"What did you get on the econ quiz?" Heather turned to see Geoff had caught up beside her. She'd forgotten he was taking the same class.
"I did okay. Why are you even in Econ anyway? You aren't a business major." She asked, curiously.
"Event Management Major actually- oh and Film and TV. I wanna put all my partying experience to use" The blond leaned over and tried to peek at her quiz. Pulling away, Heather rolled her eyes, exasperated.
"Right…. What did you get?"
"You haven't even shown me yours yet, fair trade and all dude." Geoff gestured for her paper, causing Heather to pull away, repeating her signature eye roll.
"Don't you have someone else to annoy?"
"Aww Heather, just when we thought you were warming up to the rest of us"
Heather stopped walking. "And what is that supposed to mean?" Raising an eyebrow, she placed her hand on her hip and glared at the boy.
"Chill girl, it's a joke" Backing up, he cautiously considered his next statement. "But you haven't been as cold as you used to be"
Heather didn't say anything and continued her trek to the bus stop, taking in his words. She knew she had played a cold personality on the show- But she hadn't realised she was 'warming up' as Geoff had put it.
"We aren't vying for a million dollars. And we aren't on camera. Besides, the last season you were on was years ago, you barely know me"
"I still watched the show. But you're right, maybe more people just need to give you a chance."
"Woah- that might be taking it a bit far" Heather chuckled at the thought
"Hey, the ice queen does have a sense of humour that doesn't rely on hurting others"
"You're pushing your luck party boy"
"Okay, okay I'll leave it." Geoff chuckled in resolve. "I got a 63 on the quiz by the way"
"98." She relented, giving in to his wishes.
His eyes widened. "What?"
"I got a 98 on the quiz." Heather explained, shifting her hold on her books to reveal her score printed on the top of her paper.
"How the hell did you get that on the first quiz?" Geoff asked, eyeing her with a look of both disbelief "Did you insanely study or something?"
"No, I paid attention in class"
"Dude, we've had two lectures for this class. There was stuff on the quiz we haven't even learnt yet."
"I also happened to pay attention in High School. Works wonders you know." Rolling her eyes, Heather took a seat at the bus stop, checking the timetable on her phone, bowing her head. Bitter memories rushed back, reminding her of the merciless teasing she'd endured at the hand of her classmates.
"I was too busy with the show, weren't you?"
"I still graduated on the honour roll. I worked my ass off, gotta become a millionaire one way or another" She joked, biting her lip at the dark thoughts swarming her mind- she only 'worked her ass off' because she had nothing better to do- her arrival back in the real world hadn't been soft.
Geoff laughed, agreeing with the sentiment. He continued to chat idly with her, helping her distract her mind from negative thoughts. The conversation was somewhat a pleasant distraction for Heather, ignoring the negative voice in her head; getting lost in the chatter.
She really did not want to be here. Heather had so many other things she could do- she could've gone shopping and got her nails done; she could've been in her sleeping- hell, she could've been doing literally anything else.
But when they arrived back at the house, Geoff hadn't let her retreat to her room. Instead, he'd dragged her to the media room where most of the household was lounging about, half studying and the other half either chatting or focus on the large screen mounted on the wall.
Releasing a small sigh, she eyed the room. It matched the grandeur of the rest of the house- ornate bookshelves laced with precious wood carvings, with intricate gold flares added for a splash of colour; lush navy couches and a soft cream carpet; the coffee tables stacked with various pieces of literature- from Covergirl magazines to Shakespearean texts.
Geoff, who had apparently assumed- since she'd slightly warmed up to her housemates- that it was okay to drag her over to the corner of the room, where a few of her castmates sat around a small table, chattering away.
Heather folded her arms in discomfort, trying to mask the anxious feeling she had in her stomach. Why did I let him drag me here? She thought to herself, tenderly taking a seat on the floor next to Bridgette and leaning back against the couch.
Pondering what had possessed Geoff to try and befriend her, her mind began to spiral. Was he just using her to get answers for the coursework? It wouldn't have been the first time- both before and after Total Drama, Heather had put up with ingenuity within her so-called friends, the temptation of a possible friend too strong to deny their requests.
"Heather? Heather!" Waking from her daydream, she turned her head to look at Bridgette.
"Yeah what?" she said, insecurity still clouding her mind.
"Are you coming tomorrow?" the blonde asked, tilting her head
"What's tomorrow?" Heather questioned, shaking her dark thoughts away and focusing on the exchange.
"Uh, it's the third Saturday of the month. "
"And that means?"
"Lindsay and Beth have organised a day out" Bridgette leaned back against her boyfriend, who was now perched on the couch behind her. "Laser tag and bowling- I think"
"What are we, five?" Heather jabbed.
"C'mon, Heather. We gotta show the boys we're superior" Looking at Courtney, Heather raised an eyebrow at her comment.
"It's teams?"
"Yeah, and girl, we gotta give them a beat-down" Leshawna piped in, high-fiving Bridgette.
The men began to protest, insisting that they were the superior race. Heather relented, agreeing to go, if only to prove Geoff and DJ wrong. She found herself sliding into a comfortable conversation with the others, laughing along with the teasing banter they shared. In the pit of her stomach, she still felt a little uneasy- like an outsider. However, she tried her best to retain her confident air and pushed the feeling to the back of her mind.
Had you told Heather this was where she'd be three years ago, she most definitely laughed in your face. Heather? Getting along and living with her fellow castmates, and genuinely enjoying herself? It was doubtful. But they were adults now, not competing for a million bucks, and they weren't on camera.
Heather's stony façade had slowly been melting away- Geoff was right, she had warmed up, even if it was slightly- and honestly, she didn't mind it.
"I can't get this stupid clip to close!" she groaned, throwing her hands in the air. "Why did I agree to this?"
"Because we can't lose." Smirked Bridgette, assisting her with the buckle. The lights began to dim, and they turned to face the instructor; a bored-looking teen who drawled in a heavy southern accent, reciting the rules of the game.
Piling into the room, the girls instantly split from the group, ducking into an alcove covered by plastic leaves. Their vests lit up and the gathered in a circle.
"Okay, pair off- and remember, be as stealthy as you can" Beth whispered. "We need to win; I've got two weeks of chores riding on this"
The group disbanded, and Heather grabbed Sierra by the hand-When she hadn't been obsessing over Cody, Sierra had been a strong contender and she was confident in her choice in partners. Leading her to the dark corner of the room. Back to back, they crouched behind a small wall, and peered over the top; scanning for any sign of the flashing red lights that adorned the other teams' vests.
Pushing all other thoughts to the back of her mind, she let her competitive instincts take over, transporting her back to the same state of mind she had in her reality TV days. She was here to win- that was her one and only goal. Narrowing her eyes, she crept around the corner sensing her partner moving in sync.
The pair of them darted out of their cover to the next wall, taking cover behind it, staying in their battle position and sweeping the room for any sign of the others- turning her head, Heather spied Courtney and Gwen on the other side of the room, their vests lighting up the room with a soft blue glow, before disappearing behind a large rock.
Spotting a red flash in her periphery, Heather turned, her back to the wall and signalled to Sierra that the enemy was approaching- and they hadn't noticed them yet.
Heather poised her gun upon the ledge of the half-wall they crouched beneath, positioning it to aim directly at the Tyler's back, him and Cody completely oblivious to their attack. Firing, Heather's gun shrieked, emitting a loud firing sound in sync with Sierra's. They men quickly turned, their lights deactivated and guns useless.
Ducking back into their cover, Heather and Sierra slid onto the floor, laughing at their reactions.
"Piece of Cake" Heather cackled, high fiving Sierra.
"Who's there?!" Cody's voice cried from the other side of the room, causing the girls to erupt in giggles once again.
"We- we- should move, before they find us" Sierra whispered in between laughs.
Agreeing, Heather followed her the girl, moving closer to the oppositions base. They each shot down another two players while they ran, quickly disappearing before their victims could retaliate.
Quietly cheering, they both continued to run and duck, shooting any sign of the other team. Reaching the entry to the team's base, they took out Noah and Owen, both of whom were guarding the small entryway. The duo weaved past the various obstacles, making sure to look over their shoulder in case they were being followed.
Her head was turned; however she was still moving forward- a warning started to escape from Sierra's lips when Heather ran head-first into a larger, muscular chest. Glancing up at Its owner, she smirked at him, leaping back to make enough space to shoot him. Firing at him, he attempted to both fire back and dodge the beam.
His swift movement caused him to hit the floor with a loud bang, the wooden structure echoing through the room. Glancing behind her, Heather noticed Sierra had disappeared Some Partner she thought trying again to fire at Alejandro.
Stepping back, she fired again, and he rolled out of range of the shot, grabbing her ankle and pulling Heather to the floor with him. Heather tried to find purchase on a nearby ledge, but instead her gun fell from her hands and she joined her rival on the floor.
"You're not getting away that easy" His grip on her ankle held strong as she kicked at his hand, trying to free herself.
"Get off me!" Heather yelled, doubling her efforts. He relented, shaking his hand in pain. Heather got a hold on her gun again, and went to aim, only to find that he had also pointed his gun at her.
"Looks like we're at an impasse, Chica" Alejandro laughed
"Over my dead body" she growled in frustration, pulling the trigger. He did the same, and both their vests were deactivated, and Heather took the chance to run back to the team's home base, quickly reactivating her vest and regrouping with Sierra, the fangirl apologised for disappearing, claiming that Alejandro, while he had missed Heather, hit her instead.
Heather decided, annoyed, to strike out on her own , leaving Sierra behind to guard the base. Determined to beat her opponent, she darted around the hall, taking cover where she could and shooting any flash of colour that didn't match her own.
As she neared the enemy base, she ran into the majority of her teammates, who were having a shoot-out with several of the opposition in the middle of the field. Heather, using them as cover, pressed on, doing a quick head count of the other team. Only one was missing- and it was him.
Running at a full sprint, she charged towards the base, keeping her eyes open for any sign of her enemy, focused and fuelled with rage.
Panting, she passed through the maze that hid the opposing team's base, slipping into small, dark room that the base resided in.
She passed through the maze that hid the base of the other team and slipped into the small room that it resided in. Alejandro stood at the other entrance, on watch for attackers. Heather was too quick and quiet and had disabled his gun and hit the small red box that ended the game before he could retaliate.
"YES! YES! YES!" Heather cheered, waving her laser gun in the air. She turned her head to see Alejandro on the floor, groaning.
"Bested, once again" he muttered, hiding his face- mirroring the times she'd defeating him during the competition.
"You know I'm too good, Al" she taunted, helping him up from the floor where he had landed after leaping to stop her. He shuddered at the nickname, causing her to erupt in laughter. "I'm unbeatable"
She looked at him, her laughter fading. His eyes held hers, creasing with his smile. For a brief moment, Heathers mind filled with a cloud of warm thoughts- her stomach full to the brim with butterflies. It lasted less than a minute, but she felt a warm sense of familiarity; his warm brown eyes melting all her problems away, his grip on her arm heating her entire body.
He stepped back, awkwardly coughing when his teammates poured through the doorway, complaining loudly about their defeat. Heather, herself was pushed to the ground, grimacing under the weight of her team, who in victory had decided to pile on top of her in celebration.
Heather looked around the dimly lit nightclub, observing the abundance of strangers mixed in with her housemates. They'd taken their outing to the clubbing districts not long after the bowling alley closing. She'd dominated there too, coming out with one of the highest scores in the group.
Drinks had been flowing freely for hours, and Heather was slightly- no, extremely inebriated. Crossing her legs and leaning back in her chair, she watched as Tyler fell over, knocking both himself and Lindsay into the sticky dance floor. She scanned the dance floor, watching her castmates dancing ang laughing together.
She couldn't help but feel a small pang of regret. Her current situation mirrored her childhood and the was she felt in her hometown. Heather was an outsider, looking in; preferring to stay on the outskirts rather than let herself get attached and hurt. I've made that mistake a few too many times She reminded herself.
Shoving the thought aside and downing the rest of her drink, Heather turned to order another one when she found herself blocked by a muscled chest.
"Hello Stranger" she said drunkenly, placing her arm on his shoulder. "Come to cry about your defeat?"
"You wound me Heather"
"Anything I can do to make it better?" Heather soothed mockingly, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Exactly how many drinks have you had Heather?" He chuckled, his voice low, placing his hands on her waist.
"Oh, just a few…"
"Chica."
"Okay, so maybe more than a few" she giggled.
Alejandro looked at her, studying her face. Her hair was cut short, styled in her signature ponytail and tucked behind her ears.
" Ah, I thought so."
"Wanna another?" Heather asked, tilting her head with a pout.
He complied, stepping aside to let her order, his hand remaining on her waist.
"Two tequila shots and two sunrises please"
"Do we really need shots?" He whispered in her ear, brushing the few strands of hair that had come lose out of her face.
"We? Those are for me."
He chuckled, and Heather welcomed the warm sound with a drunken smile, before ordering another two shots and handing them to him, beckoning for him to drink.
"You know, you shouldn't pressure people. Alcohol is bad for the liver" Heather rolled her eyes at his quip.
"Shut up and take the shots"
"If you insist" He sighed jokingly, throwing back the liquor.
"I….fucking….hate...you" Heather growled in the short breaks she got from his lips.
"Sure you do"
He lowered his mouth on hers again, lips gliding together, the taste of tequila mixed with his own sweet flavour invading her mouth. Heather wrapped her arms behind his head, drawing him closer and running her hands through his dark hair. She'd always loved his hair- the way his glossy locks felt when she combed through it with her fingers and the smell of his shampoo gave her an uncanny sense of comfort.
Alejandro tore his mouth away from hers, travelling his soft lips down her neck, Leaving tender marks on the delicate skin.
"I'm serious" She breathed, leaning into him. Stumbling backwards, Heather felt her back slam into his bedroom door with a thud. Praising that the hallway was empty and the house quiet, she reached back and fiddled with the doorknob, pulling him into the room as soon she managed to open it.
"Okay" Alejandro smirked, spinning her around and pressing her body against the door, drawing a gasp from her lungs. The lock clicked as she lent on the door, pinned between it and his chiselled form.
She continued to get lost in him, taking the constant tension and rage she felt around him and harnessing it to fuel her desire, rarely taking short breaks for a breath of air. Pulling away slightly, he began to undo the top the top few buttons on her blouse, gazing down at her and panting heavily.
Following his example, she yanked the zipper of his jacket down, revealing a tight crimson shirt underneath. Locking lips again, Alejandro's hands wandered around her waist, resting on the small of her back and sliding coolly underneath the edge of her shirt. His warm hands were an invitation, and she tugged her jacket off, letting the dark leather crumple on the floor.
Heather placed her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, his natural heat warming her freezing skin. Grasping at his shirt, she pulled the fabric over his head and ran her hands over his dark skin, taking in his beauty. She studied his figure, glossing over his toned body with her fingers, splaying them on his chest.
"You're so beautiful Mi Amor" Alejandro muttered, airing her very thoughts, unbuttoning the rest of her blouse and freeing her shoulders. Trailing kisses along her neck and leaving small marks on the flesh, he worked his way down, tracing the outline of her collarbone, reaching behind her to unclasp her undergarments.
Heather kicked the item to the side, allowing it to join the other discarded clothes on the floor, before pushing back against him. Letting her take control, Alejandro relaxed, melting into her. Heather walked them back and shoved him onto the bed, leaving him to lay there and take in her ethereal shape with adoring eyes.
He looked upon her with a gaze of pure admiration, his eyes tracing every inch of her form. She blushed under his stare, her previous anger melting away with every passing moment. Stepping towards him, she returned his stare, lacing her fingers in his.
Falling atop him, Heather placed a leg in between his. She held herself slightly above him, gently brushing his nose with her own and breathing heavily, her heart racing
"We shouldn't be doing this" Heather panted, resting her forehead on his, eyes closed. They'd broken up- and they both were completely inebriated.
"Are you telling me you don't want to?" He chuckled, leaning into her.
"I didn't say that"
Meeting his lips again, she climbed onto the bed, placing a leg in between his. He moved in sync with her every motion, sliding his hands along her back, his warm hands heating her bare skin. Alejandro's hands travelled down her body, cupping her backside.
A small moan escaped her lips, and he took the opportunity to roll on top, pinning her to the bed. She squirmed underneath him, trying to wrestle free of his grip. Their tongues battled for dominance, exploring each other's mouths. Alejandro won their fight and Heather release the tension, letting him take control.
His mouth travelled south, testing the waters at her chest. She willed him to go on and he continued down, causing her to emit a load moan. In that moment- possibly due to a mix of the overwhelming pleasure and the copious amounts of alcohol she had earlier consumed- Heather would've married him.
As she reached her peak, his motions became more intense- she was writhing underneath him, squirming and begging for more. Heather let out a cry of pleasure as her granted her wish, leaving her with the warming, tingling sensation spreading through her body, subsiding slowly as he slowed his ministrations. She lay back, completely satisfied and panting, allowing herself time to recover.
Alejandro crawled up beside her, a smirk on his handsome face.
"Enjoying yourself?"
She returned his look, grabbing his wrist and flipping him over, and evil grin on her face.
"Now it's your turn"