Disclaimer: I give James Dashner full credit for the Maze Runner Trilogy. The only character I own is Kelley.

Day 297

"He said he hates you. He said you're annoying and he wishes you would leave him alone."

I looked up from my lunch and stared at Gally. I wasn't sure what I was hearing.

"He...he what?"

"I'm so sorry Kelley, but Newt's just a jerk. He doesn't care about anyone."

My lip started quivering. I had liked Newt ever since we met. Ever since I found him sneaking into the girls' room at night to say hello to his sister. He was nice to me. He made me laugh. He kept me happy when I was missing my family. There was no way that Gally was talking about the same person I was thinking of. But then again, Gally was my friend. He wouldn't say this to me unless it was true.

"You're telling the truth?"

Gally nodded, "Yeah."

I hung my head and I felt a tear run down my face.

Then I got angry. My cheeks began to burn. I was angry at Newt for not liking me. For telling me all the things he did. For leading me on. For making me feel the way I did about him only to find out it would be unrequited. I confided in him about my family, about losing my father, about not liking W.I.C.K.E.D., about everything. 

I wanted to get up and slap Newt in the face. He was only a few tables away. It was possible. But I would get in trouble. We weren't allowed to fight with each other. We weren't supposed to cause problems at all or else we'd lose privileges. We'd be separated from everyone while they punished us and right now I needed my friends. My real friends. I needed Gally to help me feel better.

Gally got up from his seat and sat in the chair to my left. He put an arm around me.

"It's okay. I'm here. I'll like you. Newt doesn't deserve you."

Gally's words gave me an idea. I brilliant idea. If Newt wasn't going to like me, then I wasn't going to like him. I was going to like Gally. I'm going to never talk to Newt ever again. Maybe once he sees me with Gally, he'll realize just how stupid he was for saying that he didn't like me. He'd realize that he should like me. He'd realize how good I was to him. He'd start liking me for real.

I smiled at the thought. I turned to Gally, with my new plan in mind.

"Thanks. Gally, will you be my boyfriend?"

His eyes went wide, "Your boyfriend?"

"Yeah, I want to make Newt jealous."

He smiled, "Okay, I'll be your boyfriend."

I smiled and looked over at Newt and the rest of our friends. Minho, Alby, Nick, Siggy, and Clint. They were laughing and having fun. Without me.

Newt turned and looked at me. His smile dropped as I felt something on my cheek. Gally had kissed me. Newt's face got red and he quickly turned away, looking down at his food. A part of me felt bad, but the other part was happy that my plan was working. Newt was upset. Eventually, he would come to his senses.

A bell rang. Lunch was over. Time to go to class. I got up and threw my food away. I noticed Newt was watching me while he was mumbling to the other boys. They watched me too. Now was a perfect time to mess with him even more. I skipped over to Gally who was smiling at me. I took his hand in mine and we walked off to class together. I looked back for a second before we entered the hallway. Newt's face was red as a beet and his fists were clenched at his sides.

I spent the next two days with Gally. I made sure that at every meal I was positioned perfectly in Newt's line of sight with Gally next to me. I couldn't do much in class since we had assigned seating. Gally was too far away and Newt couldn't see me from where he sat.

On my way to Lunch, Minho stopped me.

"Why don't you eat with us anymore?"

"Because....uh, because...Gally wants me to sit next to him."

He furrowed his eyebrows, "Why do you want to sit next to Gally?"

I turned up my nose, "Because he's my boyfriend."

Minho scrunched his face up like he smelled rotten eggs.

"That's gross."

"So is your face."

A moment passed in silence.

Minho laughed and I giggled along with him. I had forgotten how much I missed his company... Maybe I should stop being Gally's girlfriend and go back to my old friends. Maybe I can live with Newt not liking me. 

Maybe Minho knew why Newt hated me so much.

"Why does Newt hate me?"

Minho raised an eyebrow, "Newt doesn't hate you."

"But that's what Gally told me. Gally wouldn't lie."

"Gally told you that Newt hates you?"

"Yeah and that he finds me annoying and wishes I would leave him alone."

Minho looked at the floor, "I don't remember Newt saying that."

"Well, Gally probably asked him when you weren't around."

"It doesn't sound like something Newt would say. I think he likes you."

My heart jumped.

"You think he likes me?"

"Yeah, he talks about you a lot."

A loud thump came from the cafeteria. Then there was yelling. Minho and I ran over to the door and looked in. All the kids were huddled in a circle and two of the guards were in the middle trying to do something.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I don't know," Minho ran in and pushed his way through the crowd.

I followed him. 

Once we got to the middle, the guards had grabbed two boys and were struggling to keep them apart. It was Newt and Gally. Gally had a bloody nose and Newt was holding his side. My jaw dropped. The guards yelled at everyone to go back to their seats and they took Gally and Newt out of the room to be punished for fighting.

I got my food and sat down with my old friends. It felt nice and I couldn't wait to joke with them again, but I had to get answers.

"What just happened?"

"Newt got mad at Gally," Alby said.

"Why?"

"Because Gally's your boyfriend instead of him," Siggy said

I looked at my food. My plan had worked, but it had gotten them both in trouble. 

"Why would Newt care? He doesn't like me."

Alby laughed, "What are you talking about? He totally likes you."

I looked at him incredulously, "How do you know that?"

"Because he told me."

I was confused. Gally had said that Newt hated me. Gally told me that he talked to him about it. I had asked Gally to talk to him about it. I wanted to know if he liked me back, but I was too nervous to do it myself. Now Alby is saying that Newt had liked me. That Newt had talked to Alby about it. Minho said that Newt talked about me a lot. If he hated me, then why would he say he liked me? Why would he talk about me to the other guys?

"Gally said he didn't like me."

"Then he's lying," Minho pointed out.

"But I told Gally to ask him. Gally would never lie."

"I never saw Gally ask Newt," Nick said.

I looked down at my food again. Why would Gally lie about asking Newt how he felt about me? Why would Gally purposefully tell me that Newt hated me when Newt never did? What purpose did this serve? I didn't understand. Gally was supposed to be my friend. He lied to me. He had hurt me. I was going to have a serious talk with him when he got back from punishment.

I had to wait three days before Newt and Gally were allowed to come back. At breakfast, I walked up to Gally right away.

"Why did you lie to me?"

"What?"

"You said Newt hated me. You said you asked him. But you didn't. You lied."

He looked scared.

"I...I didn't want to lie, but you liked him and I knew he liked you. But I like you. I like you more than he does, Kelley. I want to be your boyfriend. Newt is too stupid to be your boyfriend. I like you, Kelley. I'm your best friend." 

Gally reached for my hand, but I pulled it away.

"Friends don't lie."

I walked back to Siggy, Nick, Clint, Alby, Minho, and Newt. Newt looked up at me and then turned away. He was upset with me. I knew it. I sat down next to him. It was silent for a while. I had wanted him to speak first, but I could tell that it wasn't going to happen.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"For what?" Newt grumbled.

"For making you think I liked Gally. I don't. I only did it to make you jealous."

He looked at me.

"Why would you want to make me jealous?"

"Cause he said you didn't like me."

"He said that?"

"Yeah, but he lied. He's a jerk and I don't want to see his face ever again."

Newt sat up, obviously pleased with the turn of events.

"So he's not your boyfriend?"

"No," I blushed.

"Just ask her already," Minho shouted from the other end of the table.

Newt's face turned red and he looked at me.

"Can I be your boyfriend?"

I nodded, "Yes."

He smiled wider than I had ever seen him smile. Then he leaned over in his seat and kissed me on my cheek.