Gumball Finale Novels & Stories

"I think that's fair, don't you?" The Goblin stared at him, his mouth opening and closing like a fish on a dock. He had come expecting a rich, gullible fool. He had found something far, far worse. With shaking hands, he pulled out a small data slate and, his eyes squeezed shut in agony, initiated the transfer. "A pleasure doing business with you, Griznack," Jack said smoothly as the confirmation chimed. The Goblin scrambled away, disappearing into the crowd like a kicked rat. Marcus let out a low whistle. "Remind me never to play poker with you."

Whether she would stay until the end or give up, he had no way of knowing. "Interesting," the brunette commented. As the game went on, the beats of the dancing music continued to drive the dancers. The second round came to an end, and some of the participants began to realize they could not win. Damon and Arabella looked at each other, then at the cards they held, exchanging and buying challenges. "I give up," the brunette threw her cards on the table, waving the white flag. She liked the game, the challenges it posed, but was more interested in what the end of the night would provide her.

As expected, the screen was filled with over a thousand missed calls. Zoe let out a scornful laugh. "Next time, you should switch it up. Terminal illness? Jumping into the sea? Maybe she'll transfer all of the Warren family's assets straight to the Coles." He smiled casually. "Maybe she would." Taking advantage of the moment before anyone noticed me, I left the house, dazed and hollow. When we were eighteen, Adrian had worn a faded, repeatedly washed white shirt and knelt at the entrance of my home, appearing awkward and earnest, as he confessed his feelings.

And that smile only grew wider. “Cassie. Looks like the crocodiles are getting lucky tonight.” The next second— A cold gun barrel pressed directly against my temple. Slowly, I lifted my eyes and looked around the casino one last time. So many people. Yet not a single one…was my family. Don looked at me. His eyes were impossibly deep, unreadable. “Cassie Vaughn.” “You may say your last words now.” I closed my eyes. Then— I smiled.

He picked it up, weighed it in his hand, then pressed a slow kiss to the metal. “Tonight,” he whispered to himself. As he holstered the gun behind his back, the motel room phone buzzed once. A notification flashed on the burner phone beside it. A text message. 'Tonight, or don’t expect another cent.' Roland smiled wider. “Now that,” he murmured, “is motivation.” He slipped the phone into his pocket, strode out of the room, and locked the door behind him. The hallway was silent, the worn carpet swallowing the sound of his steps.

In the end, no matter what they did for him, he still didn’t make it. “In his final moments, Yaron kept calling your name, apologizing over and over. “In the end… it just wasn’t meant to be.” As I listened to Mrs. Hayes, I found myself at a loss for words. Even in this second life, this was the ending Yaron chose for himself. … By the time I returned from my performance, golden leaves blanketed the ground. Adrian greeted me with a mysterious smile. “I have a surprise for you.” Curious, I got into his car, anticipation bubbling in my chest.

It took a minute before he got up again. Even after he’d gotten ejected in the short go, Colby ended up in fifth. Good enough to finish in the money, but not enough points to move him up in the standings. He was still ranked second. Oddly enough, Cash had won the final round of bull riding. The minute the engraved gold belt buckle had passed into Cash’s hands, she made tracks to the contestants’ entrance. Heedless of what his friends or others might think, when Channing caught sight of Colby, she practically ran to him.

Fortunately, the doll fell off the edge of the exit, and Hannah felt a little relieved in her heart: "You were pretty lucky today." Kendall glanced at her and said, "Today wasn't a good day." "...Huh." Although there may be an element of bragging in Kendall's words, he actually did hit the jackpot and not just once. Those one hundred game coins, only fifty were spent, and the movie was about to start. Hannah, holding the five dolls Kendall had given her, skeptically entered the movie theater, questioning her life choices. This claw machine, treat it differently? After watching the movie, Hannah, who was skeptical, used the remaining forty game coins, but didn't manage to catch a single one.

He just gave a quiet laugh under his breath—the kind that pissed me off even more—and walked out with his friends. The moment they were gone, I exhaled hard. My fists still clenched. My knuckles throbbed like hell. My whole body buzzed with adrenaline and anger—and something else I couldn’t quite pinpoint, all tangled together. Mr. Connor’s voice cut in. “You boys better clean up that mess by the pinball machine before you leave. And Gibson—” his eyes narrowed, “—if I see you or Burkhart starting shit here again, you’re banned. Got it?”

The lamp toppled and went out. I stayed on my feet, phone still in my hand, the final card still unplayed. Smoke and darkness filled the bedroom where everything had begun. The question of who remained standing waited for the air to clear.