A/N- So fucking excited for this part of the story. Alright, I thought we needed something from Mike's perspective to explain some of his actions so far, so I wrote a few chapters. It was really difficult to write him communicating with his alters while showing his own inner thoughts, but I really tried my best here and if it's not working I'll think of another solution. Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty-Five: Day One
"Mike, you need to ditch this girl," Mal's voice echoed in Mike's head.
Can you please not say that when she's sitting right there?
"That's exactly why I'm saying it," he continued.
"Crikey," Manitoba complained. "We've been having this discussion for what? A year? I can't listen to it."
"Yo, what's he supposed to do, bro?" Vito countered. "Break up with her on the plane? That's not how you treat a lady."
Mike was sitting on an airplane with Zoey to his right and Sam on his left.
"Aren't you excited?" Zoey smiled at him. "This is gonna be so much fun!"
Fun was putting it strongly. It would be a nightmare of anxiety and paranoia. Mike briefly considered calling the whole thing off and asking Chef to turn the plane around. Instead, he just said,
"Yeah, it's sure gonna be fun."
"You couldn't be more suspicious," Mal sneered.
Shut up, all of you. Let me focus. You know I can't focus when you're all talking.
"Whatever you say."
The original contestants were chatting amongst themselves, leaving Mike to stew in his own thoughts. Behind him, he could hear Lightning and Jo arguing. It had already begun.
"I can't believe Chris let you back on this show," Jo frowned. "You already won the stupid thing, what's the point?"
"You're telling me. I can't even go to the gym when I'm here! Do you know what that's like? Two weeks without going to the gym? It's like…going two weeks without jerking off! Do you know how hard that is?"
Quickly tuning out that conversation, but purposely avoiding the originals, he tried to start a conversation with Sam, who was tapping on his GameGuy.
"Hey," Mike whispered. "What game are you playing?"
Sam's face lit up.
"Well, this one is called Super Dario Friends. It's actually part of a very long running series about this guy named Dario, and he has to save Princess Plum because she was kidnapped, and then he runs into all of these obstacles, and then…"
"You kids and your video games. Back in my day, we had no such thing!"
"Chester, bro! We haven't seen you in a while."
"Well, I like my quiet time, something you kids don't understand."
"Also," Sam kept talking. "We have to discuss the gameplay mechanics and how they've evolved over time. In the first version, Dario could jump, well, roughly ten pixels. But the creators realized…"
"Mike, why are all of your friends so annoying?" Mal complained again.
Don't say that.
"I'm just saying it to you so it basically doesn't count."
Still.
"Mal's right, bro," Vito stepped in to defend him. "It totally doesn't count."
"What's Sam talking about?" Zoey whispered in his ear.
"Um," Mike paused. "No idea."
"Hmm. Let me know if you need me to rescue you," she smiled.
"Aww, how nice," Mal was mocking him. "Your girlfriend wants to help you. How sweet."
Mal, not now.
"Stop it with that, da? Zoey is very nice girl."
Thank you, Svetlana.
"Um, over here," Cameron whispered.
Sam had stopped talking by that point. Mike looked around, desperately trying to figure out what was going on.
"Um, who are you?" Courtney asked Cameron.
"Cameron," he answered, a slight hint of fear in his eyes.
"Courtney," Mal didn't hold back the venom in his voice.
Stop it. We can't do this here.
"Fine," it clearly wasn't fine.
Mike tried to tune back into the conversation.
"I think," Courtney explained to the originals, "that they're asking if we've seen the last season."
She was met with a chorus of 'nopes.'
"I watched it!" Sierra smiled. "It was fine, I guess. Still live-blogged it, though. You're Scott!" She smiled at the contestant in question.
"Scott," it was Manitoba's turn to complain.
Come on, guys, we can't have problems with everyone on this plane, right?
Privately, he realized that may indeed be the case.
"We can introduce ourselves?" Cameron offered. "I'm Cameron. Um. I was one of the finalists last season."
Silence.
"Wait!" Duncan perked up. "What ever happened-"
Don't look, don't look, don't look, he's not even there. Not there. Mike concentrated his gaze on the back of the seat in front of him.
"Do we think he's gotten more or less attractive?" Mal pondered.
Mike pointedly ignored that comment.
Let's go over the plan. Does everyone remember the plan?
"You're so fucked"-
The plan, Mal.
"Bro, can I say the plan?" Vito asked. "You made me spend a lot of time memorizing the plan."
Fine, someone, please, just do it.
"So," Vito started. "Number one. Avoid all contact. Number two. Vote him off as quickly as possible. Number three. Don't let anybody find out what happened."
Now, if everyone sticks to that-
"Number four," Mal cut in. "Break up with Zoey."
That's not-
"Woah, Bro, why does Mal get to add something to the list?" Vito complained. "I wanna add something."
Mike tried to contain his annoyance.
Nobody is adding anything. There's three things on the list, and that's it. The list can't change. It's done.
"Well? Someone else go," Courtney barked. "Come on."
"I'm Sam," the camper introduced himself.
Mike felt all eyes on him and guessed that he was supposed to introduce himself as well.
"I'm Mike." He kept it simple.
That didn't sound dumb, right? Just saying a name. Can't mess that up. But it sounded fine, right?
"Da, was good."
"Think it was alright, mate."
"You got this, bro."
"Oh!" Zoey perked up to his right. "Hi everyone! I'm Zoey, it's so great to meet you all."
Mike could feel Zoey beaming.
"This is really cool," she kept going. "I actually used to watch this show, back when it first aired."
"Why?" Heather sneered at her, the original contestants starting to quietly laugh.
"Um, I don't know," Zoey's voice shook. "I just liked it."
"Listen," Heather snapped. "Just so you know, none of us want to be here. This show has been hell…" she started to rant, while Mike tuned her out.
"This chick doesn't mess around," Vito observed.
Mike didn't pay him any attention either.
"Is possible, you think, that he has already told everybody everything?" Svetlana offered. "Maybe all these people are in on this?"
He hadn't considered that possibility.
Could that be true?
He glanced at each of the original cast members minus the one he was trying to pretend didn't exist.
How would I even be able to tell?
"Alright!" Someone announced over the loudspeaker. "We're landing soon, get ready to jump!"
Cameron gasped.
"What? We have to jump?" He looked over at Mike and Zoey, his eyes full of fear.
"Don't worry," Zoey smiled at him. "I'm sure it's safe, Chris would never put us in real danger," she reassured him.
We're in emotional danger. Does that count?
"Right," Mike echoed Zoey's sentiment. "Don't worry, Cam."
"Alright, Cameron, you're up first! Open the door and jump!" The loudspeaker announced.
"What? I'm first?" He paled.
Mike blocked out the murmurs of the original contestants coming from the other side of the plane.
"Come on, Cam," Mike encouraged him. "It'll be fine."
"Oh my God, I'll do it," Lightning sprung up from his seat, shoved the door of the plane open, and tossed Cameron into the water below.
Mike winced as Cameron hit the water with a splash. Zoey raced over to the open door and peered into the water, making sure he was okay. Mike felt a little guilty for not doing the same, but he was a little preoccupied. He risked a glance over at the originals, trying to determine whether anyone was looking at him suspiciously.
"Bro, it's not gonna be that obvious," Vito complained.
Who can we talk to and gauge the situation? Gwen? His newest conquest…Maybe we stay away from her too.
Mike frowned as he realized just how many people he had to avoid this season.
After Zoey left the plane, he jumped into the water and started to swim, not minding the cold temperatures of the lake.
"Mate, can I just say," Manitoba started, "I think we're misplacing Courtney in this whole thing, right? Because he cheated on her, maybe she hates his guts, sort of an unlikely ally, yeah?"
"No, absolutely not. Mike, listen to me," Mal insisted. "Remember how fast he ditched you for her? He moved on so quickly, don't cave and be her friend."
"Well I think it's nice to bond over a common enemy, but clearly you know best," Manitoba was annoyed at having been shut down.
There is no common enemy. You're all forgetting the plan. We're acting like nothing ever happened. How would that look if we start talking shit with Courtney? Please, remember the plan and we'll make it through this.
Mike crawled out of the water and stepped onto the beach, joining Cameron and Zoey as they gathered around Chris. Courtney was talking to him about something, but Mike made a concentrated effort not to overhear.
"That water was cold, yeah?" Zoey smiled, shivering slightly.
"Yeah?" He flicked a few drops of water at her face.
"Ah!" She shrieked. "Oh, you jerk," she wrapped him in a hug. He picked her up and spun her around, gently putting her back on the ground.
"We better be on the same team," she looked up at him. "Or I'll be…annoyed."
"Annoyed?" He smiled. "Just annoyed?"
"I'll quit in protest."
"There we go," he smiled.
"But if we are on different teams…it's game on," she tried to glare at him, then broke out into a smile.
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
See? She likes me.
He felt a sudden reassurance in himself.
We're going to be fine, the two of us, because she likes me.
Mal started to complain again, but he was interrupted by Chris.
"Alright, campers," Chris smiled, basking in the attention from the cameras. "Welcome to Total. Drama. All-stars!" He paused for effect. Mike risked a glance at his old teammates. Zoey and Lightning were both beaming, Jo had her hands clenched into fists, Sam was half-playing a video game, Cameron was staring at the ground…nobody had changed too much.
"This year," Chris continued, "you will be divided into two teams: Heroes and Villains!" He let that sink in.
"Oh, cool," Zoey whispered to Mike and Cameron. "We'll all be on the Hero's Team together."
"Yeah, for sure," he smiled back.
But maybe not. What if Chris puts us on the Villain's Team just to mess with us?
"What? Could this be true?" Svetlana caught on to his fear. "He would not, I do not think, da?"
You're right. I'm not a villain, so he would just look crazy.
Still, Mike could feel traces of anxiety tugging at the edge of his mind, stealing his attention away from his surroundings, until Chris finally announced the teams.
"On the Heroic Hamsters, we have: Cameron, Zoey, Mike, Sam, Sierra, Lindsay, and… Courtney! On the Villainous Vultures, we have: Heather, Duncan, Scott, Jo, Lightning, and… Gwen!"
Mike let out a breath.
Alright. What do we think?
"Crikey, that's worked out well," Manitoba decided. "You don't have…that guy, or Scott, or Gwen…I reckon that's pretty good."
You're right.
Mike smiled and took a step closer to Zoey.
And I have Zoey and Cameron. Could you imagine if they were on a team with him? I would stop sleeping. Now it's a lot easier to keep them separated.
"Look at that," Mike smiled at Zoey and Cameron. "Same team!"
"Friendship finale take two?" Zoey was hopeful.
"That would be so cool."
"I'm just glad we're all together," Cameron was relieved. "I don't know if I would have survived on…that team," he glanced at the Villains, where Jo and Lightning were already starting to argue.
Chris assigned the robot to the Villain's Team and ordered everyone to head towards the cliff for their first challenge.
"I wonder what it'll be?" Mal pondered. "Maybe a callback to season one episode two with the cliff diving?"
"No way, mate, I think it'll be an obstacle course like season one episode twelve."
The contestants divided themselves into their assigned teams. If it weren't for Courtney's presence, Mike would feel more relaxed, but she had instantly made herself known.
"Alright, everyone," she announced. "Hmm," she scanned the small crowd that consisted of the Hero's Team. "Ugh. Well, I suppose I can work with this."
Courtney's a wild card. We can't trust her, and we can't let her stray too far. It all depends on what she knows. I don't think she talks to him anymore, but when they were still together, who knows what he told her? Maybe he told her everything, and Gwen, and now he's telling Scott, and they're all talking about it-
Someone grabbed his hand. He turned to see Zoey smiling at him.
"All good?" She asked.
"Yeah," he smiled back. "Sorry, zoned out for a second."
"So," Courtney was trying to strategize. "What do you all…do?"
"What do we do?" Cameron frowned. "I don't think I understand the question."
"Come on, guys," she frowned. "Strengths? Weaknesses?"
"I run a blog," Sierra announced. "I think that's a strength. And my weakness," she paused, then teared up. "Is that there's a man out there…that I love…that I can't- Cody- I'm sorry," she stopped talking and wiped her eyes.
"Look out for Sierra, too," Mal mused. "Who knows what she's putting on the internet?"
"You already know my strengths, Courtney," Lindsey was braiding her hair as they walked. "Oh no, did you forget?" She frowned.
"Your biggest strength is that you get to go home soon," Courtney crossed her arms. "Now, the rest of you, let's go. Talk to me."
"Oh no, you already know you're leaving?" Zoey asked.
"Hmm?" Lindsey asked. "Oh, yeah. Chris told me. But I don't care! I'm still getting paid. Guess who's getting a mani-pedi right when I get home? This girl!" She pointed to herself.
"Oh! Well, I guess that's good," Zoey was taken aback.
She hasn't said anything to me directly. You know, I bet he's so ashamed of us that he never told her anything. That would make sense.
"Can we not get into that?" Mal voiced his displeasure.
I'm sure it's true.
"Alright," Courtney was getting annoyed. "If nobody is going to talk-"
"I'll go!" Zoey decided. "Let's see…I think my biggest strength is that…I'm a good friend, and I always try to see the best in people, and get along with them, and that's really important to me. But a weakness? Gosh, I'm not sure-"
"I've heard what I needed to," Courtney grimaced. "Don't worry about it. Actually, I think I already have a sense of what most of you are capable of. And as your team leader, I promise I'll do what I can to whip you guys into shape so we have an actual chance of winning."
"This girl," Svetlana noted, "she is very severe, da? I do not see her with him at all. Very strange to me."
"Jeez, she's harsh," Zoey whispered to Mike. "She just makes herself the captain?"
Stick to neutral statements. If she does know anything, I don't want to piss her off.
"I'm sure she's not that bad. Maybe that's how the other contestants operate?" He theorized. "We could be the weird ones to her."
"Huh," Zoey considered that. "I haven't thought about that before. You could be right. I guess I shouldn't be so fast to judge."
"No, you're fine. I'm sure we have a lot to learn."
"Well," Cameron observed from Zoey's other side. "She makes me nervous."
That makes two of us.
When the campers reached the top of the cliff, Chris quickly explained that they had to dive into the water to find the key to the Spa Hotel.
"Alright! Who wants to go first?" Courtney asked the group.
"Well," Cameron gathered the courage to speak, "if you're the captain, shouldn't you go first?"
Lindsey snickered next to him. Mike started to smile, but Courtney glared at him.
He grabbed at one of his necklaces and said, "One of us can go first, right guys? Actually, I'll do it."
I need her to not hate me. I'll take this one for the team.
"Mike, I'm adding another rule," Mal informed him.
Not how that works-
"At least TRY to win this time."
Oh, you're right.
Mike took a few steps back and ran towards the edge of the cliff, jumping into the water below. He closed his eyes and ignored the sensation in his stomach that came with the drop. Once he hit the water, he grabbed the first key he could find and swam to the shore, where Lindsey was waiting with the cart.
"Courtney made me drive…well, I guess Chris told her to make me drive…at least my hair won't get wet." She frowned and started to push the cart.
"Well, that's good," Mike tried and failed to get comfortable.
"You don't talk that much," she observed.
"Ah, no," he blushed.
"That's alright!" She beamed. "I'll talk instead. What color should I get my nails painted? I'm torn between ruby, cherry, and crimson. They each have their own benefits, right? Because cherry gives off a summer fun vibe, but crimson has more of a sultry connotation? Definitely not as aggressive as scarlet, which means you're really going for it, but I already used scarlet for prom, so that's out of the question. It's such a difficult decision, I just don't know what to do!" She sighed, exasperated by the choice in front of her. "What do you think? Am I overthinking this?"
Mike had no idea what she was talking about.
"Oi, tell her to get crimson, that's the same color as a silver spurnflower- did you know it's ranked as Australia's ninth most beautiful flower?" Manitoba chimed in.
Mike figured that was as good an answer as any and told Lindsey as much.
"Crimson."
"Did one of the guys in your head tell you to say that?"
"Uh, what?"
"Sorry, was I not supposed to say that?" She frowned. "I was just thinking it because last season- oh, it was really good by the way! And Scott is such a jerk. He sucks. Boo."
"Good thing she's out of here, she's way too perceptive," Mal noted. "We don't need to-"
"Are they telling you stuff right now?"
"Alright, just," Mike tried to get her to stop talking. "If you're looking at me, who's watching where we're going?"
"Huh?"
Lindsey ran the wheels right over a large rock, bucking Mike out of the cart and leaving both of them sprawled on the ground.
"Oh!" She realized from on top of a bush. "Who's watching where we're going. I get it now. So, I guess I wasn't."
"No," Mike sighed, brushing the dirt from his palms. "I guess not."
When they reached the Spa Hotel, they tested the key, which of course didn't work. Lindsey managed to get them back to the cliff with minimal injury, where the rest of the Heroes were waiting expectantly.
"Well?" Courtney asked.
"Didn't work," Mike explained.
"Fine," she sighed, clearly annoyed. "Someone else go. You. Sam."
"Wha- me?" Sam looked up from his video game.
"Sam, don't worry," Zoey smiled kindly. "I'll go."
"I'll do it!" Sierra announced. "For Cody, because I know he's watching, and I don't want to disappoint him!"
Maybe it's good she's so obsessed with Cody. It'll take her attention off me.
Suddenly, there was a commotion from the Villain's Team.
"I'm not a boyfriend kisser!" Gwen yelled at Jo. "Stop calling me that, all of you!"
Mike saw Courtney wince.
Interesting.
"Just, someone go," she spoke a little more softly, then cleared her throat. "Yeah, Sierra, you should go."
She jumped off the cliff in search of the key.
That's weird, right? Wasn't Courtney the one to call Gwen a boyfriend kisser first? Why does she seem so bothered about it now?
"Jeez," Zoey whispered to Mike and Cameron. "I guess that's still going on?"
"I'm staying far away from it," Mike shook his head, hoping Cameron would agree so they could stop talking about Courtney.
"I agree," Cameron decided. "We shouldn't get involved."
After Sierra came back, having failed to find the right key, Zoey took a turn, jumping into the water.
"Oh, I really don't want to jump down there," Cameron rubbed his hands together and peered into the water.
"Don't worry," Mike reassured him. "I'll take another turn, if you want."
"Really?" Cameron beamed.
"Sure, no problem."
I need to keep him on my side, no matter the cost. Cameron and Zoey, everyone else is a wild card. They could be talking about me right now.
Mike glanced over at the Villains, who appeared to be deep in an argument. Suddenly, one of them (Scott?) shoved the robot off the cliff, where it hit the water with a loud splash.
Chris came running over in a panic, yelling about something.
"What's going on?" Zoey appeared by Mike's side. "Key didn't work."
"Someone's in the robot," Cameron explained.
"Woah, really?" She strained to see what was going on. "How's that even possible?"
Suddenly, a voice yelled from the water.
"I'm baaack!"
"It's Alejandro!" Cameron gasped, having clearly studied the tapes of the past few seasons.
Great. Someone else to worry about.
"He's smart," Mal immediately observed. "Too smart. Be careful around him."
When Alejandro reached the surface, he walked over to Heather (on his hands!) and started sweet-talking her, much to her annoyance. And of course, he had the right key.
"And the Vultures win!" Chris announced. "And they get the Spa Hotel! Hamsters, I'll see you at the elimination ceremony!"
"Great," Courtney hissed, clearly upset with their loss.
"Sorry, Courtney," Sam frowned, not looking up from his GameGuy.
"We'll discuss it later."
Zoey turned to Mike.
"I'm gonna congratulate them for winning."
"Wha-"
"Hey guys!" She waved at the Villains. "Congrats on the win!" She beamed.
The other team barely paid her any attention, except for…
"You have to say his name. How are you supposed to get rid of him if you won't acknowledge him?" Mal insisted.
Except for Duncan and Gwen.
"Thanks, Zoey!" Duncan waved back at her, Gwen echoing his sentiments.
Mike was horrified.
Direct communication. This can't be happening. It's already beginning.
The entire thing rattled him so badly that he barely spoke on the way to the elimination ceremony, responding to Zoey and Cameron's comments with a vague 'yes' or 'no.'
"Mischa, you can't expect that your friends do not talk to him at all, da?" Svetlana tried to calm him down.
I know, but it still bothers me. It's like two worlds colliding, when there should be no overlap.
"Wouldn't want your two lives to interact, I suppose," Mal mused.
I don't have two lives- can we just focus on right now? Who are we voting for?
"Bro, Courtney's got to go, no joke." Vito spoke his piece.
"Ah, but you forget," Svetlana chastised him. "Lindsey already said that Chris will send her home first. What if you vote for Courtney, and she discovers this? No, no, you must vote for Lindsey. You will have a built-in excuse."
Despite his intentions to vote Courtney off the show, Mike couldn't find any flaws in Svetlana's logic, and he figured he should only attempt one plan at a time. So, he voted for Lindsey.
At the elimination ceremony, the Heroic Hamsters waited for Chris to start his speech. Mike had Sam to his left, eyes glued to his GameGuy, and Zoey on his right. Behind them, the Villains were crowded on the bleachers chattering amongst themselves.
"Courtney!" Gwen approached Mike's teammate, holding a bouquet of flowers. "These are for you."
"Huh?" Courtney appeared confused. "For me?" She took the flowers and immediately started sneezing. "Ah, shit, I'm allergic to these! Chris!" Courtney glared at the host.
"Chris, are you kidding me?" Gwen glared at him as well.
Chris snickered from the podium.
"Sorry," he shrugged.
So did Chris set that up? Does he try to create divisions between them? Of course, Gwen and Courtney hate each other…boyfriend kisser. So why does Chris need to do anything extra?
The dynamic between the original contestants puzzled Mike to no end.
"Anyways," Chris began his speech, "welcome to the first elimination ceremony of Total. Drama. All–stars!"
He ran through his spiel, explaining the sacrifice to Boney Island, which Lightning unknowingly volunteered for. Then, he reached the elimination.
"The following campers are safe: Sam, Mike, Zoey, Sierra, and Cameron! Courtney and Lindsay, you're in the bottom two!"
Courtney? That makes sense, but I wonder who voted for her? Probably Sam and Cameron? Maybe Sierra?
"And the following camper is safe…Courtney! You will stay another day!"
"Good," she nodded, though she was obviously relieved.
"You know," Mal realized. "Since you voted for Lindsey, you were probably the deciding vote to keep Courtney on the show. But don't beat yourself up about it."
Mike thought about this for a moment, then frowned.
Damn it. You're right. I'm already fucking this up.
"And this has been today's episode! Who will win next week? Find out next time on Total. Drama. All-stars!" When he finished the signoff, Chris smiled at the contestants. "Great work, everyone. I'll see you all tomorrow. Get some rest!"
"We made it through the first challenge!" Zoey turned to her friends and smiled. "Great job, guys. The first one is always the hardest! I know we didn't get the Spa Hotel, but I'm so proud of you guys for pulling through today!"
"Thanks, Zoey," Sam smiled at her praise.
"Even though he didn't do shit to help," Mal noted bitterly.
"I'm getting out of here," Courtney stood up. "Those cabins are so gross."
"Good idea," Zoey agreed. "We should all get some rest. It's been a long day."
Courtney rolled her eyes and started walking.
The Hamsters followed her to the cabins in relative silence. Every so often, Sierra would bring up some comment from her blog, but it went mostly unacknowledged. Zoey used her best effort to start a conversation.
"I'm so excited to be on a team with you guys. This is gonna be such a great season."
Mike appreciated what she was trying to do, but it was clear that nobody else did. Except for Cameron.
"We definitely have a unique set of skills between the six of us," he nodded.
Mike heard Courtney mutter something under her breath, but he knew better than to call attention to it.
When they reached the cabins, he stopped to say good night to Zoey.
"Great job today," he smiled.
"Well, it's good to be back," she grinned.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
He pulled her in for a good night kiss, mindful that other people were watching. He was never a fan of public displays of affection.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he gave her a final smile, then left to join Cameron and Sam in the guy's cabin.
"Bro, can't we just go to sleep-"
Later. You know we have stuff to do. First, talking with these two.
"I'm going to bed," Cameron thankfully decided. "It's important to be well-rested for the challenge tomorrow."
"I'm with you, Cameron," Sam agreed.
"Does everyone on this team just love agreeing with each other? It's driving me fucking crazy," Mal complained. "Please, somebody, cause a problem."
"Mike?" Cameron looked at him expectantly.
"Actually," Mike glanced at the door. "I might go for a walk real quick. Clear my head. But don't worry, I'll be back soon."
"Suit yourself," Sam thankfully didn't care, and Cameron didn't press him on it, or worse, offer to join him.
After saying goodnight to his teammates, Mike stepped into the cool summer air and closed the cabin door behind him.
Alright, let's go.
After so many previous visits, Mike had memorized the way to Chris' mansion by heart.
"What do we even have to say to him?" Mal was not thrilled.
Mike had decided to walk along the beach. He ran a hand through the lake and flicked the drops in an arc through the air, watching with satisfaction as they created ripples across the surface of the water.
You know we have to go visit him. That's what we agreed on.
"Maybe we'll run into a bear," Manitoba was excited by the prospect.
"No, no bears. I will not tolerate the bears," Svetlana disapproved.
Let's just focus on getting there.
"The mohawk makes him so much hotter," Mal said out of nowhere.
Can we not? Can we please not?
"I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to Vito, so stay out of it."
"Bro, I was thinking the same thing."
"It's actually called a fauxhawk cause the sides aren't completely shaved," Manitoba chimed in. "I did the research."
"Non mi dire, the man did the research!" Vito was enthralled.
Thankfully, Mike soon reached Chris' mansion, sparing him from the discussion. He stood on the front steps and knocked on the door, which was immediately opened by an intern, who looked at him and frowned.
"Hey," Mike smiled, "I'm-"
"Kitchen."
"Ah, thanks."
"Close the door behind you," the intern was already walking away, "or don't. I don't give a fuck."
Mike closed the door.
He remembered the kitchen from last season and quickly found Chris sitting at the table with a bowl in front of him, but he wasn't prepared to see Courtney standing in the middle of the room.
Fuck. Did she see us? Turn around- We can't turn around. She's looking right at us. Oh my G- it's happening. What do I say.
He had no other option but to enter the room.
"Great," Courtney glared at him, then immediately turned to Chris. "What's he doing here?"
"Hey, Courtney," Mike said weakly, wishing he could disappear through the floor.
"Don't mind him," Chris barely glanced in Mike's direction. "He's just here to say hi."
"Right, he's just here to say hi," Courtney was pissed. "Well, whatever this is, I want no part of it. Don't drag me into your little scheme to ruin Duncan's life even more than you already have."
"I haven't dragged you into anything," Chris rolled his eyes. "Do either of you want some soup?"
Mike nearly passed out. His vision started to blur, and for a moment, he forgot how to breathe.
"What? What did she mean by that?" Mal was on alert. "Why would she say that? What does she know?"
"No, I don't want any of your fucking soup," Courtney spat the last word. "I want you to stop writing the love triangle so we can all move on with our lives."
"Hmm," Chris paused to consider her words. Then, he spoke.
"Mike. Soup?"
"Why did Courtney say that?" Mike blurted out.
"Do neither of you want the soup?" Chris frowned.
"What scheme to ruin Duncan's life, what does that mean?" He rushed.
"Oh, relax," Courtney huffed. "Chris told me about all your stupid high school romance, whatever. Anyways, back to what really matters-"
"Chris!" Mike was dismayed. "Why would you do that? You said you wouldn't say anything!"
"Wrong!" Chris picked up a spoonful of soup and observed it. "I said I wouldn't say anything on camera, which I didn't. And yes, maybe I mentioned not telling anybody else, but Courtney is a special case. I needed to let her know for…liability issues."
"What does that even mean?" Mike glared, gripping one of the kitchen chairs to steady himself.
"Oh, Chris just wants me to keep an eye on him. Right, Chris? Be his therapist? Handle all of his issues? Keep him sane so he can still film? That's why you still keep me around, right?"
"She's been sworn to secrecy," Chris ignored her. "So, don't worry."
"I think I'm still worried-"
"Oh, back off," Courtney turned on him. "You think I'm going to mention anything about you to him? And deal with the fallout? I learned that lesson years ago. I'm staying as far away from you as possible. Now," she took a seat at the table across from Chris and stared at him, "Chris, please, the love triangle."
"Ah, right," Chris nodded, then ate another spoonful of soup. "Hmm." He drummed his fingers on the table and leaned back in his chair, appearing to be lost in thought. "You know…same ex-boyfriend? You guys should start a band or something."
"Stop that!" She yelled at him. "No!"
"Yes! I'm serious. You should have a shared sense of camaraderie," he spoke matter-of-factly. "Jilted by the same guy? There's something there."
"Well," Mike felt the immediate need to defend himself, "he didn't jilt me, that's not really what happened, so-"
"Chris, are you going to be serious?" Courtney interrupted him. "Or are you going to keep being an insufferable jerk?"
"I guess the real question is," he leaned forward in his chair, "which one of you is the better kisser?"
"Ugh!" Courtney shrieked. "You're such an asshole!" She stood up from her chair. "I'm trying to help Gwen, do you even care?"
"Oh, true, we'd need her in here for the full sample size."
"Forget it," Courtney seethed, realizing this wasn't going anywhere. "Have it your way."
Then, she looked at Mike, who badly wished he had never come to see Chris.
"You," she glared, "I don't give a fuck what you do," then she paused, and smiled. "Not like you can change what I already know."
She turned on her heel and stalked out of the room.
Right now. She's going to tell Zoey everything right now to fuck me over, I have to get out of here. I have to stop her.
"Chill," Chris seemed to sense what Mike was thinking. "She won't do anything rash, she never does."
"But-"
"Do you know how badly she wants to win this season?" Chris informed him. "She'd do anything. She's the only one who hasn't won yet- Gwen, Heather, Duncan, Alejandro- she's going crazy about it. Do you know how much it kills her to know that Cameron won and she didn't? Imagine what would happen if she went in there telling Zoey everything with no proof. It'd be over for her."
Mike considered that possibility and felt his hands start to shake.
"She won't say anything now," Mal spoke up, "but what happens when she needs to vote you out? You have to deal with her soon."
"Anyways," Chris continued, "how've you been?"
"I'm alright, Chris," Mike wrung his hands together, feeling less than alright.
"Do you need anything?"
"No."
"Well," Chris leaned back. "You know I just want to make sure, right?"
"Right," Mike nodded, still feeling slightly sick.
"I'm happy that you're here, Mike," Chris smiled at him. "I was worried you'd back out, you know. I'm proud of you for showing up."
"Thanks, Chris," Mike stared down at his feet.
"And really, I'm sorry about that whole Courtney thing…I just try and look out for people," Chris frowned. "This isn't an easy job, you know."
"It's alright, really," Mike was disconcerted by Chris' change in demeanor.
"No, it's not-"
"It's alright," Mike insisted, hoping to leave the house. "Don't worry about it, it's really not a big deal."
"Well," Chris considered that. "If you say so." He took his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. "You should be heading back soon. Here," he stood up and walked over to one of the kitchen cabinets. He pulled out an item and tossed it to Mike. "Take this."
Mike caught it and observed the shiny foil.
"It's a pop-tart. So you don't have to eat gruel tomorrow."
"Oh. Thanks, Chris," Mike slid it into his pocket.
"Don't tell anyone I gave you that," Chris frowned.
"I won't."
"Good," Chris nodded. "Now, get out of here. You have a big day tomorrow."
Mercifully, Mike spent the walk back to the cabins in relative silence, despite the occasional reminder that he needed to intercept Courtney before she could do any damage. He quietly opened the cabin door to find Cameron and Sam already asleep. He sat down on his bed and took a breath.
Alright. Courtney. We have to figure that out. But not tonight, alright? We need to sleep. We'll deal with this tomorrow, there's nothing we can do right now.
Thankfully, nobody pushed back on him.
At least, not for a few hours.