A/N: Hi everybody, I know it's been a while since I last updated. Well I can completely explain, you see there was this tornado and some aliens and mutants turtles that didn't happen to know ninjitsu and… (Lucky's bro, former known as LuckyNumber18-A, now know as WITTY appears).
Witty: Yeah… Don't believe him folks. He and I have been relaxing in sunny Miami, Florida on vacation!
Lucky: Ack! Betrayed by my own flesh and blood! Oh the irony! But it's true, I've been relaxing after last semester, just because I felt I needed some good ol' rest and relaxation. However, now I'm back home (cold, frigid home) and am ready to continue on with this story.
Witty: About time too!
Lucky: He's right, but I glad to notice that I had gotten so many comments on the last chapter, so like always I'm going to the take the time to address each one.
Hyperforce: I wasn't familiar with Brutal Legend or Winx Club, so I looked them both up, and I can see how you would link Gwen and Lindsay to those characters. AzelmaandEponine: Thanks for the compliment! Phenomservant: Hehe, I was honestly considering that idea, but I decided against it. There's an artist on Deviantart named Keytaro who actually drew a picture of Sierra dressed as Gwen! If you wanted the link, just private message me and I'll send it to you. Also thanks for the support with finals! Caroline: You have no idea how happy you make me when you tell you like my writing. I've been a fan of authors on this site too, and I know anyone with the right combo of creativity and drive can truly create wonderful stories for others to read here. I am grateful that you have taken to read and review for me and I hope I don't disappoint. Lola: Glad you like it. You know with Duncan and Courtney it's going to be one heck of an explanation! James95: Interesting costume ideas, but I haven't seen Yu-Gi-Oh in a VERY long time, and I never really followed the show that closely. However, I like your creativity with your choices though. drums247: "power" does describe Courtney very well, but I've been trying to follow a theme where each girl's word starts with "D." Thanks for the suggestion though. Princess Absahail: Hey Abby. Glad you got a formspring account! I'm glad I surprised you and I can assure there are many more to come (evilly winks). Anonymous Rex: Big Review! Me Likey! (please follow this guy's example people!) First off, thank you for your compliment. I love writing and sharing my ideas with you guys. Glad you noticed that the main boys were linked to Halloween's main monsters! Your questions show great insight into the conventions of a story like this, but I won't like reveal too much by answering here, so please keep reading and I don't think you'll be disappointed! Also, a very belated Happy Holidays to you too! KSherwood: Is that sarcasm? As for the hot glue, well… let's just Geoff isn't the first to do something like that (whistles innocently). Test: Thank you! I will. CITprincess101: I was wondering if you were the famous youtube cosplayer who recreated Courtney's scenes? If you are or are not, I'm still glad you're liking the story!
To some of my readers who have favorited my story but have not left a review, Thank you guys too! Don't be afraid to leaved reviews and private messages. Anywho, onto the next chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama, but I do own this story, which is very dear to my heart.
Chapter Ten
Duncan stomped through the dark hallway, mumbling to himself under his breath, "Who the heck does that pretty boy think he is anyway? So what if my costume isn't that great. I'm tough enough to scare people WITHOUT a costume on."
This last thought made Duncan feel a little better, but something kept nagging him at the back of his mind. Why had Gwen been hanging out with Trent so much today? She had said that she had only run into him a few minutes before, but it seemed like every time he had missed her today, she had ended up with Trent.
Unlike his relationship with Courtney, Gwen and Trent had ended things relatively smoothly. Sure Trent had revealed that his weird "9" thing wasn't about Gwen, but they still hadn't gotten back together after Season 2, so he had assumed they were completely over each other.
The same thing had basically happened to him and Courtney, albeit more gradually. He hated to admit it, but even though life on Total Drama was hell on earth, it was there that the two of them had met. It was with all the cameras, the lights, even the stupid challenges constantly around them that they had fallen in love, but once those things were gone, their relationship began to fall apart.
She had become so bossy since the end of Season Two, and she had asked him to change a lot of things about himself. He would never admit this to anyone, not even Gwen, but he had been really hurt by Courtney's "suggestions." Nobody told Duncan what he could or couldn't do, not his teachers, not his father, and not HER! Besides, didn't she like him for who he was?
That had been one of the reasons he had decided to pursue Gwen. Sure, one side of him loved Courtney's fiery spirit, but after spending time with her, things just became…complicated. If there was no other reason that he hated being with Courtney is that she always made things more complicated than they needed to be.
Duncan thought back in Season 1, when they had raided the fridge and had their first kiss. That night Courtney had just thrown caution to the wind, and they ended up having the time of their lives. But during Season 2, she had started to boss him around and made him feel as though the competition mattered more to her than he did. If she truly loved him, then why did she have a list of things that she wanted to change about him?
Duncan would never deny that Courtney was pretty, beautiful even, but there were lots of pretty girls on the show, like Gwen, Heather, Bridgette, and Lindsay. Sometimes Duncan wondered while he had been touring with with that band he had joined, before he had been forced back onto World Tour in London, if his falling for Courtney was like everything else on Total Drama, something manufactured by the show to gain a larger viewer audience.
By leaving Courtney, it had felt as though he was regaining control over his life. For him, Gwen represented stability, someone who would be comfortable with who he was. After all, they had similar tastes in fashion and movies, he could usually coax Gwen into joining him in playing pranks, and she was easy on the eyes.
The only thing that could be considered a problem was that he wasn't into Art like she was. He had thought much about it at first, but she had recently been bugging him about looking at her drawings and going to dumb art shows.
He had gone along with it to make her happy, but it seemed that the exact opposite was happening. She never seemed satisfied with his answers after he had looked at her art. She also no longer seemed satisfied with him just hanging out with her and her friends anymore. It seemed as though Gwen was searching for something in Duncan that just wasn't there. Duncan continued down the dimly lit hallway and wonder if all women were like this or just the ones he ended up dating.
Duncan saw a door coming up on his right and made his towards. He turned the handle and poked his head in before calling "Yo, Bridge! You in here?"
The room was filled with steam that made Duncan feel as though he was peering into a cloud. The steam carried a smell that reminded Duncan faintly of cinnamon, vanilla, and… jasmine flowers? The scent was intoxicating and Duncan instinctively moved into the steam.
The best way he could describe it was like walking like through mist, with the aroma guiding him. He continued to follow his nose until he reached a counter. He waved his hands in front of him, trying to clear the air in front of him. The air cleared slightly before him, revealing trays filled with cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and other freshly baked goods.
A smile spread across the punk's face as he surveyed the whole array of desserts before reaching for a cookie. His hands were inches from the treat when a wooden spoon emerged from the steam and rapped him across the knuckles.
Duncan yelped and instinctively drew his hand back. His eyes widened as Courtney emerged from the mist, one hand waving the steam away from in front of her, while the other was holding the offending spoon. Her eyes narrowed as she stared across the counter at Duncan, and she said in a reprimanding tone, "Don't even think about it."
A/N: Here's COURTNEY! Yeah, I know there is no real interaction between DxC as yet, but as I was writing this chapter, Duncan's thoughts took on a life of their own. Originally his thoughts were just going to mirror Gwen's but then I realized something: Boys think differently than Girls! Sorry ladies, but it's just a fact. I consider myself fairly sensitive compared to your average dude which was helpful when writing for Gwen, but with Duncan, I realized things needed to be different. Duncan's thoughts were more self-conscious, noting Gwen's external responses to their relationship, but he was also unable to really understand the rift that was forming between them, instead calling upon his own experiences, which was a great way for me to bring Courtney into the mix. As for the steam, I wanted to have an element separating Duncan and Courtney, just because if they immediately saw each other, they would probably just avoid each other, but this kind of forces them to have to talk for a bit. I'll explain why it was so steamy in the next chapter. Also, the combo of cinnamon, vanilla, and jasmine flowers are an allusion to all the baking Courtney's been doing for the party AND the various smells associated with Courtney that I've read in different fics, but personally I like the idea of her smelling like Jasmine, as they are probably my favorite flowers and in my head they seem like they would suit her. Anyway, I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as I can, because I already have most of it outlined. Wish me luck! Also PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!