The next day, most of the Killer Bass miraculously woke up for the morning call to breakfast. The only one who didn't hear it was Harold, but the guys were too angry at him to wake him up.
Harold's snoring ruined their sleep. Courtney felt like a zombie. She couldn't even imagine how Duncan was feeling...
She looked over at him and saw that he was trying to catch up on his sleep. He didn't look like he was at peace like he did last night. Instead, he had an angry look on his face.
Chris, of course, did not help the situation. "Wow, four nights with no sleep? How much are you hurting, dude?"
Duncan's head snapped up as he glared at Chris. Courtney looked at Katie and Sadie. They recognized that look. It was the same look that Eva always gave to them.
"Wanna find out," Duncan threatened.
The Killer Bass hid under the table. While Duncan was typically laid-back, even he had his limits. None of them wanted to find out how far a sleep-deprived angry Duncan would lash out.
When Harold finally entered the main lodge, Duncan was back asleep. Unlike the rest of the team, Harold was well-rested.
She couldn't help but laugh when she saw the markings on Harold's face. She had a feeling she knew who did it, and while she usually would admonish such juvenile behavior, she could admit that Harold deserved it.
Except he ended up liking it. It ruined the fun.
Gwen walked in and complained about being tired. It made Courtney roll her eyes. There was no way that Gwen got less sleep than Duncan.
"Hey fish heads," Heather yelled at them. "Way to kick out your strongest player! Why don't you just give up now?"
That's it! Courtney loaded up her spoon like she saw Duncan do on the first day and flung it towards Heather. She would've been proud of herself for not following the rules for once, but she ended up hitting Gwen. Shit.
Heather was right though. When everyone woke up in the morning, it finally sunk in that they voted off Eva. While her temper was horrible, she was at least athletic.
The only other person they could count on for competitions so far was Duncan. Who was asleep. Thanks to Harold.
...Maybe I should start planning on who I want to be eliminated next. Just in case...
Their next challenge was held in a clear glass stadium that the producers placed in the middle of the beach. Of course, they can afford this but not decent food... She was going to have to research the legality of all of this later.
Duncan had started off walking with his teammates. It wasn't until they got to the stadium that they realized that Duncan had slowed his pace and was now far behind them. When he finally made it, he quickly fell back asleep.
"And now we're one player short," mumbled Bridgette.
Courtney shook her head. I really should've voted off Harold. She turned to glare at him. "This is all your fault, you know! You and your snoring face!"
"It's called a medical condition," Harold retorted back. "Gosh!" Courtney swore she could feel spit on her face.
Once Chef blew the whistle, Courtney went back to standing next to Bridgette.
"Really, Courtney," whispered Bridgette. "'You and your snoring face?'"
Courtney rolled her eyes in return. Insults weren't her strongest suit, but she'll get there. She always did.
"Oh," Tyler shouted out to the Screaming Gophers. "You're going down! We're gonna bring the dinner to the table, and then we're gonna eat it!"
Courtney cringed. On one hand, at least her insult was better than Tyler's. On the other hand, that wasn't saying much.
It was a simple challenge. It was dodgeball. There's no way a person could suck at dodgeball.
Or at least that's what Courtney thought before she met Tyler. How did he find a way to hit Sadie in the stands?
Courtney met unathletic people before. Hell, she hardly did any sports. But Tyler... He was a whole other level of bad. So when Owen got Tyler out early, she breathed a sigh of relief. Even Sadie grinned happily at his pain.
Besides, there was no way the rest of them could be that bad... right?
She looked up just in time to see a ball that Harold threw land harmlessly in the other team's area.
Now, she was really regretting voting Eva over Harold.
They lost the first round. Of course, they did. That was just their luck.
In the second round, Katie, Sadie, Bridgette, and Geoff were in. Courtney wanted to pick someone good to be the fifth player, but Tyler insisted that he could win the game for them. Courtney didn't know if it was desperation or a momentary lapse of judgment, but she agreed to let him in... And to give him all the balls.
The game was over in minutes. Tyler only managed to get out Lindsay and then purposely allowed himself to get out too.
She could've said something then, but what was the use? They were already down 2-0.
She looked over at Duncan's sleeping figure. He was so lucky he didn't have to witness this massacre.
Courtney looked around at her teammates. They looked exactly how they did during their first challenge. Dejected. Not even Geoff attempted to lift their spirits. Is this how it's going to be every time?
"The other team worked together, and we refused to do that."
Courtney was always taught that she didn't need anyone to succeed.
"Other people just bring you down," she could hear her parents say to her.
She scoffed. If that were true, her team wouldn't be on a losing streak. She looked over at Duncan. The only one who had helped the team almost succeed in the past two challenges. It was obvious what she needed to do.
"Okay," Courtney said during their break. Enough is enough. "This is really bad. One more game and we lose the whole challenge! Again! We can't let that happen, people."
She watched her teammate's gaze shift over to her. She had their attention. "We need someone strong," she continued. "Someone mean. Someone who will crush those stupid Gophers into the dirt!"
They all knew who she was describing. It was just that nobody was brave enough to wake him up.
"He won't kill us, guys," Courtney assured them. "He wants to win too."
Still, nobody budged. Not even Harold, the guy who caused this mess in the first place.
"...I think I have an idea," Geoff said. He quickly ran out.
"Hey," they heard Chris yell out at them. "When I said you guys could get a break, I didn't mean this long!"
Courtney was calm. She walked over and picked up a ball... And hurled it at Chris's head.
"Hey," Chris said barely dodging the ball. "Watch the face!"
She picked up another ball.
"What I meant," he said nervously. "Was that you guys can take all the time you need."
When Geoff returned, he brought with him a long stick.
"Really," Courtney asked him.
He shrugged at her. "Better he breaks a stick than an arm."
Courtney wasn't so sure. At least if Tyler's arms were broken, he could stop insisting he needed to play... She shook her head. What was she even thinking? He'd definitely still want to play.
Courtney held the stick with Geoff, Harold, and Bridgette and attempted to poke Duncan awake. It worked, but it angered Duncan who quickly broke the stick in half.
Maybe those weren't empty threats.
When she saw that Duncan was now threatening Harold, she intervened. He would possibly kill Harold but not her. At least, she hoped so.
"Look. We are down two-nothing," she explained to him. "I can appreciate that you need a little nap time, but we need your help."
"Oh," Duncan retorted back. "And why should I help you, darling?"
Courtney was too proud of herself to let Duncan get her down. "Because I can personally guarantee you that if we lose this game, you'll be the one going home. Darling."
She saw Bridgette give her a thumbs up from behind Duncan. She knew she'd be able to nail insults.
He sighed. "Fine, I'll play. On one condition. You do what I say when I say it."
She nodded her head. At this point, he could ask her to do anything, and she'd do it.
The new plan was called "Rush the New Guy." It was a simple plan really. All they needed to do was focus on getting out one person at a time.
Duncan claimed that he learned it at juvie. Courtney wasn't sure if she believed him, but it did scare the rest of their teammates.
Just in case, she put in the strongest dodgeball players on their team plus her. Duncan didn't say anything. He was being surprisingly quiet for someone who just made her promise to do whatever he asked.
The plan worked like a charm. Within two minutes tops, they easily won.
"I think we should do the same thing all over again," Courtney told the team excitedly. "So Harold, sit this one out, too."
"But I sat the last one out," complained Harold.
"It's for the good of the team," she easily replied.
Geoff was nice enough to pat Harold on the back, but the rest of the team knew it was the truth. She was just the only one who was willing to say it.
In the next round, Courtney decided to sit out. She watched in awe as Duncan's plan once again did the trick. They could actually do this. They could win!
However, her good mood was cut short when she noticed that Tyler was sneaking back into their stands. She shook her head. Finally, her teammates were starting to trust each other and work together as one, and Tyler was going to ruin it all by focusing on some Screaming Gopher girl instead of his team!
Unacceptable. She was going to have to nip it in the bud.
She stood up straight and placed both hands on her hips. "Where were you," she asked Tyler harshly.
"Nowhere," Tyler answered. It was a little too quickly for Courtney's taste.
She rolled her eyes. He can't honestly believe that I'm that stupid. "You were with that blonde Gopher girl, weren't you," she said back bluntly.
"No!" He then thought about it. "Maybe!" In the end, he decided it didn't matter if he did. "So?"
"So," she replied annoyed. "She could've been getting you to spill all of our weaknesses to her!" She pointed both arms at Lindsay, who was busy having an internal conversation with her hands.
Bridgette started laughing when she returned to the bleachers. "You can't seriously be thinking that about Lindsay. She doesn't seem like she's the best at strategizing."
Tyler couldn't decide if he should be thankful for Bridgette attempting to help him out or be mad that she insulted Lindsay so he just stayed silent.
Courtney let out a groan and pulled Bridgette over to a corner where they couldn't be heard. "Look," Courtney continued. "Usually I wouldn't be worried about Lindsay either, but I know she's in an alliance with Heather. And Ms. 'I just happened to find Eva's MP3' can't be trusted."
"Agreed," Bridgette said gently. "But only about Heather. I think Tyler and Lindsay actually might like each other."
Courtney sighed and looked over at the couple. Currently, Lindsay was pretending to listen to Heather while sneaking glances at Tyler, who winked back.
"We're still in a competition," Courtney grumbled.
Bridgette shrugged. "Then, we vote him off. Today, he has already proven to be more of a liability than an asset. Besides, if it makes you feel better, he hasn't exactly hung out with any of us long enough to know what our weaknesses are."
"Okay, this is it," Chris announced. "The final tie-breaking game!"
Harold attempted to volunteer to play, but Courtney quickly shut him down. Instead, she allowed Tyler in. He may suck at dodgeball, but he did get someone out last time.
"You're just letting him in because you feel bad for scolding him about Lindsay," Bridgette whispered to Courtney on the court.
Courtney scrunched her nose. "No... I'm doing it to make sure he focuses on the team and not on Lindsay."
The last round took forever. Someone would get out, and someone would get allowed back in.
It became an unspoken agreement that nobody would allow in Harold.
...Until Geoff's big heart decided that he should be given a chance.
Duncan must've sensed the team's discomfort because he told Harold to get in the back. Before Courtney could thank him, she was hit in the face with a ball.
"That's for the oatmeal," said a smirking Gwen.
Courtney glared at Gwen as she rubbed her face and stepped off of the court. "To think I was even considering apologizing to you," she muttered under her breath.
Finally, it was down to the final two... Owen vs. Harold.
"Goodnight, Harold," Duncan said.
Courtney's jaw dropped in disbelief. How is this possible? Was it Geoff's fault for letting Harold in? Was it her fault for not letting him in early so he'd be one of the first ones out?
She nervously looked at Harold. He had no balls on his side. He had absolutely no chance at winning. And yet... He looked confident. He showed off his signature ninja moves. He challenged Owen to throw the balls at him. He successfully dodged each throw.
But Courtney knew that he wouldn't be able to successfully dodge the whole game so she called a timeout.
It was time to work together as a team. It was time to win.
The team sat Harold down to give him the VIP treatment. Massages, water, a bucket... The whole nine yards.
"Man," said Duncan to Harold. For the first time, he sounded like he respected Harold. "That boy's got dodge! Where'd you learn to do that?!"
"Figure skating," Harold replied with a smile.
Courtney could feel all of Duncan's respect for Harold leave.
"Harold," Geoff cheered. "That was awesome! But dodging isn't enough."
"He's right," Courtney agreed. "To win this, you either have to throw him out-"
"Which we all know you can't do," Duncan interjected.
"Or catch the ball," she continued. "Can you do it?"
"Definitely," Harold said confidently. He spat his water out on Tyler once more before going back on the court.
DJ carried Harold on his shoulder as the rest of the team cheered. Finally, their losing streak was over.
Once they reached their cabin, Courtney realized that for the first time, she had free time.
Bridgette was out hanging out with Geoff. Katie and Sadie ran off to swim. What did Courtney have?
She looked over to Duncan who smiled at her. She smiled back at him. "Thanks," she said to him genuinely. "For letting us disrupt your sleep. And for being a pretty chill leader."
He smirked at her. "And what does the leader get for his hard work?"
She rolled her eyes. "He gets to stay." She paused for a moment. "Did you really learn that plan from juvie?"
He slowly nodded. "It seems like everything I learned from there is finally coming in handy. Won't my parents be proud?" He scoffed. "Why do you ask?"
"It just... Whenever you talk about juvie, you don't really mention hanging out with other people... Who did you rush the new guys with?"
At that point, he stopped looking at her and stayed quiet. Finally, he said, "Harold's out so I'm gonna try to sleep while I can." He walked into his cabin without another word.
She looked through her stuff and took out a case that she stuffed at the bottom of her suitcase. She rubbed her fingers over the case before opening it. There laid her violin.
She honestly didn't know why she packed it. She signed up for the show to get away from her regular life like practicing her violin 24/7. But she couldn't leave the violin behind. Her parents would be able to tell if she didn't practice the violin for eight weeks.
She pulled out her violin and examined it. Do I even like the violin? She can't remember the last time she played for herself and not because of her schedule. At least I'm playing on my own schedule this time.
She stood up and positioned her violin just like how she was taught. She took a deep breath in and out. When she was ready, she pressed her bow onto the strings and played.
"The Méditation by Jules Massenet," Courtney questioned her parents as she read through the sheet music.
Her mother nodded. "Your hack of a violin teacher has been too soft on you," her mother said stiffly. "When you audition for scholarships, you're going to be expected to play a difficult, moving piece. None of these mediocre pieces." She loudly scoffed.
Her father grunted in agreement. "Memorize it before your lesson tomorrow. The sooner you can nail this piece, the better."
"Right," Courtney said quietly. She read through the sheet music a few times before playing through the first page.
"Courtney," her mother scolded. "How many times have we told you to get rid of your bad posture?"
"And for the love of god," her father continued. "Play the right notes this time."
"Courtney," her instructor told her. "Your articulation, intonation, and posture are good. But..." He hesitated. "It just seems like you're not connecting with the music. Your style is... off." He looked at her curiously. "Tell me. Why did you want to learn this piece? What is the story behind this piece?"
"Thaïs is contemplating leaving a luxurious but sinful life to find salvation with Athanaël to save her soul," Courtney replied.
"Okay... But what is she feeling during this time of contemplation?"
Courtney thought for a second. "Scared?"
Her instructor was quiet for a moment. "Have you ever been in a situation where you realize the things you do bring nothing but emptiness into your life? What do you do when someone offers you something to fill that emptiness? What do you feel?"
Courtney stared at him. She then shrugged her shoulders. "I've never felt that way before."
Her instructor studied her before nodding.
Courtney stopped playing. When she slowly opened her eyes, she gently placed her violin on her bunk and examined her shaking hands.
She heard laughter from outside. She let out a silent sob.
Have you ever been in a situation where you realize the things you do bring nothing but emptiness into your life?
"Yes," she whispered honestly.
