Duncan heaved a sigh as he watched Courtney sashay away from him. He had just been brought back into the game, despite quitting in the first episode of the season. You can imagine how disgruntled he was. To make matters worse, his girlfriend greeted him by henpecking over how he "deserted" her, then endeavored to rectify it by admitting just how much she missed him.

I'm sure Princess really did miss me. The delinquent thought as he strolled to the cargo hold, his hands shoved in his pockets. She probably missed having me to bark orders at.

Leaning against a crate, Duncan slowly sank to the ground, then dug out his knife. With a sigh, he began carving into the wooden box. "Yupp, it's good to be back," he grumbled.

"Duncan?"

"G-Gwen!" Duncan exclaimed, springing to his feet. "H-Hey, uh, how did you find me here?"

"It was simple, really," the goth girl replied, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall. "You grumble a lot, y'know."

"W-Why are you here?"

"I, um, I saw that you, uh, looked kinda ticked, so I just wanted to see if you were ok," Gwen said, rubbing her arm. "Of course, if you wanna be alone, I can..."

"No! No, you're fine! You're fine!"

"So, is everything ok?" Gwen asked, taking a step toward him.

Duncan sighed. "I may as well tell someone," he said, sitting back on the ground. "You're the only one who really listens to me, anyway."

"Doesn't Courtney listen?" Gwen inquired as she occupied the empty spot beside him.

"Psh, are you kidding? She can barely hear what I have to say over her constant nagging. I can barely even hear myself think. All I hear is, 'Blah blah, Duncan! Blah blah, CIT! Blah blah, lawyers!'"

Gwen laughed into her pale hands. "Hey, you're good at that."

"Well, after listening to that for three seasons, I caught on pretty fast."

"Alright, now tell me what's on your mind. I'm all ears."

"Ok, here goes," he sighed. "Courtney...she's changed. She's not that fun girl I snuck with into the Chef's food tent, or got heart shaped tattoos with. All she's focused on now is her lawyers, or winning. I don't even feel like she loves me for, well, me. The girl gave me a freakin' contract of our relationship, and how I had to go by every little thing she had listed! What kind of sane person does that?! Man, I feel like I'm trapped in a never ending nightmare with her, and it won't stop!"

Gwen frowned as Duncan buried his face in his hands.

"I've kept that in me for so long," Duncan admitted. "I never told anyone until now. Not even Courtney. I don't know what to do, Gwen. I just don't know."

"Do you still love her?"

Duncan slowly rose his head to face Gwen, his frown deepening. "I'm not even sure anymore."

"Well, there's your answer."

"What do you mean?"

"Duncan, isn't obvious? If you can't even say whether or not you love her, then it's time to break up with her. End this. You stand up to her, and you tell her exactly what's bothering you. Put her in her place. Trust me, it's the last thing she'll expect."

"Psh, yeah, since she acts like she wears the pants in this relationship," Duncan said, rolling his eyes.

"Now it's your turn to wear the pants," Gwen said softly, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Show her who's boss."

"Y'know, I really missed you," Duncan smiled softly, resting his hand on hers.

"Y-You did?" Gwen stammered, her cheeks rosy with blush.

"That whole 'thinking of you while running away from the cops' comment wasn't aimed at Courtney, y'know. I meant you."

The goth girl gasped. She bit her lower lip, scooting away from him slightly. "D-Duncan, I can't do that to her. I just can't."

"So... You don't feel the same?"

"No, it's not that! A-Actually, I do. I've been crushing on you for a pretty good long time. I mean, I've never had a guy who actually enjoyed watching Blood Bath II: Summer Camp Reign of Terror with me, or Alien Chunks. Trent hated those movies. I can be myself around you. Plus, you're slightly saner than Trent," Gwen giggled.

"Gwen," Duncan said, holding her hands. "I really like you."

"I know!" She groaned. "But it just can't work between us! If Courtney found out, she'd kill me! We're actually becoming good friends!"

"Then I'll end things with her." The delinquent shrugged. "I wanna give this a try, Gwen. You're the only girl who understands me, and I see that now. I don't wanna screw up this opportunity. Just give us a chance. I won't go cuckoo over you like Trent did. I won't hurt you. I swear."

Gwen studied Duncan's face, gazing into his eyes. It was rare to see the juvenile delinquent with such a serious, yet, emotional expression. Were his words really sincere? There was only one way to find out.

"If you're so sure," the goth girl said as she shifted closer to him. "Then why not?"

Cupping his face, Gwen leaned in, planting her lips on Duncan's. Her body tingled as she felt Duncan's hands roam to her hips, pulling her closer to him. As she climbed into his lap, Duncan ran a hand up and down her back, then let it rest on her bottom. Feeling his tongue slip into her mouth, Gwen pulled away, placing a hand on his chest.

"Not so fast." The goth girl smirked. "Let's not rush things."

"Sorry, um, I guess I got too into the moment," Duncan said, smiling sheepishly.

"We can save that for another time. For now, you need to break up with Courtney before she finds out about us. I just hope we're not being taped. If this gets leaked, we're screwed."

"Big time," Duncan said as he stood, straightening out his shirt. "Wish me luck."

Peering over his shoulder, Duncan winked as he walked out of the room. Gwen sighed, smiling to herself as she shook her head. She felt a great need to gush over the first kiss she experienced with her crush within the confidential walls of the confessional, but deep down, she knew she had to keep it to herself. After all, they weren't officially together yet. Some ugly business had to be dealt with first.

Silently, Gwen shadowed Duncan as he approached Courtney in the first class section, who was sitting alone by a window. Gwen observed the couple's every move. First, Duncan approached Courtney with a serious expression. Next, she could see Duncan raising his voice at Courtney, the former CIT flinching. The delinquent's face then softened as the frown on Courtney's face slowly formed into a crestfallen one. It looked as if Duncan were about to say something more before Courtney sprinted toward the confessional, her hands covering her face. As Courtney raced past her, Gwen concealed herself within the shadows. She peeked out once the coast was clear, only to see Duncan sink into a chair, a rather desolate look on his face.

"Duncan?" Gwen asked as she slowly approached him.

"It's over with, and I feel like crap because of it."

"It had to be done, Duncan. There was no wrong in what you did. You were upfront and honest with her."

"I'm not gonna hear the end of this as long as I'm here, and neither will you. Y'know that, right?"

"Yes, I know," Gwen sighed. "I guess this show's called Total Drama for a reason."

"Hey, at least we're dealing with this crap together."

"Yeah," the goth girl replied, smiling softly. "I guess we are."

"Through and through," Duncan said, gently grabbing a hold of one of her hands.

The goth girl and the juvenile delinquent shared an endearing smile, only to pull apart as Heather entered the room.

"Eww, keep away! Your bad fashion sense may be contagious!" Heather said as she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

The pair watched as the Queen Bee stomped out of the room. They turned to face each other with a shrug. They knew trouble was heading their way, but they also knew that no matter what drama they would have to face, they would face it together.