Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap. My high heels clink against the false cobblestones. Everything around me is false. I smirk ironically. Where are you going to find something real in Disney World?
"Bridge!" My coworker, Adam, is running towards me. "You forgot your file at the meetings." I grin at him, and accept the manila folder he has been waving franticly.
"Thanks." He falls into step beside me.
"So these meetings are a total pain, right? Why did the firm had to drag all of its lawyers across the country for a few meetings?" He manages to say all of this in one breath.
"I know! I'm so homesick, and we still have two days left!" I respond. California seems so far away, and I phone my parents every night. I'm a grown woman, yet I still live near my mother and father.
"Homesick? Bridgette Kellan, homesick? And we all thought she could have no fault," Adam says in a high-pitched voice that makes me giggle.
We pass statues of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, the iconic Disney emblem. One store displays a stuffed polar bear in the window, bringing back painful memories of the Total Drama series. I stop and blink tears from my eyes, passing it off as taking in my surroundings. After I was eliminated, I was immediately labeled as a cheater, the one who fell for another man. Geoff and I both realized we needed more than making out in a relationship, and we broke up. When I left, I left one of the only people I had after the Alejandro incident.
Currently, I only speak to one person from that time in my life; Gwen. She understood when I decided to put Total Drama behind me, and become an American citizen. I moved to L.A, and realized that surprisingly, debating was a strength for me. Three degrees later, I was a member of the prestigious Lewis, Louis, and Parker firm. I packed away my old life and became a new person. And I liked her.
"Bridge? Earth to Bridge?" I glance at the freckled face staring back at me. The crooked smile, the nerdy haircut. The face suddenly reminds me of someone I used to know. A boy I had forgotten. In a flash, I know why I was drawn to Adam as a friend. He looks like Cody Anderson. As soon as I think the name, I push away the thought. I forgot Cody. I gave up on Cody.
"Excuse me Miss, this area has been blocked off for the night. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." In my trance, I had walked into a security guard, clad in a black vest. I smile apologetically, and begin to walk away when I hear my name called.
"Bridgette! Oh my god!" A purple-haired woman is walking towards me, hastily texting on a smart phone in one hand, and waving in the other. I instantly recognize her as Sierra, the Cody stalker I barely knew. She keeps talking at me, "Chris organized this reunion, and since you didn't respond, we all assumed you weren't coming! Ohmygosh, everyone's going to be SO excited!" Out of the back of my mind, I have a vague recollection of a letter on heavy stationary I discarded as soon as I saw the name Chris Mclean on it. Adam looks at me strangely, when Sierra notices him.
"You brought a date!" We both hurriedly interject disclaimers, while she goes on. "That's so sweet! You guys look so cute together!" Adam gives up, and a slow blush creeps over his face. I just sigh, and let Sierra lead us past the guard and into a party with cast and crew from the Total Drama series. My living nightmare.
"Bridge! Long time no see!" An obviously drunk Geoff stumbles past me, and Noah looks up from his book for a whole three seconds when he sees me pass him. I notice a Mohawked punk pass me, heading towards a dark-haired Goth. I smile, and go to say hello to an old friend. Gwen sees me when I'm a few feet away, and rises to greet me. We hug, and she holds me at shoulder-length and examines me.
"Your hair!" She fingers my short bob, and I blush. I look so different, while she looks the same as she did five years ago, except for one noticeable difference; a diamond ring on her left hand. I squeal, letting my inner girl come out as I examine it.
"Duncan proposed?" The punk and the Goth are a couple made in heaven. She looks down, trying to conceal the telltale smile.
"Shh! I told him I'd think about it." I nod. Her fear of commitment is a subject we have breached before. But judging by the gorgeous ring on her finger, she has decided to put her phobias aside for Duncan. "I don't think he's noticed that I'm wearing it yet." A sudden clearing of the throat reminds me of Adam, whom Gwen is noting with interest.
"Hey, I'm Adam Jones." He extends a hand towards her, which she takes. She looks him up and down, and smiles amusedly.
"Gwen Masterson." Turning to me, she says audible, "Reminds me of Cody." A slight flush colors my cheeks as I realize that he really does look like the nerdy boy. Adam starts to say something witty before Duncan walks over to kiss his girlfriend on the cheek. He and Adam go through the necessary introductions, and he walks away, taking Gwen with him.
We take time to make rounds around the rest of the room, talking to old friends. I steer Adam away from Heather and Alejandro, who are sitting in a corner, not talking to each other. Owen is blocking the refreshment table.
"Big O! Save some cookies for me!" The resident 'crazy', Izzy, jumps on his back with a deranged look in her eyes. On my way to say hello to Trent and his fan girls, Sierra falls into step with me.
"So we have Gwuncan, Ozzy, Trentney-" I stop her at the last one.
"Trentney?" You mean Trent and Court-EW!" She looks at me strangely, and informs me they have been dating for two years publicly.
"Where have you been?" I don't know. Looking around at the hubbub around me, I realize that I'm not part of the fray anymore. Laughter and joy fills the air, and I don't belong here. Maybe once I did, but not now. Not like this. Suddenly, all I want to do is cry. I've lost a family that the other cast members still have. All because I wanted more. I walk outside. I'm getting claustrophobia.
"Hey, Bridgette!" Words spoken from somewhere above my head reach my ears. I open my eyes, and comprehend that I've sunken to the ground. And there is a pair of green and brown sneakers next to me. I follow them up, and reach a gap-toothed, blue-eyed face. Cody is holding a Nintendo DS, and tinny music is coming out of it. "What's up? I haven't seen you in…well, I don't know. How goes it?" He reaches a hand to me, and I gratefully take it as he pulls me up. He doesn't ask why I'm sitting on the ground, and I'm relieved. Explaining is too difficult.
"It goes fine, Cody. Well, I'd like you to meet my friend Ad-" I scan around the room for Adam, and find him heavily flirting with Lindsay. She seems to have forgotten Tyler, who is standing next to them with a disgruntled look on his face. I nod towards the trio. "Well, that's Adam." Cody lets out a loud HA before turning to me again.
"That happens a LOT." I'm not surprised. The only thing Lindsay can remember is where she keeps her lip-gloss. "Where have you been? None of us can find you. You're never on the chat room, ever!" He looks at me, head cocked, blue eyes staring through me.
"Where have I been? Under a rock." He chuckles, and I almost join, until I remember how true that statement is. "But for real, I'm an American citizen now. I'm over in California, where the boys are cute and the waves are awesome!" He grins.
"Cali? Land of tans and hot girls in bathing suits? Can I come back with you? Please?" He gets on his knees, and makes puppy dog eyes at me. A laugh escapes me, and I'm about to answer when Geoff and Duncan call out to us.
"Hey! Lovebirds!" Oh joy. Drunk and drunker. "Get in here! We're gonna play a little game called-" Courtney cuts Duncan off with a hand over his mouth.
"No! We are not playing any of your perverted games!" She glares at Duncan, and he glares back.
"Nice to see some things never change," I mutter to Cody, who gives a bark of laughter, and quickly silences when the Hispanic overachiever's glare shifts to him. She flips her brown hair and heads back inside.
"I broke up with you Courtney! Get over it! You're not even hot!" Slurring his words, Duncan screams at her retreating back. Geoff turns to us.
'"Anyways, we're gonna play-"
"Don't even THINK about it, Geoff!" Courtney still seems to hear him. He motions for all of us to come closer, and we create a small huddle.
"We're gonna play," he whispers, "7 MINUTES IN HEAVEN!" I jump away, and rub my ears.
"Geoff! What was that for?" Cody complains bitterly. Geoff doesn't even acknowledge the question. He strolls into the room like he owns the place.
"DJ? The hat?" The African-American boy hands Geoff a black hat with two distinctive ears on either side. "Oh, awesome bro! You got a mouseketeer hat!"
"I had to go buy one. It's Disney, they only sell Disney hats!" He notices me, and engulfs me in a hug. "Hey Bridgette sister! We thought you weren't gonna show! But I said you would. I know there's no way you would ditch us!" A slight twinge of guilt resonates in my chest, only to be replaced by the happiness of being with the people I love. He pulls away, and I follow suit.
"So all the dudes just put something in the hat. Girls, please look away for one moment." Geoff seems to be ringleader of these activities, and his voice draws almost everybody to the center of the room. The only person not here is Courtney, who is leaning against a door, on her PDA as always.
"Courtney! C'mon," I yell for encouragement. "It'll be fun!" She sighs, and joins me. I smile victoriously. Both of us hold our hands over our eyes as the boys put items in the Mickey Mouse hat.
"You can look now, ladies," Cody's voice said. I blink, and adjust my eyes to the sudden light while Geoff reads out the order girls would pick in. My name was said third, and I sit sprawled out on the floor, ready to watch my friends take their turns in the coat closet we have decided to use for another purpose. Courtney settles down next to me, cross-legged with perfect posture. I wave over Gwen, but she makes a motion towards Courtney and grimaces. I guess Duncan isn't the only contestant Courtney doesn't like.
"So who's up first?" Geoff seems impatient for the game to start. Heather stands up, and bravely ignores the boos coming from most former contestants. She reaches into the hat, and an unfamiliar expression crosses her face, for just a second. She's scared. But before anyone else can see, she rearranges her features into a self-confident smirk. She pulls out a red rose, and holds it up.
"That would be me." Alejandro stands up and joins Heather. "Reminds you of me, does it not, mi amour? She examines it, and pricks her finger on a thorn. The rose falls to the floor, and she holds her injured finger to the light.
"Yes. Yes it does." A few snickers are heard from the circle, and they head into the closet. Geoff hands Duncan a timer.
"You can be the clock-man, yeah?" Duncan turns over the pocket timer in his hand.
"Sounds like a superhero! The Clock-Man, dashing and mysterious, stops time, defeats the bad guy, and saves the beautiful lady." He winks at Gwen, who rolls her eyes and smiles back. Harold interjects.
"Whoa, if we're superheroes, I'm so the Green Lantern!" He executes a karate kick.
"I call Aquaman!" Cody shrieked. The boys call out a different superhero, and seem to be happy until they look at the girls. DJ motions to Gwen, and she exasperatedly calls out, "Catwoman." The trend continues until someone asks about Alejandro and Heather. Geoff and Duncan share a scared look.
"Were you keeping time?" Duncan glares at the timer and shakes his head. "Um, let's just say they're done." Geoff rises and knocks on the door. "Guys? Time's up." The door hits him square in the head, and Heather runs out. A few seconds later, the Hispanic boy stumbles out, a bruise already forming on his upper arm. Duncan whistles.
"She's high spirited," says Alejandro.
"Which is a nice way of saying nuts," Courtney whispers. He stops to help up Geoff, and the two of them look like they just walked out of a boxing match.
"Who's…up…next?" The blonde boy stuttered out before collapsing on the ground. "Ahh…that feels…so much better." Courtney stands up.
"I have to get him an ice pack. He could be seriously hurt! I know what to do, I was a CIT!" Duncan stops her by grabbing her arm.
"Sit. We all know you're next." The two have a short staring contest, and Duncan's teal eyes eventually overpower her dark ones. She sits down, pouting.
"What an ogre!" Her shrill voice is giving me a headache.
"Just pick!" Duncan shouts back. Gwen, being closest, hands her the hat. She grabs it, muttering something about ugly Goths and stupid punks. When she reaches in, she closes her eyes, and roots around in the bag for a bit. After what seems like eternity, she pulls out her item.
"A..." She turns it over in her hands, examining every possible angle. "A headband?" The red and white flannel object contrasts with her tanned hands. "So who's is it?" Tyler stands up. His blonde girlfriend stares at the ceiling.
"Tyler? Is he here?" Sighs are heard, but nobody feels like explaining things to the poor girl. "Why does Caitlyn look so upset? Oh look! It's Betty! You know, I wish Tyler was here." Not being able to stand another moment of the blonde's idle chatter, Courtney stomps towards the closet, dragging Tyler by his collar. Duncan starts the timer as soon as the door slams. There's an awkward silence until Geoff comes to.
"Whoa, dudes, what happened? I was up there, and now I'm down here..." DJ explains what happened. "So who's in there now?"
"Courtney and Tyler," Beth informs him. "And poor Trent is all alone." Trent looks up at this, as do Katie and Sadie.
"Don't worry Trent! We can keep you from being lonely!" The guitar player sighs as he is smothered in hugs.
"Are they almost out?" Trent's question is muffled, but the annoyance in his voice is still obvious. Duncan checks the timer, and confirms they have one minute left. We wait in silence until Duncan walks to the closet, and raps on the door.
"Time's up." The two walk out of the closet, looking unruffled. "So what happened in there, you two? Anything you don't want Trent to hear?" Duncan wiggles his eyebrow suggestively. Courtney looks offended, and responds.
"Nothing? What kind of a girlfriend do you think I am? You're the cheater!" Gwen looks perturbed, but ignores her statement. Interrupting the argument, I interject.
"Guys, chill out! Whose turn is it now?" Everyone looks at me, and I fix my sentence. "Oh right. Me. Who has the hat?" Wordlessly, Courtney passes it to me, and I put my hand in. I sift through various objects, until one fits in my hand perfectly. I grasp it, and draw out a white beaded necklace. I recognize it as Geoff's, and sigh. Trapped in a closet with my drunken ex for 7 minutes? Something to avoid at all costs. "Who's is this," I ask wearily.
"Mine! It's mine, Bridgette!" To my surprise, Cody stands up. "So I guess we're in the closet together, huh?" I walk into the closet, and Cody follows. When he shuts the door, all light is banished from the small room, and I can't see anything. "Hang on," I hear Cody's disembodies voice say. A dim light illuminates the room, and I see a Smartphone lying on the floor in front of me.
"So…" I'm about to start a sentence when Cody kisses me. Startled, I jerk away, and he looks down. Even with the low light level, it would be impossible to miss the neon blush spreading across his face.
"Sorry. I just thought that, you know, since we're in the closet and all." His voice is a low mumble, and I nearly ask him to speak up. "And, I kind of like you. I mean, you're just sweet and funny, and gorgeous, and frien-" I cut him off by grabbing his face and touching my lips to his. At first he's stiff, but he begins to relax into the kiss. Behind my closed eyelids, colors explode, fireworks of all shapes and sizes. Fountains of colored water, glitter, and abstract structures I cannot even begin to describe. After about five seconds, we pull away.
"Personally, I've been a little attracted to you. You were always the one that I could never have. First you were chasing after Gwen, and then it was Sierra, and there was always somebody in the way." He nods, and I noticed his blush has receded after I made my embarrassing confession.
"When I was single, you were either dating Geoff or lusting after Alejandro. It was just never meant to be," he agrees. "Until now." His voice gets slightly deeper, and he clears his throat. He scoots his back against a wall, and I join him. Sighing, I lean my head against his shoulder, and he puts an arm around me. "You know, that wasn't my necklace. It was Geoff's."
"Yeah, I recognized it on sight. So why did you say it was yours?" I ask him. I know the answer, but it won't be true until he says it himself.
"I was jealous," he says laughing. "And, it would be awkward for you to go into the closet with your ex." Giggling, I agree. Unexpectedly, a loud knock is heard on the door. Both of us flinch as we hear Duncan's voice.
"Time's up, you two! Get out of the closet!" He stands, and offers me his hand. I take it gratefully, and he helps me to my feet. We step out into the bright room, and both of us take a moment to adjust our eyes to the sudden light. The first thing I see is a circle of friends, people from my past, present, and hopefully future. Adam is flirting with Katie and Sadie at the same time, flashing me two thumbs up as I pass him. Duncan and Gwen are tenderly kissing, Courtney is leaning on Trent's shoulder, Izzy is showing Owen her best monkey impersonation, and Noah is still reading. I take a seat next to Cody, who's already on the floor, and stare at the motley crew scattered around me. I turn to Cody.
"So earlier, you said something about a chat room. Explain it to me." He begins to enlighten me on the inner workings of the Total Drama Alumni chat website, and all I can think is, 'I'm back. And I'm never leaving again.'