Author's Note: Sorry to anyone who's been expecting more chapters of my series. Once again, I've found myself more inspired to just write a quick one-shot story. Hope you like it.
Courtney clenched her teeth as she reread the mail she had received. Her eyes rapidly moved along the paper over and over again as her brain processed what she was reading. A fifth season of Total Drama? That's what this notice was announcing. Anyone from both the current and original cast might participate.
"Might?" Courtney echoed the word. "So, there's only a chance that I'll actually even get on the show this time?"
Her fist tightened around the paper as she began to pace around her room. This show had been nothing but trouble for her. With every season, she'd only be humiliated further. Total Drama Island: She'd tried to take charge and lead her team to victory, but she'd only faced failure after failure. And then there was Duncan, the boy who caused so much trouble, and yet made her heart burn with passion. She could still remember vividly the day she'd kissed him, the short time when all of her cares had just vanished. Then she was eliminated, dragged along the dock kicking and screaming.
Courtney felt her blood boil at that painful memory. But it had only gotten worse. Total Drama Action: She wasn't even invited back to this season, she had to force her way onto it. She deserved to be there, and her determination proved that. Yet being reunited with Duncan hadn't brought back the flame. Instead he stabbed her in the back so he could take the prize for himself.
Duncan, that lying, backstabbing, heartless traitor. Total Drama World Tour: It was the season when her best friend kissed her boyfriend. It was the worst moment in her life when she realized that all of her fears had come true. From that point on she had just spiraled uncontrollably until she had made herself an enemy to everyone.
Why should she go back to this show? Why should she show up just to be given a chance to lose what was left of her dignity? Courtney sat down as she thought about these questions. She knew that there was a voice inside of her providing answer. Because there was also a chance that she could win. Because there was a chance that she could regain her glory. Because there was a chance that she could finally prove her strength.
"This show can't stop me," she declared firmly to herself. "I am Courtney A. Lawson and it's time the world saw the champion I really am."
Ezekiel made careful but steady progress as he walked with his hands supported by a pair of railings. This wasn't really a challenge for him; not anymore. He could walk and he knew it, yet having the railings there just gave him the extra boost he needed. He feared that if he fell to the ground he would revert right back into a snarling creature. He didn't look much like a monster anymore. His clothes had all been replaced and his hair had grown back. His skin still had a sickly green hue, though.
"Very good, Ezekiel," the therapist exclaimed. "You're making excellent progress."
The short middle-aged woman had been working with him for the past few months. She had been eager to restore him to the boy he had once been.
"Thanks, eh," Ezekiel replied.
"And your speech has returned nearly perfectly," she added. "Right down to your verbal tic."
Ezekiel decided it was time to risk walking on his own. Carefully he let go of the railings and stepped out on his own. He was tentative at first, but he saw that he was fine and increased his speed.
"Very good, you are making excellent progress," the therapist exclaimed. "Oh, and before I forget, you received a letter today."
Ezekiel was curious to see what he had got. His parents visited regularly, and he had no other friends. Who would be sending him mail? He opened the letter and quickly read over it. It was a notice, inviting all past contestants of Total Drama to a luxurious hotel. From there, they would be told if they would be invited back for season 5.
"Alright, eh!" Ezekiel exclaimed. "The Zeke is back in this game."
"Oh…are you sure that is a good idea, Ezekiel?" the therapist asked. "Not to say that you're not capable, but…well, you haven't exactly had a great experience on this show. We've made so much progress, I'd hate for you to throw it all away again."
"Nah, there's no way I'm losing this time, eh," Ezekiel boasted. "What is it people say? The third time is the most charming?"
The therapist sighed; while she had improved Ezekiel from grunts to English in a few months, she still couldn't get him to understand and use proper slang. Ezekiel's first two seasons had been nothing near charming, though. On his very first day he had let his old-fashioned views on women get him into trouble, but that couldn't compare to the monstrosity he had become when he had tried time and time again to get back on the plain of Total Drama World Tour.
"I was going easy those last two times anyways," Ezekiel continued to boast. "Didn't want to be too hard on the girls, eh."
And there was another detail of Ezekiel that would never change. Throughout their sessions, the therapist had been surprised to discover that Ezekiel had long since accepted that women could be just as strong as men, yet he was far too proud to admit to this aloud. And as if to make up for this, he took every chance to announce how inferior females were.
"Well, if you're set on going back, you may want to change your attitude," his therapist suggested. "I doubt those girls will too eager to forgive you if that's the way you treat them."
"I'm not going to let anyone take me down this time, eh," Ezekiel declared. "This time I'm really going to play the game, eh, and I'm gonna win."
A large bus waited for the twenty-four original members of the Total Drama cast. Cars arrived at the stop and eager teens hopped onto the bus. Courtney carried her large suitcase proudly as she marched towards the bus. She tried her best not to make eye contact with anyone, she feared that she would see nothing but hatred. She told herself that no one really hated her, that they knew that she was just a victim. Yet she still feared that her actions had ruined all of her fragile friendships.
After storing her suitcase in the bottom, she stepped onto the bus and gradually made her way through the rows of seats. She looked up and examined who was already seated. Many people were sitting with their friends, talking happily. She spotted Gwen sitting next to Leshawna. Just look away, Courtney, she thought to herself. She's not worth your thoughts. Eventually, she actually saw a face smiling at her. She sighed to herself as she realized that she still had one friend.
"Hi, Courtney," Bridgette exclaimed as she invited her to sit next to her.
"Hi, Bridgette," Courtney replied to her friend as she put a smile on her face.
The two of them chatted and caught up with each other. Eventually, Bridgette's boyfriend, Geoff, arrived and sat down at the seat in front of them. When Courtney looked back up, she her eyes turn to daggers. Duncan was on the bus now. He was smiling a cocky grin as he strode down the row. He exchanged high-fives with some of his friends, then sat down in next to Geoff. This put him right in front of Courtney. Yet he didn't even turn around. Courtney could fill all the rage and resentment returning. It took all of her self-control to not slap the back of his head.
The last person to arrive on the bus was Ezekiel. He marched on with an arrogant look on his face. He paused as he stood at the front of the bus. No one seemed to notice him, though. Applause would have been nice, but he would have been happy with a simple comment on how he had improved. Had they all forgotten that he had been a feral beast the last time they'd seen him? Had they forgotten who he was entirely?
Nearly every seat was taken, by now. Only one remained. It was next to a muscular girl with a stern face. Eva. While Ezekiel had never gotten to know much about any of the others, he knew enough about Eva. She was strong, mean, and she didn't like sexist boys. Ezekiel wasn't about to let this hurt his ego, though. He sat down next to her without saying a word.
Eva broke the silence, though, as she snarled, "You'd better not start telling me how weak and girly I am. 'Cause you do not want to get me angry."
"You don't scare me, eh" Ezekiel retorted.
This was a lie; he was terrified of Eva. But he couldn't let that show. This was going to be his season, it was time to show everyone that he was a fighter. He wouldn't exactly be doing that if he cowered in terror at another contestant. A girl contestant, at that. He had made it clear that he thought girls were weak on his first day, and had quickly been proven wrong by Eva herself. However, if he started apologizing, that would be just another way for him to ruin his image. He wasn't going to back down to Eva now.
"Whatever," Eva snorted. "Today's your lucky day 'cause I don't feel like beating anyone, but I suggest you stay clear of me."
Ezekiel didn't reply. He knew he wouldn't stand a chance against Eva and he didn't want to push his luck any further.
The bus took off and the former contestants were on their way to their destination. After what felt like an eternity of driving to Ezekiel, he decided to pull his toque over his eyes and see if he could get any sleep. When he opened his eyes again, he found that they had arrived. The twenty-four teens eagerly got out of their seats and rushed out the door. They had arrived at a sunny location with a glamorous hotel in front of them. This was where they would be staying while they waited to learn who would be returning.
As Ezekiel got off of the bus, he noticed someone struggling. It was a girl who was having difficulty getting her massive suitcase out of the bus's storage. Ezekiel felt an urge to help her. While he had turned his misogyny into somewhat of a gimmick, he could still remember his father's morals. His father had instructed him to always help out the girls when they needed it, and Ezekiel felt that this girl could use a hand. Now, what was her name? Carol? No, Courtney.
"Uh, let me help you with that, Courtney," Ezekiel offered.
"I don't need any help, I got this," Courtney declared stiffly.
"Here, I can get that, eh," Ezekiel said as he began to pull on the suitcase.
With a sudden pull, it popped out and both of them stumbled back into the ground.
"Well, thanks for nothing except maybe a bruised back," Courtney sneered.
"Hey, I was trying to help," Ezekiel protested.
"After I told you I didn't want your help," Courtney retorted.
"Oh, and you were doing such a good job on your own," Ezekiel snapped back as he felt the anger grow inside of him.
As Courtney glared at Ezekiel she found she was feeling something of her own. At first she thought it was just anger, but she realized that it was something else. She suddenly found herself thinking of Duncan and realized that this was the same burning feeling she'd felt during their first weeks together. She remembered how angry he made her, and yet the same passion all those confrontation invoked. She couldn't be feeling that now, though, could she?
"Well, here," Courtney said as she shoved her case into Ezekiel's arms.
"Uh, what's this for, eh?" Ezekiel asked.
"If you'd actually like to help me, maybe you could do something useful," Courtney said. "Carrying my bag and maybe I'll forgive you for being so thoughtless and clumsy."
Ezekiel wasn't sure what the correct response would be here. On the one hand, Courtney was being very impolite to him, but on the other hand, she was still a girl who needed his help. He didn't have time to make up his mind, though, since Courtney was already walking towards the door. He had no choice but to follow her.
The two entered the building which seemed even more pristine on the inside. Neither of them spoke to each other as they walked. Courtney strode with pride and determination without looking back. Ezekiel wanted to walk the same way, but it was hard when he had to carry her massive suitcase and try to catch up with her. Courtney had her directions to her room, and she led Ezekiel up a flight of stairs and through a hallway. They had almost arrived, when Courtney turned a corner and bumped into someone. Oh no, she thought, anyone but her.
"Courtney," Gwen exclaimed as she realized who she had bumped into.
The two girls shared an awkward silence for a few seconds.
"Look, I'm really, really sorry for everything that happened between us," Gwen said.
Courtney wanted to scream that sorry wasn't good enough, but then a better idea hit her.
"I'm over it," Courtney declared with a fake smile. "Duncan wasn't even worth my time anyways. I've got a new, much better boyfriend."
"Really? That's great," Gwen exclaimed. "What's his name?"
Damn, Courtney cursed to herself. She didn't have time to think if she wanted to keep her lie afloat.
"He's right here," she exclaimed as she grabbed Ezekiel. "Zeke and I are in love."
Why couldn't she have just made up a name? She knew what she had to do now to prove her lie. She pulled Ezekiel towards her and kissed him. Ezekiel dropped the suitcase in surprise, but returned the kiss. Both parties felt emotion surge through them. Ezekiel was experiencing his very first kiss and felt new feelings awaken inside of him. Courtney suddenly was kissing Duncan. That moment when she had felt her reluctance melt away into nothing but love.
"Wow, congratulations, you two," Gwen said as the two pulled apart. "I'm glad that you were able to move on, Courtney."
Gwen left the two of them, and Courtney and Ezekiel continued in silence. They soon arrived at Courtney's room and entered. Courtney immediately collapsed on the bed and Ezekiel awkwardly dropped the suitcase on the ground.
"So…" he said uncertainly.
"I'm sorry," Courtney said sincerely as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry I had to force you into that. And I'm sorry for being so rude earlier. I just haven't been in a very good mood…for the past year or so."
"Oh, well, uh, I'm sorry too, eh," Ezekiel replied. "I guess. I'm not exactly what I did, but I'm sorry for it, eh."
"Well, thanks for helping anyways," Courtney sighed.
Ezekiel felt that he ought to compliment her on something. He hadn't realized how depressed she was and he felt he should try to make her feel better about something. The problem was, he didn't know what kind of things girls liked to hear.
"Uh, you're a good kisser, eh," he said.
Was that a good compliment?
"Oh," Courtney replied in surprise.
How should she respond to this? Was he trying to flirt, or was this just his way of complimenting.
"You weren't so bad either," Courtney replied.
"I've never actually kissed a girl before, eh," Ezekiel said. "But I liked it."
"Well, don't get used to it," Courtney sighed. "A kiss is just the first stepped towards heartbreak."
Ezekiel felt that this conversation wasn't working at boosting Courtney's spirits. He tried bringing up something else.
"So, do you think you're going to be brought back?" he asked.
"Of course I am," Courtney declared smugly. "I think I've proven myself to be a true champion with every season I was in. I've taken on obstacle after obstacle and now it's time for me to win. What about you?"
"Oh yeah, there's no way they're not picking me, eh," Ezekiel said. "With my skill I'll win easily."
"You have skill? I haven't seen any," Courtney scoffed, but playfully.
"That's just because I never got a chance to show it, eh," Ezekiel countered. "But this time I'm not going to let anyone walk over me, eh. I'm going to win!"
"Well, only one of us can win," Courtney pointed out. "So, it looks like we're going to be rivals."
"I'm not going to be going easy on you, eh," Ezekiel said. "That's what got me out the first time, eh."
"Bring it on," Courtney countered. "I think I can take you on."
"We'll just have to wait and see, eh," Ezekiel replied.
As the two of them looked at each other, Courtney felt a smile creep across her face. Ezekiel replied with a small grin of his own.
"Well, uh, I guess I should go, eh," Ezekiel said as he turned to the door. "I need to get to my room."
"Right," Courtney sighed. "Well, good luck. I'm looking forward to taking you down."
"Don't count on it," Ezekiel replied.
Ezekiel left and Courtney was alone. She was left to wonder what the feelings she felt now were. Had that kiss meant something special to her? Or had she just found herself a new friend? What would she say to Ezekiel the next time she saw him?
She was certain of one thing, though. A flame inside of her had been reignited. She had found someone else who could invoke a passionate emotion inside of her. Whatever happened, she knew that her rivalry with Ezekiel would be very interesting.