DISCLAIMER:
Chapter 23 released, thanks for reading, I hope that at this moment (March 28, 2020) you and your loved ones are ok, I hope soon we can go back to our old, boring and ordinary lives. I, as usual, will continue updating this story weekly.
And if you feel like it, mark the story as a favorite, or put a review about it, that way I can know if you like the story or not. Now let me reply to the past chapter reviews before getting started.
Aoi Usa: I am happy you like Trent's characterization, and about bringing them back together, I never said so, but you will found out as the story progresses.
MissFarah: I try to make Gwen part on the tunnel (especially the way back) angsty and scary, I don't know if I did a good job or not. Also, I admit that the Kitty/Trent friendship worked better than I expected.
Guest; I am happy you like the story so far XD. I would love to know what do you mean by feeling the story a bit rushed. I am new at writing stories, so any hint or advice is welcome.
Maybe it is because I limit myself to write each chapter to have over 3000 words, so sometimes I try to tie all the loose ends by the end. Or maybe it is because I try to close the plotlines in 4 or 5 chapters, except the relationship conflict.
Total Drama belongs to Fresh TV and his creators. I don't own anything from the properties used in this fic
Darjeel With It
Last time on The Ridonculous Race, our teams got down, and dirty, dirty, dirty, most teams rose to the occasion, but Sanders plummeted seven full miles thanks to MacArthur.
Sanders's arm was severely broken, but her spirits weren't so she decided to stay in the race, we're down to the final five let's see who's gonna survive on The Ridonculous Race.
Yesterday Chill Zone is today Starting Point. With only five teams to go, the race is fiercer each leg. Trent was waiting for Gwen in the 3rd position, and looking that Ryan is also alone, he decides to talk with him.
"Hello Ryan, Stephanie hasn't come yet?" The musician asks, hiding his animosity to the fitness model.
"No, it seems the girls are coming late today," Ryan replies as he notices that Gwen isn't there either.
"Right," Trent looks at the big guy "sorry about yesterday in the icy yacht, I knew you didn't want to fight with us, but I let my anger take control of me," the musician rubs his neck as he apologized to Ryan.
"No problem, man, you were right to be angry after I crash into your iceboat, sorry about that," Ryan also apologizes.
"By the way, you have become very close to Gwen, right?" Trent says, trying to sound casual but failing.
"Yes, she is a great gal, intelligent, brave, and good-looking, but not as much as my Stephanie." Trent feels his blood boil as the muscular guy flattered the goth, "you are lucky, man, don't let her go."
Trent didn't expect that "We are not dating anymore. We tried some years ago, and now we are just friends," he answers ashamed of himself. He was jealous of Ryan and wanted to see if he had feelings for Gwen, but it was evident he hasn't.
"And you are fine with that? Maybe you should ask her again, what's the worst that can happen?" Ryan put his enormous arm on Trent's shoulder, "look, speaking of the devil."
The musician said goodbye to Ryan and went to Gwen, he had a lot in his mind right now and was more confused than before.
"Hi Trent, wow, I never imagine you would be looking to form an alliance with Ryan," asks the goth, making an inquisitive look toward him
"Hehehe, yes, but he isn't interested, what a shame, he is a great guy," Trent lied, not wanting to tell Gwen what he was talking about with Ryan.
The stage started, and the five teams began to take their travel tips, Gwen, as usual, take theirs and read it aloud.
"Take a flight to Bagdogra Airport in India, once there ride a Taxi to the mountains of Darjeeling to find the next travel tip," read Gwen.
"India, that sounds spicy," says Trent smiling, as Gwen rolls her eyes, then they take a cab to the airport, all the teams taking the same flight to India.
Group Confessional: Gwen and Trent VS. The world.
(Trent is sitting at the left side with his arms resting on his legs and smiling, Gwen is sitting in the right side with a slight frown and a hand in her chin)
"Now that there are only 5 teams, and the last round being of no elimination, we have to play more carefully, anyone can go down now," Gwen says while looking at Trent.
"You are worrying too much," replies Trent smiling, "one of the Police Cadets have a broken arm, and the Sisters are our allies. Also, we are in good terms with Ryan, so we only have to do our best and be cautious around the Ice Dancers," he folded his arms and nod.
"I am not quite sure we can trust our allies or friends, after all, only one team can win the race," replies Gwen, then she began to smile, "but you are right. Maybe I am worrying too much. Anyway, I am happy you say Ryan is a nice guy. I thought you didn't like him."
"Ryan is a nice guy," says Trent rubbing his neck, then lowers his voice and adds, "maybe I am the one who is not a nice person."
"Sorry I didn't hear that last part," Gwen looks at him with a confused expression.
"I said I hope we can win against them," he lies.
As the teams arrive at Bagdogra Airport, they take their taxis to the mountains, where the next Don box is waiting, but as soon as they go out of the vehicle, they find a nasty surprise.
"Buff, what's this place, I feel like I'm melting," complains Gwen as she began to sweat, her mascara running down her face.
"It's so humid that you feel more the heat, It will be a hard challenge," says Trent with his hair flattened and falling across his forehead.
Gwen walks while panting and press the button in the Don box, reading the travel tip, "All-in Tea Time: *pant* Each team member must strap a basket and fill it *pant* to the brim with tea leaves," she takes a moment to recover her breath and continues, "once full you must bring the full baskets to the local lady, if she approves it, she will give you your next travel tip. That's it, now please kill me," said Gwen as she finishes reading.
"We can do this Gwen, we only have to start quickly and end as fast as we can," Trent comb back his hair with his hands leaving some disheveled hairs across his face, he also has taken off his shirt.
"Remind me to ask for you to talk at my funeral," says a pretty tired Gwen, "I am sure you can say something positive even then." She was so worn out by the heat that she didn't care why he was shirtless again.
Helping each other, they put on their baskets and began to collect the leaves of the bushes, taking at first one at a time, but as they get confident, they began to collect more leaves at a time, being careful of only taking the top leaves and not damage the plant.
"Do you think we should work together with the Sisters?" asks Trent cleaning the sweat with his arms, his well-toned body sparkling with the sun, like Justin.
"Remember what Emma said yesterday, only on life or death situations," says Gwen while panting, "and I don't think I can help them before passing out."
Trent began to speed up the harvesting of the leaves, Gwen did what she could, collecting the leaves as fast as possible, but not as quickly as the musician.
As Trent finished, the Ice Dancers run toward the local judge, being the first team to finish. But Gwen still needed to fill more than a quarter of her basket. Trent began to collect more leaves and put them on Gwen's basket to help her.
"Thanks, Trent, please when we finish, put my body in the basket and tell my mother I loved her," she says in a snarky tone, well as snarky as she could in the heat, "and please put on your shirt," she chuckled, her hands not stopping in any moment as she harvests more leaves.
"Well, if you can joke, then you are not as bad as you look," he smiles, and in a moment, the team fills the second basket.
They walk into the store where the local judge was waiting. She is a middle-aged Indian woman of short height, big black eyes, black curly hair, and a bidi red mark in her forehead. She was dressed in a two-piece purple sari, a pair of golden circular earrings, and a maang tikka (forehead jewelry) with an Amethyst.
Dragging their feet, the Drama Team put the 2 baskets on the counter, the local judge examines the leaves and smiling gives them their next travel tip.
"I hope is a challenge about who can sleep more hours," Gwen jokes before reading the next travel tip. "All in: Get sent reeling on the Darjeeling: Ride the Darjeeling Express, you are assigned to a passenger car based on the order you ended the previous challenge, you must make your way to the front car before arriving at the station where the Chill Zone is. Beware with the animals in the wagons between the cars."
"Well we are in the second car, it's not so bad," says Trent smiling, Gwen try to answer with a snarky comment about his optimism, but was too tired to come with a good one, both exit the store and went to their train car to wait for the rest of the teams to finish the challenge.
Trent was pondering either talk with Gwen or try to forget his thoughts, but the guilt was consuming him. Fortunately, Gwen was too tired to speak and go fast asleep as soon as they get into the car, so he had not to make a decision. After 15 minutes, give or take, the train started moving toward the Chill Zone.
Don's voice sounds on the wagon loudspeakers. "Hello racers on cars 2 to 5, you are free to begin making your way to cabin 1, NOW," the loud voice awake Gwen, who stretches and stands up.
"Ok, we have one car to get through, I only hope the animals in there are not bears," Gwen says, smiling and walking to the door of the next wagon.
"Don't be so negative, I am sure we will be fine," said Trent looking at her, as she opens the door of the next car.
"By the way, Gwen, I need to tell you some-" but before he could end his sentence, a goat charge at Trent hitting him in the groin, breaking the door of the second car.
"Trent! Are you ok!?" Gwen ran into the car and found Trent on the floor, with bulging eyes filled with tears, and his two hands-on his crotch.
"Yes," he answered in a high pitched voice, "I have been worst, give me a minute to take a second breath."
Trent take depth breaths and then stands up with Gwen help, as they were preparing to try again, they hear noises at the top of the car.
Going out, they found Emma and Kitty crossing the wagons, jumping from roof to roof, this way, they don't have to fight with the animals on the cars.
"Hey, Kitty!" shouts Gwen, waving at them.
"Hello neighbors, Are you ok?" replies Kitty smiling, her sister Emma behind her frowning nervously.
"Trent was hit by a goat, so we prefer to evade the wagon, can we follow you?" Gwen asks to her allies.
"Sure, let's all die together, come on up," replies Emma in a snarky tone, as she helps Trent to climb the car, and then Gwen.
"Well, how are things going with Trent?" asks Emma to the goth, as Trent and Kitty were walking ahead.
"Again? why are you sisters so interested in my relationship?" Gwen raises a brow and looks with narrow eyes at the big sister.
"Sorry, Kitty doesn't stop talking about it, and I got curious," Emma blushed ashamed.
"But being honest, I don't know, he has been acting strange, distant, when we talk on Vietnam I thought we have resolved all our issues, but now I feel like he is hiding something," Gwen sigh and then make a smirk "thanks for listening, it's good to have you as allies."
The four of them walk to the front of the wagon and see the moment when Jacques, of the Ice Dancers, separate the first wagon from the rest of the train, which means all the teams will be stranded miles away from the Chill Zone.
"The cars are separating, what do we do?" exclaims Kitty, looking with wide eyes as the cars move apart.
"We jump," answers Emma, doing a dangerous jump to the first wagon.
Been the only option, Kitty, Gwen, and Trent jumped to the other train, but when the musician made his jump, the wagon where too far, so he falls into the coupler (the part that connects the cars) hitting on his crotch (again).
"Trent, are you all right/OK?" yells Gwen/Kitty at the same time.
"I will live," answers Trent as he goes from the coupler to the wagon car, just when the Police Cadets come out the wagon that got separated.
"The train," exclaims Sanders, surprised. "Trent unhook it."
"Trent, that was a big mistake!" shouts MacArthur threatening.
"No wait, we don't-" try to explain the musician, but is interrupted by the more aggressive of the cadets.
"Hey Drama Team, guess what, you are now our worst enemy!" shouts Macarthur raising a fist, looking furious at Gwen at the top of the train.
"Come on, are you blind?" shouts Gwen "We are also trapped outside the wagon, you have detective training, guess who separate the trains?" the goth frowned and looks down on MacArthur, offended by the accusations.
If the cadets hear her or not was unknown to the Sisters and the Drama Team, as the other car was now too far away.
"This is dangerous, let's go down with Trent," says Kitty, as she jumps with the musician. Her sister and Gwen soon to follow.
They try to open the door, but it doesn't budge. Also, there is not enough space to try to knock it down, Gwen crouch and try to open the lock with a file.
"Do you know how to pick locks?" asks Emma, shocked.
"One of my ex-boyfriends taught me, but without the right tools, it would be difficult, maybe with a hairpin," Gwen looks at her file, and then to the other three, but none of them use hairpins.
"Great, any other ideas?" asks the goth, when the train passes over a rock in the rail, sending them into the air, Kitty and Trent falling from the wagon, but Gwen and Emma grab the girl on time.
"Trent!" yells Gwen, while helping Kitty go back into the car.
"We are at the station," said Emma, just after her sister is secure.
Gwen didn't reply to her comment, and as soon as the train stop, she runs back to find her teammate.
Trent survives the fall, but was full of scratches and took a bad hit on his right leg, he began to limp as fast as he can following the rails until he is found by Gwen, who hugs him.
"Are you alright?" Gwen asks.
"Yes-" but before he continues the sentence, a bull runs over him, leaving Trent tended on the floor, with even more scratches.
"Trent, Trent, answer me!" Gwen shouts before holding him in her arms.
"Gwen, sorry, this must be karma," Trent says in a low voice, still conscious.
"Don't be silly, karma for what?" Gwen asks as she helps him stand up, alleviate because he was not badly hurt after that.
"Because I was jealous of you and Ryan, so jealous that I could not think about anything else, and we are not even dating." Trent makes a sad smile while looking at her, one of his eyes was black from the hits. "I am pathetic."
"Trent, don't worry, you will be ok, I will carry you to the Chill Zone, we can talk about this at some other time," Gwen uses all her strength and lift the musician, he was heavy, but not as much as she thought he would.
Running as fast as she could with Trent at her back, Gwen come to the train station, and into the Chill Zone, Gwen's face was red by the effort and glare at the Ice Dancers as she steps into the carpet of completion.
"Drama Team, you are third," Don's congratulates the team as they complete the stage.
Gwen throws her hair dampen in sweat back and looks furious at the host "Stop calling us that, use our names, please," the plead sound more like a threat, Don nods after hearing her and gulps.
"Thanks, Gwen," Trent says, smiling before falling unconscious.
The Sisters came and help Gwen lift Trent and taking him to receive medical attention.
"Sorry we couldn't go back to help you," says Kitty, "Don said that when you step onto the Chill Zone, you cannot go back."
"No problem, thanks anyway," answers Gwen.
Gwen waited until the doctor finishes examining Trent, he was fine, just needing to rest and could still compete in the race if he wants to. He was asleep, so she would need to wait until tomorrow to speak with him.
Gwen goes out of the infirmary, the stage ended hours ago, she then heard about how it ended, Ryan was eliminated, it was a shame, she would like to say goodbye to her new friend.
Once in her room, she receives a letter, it was from Ryan, who asked someone from the staff to delivers it:
Hello Gwen,
Sorry, we were eliminated, as you couldn't come to see us off, I write this letter. Thanks for all the help you give us in these last rounds, you are a great friend.
Good News, me and Steph are back together, and now our love is stronger than ever, we didn't win the prize money, but get something more important instead.
I wish you good luck in the race, I hope you win the million, also good luck with Trent, I don't know what you think about the guy, but he cares for you, and a lot.
Best regards,
Ryan
Gwen laugh and cry, why everyone insists on being her friend? She is a loner. Also, the apology of Trent moved her, she didn't want to accept she still had feelings for him, but now that he confessed he was jealous of Ryan, the goth came to a realization. She was also jealous of him and Kitty, even if Gwen and Trent aren't dating anymore.
Gwen takes off her sketchbook and takes all her feelings, her doubts, her sadness, her love, her despair and leaves them in a picture. When she ended she was exhausted, but all her feelings were in order, Gwen doesn't know what will come from this, but at least she will be honest with herself, tomorrow will be a long day, but she will face it without doubts.
India is over, now Trent, at last, confront his inner devils, and this helps Gwen as well, what will happen now?
This episode was a roller coaster, I could use some things from the original (making Trent again a pain magnet, like Devin), but there were somethings I couldn't use, like Kitty slapping Devin, even then I like the end result.
Also, it was the last episode of Ryan, before writing this fanfic I didn't hate him but also wasn't one of my favorites. But after writing him, he has become one of my favorites in the RR.
Teams eliminated: the Larpers, Tennis rivals, Geniuses, Vegetarians, fashion bloggers, Mother and daughter, Adversity twins, Step Brothers, Rockers, Father and Son, Reality TV Pros, Goths, Surfer Dudes, the Daters.
As always, thanks for reading and I hope you like it.
