Landon
“ H ow’d it go today?”
I lifted my head to find Max Dread pretending he hadn’t just asked me a question. And while there were many things I wanted to say in response, I gave him the truth.
“They couldn’t figure out the code.”
“Shit.”
“Why? How’d it go in yours?”
“They missed the last clue. Well, they solved it, but one of the girls reacted too quickly and they used the wrong keypad.”
“Oh…Shit.”
He nodded. Because that summed it up. It meant the scores were still close. And we wouldn’t know where Quinn fell in the ranking until points were tallied at the end.
“Maybe that’s good, though? I mean, depending on what happens in the next challenge. At least they’re pretty even, and it’s not skewed with her falling behind anyone.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Max shrugged. “At least Elaine lost points.”
I snorted. “Guess I didn’t fuck everything up, after all.”
My statement earned me a scoff.
But then, the more he thought about it, the angrier he grew. And the more he seethed, preparing to give me shit about Elaine, the angrier I became as well.
“It’s like you didn’t give a shit if Quinn won.” He scoffed, shaking his head and going back to clean up. “What the fuck were you thinking?”
“Would you have risked it? Losing her?” I snapped at him, my anger rising at his constant attempts to bait me. At knowing I had made it more difficult for her in the end, even if I believed she’d still win. “Would you honestly have risked that if you’d had to choose? Or now, if it came down to it.”
His eyebrows rose, and I cursed under my breath for lashing out when I’d meant to mend.
Max crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “If it meant protecting her? Which, in case you’ve failed to realize, means getting her to the end of this bullshit?” He lifted his chin, his stance wide and unbearably smug. “Yeah, I’d give her up to keep her safe.”
I rolled my eyes, preparing to turn away.
Except he wasn’t done.
“But I wouldn’t expect you to understand, White Knight .” He spat out my nickname and schooled his features into his trademark asshole smirk.
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“Hmm. I don’t know. Maybe ask the monsters in your head.”
I kept my mouth shut.
If I said anything to him, I’d only regret it, and I’d hurt her. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do that.
He was baiting me. Goading me to react by bringing up my nightmares. And I hated the block in my mind that kept me from correcting him.
I wanted to shut him up once and for all with the truth.
The way he was talking to me—It was like he knew something I didn’t. Like what he’d said was the truth, but I couldn’t remember it.
Turning away from him, I threw the last of the trash in the pile and went to the door. Max followed me until I reached it.
But it wasn’t the first time I’d had to admit defeat. Accept the outcome I’d wanted was a lost cause. And make an impossible choice.
I’d tried to talk to him for her, but he was impossible.
“I’m running back. Take the golf cart.”
“Sweet dreams,” he taunted.
The door slammed as I walked out.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was right.
But whether it was about last year and what happened to Desi, or about the secret trapped in the dark corners of my mind—memories fighting to come to light—I didn’t know.
And I wasn’t sure what would happen when I found out.