A/N: Heather's baaack
I do not own Total Drama, all rights reserved to the respective owners.
I woke up before Duncan that morning and decided to let him sleep. He laid next to me in the tent with an arm under his head, his mouth hung open and the corner of his lips glistened with saliva. The skin around his neck was stained purple from love bites like I could feel mine was, though unlike my body he lacked bruises. I could feel the soreness shoot through my knees as I crawled out of the tent, gathering my clothes as I went.
I dragged the wrinkled fabrics over my body and sighed in exhaustion and frustration over how unkempt it looked. I picked up my dead phone from the back pocket of my jeans and examined the reflection in the black screen, trying hard to fix the frizzy bed-head that had developed during the afternoon and night; it was hard to do with one hand but I managed to get it under control.
I looked around the campsite after putting down my phone in the pocket again and caught a glimpse of Duncan inside the tent. He hadn't moved nor woken up even though I all but climbed over him in my less than graceful exit. His hair wasn't spiky anymore and instead fell in curly lumps around his head. The green contrasting the paleness of his skin beautifully.
I felt bad about leaving without saying goodbye, though I knew we would be the next talk around school if I woke him up and we arrived together. Some sticks laid around the firepit and I scribble a quick message in the ground before taking my leave.
I had no idea what time it was, though with the sun's low position near the horizon and the sky still full of orange and pink I guessed it was around seven in the morning. The walk to school was quiet except for the chirping of the birds that flew from tree top to tree top. It was still too early for cars to drive by, school and work wouldn't start for another hour or so. In a few of the houses I passed I could see families eating breakfast together and my stomach rumbled at the very thought of food. Last thing I ate had been the few bites I had of yesterday's lunch at school, which is to say not that nutritious.
I reached the school grounds as the sky changed its tone from the stunning orangy-pink to a more calmer blue hue. No cars were in the parking lot, not even a faculty one. It must've been earlier than I expected if even the janitor wasn't present.
The air was cold and I cursed mentally for not going home to get a jacket and freshen up. I could taste the buildup in my mouth and wanted desperately to brush my teeth. My hair was a bit of a mess even though I combed my fingers through it earlier, nothing could compare to an actual comb or brush.
With a sigh I dropped to the ground under my favorite tree and rummaged through my bag. I had to have something to make me feel a little fresher. After going through all compartments of my bag three times I had come up with some mint gum, a small compact mirror and half a bottle of dry shampoo.
I popped the gum in my mouth and felt relieved over the minty taste, it was certainly not like brushing your teeth but at least it was something. I popped the mirror open and sprayed some of the shampoo in the roots of my hair. Even with yesterday's makeup on and unbrushed hair I still looked decent. I had gotten few hours of sleep but felt loose and relaxed anyway; though that probably had more to do with Duncan than the sleep.
I shut my eyes and rested my head at the tree trunk behind me. A smile ghosted my lips as I replayed last night's events behind my eyelids. Duncan's strong hands holding me, gripping my skin, his soft lips brushing every centimetre of my body, his lust filled voice speaking my name in between grunts and moans.
The minutes flew by as I sat on the cold ground, too invested in the memories to notice the changes happening around me. I was stirred back to reality by Mr. Andrews, the janitor.
"You're here earlier than usual", he said once I looked up at him, the wrinkles of his face were prominent and the loss of some of his teeth made it harder for him to speak.
"Thought I would get a head start on you", I smiled back and gathered my things, stuffed the compact mirror and bottle of dry shampoo back in my bag, before getting up to my feet.
"So where do you wanna go?" Mr. Andrews hooked his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans, waiting with a smile for me to answer.
"Just inside would be nice", I said and brought my hands up to rub some warmth into my arms. He looked at me with a questioning look, no question wondering why I hadn't brought a jacket, but nodded in compliance. The janitor unlocked the main building of the school and I slipped inside fast with a grateful smile and thanked him.
One of the big clocks on the wall of the hallway ticked loudly and I could now see just how early I really was; I had one hour and fifteen minutes to kill before classes would start. I found the nearest electrical outlet and plugged in my phone, watching how the empty battery symbol lit up at the connection. I sighed and slid down the wall slowly, my knees getting dragged up to my chest as my butt hit the floor.
I wished I had stayed at the campsite, inside the tent with Duncan. Without a phone I hadn't known what time it was but he probably had battery on his cell and it had been stupid of me not to at least check before I left.
I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes, I let my mind drift off to the land of dreams as I waited for my phone to charge and for school to start. In it I saw my dad, how he held hands with that woman. I saw Duncan as a child, racing downhill on a bike. I saw my mom, sitting on the bathroom floor in the middle of the night; crying. I saw Duncan's tall father, tousling Paul's hair with pride. I saw myself, laughing in the tent at the campsite. I saw Duncan, sneak light kisses along my naked shoulder as I had fallen asleep before him. I saw how we both had problems, and I saw how we both smiled despite them. Then it all went away. Like a big lightning bolt had hit next to me, my dream went white and bright and it nearly blinded me.
It was the screeching sound of the old school bell that woke me up with a start and it took me a few seconds to gather my thoughts. Quickly I snagged the charger out of the wall, stuffed it in my bag, and hit the power button on my phone.
"You look like hell." The voice was high and laced with underlying hostility. I looked up to face the commenter and was met with an all too feigned sneer and long, raven black hair. She stood like the well dressed point in an arrow, with two of her fellow cheerleaders backing her up.
"Gee, thanks, Heather", I said back with an eyeroll and got up to my feet, my bag slung across my shoulder. Suddenly my decent look went from okay to garbage, my poorly concealed circles and wrinkly shirt was no competition to the uniforms that clung to their chests and the skirts that would leave nothing to the imagination were they to bend even the slightest.
"Oh I am only concerned about your well-being", Heather said with an almost believable innocence.
"How nice of you", I reluctantly answered through gritted teeth and tried to pass her but the brainwashed minions stepped to block my way.
"I am, aren't I", she smiled, showing of her unnaturally white teeth, and held a hand over her heart. The cheerleaders nodded their heads and voiced their agreement, 'You so totally are'.
"Did you want something?" I sighed and readjusted my bag as I shifted my weight, my hip shooting out to the right.
"I've seen you hanging out with Mr. Bad Boy." Heather had tossed away any sign of humbleness, her voice dangerously low now as she leaned down in an obvious power play attempt; the heels on her shoes giving her an extra few centimetres of height.
"Who?" I asked and crossed my arms. I was tired of her games, though I knew if I didn't play along she could - and probably would - crumble my reputation with just the snap of her fingers; she stood high in the hierarchy of the school.
"Duncan." Heather narrowed her eyes, visibly tired of running around in circles and speaking in riddles too.
"So?" I sighed, "I've hung out with him and the others for ages." Behind her I saw how the corridor had filled with students, some of which looked on with intrigue and curiosity at our exchange.
"I'm not talking about the others", she said challengingly.
"I've known Duncan since we were kids", I stated and straightened up, "why now the sudden interest?" The cheerleaders behind Heather exchanged nervous glances with each other as their leader shifted and fidgeted. The temporary show of vulnerability quickly disappeared and she clenched her jaw with disguised anger.
"I came here to warn you, don't be such a bitch", Heather said, her voice on the brink of yelling. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "He's trouble, you know. Nothing but trouble."
"I think I can handle it", I spat out and walked past her with force in my steps, bumping my shoulder with one of the cheerleaders behind her as she didn't move away fast enough.
"Take care of our boy, Courtney", Heather called after me and as I looked back with a frown I saw a wicked smile spread across her lips. The otherwise would be caring advice echoed of threats and I gripped my bag till my knuckles went white as I raced down the hallway to my classroom of the morning.
"You're late Miss Cadenas." Mr. Richard's voice vibrated through the empty room as the door clicked shut behind me. It was eerie he knew it was me since he didn't look up from whatever he was writing on his computer.
"I'm sorry, I was-", I started but was cut short.
"I don't care about your excuses", he looked up at me now and nodded once to the classroom, "take a seat and read the board."
I hurried past the students, trying hard to ignore their whispers about my tardiness and weird looks, and sat down next to DJ.
"Where you've been, man?" he whispered as I started getting out my books.
"I ran into Heather", I sighed and flipped to the page in the textbook that was written on the board.
"Oh I am sorry", DJ said and rested a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"I got out of it alive", I joked without humor, ending the conversation abruptly before any more questions were asked. I knew it was for the best to keep what had been said between Heather and I on the down low, the gossip about our quarrel would spread without me fueling the fire.
By lunchtime the word had already spread around the school, students spitting out their theories left and right about the topic of my talk with Heather that morning. The most absurd one I had heard was that the quarrel had been one between lovers, and the most accurate one was about me hooking up with Heather's ex; though it involved Justin and not Duncan, she had made it clear what her intentions with the latter where last year.
"So which one is it? Lesbians, step sisters or cheating?" Geoff asked as DJ and I joined them outside. He was leaning against the tree with Bridgette's head in his lap.
"None", I said with a sigh and sat down crossed-legged across from the couple, "people just like to exaggerate for the drama."
Bridgette turned her head to look at me, squinting as the sun hit her eyes. "Don't let it get to you, we're here if you want to talk."
"Thanks", I smiled back. Bridgette was great when it came to stuff like this; she didn't press the issue, like she could sense it wasn't a big deal, and without fuss let me know she was there for me if needed, if it was a big deal. Despite all her clumsiness, this was one thing she was not clumsy about.
"Hey", DJ broke through, making both mine and Bridgette's heads snap to him, "where's Duncan?"
"At the nurse's", Geoff answered, waving his hand through the air as if to shoo away the question. "Wait a second", he gasped, his back shooting away from the tree, "the nurse is a brunette-"
"Oh no", Bridgette said, pressing a hand to her forehead, as she could tell where her boyfriend was going.
"and she's curvy", he continued, as if not noticing Bridgette, "and she's a brunette," he repeated, "what if Duncan's doing Nurse Blaker!"
"Please", I scoffed, though I was not the only one. DJ had also shot down the idea.
"Nurse Blaker is like the sweetest person there is, he said his mystery chick was fiery."
"He's right, baby", Bridgette chimed in, "she gives everyone lollipops and always shows concern even if you only have a mild cough."
"Well that's her job, Bridg, she has to be nice to students." Geoff had apparently made up his mind, no matter how much we protested it.
"Even Courtney would be a more believable option", Bridgette said and rose from his lap, her arm stretch out to point at me. My heart skipped a beat at the accusation and I swallowed hard. Maybe she had caught on, like Heather had?
"That's crazy", I scoffed and averted my gaze.
"I don't know", DJ said, tapping a finger to his chin, "you have been getting awfully close recently." I could feel all their eyes on me and I swallowed loudly once more.
"Who has?" Duncan's voice broke through, making everyone's attention go from me to him, and I thanked whatever higher being there were for his convenient timing.
DJ started to explain the journey their speculations had gone on but only managed to get out a couple of words before Geoff cut him off.
"Dude, are you banging Nurse Blaker?"
All five of us went quiet at the outburst and Duncan looked at Geoff with big eyes, his eyebrows raised high on his forehead. Then, he laughed. "Dude, she's like 50."
"I don't know, man, older chicks can teach you a thing or two", Geoff said in an attempt to justify his statement, his brows furrowing, making Duncan laugh harder and Bridgette glare. "Uh, not that I-erm", he started nervously, scratching the back of his neck.
"Just stop before you make it worse", Bridgette said and removed his arm from behind his head, laying it down softly in her own lap and intertwining their fingers. Although upset at his remark, a smile formed on her lips as she looked into her boyfriend's eyes and he gripped her hand back. And although Heather had silently threatened to expose my bizarre relationship with Duncan, I couldn't help but shift a little closer to him, my fingers ghosting his as our hands laid in the grass close to each other.