This was a fun one to write. Dave is one of my favorite characters, and he has been before Pahkitew Island even started. I think Ella became my second favorite after I wrote about her...
Disclaimer: I do not own Total Drama or its characters. And I am so happy I do not own Juggy Chugs or its affiliated song. -shivers- I never want to hear that again. I heard it so many times writing this.
So.. uh… Dave. That's me. I mean. I'm Dave! But you should know that. Right? Unless you're just stumbling across this and you've never seen me. If that's the case then… Uh… Hi! I'm Dave! No! I mean sorry! I think I'm a likable guy! I am also a guy that likes.
You know that moment when you meet somebody, and you feel something deep inside your stomach. Butterflies? Or maybe your lunch. No, wait… Lunch isn't right. It's definitely butterflies. Definitely! I mean, it could be lunch if I actually ate on this island.
But that's what I have with Sky. It's like she completes me. Do you understand? I think you do. Sky is just that amazingly awesome!
Oh my gosh! Sky is going to kiss me! Sky is actually going to kiss me!
I jump up, moving to sit, as a buzzer goes off over the intercoms. My eyes adjust to the darkness of the cave and I grimace. It was only a dream! Why was it only a dream!
And why couldn't you have waited just a couple more seconds, Chris? Why?!
"Psych!" Chris calls out. "You already are on a dangerous island." He chuckles to himself before continuing, "Meeting area! Now!"
Just as Chris finishes speaking, Sugar obnoxiously snores. Max and I exchange looks before deciding to exit the cave. Before we leave, he comes up with an evil plan and throws a rock at her, causing her to wake up. I wouldn't exactly call it evil, but it was a plan, nonetheless.
Upon exiting the cave, I can see that it's still dark outside. And that means that it's nighttime. This explains the bags that are under my eyes and why I don't have the will to move. Or maybe it was the kiss I never received!
We quickly arrive to the meeting area. Max stops walking and crosses his arms over his chest. "What is so important that it required waking us in the middle of the night?" he asks.
"Cognitive function is dependent on REM sleep," Scarlett says. I actually know some of those words from my psychology class last year!
Shawn yawns. "Can we go back to bed now?" And I bet we all agree with you on this.
"The reason I called you here is because it's time to merge the teams. Consider yourself merged!" Chris announces.
"And this couldn't have waited until the morning?" Scarlett asks, placing her hands on her hips. I feel myself subconsciously mutter an agreement.
"Hey, if you guys don't want the midnight merger meal, then fiiiiine. Just go back to bed," he says.
Midnight merger meal say what?
"You've never done anything nice! Ever! What gives?" Sky exclaims. She's so smart and observant.
Chris angrily shrugs. "Fine! The lawyers called to say that feeding only one team every couple days is technically starvation. So, this is the legally enforced team merger celebration dinner!"
The curtain rises and we are greeted by fancy chairs, a white tablecloth, and several silver candelabras. We cheer. This is gonna be bad. I mean good! I meant bad as in a good way. Does this make any sense?
"It was gonna be gourmet pizza, bison burgers, and sweet potato fries," Chris says, "but the silk tablecloth and the silver candelabras put us waaaay over budget. So, tonight you'll be eating Juggy Chunks!"
We all gasp. Or at least I thought we all did. Sugar starts cheering, pumping her fist into the air. "Is this Thanksgiving?" Do all of your Thanksgivings involve poorly-nutritional slops of disgustingness?
"I've never heard of these Juggy Chunks," Max comments. There is definitely a reason for that.
And there's definitely a reason that Sugar has. "Come on, ya seen the commercials," she presses. "They got the catchy jingle and it ends with the cartoon horse that goes," I start to tune her out. I hear her do a terrible imitation, and I find myself liking her actual voice more.
Wait! That's not a nice thing to say, but I somewhat mean it…
And then she neighs. You know what? I one hundred percent mean it.
"How does a horse give a thumbs up?" Shawn asks.
"Cartoon horses always give a thumbs up. Otherwise they get mistaken for real horses," she explains.
That makes sense… I think… No… I don't think.
"Okay! Save some wonderful truisms for your spin-off show, Sugar," Chris retorts. She gasps in excitement and Chris continues, "Relax. I'm kidding. Television broadcast standards could never sink that low."
And that blow was low. Sugar groans in anger and the rest of us follow Chris. We sit at the table. Sky doesn't sit anywhere near me. Why? It's not like we have to sit with teams anymore!
"This fabulous dinner will be used as a pre-challenge. The first player to finish their cup of Juggy Chunks will be safe from elimination. Alright, everyone, grab some Chunks!" Chris says. "Ready, set, enjoy!" he cries before pressing a blowhorn.
I stare at the drink. This is repulsing… And we're supposed to eat this? I glance over at Sky and she's already drinking some of it. She puts the glass down and burps. Is she nervous?
I stare down at my drink and I watch it bubble. I really don't like eating questionable food. That's why I'm happy I haven't been on past seasons of Total Drama. I would rather eat these so called rewards from challenges than Chef's cooking.
But Sky is already drinking hers and I remember what Shawn said. If I want to win her back, I have to win this pre-challenge. That will show her how amazing I am. I need to be a fierce competitor!
I grab the cup and quickly start drinking. No, not drinking. Chugging. I don't want to taste or smell this stuff. The look alone is revolting. I put the cup down and I look over at Sky. "Are you watching me, Sky? I'm a eating/winning machine! Don't let my-"
My stomach starts gurgling. Ugh, what is this feeling? Did I drink too much too fast? Or it is because this drink is questionable. I try to speak, but it only comes out in little spurts as I slowly starts to go down. "-awesome… distract you." I finish speaking right as I collapse to the ground.
Somebody just kill me now. Please. I beg of you.
No! Now is not the time to give up! I pull myself off the ground, my arms resting on the table. C'mon, Dave, gather the strength and finish getting up there! I finish pulling myself up and I plop into my sight. Without another second to think, I grab the drink and continue drinking.
I. NEED. TO. WIN!
"Sugar wins the pre-challenge and has immunity!" Chris exclaims. "Dave, Sky, you can stop now."
Yes, yes I can stop now. I finally finish the drink and roughly set my cup on the table. "Done!" I glance over at Sky as she too finishes drink. Heh, I may not have won immunity, but I did beat Sky! That has to count for something, right? I can rub it in so she can see how awesome I am. And then she'll fall for me.
I meet up with her at the front of the table. "Second place to me. BOOM!" I cry, striking a pose. "Totally did better than you," I say before chuckling a little bit. "How sexy am I now? Bet you wish I was still your boyfriend," I finish before rubbing the back of my head with my hand.
She groans, her hands clenching into tight fists at her side. "You were never my boyfriend!" she yells in my face. What? "And you will never be my boyfriend! And you have no shot of beating or dating me." She continues yelling and getting closer to me as she speaks. "Got it?" she finishes as she now looms over me.
I nod before falling to the ground. She walks off leaving me there all alone. What? What just happened? And what is this aching in my heart?
Max laughs. "Look at his face!"
I can feel my face contort as I start to feel like crying. You need to stay strong. You may have been doing everything to impress her, but there's still the money. You can do it. No, I actually can't. I feel the tears starting to come. It shouldn't be like this!
"Okay, on that super awkward note it's time to introduce our nighttime challenge: Hide and Group Seek," Chris reveals. "Sugar won immunity, so she will be it!" I hear her cheer. That's all I can do now: listen. "Everyone will be given a head start to go and hide. Then Sugar will come and hunt you down. Each person Sugar finds and tags joins her to search for the others. You hunt together, no splitting up! Anyone tagged before sunrise will be on the chopping block at elimination. Anybody not tagged before then will also have immunity!"
I listen to the explanation from my spot on the ground. I finally muster the strength to sit up, but I quickly end up crying.
"Uh, Dave, you okay?" Chris asks.
Is he actually concerned for me? I take a few shaky breaths. Why am I being all pathetic and sad right now? I have to be strong. Think of Sky! "Yes," I finally answer. There's still hope that she will eventually date me. I need to pull it together. C'mon, Dave, pull it together!
"I'm glad you're okay," he says. I look up at him. He sounds genuinely concerned. "I thought maybe hearing Sky say you had no chance. None. Like zero. Never gonna happen would have depressed you."
"Nope," I squeak. My bottom lip begins to tremble again.
"Cause that kind of rejection can-"
"Chris, stop it!" Sky orders. I glance back and she's standing behind me, her arms crossed over her chest.
"I mean, she was all you cared about," he continues. I know this… You don't have to remind me.
"Please!" she begs, desperation clinging to her voice.
He leans on my head and my eyes shift to him. "To have her stomp on your heart and toss it in the toilet like that. With all of us here, watching it happen. Wow, gotta hurt!"
I glance back at her again and she is frowning. I don't understand why his words make your heart ache. Like he said, you tossed mine into the toilet. Your heart only experienced love from me!
"Anyway, game time! Everybody but Sugar go and hide!" Chris orders.
I can see everybody running off from behind Sky. Maybe now is my chance. "Um, Sky…" I tentatively start.
"No, Dave," she quickly rejects, running away from me.
I stand up to my feet, reaching out for her. "No, no!" I cry. "I am not giving up on her," I promise before following after her. I laugh to myself. "I'm coming, Sky!"
I don't care what Chris or anybody else says. I know that Sky likes me and I definitely like her. You don't just give up when it comes to love. I just need to find out why she keeps denying us. You can't keep love from happening.
Where? Where could she have gone? It's too dark in these woods to find somebody. But I need to find her. You don't understand how crucial it is! Actually, you might understand if you've ever been in love with somebody who kept denying it. But if you do understand, then you know why I have to find her!
"How did I lose her?" I say out loud. I stand on a rock so I can look around. "Sky! Sky! Skyyyyyyy!" I yell, cupping my hands up to my mouth. Where is she? C'mon, Sky, answer me!
A bush shushes me. I turn to look at it. I know that voice anywhere! "You're gonna get us both caught! Go hide somewhere else!"
I put my hands on my hips and turn away. "Well, excuse me for wanting to be near you. I'm very sorry." I hop off the rock and away from Sky. "I'm also sorry I believed you when you said you liked me. Obviously-"
She quickly cuts me off, popping out from behind the bush. I don't want to see you when I'm mad at you! "Hey! I said I liked you, but. But you didn't want to hear the but. But that's not my fault!" she yells. She is now standing in front of me and we glare at one another. I don't dare take my eyes away from her.
But her eyes – her beautiful black eyes – seem to transfigure me like they did the first time I looked into them. I feel my eyes soften as I slightly smile at her. I can't stay mad at her. It's too hard! And she smiles back at me.
She's smiling! At me! Now is my chance! "Please let me be your boyfriend."
She groans. "I need you to hear this: no," she says. She's not angry when she says this. She actually sounds sad.
"But-"
"No more buts! Bye, Dave!" she finishes, walking off.
But she hesitated! We shared a moment! It can't end this way! It just can't! "Wait for-" I trip over the rock. I look up and see her disappearing into the distance. I pull myself to my feet and take a few trembling steps near her. "Sky? Sky?!
I yell in frustration. So many terrible words come to my mind but I don't want to say them. I'm hurt, and angry, and frustrated, and scared with everything that I'm feeling! The only thing I can muster is me throwing my shoe far away from me. "Well, I don't need you either! I'm a lone wolf," I announce.
I crouch onto the rock and begin to howl all my frustration into the nighttime sky. I soon hear my broken-hearted brethren follow me.
Do you know how long it took for me to give up and hide in a tree? You don't? Well, neither do I. Wallowing in my self-sorrow doesn't give me much of an opportunity to keep track of time.
I watch as my shoe from earlier comes flying back at me. Great, my self-sorrow is going to be hurt even more. But the shoe misses me and hits somebody below me. They groan and complain about it.
Do I say something? Or do I not? I may as well ask for my shoe. At least my foot won't be cold anymore. "Can you pass my shoe please?" I ask.
"I'm gonna toss it up nice and gentle. Ready to catch? Make a little bowl with your hands."
I do as the voice says, but then I realize that it was Sugar's voice. My eyes widen as I see my shoe speeding for my face. I have to time to react before it hits me and knocks me out of the tree. I crash into the ground and groan, and I groan again as my shoe lands on my head. I stand up. Today is definitely not my day. And it's only the morning… Er… nighttime morning.
Sugar rushes over and pokes me in the eye. "Tag, sucker!" she says. I wince at the sharpening pain now in my eye and I cover it with my hand. "Now you're on Team Sugar." She grabs me by my sweater and pulls me out of the bush. "Let's get hunting.
"Whatever," I reply, but I still comply. "Nothing matters." I say, following her.
We trek through the woods, but nature seems to be mocking me. A blue and pink bird sit on a bush, tweeting to one another. Really? This is not cool! And it gets my blood boiling.
"Oh yeah, she might say she likes ya, but she doesn't! She just cares about the briefcase with the one million worms!" I yell. The blue bird must know the true terror that there is behind a female. I rush forward until I'm in front of Sugar. I want as far away as I can get from those birds.
Sugar comes up behind me. "The way Sky treated you was wrong. You know what I would want more than anything if I was you?"
"To be her boyfriend?" I ask, turning to face the Southern girl. It's true. Even with the heartache, this is all that I want!
"No!" she screeches. "I would want to catch her, so she can't win the one million dollars!"
My eyes widen. She- she's right! If that's what Sky so desperately wants, I need to rip it away from her! Just like she ripped her love from me! "Yes! You hear that, no love feeling meanie pants? I'm coming for ya!" I shout. This is my chance to make her feel my pain!
"Focus, Dave, focus!" Sugar says. "Where'd you last see her?"
I quickly look around. What direction did we come from? Where are we? I don't even remember how we got here? Do what she said, Dave. FO. CUS! I think that tree looks familiar! "This way!" I exclaim as we run off.
I am right! We quickly find Sky's bush and the evil rock that I tripped over. But… but she's not here now! "She was in there and then left. But that was the last place I saw her."
Fate must be on our side, because Sky comes out of the brush. Sugar quickly tackles the girl to the ground, sitting on her. Take that you little-
I double over, holding my stomach. What is this feeling? My stomach gurgles again and one of my hands flies up to my mouth. I can't remember the last time I've felt like this. I groan loudly. Maybe this is what betrayal feels like. I handed Sky over to the wolves.
I fall to the ground, bringing my knees up to my chest and covering my stomach with both hands now. Just somebody kill me. Somebody kill me now!
"How're you two doing?" Sugar asks. I groan in response. Sky groans too, but I don't know if it's a response. "So it's just me, huh?
If I say yes, can you just end my pain now?
But fate goes against my wishes. Max and Scarlett crash into us as we lay on the ground, probably dying.
"Got'cha," Sugar says. "Uh, c'mon, sun'll be up soon. Let's find Shawn and Jasmine."
We follow Sugar and that's the last thing that I can remember. When I finally come to my senses, I'm back in the meeting area with everybody else. Chris is on the phone with somebody, talking about how we just got our stomachs pumped and about how he didn't realize the drinks had expired decades ago.
Chris looks at me and asks if I can hear him. I nod.
"Great," he says. He jerks his head towards the elimination area. "Elimination's up soon. Go cast your vote and met there," he orders.
We all know the drill for the elimination ceremony. Vote for somebody. If that somebody gets the most votes, then they go home. And that's exactly why I voted for myself. Why? I could have just voted for Sky or for somebody else that had hurt me. But what is there for me on Pahkitew Island without the person that I fell in love with?
Nothing, I tell you. Nothing.
"Sugar and Jasmine won their immunity, and after the voting Scarlett, Max, and Shawn are safe. That leaves Dave and Sky," Chris announces.
She gasps from the rock that is next to my log. I really hope my vote for myself helps to save her. Even if she isn't mine, I want to keep her safe.
"Don't look so shocked, Sky. The way you talked to Dave after the pre-challenge was pretty much like watching someone hoof a cat in the gnards," the host explains.
"Exactly like," Sugar says.
"Sugar, please stop talking. For ever," Chris emphasizes. "Now Dave… Dave, Dave, Dave. I love the button." He gestures to a pin attached to his shirt. I quickly made those so others would vote for me. "It was close, pal, and it would have been Sky going home if you hadn't voted yourself. Dave, you're going to the cannon," he reveals.
I'm more relieved than anything. Now I don't have to worry about the rejection from Sky. I can move on and do other things. Right?
But there is one last lingering thought as I follow Chris to the cannon. I jump into the hatch and crawl to the top. Should things with Sky end just like this? I think she had a point about concentrating on the game. I could have too, but she became my game.
No, wait! That just sounds terrible. She became my new dream!
Aww! That just sounds cheesy and corny!
"Any final words, he asks," Chris says. "As if, there might be one last desperate attempt to capture love?"
Yes, there actually is. "Sky!" I call out, pulling myself out of the cannon. "If you don't win and you feel like getting in touch…" I look towards the elimination area, hoping to get one last glimpse of her as I pour my heart out, but she's not there.
And that's the heart-shattering moment for me. My head loosely hangs. What else is there? God, I'm so stupid! "Fire," I tell Chris.
He quickly complies and I'm shot from the cannon. I was hoping to stay strong while I flew and not scream. But my strength broke and I instead cry as I fly through the air.
Love definitely stinks. I wish I had never learned about it.
Who am I? A man, a friend, a lover? I could be all of those things. But I'm not. I faltered with my feelings and it shows. I didn't get the girl of my dreams and I could kick myself in the butt for that. But you know, I will never give up.
Even though she wasn't there when I was shot from the cannon, I still know that there is still a hope for us! Is it wrong to have these hopes even though I had given up just twenty-four hours ago.
I'm not desperate. I'm just so infatuated with Sky.
My name is Dave, and I like to think of myself as a pretty normal guy. I'm the eighth person to leave Total Drama Pahkitew Island.
And I will get the girl of my dreams. It will not end this way.
Until next time, everybody,
KaidaThorn
