Façade: Through the Eyes of the Codemeister

Chapter Fifty-Three: A Somewhat Awkward Night

Their plan had worked like a charm. Anytime Heather would dare one of them, they'd use a freebie, and yet Heather, with no freebies, had to do every challenge that came her way.

You already know our opinions of her at this point--it shouldn't shock you that we were excited to see this. Especially Tyler. Hell, the only time Tyler was even worried about her safety was when she was acting like a chicken.

Owen seemed to enjoy one of Katie and Sadie's challenges quite a lot--the puppet show where Heather had to kiss Chef's sock.

I personally enjoyed one of Beth's challenges. The whole pig manure cannon thing. She really showed no mercy there.

One final spin from Gwen sealed Heather's fate, though. The one person that the wheel hadn't landed on the entire time: Lindsay.

"Finally, I catch a break," Heather had said, relieved. "There is no way Lindsay can think of anything bad."

"Ooh, you're not gonna like this one," Chris said, and Heather was now mortified. "Have your head shaved by Chef."

"WHAT?!"

The two 'wens' high-fived, and Gwen cried, "Lindsay rules!"

Tyler laughed. "She sure does!"

"Aww," Lindsay cooed. "Thanks, Taylor. But you know what? After all those times Hannah threatened my hair, do you think I'd really forget about that?"

"She only threatened it once, I think," Noah said.

"...Oh. Well still, I remember that very loudly and clearly."

Onscreen, Heather sat in the barber chair, afraid of the electric razor in Chef's hand. As Chef closed in, Heather suddenly kicked the razor away, but it went upward and landed on Heather's head anyway, giving her the most god-awful look ever.

"Hello, Vince McMahon," Noah joked, and Heather growled again. [1]

"Wow," Chris said onscreen nonchalantly. "Well, that was an unfortunate accident. Looks like Heather's out."

"What are you talking about?" Heather asked. "He shaved my head!"

"True, but you didn't exactly accept the dare." Oh-ho-ho-ho, crap! Nice. "If you had, you'd still be bald, but you'd be in the game."

Heather screamed bloody murder--no doubt that was the scream we heard that day. She grabbed Chris by his shirt collar.

"Sorry. Them's the rules."

"I thought you said there weren't any rules!"

"Yeah, I know. It's complicated. But here's the rub--you lose, they win."

Upon hearing this, Gwen and Owen cheered and danced in victory.

"Fine!" Heather shouted, admitting defeat. Sort of. "But you'll be hearing from my lawyers!" She walked past him to the boat, and he threw the keys to Chef.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's gonna be a long ride."

Heather stepped onto the boat. "A long ride to COURT when I sue you for everything you've got!" At this point, Chef got on the boat and drove it off.

"And then there were two," Chris announced, gesturing toward a happy Gwen and Owen. "Tune in to see who will win the check for one hundred thousand dollars on Total Drama Island!"

"You want drama?!" they heard from the retreating Boat of Losers. "You'll be penniless! Jobless!" Despite the shouts, Owen waved off the pissed off ex-contestant. "Your name will be mud on every blog from here to Cape Breton!"

Once the episode ended, we all cheered--well, except for two. Eva doesn't cheer, and Heather obviously wasn't cheering either.

Soon, everyone cleared out, heading for the outdoor buffet. Apparently, despite all the nasty things we just saw, they still had their appetites.

I was going to get up, but I noticed Gwen hadn't moved. "You coming with us?"

"Nah," she said, sitting back comfortably on her sofa. "I'm going to stay here for a while. Relax a little bit, you know?"

I shrugged, deciding not to push the issue. She had a rough two months. She earned a bit of relaxation, definitely. I stood up and walked out, joining the others outside.

-X-

I didn't do much out there. Just ate some food and played with a Frisbee Tyler had found. At any rate, it was just a normal day at the Playa des Losers, only now with less available food, thanks to Owen. In fact, as far as the last few days were concerned, he was the most notable difference; Heather locked herself in her room and Gwen was still somewhere inside the building. I figured she may have just gone to her room and slept, finally in a real, comfortable bed.

So no, things didn't really get all that interesting... until that night.

It started with yet another dream about Gwen, only this time it wasn't an elimination ceremony, and it wasn't her in her underwear (much to my dismay). No, I simply dreamt about the finale of the show, only this time things played out a little differently.

Izzy held up the brownies and Lindsay had turned on the fan... again in the wrong direction, sending Heather's wig flying. "My wig! Can't you freaks do anything right?"

"Oh, that's it!" Leshawna said, standing up. "I've had about enough of that girl." She stomped toward Heather, picked her up, and carried her away.

As Leshawna came back, Lindsay had turned the fan on in the right direction, sending the smell of brownies toward Owen yet again, and again he knocked Gwen over on his way to the delicious chocolate dessert.

I looked at Gwen in horror. Come on, Gwen... get up...

Trent got to her, telling her she could still win this thing. But it looked like she didn't believe in herself.

But he believed in her, and even though I couldn't quite catch what they were saying, he must have said something that got her to believe in herself again, and he helped her up. Meanwhile, Owen was heading for the goal, but as if in the shades of his previous loss over sticky buns, Owen had collided with Izzy before he reached the finish line.

My goofy grin appeared once more on my face as Gwen passed the jolly behemoth and crossed the finish line. She... she won! Gwen won! WOO! I turned to Eva, holding up a hand for a high five. She, uh, tried to return it, but ended up smacking me down. Ow...

As I lay semi-conscious on the ground, I heard Lindsay cry nearby. Poor Lindsay. She was taking Owen's loss pretty hard.

That night, at the last bonfire ceremony, Chris revealed the winner of Total Drama Island: "GWEN!"

Owen picked up the winner of TDI, holding her in one of his "death hugs" as Chris offered her the final marshmallow. The big guy set her down, suddenly bummed about not being able to have his party, but Gwen said that, once she's finished paying for schooling, she should have enough money to throw a party for all of us (except Heather, of course). No one objected to that one bit (except Heather, of course).

Then, Owen nudged Gwen, asking if she'd take someone to the party. I smiled as she turned to the musician, suggesting it'd be him. My smile widened even more when she agreed to go out with him, and they hugged. What can I say? He makes her happy. And that's all that matters, right?

...

I just wish I could make her smile like that...

-X-

I woke up in the middle of the night, parched. "Well... I could use some juice from the kitchen..." I stood up and walked out of my room, down the hall, making my way to the kitchen.

Then I heard voices.

I stopped, curious. I listened a little more carefully.

...It sounded like Lindsay's voice. And it was coming from the viewing room.

I stepped closer.

"...hunkier, and more stylish."

...Wait...

"Thanks for pointing that out, Lindsay."

That was me.

Someone was watching one of the tapes.

"Gwen is my dream girl. I'm just not her dream guy. But as long as she's happy, hey, I'm happy."

...

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. Yeah, I'm happy alright.

I should've left then and there. I should've just gone straight to the kitchen.

Oh, why did my curiosity have to get the better of me?

I peered into the room, shocked to see who was still in it. Quickly, I tried to leave before I could be seen, but I was caught. "Cody? Is that you?"

Sighing, I entered the room. "Yeah, it's me." I couldn't look her in the eyes.

She paused the tape. "Uh, what are you doing up?" I looked up. She looked a little nervous, even blushing a little.

"Uh, I was thirsty. I was going to get something to drink," I explained, rubbing the back of my neck. "What are you still doing up?" I mentally slapped myself for asking. It was kind of obvious.

"Just... watching a few tapes," she squeaked, fingers drumming on the sofa she was sitting on.

"I-I'll leave you alone then," I said, stepping out of the room.

"Cody." Hm? I stepped back in, confused. "You can stay if you want."

I shook my head. "Nah, I've seen them all bef--"

"Cody."

"...Well, let me get something to drink, first."

"Okay. Uh, can you get me something, too?"

"Grape soda, right?"

"...Right. How did you--?"

"The animal trap thing..."

"Oh, yeah..."

I stepped out of the room, sighing deeply. Great. As much as I should've enjoyed being able to keep Gwen's company, I couldn't escape from the fact that... this was probably going to be awkward as hell.

-X-

By the time I came back with both drinks in hand, she had just finished watching Leshawna's elimination.

"Oh, that was a real dick move," she muttered, annoyed at Chris. She looked up at me and smiled. "Those weren't in your pants, were they?"

I chuckled nervously. "No, no, don't worry." I handed Gwen her soda before sitting down. I waited for her to take a sip. "Just my gitch."

She coughed, going wide-eyed, and I couldn't help but laugh. "N-Not funny, Cody!"

"S-Sorry. Don't worry, I was kidding. They weren't in my pants."

"Or your--"

"Gwen, they'd technically be in my pants if they were in my--"

"Okay, okay. Good point." She still looked a little wary about the soda, but she took a sip anyway. "I should've known, anyway. The bottle doesn't smell weird."

"What, are you saying I stink?" I asked, jokingly.

"Well, I'm not going to sniff your crotch anytime soon to find out, Codemeister," she said, getting up to switch the tapes.

"Anytime soon, huh?" I asked suggestively.

She gave me a weird look. "You are one sad, strange little man."

"You totally stole that line."

"I know." She was about to sit back down when she realized what episode this was. "Oh, wait, this is the coconut thing, isn't it? Screw that." She went back to switch the tapes again. "That was a waste of video to begin with."

"So, uh, Gwen... why did you want me to stay?" I finally asked. "Not that I'm ungrateful or anything--I'm not--but it just... it's not something I would've expected."

She sighed. "I know. It's not like I was planning this or anything, but... I'd like to make up for lost time, you know?" I blushed as she came back over by me, sat down, and put an arm around me. "What you did for me and Trent, after all that... I don't think I've ever properly thanked you." She bit her lip for a second. "And what you said... you know... before you guys accidentally booted Leshawna out..." I just barely caught a faint blush on her cheeks. "Thanks, Cody. I don't know how else I can possibly say it without sounding sappy, but thank you."

Words could not describe... the goofy smile on my face. "Oh, no problem, Gwen." Another nervous chuckle escaped. "I'm just happy to see you happy."

"So I've heard."

"Yeah." Blushing, I turned away. The inevitable awkward silence finally came at last, and I tried my hardest to break it. "Uh, so... wanna start the tape?"

"Good idea."

-X-

Yeah, it was a little awkward, but we still managed to have a good time watching... that one tape. Yeah, 'cause she skipped the "Mr. Coconut" one. But I'm actually glad she did--those sins were told in confidence, and I'd hate to find out what she'd think if she saw it on the tape. It's not always easy hearing the most evil of words coming from such an amazing voice and such lovely lips--crap! Stop it! She's taken!

...Anyway, we had a few giggles, and a few things to say.

"Duncan's so full of himself sometimes, isn't he?"

"Hey. He's not a bad guy. ...You know, for a convict. He can be a good person when he wants to be."

"When he's not threatening our lives, yes."

"Has he?"

"Not sure if he was serious, but he's said things."

"Well, if he starts killing people, let me know. I'll give him something to think about."

"I can't believe you actually got along with Heather in that challenge, though."

"As short-lived as it was... yeah, it is kinda weird, huh?"

"Yeah, seriously."

"Well, keep in mind... we also wanted to live, too."

"True, true."

"Oh, man... you have no idea how scared I was at the time."

"Oh, I can only imagine. I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks. And you know... who else can say they've rode on a yeti's shoulders?"

"That's the spirit!"

Finally, the episode ended, and I stood up, stretching a little. "Unh... alright, time for bed."

"Wuss."

"Hey!"

She chuckled. "Kidding, kidding." She stood up, too. "Can't wait to sleep in a real, comfy bed. Damn, my back's been screaming for one since halfway through the contest."

"All the more reason to get your butt in bed."

"Yep. My icy, frozen butt."

"...Huh?" It took me a few seconds to get that, but when I did, I frowned. "...Oh. Sorry about that."

"Eh, don't worry about it," she said as we were leaving the room. "The toilet punch was much worse."

-X-

Okay, so that night wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it would be. In fact, it was kinda fun. You'd be surprised how outgoing Gwen could actually be if you got to know her. And, well, let's be honest... it was a real turn on. Hehehe...

But don't think I'm going to be trying anything. I'd never intentionally break up a relationship (don't give me that look--they weren't a couple when Trent and I were... uh... you know... trying to get her to notice us. ...Okay, in my case, trying; he didn't have to try much at all). Hurting her was the last thing I ever wanted to do... except maybe kill someone; not sure which one would be the one I'd hate to do the most.

My point is... I don't want to hurt Gwen. I never want to hurt Gwen, and so I'll just... keep my distance. ...Well, not literally, but you know what I mean. I still want to hang out with her, be one of the best damn friends she's ever had. I can do that much. But when it comes to her and Trent, I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole. The last thing I want to do is sabotage a relationship that she's happy in. I'd much rather her be happy with someone else than miserable with me.

Why does it have to be so hard to tell someone something like that? You guys have no idea how much I wanted to tell her that, how often I wanted to tell her that. I wanted to tell her how much I care for her, and how far I'm willing to go for her to be happy. The things I've told her already, I feel... I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface. There were... so many things I wanted to say to her, but I couldn't. What was my problem? Was I afraid she was going to reject it? Was I afraid she was going to say, "Cody, you really need to move on with your life; I don't want some second person breathing down the back of my neck"?

Was I afraid I'd destroy what we already had?

Besides... it's not like she really wanted--er--needed to know, right? No, she doesn't have to know. I should be proud of what I already have with her... even if it wasn't much more than a really nice friendship. ...Well, at least on my end. To her, I'm probably just an acquaintance; someone she doesn't necessarily like enough to be a quote-unquote "friend", but someone she doesn't necessarily hate, either.

...Screw that. What's with this self-esteem lowering bull crap? Think positive, Cody! Aren't you supposed to be the positive one anyway? Quit selling yourself short. She likes you. Platonically, but she likes you. Didn't you say that was enough? So don't forget it!

...Yeah, how about I quit digressing? Sound like a good idea?

I slept pretty well once I got to bed. Maybe it helped that the soda wasn't caffeinated.

You're probably waiting for me to recall one of my dreams again. ...Meh, the one I had that night wasn't all that great. It was kinda random, actually... which kinda sucks 'cause I want to have that one with Gwen and me in the spotlight again. I really like that one. Hehehe...

The next morning, I found myself looking for Gwen. At first I wasn't expecting she'd be outside--the buffet's only open at lunch and I figured she'd want to stay out of the sun--but then I saw Owen running into the building, his swim trunks hiked up into a massive wedgie.

"Dude, Owen, what happened to you?" I asked, chuckling at the sight.

"Two words, Cody," he said. "Never brag... uh... okay, it's more than two words. Never brag in front of a girl you just beat for one hundred thousand dollars if she's capable of this." He pointed down at his, uh, predicament. Then he ran off again, probably to a medic.

I burst out into a giggle fit. Something told me Gwen was outside after all.

I walked out and spotted two figures in the distance on the dock. Grinning, I walked over to the duo. "So, I saw your handiwork, Gwen."

"It was an accident," Eva said, taking a sip from her drink. "Right, Gwen?"

"Oh, yeah," Gwen said, covering her face, probably holding back a laugh. "I swear, I don't know how that happened."

"Riiiight." I decided to take a seat in the third beach chair on their side of the dock. "So, how are you two lovely ladies doing?"

Eva scoffed. "Me, lovely? Gwen, hand me a mirror so I can prove him wrong... by breaking it over his head."

"Hey, forgive me for complimenting you," I said sarcastically, folding my arms. "So, what's up?"

"Meh, just shooting the breeze with Eva," Gwen said, lying back on her chair, placing her hands in a funeral-esque position like she does when she's sleeping (hey, don't give me that look--I saw it on the tapes). "And then Owen came running up and down the dock hollering and whooping about his winning the contest, and somehow he ended up giving himself a wedgie."

"Yeah, somehow," Eva said, smirking.

"Oh, I bet you had nothing to do with it, Gwen," I said, chuckling.

"Do you really think I would do something like that?" Gwen asked, looking all "innocent."

I shook my head, looking up at the sky. "I... really don't want to answer that."

"Good idea." [2]

-X-

[1] Another WWE reference, this time alluding to Wrestlemania 23, specifically the Battle of the Billionaires. The match was Bobby Lashley vs. the late, great Eddie "Umaga" Fatu, with Donald Trump and Vince McMahon respectively in their corners and Stone Cold Steve Austin as the special guest referee. The loser of the match would result in their respective billionaire having his head shaved bald.

[2] If you haven't already guessed, or if you haven't seen this little video, this last scene is a reference to a short video showing Gwen and Eva on the dock of the Playa des Losers. Gwen tells Eva how she's glad the show is over, and she doesn't feel bad about losing. Owen then runs past them on the dock, holding up the check, exclaiming his victory happily. Eva gives Gwen a look and Gwen tries to tell her that she really is happy for him, and she's not jealous at all; however, Owen still continues to run past them (and even "butt-scoots" past them at one point), bragging about his win. At the end of the video, Gwen gets up, and the screen is fixed on Eva as the viewer hears Owen's cries of pain somewhere off-screen. Gwen comes back, sits back down, and claims it was an "accident", as a scared Owen runs past them one last time with his swim trunks hiked up in a painful-looking way.

-X-

Another thing to tell you guys; don't think I actually wrote this in two days. XD This took, like, four... maybe five days. I don't always submit stuff right away after I type it. Though I do admit oftentimes these chapters can be a real breeze if I have the right mindset.