Disclaimer - The rights of Total Drama Island and its characters belong to Teletoon, Cartoon Network, and all those associated with the show. No profit is being made by this fanfiction. In case of a sudden drop in pressure in the fanfiction, oxygen masks will deploy.
Replies to Questions and Comments:
Tall T - Actually, if you look up his profile on Total Drama Interactive, it says there he was nearly crippled by an allergic reaction to gummi slugs.
memnarch - I'll try to review your story soon. You can believe Heather if you want to, and Beth added blended gummi slugs to one bowl only. And hey, a fellow McKeller fan, cool!
cascadingice - Yeah, I've got to try to make Bridgette more clumsy, Katie more ditzy, and Leshawna's slang (which I suck at, I don't mind admitting). That's the fun from TDI that I've digressed from. Also, cutest couple is Ezekiel and Heather? Wow, they haven't even made out yet! \winks\
TitanWolf - Mucho Cody fan, eh? Also, about Cody/Sadie, that's still in the air.
ironbloodaika - My ideas mostly come from video games, spin-offs of the original challenges, and evil little ideas trapped in the recesses of my diabolical mind, buahaha.
Heirate Mich - I'm glad you like my story that much, but don't resort to cannibalism! That's a zombie's job.
Blazing T-Rex - Naw, it's not wrong at all.
MusicIsMyPassion - Cody is cute, ain't he? And there's no reason to hate Gwen, because from her point of view, Cody has seriously betrayed her. And I miss Geoff too.
Mappadouji - Harold isn't going to be crippled for life, I'll let you all know that too.
QJD1381 - Whoa, harsh words. Just glad you ain't threatening to kill me, eh.
an ocean kid - I'm a fast typer. Got magic fingers, I do.
To Everybody - I love all your reviews, and wish I could reply to them all, but that'd take a long time, and I'm sure you'd like me to dedicate my time to writing more. And now, I'd like to sum up what's to happen in a song:
Some guys eat gummi slugs
Some girls are mad, you see
Some campers get voted off
Some guys gotta wear a toque
But if you read on this chapter
You'll see the truth, blow by blow
So whoever gets voted off this time
It is time to start up the show!
Wooo-ooo-ooo-ooo!
(Brace yourselves, this is a long chapter! Woo!)
Chapter 29 (Day 09, Part 3) - This is Why the Show is Called Total Drama Comeback
Last Time... On Total Drama Comeback:
Duncan took a long drag from his cigarette. "Yeah, DJ, man," he said, "after conquering the drinking problem, I think I finally have the courage to break up with Courtney."
The large football player, with a sad scar down his forehead, nodded. Then his eyes bulged, and he pointed at the upcoming Courtney.
"Duncan," the CIT shouted, "I'm pregnant!"
"It's too soon, Ezekiel," Bridgette whimpered, holding her hands up to her heart. "It's so difficult for me at this time, with Geoff only being dead for three months and our daughter still coping with it."
"But I love you," Ezekiel cried out, throwing his hands into the air, "and I always have!"
"What about me?" Heather shouted at Ezekiel, jerking her thumb at her chest.
"You couldn't love me back, with your career as a queen bee," the prairie boy declared. "You have to think of the hive!"
"No, no, don't say that," Gwen yelling, pounding on Cody's muscular chest. Her dress straps were slipping, her heaving bosom almost out of it. "You're a pig, and I wish I knew how I could quit you!"
"You cannot quit me, my dearest Gwen," Cody said, flexing his bare chest for her, "because you're pregnant with my baby."
She gasped, the back of her hand to her forehead. "How ever did you know?"
"You're showing, my love, at six months."
Harold's feeble grasp of Leshawna's hand made the large sister, who was wearing a wedding dress, sob dramatically.
"My dearest daddy-o," she managed to choke out, "how could this happen, and on our wedding night?"
"I wish I had known earlier," the nerd wheezed, "that our wedding cake had gummi slug frosting?" Chef burst into the room, wearing his tight, white, nurse outfit. "Leshawna," he yelled, "I just got your test results back, and you..."
He let it sink in before he shouted, "... have a disease not yet known to science, but we know you'll be dead in a year."
As Harold and Leshawna gasped, Chef added, "Oh, and you're pregnant."
Noah looked between Sadie and Katie. "You're going to make me choose between the two of you, Katie?"
"Yes, and I know how hard it must be, since we both have something of yours...," she said, rubbing her stomach.
"Yeah, she's got my car, and you have my stereo."
"And we're both pregnant," Sadie admitted, near tears, "but it might be Justin's! Or Beth's!"
"Wait, how it it Beth's?" Noah asked, appalled.
Chef slapped the host upside the back of his head. "Stop feeding the viewers false soap opera stories, and let the real story unfold!"
"Geez, I thought it was really interesting in itself, dude," Chris Maclean complained. "Cannot blame me for trying!"
(In reality...)
Things were awkward between Bridgette, Katie, Ezekiel, Cody, and Harold. They had gathered up in front of the Killer Bass cabin, silent with a thousand words on their lips.
Bridgette, worn out but still enduring, had her arms on top on his knees, exhausted. Cody was leaning against the balcony, as red-eyed as Bridgette. Katie was leaning against the balcony over him. Ezekiel was holding the handlebars of Harold's wheelchair, as Leshawna had to use the lavatory.
"So what are we going to do?" Katie asked her friends. "I mean, do we vote off you, Harold?"
"Well, we've never discussed who we should vote off, we always respected each other's personal choice," Bridgette muttered, trying to stay awake.
Harold let out a long sigh. "Gosh. I... never thought about that. I mean, I'd like to stay, but it's truly up to you guys. After all, you don't want to be on the same team as the guy who's in the wheelchair."
Ezekiel shrugged. "I think you'll be okay, dude. But if not you, then who, eh?" "Well, who's available again?" Katie asked. "I keep forgetting."
"You, me," Bridgette started to list, "Zeke, Izzy, Gwen, Cody, Harold, and Beth."
"Did Beth put the gummi slugs in Harold's bowl?" the thin BFFF asked.
"She said she only put it in one bowl," Bridgette said. "So she doesn't know if it was her or whoever put it in all the bowls. She's still pretty devastated, she thinks it's still her."
Katie stared. "Was it her then?"
"I don't know, Katie," Bridgette cried out, "and that's mostly my fault. I stopped Ezekiel from tasting the bowls to see if one had pure gummi slugs in it, and Chef Hatchet threw out the bowls while we were busy."
"Darnness," the thin BFFF cursed. "Well, who then?"
"That's the ten dollar question, eh," Ezekiel replied. "I mean, we like everyone who's votable."
Cody kicked out the ground, and mumbled something that no one could understand. Katie asked him to repeat it, and he said, louder, "You can vote me off."
"Wait, what?" Bridgette asked, astonished. "You want us to vote you off? Why, Cody?"
"I don't want to be here anymore," the tech-geek replied. "My friends are gone or not themselves, I'm not winning any of these challenges, and Gwen... Gwen..."
He fell down on his but and covered his eyes. "She hates me. I cannot stand it anymore, and I don't want to look like a crybaby on TV anymore."
"You've been crying?" Katie asked, looking startled. "I didn't know it'd hurt that much, but she did smack you."
"Real sensitive, Katie," Ezekiel quipped.
"Oh! Sorry! But Cody, don't you know you have a lot more lady fans? Gwen is not the only-"
"If I had fans, I didn't know, ever," the tech-geek replied. "I'm the laughingstock at school. They're always making fun of me for being mauled by a bear or crushing on Gwen, and now... now I just don't want to make myself more of a fool."
The five teenagers were quiet for a few seconds, until Bridgette finally managed to gather up her nerve. "Cody, did you have anything to do with Trent being voted off?"
"No, of course not," he replied. "Why would I? Not only is he my friend, but it wouldn't help me with Gwen... as evident."
Bridgette sighed, nodding slightly. "I had my doubts... but I believe you now. But we're not going to vote for you."
"What?! Why not?"
"Because if we do, you won't be around when we find out who did organize Trent being voted off," the surfer replied, "and you should be here when she knows the truth."
"Then who then?"
Katie let out a long sigh, then said, "If you all could vote off me, that'd be good."
"What, you?" Ezekiel cried out. "Why? Do you miss Sadie that much, eh?"
"Actually, yes," the thin BFFF admitted. "I've been away from her too long, and it's too much for me."
"You haven't been showing anything that shows you're going through Sadie withdrawal," Harold pointed out.
"That's because I've been keeping it secret from you all, actually," she said, her face flushing. "And I'm... not exactly proud how I've been dealing with my Sadie withdrawal."
"How bad could it be?" Bridgette asked her.
Katie leaned over to whisper in the surfer girl's ear. The more she whispered, the more Bridgette's eyes widened. Her fingers twitched, her jaw dropped, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. After Katie was done, Bridgette was as pale as a vampire.
"You didn't," she whispered to Katie.
"I'm afraid so."
"Where on earth did you get the soy beans?"
"Look, it's not that important," Katie quickly said, her face red now. "The point is, I haven't been away from Sadie this long. It was five challenges last time, and now it's been seven. I'm losing my mind in ways no one can understand! Well, maybe Sadie could, and Bridgette now..."
"What about Noah?" Cody asked.
"I'll talk to him," the thin BFFF said as she started to leave.
"Wait, Katie," Harold called out, rolling his wheelchair towards her. "You sure you want to do this? I mean, you still have a chance at this contest, and I should be the one to go."
"I won't let you be voted off because someone poisoned you," she replied. "And I never really wanted to win the contest, I just wanted to spend time with my friends; my friends mean the world to me."
With a wink, she ran off to find Noah. Cody watched her go, then let out a long sigh. "Still doesn't seem right," he muttered.
"I agree, but if she's willing to do this...," Bridgette said with a heavy sigh of her own. "I just wish we knew who did this to you, Harold. I'll bet it was Duncan."
"Yeah," Harold replied. "Seems like something he would do."
"I just doo'nt understand how anyone figured 'oot your allergy," Ezekiel mused. "I mean, weren't Chef's notes blown away?"
"He made his own copies from memory," Cody said, "and apparently, he got it wrong. I think he had gums and slugs on Harold's paper."
"Allergic to slugs?" the prairie boy chuckled. "Too bad, no escargot."
(Confession Cam - As seen in reviews.)
Bridgette - "Ezekiel says Heather didn't do it, and though I don't want to tell him, I don't think she could be trusted. Though I'm pretty sure Duncan did this, because he's always been mean to Harold and others."
Owen - "Izzy's been acting strange ever since she drank that beer. She keeps babbling about a 'revealing' paper and how it will change the contest entirely. I wonder if it's her wanted poster... ooo, you think she has one?"
Ezekiel - "I'm sem'ee-certain it was Courtney now. She's hated Harold ever since this season started, eh."
Noah, for the first time in both seasons, looked sad. Katie was done explaining the plan to the know-it-all, and even her perky way of describing it couldn't cheer him up.
"You want to sacrifice yourself?" Noah summed up her plan. "But... what about the contest?"
"I told you, I don't mind losing it," Katie explained it. "I don't really need the money." "But what about...," Noah hesitated to say it, "... us?"
"Noah, hon, we'll still be together after the contest, I assure you," the thin BFFF said. "Look at all the other couples. Gwen and Trent, Geoff and Bridgette, Courtney and Duncan, they're all still together after the contest."
"We just haven't had a lot of time together," he said. "Do you really miss Sadie that much?"
The thin BFFF looked around, then started whispering into Noah's ear. The egghead's eyes bulged, he shivered, then pushed Katie away from his ear. "Okay Katie," he cried out, "I believe you!"
"But there's more," she admitted. "There was also yesterday, when I-"
"It's okay, I don't mind," he declared. "Jeepers, girl... soy beans?"
"Bridgette was able to hear all of it, you know," she giggled. "Oh Noah sweetheart, you know I'd love to be with you, to spend more time, but I haven't been away from Sadie this long, ever."
Noah sighed, then shrugged. "I suppose it wouldn't be healthy for our relationship if I started a fight a week into it. And also, I guess I'm going to need to get her approval for this relationship."
"She likes you, but she's really into Justin," Katie pointed out.
"Oh, Mr. Chest."
"Yes! How'd you know we liked to call him that?" she giggled, clapping her hands.
Noah stared in astonishment, then shrugged. "Um, my incredible deductive skills, I guess. I could've been the next Sherlock."
"Ever so cynical, you nut!" She hugged him, getting comfortable. "I do enjoy being with you, Noah, and when this contest is done, we'll have more time. Though I do count on you to win this, like you always say you will."
"Of course I will... Cutie Katie," Noah said, trying out the new pet name. She giggled, then propped herself up to kiss him.
(Confession Cam - Will the real Confession Cam please stand up?)
Noah - "I'd be lying if I said I was 100% okay with this. It's like Heather said during the contest, that she'd want to be with Sadie more than me. Still... who am I to tell her what to do when it hasn't even been a week into the relationship? And she'd probably kick my butt too."
\He sighs, then looks at the camera.\ "Plus... that soy bean thing... wow."
The campfire festival was a gloomy one. At the side were the seven winners, all looking anxious. Noah looked upset, Tyler determined, and Courtney and Duncan kept exchanging looks that couldn't be read easily.
Ezekiel was trying to balance out Izzy, who still had a gentle sway. When the redhead let out a sickly moan, the prairie boy had to leap away in fear of her throwing up on him for the third time. Katie was smiling and waving at Noah, trying to comfort him without words. Bridgette and Cody looked at each other in worry that the plan might not work.
Beth was slumped over in her seat, looking defeated and depressed. Gwen had her arms crossed, determined and serious. Harold was looking up at Leshawna, who was leaning on the back of his wheelchair.
"Aren't you all the happy crowd?" Chris said, quirking an eyebrow. "Seriously, the looks are more morbid than on soap operas. Is someone pregnant?"
"I'm not," shouted Izzy.
"Me neither," said Katie.
"Not me, eh," admitted Ezekiel.
"Well then, the votes have been cast. It's time to vote off our ninth camper, and I must say, the tension is so big here, it's like the unmentionable elephant in the room. It'll only cause more drama, I assure you, because that camper isn't coming back!
"FOREVERS! BUA HA HA HA!"
(Confession Cam - Bigger than a voting booth, less private.)
Gwen - "Aw great, now he's adding fake, diabolical laughter to the ordeal."
Ezekiel - "I wonder if Chris knew how dramatic this was going to get, eh. If he did, then he did a good job bringing up the drama."
"Okay then, we have eight campers here, and only seven will be going home," Chris declared. "And the first camper who received a marshmallow of safety will be... Izzy!"
The tipsy girl was hit in the forehead wit the marshmallow, and was knocked off her seat, still giggling and laughing.
"Next goes to... Cody!" The tech-geek caught his, then ate it slowly, still looking upset.
"Oh, hurry it up," Courtney shouted, stomping her foot. "We know who's going to be voted off!"
"Yeah, Chris man," Duncan said aloud. "Is there any doubt?"
The host blinked, then grinned evilly. "Okay then! Speeding it up: Ezekiel, Bridgette, Gwen, and Beth!"
They caught their marshmallows, but Beth let hers bounce off the top of her head. She looked surprised that she received one, but it didn't diminish her sorrow.
"Guess that leaves just you two," Chris said, looking between Harold and Katie.
"Just give it to Katie already," Heather shouted.
"Yeah, will you stop this ridiculous suspense?" Courtney yelled.
Chris looked upset. "This is, like, the biggest part of my job, stop ruining it for me."
"Give it to Katie...," Duncan moaned, impatiently doing a 'get on with it' hand motion.
The handsome host took a deep breath. "You're ruining it for me...," he strained, while picking up the last marshmallow.
Harold and Katie exchanged looks. The thin BFFF smiled at the nerd comfortingly, and he returned the smile.
"If I may," Chris said, "the final marshmallow of the night... goes to...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
"Harold."
The wheelchair-bound nerd caught the marshmallow, looking happy but sad at the same time. He let out a long sigh before nibbling on the treat.
"What," was all Duncan could say.
"What?" was all Heather could say.
"WHAT?!!" was what Courtney yelled. "You voted Katie off, and not Harold?!"
"Now this is why the show is called Total Drama," Chris cheered, clapping his hands. "But before the drama-"
"How could you people do this?" Courtney continued to shout. "He's in a wheelchair, you-"
"Shush for now, Courtney," Chris said, pushing the CIT away. "Katie, it's time for you to walk the Dock of Shame, and board the Boat of Losers!
"Oh, and Leshawna, you gotta go with her."
The large sister shrugged, patting Harold's shoulder. "Harold's doing better, I'm good now." Katie nodded as she picked up her stuff nearby the bonfire ceremony. Courtney noticed this, and her jaw dropped in astonishment. "Wait... you knew?" she cried out, clenching her fists. "You planned to be voted off?"
"Uh-huh," Katie replied, grinning.
The Boat of Losers came a-chugging in a few minutes, while Courtney was sputtering in indignant rage. Duncan tried to comfort her, but she was so beside herself that he gave up, in fear of being hit.
Leshawna and Katie gave her boyfriends one long kiss before heading towards the Dock of Shame. "Nice one, sister," Leshawna said to Katie, giving her an approving wink.
"Thanks, I learned from watching all the other couples make out."
When the Boat of Losers pulled up to the Dock of Shame, there was already a passenger on it. A passenger with identical clothes to Katie, and was bouncing up and down in joy.
"Katieeeeee," Sadie squealed.
"Sadieeeeee," Katie squealed back, bolting to the boat. Leaping on, she grabbed hold of her friend and hugged her tight.
As Sadie hugged back and the two continued to squeal, Leshawna put her hands over her ears. "Um, Chris?" she called out, "any chance I could take the next ferry?"
"Nope, sorry!"
"Aw, ya gotta be frontin' me!"
Katie managed to separate from Sadie long enough to wave at Noah. "Bye, Noah! Bye, sweetheart!"
"Bye, Cutie Katie," he called back to her.
"Eeeee, he's gave you a pet name," Sadie cried out in joy.
The two started squealing again, and Leshawna pushed his hands against his ears. It was going to be a long ride for her.
As the boat strolled off, Katie and Sadie squealing with the former waving good-bye to her boyfriend, Courtney finally exploded.
"I don't believe this," she shouted at the top of her lungs. "You voted off Katie to save that dweeb?!"
She thrust her finger at Harold, who blinked in response. "Why are you saving him? He's a back stabbing, two-timing, evil little worm!"
"Don't hold back, how do you really feel?" Eva asked, grinning insatiably. "Finally, the confrontation; I've been exhausted listening to you complain all the time about him."
"Shut up, Eva," Courtney yelled, her eyes blazing.
"Whoa, she really is angry," Owen whimpered. He and Chef Hatchet, who had been watching from a short distance, exchanged nervous looks.
"This could get ugly real fast, fat boy," the large cook said.
"That's what pulls the ratings, dudes," Chris remarked, grinning as he crossed his arms and watched the drama unfold.
Courtney was trying to hold in rage, but it kept spilling out faster and faster. "I cannot stand you, why is it that the others defended you?" she shouted at Harold, spit flying from her mouth. "Why can't you just... just go away? Choke on your stupid gummi slugs and let your allergies finish you off!"
"Courtney," Bridgette cried out, horrified at her friend's harsh words.
"No, I've had it," the CIT yelled, throwing her fists into the air. "Why can't you leave!? Why can't you just get out of my life?"
Tyler was drumming his fingers against his tightly crossed arms. His eyebrow twitched at these remarks. "You did it, didn't you?" the athlete snarled, glaring at the furious CIT. "You put the gummi slugs in all of the bowls to make sure Harold drank them?"
"So what if I did?!"
Bridgette gasped, her hands over her mouth. "You... you did that? You fed Harold his worst allergy?"
"I didn't know it was his worst," Courtney shouted, "it was just on a stupid piece of paper! But I don't care at this point!
"It was on the gray line of the list, loud girl," Chef Hatchet remarked. "That meant it was the worst."
"How does gray signify worst?" Gwen asked, raising a dubious eyebrow.
"Gray as in leaden gray, the color of a dead man's skin."
"That's revolting," Eva spat. "And for some reason, I like it."
Courtney was still heaving in anger, standing over Harold with a terrible fury. "You little life-ruining snot," she continued, "why didn't you get voted off? I've done everything I can, but you just won't go away! You're like... like a stupid cockroach, you and your little friends!"
Duncan was trying to get her to calm down, waving his hands desperately. "Ix-nay on the spiracy-conay, Court-nay!"
"The 'crisp-acy'?" Owen asked, trying to translate.
"It doesn't matter anymore, Duncan," the CIT growled. "This little cockroach is probably back to his old tricks! How else could he have survived this voting ceremony when we had all his friends voted off?"
There was an awkward pause, and Bridgette starting to shake. "Wait," she cried out, looking desperately at Courtney, "what... you... you voted off Harold's friends? You mean... you were the reason Geoff was voted off?"
"And Lindsay?" Tyler said, looking just as mad. "You voted her off?"
"And Trent?" Gwen cried out, balling up her fists.
"And Leshawna?" Harold asked, looking as astonished as the others.
"Yes, yes I did," Courtney declared, her look never leaving Harold. "I thought if all your stupid friends were gone, it would be easier to finally have you kicked off! Why didn't it work?"
Izzy, by this time having sobered up, let out a cry of surprise. "You people didn't know by now?" she asked aloud, looking pleased with herself. "I guessed a long time ago how she did it! Here, see this?"
The crazy girl pulled the message in the bottle out of her skirt pocket, waving it around. Bridgette took it, and read it out loud. After being startled and horrified so many times, Bridgette was sure nothing else could; this proved her wrong.
"You... you were working...," the surfer chick was choking on every word, "with Duncan... and Heather?"
"Heather?!" Gwen shouted, furious now. "Courtney, you were working with her?!"
Aforementioned queen bee scoffed, throwing her ebony hair back. "So what? It's only strategy, nothing personal."
"You voted off Geoff and Leshawna to spite Harold," the goth girl shouted. "Didn't you care about other people's feelings? Bridgette's your friend, for God's sake!"
"I don't care," Courtney shrieked. "I want Harold off this island, I'd do anything! But you guys voted off Katie instead of him, you let this cheating worm stay!"
"I think you took it to an extreme," Noah remarked, his hands on his hips. "My girlfriend had to sacrifice herself to make sure your plans didn't work."
"How many times do I have to say, 'I don't care'?" the tan-skinned CIT hissed. "You people couldn't understand what he's done to me!"
"So he switched the votes on you last seasons, so what?" Tyler snapped. "You got revenge, you beat him with the lamp post!"
"You were going to let Beth take the fall for what you did to Harold, too," Cody shouted, looking mad; it was the first time any of them had seen him mad.
"Just shut up," Courtney yelled, her fists clenched so tight she almost drew blood. "I've had it, with all of you! I hate this stupid, unfair contest!"
She stormed off, panting in fury. She approached the communal washrooms, slamming the door behind her as she shut herself in. The others, still in shock, turned their gazes over to Heather and Duncan.
"You people take this so personally," Heather remarked, shrugging at Gwen's intense glare. "People just want to win this contest."
"Harold is in a freaking wheelchair," Tyler shouted. "How is that not personal?!"
"Aye," Eva agreed, nodding and crossing her arms threateningly at Heather.
"I had nothing to do with that," the queen bee said. "I just helped Courtney vote off some of the people she wanted off."
"What about you, Duncan?" Gwen said, glaring at the punk. "Did you know about the whole gummi slug plan?"
"No way," he protested. "Well, to be honest, I thought it was Courtney after it happened but I didn't know she would do that beforehand."
"Why does sthee hate Harold so much?" Beth asked, looking shocked by the whole ordeal. "Sthee was going to let me take the blame for the gummi sthlugsth... I really thought I was the one who had given Harold them! I even voted for mysthelf, I was tho upsthet!"
"She hasn't told me," Duncan cried out, "and frankly, it's really frustrating me. Every time I've tried to talk to her about this whole ordeal, she clams up! She won't talk to me, and it's been getting worse every day."
" 'Getting worse'?" Gwen shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. "She had Geoff voted off near the beginning of the contest, and Courtney's her friend. And..."
The goth girl stopped when she saw Bridgette, still holding the letter; it was being blotted with her tears.
"I cannot take this anymore," she sobbed. "Harold nearly dies, Courtney's working with Heather, she voted off Geoff for revenge, everything at once..."
She nearly fell on her knees, but Gwen caught her, hugging her friend. Bridgette clung to her goth friend, taking deep breaths.
"This is pretty wild," Eva said, quirking an eyebrow. "Hard to imagine Courtney was behind all this. She's always been a prissy rule-following princess... back stabbing doesn't seem to be in her."
"Thee'sth become completely absthorbed with revenge," Beth remarked.
"I wish I could get her to say what," Duncan admitted. "I've been against some of the people she's wanted to vote off, but there's no stopping Courtney when she wants to do something. You know Princess."
Tyler rubbed his temple, letting out a long sigh. "This is such a freaking nightmare. Duncan dude, why don't you just go to Courtney and get her to tell us what's really been bothering her?"
"You saw how mad she was, dude," said Duncan. "I think it'd be best if we let her blow off some steam before she talks to us."
"I think she should tell us now," Gwen growled, still hugging Bridgette. "We all deserve an explanation, especially Bridgette and Harold."
"And you think I should go get her when she's like this?"
"You were helping her!"
"Not in everything!"
"Fine, I'll believe that. But you did help her vote off some of the people here, and we want to know exactly why."
"Well, fine, I guess I could try..."
He stopped when he looked over at the communal restrooms. Some of the other campers saw what he saw: a certain toque-wearing prairie boy was entering the communal restrooms.
"Oh, Zeke man," Tyler whimpered, cringing. "I sure hope you know what you're doing."
After she had stormed into the communal restrooms, Courtney slammed her fists on the counter. She heaved in frustration before she started ranting to herself.
"I cannot believe they all ganged up on me like that," she hissed. "I have every right to try and get Harold voted off. They don't know what he did to me... they don't know... they don't even care..."
Unable to calm down, she tried to look herself in the mirror; however, for some reason, she couldn't. Straining to overcome this unconscious barrier, it took a couple minutes for her to look herself in the mirror.
When she saw herself, she burst into tears. "What have I become?" she sobbed, slumping on the counter. "I... I look so hideous."
Courtney covered her eyes, unable to look into the mirror again. Images of Bridgette heartbroken kept flashing in her mind, and it made her feel worse and worse.
"I'm sorry, Bridgette," she choked, "I only wanted Harold voted off. I couldn't help it..." She splashed her face with warm water, then dried it off as she took deep, ragged breaths. "I hate this...," she moaned. "How did it come to this?"
The door creaked open, and Ezekiel entered. Courtney was slumped over the counter, her eyes still moist.
"What are you doing in here?" she snapped, then added, "Get out!"
"No," he replied, shutting the door behind him. "No, I'm not going to let you do this. To you or the others, eh."
"You shut up," she shouted at him, looking away. "You don't know anything, you disconnected redneck!"
"I knoo' enough to see that you've really hurt Bridgette," he retorted, crossing his arms, "and you doo'nt look too proud yourself."
She screamed in frustration, and charged at him. He managed to hold her at arms length, but he was struck by her flailing arms several times. Her fingernail cut his cheek, but he ignored it.
"Courtney, stop it, will ya?" Ezekiel cried out. "I get enough abuse from the contests, I doo'nt need you beating on me!"
"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Courtney shouted at him. "You're the one who got kicked off the first contest because of your sexist comments."
"You knoo', you cannot justify all this by dumping on me, eh," he said. "You owe it to the rest of the campers to say what's been behind all this!"
"I don't owe anyone anything," she cried out, "especially Harold."
"Oh yes, you do, eh!"
He managed to push her against the wall, taking deep breaths as she glared daggers at him. "You owe it to a lot of people. Bridgette, Beth, Gwen, Tyler, even Duncan! Even he doesn't know why you're acting like this!"
"You wouldn't understand," she spat at him. "None of you would know what I went through."
"Oh, I think I could, eh," the prairie boy replied. "I had it pretty miserable after Total Drama Island, and so did several other campers, eh. Only none of us tried to take revenge, not so harshly at the least."
Courtney glared at him, panting. "You think... I-"
"Look, I'm not taking 'no' for an answer, eh. Bridgette's in tears out there, and-"
"Stop talking about her," Courtney hissed, "I cannot stand how you're crushing on her."
"And I cannot stand how you're blowing her off like this, eh. C'mon, you're going 'oot there."
He started to pull her towards the door, but she pulled back. "No," she protested, pulling him back. "I cannot go out there... not after that," she sounded scared now. "Especially not with you pulling me out."
"Look, I knoo' it's hard to do something like this, go up to the people after all this emotion and anger and such, eh."
"How could you know?"
"It's called the first day of this season, eh."
Courtney rubbed her arm, looking away from him. He sighed and said, "You saw me struggle the first day back here, eh. I didn't want to be here, I was sure everyone would still hate me, and I didn't to go throo' that a'geen, eh.
"But I'm still here, and things have worked 'oot well so far, eh. I'm friends with Tyler, Bridgette, Katie 'n Sadie... and I knoo' you doo'nt want to lose your friends. Because if you doo'nt go 'oot there and explain yourself, they'll never knoo' why."
Courtney took several breaths, then she looked into the mirror again. Snapping her head away, she realized she wouldn't be able to look in the mirror unless she did what Ezekiel was saying.
"Some day," she whispered, "I'm going to have to find out what caused this change in the nose-picking, sexist, home schooled, prairie boy that I knew from the first season."
"I'm groo'ing up, change is inevitable," Ezekiel replied with a smirk. "After you now, need me to hold the door for you?"
Courtney exited the communal washrooms first, Ezekiel behind her. The campers looked around to them as they approached, all eyes on Courtney.
She could have bee lined for the cabins and left them nothing, Lord knows she wanted to; it would be the easy way out of this situation. But she couldn't, she was going to have to confess to all that she had done and why; and confessing her feelings was something she wasn't good at.
"Okay," she said in a long, exhaling breath. "I... I guess I have to explain... what's been going on."
Tyler and Gwen were glaring at her, Bridgette looked very vulnerable, even Duncan looked anxious to hear what was going on.
"I...," she started, taking more deep breaths, "I know you all know I am mad at Harold."
"Understatement of the year," Gwen scoffed.
"And...," Courtney continued, trying to ignore Gwen, "and, it actually stems from something more than Total Drama Island."
When she hesitated, Harold spoke up. "Was it something at your school?" "As a matter of fact, yes. Life got pretty crappy at my school for me. Everyone was calling me stupid names like Ms. Hysterical and Crazy In Training.
"I lost...," she held her hands out and hissed, "everything. All respect for me at my school and home was lost, and it was all because I lost Total Drama Island like that. Dragged on the Dock of Shame, thrown on the Boat of Losers, when I had been cheated off. It's all anyone ever talked about!"
She stomped her foot, then shook her head, trying to stay calm. "I thought it was because I was seeing Duncan, or that I had stole that food during that stupid boot camp training that Chef put on. But no, everyone seemed to find it so-oooooo funny how I got chucked off the show."
Harold was wringing his hands, but he never lost eye contact with her. She continued, sounding near tears now. "During the reelection for student election, I lost in a landslide against an opponent who's main counter-argument against me was a giant poster of me being pulled down that stupid dock by Chris and Chef.
"My parents were so disappointed in me. I kept trying to tell them it wasn't my fault I lost, but they kept insisting that it was because I was too busy canoodling with Duncan that I let my guard down. They're hard enough to please, but I didn't think they'd blame me for my loss on this too!
"And then, about after three months of this torment of everyone rubbing it in my face that I lost, I realized that it was your fault," she said, glaring at Harold. "You cheated and swapped the votes, and caused me to lose! I kept asking myself, 'Why? Why did he vote me off? I didn't do anything to him'!"
"That's something I never got, either," Heather said, cutting in as she played with a lock of her hair. "You hated Duncan, why'd you vote off Courtney?"
Harold sighed, looking down, then up at the CIT again. "I wanted revenge on Duncan. I was so mad at him for being such a bully, that I wanted to hurt him."
"But why me?" Courtney shouted, beginning to shake. "Why did you vote me off? Why didn't you vote him off? Not that I wanted that either, but why?"
Harold drummed his fingers on the arm rest of his wheelchair. "Well, about why I voted for you instead of him, it's because I knew being voted off the island wouldn't hurt him. He obviously didn't like being on the island, he was almost asking Chef Hatchet to kick him off.
"I knew the only way to upset Duncan would be vote off the girl he liked."
"You couldn't just suck it up?" Heather asked.
"Well, if you knew me, you'd be at your breaking point," the brunette nerd replied. "You can imagine I'm not popular at school, meh," he shrugged, smiling, "and well, what Duncan put me through is kind of what I go through as school. I try to ignore it but... gosh!
"Bullies just love to keep bullying, and it gets annoying after a while. When I signed up for this contest, I thought it would be different. Especially after I won the first two contests for the Killer Bass.
"But no, I had to put up with Duncan and Geoff and DJ bothering me, mostly Duncan. I didn't want to be the victim anymore, I wanted to make the bully hurt. And," he let out a long sigh, "that's why I wanted revenge."
The campers were silent for a few seconds, Courtney and Harold staring each other down. The nerd then lowered his head and said something the CIT had never imagined him saying.
"I'm sorry, Courtney," he said, then looked up at her. "I'm really sorry. I've been trying to apologize to you since... well, since after Total Drama Island was over. It's been hard to do since... well, it's hard to apologize when you wouldn't listen."
"And try to strangle him," added Gwen.
"And tackle him," added Tyler.
"And whisper death threats under your breath," added Izzy.
Courtney had her arms wrapped herself, her breaths deep. She tried to look away from Harold's honest expression, but couldn't. "I...," she muttered. "I guess I have been a bit headstrong."
"A 'bit'?" most of the campers shouted incredulously.
"Okay, a lot," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. "And... I didn't want it to go this far. I never wanted to hurt Bridgette or Cody or Beth. Things just... they got out of control. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't get rid of Harold. And I just got madder and madder..."
"I couldn't thee how you were tho mad," Beth said, looking baffled. "You were alwaysth making out with Duncan."
Courtney looked away as a faint blush came across her face. Duncan was trying not to smile, biting his lip. "I... I really hated what I became," the CIT admitted. "I tried to stop some of the things from happening, but they just happened, and I felt awful.
"It was like being Heather... but with a conscious."
"Oh, that's nice," the queen been scoffed, crossing her arms and looking away. "I helped you with everything you ever needed, and you rat me out."
"You took things too far," Courtney replied, then looked away. "Well... I took things even further than far, so I have no room to criticize." She looked down at Harold's legs, then wrung her hands. "Are... are you going to be okay, Harold?"
"Meh, I managed to recover from the first time, the second time shouldn't be so hard," he said, thumping his chest and making himself cough.
"There we go," Izzy said, pumping her fists into the air. "We finally are all getting along! Now, before the next challenge starts and we all try to rip each others' heads off with our bare teeth and shake the decapitated head about as the blood and gore spill everywhere and nearby observers watch in horror and pray they aren't the next victim-"
"Um, Izzy," Noah shouted, looking green, "what's your point?"
"I wanna see Harold and Courtney shake hands," she declared, bouncing on her feet. "They both suffered, they did things they weren't proud of, but now is the time to make up!"
Courtney and Harold exchanged looks, and the nerd extended his hand. She looked nervous as she shook it, then bent down to hug him. "I'm so sorry, Harold."
"I'll be alright," he said. "Gosh, I'm just glad this is all over."
"Yeah," Courtney said as she wiped her eyes, tears forming up and leaking from her eyes. "I... I'll try to make it up to you."
"Unless you're on the opposite team he's on," Chris Maclean said, popping into the conversation.
"Oh, why'd you have to spoil the moment?" Cody said to the host.
Hearing Cody speak, the CIT's eyes grew as a bad memory came back to her in a rush. "Oh, that reminds me," she said as she turned to a certain green-and-black haired goth girl. "Gwen, I know what you think about Trent being voted off-"
"What about it?" she snapped, crossing her arms.
"That wasn't Cody's doing. He had nothing to do with Trent being voted off."
The goth girl looked like she had been slapped in the face. "Wha... what?" she stammered, looking between Courtney and Cody. "But... but... Noah said Cody organized it."
"That was because mohawk there said he was," Noah said, jerking a thumb at Duncan.
"That was because Heather gave me the idea, though I didn't know what it for then," Duncan said, casting a side glare at the ravenhaired queen bee. "I thought it was for making sure people would go along with the plan, I didn't know it was to hurt Cody."
"I should've known," Beth hissed as she looked over at Heather, who turned her nose up.
"It was strategy," she said with a roll of her eyes. "If things kept going as they were, you all would have voted off Cody and Beth."
"That's your answer to everything, isn't it?" Cody replied, his voice wry. "Well, thank you so much for putting me through the worst experience of my life; I'm sure it was nothing personal."
Gwen looked over at Cody, and her throat suddenly became very dry. "Oh God," she whispered, "you... you really didn't have anything to do with Trent being voted off?"
"I got proof," Chris Maclean declared. He held up a digital camera, and the screen on it displayed the votes for the Confession Cam on Day 08.
"Cody - 'I voted for Noah, but I hope he doesn't get voted off. Just had no one else I would've voted for.'
"Chef Hatchet - 'Sometimes I feel like there is a beautiful, young girl inside me; that's why I wear dresses at times, is that wrong'?"
Chef angrily tried to wrestle the camera away from Chris after this, with yells of "Gimme that," "No, it's mine," "It was private, pretty boy," "Well, if was private, why'd you say it in the Confession Cam?"
Gwen covered her face, breathing hard. "I... I cannot believe this."
"Me neither," Noah said, looking mad at Cody. "You voted for me, Cody?"
"Wait wait, didn't you hear what I said?" the tech-geek said, holding his hands up in protest. "It was because I had no one else I would've voted-"
He was cut off as Gwen hugged him suddenly, and the scrawny brunette was overwhelmed. "I'm so sorry, Cody," she choked out. "I... I really thought you had-"
"Hey hey, Gwen, relax," he replied, smiling at her. "I know it seemed like it at the time..."
"No, no I should've known," she said, shaking her head as she let go of him. "You should be mad at me, I hit you over that."
"Gwen, do you honestly think I could hold a grudge? Against you, of all people?" he said, giving her the sly grin he kept for being sly (which always looked more silly than sly, but he tried).
She shook her head, smiled, and hugged him again; this time, he managed to hug her back. "All I wanted was for you to know the truth," he said to her, "and now I'm happy."
Izzy started applauding. "Yay yay! Courtney and Harold are back on speaking terms, Cody and Gwen are okay with each other..."
She looked around, then pointed at Ezekiel and Heather. "You two! Make out!"
Heather blanched. "What? You psycho hose beast, I'll-"
"Zeke man quick, I'll hold her down, you smooch her," Izzy shouted to the prairie boy, then bolted towards Heather.
"No, get away from me," the queen bee yelled as she ran away from the redhead. "You'll never get me alive, Izzy!"
"More gusto, Heather," Ezekiel called out to her as he gave chase too. "Scream it like Izzy does, eh!"
"Shut up, shut up, stop chasing me!"
The campers watched as Ezekiel and Izzy chased after Heather, some of them laughing. "Sthervesth her right," Beth said, clapping. "Go get her, Ethekiel!"
"I hope he's not serious about her," Bridgette said aloud, watching the chase. "He really deserves a better girl than Heather."
"Yeah, he sure does," Courtney agreed. She exchanged looks with Bridgette, and CIT nervously cleared her throat. "Um, Bridgette? About voting off Geoff... I'm sorry, I really am. I was just mad... I... I didn't know you two hadn't seen each other that often."
"What's done is done, Courtney," the surfer girl replied, sighing as she kicked at the ground. "But I did get something from him already."
She held up the message in the bottle, and smiled. "I just hope he writes more often."
The two girls laughed, then watched as Izzy and Ezekiel continued to chase Heather. "Whoa," Harold commented, "where did Izzy get the lasso?"
"I think it's made out of dental floss," Gwen said, quirking an eyebrow.
"Aww man," Cody whined. "I'm the only one who flosses her, that's gotta be mine."
Chris, who had managed to push Chef Hatchet away from him, was filming the chase scene in front of him. As he did, Duncan lightly elbowed him. "Hey Chris man, not that I expect an answer from ya, but why'd you stick up for Cody like that?"
"Oh, I kind of like the geeky guy," the host admitted. "Let's just say I sympathize for the young boys who don't get the girl of their dreams."
"Whatever you say, dude," the punk replied with a wicked grin.
(Confession Cam - Missing for some time, but now back.)
Duncan - \cackling\ "Methinks if I get hold of Chris' yearbook, I'll have enough to blackmail him for years."
(Meanwhile, on the Playa des Losers...)
The eight teenagers watching the show on TV let out loud cheers as they watched the feuding campers on Wawanakwa Island make up.
"Yay, yay," Sadie squealed, grabbing Justin and hugging him. "The madness is finally over!"
"Woohoo," Geoff crooned, waving his hat around in the air. "Finally, all those negative vibes are gone!"
"Yes, yes, baby," Leshawna was cheering for Harold. "That's my man, he is! Heart of gold, he has!"
"Eeee, I'm so happy," Lindsay cheered. "Swan and Jody made up, Harvard and Carolina made up, it's all so wonderful, like a happy moment during a soap opera."
Trent collapsed back in his chair, a huge sigh of relief escaping from his lips. "Thank goodness," he said. "I felt so bad for Cody." He looked over at Katie. "That was a very decent thing you did, Katie; it couldn't have been easy."
"Actually, I don't regret it at all," Katie said, hugging Sadie who was still hugging Justin. "I'm glad to be back with Sadie, and now I can cheer Noah on from here."
DJ gave her a thumbs-up. "You're too cool, Katie. Also, congratulations again on you and Noah hooking up again.
"Thank yew," she cooed. "Say, want to hear what he called me during the romantic cruise?"
Seven very anxious teenagers huddled up close to her as she beamed, flushing slightly. "Well, you all seem quite earnest now-"
"Oh no, you don't," Geoff cried out, slinging an arm around her. "You hinted us on, you gotta spill those beans now!"
"Tell us, tell us, tell us," Lindsay chanted. Even Bunny in DJ's lap looked excited, bobbing his furry, little head up and down to Lindsay's chanting.
"Alright, alright," she said, giggling. "Well, he didn't start calling me Cutie Katie until recently, but he was calling me Katie Baby..."
Harold - Katie
Bridgette - Katie
Katie - Katie
Cody - Katie
Ezekiel - Katie
Gwen - Harold
Izzy - Harold
Beth - Beth
--
Katie - 5.
Harold - 2.
Beth - 1.
--
Voted off List - Owen, Sadie, Geoff, Leshawna, Justin, Lindsay, DJ, Trent, Katie.
--
--
--
Well, there you have it! That's why Courtney was so mad at Harold, and now the main fight is over. Gwen and Cody have managed to make up, and Katie is actually okay with being voted off. We just might hear more about the romantic side of Noah later on from Katie, hehe.
But how long will these truces last? What new arguments and angers will emerge? What can the next challenge possibly be, and how will the campers be able to adjust? It may be a while before I update again, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King comes out in a couple days.
My apologies to all Katie fans, and I hope Courtney and Duncan fans are not too let down. We're down to thirteen campers now, and the tension is still high. Who'll be next to go on Day 10 of Total Drama Comeback?