Originally written in Spanish by kunashgi448
Adapted and edited to English by Firestorm808
AN:
Hey, guys. I know that this isn't an update to my other stories, but they will be coming soon.
The next Death Battle will be coming soon.
In the meantime, this is another one of my side projects. I'm helping another author with his English translation. I got permission to post the new chapters on my account a few days after I send him the new ones.
If you want to read more of this story go to kunashgi448's profile and look for "I have a harem, wait, really?." Be warned. The grammar is cringy.
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Chapter 2: We are Friends
Cody moved back and forth in his small bed trying to sleep, but it was useless. His biological clock woke him at five in the morning, and he couldn't go back to sleep. It became a habit for him when trying not to be late to school. He was on vacation now, and he just wanted to sleep in. Trent's snoring did not help at all.
Wearing only black pants and a short-sleeved shirt gray with socks, Cody went outside to breathe some fresh air. As Cody gazed up, the stars combined with the autumn breeze made the atmosphere very relaxing. Leaning against the railing at the front of the yacht while also admiring the view of the sea, Cody took his phone out to review some of the programs he worked on. During his free time, Cody would code basic computer systems. While it may sound like work, he found it quite relaxing since he could apply his creativity. Due to exam week, Cody didn't spend much time on his personal projects. At the moment, he was so absorbed in the work that he flinched when he heard someone's voice behind him.
"It seems that I'm not the only one who can't sleep," the voice stated.
Cody turned around to see Courtney in her pink pajamas with a tablet in hand. She gave off a questioning expression, so Cody began to explain. "Sorry. I still have the habit of waking up early for school. My body isn't used to sleeping in yet."
Courtney gave him a sympathetic smile while typing on her tablet. "Same for me. Law school is much harder than I thought it would be. I stayed up many times trying to finish assignments." She cocked her head at Cody's previous statement before continuing. "I didn't know that you continued your studies after the show. What career are you working on?"
He internally shrugged because the information wouldn't hurt anybody. "I plan on being a software and game developer. I just got a scholarship at the University of San Francisco, but now, I just want to relax before the stress of university starts." Courtney had Cody's full attention. Truth be told, he never really talked to Courtney that much before. The only time they were on the same team was in TDWT. Sadly, the relationship between Gwen and Duncan hindered any real conversation with her.
A small grin appeared on her face. "You've always been a tech nerd," she said lightly teasingly. "I still remember how you won our team the commercial challenge in Japan. It's hard to believe that you were able to pull it off with only Sierra, a lot of trash." Her expression began to shrink at the memory because she wasn't useful at all in the challenge.
Cody thought back to that day. He had never edited video and coded animation so fast in his life. Cody was practically smoking from the pressure at the time. He chuckled at the memory. "Yeah… It was nice when our team finally got along at times." Her expression shrank slightly again. Cody noticed the small change and tried to change that. "You know, It's funny. Even with all our problems, we were actually the best team that season." She seemed to perk up a bit. "Listen, I know that we had our difficulties during the show, but that's all behind us now. Both of us are working toward our degrees. Our lives so far may have been difficult, but, after everything, we tend to be better people because of it." To be honest, Cody didn't even know where those words came from. Perhaps he was still half asleep, so he was more willing to speak freely.
Courtney looked back at him with surprise. Cody's nervousness from the look lessened as her expression soon softened to a more appreciative one. "What do you know? I guess you really have changed a lot, Cody." She liked his new outlook, but she was still curious about the change. "If I remember correctly from season one, you were more focused on the "ladies" rather than the actual game."
"Yeah…" Cody reddened in embarrassment while rubbing the back of his neck. "Can you blame me for being a stereotypical teen male at the time?"
She laughed and projected a smirk. "You know, I rewatched season one before we went onto season two. You were not helping yourself in the relationship department.
He held his hands up in mock defense "I'll be honest. Not my proudest moment… including the moments in later seasons..."
She chuckled at his reply. "Well, I'm glad to see that you gained some common sense since then."
He rolled his eyes but smiled. He rarely got compliments from Courtney, so he took light insult part in stride. "I'd be insane to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result."
She grinned. "Unless you're Izzy. She would get it to work no matter the odds against her." They shared a laugh in the empty night.
"Anyways, you're not wrong about the change, Courtney." Cody had a serious look but with a smile on his face, seeing the ocean. "During my entire time on the show, I was mostly focused on getting a girlfriend, but that's not what affected me the most. I made so many good friends like Owen, Trent, Justin, Beth, and Noah. I wasn't popular at the start of all this, and it's still sorta the same. That didn't matter because of all the great times we had together. I became part of a boy band, and we traveled the globe. Not everyone has a chance to do that. Nobody does great things alone. I have friends to laugh with and help me get up if I fall over, and I've fallen over a lot." He chuckled. "I guess that's why I try to be friendly with you all. I hope for fond memories with you guys."
Courtney let out an agreeing sigh as she too gazed toward the open sea. "It's easy for you, I suppose. I don't have many friends back home… or here…. and you get along well with everyone else. Alejandro tricked me during the WT, and Duncan was a passing phase, I guess. Scott was a decent guy, but that ship sank when Mal came. Not only that, but I destroyed my friendship with Gwen… again... because I wanted to win. I'm really not helping myself in that regard. On my first episode, I chickened out on the dive made a lousy leader of myself. I plan on being a lawyer, and that means communicating with people. I can even hold onto a friendship for a month without thinking for myself." She sighed once more, her smile disappearing. "In a way… I'm kinda jealous of you Cody." Courtney slumped down against the boat railing. She wore a much more sad expression than before.
Cody looked at her with concern as he thought about how much the program had changed her .so much, she was sent to the boat of losers because of Harold. Her relationship with Duncan was strained through WT. She was used by Alejandro. It didn't help her pride when she was flushed down a giant toilet.
In a way, Courtney felt so alone and isolated from the world. Any further depressing thoughts were cut off by Cody grabbing her hand in a firm grip.
"Listen, I know things haven't gotten so well for you these past few years. You need to come to terms that it is just that, the past. You just admitted not five minutes ago that you knew your mistakes. Look at me. I was feeling just like you this week until I was reminded about the trip here. I'm able to reconnect with them. You are able to reconnect with them. It's still not too late to make something positive out of this trip. For one, I highly recommend that you speak with Gwen. I'm sure that if you're sincere just like how you are now with me, you guys can get back on friendly terms. Hell, even if she doesn't forgive you, for what it's worth, I still consider you a friend. I'll still be there for you no matter what you said to me in the past." Courtney was about to say something when she was cut off. "I don't hold a grudge against you. I understand that you have a much more formal upbringing. Come on, show me the friendly but straight Courtney that was there on the dock of season one." He received a smile back that he couldn't help but return as well.
Courtney had looked away from him halfway through his words. She felt embarrassed that she was so easily read by him. When she looked back to reply, she was cut off. Courtney blinked a bit looking at the guy before her. She could see the sincerity and conviction in his tone and posture. In a way, this was not the same Cody. While he held onto those little quirks that made him up, her respect for him grew because of his ethics. She smiled at him as an answer and unknowingly grazed her thumb against his hand back and forth. 'You know, in this moonlight, he actually looks a bit cute…' Her mind paused while her face produced a small blush on her cheeks. She was thankful that the lack of light helped her hide it. A vibration was heard, and she saw Cody pull out his cell phone.
Cody let out a breath. "I have to go. I need to change my clothes for breakfast and when we get to the island. I hope you feel better, and I'll see you later, Court." Cody left between the halls of the yacht and Courtney was left with her thoughts.
Her soft smile continued. 'Definitely.' She would look forward to talking with him again. Things felt more at ease. ' "I'll be there for you." ' This time, however, she let the thought flow in her mind. She blushed again but paid it no mind.
After his talk with Courtney, Cody left to change to his regular clothes and went to have breakfast with Trent and Noah. As they were eating, Noah explained that Emma had to spend quality time with her sister and talk about family issues. When everyone on board finished breakfast, Chef asked everyone to come onto the deck and see the island.
To say that everyone was surprised would be an understatement. Cody's jaw dropped upon seeing it. It was twice as large as the loser resort. Inland, he could see a giant mansion with a swimming pool and bar inside. On the beach near the dock, tanning chairs and a buffet with everything that you could eat line the area. Surrounding all of that was a luscious forest. The place was a combination of a camp and a five-star deluxe hotel.
"I'm glad you all like the accommodations." Chef grinned. "Welcome to the Ikoewa Island, a five-star resort and a private island. It's practically the most expensive in all of Canada. Lucky for us, we get to stay here for ten days. There's a single room for each and every one of you. People can share rooms, but as a side note to any couples here who want to demonstrate their love, keep it down. Finally, don't destroy the place and enjoy everything you like. If you need me, which I doubt, I'll be in the small cottage on the edge of the beach."
After Chef's little speech, all the passengers went to the entrance of the mansion which seemed like a king's royal palace.
"Can't you feel the royalty and luxury, Katie? " said Trent trying to start a conversation while Sadie was talking to Lindsay.
"Yes! I feel like I'm in a fairy tale. The only thing missing is my prince to live happily ever after with me."
"Glad to hear that you like it." He looked away for a bit. "How about we get a drink at the bar once we settle in our rooms?" Trent asked trying to hide his nervousness. When he looked bat at her for her reply, he was relieved to see her nodding and smiling.
"Sure, Trent. I'll see you in an hour at the pool." She left for her room along with Sadie and Lindsey.
With that settled, walked to the others in the main hall. He rolled his eyes when he saw Cody raising both thumbs to congratulate him.
Soon, they all began moving toward their rooms. Noah was helping Emma with her luggage along with Kitty. When Cody caught up with them to talk to Noah, Kitty was a bit nervous to be around him, so she decided to hurry to her room.
When Cody saw Kitty's reaction to his arrival, he was a bit confused. 'Was it something I said before?' He decided to shrug it off, thinking that Kitty would explain it later. Just as he was about to climb up the stairs, he stepped on something. Moving his foot, he saw a pink bracelet with a big "S" where pearls joined. 'I have a strange knack of finding jewelry…' He was pretty sure that it belonged to one of the other guests, so he decided to hold onto it for now until he found the owner. Making his way up the stairs, he soon found the room on the third floor. Opening the door to his suite, he could see that it was quite comfortable with a balcony overlooking the sea. Cody began to unpack a few things from his backpack.
The first day went by fast. He met many people like Devin and his girlfriend, Carrie. He made friends with Cameron who was also great with programming. Cody remembered that he made an entire mech suit in his finale. There was even a reunion of The Drama Brothers with Trent, Harold, and Justin. With a little help from Tyler, DJ, and Spud, the group also performed a quick concert to brighten the party.
Later on in the day, he came to a secluded area on the beach. He took a chair and stared out at the setting sun. He closed his eyes to absorb it all. 'This is what I needed: the smell of the sea, the feel of the breeze, and the sound of crying with the gulls… Wait… What?' He opened his eyes and owlishly blinked at that last thought. He stood up and tried to find the source of the crying. It didn't take long as he soon found the crying girl hiding in the tree didn't need to think about approaching her. He slowly made his way to the girl. The girl was blond with green eyes aqueous. She was wearing a red blouse that showed her navel, a skirt of the same color, and white stockings. She was leaning against a palm tree with her head on her knees. He had to be careful with these types of situations. While the girl was caught up in her tears, Cody slipped by and sat against a nearby tree, and he started crying.
Samantha kind of wanted to be left alone. She didn't really want to have anyone see her like this. Her thoughts and crying were soon caught off guard by another person crying… right next to her. She jumped a bit with a yelp at the person's sudden appearance. After about 20 seconds of the girl still crying, she thought it was safe to say something. "Um… Hey…"
Cody looked up from his fake crying and wiped his face on his shoulder. "Hey…"
Considering that she was crying not a minute ago, she asked, "Uh… Why were you crying?"
A small smile appeared on his face before he replied. "Sorry. I learned that crying while someone else is crying helps. I heard you while I was on the beach, and I thought I could help."
When he said that, she let out a small chuckle before she sighed back into her depressed state. "Well… I guess it worked… at least a little bit. You're... Cody. Right? From season one and World Tour?"
"Yup. That's me. How about you?" He took another look at the girl and recognized the red uniform. "You're Sammy. Right?"
Samantha blinked a bit at someone remembering her name preference. She coughed to hide her fluster. "That's me. My real name's Samantha, but I prefer Sammy. I was in Pahkitew Island."
"Well, It's nice to meet you, Sammy."
She smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you too, Cody." She slumped back down against her tree, and Cody did the same.
They sat there for a while until Cody broke the silence. "So… You want to talk about what happened before I came here?"
She cleaned her face of any dry tears and put on a false smile. "No… It's nothing, I'm fine, I just had sand in the eyes." She leans her head on her knees, hoping the lousy lie worked.
Cody already knew that was a lie and rolled his eyes. "That is a horrible lie, and I've been on the same team as Heather."
That brought a chuckle out of her, enough to look back at him. When she looked back, she got a better impression of him. He seemed relaxed against the tree, but she could see the glint of concern in his eyes. He gave a sincere vibe. 'He's not going to let this go is he?' She sighed resignedly. "If you remember from the show, I have a twin sister, Amy." Cody nodded. "We don't have the best relationship with each other. Even since the show, she still bothers me. In a way, she is still trying to make me the "inferior" twin. I'm able to defend myself now thanks to Jasmine, but she keeps trying to humiliate when we meet new people." She sighed once more before she looked at Cody's reaction. He was sitting up and at full attention to her story. She looked back to the ground. "Since I was younger, I was always a solitary person compared to Amy. I guess in a way, that's why I signed up for Total Drama. I wanted a chance to meet people and get some distance between Amy and me. Then, Amy saw me filming my audition tape. She likely joined too just to annoy me. If you watched the show, you know how things went." She was still torn about her experience on the show.
On the one hand, Sammy is finally independent of Amy. On the other hand, the sisters were farther apart than ever. She looked back up and Cody and was relieved that she wasn't alone.
Cody could understand her experience before the show. He began in a soft and gentle tone. "I understand what you're going through, at least a bit. I also signed up to be more social. To be honest, my parents sent most of their time working while I was at home. After watching TV and stuff, I got caught up in the fantasy that if I were famous, maybe I wouldn't be alone as much." In a much softer tone that Sammy didn't hear, he whispered, "Maybe I wouldn't hurt as much." He took a breath and continued. "If there's anything you need to hear from me, it's this: Don't let her win. Your sister is just trying to tear you down to make her look good in comparison. If you stand firm or turn the tables on her, people will start to see the real you, not the false one Amy tries to show." He chuckled. "If you want, we can prank her to teach a lesson."
After hearing all of that, Sammy looked at him surprised. The only thing that connected them was the show, yet the former competitor was giving her some hope. She tilted her head down to hide the small smile on her face. "Thanks, but it's not only that. While I was trying to get away from Amy, I lost my bracelet. I tried to look for it, but it wasn't anywhere." She groans. "It means too much to me. It was one of the few gifts my mom gave me before Amy pushed me into the background." As she was feeling the emptiness on her wrist, she starts crying again.
As soon as Cody heard her mention the bracelet, he reached into his pocket. He pulled out the object, and the coincidences lined up. The color and insignia meant that this had to be her bracelet. 'I wonder who owns the one I found in the forest.' He walked over to Sammy and held it out. "Hey, I found this back in the hallway, and it seemed important. Is this yours?"
She opens her eyes to see the bracelet she was crying over. She practically snatched it out of Cody's hand to look at it closer. 'This really is my bracelet.' She couldn't help but smile as she held it against her chest.
Cody was relieved that she seemed much happier now.
"Thank you. Thank you so much, Cody."
"Hey, don't worry about it. I wouldn't be me if I-." Cody was cut off when the girl launched at him tightening her hug around him, giving thanks, several times. Cody smiled as he bobbed his head up and down as an answer to the many thanks. One part of his mind found the situation a bit awkward, but another part of his head liked the comfort that she gave. 'I can feel her curves…' It was after a few moments that they finally separated.
"Again, thank you very much."
"Like I said. Don't mention it. We're friends. Aren't we?"
She chuckled again and raised a brow. "Two people who just met each other no longer than thirty minutes ago." "Of course we are!" she exclaimed. "I would love to be friends." A mischievous grin grew. "Besides, you still have to help me prank my sister."
The wind blew gently through their hair.
Cody let out a smirk. "Of course, I already have some ideas planned thanks to my time on the island." Cody noticed the color of the sky and checked his watch. "Well, I have to meet with my friends at the pool soon. Are you gonna be okay?"
Sammy rolled her eyes and rubbed her thumb against her reclaimed bracelet. "I'll be fine. I'll see you later." Just as Cody was about to leave, she continued. "But before that…" She pulled him closer by the arm.
Cody felt her hand on his shoulder and a warm touch on his cheek. Cody had a little blush while Sammy was bright as a tomato.
"Thanks again for cheering me up." She ran in the opposite way of the hotel in a mix of fluster and embarrassment.
'Wow…' Cody definitely wanted to see Sammy again. 'I am going to prank Amy so hard. She will not ruin this for me.' He blinked. "Huh… Never had a girl kiss me on the cheek before... other than Sierra of course." 'I can't look too deep into this… for now. For all I know it was just a sign of gratitude. Now that I think about it, where is Sierra? I haven't seen her since in forever. Did she even come? If she did, she would have jumped onto me while screaming my name' Suddenly, he felt a presence behind a tree. When he investigated, he didn't see anything. 'Maybe I should go back to my room because I might be hallucinating.' He made his way back to the resort without knowing that someone really was watching him.