A/N: First half of No Pain, No Game! Thanks to everyone who has commented/favorited. I really appreciate it! Enjoy!
"I so wish we didn't have to go back to the island," Lindsay sighed, "it's so much better here with the big beds and yummy food and nice showers! I want to stay here. Where there are no bugs. There are so many bugs on the island."
Bridgette rubbed her friend's back. They had already gone through this twice, once last night and once at breakfast, and she wasn't surprised they were going through it again. The reward had been almost too nice, and it was hard to let go of it. Some were having a harder time than others.
"I know, baby," Bridgette comforted, "it is really nice here, but we have to go back to real life now."
"But the island isn't even real life!" Lindsay argued, "so why not stay here? It has everything I need! My friends, a shower, air conditioning… it's the perfect place for me. For us!"
Closing her eyes, Bridgette let out a long sigh. She got it, she did. Why should they leave this nice boat with nice amenities to go back to the shitty island to risk their lives for money? It felt like a punishment, but they were going to dock at any moment now, and Lindsay needed to get her head back into the game.
"Lindsay, it's going to be fine, I promise. Don't you want to win the $100,000?" Bridgette asked, hoping to appeal to her materialistic side.
Lindsay pouted, and Bridgette resisted the urge to laugh. "But $100,000 dollars isn't even that much money," she whined, "especially not when I have to do all this weird stuff to win it." It was quiet for a moment, and then, "it just sucks that we have to go back," Lindsay mumbled, "Heather's there. It was so nice being away from her."
"Oh, Linds, no," Bridgette face softened, "it's okay. There are no more teams, and you have me and Court and our guys. Please don't worry about Heather. I'm sorry, I didn't even think about that."
"I know," Lindsay turned away from the other blonde and looked out across the lake, which was no longer so spacious. She could see the dock and their other castmates waiting on it. Forcing her eyes shut, she turned back around. "Goodbye, beautiful cruise ship. I'm going to miss you so much."
Bridgette smiled and picked her bag up off the floor. It was time. The boat docked, and they were officially back at camp. Grabbing Lindsay's hand, they followed everyone off the boat. As they went, she whispered reassuring words to her friend.
Once they were back on land, Bridgette didn't have a moment to even let go of Lindsay's hand before she heard a loud, "Bridge!" Looking around for the source, she saw Geoff running towards her. What?
"Bridge! Court! You're back!" Geoff pulled the two girls into a joint hug, "please never leave me here alone again! I missed you so much. It sucked without you here."
Completely confused and a little startled, Bridgette just went with it, "oh, um, sure… I missed you, too, Geoff."
Right away, she felt Courtney's eyes on her, silently judging her, and she knew exactly why. She was supposed to be distancing herself from a potential relationship, but she couldn't do it now! He was clearly emotional! Bridgette just mouthed "later" to her.
Courtney shook her head but thankfully let it go. Then, she cleared her throat. "As much as I… enjoy this, Geoff, I'd appreciate it, and I think Bridgette would appreciate it, if you'd let us go."
"Right, sorry, got a lil' swept up," Geoff released the girls but didn't move away from them, "I just missed you two so much! It wasn't the same without you. Like, at all. I'm so happy you're back."
"I'm happy we're back, too," Bridgette lied again, only feeling a little guilty about it, "I missed you on the reward." She heard Courtney gasp and cringed slightly. This was going to bite her in the ass later, but she didn't see what else she could do now. So maybe she didn't like him, but he just looked so happy. She couldn't crush him yet.
Geoff's smile widened, and the lie almost felt worth it. Looking around, she saw that Courtney had already left her for Duncan, and Lindsay had been swept away by Heather. She was on her own with this.
"Really?" Geoff asked, and Bridgette nodded, committing fully to the lie, "what a relief! I didn't know if you would or not. I made you somethin' while you were gone. Can't wait to give it to you!"
Shit, Bridgette thought, the word running through her head several times. He was relieved that she had missed him. He didn't know if she would. He made her something. Shit. Suddenly, she didn't care that Courtney had ditched her because she really did not want to hear what she would have to say about this. (Not that she wouldn't tell her later, but she needed to process this first. Shit.)
Bridgette opened her mouth, then closed it again. She didn't want to – couldn't – lie to him anymore. He didn't deserve that. But, what could she say? Thankfully, that's when Chris spoke over the loudspeaker.
"Welcome back to Camp Wawanakwa, everyone! Breaks over, and it's time for the game to continue! I, for one, am excited to get back into the swing of things. I have an awesome challenge prepared for us today," Chris let out one of his more obnoxious laughs, "one thing first: we're getting some company today!"
The campers all shared confused looks. Company? They had never had company before. Then, a loud horn honked, catching their attention. A boat was coming towards them, one of their former castmates standing at the bow. What was going on? Why was this person coming back? They had already been voted out! Everyone reacted differently.
The former Killer Bass quickly came together, whispering their disbelief. They voted this person out! All of them. If they were back in the game, which was a possibility, they could be back with a vengeance. Bridgette was especially worried. While it had been a group effort, she spearheaded the effort. Today wasn't going well at all.
The former Screaming Gophers were less concerned, excluding one. They weren't the ones who voted them out. The exception was Lindsay, who was now crying.
"Is this real?" Lindsay whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the boat and it's occupant, "please tell me this is real. Please. Someone."
"Oh, it's real," Chris announced, "back, by popular audience demand, it's Tyler!"
A smile slowly spread across Lindsay's face as she rushed to the edge of the dock. She had thought today was going to suck, with the reward ending and having to see Heather and it being a challenge day, but Tyler was back! Her boyfriend! It didn't feel real, and she still wasn't sure if it was. Chris lied all the time.
The boat docked, and Tyler threw his luggage over the edge before getting off. He stood in front of Lindsay and held his arms open for her. Right away, she jumped into them, her own arms clasping around his neck and her legs tightly wrapping around his waist. Then, not caring about their audience, she kissed him. Hard.
"Tyler! I can't believe you're here!" Lindsay squealed, pulling away for a moment, "you're back! Oh, Tyler."
"Believe it, babe, I'm here. I missed you so much," Tyler said, leaning in for another kiss, much to the annoyance of their castmates and host.
"Could you two stop sucking face for one moment?" Heather marched up to the couple and tried to force Lindsay down, "I'm trying to keep the crappy breakfast down, thanks." Achieving her goal, Lindsay's feet now planted firmly on the ground, Heather smirked to herself before turning towards the loudspeaker. "No way is Tyler an audience favorite. He's, like, super boring!" she yelled.
Both Lindsay and Tyler let out an indignant "hey!" as Chris cackled over the speaker, "not really, but I thought he could cause some drama! Especially for those former bass! And another coupe? That's a free added bonus. Also returning to camp it's…" he paused for dramatic effect, "IZZY!"
Just like that, time seemed to stop. Tyler was one thing, but he wasn't a very bad thing. Izzy, however, was a different story. A scary one. Everyone knew about Izzy's flair for dramatics, including those who weren't on her team, and no one wanted to deal with that again.
They heard her before they saw her, screaming at the top of her lungs. Looking around, they spotted a blur of orange and green swinging towards them from a vine. Where it came from was the least of their questions.
"Hey guys! It's good to be back at camp! Even though I never actually left the island. I've been living in the woods all this time!" Izzy said, her arms gesturing wildly.
Gwen held up a finger, "but I thought the RCMP hunted you down!"
Izzy waved a hand, smiling wildly at her, "they tried! But, being a wilderness survivor, I was swift footed and avoided capture. Once I was safe among my animal brethren, it was just me against the harsh elements."
"You call this harsh?" Leshawna interjected, getting swept up in all of it, "it's been warm and sunny all week."
"Not where I was! But luckily I was able to take refuge in the beaver dam!" Izzy smiled to herself, remembering something the others weren't quite sure actually happened. "Yeah, I befriended the family of beavers who lived there, and together we foraged for nuts and berries! Boy, I could use a bag of nachos right now. So! What's new with you guys?"
Instead of answering her, her castmates turned back to the loudspeaker, and Gwen voiced what they were all thinking, "I thought you said once someone was voted off, they could never come back! Ever!"
It was quiet for a moment before, "did I? Don't remember," Chris laughed.
"Yes!" Gwen argued, "you must have said it, what, twenty times? Chris! This isn't okay! It's against the rules!"
"Oh, Gwen, when are you going to realize the rules don't apply to everything?" Chris asked, shutting her, and everyone, up, "well, campers, as fun as this has been, it's time to move on! Let's give Tyler and Izzy a warm welcome as they move back in, and then everyone meet at the amphitheater in thirty minutes. That's where you'll learn all about this week's challenge. McLean out!"
The campers went to their cabins, each of them moving at their own speed. Izzy lead them, excitedly chattering to poor Leshawna and Gwen about nothing. Once they got there, the guys and girls separated, Lindsay reluctantly leaving Tyler. She didn't need Heather trying to give away her bed again, and Tyler had to figure things out with the guys.
Everyone inside, the girls got to business. There were seven of them and eight beds. Izzy was moving in, and, while technically already moved in, Bridgette and Courtney had yet to actually spend a night. Worse, only one bottom bunk was available.
"Izzy! Welcome back to the cabin!" Heather smiled and clasped her hands together, the disdain in her voice masked with over-politeness. "We've missed having you around so much!"
"I've missed being around! It seriously sucked sleeping outside! Like you wouldn't believe." Izzy either failed to notice Heather's fakeness or was flat-out ignoring it, opting to carry on a conversation instead. "Is my bed still available? Because I can just sleep there! I totally understand if it isn't though! I can just sleep on the roof."
Heather forced out a laugh, "still the same Izzy! No one has moved to your bed. But, if you wanted to, you could still sleep on the roof. No one is going to stop you."
Leshawna nodded, completely agreeing with Heather for once, "yeah, girl. We support you in all your endeavors. Sleep in the cabin, sleep on the roof, it doesn't matter to us!"
Looking between the two girls, Izzy's eyes narrowed, causing them to share a concerned glance. Hopefully, that wasn't the completely wrong thing to say. They never knew with her. Thankfully, her face split into a giant grin as she ran up and wrapped an arm around each of them, pulling them close.
"Aw, guys! That's so nice! And I'm not just saying that because this is the first human interaction I've had in three weeks! I'm really touched!"
Leshawna nodded, "no problem. Happy we could figure it out. So… where are you going to sleep?"
Izzy let her arms fall to her side and both Leshawna and Heather took several steps back. "Haven't decided!" She grabbed her bag, which was left at the door, and threw it onto the bunk above Lindsay's. "It all depends on the energy."
"Well, that's settled, I guess," Heather shook her head before turning her attention to Courtney and Bridgette, who were trying to blend into the wall. Neither wanted to be here. "Courtney! Bridgette! It's also nice to have you two back. And, of course, Lindsay." She smiled at the blonde. "Have you two put any more thought into which bunks you'll take? I know we were having trouble with it before."
"Uhm, yeah, sure," Bridgette quickly picked up her bag and shuffled over to the empty bottom bunk. It was an easy choice, either there or above Heather. "I'll just sleep here, if that's okay with everyone."
Her cabinmates hummed approval. While Bridgette's bunk had previously been a big deal, no one cared anymore.
Heather turned to Courtney, "and did you want the bunk above mine or above Bridgette's?"
Courtney gave Heather an unimpressed look, "I'm still not sleeping in this cabin. I don't need either bunk."
"Right, of course!" Heather internally cursed. That was the exact opposite of what she wanted! Courtney needed to be in the cabin if she was to secure an alliance with her. "So, that's it. Court, while you may not be sleeping here, I did really want to talk to you about something. Would you mind if you and I took a quick sidebar? There's still twenty minutes until the challenge."
"Don't call me Court, and no, I don't want to do that at all. Bridgette and I have plans right now, actually." Courtney walked over to the surfer and grabbed her hand. "So, we're going to go. Bye, everyone." Then, without giving Heather a chance to stop her, she pulled Bridgette out of the cabin.
Not believing that just happened, Heather's jaw dropped for a slight moment before gaining control of her muscles. Her face hardened as her mouth closed, her eyes steely. She marched over to her bed and sat down. "Lindsay. Come here. I have some things I need to share with you."
Lindsay cringed as she slowly turned to face Heather, "I'm actually going to go see Tyler now. It's been so long."
"No, you aren't! I haven't seen you in, like, three days," Heather glared at her friend, "come here."
Lindsay shook her head, "and I haven't seen Tyler in, like, a lot longer than three days. It's been weeks! We can talk later, I promise! Right now I just really want to see him. I'm not asking."
Heather crossed her arms over her chest, "what do you mean, you're not asking? Lindsay!"
"She means she isn't asking," Gwen said, sliding up next to Lindsay. She would normally be the last one to come to her aide, but she had to this time. She understood. "Lindsay and I are going to see the guys. I want to see Trent."
"Gwennie, this has absolutely nothing to do with you," Heather stood up and looked the goth up and down, "if you want to go see Trent and give him whatever the fuck is in your pocket, that's your own business. No one cares that much. Don't be so dramatic."
Gwen returned her glare, "I'm not the one being dramatic right now. Come on, Lindsay, let's go," she said before turning and walking out the door. Lindsay ran after her.
Groaning, Heather threw herself onto her bed. "Neither of you say anything about this, or I swear to God…" she threated, burying her head in her pillow.
"Won't hear anything from me," Leshawna laughed, turning to Izzy, "so, what's going on? You missed this?"
Izzy just shrugged, "who cares! Where's… that one girl sleeping? Who's not sleeping here? Is it the roof? Because I claimed it already!" In response, Leshawna just sighed and walked out. Heather could deal with Izzy herself.
Meanwhile, the guys were having an easier time. It took thirty seconds and minimal conversation for Tyler to reclaim his old bunk, the bottom one across from Geoff, and for Trent to throw his stuff on the bed next to that one. No one cared where anyone else slept, and, although they weren't all friends, they were all friendly.
Everything taken care of, they settled into a comfortable silence. There were several conversations that needed to happen, but no one wanted prying ears around. Instead, they just lounged in their beds as the waited for it to get closer to the challenge time.
Then, there was a knock on the door. Geoff, being the closest, opened it and found Gwen and Lindsay. "Ladies! What's up? What brings you by?"
"I was wondering if Tyler wanted to hang out with me," Lindsay rocked on her heels, looking around Geoff to her boyfriend. She caught his eye and waved, watching happily as a grin lit up his features. "Tyler! Come here!"
The boy in question quickly joined them at the door. Before he even had a chance to greet Lindsay, she grabbed his hand and dragged him away from the cabin. They had time to make up for.
Them gone, Geoff turned to Gwen, "you here for Trent?"
Gwen nodded, pulling the mini guitar sculpture she made him out of her pocket, "can you get him?"
"Yeah, hang on a minute," Geoff said, turning his head back, "Trent! Your girl's here!" Then, he turned back to Gwen, "good luck! You've got this no doubt."
"Thanks," Gwen laughed as she tried to stop the oncoming blush and stuck the guitar sculpture back into her pocket.
A few seconds later, Geoff was replaced by Trent. He stepped onto the porch, and the door closed behind him. "Gwen! I guess you're my girl now! How are you?"
Gwen gave him a small smile and ducked her head, "I'm good. Can we go for a walk? I wanted to talk to you."
"Yeah, definitely," Trent returned her smile, "I wanted to talk to you, too, so this is actually perfect! I missed you while I was on reward. Also, I learned a lot of stuff about Courtney and Duncan and Bridgette. But first, how were things here?"
"You don't want to hear about that," Gwen started walking, no destination in mind, and Trent followed, "a lot of fighting. Leshawna and I made up. I talked to Geoff some. It was boring."
"You and Leshawna made up?" Trent asked. Gwen just nodded, "That's good! I hoped you would. Do you want to hear about the reward now or later? We needed to figure out how we're going to get Courtney out. I don't think Bridgette, Duncan, or Lindsay are going to help."
Gwen shrugged, "later. I actually made you something while you were gone and wanted to give it to you." She pulled something out of her pocket, and Trent tried not to seem too interested. "It's just a little guitar because you play guitar. I made it in the arts and crafts tent."
Taking it out of her hands, Trent looked at it fondly before sticking it in his pocket, "thanks! I didn't know we had an arts and crafts tent. I really like it!"
"You're welcome," Gwen said. Then, she took a deep breath. The easy part was over, and now it was time to confess her feelings. "There was kinda something else, too."
Trent looked at her, "yeah?"
Gwen nodded. They had reached the forest, and she was glad for it. The further away they were from everyone else while they had this conversation, they better. Though both Geoff and Leshawna had assured her that he felt the same way, she was still nervous.
"You'd say we've become pretty close since the start of the summer, right?" Gwen carefully looked in front of her.
"Uhm, yeah? We're really good friends," Trent's voice was confused, "why? Did I do something?"
Gwen's face snapped to his, "what? No! You didn't do anything, at least not recently. Trent, what if I told you wanted to be more than really good friends?"
"Like best friends? Because you are my best friend on this island, Gwen. I just didn't want to say because I know Leshawna is probably yours," Trent said. It almost sounded like she wanted to be in a relationship with him, but he wouldn't let himself get excited. It was probably nothing.
Sighing, Gwen shook her head, "not like best friends. I was actually thinking more than that, even." Trent's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Gwen kept talking. "I really missed you while you were on the reward. I kept thinking about how much better things would be if you were at camp, too.
"Things have been kind of shaky between us in the past, but recently they've been really good. I want it to be better. I don't want to be your best friend, even though that is really nice. I like you. I want to be your girlfriend. And I hope you want to be boyfriend. If you don't, I get it. I'll just go back to camp and never look at you again. God, I'm so embarrassed," she closed her eyes and stopped walking, "I shouldn't have done this. Trent, nevermi…"
"Gwen, stop talking," Trent interrupted, grabbing her hand, "that sounds really nice. I'd like that, too."
Opening an eye, peeked over at him, "really?"
"Really," Trent confirmed, "I like you, too. I'm glad you said something."
"I'm glad I said something, too," Gwen opened both of her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief, "I was kinda nervous. The guy is usually the one who makes the move, so I didn't know how you'd feel about me doing it. Or if you even wanted a move to be made."
"I did, I promise. I'm sorry for taking so long and forcing you to have to do it," Trent started walking again, Gwen going with him, "but I'm secretly relieved that I don't have to do it. It's scary. Thank you."
Gwen smiled at him, "you're welcome. So, uh, do you want to tell me about the reward and everything?"
Trent nodded and launched into a detailed account of the past three days. He knew now more than ever that Courtney was the best option for him and Gwen, but he didn't know where he would find the extra votes. So many people liked her.
Soon enough, it was time for the challenge, and everyone gathered at the amphitheater. There was makeshift stadium seating with desks on a corner of the stage and a spinning wheel in the middle. The campers couldn't tell what was on it, but it couldn't be anything good.
Chris explained the challenge, which was simple enough in theory. They had to endure different painful situations for ten seconds or they were out. There was also a beautiful reward for the last one standing: a private trailer with a nice bed and hot shower.
Duncan was called up first, no explanation given, and Chris spun the wheel for him. It landed on turtle puck shots (which had to be animal cruelty), and he finished it without complication. Then, it was Lindsay's turn.
Bouncing to the center of the stage, Lindsay stood next to Chris. He spun the wheel, and it landed on marshmallow waxing. She smiled. Waxing was nothing compared to some of the other challenges, and it was something she had quite a bit of experience with.
"Oh, I so need this!" Lindsay exclaimed, "I've been dealing with nasty razor stubble for weeks. This is good."
Chef just rolled his eyes before dropping the marshmallow wax on her face. She took it like a champ. From the crowd, Tyler yelled, "come on, Linds! You got it!" though his encouragement wasn't needed. The ten seconds finished, and Chef removed the wax. Immediately she touched her face, smiling at its smoothness.
"Is it already over? That was nothing!" Lindsay stood up from the table, "I can't believe how smooth that is! Thanks, Chris!"
"Sure, Lindsay. Glad this challenge is fun for you. That's really what I was going for," Chris deadpanned as she sat back down between Tyler and Bridgette, "oh well. Since you didn't even complain once, you get to choose who goes next!"
Lindsay beamed, happy that she kicked ass in the first challenge, before she realized just what that meant. She had to pick the next person! They could be eliminated because of her! She didn't want that. "No thanks."
Chris shook his head, "sorry. You have to. Them's the rules. So, who's it going to be?"
No! She didn't want to do this! Lindsay liked everyone and didn't want to be the reason anyone got out! And, the one person she would choose, she couldn't! Heather would be so mad. Looking at Tyler, he just shrugged. He didn't want to piss anyone off so soon after getting there. Lindsay sighed and turned to Bridgette. She offered the same gesture as Tyler.
"Do I really have to?" Lindsay asked, to which Chris nodded. She sighed again, her eyes still trained on the other blonde. "okay, then. I guess, if I have to, I'll choose…" She closed her eyes and decided she would just say the first name she thought of. "Bridgette. I choose Bridgette." Opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was Bridgette, and she realized her mistake. "Wait! No! I don't want to choose Bridgette! Can I pick someone else?"
"Already said the name," Chris grimaced, though it was clear he was enjoying this, "Bridgette, come on up and see what you get!"
Lindsay stood up, "no! Please? Chris, I don't want Bridgette to get out."
"It's too late, Lindsay. You said the name," Chris repeated while Bridgette grabbed Lindsay's hand and stood up, "hey, it's okay. I can do this. I'm not getting out, don't worry about it. I'm not mad."
"Are you sure?" Lindsay's free hand found Bridgette's, and she squeezed them, "because I'm really sorry."
Bridgette smiled, "I know, babe. We're good. Don't worry."
Lindsay gave Bridgette's hand another squeeze before letting go of them, "okay. Thank you." She sat back down. "You're going to beat this challenge. I know it."
"Bridgette! I'm waiting!" Chris snapped, interrupting their nice moment. Bridgette just rolled her eyes and started towards the center of the stage. "And Lindsay, you might not want to cheer her on so much. Because, if she wins, you're out! Did I forget to mention that earlier?" Both Lindsay and Bridgette nodded. "Of course I did. If your victim completes their challenge, then you're out! Either way someone's done. Now come on."
Sharing a final look at Lindsay, Bridgette walked down the steps. Well, that sucked. When Bridgette finally made it to the center of the stage, Chris smiled.
"Nice of you to finally join us up here. Would you like to roll the wheel or should I?"
"I'll do it," Bridgette reached up and gave the wheel a tug, watching as it landed on "LEECHES."
"Nice! Leeches! Let's do it!" Chris motioned for Chef to get it ready, "for this one, you'll have to sit in a barrel of leeches for ten seconds! Be careful, they like to latch on. Hope you don't lose too much blood here," he laughed.
Bridgette sighed but didn't complain. She didn't like that they were using animals for any challenge, but it wasn't the time to say anything about it. Instead, she needed to prepare. Leeches sucked, both literally and figuratively, a fact she knew firsthand.
It took a minute, but Chef filled the barrel up with water. He would drop the leeches in after she got in. It was time! Bridgette channeled all the positive vibes around her, and grabbed onto the barrel, intending on climbing in.
However, before she could, someone from the audience stopped her. "Bridge! Wait!" Geoff stood up, and Bridgette gapped at him. What was he doing? "I'll do it for you! Chris, can I do that?"
Chris groaned, annoyed that this was taking longer than necessary, "yeah, fine, whatever. Just hurry up. We need to get on with this." He groaned again, mumbling something about teenagers under his breath.
Bridgette turned, her hands still on the barrel, "are you sure?"
"I'm totally sure!" Geoff walked down the steps and joined her and Chris, "don't want you to have to do it!"
"But I can," Bridgette hands dropped from the barrel, and she took a small step away from it.
"I know, Bridge! But I wanna do this for you," Geoff's hands found the barrel and he hoisted himself up, "I don't want you to be the one who gets Lindsay out. I'll do it! I know she's your friend."
Bridgette watched as he descended into the water and then nodded, "okay. Thanks, Geoff. This is really sweet of you." She gave him an apologetic smile as she walked back up to her seat. While she was happy she didn't have to risk either getting out herself or getting Lindsay out, she needed to put space between herself and him. Geoff doing this for her only brought them closer, and she knew it.
Chef dumped the leeched into the water, and Geoff's reaction was instant. His shut his eyes tightly, and he clenched his teeth together. Chances were, he wasn't going to last.
Sure enough, four second later, Geoff flew out of the bucket, shaking his arms and legs to get all the leeches off. He didn't even make it halfway! Bridgette closed her eyes. She hadn't asked him to do this, but she still felt bad. He was out, and he definitely intended this as a romantic gesture.
Since this was the first person to fail a challenge, Chris reminded the campers of the punishment. They would be sent to the dining hall, or the Losers' Hangout, where they couldn't watch the rest of the challenge.
The next several rounds of the challenge passed quickly relative to the first few. The only camper to get eliminated was DJ, and no one had to pick anyone. Bridgette especially was doing well. Now that Geoff wasn't there to take the challenges for her, she was knocking them out of the park. Because of this, Chris let her decide who could go next.
Bridgette picked Trent, who couldn't even start his challenge. Chris was disappointed that no one would be fighting Sasquatchanakwa, but the challenge had to go on, so he called Izzy up. She always made things interesting.
Chris continued picking campers by random order until everything on the first wheel had been landed on. The challenge wasn't over, not by a longshot, and he had something special planned for the first switch. He had four backup wheels, but the campers didn't know that. He called Courtney up and explained to her that, because there was nothing left, she would have to do ten seconds of everything. This was going to be awesome.
"What, Chris? That's unfair!" Courtney argued, a hand on her hip, "there are at least twenty-five different challenges on that board! You can't expect that of me! Those aren't within the rules, and I've already done three. Am I supposed to do them again?"
"Oh, but I can expect that of you," Chris grinned sadistically at her. Courtney was the most fun to rile up, and she was already delivering. "There's no rule against it."
Courtney narrowed her eyes at him, and she was dangerously closed to stamping her foot, "this is bullshit. No one else has had to do more than one at a time. Just make something else up."
"Woah, easy on the language, Courtney," Chris reprimanded, "kids are going to be watching this show. And, no, I don't think I will. I've already decided that this is what you have to do."
"And if I refuse to do it? Cite it as unfair? Because it is." Courtney wouldn't give in. This was ridiculous.
Chris' grin grew larger, "then you're out. I thought you knew the rules, Courtney. You're always talking about them."
Sighing, Courtney turned to the audience. She scanned the crowd and took in their expressions. They were anywhere between bored and sympathetic. Her eyes found Duncan's, and he gave her an encouraging smile. She gave him a slight nod, letting him know she appreciated it.
Courtney turned back to Chris, "just so you know, I'm not happy about this. I still think it's incredibly unfair, but I'll do it. It's not worth arguing with you about, but I'm sure if I had a little more time I could make you see it my way."
"Doubtful, Courtney, but let's move on and actually start," Chris motioned for Chef to set up the first torture, which was skunks. This was one she had already done, so at least they were starting her out easy. "Okay, go on. And! You only get five seconds between each challenge, so I hope you're ready."
Courtney muttered a curse word under her breath. Of course, she would only get five seconds between each challenge. Why wouldn't she? It was whatever Chris wanted. Taking a deep breath, she started her first torture. The ten seconds passed quickly, and she moved on to the next one.
As she went through the challenges, Courtney focused on her friends and boyfriend encouraging her and Chef setting up the next one before her. Knowing what was coming was a small comfort, and it was the only one she got. She finished the first ten tortures, and she smiled to herself. She was roughly a third of the way done! It was closing in on two minutes now, but it hadn't seemed that long.
However, the physical effects of back to back to back challenges started taking its toll on her body, and she found it harder to hang on. No single torture was horrible, but her energy was draining and fast. The eighteenth challenge, which was balancing on a narrow stump while holding a bag of ice in each hand proved to be too much, and she had to step down.
"Fuck," Courtney mumbled as she dropped the ice, "I suck. I was so close." She folded her hands together in hopes of warming them. "This is bullshit. So unfair. Fuck."
"Courtney! What happened?" Chris asked, pulling her out of herself, "you were doing so well. I really thought you could pull this off. Man, I hate being wrong. Off you go to the Losers' Hangout. Better luck next time."
Courtney looked at the ground, refusing to acknowledge anyone. She had failed herself and those rooting for her. It wasn't her fault, the challenge was ridiculously stacked against her, but it still stung. She just bobbed her head before dashing off the stage and towards the dining hall. At least no one there had seen that pathetic display.
The dining hall was different than Courtney had ever seen it. The tables and chairs had been moved out, forcing them to either stand or sit on the floor. A bored college-aged intern was sitting on the serving line, and she assumed she was their chaperone, which she didn't think they needed. Trent was sitting against the left wall, and Geoff and DJ were near the right one.
Courtney joined her former teammates, sitting down next to DJ. Both him and Geoff were giving her questioning looks, likely wondering what had happened, but she just shook her head. It was the most asinine way to get eliminated, and she didn't want to talk about it.
"I hate Chris. I hate this challenge," Courtney hugged her knees and rested her head on her shoulder, "I hate being back on this stupid island where rules don't mean anything."
"Sorry," DJ said, patting her on the shoulder, "want to talk about it?"
Courtney shook her head, "I don't even want to think about it. I just want to… I just want to sit here. I'm so mad. I shouldn't be here."
Sharing a quick look with Geoff, DJ laughed, "we can tell. Still, I'm sorry about whatever happened. How's everything else going over there?"
Courtney shrugged the best she could, "fine. Bridgette's doing phenomenally, and Izzy is… I don't know what Izzy is, but she loves it. Everyone else is doing decent. Some of the challenges are stupidly easy while others are almost impossible. As always, Chris shows no regard for the rules. Maybe Tyler or Heather is out next. Maybe Gwen. I don't know."
"I hope Bridgette wins, then." DJ commented before moving on, "I guess this is the first time I've talked to you in a couple of days. I have some stuff for you."
Lifting her head from her shoulder, Courtney sent him a questioning look, "what kind of stuff? Good or bad?"
DJ smiled, "game stuff. We have an… interesting offer, you and me. I'll let you decided if it's good or bad."
"Well, what is it? Aren't you going to tell me?" Courtney pressed, straightening herself out.
"I thought I would build it up some," DJ laughed, "but yeah, I can tell you. Heather wants an alliance with you, me, her, and Lindsay. She wants you, me, and her in the final three."
Courtney blinked. She blinked again. She looked at Geoff, who had likely tuned them out one DJ had said the words "game stuff." She looked back at DJ, who was watching her expectantly. Then, she started laughing.
"What? No, she doesn't!" Courtney said between giggles.
DJ nodded, "she does. She told me yesterday. She thinks the three of us would work well together, and that she's interested in trying it out. I expect she's going to try to get you alone at some point today to tell you about it, but I wanted to tell you first. I already told her you wouldn't want to."
Courtney continued to laugh, "but why? I've never given her any indication that I like her! In fact, I've been quite clear that I don't."
"Apparently, you and I are the only two bass worth anything, and she thinks we have great potential as a team. She respects us or something," DJ chuckled, shaking his head, "I don't know. I don't know why she thinks that, but she's determined to make it happen."
"I'm more determined," Courtney said, finally done laughing, "there is no way I will ever willingly work with her in this game. Especially not without Bridgette or Duncan."
"Yeah, I thought that's what you'd say, and I told her that when she brought it up," DJ said, "she didn't seem to think it was that big of a deal." He leaned towards her and let out a soft chuckle before asking, "so, do you think we should go for it?"
Courtney rolled her eyes, "yeah, let's ditch all our friends in favor of a terrible person. Great idea. That's how we'll get further in the game, not sticking together."
DJ laughed, holding his hands out in surrender, "you're not holding any punches. But I think we should think about it."
"Why?" Courtney rewrapped her arms around her legs, "we already have an alliance. I don't want to change it."
"We wouldn't have to change it, Court. Heather's already said as much," DJ said, "I just think we should keep our options open. She could help us out in the future, and it really wouldn't hurt anything now. We can still work with Duncan and Bridgette. It's just a little extra insurance."
Courtney considered this. DJ wasn't wrong, but the thought of willingly working with Heather made her skin crawl. She'd sooner roll over and die. "You're right, but I don't like it. It's not even something I want to think about right now. Do you actually want to work with her?"
"I mean, not really," DJ shrugged, "it's just easy. I told her I wasn't considering it and that you wouldn't either, but it's something to think about. We have the same goal. Why not use her vote?"
"She'll probably try to hold it over us, and that's not something I want to deal with right now, for one," Courtney said, "she can vote for whoever she wants to, but I'm not going to seek her out for her vote. I'm not asking her to do anything for me."
"I don't think she will," DJ disagreed, "we talked for a while yesterday, and I think all she wants is for the three of us to vote together sometimes. Please, just hear her out when she comes to you, okay? Pretend to think it over."
Nodding, Courtney sighed, "I'll let her talk, but that's it. Let's move on now. I don't want to talk about this anymore until I get a chance to either hear what she actually has to say or talk about it with Duncan."
DJ smiled, "I'm good with that." He nudged Geoff in the shoulder, getting his attention. "hey, man, we're done with the game talk. You wanna join us?"
"Finally," Geoff joked, scooting closer to his friends to form a half-circle, "thought I was gonna hafta pretend to listen to that until the challenge was over. Or at least 'til Bridge got here. What's going on?"
"Nothing's going on," Courtney started as the dining hall door opened again. She paused to see who it was, but it was just Gwen, so she continued. "DJ was telling me about… some stuff. And now we're going to talk about something different. How was camp?"
DJ grimaced, "I actually told Geoff yesterday. He knows. Sorry," he apologized while Geoff motioned over to Trent and Gwen, who were sitting close, "you see that? I did that. Just call me Match-Maker Geoff."
Though she knew she would regret it, Courtney had to ask, "what are you talking about? Also, I'm not going to call you that."
Geoff got up on his knees and fell towards Courtney, grabbing her shoulder, "I'm talkin' about true love! Did you know Gwen likes Trent? I think they're together now! I helped do that!"
DJ struggled to keep it together while Courtney swatted his hands away. Geoff was oddly proud of how everything had happened yesterday and now today, and it was all he wanted to talk about. This was going to be a long and involved story with many tangents.
Over the next twelve minutes, Courtney learned all about Gwen and Trent, Gwen and Leshawna, and how Geoff "singlehandedly" stopped all the arguing yesterday. She also learned about how Geoff was certain that his and Bridgette's time was soon and about the picture he had drawn for her. She wanted to, but she couldn't tell him about what had transpired on the reward. That was up to Bridgette. She just hoped it would be soon.
Thankfully, before it got too clear that something was off, the door opened, and Duncan came in. Courtney smiled at him, waving him over.
Duncan came and sat down next to Courtney, close enough that their sides were touching. Stretching his legs out in front of him, he gave DJ and Geoff a quick wave before wrapping his arm around her. "You okay, babe? Your elimination was bullshit."
"I'm fine. As long as I don't think about it," Courtney sighed, slowly blowing out, "can I sit on your lap? I'm tired of sitting on the floor."
"Yeah, Princess, give me a sec," Duncan moved his legs into a crisscross position and straighten up before the arm around her shoulder dropped down to her hip, "come here." He helped her onto his lap and wrapped an arm across her stomach. She bent her knees so that her ankles brushed against his calves, shifting until she was comfortable.
"Thanks," Courtney whispered, giving him a soft smile.
Duncan pressed his free hand onto her shoulder, rubbing it, "no problem. Sure you're okay?" Courtney nodded, so he took her word for it and addressed the whole group, "what are we talking about?"
Geoff, excited to tell his success story to another person, opened his mouth, but DJ beat him to it.
"Nothing, we're not talking about anything," DJ shot a glance at Geoff hoping to calm him down. The blond visibly deflated, and he only felt a little bad about it. "Court, did you want to tell him about Heather?"
"What about Heather?" Duncan asked as Courtney nodded.
Turning her head towards him, Courtney said, "Heather wants an alliance with me, her, and DJ. He told me about it a little ago. Apparently, it's something to consider."
"But you already have an alliance with me, babe," Duncan feigned a hurt expression, "you can't join another one without me, babe. I didn't hear my name."
Courtney rolled her eyes, "I'm not joining an alliance without you, babe. Heather hasn't even talked to me about it yet, so I don't know all the details. Even so, it's a nonstarter. I'm not playing this game without you or Bridgette."
Duncan's hand on her shoulder moved down the front of her body, and he linked his arms together, "good, cos I wouldn't let you. I need you by my side. I can't even imagine you working with Heather. You two would eat each other alive. My money's on you, by the way."
"As it should be," Courtney laughed before getting serious. They needed to have a conversation about this and the vote, and now was as good a time as any. Duncan and Courtney carried the bulk of the conversation, DJ answering questions about Heather's proposal as needed. Geoff tuned them out completely.
This continued until the door opened again, Tyler coming in. DJ and Geoff excused themselves to go talk to him in hopes of rekindling their friendship with him. They all voted him out, and there was a chance he was upset about it.
Ten more minutes passed before the next person came in. Heather. As with everyone who came before her, the campers stopped what they were doing and watched what she would do. Quickly scanning the crowd, she found her intended target and stalked over to her.
"Courtney, hey! Sorry about how you got eliminated. Even I'll admit that it wasn't fair," Heather squatted down behind Duncan, "I was wondering if I could talk to you? Alone?"
Courtney, who was no longer sitting on Duncan's lap but kneeling between his knees, looked over his shoulder and nodded, "I suppose that would be okay. We can just stay here. Babe, you mind?"
Shaking his head, Duncan stood up, but not without pressing a kiss to her cheek, "find me after?" Courtney nodded, and he left to join DJ, Geoff, and Tyler. Once they were alone, she turned around, sitting down next to Heather.
"You two are cute, I guess," Heather started, deciding against fake niceties. She wouldn't drag this out. "I assume you already know why I'm here?"
"DJ told me," Courtney confirmed.
Heather smiled, "great. Any questions?"
Courtney looked at her carefully, her eyes squinting, "why?"
Why? Wasn't it obvious? "Because you and I are the best ones at this game. Because, by the looks of it, DJ is a great number two and because Lindsay mostly does whatever I tell her, and she really likes you. Because I want to win, and I assume you want to win, too. Because, despite what you think, we actually have a lot in common. We'd both do whatever it takes to win. I think we'd be great friends if you gave it a chance. What do you say?"
"Heather, no," Courtney sighed, looking in front of her, "I can't, and, even if I could, I don't want to. You know I don't like you, and I already have other relationships I'm invested in."
"I think you'd like me if you let yourself, and, yes, I know. Blonde one and juvie and even other blond one are safe for now. This isn't an exclusive thing, at least not yet," Heather mirrored Courtney's position, "I just want to see how this would work. I have a good feeling about us. Let me in today's vote, that's all I'm asking."
Courtney sighed again, closing her eyes, "I'll think about it. We haven't decided who exactly we're going for, but I might let you know once we do. And let me assure you: you and I will never be friends. I'm better than that."
"You're good at this game, Courtney. You know better than to shut down potential allies," Heather turned towards her, "and, pretty soon, others are going to realize you're good at this game. You never know when you'll need some extra help, and I'm offering to be that for you. Don't burn this bridge. You don't want me as your enemy."
"I'm sure I don't," Courtney opened her eyes and faced Heather, "I understand where you're coming from, but it's not going to happen. I'm sorry."
Heather shook her head, her expression neutral, "don't be. This isn't over. I respect you as a game player and even as a person, so I'll give you some time. I'm usually right about stuff like this. Just think about it. Let me know the vote, and I'll vote with you. We'd make a good pair."
Courtney nodded, "okay. I'll think it over, but that's all. Just to end this conversation."
Holding out her hand for a handshake, Heather broke out into the closest thing to a genuine smile Courtney had ever seen on her, "Great! I really hope you give this some actual consideration. You won't regret it."
"I'm almost certain I would," Courtney muttered, but she still took the handshake.
A/N: So there's the first half of No Pain, No Game. I decided to bring Tyler back instead of Eva because I have bigger plans for Eva if I ever make it to World Tour. Since Eva can't be eliminated who do you think will be? Who do you think will win immunity? There are still four campers left!
As always, if you enjoyed it please leave a comment! I always appreciate them, and I'm thankful to everyone who has in the past. I'm going to try to be better about responding to them. The next chapter should be out in two weeks, and it will be the second half of No Pain, No Game. I haven't yet started on Search and Do Not Destroy. And now, to plug my tumblr. Follow me at i-wish-i-was-kidding. I post about my fic, total drama in general, and a few other things. I'd love it if you'd stop by!