Duncan sat in his parked car letting the engine run. He looked over at his phone. 7:33 pm.

Duncan sighed. That bastard ended work at 7:15. What the hell?

That's when he saw Geoff... Strolling through waving at everyone in his path... Stopping to take a deep breath of the fresh air...

That's it. Duncan held his hand on the horn.

"Alright, alright," Geoff shouted before walking to the car and settling in.

"What's up, dude," asked Geoff in a friendly voice.

Duncan couldn't help but smile at his friend. It was impossible to stay mad at Geoff. "Listen. I wanted to talk to you about something-"

Geoff laughed. "The last time you said that was when you were debating whether to break it off with Gwen." His eyes widened. "Wait, are you dating her again?"

"No," Duncan shouted while banging his hands on his steering wheel. "And when I did that, you put your fingers in your ears and ignored me."

Geoff looked confused for a second before his face turned into a knowing smile. "Ah," he said sitting up straight and interlocking his fingers together. "DJ told me this might happen. You want to talk about Courtney's fiance."

Duncan gave him a strange look. "Just what do you guys talk about when I'm not around?"

Geoff scoffed. "We don't talk about you. We just have bets."

"And your bet was...?"

"Whether you'd ask about Courtney's fiance," Geoff said casually. "DJ said you'd last a day. I had more faith in you. I gave you two."

Duncan rolled his eyes. "Alright then. Just what is it about him that put Bridgette in a pretzel?"

Geoff whistled. "Where do I even start... Courtney just seemed different after dating him. Like, she didn't want to disappoint him. And he enjoys that." He scratched his chin. "Bridgette thinks Courtney's afraid of being alone so Bridge tries to hang out with her a lot, but Courtney's been distant lately." He shrugged.

Duncan frowned. How can one person completely change her? "Anything else?"

Geoff thought for a moment. "Dawn said he has a bad vibe about him."

"Who the fuck is Dawn?"

It wasn't until Courtney finished her second bottle of wine that she found it in herself to talk about the skull. Her left ring finger suddenly felt like it was burning her skin. She needed it off. Quickly, she slipped it off causing it to roll on the kitchen table.

Bridgette watched as Courtney did this and lifted an eyebrow at her.

"It just feels wrong to have both," explained Courtney.

Bridgette just nodded. "So, why did you carry it around today?"

"I planned on dumping it somewhere Jake wouldn't find," Courtney said with a sigh.

"But?"

Courtney rubbed her temples. "I don't know. I can't figure out why I couldn't do it."

Bridgette sighed. She wasn't going to get more out of Courtney on that topic. "I saw your pills."

Courtney laughed. "I was wondering when that would be brought up."

"How long?"

"Since World Tour ended," Courtney answered. She shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "I know you're supposed to take them consistently but... I usually just do it when things get really bad..."

"When was the last time that happened," asked Bridgette reaching over to hold Courtney's hand.

Courtney turned to look directly at Bridgette. It was a secret she never shared before. "After Jake proposed."

Bridgette stood there stunned. Courtney used this opportunity to pluck Bridgette's half-empty wine bottle from her hands and eagerly drank it. She's forgotten how much she loved wine.

"Do you actually want to marry Jake?"

Courtney stopped drinking and tried to focus. Her mind was trying to tell her the correct answer to say, but it felt too blurry. She was tired of thinking.

"I don't want to be alone," admitted Courtney.

"Courtney," Bridgette said gently. "You know there are other guys out there, right?"

Courtney closed her eyes planning on nodding but found herself slowly sliding to the kitchen floor instead. She could feel her eyelids getting heavier, and the atmosphere around her fading.

I don't think there are.

It took a lot of work, but Bridgette had managed to move the unconscious Courtney over to the couch. After, she headed back over to the kitchen to clean up when she noticed the two items Courtney had left behind: the skull and the engagement ring.

Bridgette focused over at the skull. It was the first time she really got to study it. On the island, Bridgette forbid Courtney from putting that thing anywhere near her. She did not need nightmares.

Even though Courtney claimed to have hidden the skull in the back of her closet, Bridgette could tell it wasn't just randomly tossed in. There wasn't a single piece of dust on it. The top part was worn out suggesting that Courtney had rubbed it a lot over time.

She tapped her fingers on the kitchen table. Duncan was usually a topic they never talked about. Bridgette always told herself that she did it because she was being considerate of Courtney's feelings. But if she was honest, she didn't actually know how Courtney felt about Duncan.

Sure, Courtney hated him after World Tour and ignored him in All Stars, but it didn't mean that's how she felt now.

Then, Bridgette looked over at the engagement ring. A ring that trapped Courtney.

For the life of her, Bridgette couldn't figure out why Courtney was staying in that relationship. The whole group tried convincing her that it was a bad idea. She even seemed to agree with them. So what changed?

I don't want to be alone.

Bridgette dropped both items into Courtney's purse. She didn't know what that meant, but she was going to do whatever it took to figure it out.

She looked over at the clock on the microwave and cursed. It was 8 p.m. Jake was going to expect her home soon. She saw the way Jake looked at Courtney when she arrived home at 10 p.m. She didn't want a drunk Courtney to go home to that.

She'd have Courtney sleepover, but the last time she did that, she hadn't heard from Courtney in a month. She walked over to Courtney and tried to shake her awake. It was no use. She was out cold.

Duncan cut off the engine once he reached Geoff's apartment and followed him inside the elevator.

"You sure Bridgette is fine with me coming in," asked Duncan hesitantly.

Geoff waved off his worry. "Bridgette's cool with you now." Duncan gave him back a look of disbelief. "I know this for sure this time! She kept on going on and on this morning about how guilty she was feeling."

"Uh-huh," Duncan said while stepping out of the elevator. "Remember that when you get the invitation to my funeral."

"Nah, brah," Geoff said laughing. He unlocked his door. "Bridge doesn't have it in her to actually kill someone."

"Come on, Courtney," they heard a voice yell. "Wake up!"

Geoff and Duncan gave each other a worried look before hurrying inside. Once they reached the living room, they saw a distressed Bridgette shaking Courtney.

Geoff let out a deep breath. "Babe... What did you do?"

Bridgette stopped shaking Courtney to glare at her boyfriend. "What do you mean 'what did you do?' I didn't force her to drink all that wine!"

"Oh good," said Geoff with a sigh of relief. "She's just drunk."

"Anyway," Bridgette said ignoring her boyfriend's strange behavior. "We have to get her home or her stupid boyfriend is going to be pissed off."

Duncan glanced over at the passenger seat when he hit a stoplight. She is going to have a killer headache in the morning.

Back at the apartment, the task of bringing Courtney home was thrust onto him. Apparently, Jake couldn't stand Bridgette or Geoff, but Jake didn't know who he was.

Courtney stirred in her seat before blinking her eyes open. "Where am I?"

"I'm taking you home."

That voice woke Courtney up. She had to take a double-take to make sure it really was him.

Duncan. When she left All Stars, she hadn't expected to see Duncan ever again. At least, this close. Her friends thought it was because she still hated him, but it really was because she was ashamed. Ashamed of the way she acted in their relationship.

She had imagined many times what would happen if she ever got the courage to face him again. All the scenarios started and ended the same way. She would apologize, and he would show that he didn't care about her.

The logical part of her brain told her to not say anything. To pretend to fall back asleep.

But the alcohol in her pushed those thoughts away.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out.

Duncan waited for Courtney to say that she was joking. When it didn't happen, he started laughing. He could feel Courtney glare at him. "For what, exactly?"

"For the way, I acted throughout our relationship," she answered.

"You didn't do anything wrong-"

"That's not what you said after we broke up."

Duncan cringed. She got him there. "Sixteen-year-old Duncan had trouble taking accountability. I wouldn't listen to a criminal like him if I were you."

"Yeah, well," she replied. "Sixteen-year-old Courtney was stubborn and pushed her boyfriend away into another girl's arms. I wouldn't forgive her if I were you."

"Even if I were to agree with you, which I don't, it still isn't a good reason to-"

She shook her head. "Don't try to make me feel better about our situation. I get it now, and I've made sure to not make the same mistake again."

Duncan stayed quiet thinking over what Courtney said, but the more he did, the less sense it made.

The closer Duncan came to Courtney's condo, the more nervous she became.

"Relax," said Duncan. "You'll get home in one piece."

She bit her bottom lip. "Do you know how much I drank?"

Duncan shrugged. "Two wine bottles?"

"Shit," she mumbled under her breath.

"I think it's impressive," he said with a laugh. "Who knew you had such a high tolerance?"

"Do I smell like alcohol? Don't answer, that's a dumb question. Of course, I do. You got a mint?"

"I don't think a mint will save you," he replied.

"No," she said quietly. "But a whole container might."

"What's the big deal? It's not like you're a teen going back to your parents' house."

She didn't answer.

The rest of the car ride was silent. Once the car stopped, Courtney opened the door and wobbled herself out of her seat. She took her first step and fell flat on her ass. She was too tired for this.

Courtney laid down to rest, and Duncan rushed over to her side. He bent down to help her up, but she put her hand out to stop him.

"Just let me rest," she said. "I can walk back. You can go home."

Duncan shook his head. She's just as stubborn as I remember. He liked that about her.

"Are you crazy? You can barely walk! Let me help you in!"

"No," she shouted. When she saw Duncan's bizarre expression, she realized her mistake.

"Courtney," he said with a serious expression. "What is going on?"

She let out a nervous laugh. "What do you mean? I'm drunk, and I can barely walk."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about."

She closed her eyes tight trying to get her brain to come up with something. When she opened her eyes, she let out a sigh. "Fine. Jake saw part of the show and isn't really a fan of you. He can't know I was with you tonight."

He studied her face. He knew she was hiding something, but if she wouldn't even reveal everything to Bridgette, then what chance did he have?

He heard a ring from Courtney's purse. Courtney wasn't attempting to reach over to get it so Duncan bent down to get it instead. He looked over at the screen and smiled.

"It's your fiance," he informed her. "He said he's caught up in work and is sleeping in the office tonight." He looked over at her. "Guess I can help you up."

Duncan helped Courtney settle onto her bed before taking a look around. It wasn't a bad bedroom. It was a good size... Nice furniture... But nothing else. Hell, even the walls were still white.

It was the opposite of the bedroom that Courtney had as a teen. Duncan remembered how her walls were covered with her accomplishments and pictures. He would always tease her about how messy her walls looked, but really, it made him smile.

Seeing the bare walls broke his heart a little.

"Shit," Courtney mumbled from her bed. "Where's my ring?"

"Chill," he said walking over to her purse. "I'll get it."

He blindly fished around her purse for a while, when he felt something familiar. It can't be... But when he took it out, the proof was right there in front of him. It was the skull.

"Duncan," she called out. "Did you find it?"

Quickly, he dropped the skull back into her purse before finding the ring and handing it over to her. She smiled at him.

"Thanks," she said with her eyes closed. A few minutes later, she was fast asleep.

"Good night, Princess," he whispered. He then left her condo more confused than ever.