The bathroom light flickered for the third time in the past minute. It had been doing that for the past four days, getting increasingly worse as time passed. However, anytime one of the girls brought it up to Chris, he would wave his hand and tell them they were lucky they got light at all. It flickered again, and Courtney glared at the offending fixture.

"You think it's ridiculous Chris won't fix the light too, right?" Courtney asked Heather, who was applying mascara.

"Oh, totally," Heather looked up at the light, then at Courtney, "I wouldn't think working overhead lighting is a luxury, but apparently it is. This place is a shithole."

Courtney smiled, "I'd say that's accurate. God forbid we're able to see."

Heather barked out a laugh, and Courtney turned back to the mirror. She wasn't supposed to be joking around with Heather. Clearing her throat, Courtney picked up her hair straightener, "if you'll excuse me, I need to finish straightening my hair. You know how Chris feels about continuity."

Rolling her eyes, Heather said, "what, you can't talk and straighten your hair at the same time? Talk to me. It won't be as horrible as you think it will."

"Fine," Courtney glanced at Heather from the corner of her eye, "we can talk, I guess. But this doesn't mean we're friends or anything."

"Of course it doesn't. Why would it?" Heather turned and hopped up onto the counter, sitting on it. She faced Courtney. "So, I think blonde one really misses you."

Her brows furrowing, Courtney looked over at Heather. What? Surely, Heather was just trying to start something, but she looked genuine. But Bridgette couldn't miss her. She hadn't gone anywhere! "Why are you telling me this? No she doesn't. Also, she has a name. I'd appreciate if you'd use it."

"Sorry, I think Bridgette really misses you," Heather repeated, rolling her eyes again, "and, yeah, she kinda does. Maybe if you bothered to stop by the cabin, you'd see."

Courtney scoffed and turned back to the mirror. Heather didn't know what she was talking about, and it was hypocritical of her to imply Courtney was being a bad friend. The way she treated Lindsay was abysmal. Besides, she knew Heather didn't care about Bridgette. Her motives were shady.

"What? Did she tell you this? Because I doubt she did. I don't know where you're getting your information, but it's wrong."

"She didn't have to tell me," Heather folded her hands in her lap, "it's obvious. You've left her in the dust, Court. You spend all your time with juvie and have none for anyone else. Also, I heard her tell Lindsay."

"That's not true," Courtney abandoned her straightener and turned towards Heather, completely meaning her words. It wasn't true! So, maybe she spent a lot of time with Duncan, but she hadn't left Bridgette in the dust. She hadn't. She was a good friend, a better friend than Heather. "That's not true! Bridgette and I hang out all the time!"

Heather arched a brow, "and when was the last time?"

When was the last time? Courtney racked her brain, and the answer was a pathetic three days ago, after the alliance meeting. Sure, they'd seen each other in passing and during meals, but she hadn't intentionally hung out with her without others, specifically Duncan, around since then. And, even then, it was only because she needed to check in about the Geoff thing. Then, there were all the other times she chose Duncan over everything. Maybe she hadn't been a good friend recently, but that didn't mean Heather could say it.

"Look, can I speak candidly for a moment?" Heather asked. The silence could only be an admittance of guilt. Or, at the very least, an agreement.

"I suppose you can," Courtney clipped.

Heather smiled, "Great. Stop me if you think I've gone too far." She paused for a moment and smoothed down her already perfect hair, just to give Courtney a chance to back out. When she didn't say anything, Heather continued, "you're a girl with a boyfriend. That's it. You're letting that be all you are, and I know you're more than that. I know we aren't friends yet, but I'd like to be, and friends call each other out on their crap.

"Date juvie, I don't care. Honestly, good for you for getting some, but don't ditch your friends. All you do is hang out with him. I'm surprised he's not in here right now considering you two are attached at the hip. No one is that interesting, Court, especially not when you claim to have other friends around.

"Bridgette has said multiple times now that she misses you. She tells Lindsay, who actually manages to tear herself away from Tyler to sleep in the cabin. Don't get me wrong, the less girls in there, the better, but you should probably make time for your so-called best friend. No one likes the girl who ignores everyone in favor of her boyfriend, and I don't think she's who you want to be."

Throughout Heather's speech, Courtney became increasingly guilty. Heather was absolutely correct, she hadn't been making any effort to spend time with Bridgette or Lindsay or anyone else who wasn't Duncan, and that was gross. She wasn't being a good friend.

Courtney looked briefly at the ground. Then, "are you done?" Heather just nodded, and Courtney took her turn to speak. "Why are you telling me this? It can't be out of the goodness of your heart. You don't care about Bridgette."

Laughing, Heather got down from the counter so that she could stand in front of Courtney. "No, I really don't. I'm telling you this because I like you, because you're too good to just be someone's girlfriend, because someone has to. And, okay, blonde one's been a little annoying about it. My advice? Just spend an hour with her."

"Okay, thank you," Courtney carefully looked Heather in the eyes as she unplugged her straightener, "I actually appreciate you being honest with me. I'll talk to you later."

"When you tell me about the vote for tonight?" Heather asked, and Courtney could only roll her eyes, "yes, I did tell you I would. Bye."

Heather smiled and waved as Courtney shoved her straightener into her designated cubby. Then, Courtney left the bathroom, fully intending on finding Bridgette. She didn't know how much time was left before the challenge, but she needed to talk to her best friend. Find out why she never told her this.

Courtney was hurt that Bridgette didn't tell her how she felt. She didn't think Heather was lying, which meant that Bridgette had been holding onto this since at least the last challenge. Probably longer. Did she not value their friendship enough to tell her? Courtney didn't like that thought and hoped that wasn't it.

However, before Courtney even had the chance to wonder where Bridgette could be, Duncan came out of the boys' bathroom. She nodded at him, and he took it as an invitation to join her in the middle of camp. He stood beside her.

"Babe, what's up?" Duncan asked, taking in her appearance. Her eyebrows were knit together, and she almost looked concerned. "You okay?"

Courtney turned to him, her expression unchanging, "yes. I'm fine." She had wanted to find Bridgette, but this might be a better conversation to have first. "Hey, can we talk? Nothing bad."

Grabbing her hand, Duncan laughed, "when you say it like that, I definitely think it's something bad, but yeah, we can talk." He waited for her to lead him wherever she wanted to go, but she didn't move. He glanced at her. "So, did you just want to stay here? In the middle of camp? Or, do you maybe want to go somewhere less… in the middle of camp?"

"Cabin porch," Courtney said, pulling him towards there, "we can go to the cabin porch. Sorry, I'm thinking."

"You sure you're okay? Court, what's going on?" Duncan tried to keep his tone light, but she was acting strange, and he didn't like it. Was everything okay with them?

"Nothing's going on. I'm fine. Everything's fine." Courtney sat down on one of the steps, and Duncan sat next to her. She didn't let go of his hand as she looked at him. "Heather told me she thinks we spend too much time together and that I'm turning into a girl with a boyfriend."

Duncan's expression morphed from confusion mixed with concern to confusion mixed with annoyance. Since when did Courtney listen to anything Heather had to say? "Bullshit. You are a girl with a boyfriend. Me, it's me, and I think we spend just the right amount of time together. Do you think we spend too much time together?"

Courtney shook her head, looking down, "no, but that's not what she meant. She meant that's all I was turning into. Honey, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but I want to be more than just your girlfriend. I don't want that to be my only personality trait."

"It's not your only personality trait, though," Duncan said, "you're a lot of things. I would know, I spend all my time with you."

"That!" Courtney pointed at him with her free hand, "that's what she meant! That we spend all our time with each other and none with anyone else! She said I ditched everyone for you. Trust me, I usually wouldn't listen to her about you or anything, but she isn't wrong. It's true. When was the last time you actually hung out with someone who wasn't me on purpose? Or we hung out separately? Duncan, I love being your girlfriend so much, but I think I've become a bad friend."

Okay, so maybe they hadn't hung out separately in several days, and maybe he hadn't tried to hang out with someone else for several days before that, but that didn't mean they spent too much time together. Courtney was a great friend and so much more than just his girlfriend. Heather was such a shit disturber.

"Why the fuck does Heather even care? Shit, babe, it's none of her business, and you two aren't friends. So what we spend a lot of time together? You're still a good friend."

"No, I'm not," Courtney dropped his hand and looked out at the camp, "she likes me. Maybe it's riddled with selfish reasoning, but I kind of deserved to be called out, and I appreciate that she did it. She said that Bridgette talks about how much she misses me all the time. Maybe Heather and I aren't friends, but Bridgette and I are supposed to be. I ditched her."

Duncan sighed and grabbed her hand again, pulling it into his lap. This wasn't new information to him, Bridgette missing her, and he understood how Courtney felt. Even if he didn't think she was a bad friend, a case could be made. "Okay, but I don't think Bridgette's mad about it. She said she missed you on reward, but she understands."

Courtney's head snapped to him, "she told you that?" Duncan just nodded. "When? Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't she tell me?"

Letting go of her hand, Duncan wrapped his arm around her, "on reward before the whole Geoff thing. She said she missed you because you were always hanging out with me. I didn't tell you because the moment we were alone, you took your top off. I wasn't about to bring up Bridgette then, and I forgot until now. I'm sorry. I don't know why she didn't tell you."

"Well, just tell me next time," Courtney sighed, leaning into his side, "Duncan, I feel awful. Why wouldn't she tell me that she misses me? She told everyone else but not me." She faltered for a moment. Then, in a small voice, "does she not care enough to tell me? Does she not value our friendship?"

Duncan wrapped his other arm around her in a makeshift hug, "baby, I'm sure that's not it. Sorry I didn't tell you. You're not a bad friend, though. You didn't know."

Courtney nodded, "thank you. I wanted to talk to her now, but this was helpful. I'm just hurt she didn't tell me. I never intended to ditch her. She's supposed to be my best friend."

"She is your best friend, and this is as much on her as it is you for not saying anything about it. If she misses you, she should tell you, okay? You shouldn't have had to find this out from Heather or from me."

"I thought that," Courtney said, laying her head on his shoulder, "but then I thought I was just trying to justify my wrongdoing. We need to spend time with our friends this afternoon. I need to talk to Bridgette about this."

"Yeah. If that's what you want to do," Duncan tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer to him, "we're still sleeping together though, right? That's not part of this?"

Unable to prevent her giggles, Courtney shook her head, "no, that's not part of this. Of course not."

"Good. I like falling asleep next to you too much," Duncan said.

"Me too," Courtney giggled before pulling away from Duncan and sitting up straight, his far arm falling to his side. She shifted closer until their sides were touching and she was tucked under his arm. "How mindless do you think the challenge is going to be today? My guess is very mindless."

Duncan smiled fondly, impressed by her ability to switch gears so quickly. He answered with a simple, "extremely mindless."

Courtney's hand found his thigh, and she brushed it with her thumb as she laughed, "you're probably right. All I know is that it's going to be mindless."

As if to prove her right, that was punctuated with the loudspeaker, "ahoy, mateys! Smartly come down to the amphitheater for today's challenge. See you landlubbers there."

Looking from the loudspeaker to Duncan, Courtney wore a bewildered expression, "did he just… talk like a pirate?"

"I think so," Duncan said, laughter in his voice. He stood up and offered her a hand. She took it, and he laced their fingers together. They started walking towards the amphitheater. "What's bigger than extremely? That's how mindless this challenge is going to be."

"Outstandingly," Courtney said matter-of-factly. Duncan just laughed and squeezed her hand.

Chris, dressed in his most ridiculous pirate garb, welcomed them to the amphitheater with words that couldn't be English. They just shared an amused looked and joined the few of their castmates that were already there. Courtney saw that Bridgette was one of them, so she let go of Duncan's hand so that she could wave with both of hers.

Bridgette waved back, and Courtney smiled. "I'm going to go say hi," she whispered to Duncan, "alone. Go talk to DJ and Geoff." Then, she gave him a peck on the cheek before joining Bridgette, who was alone.

"How's my best friend doing?" Courtney asked, sitting down next to Bridgette and grabbing her hand, "are you ready for another nonsensical challenge? I know I'm not."

"Oh, uhm… I'm doing okay, thanks for asking," Brigette glanced questioningly at her friend. Courtney was wearing her fake smile, and her words sounded overly rehearsed. "What's up? Everything okay?"

"Nothing's up," Courtney shook her head, that smile still on her lips, "why does everyone think something's up? Everything's fine. I just wanted to talk to my best friend a little before the challenge started, just like we always used to do. I feel like it's been so long since we've seen each other."

Bridgette nodded, "yeah… it has been a long time since we've seen each other, Court. And you just referred to me as your best friend twice. Are you sure everything's okay?"

The fake smile slid off Courtney's face, "no, okay, it's not. You miss me, and it's my fault even though you didn't tell me but told everyone else. All I ever do is hang out with Duncan, and I'm a shitty friend."

"You're not a shitty friend," Bridgette turned her body towards Courtney's so that their knees were touching, "you've been busy with other things. I understand. And yeah, I miss you, but it's not that big of a deal."

"But it is that big of a deal!" Courtney grabbed Bridgette's other hand, "look, I don't want you to miss me. I don't want you to have to tell Lindsay how much you miss me because I'm always hanging out with Duncan, and for Heather to have to tell me because she heard you say that. I don't want to hear from Duncan that you told him you miss me, but you didn't tell me. I don't want to be the girl who only ever spends time with her boyfriend. I want to spend time with my friends, too, and I haven't been making an effort. Why didn't you tell me?"

Bridgette squeezed Courtney's hands, "babe, I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to feel like you had to spend time with me. You're happy, and I'm happy for you. I miss you, but it's okay. We're not going to hang out as much as we used to, and I know that. You have a boyfriend, and I have… other things. It's normal."

"Okay, maybe, but I want to hang out with you. I just forgot. Duncan's really nice to hang out with, but he isn't you. We're supposed to be best friends, Bridge, but I haven't been treating you like one. I feel awful," Courtney's eyes found hers, "can we please hang out this afternoon? Just the two of us, like before?"

"Yeah, I'd really like that," Bridgette smiled, "I'm not mad at you, you don't need to feel awful. We're okay."

Courtney nodded, a now genuine smile on her face, "okay. Thanks. And I've missed you too, I think."

Laughing, Bridgette nudged Courtney's knee with her own, "you think? Wow, Court, I see how it is. I might not want to hang out with someone who only thinks they miss me."

Knowing Bridgette was joking, Courtney just rolled her eyes, "there's just been –"

"Well, my little scallywags, have we got an adventure in store for ye!" Chris interrupted, the fake parrot falling off his shoulder. While they talked, neither girl noticed the other campers filling in around them.

"What's under the sheet?" Geoff called.

Chris smiled and held up a finger, "all in good time, laddie! Who here has a hankering for a good ole fashioned treasure hunt?" His question was met with blank stares and eyerolls. "Now, this treasure hunt's got a twist, mateys! What you're looking for isn't hidden, and it isn't treasure!"

No treasure? Then what was the point? Was this just an excuse for Chris to dress up as a pirate? As Courtney sent Bridgette an eyeroll, Duncan voiced those questions.

"Arrr! Shiver me timbers! Good question, me boy! You're looking for keys to a treasure chest!" Chef pulled the sheet and reveal three treasure chests. "Inside each of these chests is a treasure that will pamper you landlubbers. And, the first one with their key will even get invincibility!" Chris laughed and waited for Chef to fetch a bucket. "Now come round and pull a clue out of this bucket! Or you'll have to walk the plank."

Wanting to be spared from whatever the plank was, the campers all clamored up to the stage to pick a clue. Courtney and Bridgette brought up the end of the pack.

"This is idiotic, and the pirate thing is already old," Courtney whispered, walking up the steps to the stage, "I swear, he thinks of these challenges the night before."

"Yeah. He probably saw that eyepatch lying around and decided 'I think I'm going to be a pirate! That's a good idea!'" Bridgette replied.

They had reached Chris, so both girls smiled at their host and picked the last two clues. Courtney looked down and saw a shark. She peered over at Bridgette's and saw a rabbit. How was that supposed to tell them where their keys were? Those were just animals.

Chris lined the campers in two rows and stood between them, "these clues will tell ye where your key be stowed." He walked along the rows, looking at each of their clues. His grin growing larger as he saw who got what. He commented on several, which did not help anyone's peace of mind.

Once he finished taunting them, he retook his place in the middle, "all you scallywags, go find your keys and bring them back by one PM eastern standard time to open up the chest and get your loot. You get ten minutes to strategize, and then it's time."

The campers began talking among themselves, and Courtney turned to Bridgette, "a shark? Does that mean the lake? Did he really bring the sharks back for this?"

"That's the only place I can think, which is awful. Sharks don't belong in freshwater," Bridgette turned her clue around to show Courtney, though she already saw it. "But what does this mean? A rabbit? They're all over the place! And there are so many! At least a shark is somewhat specific."

"I don't know. Maybe you should talk to DJ," Courtney joked, pointing her head towards where he was, "he knows all about bunnies on this island."

Tipping her head back, Bridgette laughed, "now that's a suggestion. Do you want to go see what they have?"

Courtney glanced over at DJ, who was talking with Geoff and Duncan, and shrugged, "sure. How are things with Geoff, by the way? Have you talked to him?"

"I don't know," Bridgette shook her head, "not since the other day, but I want to. I don't know what to say to him. I know it was the right thing to do, but I miss being his friend. Let's not talk about this. You're not interested."

Courtney squeezed Bridgette's arm, "I am interested. I want to know about you."

Bridgette grabbed Courtney's hand, smiling slightly, "this afternoon then. Come on." Then, she started walking towards their boys, pulling Courtney with her. Once they reached them, they released each other's hands. Courtney took her spot next to Duncan while Bridgette found DJ. Geoff stood between the two pairs awkwardly.

"Hey, Geoff. How are you?" Bridgette looked up at him. She needed to at least say hi.

"I'm good," Geoff glanced between her and DJ, "uh, how are you?"

Bridgette's mouth twitched upwards, "I'm good, too. It's nice to see you. I just needed to, uhm…" Her focus briefly shifted to DJ, who was letting the two work things out on their own, before looking back at Geoff. "My clue has a rabbit on it. I wanted to show DJ."

"Cool… Cool. I'll just, uh, I'll just talk to Duncan and Courtney, I guess. That's always fun. Good luck with the bunny," Geoff said.

"Thanks," Bridgette smiled, "good luck with the septic tank. That sucks."

"Yeah, it does, but I'll roll with it," Geoff bobbed his head, "later, then." He gave her a thumbs up before turning towards the couple. He opened his mouth to greet them, but neither saw him. He just closed it again and listened for a moment. What were they even talking about?

"Extraordinarily mindless. Is that more?" Geoff heard Duncan ask, to which Courtney replied, "sure, babe. At this point, they're all the same, but I'll give it to you."

Geoff mouthed "extraordinary" to him, slightly confused. He had no idea what they were talking about, and he didn't want to know. Talking to them together was always so intense. Shaking his head, he turned back to DJ and Bridgette. Despite his and Bridgette's current status, it would be more enjoyable than playing third wheel.

Unlike Courtney and Duncan, Bridgette and DJ did notice him when he joined them. They both smiled at him, and Geoff returned it. "Hey, sorry. I dunno what they're talkin' about. Can I just, uh, chill with y'all?"

DJ looked to Bridgette and waited for her answer. With everything that had been going on between them, it should be up to her. She just nodded and said, "yeah, Geoff. Of course."

"Awesome! 'Preciate that," Geoff offered his fist to DJ, and he bumped it. Then, he did the same with Bridgette. "So, uh, what does a bunny even mean anyway?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Bridgette looked down at her clue. "If you have any ideas, I'd be happy to hear them because we are stumped."

Geoff also looked down at the clue, thinking it over. A bunny was vague. "I dunno. Maybe, like, the woods? Cos there are a lotta bunnies out there? Oh, I know! You should totally get a carrot and, like, bribe one to take you to your key."

Sharing a quick look with DJ, Bridgette giggled, "you might be on to something there. Thanks. So, Deej! What tree do you think it is?"

Conversation about their clues and this challenge filled the amphitheater for several more minutes. While the clues were all straightforward enough, it would be hard to pinpoint where exactly each animal meant. This camp was overfilled with rabbits and skunks, and no one had ever seen an alligator.

"Fairly well, young scallywags!" Chris called, getting their attention. It hadn't been ten minutes yet, but it didn't matter. "Now get to it!"

The campers scattered, each of them going in the general direction of where they thought they needed to be. Some campers, such as Heather, knew exactly where they were going and already had their plan formulated.

Chef's fridge was infinitely better than any of the other clues. Animals were gross, and most of them freaked her out. The septic tank was even grosser, and she would have sooner given up immunity than go near it. Chef's fridge was not gross, and she already had experience being locked in it. This was perfect for her.

Sure, Chef was scary, but Heather could handle him. He was human, and, therefore, manipulatable. All she had to do was walk in there, tell him breakfast had been absolutely delicious (not that she had eaten it), and she was in. Chris hadn't even tried to make this hard. Though she didn't need it, she wanted that immunity.

Opening the dining hall door, Heather headed straight for the kitchen. Chef was sitting at the table, holding a large butcher knife, and stared her down. She smiled at him.

"Chef! What a fun challenge this is! I just wanted to tell you that breakfast was delicious," Heather set one hand on the table and leaned over it, "the eggs, the sausage, all of it was, mmm." She did a chef's kiss and flashed him her brightest smile.

"You didn't eat breakfast," Chef narrowed his eyes at the teen, "don't think it's that easy. You're going to have to do better that."

Heather cursed, "shit. Fine. Tell me what I have to do, and I'll do it. I'd like to make this quick, though. Immunity's waiting for me."

Chef slammed the knife down, and he grinned as Heather involuntarily flinched. "What makes you think you can win so easily? I can be bought, but you're going to have to come up with that yourself."

Groaning, Heather rolled her eyes, "fine. Give me a minute. It'll come to me."

"Take your time," Chef's grin grew larger as he crossed his arms, "I have nowhere else to be."

At the fire pit, Duncan was just as close to collecting his key. His clue had shown a ring of fire, and that was exactly what he was looking at. All he had to do was jump through the hoop, which wasn't even that high off the ground, and grab his key. How easy.

After walking back about ten meters from the ring of fire, Duncan ran and leaped through the hoop, snagging the key on the way. He landed on his knees and smiled to himself. It hadn't even been ten minutes, and he was already done. Immunity was his. Now all he had to do was take his key back to the amphitheater before seeing a girl about a shark.

Duncan took his time leaving the fire pit. There was almost no chance anyone else had their key yet, and the ring of fire was cool. He wasn't a pryo, but dammit if he didn't want to jump through it at least five more times. It made him feel, and probably look, so badass. He allowed himself two more jumps before calling it quits.

His key around his wrist, Duncan left for the amphitheater. He was ready to win that immunity. However, as he approached, he saw another camper there. Heather. Was she already done?

"Welcome back, lad," Chris sat behind a table. On top, each camper had plank with their name carved onto it. He found Duncan's and offered it to him. "You're a smidge too late for immunity, but ye still get your treasure! Take your key and name and hang it next to the two."

Duncan just grunted and grabbed the plank. So, he didn't win immunity. It sucked that Heather beat him, but he wasn't going anywhere tonight. Second place was nothing to complain about, and the extra time with the ring of fire had been well worth it.

Ignoring Heather and her mocking grin, Duncan slid his name next to the second place slot and hung his key around the peg. He was done. Then, he turned and walked back to Chris.

"So, are we stuck here, or can I go?" Duncan leaned against the table, "I have things I need to do."

"Aye, boy, ye can go. Just come back when I call. Savvy? But what could ye possibly have to do? Don't cause a ruckus, rapscallion. I got me eye on you."

Duncan rolled his eyes, "don't worry about it." He stood up. "And yeah, whatever. I'll be back." He started walking down the steps. It was time to help Courtney. Or, it would have been if Heather didn't stop him.

"Hey, mister CIT, leaving so soon?" Heather called, and Duncan slowly turned back around. "You don't want find out how I won immunity? Or wait around for the other losers?"

"I don't give a fuck how you won immunity," Duncan ground out. He didn't need this. "Gloat to the next person who comes. I'm out. Got things to do."

Heather faux-pouted, "what fun is winning immunity if you can't brag about it? I know the only thing you have to do is go bother Courtney. It's not like you ever do anything else. Spare a moment for me, okay? She'll still be there when I'm done. Or is the twenty minutes you've already been apart too long for you?"

Taking one step up so that he was fully on the stage, Duncan glared. Heather needed to stop running her mouth about his relationship. "Fuck off. Don't say shit to me about Court. Don't say shit to her about me, either. Mind your own damn business."

Heather grinned icily, "defensive, defensive. I'll say whatever I want to whomever I want. But go on, go be a good boyfriend."

Duncan didn't bother with a response to that. He just flipped Heather off before turning around and walking away from the amphitheater. As he left, he could hear Heather's laughter and Chris' cheers. Fuck 'em.

Courtney stood on the dock. She was looking right at her key, which was hanging from a pole in the lake. It was right there within her grasp, but she couldn't get it. Surrounding the pole was a glass tank filled with three sharks. In order to get her key, she would have to go into the shark infested water. She had no clue how she was supposed to do this without getting attacked. It was impossible.

Sitting down, Courtney let the fact that immunity had already been won comfort her. Heather had walked by earlier, swinging her key, and it no longer mattered. She could wait here for as long as she wanted and not have to worry about how much time she was wasting. Anything less than first place was losing, so she didn't care.

Looking out across the lake, Courtney sighed and rested her head on a hand. She didn't want to do this. The lake was gross, and the sharks were dangerous, and the reward wasn't going to be worth it. She wished she didn't have to do it at all, but she couldn't give up. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she did that.

"Okay, Courtney. It's just water. It's just sharks. You can do this," she whispered to herself, "just swim up to the pole, and then climb it, and then you're done. You won't ever have to get into the lake again after this."

As Courtney tried to talk herself into this, she didn't notice someone coming up behind her. All of a sudden, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders, scaring her. She let out a sharp yelp and jerked backwards. Out of the corner of her eye, she was able to identify the culprit: Duncan. He even had the audacity to look amused.

"Jesus Christ, Duncan. What are you doing here?" Courtney glared as he sat beside her, "don't you have your own challenge to do?"

"Nah, I'm already done," Duncan laughed, and Courtney narrowed her eyes. "Thought I'd come see how you were doing." He stretched his arms out, wrapping one around her. "So, how are you doing?"

Courtney's face softened, and she held out a hand to the lake, "there are sharks. Three of them. I don't want to do this. How are you already done? Did you win immunity?"

"So don't," Duncan said as if it were that simple, "don't see why you have to. Sharks are dangerous. Can't have you getting hurt, babe."

"I have to. I can't not do the challenge. I need that key," Courtney looked him in the eyes, "I'm not giving up."

"So let me get the key for you. I don't care," Duncan rubbed her arm.

Shaking her head, Courtney groaned, "that's even worse. Getting my boyfriend to do it? Duncan, I can't. That's pathetic. Besides, I thought the sharks were dangerous. And how are you already done? Do you have immunity?"

Duncan shrugged, "they're not going to hurt us. They're trained, and if they weren't? I'd rather it be me taking the risk. Thought I'd offer. You want the key but don't want to get it. Makes sense to me."

"That's really sweet, actually," Courtney placed her hand on his knee and messed with the hem of his shorts, "but no. I have to do it. It's just…" She looked down at her hand. "Are you sure the sharks are trained? They're wild animals. They're slimy. The lake is gross. What was the ring of fire? Were you done first?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure the sharks are trained. Pretty sure it's against some law to make us deal with actual dangerous animals. I'd think you'd know that," Duncan joked, his free hand covering hers.

Courtney looked back up to him and rolled her eyes, "I still don't like it. Can you please answer my questions now, though? What was the ring of fire? How are you done? Did you win?"

Laughing, Duncan rubbed her arm, "Sure, Princess. It was just a ring of fire. All I had to do was jump through it. It was stupid easy but also stupid cool. Babe, I'm a badass. Can't wait until you get to see it on TV. And nah, I didn't get immunity. Heather got it, but I got second. Might be my fault. I wanted to jump through the hoop some more."

Courtney fought and failed to keep a smile off her face, "you're a child. A sixteen-year-old child. Also, you shouldn't be allowed near fire. How did Heather win? I saw her with her key, but I thought she had Chef's fridge."

"Sure am, Court. You love that about me," Duncan bumped his head against hers, "and I dunno. She wanted to brag about it, but I wasn't going to listen to that. Then, she started talking shit about stuff she doesn't know about. I might have flipped her off." Courtney's face fell, and he shrugged. "What? She was pissing me off!"

"Duncan. You can't just flip people off," Courtney sighed, but her hand moved up his leg. She so wasn't mad. "At least not to their face. Try to have a modicum of self-control. What did she say that pissed you off so much?"

Duncan shook his head, "don't worry about it." His hand moved to her outer leg, and he pulled both of them over his thighs, forcing her to turn her body towards him.

"What are you do–" Courtney started asking, but Duncan shushed her. She decided it was easier to go along with whatever he was doing than try to question it. He grabbed her shoulder with the hand that was around her, and his other hand rested on her thigh. Now that he was done, she would try her question again, "what are you doing?"

"Nothing," Duncan's thumb massage circles into her thigh, "just wanted to do this." Then, he pressed his lips against hers.

Courtney cycled through a series of thoughts as she processed what was happening. First, she wondered why he was randomly kissing her. Then, she decided it didn't matter. This felt great. Her hand grabbed his shoulder blade, and she pushed him closer to her. Duncan smiled into the kiss and let his hand moved to her behind. Finally, she remembered that they were sitting on the dock, in view of anyone, and that there was a challenge going on. Her hand moved around his shoulder and she pushed him away.

Duncan, not used to being pushed away when it was clear she was enjoying it, frowned at her, "what was that for? Come back."

"We're in the middle of a challenge, and I'm not done with it yet. Anyone could have walked by and seen that. No one wants to watch us kiss, and I don't want anyone to watch it," Courtney scooted away from him and stood up.

"I thought we decided I was going to do the challenge for you? And we still have, like, an hour and a half before it's over," Duncan also stood up and grabbed her hands, "no one else is out here, and if they were, they'd know not to be a fucking creep."

Taking her hands out of his, Courtney rolled her eyes, "we didn't decide anything. I decided I needed to do this myself."

Duncan laughed, "thought I'd try. I don't get why you won't let me, though. I know you don't want to do this, and I honestly don't mind."

Courtney sighed and grabbed one of his hand, "no, I don't, but I don't want Canada thinking I'm helpless. I know I'm not, and you know I'm not, but how will it look if I let my boyfriend do something for me just because it's a mild inconvenience? I'll look like a spoiled princess." She sent him a subdued look. "Don't say anything."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Duncan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "okay, tell me what you want me to do. I can still help even if I'm not doing it for you."

"Actually," Courtney looked at the ground between them, "can you leave? If you stay, I'll be too tempted to take you up on that, and you're proving to be a little… distracting."

Placing a finger under her chin, Duncan lifted her face so that she was looking at him again, "yeah, no problem. You have this, Court. Take all the time you need."

Courtney smiled and nodded slightly, "thanks. It'll probably take a while because I don't want to do this." They started walking towards camp. "If I manage to finish before one, I'll find you."

"Sounds good," Duncan said as they stopped at the front of the dock. He let go off her hand and pulled her into a hug instead. She returned it. "I'll see you later. Remember, the sharks are trained, and they're not going to hurt you. Don't spiral about it. I know you like doing that."

Courtney pressed her cheek to his shoulder, stifling a giggle, "I do like doing that. Thank you. Bye."

Duncan's hands caressed her back before stopping to rest on her hips, and she lifted her head. "Bye, babe. Let me know if you change your mind." Then, he gave her a light kiss and pulled away. Courtney watched as he went.

Once Duncan was out of view, Courtney walked back to the end of the dock. Taking another look at the sharks, she groaned, "dammit." This was going to be awful.

Across camp, Bridgette was also having trouble with the challenge. She stood at the tree line, trying to build up the courage to go past it, into the woods. After following Geoff's advice, a rabbit with a blue ribbon tied around its neck found her. It took a nibble of the carrot before hopping towards the woods. She assumed it had to be the right rabbit, it was the only one with any distinguishing features, so she followed it. It had led her here, and now she was stuck.

The rabbit had gone into the woods, but Bridgette couldn't do it. Woods in general were terrifying and these in particular held some painful memories. She hadn't been able to even set foot near them since the phobia challenge if there weren't other people around. How was she expected to go in them now? Maybe she didn't need that key.

Bridgette closed her eyes and tried to clear her head. If she could reach a point of relaxion, the woods would be no problem. The camping challenge had been in the middle of the night, and the zombie she thought she saw had just been Cody. There was nothing to be afraid of. Except everything.

Thirty minutes later and forty-five left, both girls were still struggling to start their challenges. While they weren't the only two having trouble, several more campers had been able to retrieve their keys.

Courtney still sat on the dock. Unfortunately, Duncan leaving had done nothing to help her, and she wished she had just taken him up on his offer. It meant she wouldn't have to get into the dirty lake or touch the sharks. Doing things for herself was overrated. Who cared what Canada thought about her? She did, obviously, because, even though she didn't want to do this, she hadn't gone to find him.

This time, she did hear it when someone else stepped onto the dock. Or, in the case, two someones. Turning her head, she saw Lindsay and Izzy walking towards her. She waved, smiled, and tried not to be too wary of Izzy. Lindsay was her friend, but she wasn't.

"Court, what are you doing? Is your challenge, like, super hard?" Lindsay squatted down beside her.

"No, I just don't want to do it," Courtney turned her body towards the other girls and crossed her legs, "I assume you're done. How was your challenge?"

Lindsay shrugged, "it was fine. Izzy helped me! I got stung by a bee."

"I'm sorry," Courtney frowned, "did you get the stinger out?"

"Yes! Chris made me go to the medical tent. Chef took it out, and it really hurt," Lindsay glanced down at the band-aid on her arm before looking at Courtney's key. "Why don't you want to do your challenge? Is because you have to get in the lake? Because I, like, totally get it. The lake is so gross."

Courtney giggled, "yeah, that's mostly it. Why did he give you a band-aid? Bee stings don't bleed."

Lindsay shrugged again, "I wanted one. I don't know why, but it just, like, makes me feel better. I like having it."

"I guess I can't fault that logic. What place did you get?" Courtney asked.

"Fourth! I finished a long time ago, but I had to go to the medical tent! Izzy came with me because it was mostly her fault that I got stung. She got third. Did you know Duncan got second? And that Heather got first?"

"Yes, Linds, I know both of those things, but thanks for telling me," Courtney laughed, "do you know if anyone else is done?"

Twirling a strand of hair around her finger, Lindsay nodded, "DJ was done fifth, and then Leshawna, and I think that Geoff is also done, and that's it. I haven't seen Bridge or Tyler, so I think they're still doing it. You should let Izzy do your challenge for you. That's why we're here. Also because I wanted to say hi to you."

Courtney glanced over at Izzy, who had yet to say anything, "you want to do my challenge?"

Izzy nodded enthusiastically, "yeah! I wanna play with the sharks! Can I do it for you, please? I can do it right now."

"I'm sorry, but this is something I have to do myself. You're not even wearing your swimsuit," Courtney said.

"Neither are you," Izzy replied, "come on, let me do it for you! Sharks are so fun. You said you didn't want to do it, but I do!"

Shaking her head, Courtney sighed, "I kind of owe it to Duncan to let him do it for me if I were to let someone else do it for me. He'd be annoyed if I let you do it after I didn't let him. I'm not wearing a swimsuit right now, but I will be soon. I have to do this myself."

"Who's Duncan?" Izzy asked, forgetting about everything else.

Courtney sent Lindsay a confused look, and she was wearing a matching one. They both turned back to Izzy. "My boyfriend."

Izzy didn't answer, a blank expression on her face.

"He's the one with the green hair," Courtney explained while Lindsay said, "the scary one with all the piercings and the skull shirt!"

"Ohhhhhh, I saw you kissing him earlier! Cool. I didn't know you had a boyfriend. Boys are kinda gross," Izzy prattled, "so, what do you say? Can I do your challenge for you? Please… I don't your name either."

Standing up, Courtney just rolled her eyes. That didn't shock her. "No. I'm going to do it. You don't even know my name; I'm not letting you do my challenge. I'm going to go put on my swimsuit now." She turned to Lindsay, who had also stood up. "I'm sorry you got stung by a bee. Why are you hanging out with Izzy?"

Lindsay smiled, "it's okay. It doesn't hurt anymore. And I dunno, she's nice. Also I'm scared to say no to her." She placed a hand on Courtney's shoulder. "I'm glad you're going to do your challenge! You're totally going to kick those sharks' butts. Go Court!"

Courtney nodded, "thank you. That means a lot. I'd like to do this challenge without an audience, though, so could you two please not be here when I get back?"

"Totally, Court. I wanted to go back to the cabin anyway. You're going to do so good," Lindsay said.

Thanking Lindsay again, Courtney went to the cabin. She quickly changed out of her clothes and into her swimsuit, tugging on one of Duncan's shirts to cover up with. Pulling her hair up, she took a moment to look at herself in the mirror, "no excuses now, Courtney. You can do it. Make yourself proud." Then, she grabbed a towel and left to go back to the dock.

On her way back, Courtney spotted Duncan, DJ, and Geoff coming from the direction of the amphitheater. They were talking about something, so they hadn't noticed her yet, but it was a matter of time before at least Duncan did. He seemed to have a Courtney-radar, and right now she was wearing his shirt and little else. They're paths weren't supposed to cross, but he'd make sure they did.

Sure enough, Duncan was coming towards her, Geoff and DJ laughing as he went. Courtney just stopped and waited for him, rolling her eyes and waving at the other boys.

"Nice outfit, babe," Duncan touched Courtney's waist under his shirt, "you going for a swim?"

"Thank you. I thought you'd like it," Courtney placed her hand on top of his, "I'm getting my key. I thought it'd be wise to put my swimsuit on." She wrapped her hand around his and pulled it away from her waist. "I still don't want to do this."

Duncan took her towel from her, tucking it under his arm, "and you still don't have to. I can change real quick, it's no problem."

Shaking her head, Courtney started walking towards the dock, "no. I'm ready now. Thank you for your willingness to do this for me, though. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. You're going to do it so well," Duncan smiled at her, "can't wait to watch you do it."

Courtney sighed and laced their fingers together, "I don't want you to watch me. I just want to do it by myself. I don't want anyone to see."

Duncan frowned, stopping them. They stood at the front of the dock. "What? Court, why not?"

Courtney shrugged, "I just don't, okay? It's not going to be very good, and I want to be alone when I do it. It's not about you, I promise, I just…" She carefully looked at him. "I'm not great with open water. There's a reason I've never been in the lake before. It stresses me out, and I'm going to be… a lot. I'd rather you not see."

"So let me be here for you, then," Duncan squeezed her hand, "that only makes me want to stay more. Baby, you don't have to hide that from me. I don't want you to be stressed out. Let me stay, please."

"Duncan. I just want to get this over with. I'll be even more hyper-aware of everything if you stay. Go to the amphitheater, and I'll meet you there after I'm done," Courtney dropped his hand and tried to take her towel back, but he wouldn't let go of it.

Reaching out and touching her face, Duncan shook his head, "baby, you can share your weakness with me. I want you to." His thumb brushed her cheek. "Any time any vulnerability threatens to shine through, you try to push me away. I can't let you do that. You're human, Court, not a robot. You're allowed to feel sometimes. You're allowed to be weak."

"I'm not supposed to be," Courtney whispered, "I'm supposed to be strong. I'm not supposed to be afraid of open water or sharks or heights or anything."

"Baby, that's impossible," Duncan placed his hand on her back and started walking them toward the end of the dock, "you're human. It's okay to be scared of things." He set her towel down on the ground. "Let me stay, please. I'll go if you really want me to, but I'd like to stay."

Courtney played with the hem of the shirt she was wearing, "I guess I can't force you to leave. Just don't say anything. Now or after. Just be here?"

Duncan smiled, "alright! Now take that top off and get in the water." He smacked her butt. "I wanna see you all wet."

"Shut up," Courtney groaned, not meaning the words. She was grateful to move away from the deep conversation, and Duncan's crudeness was admittedly flattering. Taking the shirt off, Courtney handed it to him and jumped into the water. She could do this.

A/N Happy Valentine's Day! I know it's been a while, but this chapter has been really hard for me. I'm not done with the second half yet, but I'm aiming for three weeks from now.

Thank you everyone who has favorited and left comments! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please, please, if you liked it, comment. I want to know what you liked about it or maybe what you didn't like about it. Reviews mean so much to me, and I love hearing what you have to say. Please, leave a review. As always, you can find me on tumblr at i-wish-i-was-kidding. I mostly post about Glee now, but I still give updates on my fic and talk about Total Drama.