Day Off

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"I mean you're the only girl. That's got to mean something right?"

Being a Medjack was better than I expected. Not many people got injured on a daily basis except Slicers who cut their thumbs almost every day. Occasional builders as well. 

A day in the glade was never the same. Boredom was almost impossible to achieve here and I was thankful for that. A couple of days after I came up, the gladers finished sorting through the items sent up in the box. Gally brought me some clothes that were surely meant for me. He told me it was hard to find them since they were just scattered in the bottom of the box, not with that other clothes. It was a little strange but I didn't overthink it. 

"Hey Shank." I recognized Minho's voice as he came up behind me and slung an arm around me. We had become close like best friends in a sense. 

"Hey, Slint-head."

"Ayy you used glader terms." He said proudly. "I'll take full responsibility." I chortled a laugh and pushed him away from me. He put his hands up innocently and continued walking with me. 

"Aren't you supposed to be running?" I asked as we walked through the loud glade. It was busier than usual. Minho said it was because Alby thought they were slacking. 

"It's my day off." I raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

"Thought you guys didn't get those."

"We don't. But there's a meeting in a few minutes to discuss... something. Only three people are going to be there." He said. 

"Can I come?" I asked sarcastically knowing for sure it would be a no. Surprisingly Minho looked like he was thinking. "Wait you're actually thinking about it."

"Why not? I mean your the only girl. That's got to mean something right?" I knew he wasn't wrong but Alby didn't seem to be in the best mood lately. I didn't want to push my luck either. "Actually nevermind." He said after thinking a little more.

"Well, now I actually want to go." I crossed my arms and stopped walking. "Why not?"

"Because. I said so."

"Now you sound like my mom."

"Well that just sucks doesn't it?"

"Come on why can't I go."

"Because."

"Because....?"

He stared blankly at me because rolling his eyes. "I'll go ask Alby." He turned and started to walk away leaving me smiling. "But don't blame me if you find out you don't actually want to be there." He called behind his shoulder.

---------------

Minho told me Alby, after a while of persuading, finally said I could go. I figured it would be Alby, Minho, and Newt. I met Minho where he told me to at a shack larger than the medjack hut. Inside were a couple of rows of seats and at the bottom was a platform almost like a meeting room. 

Minho and I walked in where Newt and Alby were already waiting. Alby stood in the middle of the wooden platform and the rest of us stood by him. Newt leaned against a pole using it as a brace for his leg. He'd been walking without his crutches for maybe two days now but occasionally he still needed a brace.

"Ok." Alby took a deep breath. I could tell Minho tensed his muscles a little. "We're here to talk about what's going to happen with Newt." He made it sound grimmer than it was. 

"It's not like he's dead, Alby," Minho said leaning on the other side of the pole with Newt. I walked over to a log that was probably used as a chair and sat on it. I was next to Minho. 

Alby looked down at his feet. "He could've, though, which is why we need to find him a new job."

"What does that have anything to with it?" Minho shot back. The tension already rising. "He got hurt by a cow in the slicer pen not running."

Newt stayed silent and stared at the floor fidgeting with his fingers. 

"You really think his leg will heal?"

"Yeah, Alby, I do. Have a little hope will ya?"

Alby sighed deeply. I felt out of place and now I see why Minho had second thoughts about me going. "Look. I want him to get better, I do. We don't have a lot of runners so losing one will be awful but you know how hard it is, I know how hard it is. Newt's safer here, in the glade." They were talking like he wasn't even there. Like he was invisible. 

Minho looked like he was about to cry but his ego's too big to let that happen. He turned to Newt, hurt evident on both of their faces. "What do you think?" Minho asked him.

Newt clenched his jaw at the question before lifting up his head to meet Alby's eyes. "I don't know if I can run again much less walk like a normal person. That... cow really hurt me. The pain hasn't left. Probably won't ever. Running made me feel free but I can't do it anymore no matter how much I want to." I furrowed my eyebrows at the mini-speech he just gave and something inside said it was deeper than just not being able to run anymore. 

"See," Alby said. "I'll leave it up to you, Newt. What do you want to do now?"

Newt had already thought about it. I know he had. Without hesitation, he said track-hoe which I knew were the gardeners. 

"Ok. I can make that happen." Alby said. Minho looked defeated. I remembered what Minho had told me a while ago about how losing Newt as his running partner would be awful. How it hurt him. Now it was official. "You'll have to take breaks. Still, no slacking so I was thinking that you could be my second in command? Help with decisions and all that klunk. That way-"

"Yeah, that's good." Newt cut him off. "I'll do it." He seemed eager to get out of there.

"Start tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

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