Minho's POV
Jane and I came out of the maze safely. I did not know what to think of the things that happened while we were in there. I was nervous, jealous, and even a bit insecure all at once! How the shuck was I supposed to act like the tough, sassy, and sarcastic Minho when someone like Jane was around?
I just pretended to hate her, but I knew I didn't. It wasn't like I was in love with her either, but I definitely liked something about her. But I always denied, denied, denied.
The nicknames were proof she liked Newt. She called him Blondie and other sweet stuff, while I'm a Mean Hoe! Another reason to deny.
And how the shuck was I supposed to survive going into the maze with Jane every day? She got me nervous somehow, and I hated it. I couldn't just be this weak, I had to be tough. I was tough, but just not around her. Around her, I got nervous, blushed, and blurted out stupid stuff.
Not even a second after we came out of the maze, Newt ran over to us. "Jane!"
Oh, awesome, Newt. Only care about Jane and not your best friend. Real good of you.
Newt asked how everything went and what happened, I just watched them, jealousy washing over me. Jane started explaining everything to Newt, who listened attentively.
I sighed and eventually just walked away. Then Ben appeared in front of me, basically one of my best friends. Hey, Min!"
I frowned at the nickname. "What do you want, Ben?"
Ben had to jog to keep on with my walking pace. "Talk."
"About?" I snapped, not wanting to hear any of the things Ben had to say after the horrible day.
"Jane."
I came to an abrupt stop and spun around. "What about her?"
Ben suddenly walked away and sat down at a table. Once he mentioned Jane, all my attention got drawn, so I followed and sat down across from the boy.
"I know you're in love with her."
Well, that was out of a sudden.
"What? Me? In love with Jane? I hate her, Ben. Don't you see that? We fight all the time, if you haven't noticed. And she's only been here for a few days, I don't fall for someone that fast."
Is this what Ben thinks about while running in the maze? It's none of his business!
"I don't know how everyone can be so oblivious, but I definitely noticed." Ben simply replied.
"I'm not in love with her," I assured. Ben raised his eyebrows. "But I will admit that I like her more than I pretend to do."
"Love her more." Ben corrected. "So you better go make your move before Newt over there does."
Jesus, Ben was overwhelming me. "I'm not making any moves. She likes Newt, so I have to live with it. And I don't know why the shuck I'm discussing with you!"
Ben gave me an offended glance. "I'm a very good love expert." He toughly said. "Way better than you, at least. Just believe me, Jane ain't gonna do anything to either of you. It's gonna be you or Newt who acts first."
"Since when is there a competition between Newt and me? Who said we were in love with Jane?" I snapped.
Ben shrugged. "You can keep pretending to hate her, but from the look of it, Newt is pretty close to doing something."
"It's Newt. He ain't gonna kiss Jane out of nothin'. He'll overthink it for days and by the time he is going to kiss Jane, we're already Grandpa's."
"But I bet he will eventually." Ben sighed.
"Ben, I do not like your way of talking right now. It doesn't fit you." I commented. Ben kept staring at me for a long time, and finally, I gave up. "Fine! Just tell me what to do then."
"So you're in love with her?" Ben asked.
I hesitated and thought about Jane. The way she smiled, ran, said things, was smart, played with Chuck, and was funny, but also kind. I loved every single bit of the things she did. I loved the time we cuddled, though I would kill Dave if he did it again. I loved how she laughed with Chuck. I loved how she didn't give up on being a Runner. I loved how she could argue sometimes.
I loved her.
Why does it take me just a week to fall in love with a girl? Hormones? Is it because I've never seen a girl before? Or did we already have something before the maze? No, that's stupid.
"Okay.. I think I might like her a little too much." I admitted. "But if you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you! I'm serious." I threatened, moving my head closer to Ben so no one else would hear us.
"I knew it!" Ben grinned. "Okay. Start with being nicer to her. Help her, compliment her sometimes, but don't be too slimy. Then you go impress her."
"With what?"
"I don't know.. your speed? Strength?"
I thought about the way Jane looked at my biceps that day. She definitely liked that, she was an open book. "That will work."
"Make sure you don't get possessive, though. Let her have time with others, even Newt. Oh, and don't forget to make physical contact."
I frowned. "Physical contact? I don't know what you're thinking about, but I ain't gonna slap her butt, Ben!"
Ben sighed loudly. "No, you shuck face. Just touch hands and knees. Hug her from behind! She'll get butterflies from that. Touch her waist."
I didn't really know about that part. Touch was a sensitive subject for Jane. After what happened with Dave, I noticed her tensing up whenever someone even gave her the slightest touch. I felt like she didn't notice it herself, though. Just me. Like when Chuck hugged her, I definitely noticed her flinching for a split second, but then she acted normal again. Or when Alby touched her shoulders from behind and she punched him.
"Ben.." I started. "Why are you giving me this advice? What does it give you?"
"If I win my bet then I get unlimited desserts for a month!" Ben cheerfully said.
"BET?" I screamed but quickly lowered my voice again. "What bet?"
"All the Gladers, even Chuck, bet on you, Newt, and Jane."
"And what exactly did you bet for?" I suspiciously asked.
"That you would make the first move and date Jane before Newt could even try something," Ben explained. "So you gotta do this!"
"Why would you bet something unreal like that?" I whisper-yelled.
"Cause you're my best friend. You need some support, man! Almost everyone bet for Newt."
"At least my plan of making it seem like I hate Jane works." I scoffed. "What did the others bet for?"
"Leo said Jane would shuck you before going with Newt, then shuck him too." Ben blurted out.
My jaw clenched and my hands balled into fists. "He said what?" I asked through my teeth, already angry.
No one could dare to say something inappropriate like that about Jane. She would never do any klunk like that.
I felt like beating Leo. Only that one sentence he said disgusted me. After all the things Jane had been through, did he really think Jane would do something like that? Or that she would do it with two guys on the same day? Shuck faced piece of klunk!
"Holy shit, man. Calm down." Ben motioned at my hands clenching clenching around the wooden table.
"He can't just say that," I grumbled.
"At least he won't win." Ben shrugged. "Now go do something with my advice!"
~
A/N: Do you think someone else will give Newt some 'advice' too? And what kind of advice will they give? Let me know your predictions!
I hope you enjoyed,
have a nice day/night! ❤️