Chapter 2-Tell a friend
The next morning, Gwen was standing in a café, drinking a latte while subtly admiring her diamond ring. She had chosen a table in a corner seeking some peace, and trying to avoid curious stares. Just like a twelve year old picturing her idyllic future, she couldn't help imagining little details from her future wedding. She pictured herself in a long white dress, with a bouquet of white roses, holding Trent's hand and saying her vows.
But her daydream was interrupted by the familiar silhouette that entered the café. Gwen waved at the blonde young woman who had just walked in, and she smiled and approached Gwen's table.
"I'm so glad you made it!" Gwen said, standing up to hug her friend.
"How could I refuse the invitation? It's been ages since we last saw each other! What, a year? You look great by the way! It's refreshing to see you in something other than black."
Gwen was wearing a white blouse and grey jeans. It was true that her signature colour was black, but that morning she felt the need to embrace lighter tones. When Trent saw her before leaving, he even joked about her undergoing fashion training for the all-white wedding dress. Gwen had responded by flinging a hashbrown at him.
"You sound just like my mother, Bridgette." Gwen commented, playfully rolling her eyes.
Indeed, the blonde girl was Bridgette, another former contestant on Total Drama Island. Although they had been in separate teams back then, they became close friends after the teams merged. Bridgette hadn't changed much since then, apart from her hair, which was now a messy bob.
The two sat down, and Bridgette ordered a cappuccino.
"So how's life treating you, Bridge?"
"Life is treating me just great. I finally managed to establish my own surf school, and I'm super proud of it. I'm a bit nervous about teaching, but what could go wrong, eh? Actually, don't answer that, I don't want any weird scenarios keeping me up at night." She added, as she placed her sunglasses on her head.
"That sounds awesome, I'm so proud of you!" Gwen exclaimed. "And I'm sure Geoff's proud as well."
Bridgette blushed slightly, and tried to position her hand over her cheek to conceal it. She had given Gwen small updates about her love life, especially after several cocktails on nights out. And that always lead to embarrassing reveals never forgotten by her friend. So mentioning Geoff managed to trigger Bridgette's guilt regarding all the things she over-shared.
"I think he is. He's been away on a trip since March, but he sends me postcards every single day, so I don't think he's forgotten about me just yet." She giggled.
"Who could forget someone like you, Bridgette? You're beyond memorable."
The waitress arrived with the cappuccino and Bridgette politely thanked her.
"Enough about me…" Bridgette said as she tipped a sachet of sugar into her cup. "How are things going with you and Trent?"
"Well…" Gwen stopped when she glanced at the door. A wide smile appeared on her face, as she started waving. "Leshawna!"
Gwen's best friend from Total Drama Island, and one of the sassiest friends she had ever made, made her way towards the girls' table.
"My girls! What's up?" She asked, loud enough to cause everybody in the café to turn around and stare at her.
"Leshawna's in the house!" Gwen and Bridgette happily exclaimed in unison.
They both got up to hug her, and soon there was a short exchange of compliments, quick questions, and comments about how nobody in that café could mind their own business.
"I almost didn't come when I found out that we had to meet so early." Leshawna said. "You know I can't wake up this earily in the morning, I'm not a farmer. But I came for you, girl. And good thing I did, because you brought Bridgette too. It's like a holiday bonus!"
"I'm so glad to see you, Leshawna!" Bridgette smiled.
"Same here, honey!" Leshawna replied. "So what's going on, Gwen? I'm not complaining about this reunion, but I'm curious if there's a purpose to it."
"Actually, there is." Gwen admitted. "Maybe it will come as a surprise to you too, because for me it sure was…"
The two girls looked at Gwen with curiosity, so Gwen smiled and strategically placed her hand on her cup of latte. Bridgette and Leshawna looked at it, and when realisation struck them, they screamed out of excitement. Yet again, everybody's attention turned towards their table, so Gwen tried to awkwardly mouth 'sorry' at the concerned waitresses.
"Oh my God!" Bridgette jumped out of her seat. "Trent proposed? It was about time! Oh gosh, I'm so, so happy for you!"
"Gwen, congratulations! You've got yourself a good man." Leshawna added, and Bridgette nodded. "And would you look at the size of that thing!" Leshawna said, pointing at the ring.
"Oh, come on, it's not that big!" Gwen laughed.
"Honey, if diamonds were edible we could eat for days! It may be a small ring, but the rock is huge."
"Leshawna, let's not exaggerate." Bridgette said trying to hold back a giggle.
"Anyway, I would really appreciate it if you could come to the wedding…" Gwen began.
"Are you kiddin' me? How could I miss my gal's wedding?" Leshawna said.
"We'd be honoured to join you on your happiest day!" Bridgette chimed in.
"You didn't let me finish!" Gwen commented. "I want you to come to my wedding as my maids of honour. What do you say?"
"We don't have to wear embarrassing fluffed up dresses, do we?" Bridgette asked a bit worried. "I've seen some weird things in my friends' wedding albums."
"No embarrassing dresses, I promise. But there is a traditional requirement of wearing white." Gwen added.
"Then it's okay in my book. Let's celebrate with some sandwiches, I'm starving!" Leshawna said while looking at a menu.
The girls nodded and grabbed the nearest menus.
Meanwhile, at a bar a few blocks away from the café where Gwen met the girls, Trent was sipping his black coffee and contemplating the happiest moments of his life. One of them took place in that same bar, which was famous for hosting various renowned jazz bands, where Trent signed the contract that started off his career as a music producer. And then there were all his lovely memories with Gwen.
When they both left the island, they kept in touch and started properly dating. From cocktail nights to disastrous homecooked dinners, they began spending more and more time together, until they decided to move in. The prospect of becoming so domestic intimidated Gwen at first, but they both quickly settled into a comfortable routine. The proposal had been on his mind for months, but gathering the courage to carry out the plan was the difficult part. Still, he was happy that he finally popped the question, and even happier that she said yes. His life felt like the plot of a rom-com now, but unlike Gwen who always expressed a strong dislike for that sort of cheesiness, Trent had a soft spot for all the clichéd romantic tropes.
"Looks like somebody started off the day with his head in the clouds." A familiar voice interrupted his train of thought.
Trent raised his head and saw his former TDI teammate, Cody.
"Cody, my man!" He exclaimed, then stood up to pull him into a hug. "Thanks so much for coming!"
"My pleasure, dude. I love this bar, they do great cocktails. So what's up?" Cody asked, sitting comfortable on a sofa chair.
"Well, I just wanted to see how my buds from the show are doing. We haven't seen each other in a long time."
Cody winked at a girl from another table, who giggled, then turned his attention back to Trent. "Yeah, it's been ages." he added.
"I see the Codster still drives the ladies crazy." Trent commented, mimicking Cody's wink.
Cody laughed, and ran a hand through his short brown hair.
"Appearing on TV really helped, man. I mean, my love life suddenly came to life after leaving the island. All the dates...I couldn't believe it!" he admitted.
"Nice! Have you found The One to settle down with?" Trent asked, before downing the rest of his coffee.
"Nah, not really." Cody shrugged. "Dating is one thing, but starting a serious relationship is a completely different thing. It's kinda scary, you know? So much commitment..."
Trent didn't comment on that, waiting for the right time to announce that he had crossed the ultimate gesture of commitment off his to-do list. Instead, he just nodded and fiddled with his empty coffee cup.
"I'm tempted to get something to drink." Cody said, glancing down at the menu from the table. "I haven't had a good mojito in months."
"Drinking this early in the morning? Are you secretly an alcoholic now?"
The guys looked up to see that Noah had arrived at their table. He took off his sunglasses and placed them on the table, and Trent shook his hand as a greeting, remembering that his friend wasn't a fan of hugs.
"Noah, I wasn't expecting to see you. How are you, man?" Cody asked, shaking his hand as well.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, taking a seat next to Trent. "Trent invited me for a drink and a chat. Since we haven't seen each other in almost seven years and I had the day off today, I accepted."
Although Noah didn't stay on the island for too long because of an early elimination, he and Trent got along well and stayed in touch after the show ended. Noah realised that Trent made a great drinking buddy, and that their conversations could become really interesting once they passed small-talk and approached more cultural topics.
"But seeing as you invited both Cody and I, I suppose you have something to say to us and wanted to save time. Is that right, Trent?" The know-it-all asked.
"Right as always, Noah." Trent replied.
A young woman came to their table to ask if they wanted anything to drink.
"Has it become socially acceptable to get drunk at 10 a.m. now?" Noah asked, earning an irritated look from the waitress.
"I'll have a Long Island Ice Tea, please." Cody said smiling at her.
"Gin tonic." Noah said simply.
"Nothing for me, thank you." Trent followed.
"I was expecting a more exotic choice from you, Noah." Cody admitted.
"Cocktails are for people who can't handle the taste of straight-up liquor and want to hide it beneath a dozen fruity flavours." Noah commented. "Also, it's easier to get from tipsy to drunk, because you're under the impression that you're drinking fruit punch or some other crap."
"Ah, Noah, a critic even on your time off." Trent laughed. "I'm happy you finally found a job that pays you to complain about other people's work."
"You're a critic?" Cody asked, sounding impressed.
"Book critic, the best in town, but I don't like to brag about it." Noah replied, waving his hand dismissively. "Anyway, let's not change the subject. What do you want to tell us, Trent?"
Trent took a deep breath, and cleared his throat.
"Guys, I've asked Gwen to marry me. And she said yes!"
"I could have sworn you would wait ten years before proposing. A waste of time in my opinion." Noah shrugged. "Or maybe it was worth the wait. You finally have a profitable career and a hopefully secure future. Congratulations!"
"Yeah, congratulations!" Cody added, offering a slightly nervous smile.
The drinks arrived, and Trent was tempted to make a toast to friendship, but he still felt uneasy upon seeing Cody's reaction to the news.
"Cody, I know this may be hard for you... I mean, I know how much you liked Gwen ten years ago…" Trent said.
"Trent, buddy, I'm okay, I'm totally over Gwen." Cody replied. "I understood that she loves you and that you might be soul mates, and I'm really happy for you. I'm just thinking about one thing."
"You realized that you've left the water running?" Noah asked while inspecting his drink.
"No. I promised myself that if you and Gwen would get married, I'd find you two the perfect wedding gift." Cody said.
"Wait, how come you were so sure that Gwen I and would get married?" Trent asked confused. Even he had several doubts that they would make it to that step.
"Trent, the chemistry between you and her is so obvious, even a dog could sense it." Noah said rolling his eyes.
"Anyway, you should tell me what kind of gift you want, so I can have time to look for it." Cody said, struggling to get his phone out of his jeans pocket. When he dropped it on the floor, Noah facepalmed.
"How about both of you offer me a very special gift, and agree to be my best men?" Trent asked, smiling widely.
"Man, are you kidding?" Cody said with excitement. "That would be so cool!"
"Okay, then it's settled! How about you, Noah?" Trent asked.
"Well, I guess I can take a break from reading horrible novels and humiliating untalented authors. I'll be there." Noah replied smugly.
"Perfect." Trent said, reaching for his non-existent glass to make a toast. "Damn it, I didn't order anything. I didn't think this through..." He held up an imaginary glass above the table "To friendship and future!"
"To friendship and future!" Noah and Cody repeated raising their glasses.
"This has to be the most underwhelming toast ever." Noah muttered.
"Shut up, Noah, it'll be better at the wedding." Trent added.
Thank you for the reviews, dear readers! I'm glad you enjoy the story, seeing how it's the first fan fiction I've ever written. I hope you will like the rest of the story as well. Chapter 3 coming soon!
Edited 2016