Redamancy (Minho | The Maze Runner)

九 : Insecurities

For the next few days, the boys eventually learnt not to mess with a girl on her period. It was clearly worse than dealing with a stung shank. At least a stung shank you could still tie to the bed, was incoherent, couldn't argue back and only lasted for three days, four days maximum.

A girl on her period? Even a usually calm girl like Qiufeng, she would argue the klunk out of you until you literally have nothing else to klunk out if you happened to piss her off. The worst part was that anything could set off her emotions during this period, and you wouldn't even know what had set her off (be it an action or the surroundings, or whether it was just your face) until it was too late. There was even once Newt had witnessed her suddenly bursting into tears and rushed to her side in alarm, only to find out it was because there was no more milk in the fridge.

"It was as if you stepped on a cat's tail and it sulked for a week, scratching your face off whenever you go too near it before the week is up." Minho liked to put it, having gotten the brunt of the flaring ups due to his sarcastic nature.

A day after hell week had ended, Qiufeng decided to get up early. Even before the runners were up, to take care of some business that had irked her throughout the week but she didn't feel like doing anything about it then because period.

She glanced down at the few lunches she was making and felt self-consciousness wash over her. How was she going to tell the others that she had made these for them later? She wondered if it was too weird to be packing lunches for the runners all of the sudden, and felt heat rise up to her cheeks at the thought of them judging her. She shook her head quickly to dispel all unwanted imaginations.

"It's normal!" The girl insisted to herself out loud as she wrapped up the lunch boxes. "You just saw the runners packing leftovers for themselves and decided it was unhealthy for them, especially since they're running out there for the whole day, like, what if they get a stomachache right? Then they wouldn't be able to run and then we'd be stuck in here longer!"

Qiufeng nodded to herself, seemingly satisfied with her own justification. She piled up the boxes on top of one another and with new found enthusiasm, turned around to place them on the table. To save herself embarrassment and having to explain herself, she'll just leave the lunches here for them to collect themselves later.

"So I, not being able to take it seeing them take leftovers anymore, decided to pack them lunches, clearly for my own-eek!"

She squeaked and almost dropped everything she was holding as she made eye contact with Minho who was leaning forward, folded arms supporting him against the table. To her further horror, she saw the rest of the runners standing a little way behind him, struggling not to laugh. The corner of his mouth was twitching a little, as if he was trying to hide the amusement on his face.

"H-how much of that did you hear?" Qiufeng demanded in a fluster, her face felt like it was on fire. She hastily set the lunch boxes right in front of his face.

"Enough." Minho laughed as he stood up and took the pile of lunch boxes on the table and handed it out before sending the other runners off first. As they left, they in turn thanked her with amusement all over their faces and told her not to worry too much about it, eventually leaving her alone with Minho and her humiliation.

Her eyes darted to and fro from Minho and the surroundings, as if she couldn't look him in the eye for too long just yet. "W-what?" she eventually stammered defensively as the other stayed put.

"Can't I thank you personally?" He raised an eyebrow as he took off his backpack. She stayed silent, not very sure of how to respond and still very much flustered from before. Fiddling with the little strands of hair that were settling around her neck, she wished he would leave her alone to lament her loss of reputation, again.