Quick thing, I've set this fic up to suggest that every season happens within the space of a year. Yeah I know, not likely but it's a fanfiction calm down.

When Geoff had promised to invite Gwen to a party, she had known he was sincere enough to do it.

What she hadn't expected was her first party experience to be of this magnitude.

Despite the fact that no one got the prize money, Owen was compensated for the fact that he actually won the show. Hence, he took care of travel fees for anyone who lived outside of Toronto. Gwen, who lived in a small town in Muskoka Ontario, had to take Owen up on paying the price of her train fare.

So, a couple of things immediately noticed. This seemed to be the party Owen promised everyone on TDI, as everyone from TDI was there. Duncan, Courtney, Heather, Bridgette... even Harold and Cody got invited.

Second, Geoff had a big house. Not I lived a young, rich, privileged life big, but definitely larger than Gwen's house.

Third, and finally, everyone was having a blast. There was no Yacht, but it didn't seem that people really minded that much, despite how that was literally the reason Lindsey voted for Owen in the last challenge.

"Yep, on second thoughts..." Gwen liked Geoff, and most of the people who were there, but this was perhaps too ambitious for the goth's first party. She had a return ticket that could be used any time between then and the end of the next day. She could just message the group chat, say the train was cancelled and that she couldn't make it to Toronto. Seem reasonable.

"Gwen, dude!"

The unmistakable dude-bro voice of the ever happy Geoff called out her name, and it was too late for here to leave.

The next few minutes passed by like a whirlwind, Gwen didn't seem to remember them at all. She vaguely remembers people cheering at her when Geoff announced her arrival, a quick tour of the various facilities, apologies from her friends who, understandably, voted for Owen. She found her boyfriend and spent ten minutes with him, but he was quickly whisked away by DJ and Cody for a guy talk. Was it ten minutes or an hour

The most up to date memory of the clock Gwen had was 11pm, 2 hours after her arrival. Everyone was still going crazy. Gwen, who enjoyed the atmosphere but didn't really know how to enjoy it, sat at the counter on the right of the living room that connected to the kitchen. Oh yeah, she just took stock of the open plan nature of Geoff's house. No details really stuck out to her.

She pulled out her phone to see a few texts from her mum, wondering how she was getting on. There was a delay with the reply. She was having a good time but, it was just weird. Having all these people around her, having a great time. It's different than her usual experience with friends. She decided to just say she was having a great time and that she would be back before the end of the next day.

"You okay?"

Gwen looked to her right, not having noticed the C.I.T sitting down a few minutes ago. She really should be more observant.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good, how about you?"

Courtney paused, took a sip fo whatever brand of soda was in her hand and then looked down at the counter. "I'm having fun, it's just... weird I guess."

"Not a party person either?"

"Never been, first one. People don't like to invite the preppy teachers pet girl to parties."

Gwen scrunched up her face. "That,s weird. Don't take this the wrong way but you're too nice." Courtney chuckled slightly, "I would think the popular kids would eat that up."

"Nah. I'm too uptight."

"Pftt, did they watch you raid Chef's fridge?"

Both girls laughed for a bit. "Yeah, but schools been weird with the whole Total Drama thing. Especially with the second season."

"Tell me about it, apparently I'm fame hungry now." Gwen didn't like talking about her school life, but she sympathised with what Courtney was saying.

"Well we all kind of were to apply."

"True. But can we agree we all hated it by the end?"

"The end? I was ready to end that stuff after the Phobia Factor."

The girls chuckled again. Courtney drank some of her Coke, and Gwen could make out Lindsey, Bridgette and LeShawna having a pillow fight. Duncan and DJ were launching pillows from up the stairs at a higher vantage point. Izzy and Cody were behind the couch, only peaking periodically to take pot shots. A few people attempted to navigate no mans land, but ended up getting caught up in the fight. Only Ezekiel and Harold didn't get involved, but that was because they were drinking and talking on the other side of the counter.

Gwen liked this party.

Geoff won the Ridonculous Race. Good for him.

A year later, and Gwen was wondering where she went wrong.

Actually it was more about where she went wrong as she knew it. It was the moment she kissed Duncan. In the moment, a good decision. Retroactively? Not at all.

Gwen had lost contact with most of her older friends. The only ones that really kept in touch were Bridgette and Leshawna, and they didn't keep the sort of day to day contact they did after the first season.

Her newer friends, yeah sure. Zoey tried to message at least a few times a week, and if she could manage she would even get out to come see Gwen. She saw Cameron and Mike a lot because of this too. But she didn't talk to her exes, either of them, her friends DJ and Cody, her rival Heather hadn't sent so much a snarky message since ALL Stars.

Tehn there was Courtney. Was their fight her fault in All Stars? Yes. Di that make Gwen feel less guilty? No.

She hadn't watched Pakhitew Island. The only reason she watched the Ridonculous Race was to see how Geoff was doing. He still hadn't truly forgiven her for Trent, and only messaged her or spoke when Bridgette was involved.

Byproduct of that was the she caught up on Owen and Noah. Noah aside, Owen was the only person who tried to consistently check in on her, from the first cast at least. Owen seemingly never had a bad thought about anyone, except Heather. She din't need a catch up on Owen, but seeing Noah get a girlfriend? Geoff winning the money with his friend Brody? It didn't feel as cathartic as she thought it might, but it was almost like catching up with her old friends.

There weren't that many photos in Gwen's blue room. A framed photo of the cast at the end of the first season, a group photo of her, Zoey, Mike and Cameron, another season 1 cast photo but at Geoff's party and a small framed photo by her bed of her and Trent on their first proper date.

Nostalgia wasn't the right word, but Gwen really wanted to go back to those times. When she had those friends, those relationships, those people that cared. She had some, but she wanted the old ones back.

A Snapchat from Owen popped up on her phone. She would answer it later.

Then another.

And another.

5 piled up rather quickly.

When it got to ten Gwen genuinely worried.

She unlocked her phone, which had a background photo of her, Leshawna and Bridgette at a beach. She opened snapchat and opened Owen's messages.

At least one or two pictures were about a contract for a new season of... what?

Following that, his next 7 or 8, and counting, stated simply "CHECK YOUR EMAIL!" in all caps.

She opened her laptop, logged in, waited for Google to boot up and logged into her email...

1 new message.

Gwen didn't sign up for anything on her email, so this was very strange. She hovered over the open button. Anxiety set in, the trepidation of this moment was huge. She knew what the email would entail, but she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Scratch that, she knew it would be good, but also just...

Weird.

Gwen tried not to stand out as the ferry came to get her. Because of where she lived, she would be the only one boarding here, but she still felt uneasy if anyone came up to her. Several of her old friends had started posting like crazy in the group chats again, several of them about getting this contract, several about not. All of them were mixed.

Zoey had initially offered to come and join Gwen at her docks, but Gwen declined. She was going to start this season the same way she started her first. Boarding a ferry on her own and arriving at an island on her own.

As the boat came and docked, dropping its white ramp for Gwen to climb up, she couldn't help but feel true nostalgia now. Though the 8 weeks that followed the previous event were rough, they were the start of the best times of her life.

Gwen readied herself for another season of Total Drama.