Not even a second after Chuck and I got out of the Homestead, Newt jogged over to us. Or, well... tried to jog. I saw that something was wrong. He limped. Something I hadn't noticed before.
"What the shuck are y'all running from?" He yelled from a distance. "Y'all made a bloody dramatic show!"
"Okay." Chuck started once Newt stood in front of us, looking quite pissed. "So we were sitting in the corner of the Glade talking about Minho and Jane their fights when suddenly I saw Dave walking over to us so I told Jane and she told me to run because he was the one that assaulted her last night so we started running but then I almost died because I didn't have any breaths left and we bumped into Minho causing us to fall and then I stole the key of the Weapon Room so we could go in there and then Jane fainted and turned pale," Chuck said in one breath, gasping for air once he finished.
"WHAT?" Newt frowned. "You stole the key to the Weapon Room? You know who assaulted Jane? Jane FAINTED?"
"Yes, I stole the key. Smart, isn't it? And yes, we know who assaulted Jane. And yes again, Jane fainted." Chuck replied a little calmer than before.
Newt's frown deepened as his face turned even more pissed. "Who was it?"
"Who was so smart to steal the key that we escaped from that creep and survived? That was m-."
Chuck got interrupted by Newt. "I mean who assaulted Jane?"
"I just told you that that was Dave!" Chuck argued, throwing his hands in the air.
Still not talking, I watched Newt clenching his jaw. "Alright. I'll-."
"OH MY-." Chuck suddenly screamed, stopping Newt from talking. A bit overwhelmed by all the running and action we did, I looked at Chuck, whose grin grew bigger by the second.
"What is it, Chuck?" Newt sighed, obviously annoyed by the kid.
"Don't you see it?" Chuck breathed.
"See what?" Newt snapped, glancing at me.
"Listen!" Chuck held up a finger, telling us to listen. I did as the kid told us to do and listened. After a few seconds, I heard some grunts and groans coming from a distance.
Newt's face fell. "Chuck, what do you see?"
"Just turn around, you slinthead!" Chuck responded. Newt and I both turned around, then I gasped. Something I did not expect was happening close to the place Minho and I bumped into each other.
"Bloody-." Newt mumbled, but he never finished his sentence.
Minho was rolling over the floor with Dave, throwing punches and kicking each other. Minho yelled some unrepeatable mean things as he jumped on top of the Slicer, seeming quite mad.
"Alby in action," Chuck whispered. And indeed, Alby ran past us, screaming for the fighting boys to stop. Once he arrived, he pulled Minho off Dave and started confronting them. Minho yelled something back. Something that caught Alby off guard.
"NEWT!" Alby screamed across the field. The blonde immediately started limping over to the trio as fast as he could. Still in deep shock, I watched Alby grab Dave's arms and twitch them behind his back, taking him away from Minho. In the meanwhile, Newt talked to Minho before taking him somewhere else too.
I sighed and looked at Chuck, who seemed to enjoy every second of the drama.
"Minho beat Dave!" Chuck cheered, turning to me again. "Gotta get to Newt right now! I need to know what happened. Come on!"
~
Neither Minho or Dave was seen when Chuck and I finally found Newt sitting at a table.
"What happened?" Chuck cheerfully questioned Newt, who still seemed a bit pissed.
"Bloody Shank attacked Dave once he heard what he did to Jane," Newt grumbled. "They're both in a Pit now. Tomorrow is a gathering about Dave and what we will do with him."
"Minho stood up for Jane?" Chuck gasped. The kid seemed to admire all of it a lot.
"I guess he did." Newt looked up and met my eyes.
Immediately I averted my eyes from his, my cheeks turning red. Why the hell was I so nervous just by making eye contact?
And not just that made me nervous, everything did. All the problems that happened. Minho is nice and stupid at once. Why would he even fight Dave?
"Chuck, I think it's time for you to go to sleep." Newt looked at the boy instead of me, luckily.
"But-." Chuck protested, but a stern glance from Newt made him stop. "Alright. Good night, Jane!" He walked off, probably to our corner.
Newt turned to me again. I was still standing at the table nervously, fidgeting with my hands. "You okay?" Newt asked, getting up from his seat.
"Yeah." I shrugged.
"Chuck said you fainted. Do you know what happened?" Newt walked closer to me so I had no other choice than look him in the eyes.
"I just felt nauseous and eventually fainted, I think." I lied. Obviously, it was more than that. I had gotten a memory but didn't feel like telling Newt about it. Not yet.
"Do you want to go to sleep?" Newt's tone and expression suddenly turned different. Almost nervous.
"Sure." I agreed, feeling a bit tired already.
Newt rubbed his chin, opening his mouth but then closing it again, as if he meant to say something. I started to feel weird at his sudden behavior.
"So..." he started but trailed off.
"So?" I raised my eyebrows and wanted to understand what Newt tried to say. "You're not making much sense." I chuckled lightly.
Newt let out a nervous laugh and scratched his neck. "Do you want to, you know, sleep there next to Chuck? In the cold, wet, and uncomfortable corner?" He hinted.
I frowned. "I don't think I have much of a choice, do I?"
Newt took a breath before replying. "No, of course not, I don't think you do. Sadly, you can't sleep in a normal and warm bed. So just go to the uncomfortable place again."
I gave Newt a small, unsure nod. With deeply furrowed eyebrows, I started walking away.
"I'm sure that spot is a whole lot nicer than sleeping in a hut," Newt added.
I stopped right in my tracks and turned around. "Blondie, what are you trying to say?"
Even with all the darkness around us, I could still see Newt's face turning bright red. "I was saying, uhm- that you could.. uhh, also, you know..." he stammered. "Stay in my hut." He made it sound like a question, maybe it even was a question. Or invitation. "But that's your choice. If you don't want it, that would be totally completely fine. I was only saying that a bed must be more comfortable."
A bit taken back I looked at the nervous Newt. "Well, I would say that a bed sleeps nicer than the ground. So I guess I will go with you."
Newt's face lit up. "Really?"
"You invited me. Too late to turn back now." I smiled lightly. Newt let out another nervous chuckle before walking to his own hut, me following.
The way Newt acted made me feel a bit strange, but I also felt nervous myself and I still didn't get why.
Newt opened the door and motioned for me to walk in. "I'll turn around," Newt said.
Again, I frowned at his comment. Maybe he was just a bit busy in his thoughts and not thinking straight? I don't know. "I don't have anything to change in, Newt. There's no need to turn around."
"Right." Newt faced me again. "Do you want pajamas?"
"If you have 'em, that would be nice," I admitted. I really appreciated the care Newt took of me. He nodded and walked over to a wooden closet in the corner of his hut. While he was searching through it, I looked around in the hut.
It smelled nice and clean. It was clean. Just a few clothes hung on a desk chair, which was in front of a small table, a bed on the other side of the hut, and of course, the closet. Not very interesting, though I had to admit I didn't expect Newt to be this neat.
"I don't think it fits, but I got this." Newt handed me a long-sleeved, beige shirt and sweatpants.
"Thank you." I smiled. Newt gave me a nod and turned around so I could get dressed.
He was right. The clothes didn't fit at all. They were way too big but also comfortable. I liked them. "Done."
Newt looked up and down at my body. "Well, it's something." He said.
Just to be polite, I turned around for Newt too, and patiently waited for him to put on something else than the clothes he had been wearing all day. Something very random I noticed was that he didn't wear much bright stuff. Most of the time yellow, beige, white, or brown clothes. The perfect combinations.
"I'm done."
I turned my head and almost gasped. Let's just say I didn't expect Newt to only wear shorts. He stood there, with a bare torso. Strong biceps and veins were revealed, making my breathing hitch for a second. It was hard to keep my eyes off of his tanned chest.
"Go in." Newt motioned at the bed. Quickly I did as he told me to and lay down, close to the wall. I felt Newt hop in too, our backs facing each other. Something was different compared to the other night. I guessed it was the fact I wasn't upset or needed support, so now we just lay completely silent, keeping as much space between us as possible, trying not to touch each other.
Do friends sleep like this too? I wondered before closing my eyes.