Newt x Reader

PART FIVE

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I sleep through the rest of the night without any dreams.
     Before breakfast, I'm on my way back from the bathroom when Gally comes up beside me and starts walking with me.
     "That was a sweet moment you had with Newt last night," he says loudly.
     I groan mentally. So he, of all people, was the one in the hallway.
     I look around, hoping the other Gladers didn't hear him and get the wrong idea. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice.
     Since I can't deny it without a long explanation, I reply lamely, "Shut up, Gally. You don't know what you're talking about."
     He just chuckles and leans down to whisper into my ear. "I'd be careful if I were you. Who knows what Newt—"
     I try to shove him away from me, but—of course—my strength is no match for his.
     He recovers easily and laughs, holding his hands up innocently. "I'm just saying, you're the first girl and there're no rules to protect you."
     I near the kitchen, never before so happy to get back to my job.
     I shoot Gally a look that warns him not to follow me then slip into the kitchen, shutting the door quickly behind me, earning me an odd look from Fry.
     I just smile sheepishly and hurry back to work.
                                        ~~~~
As I help Fry serve breakfast and the Gladers go through the line for their food, I'm surprised to see that Thomas, Minho, and the other Runners are among them.
After breakfast is over and the dishes are done, I ask Fry about it.
"The Council is meeting this morning," he says, as if just remembering. "In about...five minutes! We should leave soon."
I start to nod then hesitate. "Hold on. What do you mean 'we'?"
But instead of answering, he just walks out the door and waves at me to follow.
~~~~
We walk toward the Meeting Hall, and I get more and more curious with each step.
Why am I allowed at this meeting? I wonder to myself.
Frypan holds the door open for me and I enter slowly, taking in my surroundings as quickly as I can.
     I find Newt immediately and when our eyes meet he waves me over.
     I hurry to him and stand between him and Thomas. Gally has taken up a position across from us, arms crossed.
     Thomas clears his throat and begins. "Alright, let's get started." The hesitance in his voice makes me wonder how long it's been since Alby died and he was made the Leader.
     After the others' conversations die out, he continues. "I've been thinking that it might be good to put some new rules in place regarding our Greenie."
     Greenie? Still? I fight the urge to roll my eyes.
Every shuck-faced boy in this Glade has known that my name is Y/N for almost a week now, yet nearly all of them continue to call me 'Greenie'.
     Most of the Keepers nod in agreement, but out of the corner of my eye I catch Gally smirking.
     "Like what?" Winston asks for the group.
     "Like rules to keep her safe," Minho answers. "If she's gonna be stuck in here with us slintheads, she deserves to have her own set of rules."
     This encourages me a little, because the way he says it suggests I'll get to make up the rules.
     But, to my surprise, Minho doesn't give me the floor. Instead, he turns to Thomas, who starts off his clearly-scripted list by saying, "No talking about her inappropriately. No looking at her inappropriately—"
     "And no one can so much as come close to her without her consent," Minho adds. "If I see anyone bothering her, I'll throw him in the Pit myself."
     Before I can take comfort in the realization that Minho might actually care about me, I realize something else: they keep talking about me in the third person, like I'm not even in the room! I'd hoped they'd at least acknowledge me at a meeting held because of me, but...guess not.
Thomas goes on. "And her room is strictly off-limits. It's her space, and it should be a place where she can feel safe and have time to herself."
Gally raises a hand, blocking Thomas from continuing, and says, "Now that's something we need to talk about for a minute."
Minho raises his eyebrows and Thomas asks, "What do you mean?"
"Well, I can't be sure," he begins, throwing a quick glance at Newt and slowing for dramatic effect, "but I went to the bathroom late last night and when I came back and was walking to my room, I thought I saw someone."
"What?" Frypan exclaims, squinting in confusion. "You mean someone was trying to get into her room?"
"No, no, I mean someone was in her room," Gally clarifies.
Beside me, Newt releases the subtlest of sighs. I look down in an attempt to keep myself from crossing the room and slapping Gally across his smug face.
"Like, talking to her?" Minho asks.
"Something like that."
     Upon receiving this response, Minho turns abruptly to Thomas, who tries to process this new information as the other Keepers discuss quietly amongst themselves.
"Wait," Newt interjects, quieting the whispers. "She should be able to choose who she spends time with."
Gally snickers. "You got someone specific in mind?"
I roll my eyes, trying my best to ignore him.
He is really starting to get on my nerves...
"No," Newt shoots back. "I just—She should be allowed to do whatever she wants, with whoever. We can't just decide everything for her."
A few seconds pass in silence.
"I see what you're saying," Thomas murmurs, looking deep in thought. A few of the Keepers nod.
"I think we should let her—" Minho starts.
I cut him off by throwing up my hands and exclaiming, "Will you guys stop talking about me like I'm not here?! This meeting is about me, right? So how about you actually acknowledge me before you start making rules on my behalf!"
Newt puts a reassuring hand on my back, careful to do it in such a way that Gally can't see.
I look up at him and see that he's already looking down at me, eyes apologetic.
I shift closer to him then turn toward Thomas and Minho, waiting for one of them to say something.
Surprisingly, Winston is the first to speak. "You're right," he says, nodding in my direction and finally not referring to me in the third person. "You may not be exactly the same as the rest of us, but you're still a Glader. You should have a say, especially in rules regarding yourself."
     "Exactly," Frypan agrees. He turns to me. "So what do you think of all the rules that've been suggested so far?"
     I pause for a moment, uncomfortable under all the attention but also reveling in the power.
     "The first three are fine," I decide after a long moment. "But that last one...I just don't want anyone in my room unless I invite them in. That way no one is allowed to barge in but I can spend time with whoever I want."
     A moment of silence elapses before Minho says, "Good that."
     He's followed by similar comments from the rest of the Council and then an agonizingly prolonged pause.
"So...Is the meeting over then?" Newt asks Thomas, dropping his hand from my back.
     "Guess so," Thomas replies with a shrug. "Keepers, make sure your people know about the new rules."
The Keepers all nod. Then, one by one, they make their way back to their respective jobs.
     After Gally leaves—with a backward glance at me and Newt—the only people left with us are Thomas and Minho. Then they, too, walk out, engaged in an intense discussion about whether or not the Runners should go out for the rest of the day or just take the day off.
     When we're finally alone, I turn to Newt and say, "I should probably get back to work. I have...laundry to do." A look of concern and sadness washes over his face at that, but before he can apologize for something that isn't his fault, I add quickly, "It's fine. I'm fine. Don't worry." I whisper a brief goodbye then hurriedly return to the kitchen, wondering when I will stop lying: to Newt, and to myself.
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Sorry, that was a long one🥵 Just couldn't find a good place to stop...there were a few possibilities but I didn't want to have a super dramatic ending then start the next part anticlimactically😅

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