X-treme Factor
Courtney thought there was nothing worse than doing Chris and Chef's challenges. She was wrong.
Being forced to stay on the island and doing nothing was much worse.
It made her feel guilty all the time. As if she was supposed to be doing something and chose not to do it. But what could she do? It's not like she had her violin to practice. She didn't even pack her SAT prep books because they were too heavy.
Instead, she was forced to lounge in the pool while listening to Katie and Sadie's gossip.
She found out that Harold cheated. That she wasn't voted off. The others told Courtney that as soon as she stepped foot on the dock.
She must've looked pretty pathetic. She saw the look of pity in their eyes. It made her uncomfortable. It made her feel like they knew what she was feeling.
But they couldn't. Because none of them were close to her during the competition. The only contestants who really saw Courtney were still competing while she was stuck all the way on the other side of the island.
Why would Harold do something like this to her anyway? Did he find out that she was the one behind his bunk prank? Or maybe it was because she didn't let him play dodgeball? Was it because she didn't let him audition for the talent show?
"It's because of Duncan," Sadie said softly.
Courtney blinked a couple of times. Because of Duncan? "What does that have to do with me?"
Katie and Sadie gave each other a quick glance.
"He wanted to mess with Duncan's love life," Katie answered.
...Oh.
She complained to the producers about Harold cheating. Told them that she deserved to be brought back. A contestant only loses when they're voted off. She wasn't voted off. Harold cheated.
The producers quickly left the losers after that.
She sighed as she continued to sip the rest of her mocktail. The things she would give just to be a part of the competition again.
She heard Katie gasp. "Justin totally winked at me!"
"No way," Sadie sassily replied. "He was winking at me."
The two girls continued to argue until it was time to watch the new Total Drama episode and find out who was voted off.
It was Harold. It wasn't surprising. He was supposed to be voted off last time anyway.
What was surprising was that Leshawna reciprocated Harold's feelings for her. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Aww," Katie cooed. "They're so cute together."
"Totally," agreed Sadie.
I guess the argument is done for today.
Courtney went back to her room before Harold reached the dock. She really didn't feel like playing nice with the guy who cheated in the competition and got her out.
But at least she had something to do the next day.
She was going to kill Harold.
Brunch of Disgustingness
Courtney didn't speak to anyone. She roamed her eyes around the pool trying to catch a glimpse of that red-headed bastard. Where the hell is he?
She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard laughter by the pool. She rolled her eyes. She just couldn't understand how the others could relax. They were still on the damn island. Granted, they didn't have to do inhumane challenges or eat garbage. But that didn't mean they were immune to the show's evil.
She noticed movement on her left side. Quickly, she turned expecting to find Harold. Instead, she found Cody, who was walking toward her. She let out a deep breath and relaxed her body.
"What do you want," Courtney asked in a tired tone.
"You know," Cody said. "At some point, you're going to have to get over the fact that you were voted off. The rest of us accepted it. Why can't you?"
She scowled at him. "Because I wasn't voted off. The votes were rigged."
He shrugged at her. "I mean, that's just part of the game. Hell, even the producers knew it happened and still didn't stop-"
She roughly pushed Cody towards the pool. Cody, trying to find his balance, grabbed onto the first person he noticed near him, which just happened to be Noah. Who was sitting at the edge of the pool. With a book in his hand.
Both boys tumbled into the pool together with a splash. Noah popped his head out of the water first. He lifted his book and groaned when he realized it was ruined. When Cody appeared, Noah glared right at him.
"You dolt," Noah screamed. "You ruined my book!"
Cody just gave a nervous smile. "Aw, come on. It's not that bad." Noah's glare didn't soften. Cody gulped nervously. "I'll buy you a new one."
"Fine," Noah sighed. "Give me $100, and we'll call it even."
"$100," Cody screamed in shock. "There's no way that book cost that much!"
"It does when I lose all my annotations!"
Courtney rolled her eyes and walked back to her room. I'm surrounded by idiots.
No Pain, No Game
Courtney decided to stay in her room. The anger she felt from yesterday drained her, and now, she felt like a shell.
She thought that nobody would notice that she was gone. She was wrong.
At around 10:00 am, she heard frantic knocking on her door. She tried to ignore it, but the knocking persisted.
"Leave me alone," Courtney shouted at the door.
The knocking then stopped. "Courtney," she heard Beth lisp out. "You need to come out! The producers are asking for you!"
Courtney rolled her eyes. She really didn't have time to deal with those bastards.
"I don't care," Courtney yelled back. "I'm done dealing with them!"
"But Courtney-"
Courtney heard angry stomps approach her door.
"Just leave her already," she heard Eva growl out. "She doesn't want to see them!"
"But Eva, I have to tell Courtney about-"
Courtney heard Beth's voice grow more distant as Eva dragged her away. She laid back down on her bed.
That was surprisingly nice of Eva.
She didn't want to think too hard about it so instead, she closed her eyes and let sleep consume her.
It was only when she watched the episode with the others that night that she found out why Beth was bothering her. Apparently, the producers came by to bring Izzy and Courtney back to the competition.
It made sense. After all, they were the only two contestants who weren't truly voted off.
Izzy was excited and quickly jumped on the vines swinging her way to camp.
Beth tried to get Courtney from her room. During that time, Eva convinced the producers to let her rejoin instead. The producers eventually agreed with the condition that it would only happen if Courtney didn't want to go back. Which was Eva was more than willing to drag Beth away.
Courtney's heart sank. She watched the episode wondering what could've happened if she had returned.
She watched as Duncan voted off Heather thinking that she was the reason why Courtney was gone. Then she heard him give her a shout-out.
Her heart basically melted at that point. How could she ever think that Duncan would forget about her once she stepped foot off the island when he was so into her? Maybe even more so than she was into him.
It was satisfying to know that Eva was voted off first. She thought about sticking around to tease Eva about getting voted off but decided against it when she remembered that Eva could still kill her. Even with the straitjacket.
Search and Do Not Destroy
The episode had long since ended. The rest of the losers ran towards the dock to wait for Trent.
Courtney stayed put.
She stared at the TV screen not really paying attention to the advertisement that played once the credits were done. She was deep in thought.
How could Trent easily believe Heather?
From day one, Trent was interested in Gwen and only Gwen. He also seemed to be aware of how manipulative Heather was. And yet, Heather had easily turned Trent's attention away from Gwen and onto her.
When Courtney saw Trent kiss Heather back, her heart broke a little for Gwen. She knew what it was like to watch the guy you like to show interest in someone else. Granted, Duncan never went that far over the line.
But he could.
Courtney knew that Heather was manipulative. But now that she saw how far she was willing to go...
She felt herself shudder. Maybe she should've taken Heather's threats toward her more seriously. If Heather could break up a strong couple like Trent and Gwen, what chance did she have with Duncan? Especially since she was no longer part of the competition...
She tried shaking off those thoughts. Besides, Bridgette was still there. Bridgette would keep an eye out for her.
Hide and be Sneaky
Courtney waited on Bridgette's bed as Bridgette took a very, very long shower trying to get the skunk smell off of her.
"This is all your boyfriend's fault," Bridgette shouted at Courtney from the bathroom. "You made me think he was some guy with a heart who gets new bunnies for DJ. But he's just rotten."
As Bridgette continued to rant about Duncan, Courtney couldn't help but wonder how Duncan was feeling at the moment. The last time they had a challenge where they tried to avoid being caught, Duncan had been in a foul mood. Hell, he even almost broke down when talking with Courtney about it. What was he going to do this time?
She had a sad feeling that he was going to keep those emotions bottled up. There was no way he was going to open up to anyone there. She'd been the closest person that he'd opened up to, and yet, she still knew almost nothing about him.
Courtney sat up straight when she heard the bathroom door open. On the other side was a relaxed Bridgette.
"Much better," Bridgette said with a content sigh. She looked over at Courtney and smiled. "So, what's there to do here?"
"You mean you're done ranting about Duncan?"
Bridgette shrugged. "I held my grudge for more than six minutes. That's enough for me. Besides..." She let out a wicked smile. "You're going to show me what Duncan made for you that was 'so important' that he had to have his knife back."
Courtney rolled her eyes but still smiled. She reached into her pocket and handed the skull over to Bridgette.
Bridgette took her time observing the skull. "It's ugly," she concluded.
That's Off the Chain
Bridgette stared at the screen dreamily every time that Geoff came on. Courtney stared at the screen in envy.
Courtney knew precisely how Geoff felt. She was a crying mess when she was voted off. She missed Duncan. The fact that she left him so suddenly didn't help either. The only reason she stopped crying was that she realized that the other losers could see her.
Wait, I was crying that hard because I missed Duncan?
She used to make fun of those girls at her school. Why cry over something so meaningless like a guy? It was so pathetic.
When did I become like that?
"You know," Bridgette spoke up shaking Courtney out of her thoughts. "Duncan was an absolute mess when you left." She thought for a moment. "Well, he's probably still a mess, but it was much worse when you first left."
Courtney bunched her eyebrows together in confusion. "What do you mean?" Duncan never shows his emotions openly like that.
Bridgette let out a small laugh. "Well, first, he made us stay on the dock because he was convinced that you would come back."
Courtney let out a snort. "That wasn't possible. I scared the producers too much for that to happen."
"Then," continued Bridgette. "When we tried to convince Duncan to come back to the cabins, he tried to hijack a canoe. I'm not sure what his plan was from there."
"Let me guess. DJ stopped him?"
"Obviously," Bridgette said with an eye roll. "Geoff was busy encouraging Duncan to go for it."
Courtney sighed. "We fell for imbeciles."
"It's like they say, 'the heart wants what it wants," Bridgette replied with a smile. "Anyway, as if that wasn't enough, Duncan actually jumped into the ocean to try to swim. At that point, Chef was fed up and carried Duncan to his bunk."
Courtney couldn't help but laugh as she imagined a pouty Duncan easily carried by Chef. When her laughter finally died, she whispered, "He really was a mess when I left."
"Oh, you have no idea."
But so was I.
Hook, Line, and Screamer
"There, there," Bridgette said gently as she rubbed a sobbing DJ's back. "The challenge is over. There's no escaped psycho killer with a chainsaw and a hook here."
DJ lifted his head from his hands. His eyes were still wet with tears. "I know, but it's just..." He tried to hold back his tears. "Why did I still have to be stuck on this island!" He started crying uncontrollably.
Courtney sighed while watching DJ fall apart. Maybe he just needed to cry it out.
Then, both girls heard another sniffling with them on the dock. When they turned, they discovered that Ezekiel was sitting there with them.
"I don't want to be stuck on this island anymore either, eh," Ezekiel choked out between sniffles.
Courtney gave a look to Bridgette, but Bridgette just shook her head. There was no way she would be rubbing Ezekiel's back.
Wawanakwa Gone Wild!
DJ, Bridgette, and Courtney sat in a shady area by the pool relaxing. Courtney let out a content sigh. It was the first time she truly felt at peace there. She was discovering that the place wasn't so bad when her friends were there.
"So," DJ asked. "Who do you think has a better chance of making it to the finale? Duncan or Geoff?"
"Duncan," Courtney answered without skipping a beat. Her eyes widened when she realized what she's done.
DJ smiled in amusement. "I should've known."
"I... I just meant," she stuttered. "That he's always the one who had the knowledge that we needed during our team challenges. And obviously, his knowledge hasn't run out yet seeing as he got this far."
"Uh huh," DJ said unconvinced.
"I agree with Courtney," Bridgette suddenly said. "Duncan would make it to the finale over Geoff."
"See, DJ? My answer wasn't totally off base-"
"You see," continued Bridgette. "Duncan uses terror to get people to vote for who he wants out. Geoff is way too nice to do that. So one day, Duncan will convince everyone to vote Geoff out, and voilĂ !"
Courtney stared at Bridgette stunned. "I thought you weren't mad at Duncan anymore."
Bridgette shrugged. "The feeling comes and goes."
Trial by Tri-Armed Triathlon
Bridgette waited excitedly at the dock waiting for Geoff's arrival. Courtney and DJ waited with Bridgette a couple of steps behind her. As soon as Bridgette was able to spot the boat, her eyes sparkled.
Courtney couldn't help but smile for Bridgette. Unlike Courtney and Trent (and somehow, Harold), Bridgette never got to kiss her crush before being dragged onto the boat. It was something that Bridgette lamented to Courtney one too many times.
Bridgette turned around and smiled at Courtney. "He's here," she cried out excitedly before facing the boat again.
When Geoff got closer to the dock, he had a look of confusion on his face and warily walked off of the boat.
"This isn't my home," he said while looking around.
"Geoff," Bridgette shouted while running towards him.
Geoff's head snapped towards Bridgette. His confused look quickly turned into a hug smile. "Babe!"
Once Bridgette reached Geoff, she grabbed onto his cheeks and pulled his mouth down towards hers. It was an innocent kiss, but it soon developed into a long makeout session.
DJ cleared his throat to get their attention.
Geoff pulled apart from Bridgette and finally noticed DJ and Courtney. "Hey, the gangs all here," he shouted excitedly. Then, his face slowly turned to confusion once again. "Where is here?"
"You're still on the island," Courtney replied.
DJ nodded in agreement. "The producers brought all of us to this resort. It has all the food that you could ask for. It even has a pool!"
Geoff's eyes widened at the realization. "Do you mean that this is like a never-ending party? That's awesome!"
Bridgette started giggling. "But not as awesome as you being here with me."
"Totally," Geoff said before leaning over to makeout with Bridgette once again.
Courtney rolled her eyes. "Is this how it's going to be from now on?"
"No," DJ said confidently. Then, he thought about it. "Maybe." He looked over at the couple and saw they had no intention of stopping. "...Yes."
Haute Camp-ture
Courtney glared as the crew set up their cameras getting ready to shoot for the day. It reminded her of how she didn't belong with the other losers. She wasn't voted off. Harold had to cheat in order for her to get off. For all she knew, she could've been in the top five.
And with Duncan...
She quickly dismissed that thought and cleared her throat at the cameraman next to her. "You know my parents are lawyers, right? I could sue this whole production for wrongful termination of competition."
The cameraman blinked at her before giving her a thumbs up. "That was great! Now say it when the camera's on!" The camera started blinking red. "And... go!"
Geoff, Bridgette, and DJ (who were sitting next to Courtney) looked at each other nervously. This was the first time Courtney had brought up her unfair elimination in a while, and with all that pent-up anger, nobody was safe.
"These are my witnesses," Courtney continued while gesturing toward her friends.
Geoff quickly pulled Bridgette up by her hand. "Hey, babe, let's go make out in the hot tub."
"What," DJ asked pretending he heard something. "Trent? You need something, dude? I'll be right over!"
Courtney rolled her eyes as she watched her friends escape from her. It was fine. She'll just take her anger out on Harold instead.
The cameraman pointed the camera right into Courtney's face. "Anything you wanna tell your folks back at home?"
She glared back at the camera. "Get this out of my face," she screamed before throwing the camera into the water.
Camp Castaways
"...Courtney," Bridgette asked scared.
Courtney didn't respond. She just kept staring at the blank TV.
The show ended more than an hour ago yet Courtney refused to move. DJ put his hand on Courtney's shoulder and shook her gently. She still stayed frozen.
"Is she dead," Geoff asked. Bridgette and DJ were too concerned with Courtney to answer Geoff. "Come on, Court! You can't be dead! I can't rhyme any words with 'Courtney'!"
DJ looked over at Bridgette. "What do you think?"
"It's probably something that Duncan did," Bridgette answered. DJ gave her a look of disbelief. "I swear! This time I'm not just complaining about him! She only gets this upset when Duncan does something dumb!"
"Dammit, Bridge," cried out DJ. "That could be anything!"
"Oh," Geoff said with a sigh of relief. "Is that why she gets upset? Then, it's obviously because Duncan called Heather and Gwen 'hot.'" He bent down next to Courtney. "Don't worry, Court. Duncan thinks you're hot too."
"Geoff," Bridgette shouted. "How does saying that help her?"
"How does it not help her," Geoff replied proudly.
DJ just smacked his forehead.
"He told them how he ended up in juvie," Courtney said in a low whisper. The other three leaned over trying to hear what Courtney was saying. "I thought I was the only one he opened up to, but he never told me how he ended up in juvie. Yet, he told them."
"To be fair," said Geoff. "He did think he was about to die."
Courtney stood up quickly. She glanced at all her friends before running back to her room.
"Seriously, Geoff," Bridgette let out with a groan.
"It'll be okay," he said dismissing her worry. "They're like meant to be... Like Romeo and Juliet!"
"Geoff," DJ said slowly. "Romeo and Juliet died at the end."
"Dude! Spoilers!"
