A/N Enjoy!
Chapter Ten
"We did it!" Zoey cheered the moment she saw Duncan standing in the woods. She was still holding onto Mike.
Nope, doesn't bother me at all.
"Ah. Yep," he smiled.
Chris opened the gates to Boney Island, letting the cast leave. He was waiting on the other side.
"Duncan! Gwen! Come here for a second."
"I'll catch up with you guys later," Duncan waved to the Heroes. "What's up, Chris?"
"Take this," he handed Duncan a piece of paper, "and memorize it by tonight."
"What's this? A script?" Duncan read over the words.
"Yep," Chris handed a copy to Gwen. "I recommend you guys practice this for the elimination ceremony."
"Oh, no way!" Gwen's face lit up as she read her lines.
Hmm, a break-up scene?
"Now, get out of here," Chris kept talking. "I don't want to stay here any longer than I need to."
"We can practice when we get back?" Duncan offered.
"Sure," she beamed.
I'm sure she's thrilled.
The two of them followed the rest of the cast onto the boat. Zoey was standing next to Mike.
He seems much more relaxed now. He was right. We should just move on from last night. It's not even worth getting into. The stress of the competition got to both of us. Embarrassing, sure, but nothing we should argue over.
"Hey, guys," Duncan smiled as he joined his team.
I cannot wait for tonight.
"I gotta say, you really held it together today, since you were on Boney Island and all," Zoey greeted him.
"Ah, well, I just powered through. But look at you two! No wonder everyone says you're a power couple."
Mike immediately diverted his eyes to the ground.
"Who says that?" Zoey wanted to know.
"Eh, nobody. But I'm gonna start saying that, I think."
"Oh God, please don't," Zoey blushed.
Mortifying.
"You're right," Duncan nodded. "I need to come up with a proper nickname."
I'm sure he hates this right now.
"Sierra," Cameron asked. "Are you really bringing that thing back with us?" He peered at Cody Junior. "It's making me nervous."
"What!?" She was outraged. "How could you say that? He's so sweet!"
"You know, he kind of looks like Cody," Duncan nodded.
"Really?" Zoey furrowed her brow.
"No. But I'm trying my best here."
"Alright, everybody out!" Chef declared as the boat approached the dock on the main island.
"Guess this is our stop?" Zoey looked around. "Better than Boney Island."
"Barely," Duncan scoffed.
"Aw, do you miss the two-headed gophers? You could've taken one with you if you wanted."
"Hard pass. Where would I find food for it?"
Both teams stepped off of the boat and onto the island.
I told Courtney that I would talk to her, but is it really worth it at this point? I should just let it go. There's no need to pry about Duncan's personal life.
"Do you guys want to do something?" Zoey offered. "We have the Spa Hotel, after all."
I should make it up to them, since I went off on my own last night.
"Sorry, I've got to talk to Gwen about something," Duncan apologized. "But you guys have fun!"
"We could make dinner?" Cameron pondered.
"Sounds great!" Sierra beamed. "I need to make food for Cody Junior!"
...Ah.
"Have fun, Zoey," Duncan nudged her before splitting off from the group to find Gwen.
"Ready?" Gwen asked him.
"Yep, let's do this."
Zoey watched as the two of them left towards the woods.
"So, great job, guys?" Cameron was almost asking as the rest of the Heroes walked to the Spa Hotel.
"Hmm," Mike noted. "Yeah."
"Well, I can't believe that Alejandro is going home tonight," Zoey changed the subject. "He really messed up, to tell you who he was voting for."
"Yup," Mike spoke quickly. "Really crazy. Hey, I'll make dinner? What do you guys want?"
I guess he doesn't want to talk about it…He did snitch, after all.
"Well, what can you make?" Sierra asked.
"I dunno. Anything on the Applebee's menu."
"Um. What do mutant rats eat?"
"...I'll just make spaghetti."
Deep in the woods, Gwen and Duncan were sitting side by side, leaning against a large tree and reading their respective scripts.
"I don't know how I'm gonna make it through this without laughing," she came across a particularly cheesy line.
"We can always change it, I'm sure."
"Do you want to read it through?"
"Sure," he stood up, dusting the dirt off his pants. He extended a hand, which she took, and lifted her to her feet.
"Alright," Gwen cleared her throat. She looked down at the piece of paper. "I'm just gonna go for it. Duncan!"
"Yeah?" He read off the script.
"I need to talk to you."
"Right now?"
"I can't wait any longer."
"Sure, what's up?"
"Listen, I don't know how to say this…but we need to break up."
"What? What are you saying?"
"I can't be with you anymore. Our relationship has ruined my friendship with Courtney," Gwen squinted her eyes at the words on the page. "Wow, that's a bit on the nose, huh?"
"We can change it," Duncan sighed. "Gwen, what do you mean? We can't break up."
"I'm sorry it has to be this way...so dramatic. Wanna just rewrite it?"
"Yeah…" he wasn't paying attention. He was transfixed on the script.
Some of this stuff is really mean…
"Are you even listening?"
Wow, I get eviscerated here… Upsetting to be around? I drag her down?
"Hey, stop reading that, alright?"
There has to be an element of truth to that, right? I mean, Chris couldn't have come up with that out of nowhere.
"Duncan!" Gwen snapped.
"Hmm?" He looked up. "Oh, sorry. What were you saying?"
"Are you alright?"
"Yup. Just got…absorbed in the storyline."
"Right," she didn't look convinced. "Well, you know the scripts on this show are trash. Chris would never pay for good writers. So, don't put too much stock into this stuff."
"Yeah, you're right," he sighed, folding the piece of paper in his hand. "Sorry."
"Let's just work on scripting something new. We still have time before the elimination ceremony."
"Yeah...yeah, let's do that."
Stop thinking about that stuff. You know you shouldn't go down that path.
Back in the Spa Hotel, the Heroes were crowded around the kitchen table. As promised, Mike had made spaghetti, which they were eating for dinner.
"This is pretty good…" Cameron murmured into his bowl.
"Thanks, Cam," Mike smiled at him.
"Is this like a family recipe or something?" Sierra asked as she fed a piece to the mutant gopher sitting on her lap.
"It's Barilla."
"Is that like a town in Italy?"
"...Sure."
I'm really happy that everything's gone back to normal…Everyone's calmed down, I think. We really needed that win.
"So…" Cameron started.
"What's up, Cam?" Zoey asked him.
"It's really good we won, right? Since we didn't have to vote anyone off. But um, next time…"
"Yeah?" Zoey asked.
"Just…"
"Cam's right," Mike cut in. "We need to start thinking about the next time we lose. And, you know, who we're voting off."
Sierra, obviously. But why would they bring this up with her sitting right there?
"Right, of course," Zoey agreed.
"So," Cam drummed his fingers against the table. "I guess we're all in agreement. Duncan goes next."
Wait, what?
"Yup," Mike nodded.
"Agreed," Sierra spoke through a mouthful of spaghetti. "Right, Zoey?"
Shit. I have to agree. I mean, if I don't, then it will seem like I want someone at this table to go. Which I do! Why is Sierra still here? She should go. She brought that gopher thing in here. The guys aren't the ones who have to share a room with her. I do!
She looked to Mike for help, but he was staring intently at her, clearly unwilling to budge.
"Um, yeah," Zoey nodded. "Duncan goes next."
"Great," Cameron beamed.
He's probably just glad HE doesn't have to go home… No, calm down. It's not Cam's fault.
"Looks like Cody Junior needs a nap," Sierra observed as the gopher-thing started to squirm in her arms. She stood up as it clutched onto her arms. "Ok, Cody Junior. Let's put you down for a bit."
"Hey Sierra?" Zoey asked. "Where are you putting him to sleep?"
"What?" Sierra tilted her head like Zoey was crazy. "I'm taking him to our room, of course."
"Um, ok. Just… maybe keep him on your side?"
"Well, of course," Sierra huffed. "He probably wouldn't want to be near your stuff anyways."
"Oh, um...ok."
Sierra left the room, Cody Junior in her grasp.
See? And we're letting her stay?
"Guys," Cameron whispered the moment she left the room.
"Yeah?" Mike leaned forward to hear him.
"Can we please vote Sierra off? Please? I didn't want to say it in front of her, but I can't do it anymore. Please don't tell her. But please?"
Yes! Oh, Cameron, I knew you'd come through. I'm sorry I ever doubted your judgement.
"Of course, Cam," Zoey smiled. "I thought the same thing."
"Really?" Mike tilted his head. "Are you sure?"
Hmm? Where's this coming from?
"Um, yeah," Cameron stared at him. "At least, I think so?"
"Hmm, alright," Mike shrugged.
"Why, do you think we should vote for Duncan instead?" Zoey asked before she could stop herself.
"I dunno. Maybe."
"Why?" Zoey asked.
"That could be a good idea," Cameron mused. "After all, Sierra might be easier to vote off in the long run. Duncan has a lot of friends here, so once the teams merge, he could be harder to get rid of. If we vote him off now, then it won't be an issue."
"But Cam!" Zoey insisted. "Aren't you fed up with how Sierra treats you?"
"Yeah…" Cameron conceded. "It does make me really uncomfortable."
"But at least she has your best interests in mind," Mike pointed out. "Could you say the same for Duncan?"
"That's true," Cameron nodded.
Why is Mike arguing about this?
"But she doesn't have your best interests in mind. She thinks you're someone else," Zoey insisted. "She calls you 'Cody' all the time."
"Yeah-"
"Come on Cam," Mike urged. "You haven't liked Duncan from the beginning. Now, you have a chance to vote him off. Why waste it?"
"I mean-"
"It's about me too, you know," Zoey frowned at her boyfriend. "I have to share a room with that mutant rat. I've had to listen to Sierra on her phone all night while she talks to her framed picture of Cody, and I haven't complained once this entire season. Can we please vote her off so I can sleep?"
"Zoey's right," Cameron made up his mind. "It's not fair to her. We should vote for Sierra."
Mike frowned as he looked between Cameron and Zoey.
"Fine," he bit his lip. "Fine, we'll vote for Sierra."
Why does he care so much? Why does he want to keep Sierra around so badly? Or rather, why does he want Duncan gone? I shouldn't ask. We were having such a nice evening. It's not worth ruining it.
"I didn't think this would bother you," Zoey found herself saying.
"Hmm?" He tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
What DO I mean?
"You know what I mean."
Duncan's right. I'm not being unreasonable here. I should be able to speak my mind.
Mike raised his eyebrows at that. Zoey could see Cameron looking frantically between them. Then, he looked at the door.
"I'm not sure I do, Zoey," Mike forced a smile.
"You're acting weird. You've been acting weird this whole time. Why do you care so much if we vote Duncan off? You said you didn't have a problem with him."
I feel like I've been holding everything in the best few weeks. It's like a dam is breaking.
"Zoey…" Cameron whispered.
"No, Cameron. Come on, Mike. What's going on? You know you can tell me."
"I just don't like him, alright?"
"But why? I feel like this season has been kinda bad so far, and I think he's been a part of the reason why. I just wish you would tell me what's going on. Every time we argue, it's like he has something to do with it."
Surely it's not because we've been hanging out, right? At least, that I've been hanging out with his friends? Is Mike the type to get jealous? No, that's crazy. No way.
"Does it bother you that I hang out with him?" Zoey asked before she could stop herself.
Cameron immediately started choking on air.
"Why would it bother me?" Mike asked.
"I dunno. You seem to have strong feelings about the whole situation."
"I don't care who you hang out with," he narrowed his eyes. "I already told you. He makes me nervous. I know you like to see the good in people, and that's great. I just don't think he's a good guy. I'm sorry, I just don't want to spend any more time with him than I have to. I'll vote for Sierra this time around, because I know it's important to you, but I just want him out of here."
I had no idea he felt so strongly about this… Maybe Mike's seeing something that I'm not. I need to trust him. After all, Duncan is a total stranger to us. He could've done or said something when I wasn't looking. I need to trust Mike's judgement.
"Alright," Zoey nodded. "I understand. After Sierra, we can vote for Duncan."
"Thank you," he sighed. "Sorry. I just… I don't know. I'm sorry this season isn't going how we both wanted it to. Really. I've just been getting in my own head, and I've been stressed out, and I didn't handle it right."
Every time I talk about Duncan, it leads to problems. What am I doing? I'm messing with my real friends. I need to take a step back from him.
"It's alright," she gave a reassuring smile. "It's ok, really. I should've spent more time with you guys, anyways. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize," Mike insisted. "How about we all agree to start over? Leave the past in the past. We've all been focused on petty drama- let's get over it now and enjoy the rest of the season."
"I like that," Zoey smiled.
Duncan is gone. I'm not talking to him any more.
"Agreed," Cam smiled. "At least the three of us can hang out tonight."
"Friendship finale take two, right?" Mike beamed.
"Yeah," Zoey grinned. "I think we can do it."
"Nah, there's no way Chris will let me into the finale twice," Cameron waved her off.
"C'mon Cam," she encouraged him. "Don't sell yourself short."
All of the sudden, there was a loud ringing noise echoing throughout the Spa Hotel.
"What was that?" Sierra called out from the bedroom.
"Doorbell…" Cameron figured. "But for who?"
"I'll go check," Zoey stood up. "Want to come?" She tilted her head as she asked her boyfriend to go with her.
"Of course," he grinned as he stood up from his seat.
Who could it be? Duncan wouldn't ring the bell, and everyone else is already here…
She bounded down the stairs, Mike close behind, to see who was at the door. She opened it to reveal Courtney standing there.
Oh, right. I totally forgot, I was supposed to see her.
"Hey, Zoey," Courtney greeted her. "And Mike," she raised an eyebrow.
Ah. I was supposed to see her… alone.
"Courtney and I were gonna go on a walk," she started to explain. "Um…"
Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind.
"Sure, have fun," he smiled.
"I'll see you later?"
"See ya," he kissed her.
Courtney rolled her eyes.
That's awfully bold of her…
"Alright, let's go," she stepped towards Courtney as Mike shut the door behind her.
"Sounds good," Courtney sighed. "Anywhere specific?"
"Nope."
"Well… how about the woods? I feel like nobody will be out there, and it's not dark out yet."
"Sure."
The pair started to walk towards the trees.
"So, it's been a bit, yeah?" Courtney noted. "How are things going?"
I guess we're not gonna get right into it. I don't want to talk about Duncan anymore. I just want to focus on something besides drama for once this season.
"It's alright. Sierra's making things kind of difficult."
"Oh?"
"You know, since she brought a mutant rat back to the Spa Hotel."
"Yeah, that sounds like something she would do. But fuck her. How are you doing?"
Right, they had drama last season, I think. Jeez, does everyone here have drama with each other? At least, the first generation does. I guess I was pretty lucky with my castmates. We don't have anything like that.
"I'm good. We're all good. I think things have calmed down."
"Hmm? Were things ever not calm?"
Oh no.
"Oh, I didn't mean that. I just… we're good, you know?"
"Alright, if you say so," Courtney eyed her with suspicion.
"Of course."
"Well… my team is super weird right now."
"Did you get Heather to vote for Alejandro?"
"She said she'd do it."
"Hmm."
Me and Courtney… we don't have much in common. What do we talk about?
"I don't know, I guess it could be worse. Chris will probably merge the teams soon, since there's only going to be eight of us left. So I guess it doesn't really matter. This way?" Courtney gestured towards the trees.
"Sure."
"I think Duncan and Gwen are running lines somewhere… I don't think they're in the woods, but let me know if you see them. I don't want them overhearing."
"Running lines?" Zoey tilted her head.
"You know. Like, practicing."
"Practicing what?"
"Oh, Chris didn't have you guys do that?" Courtney smiled. "Well, he creates scripts sometimes when he wants us to do certain things. You know, like he's writing the plot of a story."
Wow, that's super weird.
"Nope," Zoey shook her head. "He never gave us anything like that."
"He never gave you anything like that. We're not supposed to tell anyone when we have scripts. It makes everyone else's reactions seem more real."
"Isn't that creepy?"
"Sure is," Courtney noticed the distured look on Zoey's face. "Don't worry, he doesn't do it very often. And only with his favorites."
"Favorites?"
"Of course. He always plays favorites."
"What?"
I've never heard any of this before…
"Seriously?" Courtney raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I guess it really was different for you guys. Well, Chris has favorites. You know, the people he keeps around. The ones that bring the most drama. Heather, Gwen…Duncan. I don't envy them, of course. You don't want to be Chris' favorite."
"Why not?" She was almost afraid to ask.
"Well, Chris goes to pretty extreme lengths to get what he wants."
"What does he want?" Zoey whispered.
"Drama, of course. Ratings. Views."
"Oh."
I wonder what he does? Maybe it's for the better that I don't know…
"I used to think I was one of his favorites," Courtney admitted. "But I'm just collateral damage."
"Sorry?"
"Well, you know what I mean. I just do things for other people to react to. Like the love triangle. I was just...there. Passively. He really wanted the attention on Gwen and Duncan. His favorites, remember? And it definitely worked. They got the most shit for it."
"Oh, wow. Sorry, I don't really know what to say. I guess I never noticed any of that before."
"It's fine. Just wait until you see one of the contestants fight with Chris. Then it really gets interesting."
Like, fight with him? I can't imagine that. Sure, people will talk back to him, but I've never seen anyone get truly angry.
"We must've had completely different experiences on this show," Zoey admitted.
"Seems like it. Consider yourself lucky. And I'm sure some of the campers in your generation are miserable, you just don't know it. Chris likes to hide things. He tends not to mess with people directly."
Maybe I should ask Mike and Cameron when I get back if they've ever seen Chris do something like that.
"This all sounds so…sadistic."
"I know…" Courtney trailed off. "But, what can you do? It's not like any of this is real. Besides, this is just one season, and it's moving pretty quickly. Maybe you'll win."
What? What does she mean? I would never win.
"That's very nice of you, Courtney," Zoey explained. "But I don't think so."
"Don't be stupid," Courtney stared at her. "Who else do you think is going to win? He can't repeat any finalists from before. Who's left? You, Scott, Mike, and Sierra?"
"And you."
"Yeah, right," Courtney snorted. "Don't make me laugh."
"Seriously," Zoey insisted. "You have just as good a chance as I do. And you've been here for longer. Besides, is it really predetermined?"
"We all think so. Chris has a general plan in mind. But I guess he can change his mind. You know, based on how he sees us interacting."
"Well, I'm not that interesting," Zoey shook her head. "I think he'd have me sent home soon. I'm not bringing much to the table."
"I wouldn't be so sure. It's hard to tell what he's thinking."
"Hmm… well, I think you still stand a chance."
"Thanks, I guess," Courtney sighed. "Anyways, you told me you were having- well, Duncan was starting shit, right?"
I'm over this by now.
"Oh, honestly, it's not worth getting into," Zoey waved her off. "I think I was overreacting."
"Hmm? Are you sure?" Courtney asked. "You know, if he's being an asshole, you shouldn't let him treat you badly. He can be a jerk sometimes."
Gwen said that too…I never saw it. But it doesn't matter now. It's over.
"It's fine, really," Zoey insisted. "It was just a misunderstanding. I was talking to him about some dumb issue I was having, and he randomly got upset, but I think I was just overreacting."
"Well, good," Courtney decided. "I just want to be sure you're ok."
I'm not going to engage.
"I'm ok. Thanks for worrying," Zoey smiled.
"Alright, then," Courtney accepted her answer. "I guess I'm just a bit confused, since you seemed really freaked out during the challenge."
Right…Of course she's worried.
"I know," Zoey sighed. "But to be honest, I'd rather not talk about it."
"Well, alright," Courtney looked disappointed.
Disappointed? Maybe she really wanted to tell me…
"Obviously, I won't force you to talk about it if you don't want to. But I have to say, it's weird you aren't curious as to why he could be upset."
"Oh, I am, but it's probably better if I don't know."
"You must be a better person than me, then."
"What? Of course not."
"You definitely are. I would be desperate to know. But you're better than that, I guess," Courtney looked down as they walked.
Oh no, I didn't want to make her feel bad or anything… I guess I went out of my way to ask her, and now I'm shutting her down.
"Really, I just-"
"Maybe that's why Alejandro wants to get rid of me."
"Courtney, that's not…"
Where did this change of pace come from? She seems so upset all of the sudden...
"Look," Courtney cut back in. "I won't ask you any more questions if you can answer this one thing. And of course, this stays between us, yeah?"
"Yeah. Of course."
I have to answer her. It will make her feel better.
"Well, ok. This problem you were talking to Duncan about… did it have anything to do with Mike?"
How could she possibly have known that?
"How'd you guess?" Zoey was amazed.
"Just lucky. It makes sense…" Courtney trailed off. "Anyways-"
"Sorry, why does it make sense?" Zoey asked.
Ok, this doesn't count as asking about Duncan. This is about Mike. Completely for Mike's sake. I'm not asking on my own behalf. I don't even care.
"I thought you didn't want to talk about it?" Courtney asked.
"I don't," she answered quickly.
Really, I don't. But if something is happening with Mike, I need to know.
"Zoey, there's nothing wrong with wanting to know," Courtney rolled her eyes. "It's good gossip. Anybody would be curious. That doesn't make you a bad person or anything."
"Yeah, I know…"
I never gossip. Ever. But it's not like I'm invested or anything. I'm just listening to a story about someone I know nothing about in order to protect someone I care about. This is noble.
"Don't you want to live a little-"
"Fine. Tell me," Zoey decided.
"Alright," Courtney clapped her hands. "And remember, this stays between us."
"Of course," Zoey affirmed.
"So basically, I need to start at the beginning. Total Drama Island. And- actually, hang on, I need to set the scene better. Sorry. Let's walk a bit more while I think about how to tell this story."
"Oh. Sure," Zoey agreed. "I didn't think it was that long a story."
"It's just… I don't know," she took a shaky breath and started to walk a bit faster. Zoey took a few extra steps to keep up with her. "Maybe you were right. I shouldn't have convinced you."
And now she doesn't want to tell me? What is going on with this girl?
"It's fine, you don't have to tell me- are we lost?"
"Nope," Courtney shook her head. "I know where we are. And I'm going to tell you what happened. But… here we are," Courtney arrived at a small clearing deep in the woods. "Ok, here. Sit down."
Sit down? She's taking this seriously. Should I be taking this more seriously?
Zoey did as she was told, Courtney following suit.
"Alright," Courtney sighed. "I'm just going to tell you what I know, and you'll have to draw your own conclusions, alright? I can't do anything else."
"Um, sounds good," Zoey didn't quite know what to say.
Wow, I feel really underprepared right now.
"Ok. So, as you know, the show is scripted. Moreso for some contestants than others. And because of that, what you see on camera doesn't usually match what's going on behind the scenes."
"Right, like the love triangle," Zoey nodded.
"Yup," Courtney winced at the words. "The love triangle. Well, on the show- at least, earlier in the show, we all played fictional versions of ourselves. I think it's a little more authentic now with you guys. But Chris had much stricter visions for each of our 'characters,'" she put air quotes around the word.
"Alright," Zoey encouraged her.
"So Chris immediately knew he wanted a...thing…between me and Duncan. Because opposites attract and all that. So I spent a decent amount of time with him, filming scenes and running lines and all that."
"Right," Zoey remarked.
"Well," Courtney fidgeted. "For lack of a better term… there was something wrong with him. I know that sounds harsh, but he was nothing like he appeared on camera. I don't know how he does it, but Duncan is very good at portraying a character. But when the cameras were off, he was different."
"Different?"
"Distant. Sad. I don't know how to describe it, really, but there was clearly something bothering him. We all tried to guess what it was, but nobody knew. And I have to give credit where credit is due- he really did join this show directly from juvie. So I couldn't imagine the transition. I think that's what everyone chalked it up to. And as time went on, he got better. Or that's what everyone else thought. I knew what was really going on, though. He wasn't getting better. He was just better at hiding whatever was bothering him. And I shouldn't have asked him about it. I shouldn't have pried- but he was such an asshole, you know? Still is. And he was driving me crazy- brooding all the time, disappearing when we needed to rehearse scenes, snapping at me whenever I did anything- I just couldn't take it anymore. So, one day, I asked him what was going on. And it took a while, but he finally told me."
I don't think I should know. She shouldn't be telling me this.
"What happened?" Zoey whispered.
"So… alright. Before Total Drama ever started, he was in this relationship. For lack of a better word. And it was beyond fucked up. They were completely codependent, and they both just had a lot of shit going on and I don't think either of them were dealing with it properly. It was a recipe for disaster."
"Do you know her name?"
Courtney just looked at her for a moment. She bit her lip, then sighed.
Why does she look disappointed with me? Maybe I wasn't supposed to ask.
"No, I don't know… her name. But the breakup was the worst part of the whole thing."
"How did they break up?"
"See… I'm not totally sure they ever did. Remember, Duncan left home and didn't go back for months. I don't think there was ever a clear end point. It was just blurry. Obviously there was some sort of massive argument, but I really don't know."
"Wow," Zoey let out a breath. "That's really something, I guess."
"He downplays the whole thing, you know. Like, when he told me, it was a moment of weakness. He would never bring it up again, even though it obviously messed with him pretty badly. It must have been bad, at least, if this was two years ago and it still bothers him. So, when you talk about Mike, it upsets him."
"I see…" Zoey pondered. "So, he doesn't like to see people in relationships, basically."
"Well… yeah. That's it," Courtney nodded. "Yup."
"Jeez," Zoey wrung her hands together. "I hope that I never go through something like that."
"Yeah… me too," Courtney sighed. "Wanna head back? There's only so much I can talk about this before I get annoyed, to be honest. And we have the elimination ceremony."
"Sure," Zoey stood up and dusted off her pants. "Do you know the way back?"
"Please," Courtney smiled. "Four seasons and I can get us out of here in an instant."
"Lead the way," Zoey smiled. "And thanks, by the way, for telling me all that."
"No problem," Courtney shrugged. "I just figured you should know."
"I appreciate it. But if we could move kind of fast, that'd be great. I hate the woods after dark."
"I'm right there with you. This way," Courtney started to walk, Zoey close behind.