The Blind Games ✔

{31} Earn it

Before there is any confusion here- please note GANSEY and WINFREY are the SAME person. Landon occasionally calls him by his last name.

Landon Parker

For the first time in my life- I was petrified. I felt in my sinking heart she would reject me, and hope left my body like a whoopie cushion. Nothing prepared me for what happened next.

"I don't care," Bella sighed after a moment of silence, and my heart basically leapt into my throat.

"You... you what?" I choked out through my relief.

"I don't care, I'm tired of let downs. You genuinely seem to regret it anyways-  it was some silly childish and offensive bet- yes. But that's what brought us together after all," Bella smiled softly, but  I could tell the news had put her out more than she let on.

"You're letting him off the hook just like that?" Lacey asked, her mouth open in disbelief.

"No, he's going to earn the right to be my mate. For now on- he's just a friend," Bella said, quickly wiping her tears from away from her eyes. This was going to be hard, not being around Bella 24/7. As she was my mate- the wolf inside wanted her always. To hold her and protect her, being around her made him feel more at ease. And he wasn't liking the thought of 'just a friend.' Quite frankly, neither was I. But unlike the wolf, I knew Bella needed space.

"Deal! As long as you don't reject me anything is fine with me!" I shouted, stepping forward.

"I would never, ever reject someone," Bella said with a serious that made me gulp. Suddenly I realized how much work this was going to take. The double meaning in her words was quite obvious to me. I stepped forwards to grab her hand, but she jerked away before a finger had touched her skin.

"Please don't touch me right now," She whispered, and I could feel my heart racing at the prospect of my mate being mad at me. I understood where she was coming from however, so I simply nodded my head with a resigned sigh.

"Lacey, take her home please," I pleaded, sending one last look at Bella before I averted my gaze.

"I was already going to do that," Lacey growled, and it was crystal clear she wasn't liking Bella's choice of not rejecting me. Lacey began pulling Bella down the hallway, helping her over scrap papers and occasional trash. And I didn't even get the first or the last dance.

With that thought in mind, I turned around to a smiling Winfrey. Narrowing my eyes at him, I took a step forward to show I wasn't joking.

"Spill," I grumbled as I leaned against the door in an attempt to block any possible escapes.

"I don't know what you mean Landon dear," Winfrey shrugged innocently, turning away from me and humming as he scanned the contents of a long since abandoned chalk board.

"I mean I want to know why you did that. You knew Bella was there the whole time didn't you?" I bit back, and he glanced up briefly at me with a wide and goofy grin.

"I'm surprised you didn't with the loud noises she was making while she clambered down the hallway," He chuckled, and the sound infuriated me.

"Then you knew this was going to happen? Every  step I try to take forward ends up getting pulled back 10 steps," I was shouting now, pacing the room in a nervous gesture.

"Shouldn't you be thanking me?" Winfrey sighed, plopping his rear end on a dusty wooden desk.

"Why in the hell would I thank you Gansey?" I snapped, running my hands through my curls.

"Because I am the reason you have a chance with your mate," He shrugged, and my eyes opened in confusion.

"What do you..." Suddenly it all clicked. I looked him over in alarm, aware of the fact he'd been playing me from the beginning.

"You see, Bella is like a sister to me. And it royally pissed me off that you rejected my sister - so to speed things up and get a little... so to say payback, I devised a plan," Winfrey grinned evilly, and  suddenly everything fell into place.

"So I created this game, knowing it was the only way you would ever see Bella as more than what you had already judged her as. I knew that eventually she would find out about the bet anyways- so I decided today would be perfect. Better now than later eh?"

"So... you... you played me?" I asked in astonishment, my head shooting up.

"Essentially, yes... yes I did! And now - the grand final moment of sweet revenge," With those words, he closed the distance between us. Before I could react, his closed fist shot forward and made contact with my nose. Immediately a geyser of blood shot from my nostrils, and I groaned.

"That was for Bella, and this is for every mistake you're bound to make in the future," and then his knee was driven into where the sun don't shine so hard I doubted any future babies would be made.

"Ouch," I groaned, falling to the floor and collapsing. I groaned in pain for a few moments before Gansey reached down to grab my arm, pulling me up.

"Now, we're even," Winfrey smiled, and I felt the sudden urge to roll my eyes.

"Douche," I snapped, limping through the door. I looked back to flip him off, but the smile on his face dissipated and morphed into one of horror.

"Landon, look out!"

I ducked down at the last second when a loud pop rang through my ears, and I felt blood rushing to my skull. I stood up and looked around in surprise. Near the end of the hallway a group of about five people stood clustered together, and all of them held guns pointed at me and an approaching Gansey.

"Get down!" I screamed, jumping up and sprinting to tackle him to the ground. Another shot went off and I felt a searing pain rip through the side of my abdomen, but I ignored it and drug a now unconscious Winfrey to an upturned metal desk. He must have hit his head when I brought him down with me. I guess it was a good thing that Winfrey had pulled us aside to an abandoned wing.

Multiple shots went off as I dropped Gansey on the other side, putting pressure on the gunshot wound that had seared its way into my body. Wincing, I pulled a piece of cloth off of my tux and did my best to wrap the wound.

After several moments of shots, nothing else happened. I waited for at least an hour before regaining the nerve to peer around the corner of the table. Nothing was left but a hallway filled with bullets and smoke.

A/N

So I told you I finished the update! I hope this chapter cleared up some of Gansey's true intentions- I don't like how you were thinking that he was some sort of Villain> man I want a Winfrey. Annnnnyywayys, so we're finally going to start seeing some action these next few chapters- and also a peak into Bella's mind. How she's feeling about the whole thing and all.

I promise she will neither do the expected nor the unexpected. ;)))

Possibility of seeing more into Landon's human mate next chapter- I am so excite for this book right now.....

See you next time!

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