~-M-~
I was sitting in the middle of the Glade, with my back resting against a tree, absently looking at the boys pacing up and down while doing their jobs.
Suddenly, I heard someone laughing and plopping down next to me. I turned my head to see Chuck.
Over the course of these three days in the Glade, he was my only friend. I had only spoken to Alby and Newt, them being the big shots in this place. And although they were nice to me (well, Newt more than Alby, to be honest), Chuck was the only one who I actually talked to.
"What are you laughing at, Chuckie?" I smiled, glad that he was so happy. He already was like a little brother to me, I was very fond of him.
"I scared Gally" He was a little out of breath, so I figured he had run in order to get rid of the builder's anger. "You should have seen his face"
Oh, I would have loved to see that. Gally was a slinthead, he was mean with everyone. But mostly Chuck and me, so he desserved anything that he got.
"He bet against you and was so conceited about it. Probably was not when I jumped at him and he screamt like a girl" Chuck said between fits of laughter.
I smiled alongside him when I actually realized what he had just said. My smile dropped.
"What do you mean 'bet'?" I stared at my friend, completely perplex.
His chubby face turned completely serious suddenly. I read in his expression that he was afraid he said something he shouldn't have.
"Well, Y/N, when they saw a girl arriving in the Glade some of them started to bet."
"But..."
"They were betting on how long it would take you to break down" He quickly and nervously finished, like if would hurt less.
His eyes were fixed in mine, examining my reaction.
"That's why you pranked Gally?" I asked him, trying to sound nonchalant.
"And because it was funny" He softly shrugged.
I grinned at him and playfully shoved him.
"Then let's show those shanks what I'm capable of. Specially that idiot Gally"
He clumsily smiled and that made me laugh.
"If I could, I would have bet on you"
I chuckled, staring at my feet while we both remained quiet. Chuck was still recovering his breath from that run.
As I thought about the bet, something popped into my head, so I broke the silence.
"Do you know who else bet on me? Just out of curiosity..."
"I just remember some. Alby, Gally and Winston against you. Newt, Frypan and Jeff on you"
I pursed my lips trying to hide a smirk. Fry, Jeff and Newt were the only ones that had been kind to the Greenie, and who I tried socializing with. I chose my friends good enough.
"And what the shuck were they betting?"
Chuck laughed when he heard me use correctly the Glader slang.
"No clue. Anything"
We continued to chat for a while, until Frypan announced that lunch was ready, so all the boys rushed to the Kitchen like a stampede. But I stood there, not really hungry.
*
While everyone stuffed their face, I went to the Deadheads to take a walk and sat in the floor for a while, enjoying the quiet.
As I rocked my knees from side to side, I started to hum a random melody that popped in my head. It was strange remembering a song but not the actual lyrics or even who created it. That was something I wasn't still used to, having such a selective memory.
I suddenly was thinking about that damn bet. Everyone thought I was weak, and they even bet on it, completely sure that I would break down at any minute. I had to show them how strong I was, how I could survive in that place just as them boys were.
"If you keep biting on your lip like that you're gonna start bleeding, you dumb slinthead" A somewhat rough voice dragged me out of my thoughts, making me jump in surprise.
I looked up to see Minho, the Keeper of the Runners. I had seen him go into the Maze during these few days I spent in the Glade. He wasn't much around, since he spent most of his time exploring the Maze.
Now that I saw him up close, I noticed how attractive he really was. He was tall and strong, and the muscles on his arms showed under the rolled-up sleeves of his dirty blue shirt.
"What are you doing here?" I asked Minho, startled. He probably was coming from the Map Room, judging by the sweat in his forehead that told me that he had just got back from his run.
He combed his quiff with his long fingers as he intently stared at me with those dark eyes of his.
"Whatever I feel like" He answered, towering over me with his arms crossed over his chest. To be honest, he was a little intimidating.
He didn't seem the kind type like Newt was. He actually seemed a little sassy and the kind of person you don't want being angry at you.
I shrugged and noticed he was right. My lip was bleeding a little; I had opened a little wound.
He squatted before me and rested his forearms in his knees. He stood there for a while, not saying a word, but glaring at me like he was analyzing me.
"You've made an impression on some of those shanks" He commented, cocking an eyebrow.
I looked down, uncomfortable that he kept staring at me with such cheekiness.
"Yeah, so?" I tried to sound indifferent.
"Nothing, just saying"
"What about you? Are you impressed?"
"Well..."
"Did you bet on me or against me?" When I saw how surprised he was, I nodded at a question he never asked. "Yes, I know. Chuck told me"
Chuck didn't mention Minho. I didn't even know if he had bet at all. But something told me he had.
"I bet against you, and it seems like I was not mistaken" His eyes pierced me in a strange way that I didn't understand, like it had a hidden meaning. Truth to be told, I didn't really understand his whole behavior. "You always seem at the verge of tears anyway, Greenie"
I clenched my jaw. That was it, I wasn't going to let him talk to me like that.
I stood up and angrily shoved him so he lost balance and fell to the floor.
"Do you think that just because you're a Runner, strong and a wise-ass you can throw it in our faces and just be a jerk to everyone?"
As soon as those words left my mouth, I regretted them. I didn't know where that courage came from, but I was confronting someone that intimidated me, one of the Gladers that seemed like they shouldn't be messed with. But it was too late to pull back now.
He wasn't expecting it, that was for sure. It took him a few seconds to react and stand up. Then he got closer and looked down to me with his dark eyes harshly piercing mine, almost angrily.
Minho was taller than me, I only reached around his shoulders.
"Being Runner is not easy, it's not just running. You have to take life or death decisions, be smart"
"Then how do you put up with it?" I tried to sound stern and steady even if my voice was shaking.
He watched me for a moment before he said anything else.
Suddenly, to my surprise, he grinned and raised an eyebrow.
"I like you. You've got guts" He concluded, relaxing and crossing his arms calmly. I noticed how his expression went back to being carefree as usual and I let out a sigh of relief.
"Can I ask you a question?"
Something had gone through my head a few times. It was that Maze, I wanted to see its insides. And him being the Keeper of the Runners, seemed like the perfect person to ask about it.
"You can try"
I gulped, fearing how he would react
"Are you going into the Maze tomorrow as well?"
He rolled his eyes with such sassiness and dramatism that I held back the urge to do the same.
"No, on Tuesdays the Runners play Hide and Seek in the Box" He sarcastly answered. "What do you think, you shank?"
I closed my hands in fists, feeling like it wouldn't be easy to get along with him.
"You think I could go with you?"
He laughed like he heard something hilarious.
"Don't laugh, you idiot!" I complained, mad.
"Look, I said you've got guys. But that doesn't mean you should go into the Maze"
I needed to go with them. I needed to help them find its mysteries and solve them.
"But I..." I tried to argue, but he wouldn't allow it.
"I said no, shuck face!"
I crossed my arms, just like him.
Hopefully, I could earn his trust and let him know how good of a Runner I could be. From what I heard, the Maze was scary, and it probably wasn't so pleasant running it everyday, but I still wanted to do it.
A part of me told me that one of the many reasons of wanting to become a Runner was Minho. I wanted to run alongside him to make sure he was safe, that he got back in time, that he didn't encounter a Griever and get stung.
"Be careful, will you?" I said out of the blue, not looking at him.
"Are you worried?" He chuckled and nudged me. It was a friendly hit, but it still hurt. Minho was really strong.
"Well, yeah. The Maze seems like a dangerous klunk"
He grinned and narrowed his eyes, looking at me thoughtfully.
"You're Y/N, right?" I nodded, so he kept talking. "I'm Minho"
He offered a hand, so I took it and gave it a determined shake.
"Well, Y/N" He turned his body to get out of there. "It seems I did good betting on you" And he left with a grin in his face.
And then I understood that glare from before when he said the opposite. He lied to test me, and my answer satisfied him.
I smiled slightly as I watched him walk away. It was the first time I actually spoke to him, and it wasn't so bad. Hopefully, I would talk to him a lot more, maybe even become a Runner with him someday.