To be honest, she didn't really know where she and Duncan stood.
It was a bit of a mess, if she had to describe it. They barely spoke after the Playa Des Losers million dollar stunt, where things got out of control (mainly on Courtney's end) and it ended up with Duncan qualifying for the new season. Unfortunately, she did not, which left her in her current location.
As a current member of the peanut gallery, these "Aftermath" episodes the producers had Bridgette and Geoff host were actually located not too far from where the show was filming. It was essentially an extension of the film lot, except restricted for all participating members of the new season, Chris, and Chef. If any of the former or current contestants were to sneak to the other side, it was an immediate breach of contract and would lead to a lawsuit and removal from the lot.
Currently, Courtney was sitting in the cafeteria for lunch. The "word on the street" as Katie and Sadie would describe, is they were on the prowl to become the newest girlfriends of Trent. And by that, she meant the two were loudly gossiping about it at the table across from her.
The musician was the newest member to arrive to the building, alongside Izzy (er, E-Scope). Courtney really didn't feel too bad about his elimination at first, because he was acting really weird and was being annoying about his breakup with Gwen. In her own words, he was being a loser. But once he was given the time during the Aftermath episode to explain himself and then sing an original song about his new ex-girlfriend, Courtney couldn't help but feel some sympathy. And, she was a bit jealous of Gwen. Courtney was prettier than the goth (at least, in her opinion) yet somehow she had three different guys vying for her attention at any given time. Trent, Duncan (which is the most painful one), and her "annoying little brother" [1].
She guessed the one positive of not being a current contestant is the food here is considerably more edible than anything she's ever eaten on the show. It was an assortment of sandwiches today, which was good for Courtney because she could take her dairy pills and eat the sandwiches with cheese on it. And, as always, she was sitting alone eating. When Bridgette and Geoff were first eliminated, she would crash their "romantic" lunches and dinners so she and Bridgette could hangout. But since all they do is makeout and prepare content for the Aftermath episodes, Bridgette barely has time to even sit down with Courtney.
And because of that, it left Courtney with no other friends. Partly, some of the former contestants are afraid of her (Tyler, Ezekiel). Others strongly disliked her (Eva, Sadie). The rest ignored her existence for the most part. The only person she's been able to have a civil conversation with (and wasn't Bridgette) was Noah, but those are very short-lived.
Most of the people here don't have the braincells to have an actual conversation with Courtney, which is truly unfortunate. And, she doesn't feel the need to have mindless conversations with people she doesn't care about and won't care about within the next couple of months. When they speak, Courtney can't help but throw an eye roll in their general direction. Like, pick up a book and read something.
That's probably why she can only tolerate Noah until his sarcasm pools out too much. He also seems to be fearless in the face of his enemies, but that mainly seems to be because he doesn't care. She really hopes he finds a girl he considers actually attractive, maybe he'll get a better personality [2].
While mid-bite in her sandwich, there was a commotion coming from Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Idiot [3]. Chewing hard into her sandwich, Courtney chose to ignore whatever they were screaming about and refrain from yelling at them to shut up. She closed her eyes and focused on the food in her mouth.
Her thoughts went back to Duncan, like they always do. Sometimes she wondered how much he actually thought about her during the competition. As aggravating as he was, he did hold a special place in her heart. But, as soon as Duncan appears in her head, Gwen appears.
Courtney knew she had problems containing her jealousy. She didn't care though - Gwen had her stupid goth hooks all over Duncan [4] and it looked to be working. At least, that's what the cameras showed. And as apprehensive as Courtney was trying to be about their "friendship", it was beginning to be incredibly difficult.
"Hey, can I sit here?"
Her thoughts were broken up by a voice she didn't immediately recognize. When she opened her eyes, Trent was standing across from her at the table. Confused, she raised an eyebrow at his question. "I don't own this table, you can sit wherever you want."
He set his tray down and sat down. "Cool."
This was strange. The two of them never really interacted before. That made sense, considering they weren't on the same team and Courtney was illegally eliminated before the merge. Even during their stay in Playa De Losers they didn't speak that much, if at all. Trent hung out with the guys, and Courtney would hangout with Bridgette and sometimes LeShawna. The never really had a reason to speak to each other.
In the background, she could hear Katie and Sadie gasp collectively at the act. Originally, from Courtney's perspective, it looked like they were getting ready to get up and move to this table. But, they chose not to. Courtney could only assume she was the reason because of it.
"Trent, why don't you like, sit with us?" Katie asked, catching the musician's attention.
Nodding in agreement, Sadie added her typical "Like, totally!" statement.
Swallowing the food in his mouth, Trent turned around and replied, "Thanks for the invite girls, but I'm okay sitting here."
They looked visibly upset, which Courtney couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at. The two girls glared somewhat vehemently at the C.I.T before turning back and finishing up their lunch.
Finishing off her sandwich, Courtney wasn't sure whether to start a conversation with Trent or not. The two were currently in silence, which was fine for Courtney personally. She didn't really have anything to say to him.
"So, Trent." Courtney decided to start, wondering if the distrust she was feeling was oozing off of her obviously. "Are you just using me to avoid those two morons over there, or did you actually want to sit with me?"
Instead of a snarky remark, which was what Courtney was expecting to receive as an aftereffect of hanging around Duncan too much, Trent chuckled. "Good question. My answer is yes." Then he rubbed the back of his head.
She stared at him. "Yes?" She repeated his answer, more confused than annoyed. "What does that even mean?"
Trent stared back, beginning to smile a bit. This is weird, Courtney thought to herself. "I guess yes to both." He whispered, "They kind of freak me out a little." He went back to his regular tone. "And I saw you were sitting alone and thought maybe you would want some company."
"What makes you think I wanted company?" Courtney crossed her arms. "I'm perfectly fine being by myself, thank you for asking."
He smiled in response, which irritated the C.I.T. more. "I know you are." He responded. Then Trent shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know why, but something was telling me maybe you needed a little company. You're one of the most independent people here."
Damn straight she was. She couldn't help but show a smile at the compliment. When she uncrossed her arms, she picked up her final sandwich slice. The more she thought about Trent's comment, though, the more upset she became.
The only people she interacted with somewhat regularly were Bridgette and Duncan, both preoccupied. "Are you trying to gain information or something out of me?" She couldn't help but ask.
This time, Trent frowned a bit. Courtney wasn't sure why, but he looked different. Hurt? Confused? She wasn't sure.
"What makes you think I would try something like that?" He asked, even sounding a bit sadder than before.
Courtney wondered what was going through his head, which was weird. She typically didn't care for what other people thought of her, because she already knew she was the best there was. Unfortunately, those beliefs meant nothing since she was sitting in a cafeteria eating sandwiches not fighting for a million dollars.
"I just don't understand why you would voluntarily sit with me out of the kindness of your heart." She chose to say, making an attempt to not sound annoying.
She had learned as early as the first challenge on Total Drama Island to keep her guard up at all times. Rarely did she let any ineffective emotion bypass her, and most of the time it would be where there weren't any cameras. Some of those moments were in solitude; others, though, would be with Duncan, late at night on their days off. Those were the most interesting nights.
Realizing she hadn't received a response, Courtney turned to look back at Trent. He was chewing his food, so he put a hand out as a form of an apology for the lack of an answer yet. Courtney couldn't help but smile a bit at him. As "cool" as he was made out to seem, he is also awkward too. Though, it was a polite gesture, and there was no need to get any more annoyed, as Trent was presenting actual manners, unlike Duncan.
So, she waited (somewhat patiently) for him to finish his food. While she did, she took the last bite of her sandwich. His skin, eye color, the way he moved his hands in-between biting.
"Sorry about that." He spoke, and Courtney moved her attention to his eyes. It was one of the first things she noticed about him the first time she looked at him. Even though she threw him to the side and considered him less than competition, she remembers stepping off the boat and noticing them almost immediately when scanning across the crowd of people. Even she can admit (in her mind, of course) his eyes are pretty. "The truth is -." Trent continued speaking.
When he finished speaking, Courtney could hear her heart beating faster. Instinctively, she crossed her arms and turned her head away from him. "Of course I'm fine, Trent, what would make you think I wasn't?"
He pushed his plate of unfinished sandwiches to the side and placed his elbows on the table, folding his hands. "Look, Courtney. I know what I saw, I was there. I may have been acting a bit out-of-character, but you saw it too, didn't you?"
Of course she did. Duncan and Gwen's body language spoke better than their words - even Courtney could pick that up. They get along well enough, considering all the things they have in common. If she wanted to, Courtney could write it all in a long, long list.
"So what exactly is your point?" Courtney faced him again. "Why are you trying to talk to me about this? Duncan and my relationship is none of your business." Her arms stayed cross, displaying her defensiveness.
The male musician leaned a bit forward, lowering his voice so the two other people in the cafeteria couldn't eavesdrop. "I really don't mean to come off like an interrogator, but are you and Duncan even dating right now?"
She automatically looked away, uncrossing her arms. The subconscious movements told Trent everything he needed to know. "Courtney, look. Duncan is into her. Call it a male instinct, but it's true. I don't want to see you hurting or angry."
"So what are you going to do? Wait for Gwen to get eliminated and try to work things out?" In the back of her mind, Courtney knew Gwen was into Duncan too. The same way he called it a male instinct, she could consider it a female instinct.
"No." There was no variation in his voice, nor any pauses to think.
Courtney raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? I know you sang the song during the Aftermath and it was nice and all, but still."
"I said I would heal and move on, and I meant that. Obviously things could've ended better, but that's how it goes sometimes." Courtney could hear the hints of betrayal in his voice, probably due to knowing Gwen was involved in his elimination. She wouldn't know what she would do if Duncan tried to eliminate her [5]. But, she had to hand it to him, there was some conviction in his voice. It was a bit inspiring to see; someone actually had a bit of personality on the lot full of former contestants.
She even wondered how much he was hurting. He had already basically cried on national TV and had a song written for his now-ex girlfriend. How hard was the mask he was wearing? Even cool guys probably get sad behind closed doors -.
Wait. Why was she thinking about how Trent feels? Courtney looked back at him, and he was staring at her. As if he was trying to figure something out. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it bothered her she couldn't read his mind. "Look, Trent." She stood up, taking her trash with her. "I appreciate the concerns, but I'm fine. Once I win my lawsuit against Chris I'll get back on the show and wring Duncan's neck until he realizes he was wrong for even considering her over me." Courtney smiled at Trent, though it felt artificial. "Again, I'm fine." She could feel Katie and Sadie's stares on her back as she walked to the trash can and threw her plate and napkins out. When she walked out the door, she turned her head once.
Trent had turned his head back to his food quickly, but not quickly enough for Courtney to not notice. She gave him a confused look before leaving out the room.
Wow, she was so alone. The afternoon was spent in her room, with the television on absolute nonsense. Courtney tried to do a little bit of studying for her LSATS (which weren't for a few more years, but you can never start too early!), but she couldn't focus all too well. She really wishes Bridgette wasn't so busy so they could hangout and gossip and do things all the other girls too.
In reality, Courtney couldn't stop thinking about her conversation with Trent earlier at lunch. It was completely unexpected, and stayed on her mind longer than she would have liked it to have. She was overthinking things, but she knew Trent was right about some of the stuff he mentioned. As strange as it was for him to arrive out of the blue and address her. Her defenses stayed up pretty well - in case he really was trying to get some sort of information out of her - but this didn't feel like the case. It was different. It was as if he was actually looking out for her.
That would be a first, considering Bridgette was the only person who really (maybe?) cared about Courtney. Duncan obviously cared about her too, but recently she wasn't so sure anymore.
More importantly, Courtney was thinking about Trent's feelings. That never happened with people she barely speaks to, if at all. As self-centered as the thought appeared, Courtney really only cared for herself and a few other people. Her parents, Duncan, and Bridgette. Even her lawyers were on the fence, considering she hadn't successfully won her first lawsuit. They were on very thin ice at the moment.
Why did she care about Trent's feelings so much? There were a few prominent reasons that existed Courtney didn't feel like engaging in, but it still didn't hurt to ask.
"Ugh!" She slammed her fist into her bed, beginning to sit up. This wasn't solving anything. In fact, her pointless conversation with Trent created a whole new set of concerns between Duncan and Gwen, especially now that the two were without Trent and herself to keep an eye on them. Who knows what's going on away from cameras!? It was all giving the brunette unnecessary stress.
Checking the clock on her bedside table, it was close enough to dinner where she could still have some moments to herself. The best way to get rid of thinking was to not think at all, and there were only a few ways Courtney could accomplish that goal.
Taking her key card and slipping it in her pocket, she walked out of her door and pulled it shut, before walking towards the stairs. All the former and eliminated contestants lived on the second floor, and the main rooms were on the first floor. She walked down the stairs, and made it to the first floor without seeing a single person. As she continued to walk, she passed by the cafeteria and walked to the end of the large hallway, where there was a door on the right.
When she opened it, the last thing she expected to see was another person in it. But, sure enough, it was the only other musician on the lot.
The room was the music room, created as a space to engage in the arts and to waste time. There was a piano, and a majority of the percussion, woodwind, string, and brass instruments too. It was set up like an orchestra, so certain instruments were placed at certain parts of the room. Many of the former contestants didn't come in here because they either didn't care or didn't know how to play anything. This allowed Courtney a lot of time to practice and be alone. It was also soundproof, so it difficult to hear anyone playing or to know if anyone was eavesdropping in.
"Oh hey, fancy seeing you here." Trent waved, temporarily stopping his practicing to wave.
Courtney's face fell a little, considering he was the indirect reason she was in here in the first place. That said, she was still polite in her greeting. "Oh, hey Trent. I wasn't expecting anyone else to be here."
The other nice thing about most of the current people living here was that because most of them don't play anything, Courtney could have the room to herself and not fear of someone wanting to play another instrument while she was playing.
Trent placed the bottom of the guitar on his feet, holding the neck with his left hand. "I forgot you played the violin!" He chuckled a bit. "I thought I had this little space to myself, but I guess I was wrong."
He didn't sound upset, but Courtney felt a bit guilty. "I know what you mean, that's pretty much how I've felt since they started filming. I can just leave and come another time, though." She began to turn and leave, a bit annoyed.
"Wait!" The male musician called out to Courtney. She stopped and turned around, still holding the door. "Why don't you stay and play. I'd love to listen."
"Oh Trent, I can't just intrude on you. Well, I mean I can, but I don't want to. Seriously, keep the room." Courtney insisted,
He shook his head and smiled. "I actually would love to hear you play, if you wouldn't mind an audience?"
Courtney paused, thinking it over. "Well, if you insist." She agreed, and walked in the room. She walked by Trent and grabbed the black violin case, opening it up and taking out the instrument and bow. She picked the strings, before running the bow across it once to make sure all the strings were in tune. Considering she was the only one that played it and she always made sure to tune it before she left, it should sound perfect (which it did).
She walked back up to the empty space in the front of the room and turned to Trent. "Is there something in particular you'd like to hear?" He shook his head and Courtney took a moment to think about what she'd like to play. As she did, she could feel Trent's forest green eyes settled on her, as if he was already hypnotized by the music. Once she settled on a classical song she knew by heart, she sighed and lifted the instrument to settle on her neck. Closing her eyes, she began to play.
The song was a bit difficult, but Courtney had mastered it about a year ago, which is why she enjoyed playing it. She was in-tune to her fingers moving accordingly and the music to sound perfect. There were points that even she got excited at, so she moved with the song, arching her neck and putting passion behind her movements, letting the music absorb it. She had completely forgot Trent was there at one point. She fell back into the belief she wasn't even with the Total Drama crew; rather she was in her bedroom back home playing and recording herself so she could watch it over for any flaws. Rarely did she let go.
When she finished, she opened her eyes and remembered everything going on in her world. She blinked, and lowered the bow and violin to her sides.
Clapping erupted in front of her and she sheepishly smiled, though there was a bit of pride in that smile. Courtney even laughed a bit, though she wouldn't admit it was out of embarrassment.
"Courtney that was beautiful." Trent complimented, standing up once he finished clapping. "Like, it was so beautiful I don't know how else to describe it."
She couldn't help but smile at the kind words. Naturally, almost instinctively, she bowed her head a bit, like she was performing in front of her instructor. "Thank you Trent. I really appreciate it."
Courtney looked up and Trent still looked amazed. His eyes were wide and he had this big smile on his face. She wasn't sure why, but Courtney felt a bit vulnerable in this moment.
Moving away from those thoughts, she thought about the time she played in front of Duncan for the first time, and his feign sleeping through it still left a bad taste in her mouth. "I'm glad someone can appreciate good music and is willing to pay attention and not pretend to fall asleep during it." The comment was unnecessary, but directed towards no one in the room.
It actually made Trent frown a bit. "Well, know I'd never fall asleep if you ever decide to play the violin in front of me again. Some people can't appreciate talent, even if it hit them on the head." Courtney couldn't tell if he knew who she was talking about, but she wouldn't have been surprised if he did. He seemed to be able to have an actual conversation.
"You're telling me." She agreed, rolling her eyes. But, she looked at Trent and smiled. "Oh well, what can you do?"
As she walked to put the violin back, Trent grabbed her arm unexpectedly. "Wait, sorry." She turned and looked at him, and he released it almost immediately. She wasn't annoyed like she usually would've been. Actually, his hand was really warm. "Would you like to play with me? Or can I play with you?"
This was definitely not how Courtney anticipated her day to go. "You want to play? With me?" Courtney asked, apprehensively.
"Are you kidding? I hope I can keep up with you." Trent complimented again.
"What would we play?" Courtney looked up at Trent, not sure how many classical songs he would be able to play.
He rubbed his chin, a thoughtful look on his face. "Do you know any Elvis Presley?"
Courtney paused, wondering how he was able to settle on him. She pondered for a moment. Did she? "Actually," she started. "I believe I do know a couple songs. My instructor wanted me to practice with 'modern songs' for a few months. What's it called, it's a love song -."
"Can't help falling in love?" Trent asked, hopeful.
Her eyes brightened at the revelation. "Yes! That's the one."
He smiled. "That's exactly the one I was thinking of. Do you think you're up for a love song?" He challenged.
"I can handle anything, Trent. Don't doubt me." But when she spoke, there was a recognizable lack of bite to her words. Almost as if she was actually enjoying herself.
The male musician walked back to where he was previously seated and sat down, placing his guitar in his lap.
Courtney followed, sitting a couple feet away. She placed her violin in its previous position too. "Can you play it first though, just to make sure I still know it by heart?" She asked, glancing at Trent.
It wasn't exactly admitting weakness, but it was close enough to where Trent felt like maybe (just maybe) she was warming up to him a bit. "Yeah, of course."
All of the former contestants were gathered in the cafeteria ready for dinner. They began forming a line to get whatever the dinner was.
It is very probable each of those people could tell someone else exactly where they were standing when the cafeteria doors opened and Courtney and Trent were walking in together, in the middle of a conversation.
Bridgette, who was typically focused on her boyfriend's lips, even had to do a double take at her friend.
Unbeknownst they were being stared at explicitly, the duo walked to the end of the line and continued their conversation.
"Seriously, we should try again tomorrow. That was so much fun."
Courtney turned away from Trent, a small smile he noticed plastered on her place. "I'll have to check my schedule and make sure I've available."
He chuckled. "I guess I'll take what I can get."
She turned back around to roll her eyes at him, but it wasn't out of annoyance.
Most of the contestants were shocked Trent wasn't hanging out with some of his former teammates. And, of all the people he was talking to, it was Courtney.
[1]: In TDI Gwen references Cody as an "annoying little brother"
[2]: A future reference to the change of Noah's behavior when he meets Emma in TDP: RR
[3]: In TDI Duncan refers to Katie and Sadie as "Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Idiot"
[4]: A future reference to the second Aftermath show when Courtney declares Gwen has her "goth girl hooks" in Duncan
[5]: A future reference to Courtney being eliminated by Duncan later in TDA
The last thing I should be doing is start a new story, HAHAHAHA. Oh well, I've been thinking about this one for a couple months. This has a more concrete structure compared to my other story I'm working on.
I'm still undecided on if this will turn to romance or not. If it doesn't than this will probably be more of a prequel to my current story, Scales of Judgement (shameless plug if you like TxC as friends or DxC check it out!) and will not be more than 6 chapters, focusing on how Trent and Courtney become friends. If it is romance it'll be closer to 12 chapters and branch away from TDA events because Courtney will not become a contestant. I should figure that out by the next chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this intro to something I wish TD did (I wish they did a lot of things tbh). I don't own these characters or the franchise; I am but a fan.