The next morning, the campers were redirected from the main lodge to a poorly made stage placed in the middle of the woods. Courtney sat up straight on the bleacher. She looked over towards Bridgette to talk to her when she noticed Lindsay and Tyler shamelessly flirting with each other in front of Heather.

They really do like each other.

For a split second, she considered what it would be like if Duncan actually liked her. She could hear her mother's disappointment.

"Are you really going to let some meaningless fling get in the way of your goal?"

Are all high school relationships meaningless flings?

Courtney sighed and looked over at Trent and Gwen. There was obviously something happening between them.

According to her mother, Tyler, Lindsay, Trent, and Gwen were choosing fantasy over the competition. It seemed absurd to even consider that option. Still, she couldn't deny that they all looked happy. Satisfied. Complete.

"This week's challenge is a summer camp favorite," Chris's voice boomed out breaking Courtney out of her thoughts. "A talent contest! Each team has eight hours to pick their three most talented campers. You'll be judged by our resident talent scout, former DJ, VJ, and rap legend, Grand Master Chef, who will show his approval via the Chef-o-Meter. Good luck."


The Killer Bass headed back over to their cabin. They were starting to become more comfortable with one another and decided it would be best to decide together who gets in.

"So who wants to audition for one of the three spots first," asked Courtney.

"Two spots," Duncan corrected. Courtney gave him a confused look. "I heard you play yesterday."

Courtney's eyes widened slightly before she could put a stoic look on her face. Did he hear the part when she had her mental breakdown? She studied his face, but it gave her nothing.

"What do you play," Sadie asked.

Courtney dropped her gaze from Duncan. "The violin," she answered. "Played it since I was three."

Geoff whistled. "Damn, that's hardcore!"

"I guess I'll try out first then," Courtney said while walking over to the cabin.


When she came back out, she closed her eyes and played the solo piece she played at her orchestra concert.

When she played her last note, she heard loud applause from the audience. She looked over at her parents to see their reactions. They didn't smile.

Once they got back in the car, Courtney understood why. They were disappointed in her playing. It didn't sound as good to them as it could've. It must've been because they let her have a break from practicing on her birthday. It gave her permission to slack off, and it became a habit.

"So why did you record it," she asked them softly.

Her mother scoffed at her like she was crazy.

Of course. Bragging rights.

She let out a deep sigh as the song slowly ended. She opened up her eyes to see her teammates smiling at her. She felt nothing.


Courtney walked back into the cabin to put away her violin. Duncan decided to follow her.

"That's not what you played yesterday," she heard Duncan say while she placed her violin back into its case.

She sighed. "I can't seem to get that one right."

She could hear him walk closer to her. "Sounded pretty perfect to me."

"I didn't know you were an expert on violins." She looked up at him with a smirk on her face. He just shrugged back. "I meant that I can't seem to connect with the song." Not fully anyway... She shook her head. She didn't want to think about that right now. "Are you auditioning?"

He smirked. "Nope. Unless you think me carving my own skull into a tree is up to par with your talent."

She rolled her eyes. Not on my watch.


Turned out, Duncan wasn't the only one with a useless talent.

Katie and Sadie did a dance routine that they created from their audition tapes. They were offbeat, stiff, and a mess. Once they finished, Courtney smacked her forehead. There's no way in hell.

"Can you believe we had no formal training," Katie asked in excitement.

Oh, believe me, I can. "Next," yelled Courtney.

Tyler stepped up and showed a yo-yo in his hand. It started off decently, and it ended with him getting tangled in the rope. ...Courtney didn't know what else she was expecting. It felt very on-brand for him.

Bridgette wanted to stand on her hands for twenty minutes. What is this a circus?

Courtney had no patience for Harold.

The only other ones who showed potential were DJ and Geoff (much to Bridgette's delight).

When Geoff auditioned, he brought out a small skateboard then winked at Bridgette before showing off his tricks. Courtney watched in amusement as Bridgette's jaw dropped.

Courtney playfully elbowed Bridgette. "Might wanna wipe some of that drool off your face," she whispered.

Bridgette rolled her eyes but smiled.

When it was done, they walked back over to their teammates. "Well, I guess it's Geoff, DJ's ribbon thing, and your solo," Bridgette said. Courtney nodded in agreement.

"I'm gonna be on TV, man," Geoff shouted excitedly.

Courtney could see Bridgette's awe drain from her face. "You're… Already on TV, Geoff."

"Oh yeah," he said before running to the camera. "Hello out there, dudes!"

Courtney placed a comforting hand on Bridgette's shoulder. He really was a nice guy but... "You sure you want that one," she asked in a whisper.

"Still debating," Bridgette answered under her breath.


After that, Courtney insisted on going on stage to practice. She hadn't practiced the violin for two days because of this island. Who knows how rusty she's become? They all gave her a weird look, but DJ and Geoff decided to tag along to practice on the stage. Duncan, Bridgette, and Harold came too to keep them company.

Courtney stood on one side of the stage and practiced her piece. She played through it five times. Each time it sounded the same. It sounded perfect... But it was so boring to listen to over and over again.

Eventually, her mind began to wonder.

She realized that she hadn't seen Tyler in a while. He probably went off to Lindsay. She wanted to shake her head. He was focusing on a girl rather than helping his team win. Maybe her mother had been right...

But then, she remembered the way they looked at each other. It troubled Courtney. She had succeeded a lot, but she can't ever remember feeling that happy.

Maybe these things weren't meaningless. She always assumed they were given how short they lasted and how quickly they were to move on. But they can't be that meaningless if Tyler and Lindsay were willing to meet up in secret even though they might get voted out because of it.

And then there's Bridgette...

Unlike Courtney, Bridgette had a life beyond academics. She surfed. She hung out with friends. She dated. And even with all of that, she still managed to stay on the honor roll.

Does dating really get in the way of your goals?

"Courtney!"

She felt something heavy hit her head, and her whole world turned black.


When she opened her eyes, she saw Katie and Sadie crowd around her. They gave her a nervous smile.

"Don't be mad," Sadie said softly.

Courtney opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Katie revealed to her a broken violin. Her broken violin.

She shakily took the pieces into her hands. Her eyes filled with tears. Sure, she didn't always like playing the violin. It didn't mean she hated the thing.

When Bridgette attempted to push it back together, it crumbled into nothing. Courtney balled her eyes out.

"Maybe we should bury it," suggested Katie.

"Or we could burn it," Duncan said.

"Why would we burn it?"

He shrugged. "Because it's more fun than burying it."

"Guys, hush," Geoff cried out. "I'm trying to write the eulogy. What if we called the violin, Denise?"

"Why do we need to name the violin," asked DJ.

"Because it'll sound weird to just say 'violin' all the time," answered Geoff as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Are you all nuts," screeched Harold. "It's just a violin."

Duncan had to hold Courtney back trying to kill Harold and dragged her back to the cabin to contain her.


The walk back to the cabin was silent until Duncan spoke. "It's not good for you to keep in all of your emotions, you know," he commented.

She scoffed. "And if that were true, you would've let me kill Harold."

"And leave us one player short? Not a chance."

She frowned at him. She hated it when he made sense.

He cleared his throat. "So, what did you mean?"

"What are you talking about?"

"When you said you didn't connect with the song. What did you mean?"

She bit her lip before letting out a sigh. "The song is about a difficult choice the character has to make. She can either stay in her life of luxury and feel empty or she can follow a man into a life of nothing and potentially feel fulfilled. I've never had someone offer me something to fill that emptiness. That's why I can't connect with it."

Duncan just laughed. Courtney glared at him. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "But that story is stupid. And you shouldn't want to connect with it anyway." He looked over at Courtney. "You definitely don't need someone's help in becoming whole. You can do that on your own."

"Are you speaking from experience?"

"Maybe."

She looked up at him and slowly nodded her head. He was right, of course. She shouldn't depend on others.

...But what if it was what she wanted?


Duncan left Courtney alone in her cabin. Courtney laid in her bunk and studied the bunk above her. She wasn't allowed to sleep. It turned out she also had a concussion. Great.

She heard the door squeak open and timid steps come inside. "Hey, Courtney," said a voice softly.

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Cut it out, Bridge. I'm not mad at you." Well, at least not anymore.

"Let me make it up to you," Bridgette said quickly. "I'll pay for your violin."

"It cost $1,500."

Bridgette's face paled. She started searching around the room for their secret stash of snacks. Once she found her bag of chips, she started munching on them while pacing around the room.

Courtney sighed. "Bridgette, I don't want you to pay for it. Besides, we have to decide who's going to replace me."

Both girls grimaced as they thought back to the auditions. They were lucky to have three talented people to begin with.

Courtney shook her head. She couldn't believe she was even considering this. Finally, she spoke. "Can you really stand on your hands for twenty minutes?"

Bridgette nodded her head enthusiastically. "I won't let you or the team down!" She opened another bag of chips and began munching again.

Courtney hoped that she was right.


When Courtney walked with Bridgette backstage, her worries only grew. The Screaming Gophers weren't playing around. They put in their best talents: Trent's music, Heather's dancing, and... Justin's everything.

She looked down at a relaxed Bridgette. How can she be so calm during a time like this?

Bridgette must've noticed Courtney's expression because she said, "Ok, I know I'm not as good as you are at the violin, but I can do this."

Courtney gave her a weak smile. It wasn't like there was anything else they could do. She'd just have to hope for the best.


First up was DJ. The plan was for DJ and Geoff to score high enough so that Bridgette wouldn't have to put too much pressure on herself.

...DJ tangled the ribbon to his feet and fell.

Courtney had to bite her lip tight to keep herself from screaming in frustration.

Bridgette gave Courtney a nervous look. Courtney was pretty sure she had the same expression on her face.

Courtney's look intensified when she heard Bridgette's stomach rumbling.

But it was too late to back out now.

Courtney was hoping that Bridgette would get maybe a couple of points. That hope was dashed when she threw up everywhere.

When Bridgette returned backstage, her eyes were red. Geoff's normally relaxed expression became worried when he saw her.

Courtney looked between the two of them. She knew that Bridgette wasn't sure of her feelings for Geoff yet, but she had a feeling that Geoff had more experience in the comforting department than she did.

"I'll give you guys some space," Courtney said as she stood up to walk away. She took a sneak back and saw Geoff hugging Bridgette close to his chest.

She let out a little smile. Bridgette was lucky to have someone like Geoff. She hoped she could have someone like that someday.


"Princess, so that's where you were hiding."

She turned and saw that Duncan had snuck-in backstage. She rolled her eyes. "I wasn't hiding. I was trying to comfort Bridgette but..." She gestured towards Geoff. "I think Geoff's got it covered."

"I saw Geoff's eulogy for your violin," said Duncan with a smirk. "He stopped after the first line because he didn't know what rhymed with 'Denise.'"

Courtney sighed. It felt weird to know that she wouldn't have a violin next to her always. And while she was getting used to not practicing every day, she never planned to cut it out of her life completely.

She shook her head. It didn't matter. There was nothing she could do about it now. She would just have to adapt and fill her empty time with something else for now. She could figure out the violin situation later.

"Hey," Courtney said softly to Duncan. "Want to help me burn stuff?"

He just smiled and took out his lighter.

She smirked. "An ax, a hammer, duct tape, and now, a lighter. What exactly were you packing for?"

"I'd tell you, but then, I'd have to kill you."


Courtney watched as the flames slowly enlarged and engulfed her violin. Duncan was right. Watching something burn was definitely more satisfying than digging a hole.

"I played that thing every single day since I was three, you know," Courtney said. "I only ever took one day off: on my fifteenth birthday."

Duncan gave her a weird look. "What are you? A robot?"

She let out a small laugh. It did seem crazy now that she said it out loud. "Maybe." She sighed. Maybe this was a sign. She was getting bored of the traditional songs... "Maybe I'll get an electric violin next time."

"Is it the same as playing a traditional violin?"

She shrugged. "I guess I'll find out."


"Originally, I was going to dance for you," Heather said. "But instead, I want to celebrate team spirit, with a collaboration. So, with words by Gwen, performance by me, enjoy."

Bridgette and Courtney gave each other a confusing glance. The last time they checked, the two girls hated each other. Why would they do a collaboration now?

However, as soon as Heather uttered the first word, it became clear that she was reading Gwen's diary. Their mouths dropped open.

She knew Heather was competitive, but this was just plain cruel. "That was so mean," Courtney whispered.

"Seriously," agreed Bridgette.


When Geoff broke his skateboard, Bridgette and Courtney thought they were done for. Luckily, it turned out that Harold was actually talented and won the challenge for them.

Bridgette let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank god! I thought I was going to get sent home!"

Courtney laughed. "Seriously? You're like nice to everyone on the team. There was no way anyone was going to eliminate you."

"Maybe I should have come to you for encouragement," replied Bridgette. "Geoff just told me he'd visit me at my surf shack."


The girls sat on the porch relaxing while the Screaming Gophers went off to the elimination ceremony. They figured that Heather would be out considering what she did so they were shocked to see a cocky Heather walking back to the cabins followed by a fuming Gwen.

"Hey, Gwen," Bridgette yelled waving her over. "What happened?"

Gwen rolled her eyes as she stepped up to them. "Somehow Justin went home instead of Heather." She glared towards her cabin.

"Aw," moaned Sadie. "I'll really miss him." Katie nodded in agreement.

"Damn," Bridgette said. "That really sucks. It wasn't cool what she did."

"And now, I get to go back to a room with a smug Queen B who thinks she can get away with anything. I need to get back at her somehow. Do you guys have like... I don't know? Honey? Shaving cream?"

Courtney gave her a weird look. "Just what are you planning?"

"I just want to leave a surprise in her bed," Gwen answered with an evil glint in her eyes.

"Oh," spoke up Katie. "Why don't you use red ants? Harold has a red ant farm!"

"Yeah," continued Sadie. "We saw it in the cabin."

Courtney furrowed her eyebrows together. "Why were you on their side?"

"No reason," both girls said together quickly.

...Ok then.

"You guys are weird," remarked Gwen. "But definitely helpful. Later." She turned around to walk away before stopping abruptly. "You know that this doesn't make us friends, right? And that Heather lied about what was written by me?"

The four girls looked at each other.

"Yup."

"Totally."

"Never crossed my mind."

"Of course!"