"Can I give you a hand?" Heather and Cody turned to see Trent, who had just pulled up and was watching them attempt to get into the house with the copious amount of bags they were carrying. "That looks like a struggle" He chuckled.
Heather glanced over to Cody, who was slightly blushing and stuttering, before gladly accepting Trent's help. Sighing with relief as he took some of the bags off of them, Heather unlocked the door and kicked her shoes off, collapsing on a small loveseat.
"We should probably take these to your room, huh?" She asked Cody, rolling her head back
"Uh, Yeah"
"That's ages away though" Heather groaned, dragging out her words. "Why does this house have to be so fucking big?"
"Heather, get up and stop being ungrateful" Cody kicked her lightly in the shin with a smirk, willing her to move.
Grumbling under her breath, Heather reluctantly scooped up her bags, dragging her feet towards the stairs.
"What did you guys even buy?" Trent asked. "Looks like half the mall with the amount of bags you have here."
Heather laughed, shaking her head. "Just an entire new wardrobe for this one." She elbowed Cody gently, almost causing them both to trip in the process. "And of course I had to get a few things for myself"
"So do I get to see this new wardrobe?" Trent raised an eyebrow, looking at Cody. "As a thanks for helping you bring all this up here?"
Cody stuttered again, looking anywhere but at Trent.
"That is such a good idea!" Heather piped in, saving the conversation and distracting Trent from the blush that was creeping up Cody's face. Shoving through the door to his room, Heather dumped the bags on the floor and flopped onto the bed dramatically.
"Your bed is heaven" she signed upon impact, throwing an arm over her eyes.
"Why are you always so dramatic?"
"Shut up and show Trent your new clothes" She gestured to Trent, who had taken a seat on the black gaming chair and leaned back cooly, chuckling at their banter.
"Okay, so um I got this, and this and-"
"You're hopeless kid" Heather cut off his rambling, grabbing the bag he was sorting through and pushing him into his wardrobe. "We are gonna give our guest a whole show"
"I'm older than you" Cody started
Heather closed the door to the walk in slightly and lowered her voice. "Trust me, he's interested. Just flaunt what you've got"
"You think?"
"Honey, I know." Heather smiled, adjusting his collar slightly. "Hm. It's missing something"
"What is that?" Cody asked, watching as Heather pulled a short black tube from her pocket.
"Eyeliner. Now shut your eyes" She ordered, lightly tracing over his waterline, then stepping back to admire her work. "Perfect. Now get out there"
Heather lead him out, taking her earlier seat on the bed, turning on the radio and cheering Cody. She looked over at Trent who had a sparkle in his eye as he watched Cody. Smiling to herself, she watched as the interacted, Cody strutting around and throwing ridiculous poses.
They'd gone through about half of the new outfits when Cody paused inside the closet, yelling back to the pair in the room.
"Are you guys ready to see something fabulous?" He laughed from behind the door
"Yes. now hurry up I want to see this big reveal" Trent replied, his curiosity peaked.
"Okay, this has got to be the best one yet" Cody exclaimed, strutting out of the room, the sound of heels hitting the tiles. He walked out clad in a tight pink bodycon dress (which was a tad too long for him) and a pair of Heather's sparkly pink shoes. Trent burst out laughing as Cody approached him, sitting on his lap and leaning back.
Heather herself was in hysterics, trying to speak in between bouts of laughter. "I think- that outfit- is one of mine"
Cody turned to her, a deadpan look on his face, "Oh really? I think it looks better on me!"
"You may be right, but those shoes were sixty dollars so I'm keeping them" Heather put her hand out, gesturing for the shoes. Cody threw them at her, skipping to the closet to try grab the next outfit.
After a few more outfits, Heather felt her phone buzz, entirely in sync with the chiming of both Cody's and Trent's phones. She picked it up, unlocking to find a message from the house group chat.
"Guys." She said, turning the radio down. "There's an emergency meeting in the kitchen in five"
"What for?" Trent asked, checking his phone.
"Doesn't say. But we should probably get down there soon" Heather looked up to a knock at the door, to see Noah standing in the doorway
"Do you guys know what this is about?" He asked
"No clue" Trent answered, standing up. "You alright in there Anderson?"
"Yeah I'm good" Cody yelled back, pulling on a simple t-shirt as he walked out into the room "Oh, hi Noah."
The group made a beeline for the kitchen, watching as their other housemates joined them looking equally confused at Courtney's message.
When they reached the kitchen, it was already pretty packed, so Heather took a seat on the end of the counter, Cody and Trent sitting beside her. Chatter filled the room as more people filed in, each more perplexed than the last.
"So, do you know what's going on?" A familiar voice asked. Heather turned to glare at Alejandro
"I said I don't want to talk to you"
"I just asked a question. How's your neck?" He smirked a wicked grin on his face.
Heather groaned, leaping off the bench and going to stand behind Leshawna, who shot her a sympathetic look.
Courtney finally walked in, doing a quick headcount. "Is that everyone?"
"Bridgette, Tyler and DJ are in class and Eva's at work. What's going on?" Geoff crossed his arms, a worried look replacing the cheery demeanour he usually sported.
"I guess we'll have to do this without them." Courtney sighed, gesturing to a mysterious figure in the hallway.
The room collectively gasped when Chef Hatchet entered the room. Their old camp cook- sorry 'Chef' had ditched his usual outfit for a button down shirt and jeans. He looked tired and his eyes were puffy, as if he'd been crying for several days.
"Hi kids, I know it's been a long time but I've got some unfortunate news for y'all" Blowing his nose into a handkerchief, tried to stop himself from crying before continuing. "Chris, well. He passed last Tuesday. And I figured it'd be better for me to come and tell you, rather than let you find out from the tabloids."
Stunned silence covered the room. None of the cast seemed terribly upset- this was the man who had abused them mentally and physically for years. But even so, it was a loss of a life and a young(ish) one at that, and Heather felt slightly queasy.
"The funeral is Friday, and Chris put it in your contracts that every contestant has to attend. I guess I'll see y'all there."
Clipping her fascinator to her hair, Heather straightened it, pulling a few strands of her shoulder-length hair free of the neat bun that rested at the nape of her neck. Satisfied with her hair, she stepped back, admiring her outfit. Her dress was a knee-length black number, featuring a small slit on the side, long lace sleeves and an elegant scoop neckline, Heather had been saving it for- well she didn't know what for, but it seemed fitting for the occasion.
Today was the funeral- one that brought her a sense of bittersweet victory- Chris Mclean was dead.
Chef Hatchet had arrived two days prior with the news, which came as a shock to the cast- they'd all been living under the assumption that Chris was an immortal demon from another dimension sent to torment teenagers and make unbelievably bad movies. But alas, the former host had passed.
At first, Heather refused to go to his funeral. She was desperately trying to step out of the limelight- the last thing she needed were the tabloids digging into her private life and the paparazzi stalking her every move. Once, the flashing lights and the allure of fame had been all v bg s Heather desired- but her taste of fame left an uneasy feeling in her stomach, all she wanted was to return to being a nobody.
Much to her dismay, a quick revision of the show's contract revealed that legally, she did have to attend the funeral; which would no doubt subject her to the prying eyes of the media- which in addition to having no respects to pay, infuriated her.
Stepping into her shoes, Heather leant down and zipped her boots, adjusting the velvet thigh-highs slightly. Grabbing her purse, she turned to a knock at the door, calling for Cody to enter.
"You look nice." He complimented, leaning against her desk.
"You too"
"Can I borrow some hairspray? I ran out."
"Yeah sure, it's over there." Heather pointed to her vanity in the corner of the room as she rummaged through her purse in search of earrings.
"Okay this is bullshit" Cody exclaimed, turning around with attitude.
"Thank god you said something I thought I was about to explode. I still can't believe that motherfucker had the audacity to put it in our contracts"
"I know, like the man tries to murder us a million times, and then wants us to come pay our respects"
"He's infuriating, even beyond the grave." Heather complained, fasting the back of her earring. "You ready to go?"
"Uh, yeah just can you help me with my hair, it keeps sticking up at the back"
Heather walked over and sprayed his hair lightly, trying to flatten the stubborn strands that stuck up at the back of his head. Once she'd successfully managed to perfect it, she grimaced, dreading the funeral.
"I really don't want to go" she whined.
"Yes, but we have to" Cody replied, buttoning his navy tux before offering his arm to Heather. "Shall we?"
"I guess so"
"Let's go, I can't take this shit anymore" Grabbing Cody by the arm, Heather pulled him into a small room down the hall.
"That was heavy"
"No shit. I can't believe some people are actually crying over that asshole." Heather rolled her eyes, releasing a puff of smoke before offering the pen to Cody. "I mean, come on. He tried to kill us how many times? I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for those stupid contracts!"
"I'd say he tried to kill us a couple hundred times- you maybe more"
"First we put up with seasons of his shit- then I got robbed at the end of World Tour, and now we have to 'pay our respects?' I have no respect for the sociopathic asshole. The fact that the producers had the audacity to contract us to be here- UGH. Bet it was because no one gives a shit and there would be no one here otherwise."
Cody nodded in agreement. "He let me get mauled by a bear, and sent us falling out of a plane. Not to mention-"
The brunette was cut off by a tap on the door, followed by Noah barging in, Courtney and Gwen in tow.
"So this is where you guys ran off to- Cody what the fuck are you doing?" Noah pulled up a chair and sat across from them, raising an eyebrow.
"Bitch what does it look like" He answered, blowing a candy-scented cloud in his face.
"Cody- give me that" Wrestling the pen out of his hand, Heather rolled her eyes. "Sorry, he gets all bitchy when he vapes. Also, how did you find us? We came here to get away from everyone. I couldn't take that Topher kid's wailing anymore"
"I think he's just spending too much time around you" Gwen Taunted
"Oh fuck off gothy"
Noah produce a juul from his pocket, taking a puff before handing it to Gwen.
"You're vaping. In a church! You guys are ridiculous" Courtney protested, a look of distaste crossing her face.
Gwen laughed, pulling her girlfriend onto her lap and wrapping her arms around her waist. "Lighten the fuck up babe, it's a funeral.
"Anyway," Cody continued ,leaning back and blowing smoke rings. " Chris tried to murder us several times over, for fucks sake he was more neglectful than my parents"
"Yeah, I'm gonna need that back before we delve into your parental issues" Heather quipped
"Chris had it coming"
"How did he even die anyway?" Gwen asked
"I'd say it was Chef. He probably got sick of all Chris's shit" Noah deadpanned. "He was such a diva. But officially, it's not disclosed to the public"
Heather sat back, considering the hosts death. He'd died of 'mysterious circumstances' in the middle of the night- but murder? That was something she hadn't considered; she'd assumed it was just an overdose of some kind.
"How do you even know that?" she asked, brushing her hair out of her face.
"I was his assistant. Remember? You were off getting your head shaved and desperately trying to find a wig the entire season" Noah chuckled.
"Yeah but she rocked the bald look" Cody glared at him, defending his friend. "You, on the other hand would look like a breadstick"
Noah looked annoyed, crossing his arms and huffing. Meanwhile, it was clear that Gwen and Courtney were trying not to lose their shit at Cody's snarky demeanour. Heather smiled at her friend, sharing a look of understanding- Cody knew that the unfortunate accident that caused her temporary baldness.
"You know, I like confident Cody. He's hilarious" Gwen laughed.
"Thanks I guess"
"Don't let it go to your head, we don't need you getting any more snarky" Heather looked at Cody pointedly, making eye contact for a solid 30 seconds before they both burst out laughing.
The group's banter continued for some time, Cody in an increasingly snappy mood as time went on, Heather finding their roles reversal hilarious among others (as it was usually just the two of them). Eventually, Leshawna and Harold joined the group (Harold complaining excessively about his asthma before Heather pointed out they were there first and if he didn't like it, he could leave).
Their conversation was again brought to a holt by a knock at the door- this time a polite one, and rather than barging in, Trent popped his head around the door, he looked around pausing to meet Cody's eyes.
Heather watched the exchange with a smirk, containing her laughter as her friend fumbled, dropping the pen from his hands, falling off the chair, knocking over Heather's purse in the process. Cody had dropped his snarky demeanor for a flustered, blushing mess and was scrambling to gather the contents of Heather's bag and pick himself up.
"Uh, hi…" Cody stuttered
"Hi…" Trent replied, letting out a nervous laugh. "Anyway, the service is about to start"
Throwing her head back and groaning, Heather leant over to help Cody collect the rest of her scattered belongings. As the group filed out of the room, most of them were grumbling in discontent.
"Let's get this over with I guess" Gwen grumbled, taking Courtney's hand and leading her out.
"I'm not sure how I'm going to survive this" Heather commented to Cody
"Just think- open bar at the reception"
"Because an abundance of alcohol went so well for me last time"