seemed like he was frozen, unable to speak.
"You'll get your chance, newbie." Newt interject. "C'mon, we need your help."
Y/N felt Newt's stare on Gally. She could see the pain radiating in Gally's face. Once again, he was being pushed away. Having breakable objects removed from his reach.
"We've got lots of time for those things later," Y/N kept her eyes on Gally. "One do over won't take long."
Gally finally released his arms and backed up, shrugging. Didn't seem like he was opposed.
Y/N went to step forward but Newt caught her arm.
"C'mon, Y/N." He urged "Leave it."
Something in Newt's voice made her stop. He genuinely was worried for her. She didn't want to believe anything about what she'd heard about Gally. But, Newt was second in command for a reason. She figured she should listen. If not now, there would be other chances to step foot here again.
Once again, Y/N couldn't exactly tell by the look on Gally's face what was going on. Was he hurt? Upset? Relieved? It was impossible to tell. What Y/N did know was that there was more to all of this.
Later, as the evening began to wind down, Y/N found herself sitting in front of the fire, thinking.
It'd been a long day. A lot had happened. There were a million unknowns to the entire situation. And yet, the one thing that topped all of her thoughts, was still Gally.
So, sitting there, she wait. She wait until the last of Gally's opponents took their shot against him and wait until the kid ended up in the sand, hauled up by Gally, giving him a pat on the back.
Y/N saw her chance. Gally had turned to wave off the kid he'd just helped up and reached for some water. When he finally turned back around, he nearly chocked on said water and fumbled to put it down.
"Time for one more?" She asked.
Gally scratched his head, looking around, then his expression eased. "Sure."
Like before, Y/N stepped into the circle and wait for Gally to move first. He did, quite fast, but she wasn't so distracted by Minho draping over peoples shoulders this time. She dodged, caught his arm, and smiled to herself.
That smile left pretty fast when she realized all she'd done was grab on. Gally lift his arm and swung her back in the opposite direction, sending her right back down into the sand like before. Except, this time she continued holding onto his arm. If nothing else, she had a good grip. That was something.
So, when she ended up on the ground, Gally's arms still grasped, she tugged as hard as she could. Somehow, she managed to pull him off balance and dragged him down right into the dirt beside her. He didn't have a second arm to break the fall and so he mostly went face first.
She let go, a little warily, and Gally lift himself on his elbows. His expression churned. Still staring at the ground, he finally spoke. "Well played."
"Are you okay?" Y/N cringed. "You didn't hit your nose, right?"
Gally almost let out a laugh and he turned to look at the girl. "Did you just ask if I was okay?"
"Yeah...?" Y/N admit.
The keeper of the builders sat up and brushed the dirt and sand off of his face. He once again seemed afraid to speak. "...I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression earlier, or if I hurt you. I saw my chance to get you out of the ring and I did it. It wasn't a fair move."
"Well, it also wasn't against the rules. I call it fair." Y/N teased.
"I just—I didn't want to scare you." He looked down, and winced.
"Scare me?" Y/N scoffed. "I picked the fight. I would't be afraid of you if you beat me."
"That's how things always start out," Gally muttered. "They say they want to fight, that it'll be fun—" He froze.
Y/N tapped his leg, encouraging him to keep speaking.
"And then something changes. Once they go to the ground, they look up to me, wide eyed and horrified." Gally clenched his fists a little. "I don't know if I do something—say something—or if I take it too far. I've never hurt anyone. But then anytime they see me, they still look afraid."
"Gally," Y/N sympathized. "I'm sorry."
"I didn't want you to be the same." He choked on his words. "I tried, that day you showed up in the box. I tried to show everyone—but they...you know."
"Pushed you away? Yeah, I know." Y/N admit. "And you don't deserve that."
"Maybe I did at one point," Gally seemed to be taking a look back on old times. "But I'd like them to all know things aren't the same anymore. I don't want them to be afraid."
"Well, then, we'll show them." Y/N jumped up. "And I can bet no one here is really that afraid of you, they just don't know how to approach you, especially after they've been totally obliterated in a play fight."
Gally raised a brow in surprise. His frame seemed to have opened up a little more. What he'd wanted that day Y/N arrived was coming around in its own way. He felt a slight twinge of hope.
"It's going to be hard to change their minds." Gally lift himself off of the ground as well. "You're crazy."
"Maybe." Y/N shrugged.
"Also brave." Gally added. "And thoughtful. Insightful."
"Eesh," Y/N threw her arms up. "You don't have to be so nice so soon." She laughed.
Gally felt his face warm and he tried to turn away from the light of the fire. He felt like, for the first time in so very long, a connection forming. For all the bridges he'd burned, for as isolated as he felt, there was some light breaking through the clouds.
"Want me to be mean, then?" He teased. "You're also a little creep, watching me from behind those boxes earlier."
"Ah, well, excuse me for trying to understand you a little better." Y/N gaped. "You kept running away."
"Touche." He let her win that one. It was true, he'd been running away for a whole month.
Y/N reached out her hand and looked up to Gally. "You and me—we'll show the Glade the Gally I know. The one I suspected was always there."
Gally hesitantly took her hand and shook it. He locked onto her eyes with a deep appreciation. "We can try."
"We will." She reinforced. "You will."