A/N- I've listened to advice and put Mike's thoughts in italics. Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty-Six: Day Two
Mike tried and failed to fall asleep. He couldn't stop thinking about the time bomb that was about to go off in the girl's cabin. Rubbing his eyes, he quietly unzipped his duffel bag, careful not to wake the other guys. He pulled his phone out of his bag and flipped it open, squinting at the screen.
2:52 AM.
He flopped back down on his bed.
"Michele! You said we were gonna sleep," Vito complained. "What are we doin'?"
Sorry, guys. I can't stop thinking about Courtney-
"Then go talk to her so we can sleep."
Talk to her?
Mike found the concept to be totally foreign.
Why would I talk to her? She already said she wants nothing to do with me.
"Al diavolo, I'm not lying here awake every night so you can complain, yeah?"
"Will you calm down please?" Svetlana tried to get Vito to stay quiet. "Mischa, if this is going to cause you so much panic, then you should go talk to her. At least you will know what you will be up against, da?"
Mike considered his options.
I can leave Courtney alone, but I'm completely at her mercy. I have no way to stop her from saying anything. Or I can beg her? But why would she listen to me? I have nothing to give her in return-
"You do," Mal cut in. "Think about what Chris said. Courtney wants to win, but right now, she's outnumbered. Imagine if our team loses tomorrow. Who do you think is the next to be eliminated? Cameron and Zoey have already said they don't like her, and you know Sam will vote however they tell him. I think you need to go over there and get this under control before she acts first."
Woah, you're right. I didn't even think about that.
"Of course you didn't. You always sell yourself short. Now go deal with this so we can go to bed."
Revitalized by this idea, Mike got out of bed and quietly left the guy's cabin, making sure Cameron and Sam were still asleep. This new surge of energy lasted him all the way to the steps of the girl's cabin, when he suddenly stopped right outside the door.
Hang on, how do I know Courtney will answer? What if it's Zoey instead?
"Alright, mate, here's the situation," Manitoba supplied. "If Courtney answers the door? Boom, you're golden. If it's Zoey, you're going to tell her you've had a nightmare and you need her to kiss it better. Alright? Now, go!"
Are you serious? That sounds so dumb. A nightmare?
"Mate, I'm trying to be gentle here, but you're exactly the typ'a bloke to have a nightmare and need his girlfriend to calm him down."
I don't know, it seems kind of-
"Oi, ya know who used to be really nice about the whole nightmare thing? Maybe you could walk over to the Spa Hotel and-"
I'm knocking.
Before he could register the motion, Mike rapped his knuckles against the door. Then, he stood back and prepared for the worst.
It's her. It's going to be Zoey. What happens if she asks what the nightmare's about? What do I say?
"Make something up," Mal suggested. "You have a wealth of material to choose from."
Someone yanked open the door. Thankfully, it wasn't Zoey or Sierra, but Courtney glaring at him from the doorway.
"What the fuck?" She hissed. "What's going on?"
"Ah, hey," Mike rubbed the back of his neck. "Um. How are you?"
"How am- it's three in the morning!"
"Ok," he winced, hoping she didn't wake anybody up. "Can you talk for a second?"
"Are you kidding me?"
"Ah, no. Just," he gestured with his head away from the door, "maybe we can talk for a bit? But not right here, like a few steps away?"
She stared at him like he had completely lost his mind. She turned her head to look back into the cabin, then looked back to Mike.
"I guess?"
"Great," he smiled. "Let's go."
Breathe. Breathe. It's fine.
Once Mike judged that they had walked far enough, he turned to Courtney.
"So, hey."
"Hey?" She crossed her arms. "You brought me to the woods in my pajamas to say 'hey'? What's this about?" she frowned. "Oh, wait, don't tell me this is about Chris."
"It is."
"Great," she rolled her eyes. "Well, what is it?"
"Mike, you have to toughen up," Mal instructed him. "You're letting her walk all over you. Get it together."
"Here's the deal," Mike squared his shoulders. "All of that stuff Chris told you about me? You can't tell anyone about it. Especially not Zoey."
"Wha- Zoey doesn't know?" Courtney seemed genuinely surprised. "You're not telling her that you dated another contestant?"
"Nope, and you won't either," he noticed the glare on her face and added, "please. As far as everyone else here knows, I only met him yesterday. Alright?"
"Alright," she looked uncertain.
"And it's not just Duncan," he forced himself to say the name. "You can't tell her anything that Chris might have told you about me."
"Oh, like getting arrested?"
"Ah, yeah," he faltered. "Guess he gave you all the details."
"He didn't. You just did."
Fuck. She got me. How did I let that happen?
"Oh, calm down," she saw the panic on his face. "I already knew that. Duncan told me."
"He did?"
"Well, he alluded to it in the one and only time he vaguely mentioned your existence. What'd you do?" She was intrigued.
"Doesn't matter," he murmured, then remembered what he was supposed to do. "Look, you can't say anything to anyone. Pretend like you've never heard of me in your life."
"I don't understand why you keep saying that. I already said I wouldn't tell anyone. Unless," her lips quirked, "you don't trust me?"
"I know you want to win, and I know there might be a time when it'll give you an advantage to throw me under the bus. You can't honestly say you'd risk your neck for me if it means losing."
"Hmm," Courtney examined a nail, "well, I guess you're right. There's not much incentive for me to help you."
This is it. Here's my chance.
"Then maybe we can help each other out."
"Oh?" She tilted her head. "I'm listening."
"If you don't tell anybody anything about me, or what happened, then I'll help you win."
"Right, how could you possibly help me win?"
"Courtney," he smiled, "take a look at this team. When we lose, who do you think is the next to go home? You were already in the bottom two. You need someone here on your side. And you never have to help me win, you just need to stay quiet. If you think about it, this only helps you."
"Great work, excellent," Mal praised him.
"I don't know," she looked at him with suspicion.
"Sierra doesn't seem to be your biggest fan. Zoey, Cameron, and I always vote as a group- don't give me that look. And Sam? Come on, now. One more loss and you're going home. This is your last chance to win, you know that."
"Bro, you've got her."
"So essentially," she dragged her words, "you want an alliance of sorts."
"Something along those lines."
She took a deep breath and considered her options.
"Fine," she nodded. "I'll do it."
"Fuck yeah, bro!"
"See mate, that's how it's done!"
"Woah, really?" Mike grinned. "That's so cool. Thanks, Courtney!"
Thanks for not destroying my life because you felt like it.
"But there will be conditions."
"Alright, conditions! Is that how this usually goes? I've never done this before."
"I can tell."
"What are the conditions, then?"
"First," she fixed her posture, "you can't vote Gwen off the show."
"Huh? Don't you want her gone first?"
"No," Courtney narrowed her eyes.
"Why not?" Mike wasn't getting it. "I thought you guys were enemies because she stole-"
"Alright, stop," Courtney put up her hands. "First, you need to understand something. That love triangle? All of it? It's fake. I have never dated him. Gwen has never dated him. Not in any sense of the word. It's a made-up story for a TV show. Got it?"
Is she telling the truth? Is that possible? Was there never anything between them?
"I don't know," Mal tried to analyze the situation. "She might be lying to spare her own feelings. Or she could be telling the truth. Right now, it doesn't matter. Just agree with her."
"Right," Mike was a little uncertain. "Got it."
"I mean it."
"So do I."
"Good," she accepted his answer. "Anyways, the first condition is that you can't vote Gwen off the show, alright?"
"Alright."
That shouldn't be too hard.
"Now, your turn."
"My turn for what?"
"Who can't I vote off the show?"
"Oh. Zoey. And Cameron. Can I say two people? Is that allowed?"
"It's fine…for now. We'll revisit that. Second condition. Timelines."
"Well, you can vote me off whenever you want."
"God, that's so desperate," she shook her head. "Grow a backbone. How about the final five? Then it's everyone for themselves. Anybody can vote for anybody. Alright? I'm not going to let you carry me through this whole thing, not that you're even capable of doing that since I don't think you're very good at this game."
"Fine," Mike ignored the insult. "But your end of the bargain, where you don't say anything? That lasts…the rest of your life. And the afterlife."
Need to be sure.
"Fine. Weird. But fine. Anything else?"
Anything else?
"I think this has gone about as well as it could have," Mal decided. "Take the deal."
"Nope. Do you?"
"Hmm," she paused. "You keep me from getting eliminated, I just have to keep my mouth shut-"
"Oh! Don't tell anyone else about this. Ever. Please."
"That's a given," she sighed. "You really don't know much about this."
"Nope."
"Well, we have a deal," she extended her hand. "Now we have to shake on it."
"Is this also part of it?"
"No, just personal style."
"Alright," he shook her hand.
"Handshake?" Chester made a very rare appearance. "Finally, someone with manners! It's about time."
"Now get out of here and don't wake me up again."
"Alright!" He smiled. "Oh, wait, I brought you something," he took the pop-tart out of his pajama pants pocket. "It's a snack." He offered it to her. "Like a thank you present."
"Did you sneak that in here?"
"Ah? No, Chris gave it to me."
"Seriously?"
"Does he not do that to you," Mike frowned.
"Chris would sooner have me die of starvation."
"Oh. Well. It's here if you want it. It's cinnamon flavor. That's the best one, you know."
"Just because Chris wouldn't want me to have it," she unwrapped the foil, took one, and handed the other one back to Mike.
"Salute," he toasted her.
"Please go to bed."
"Alright."
After that conversation, Mike fell asleep relatively fast, feeling decently well-rested the next morning. He could have felt worse.
He was woken up by the sound of Cameron speaking to Sam.
"Are you sure? You don't look too good."
Mike tried to decipher what was going on, but one look at Sam's pale, tired face told him everything he needed to know.
"Guys, really, I'm fine," Sam insisted. "Once I get up, I'll feel better, I swear."
That was clearly not the case, but Mike had bigger fish to fry. He believed that Courtney was being sincere the night before, especially since she made him shake on it, but a small part of him was still worried.
"Why don't we head over to the girl's cabin?" Mike asked. "We can have some gruel."
He had already eaten the remaining poptart the night before. He felt slightly guilty for not sharing it with his friends, but he needed to give one away as a sacrifice to Courtney, and splitting one poptart between three people seemed a little ridiculous.
"And, I'm up," Sam stood up, then quickly sat back down. "Hmm. One more time," he stood up again, shaking as he took a step.
"Why is the Hero team made of the lamest people?" Mal complained.
"Bro, I hate to say it, but Mal has a point. Sorry. Nerds."
Fortunately, Sam was able to follow Mike and Cameron over to the girl's cabin. Just as he had the night before, Mike knocked on the door. This time, Sierra opened it, phone in her hand. A cursory scan of the room told Mike that all hell had not yet broken loose. He let himself relax a little.
"Hey, guys," Zoey smiled. "How'd you sleep- oh, no, Sam, are you alright?"
"Hey Zoey," Sam immediately sat down on one of the empty beds. "I'm fine, just a little wobbly."
"Well," she walked over to Mike and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sure we'll all sleep better once we're in the Spa Hotel."
"If we ever win," Sierra typed on her phone.
"Speaking of which," Courtney commanded the attention of the room. "We need to get it together. You all need to step it up, or we'll be staying in the cabins for the rest of the season."
"Us?" Cameron looked at her, a note of fear in his voice. "What did we do?"
"You don't have that competitive edge. We're never going to win if it stays like this."
"Mal, mate, in your brilliant planning, you seem to have forgotten that this sheila makes an enemy out of everyone she meets."
Sam was still lying on someone's bed.
"That's why we're called the Heroic Hamsters, Courtney," he smiled, then immediately started shivering.
"Yeah, but not the Loser Hamsters," she glared at him.
Mike was fascinated as to how this would play out.
Cameron was always bullied, there's no way he'll appreciate being called a loser.
"Well," Cameron worked up the nerve to defend himself, "why are you supposed to be a hero, anyways? Just because your boyfriend left you-"
Mike felt the air get sucked out of the room. He stared at Courtney, fearful of her answer.
"He's not my boyfriend," she snapped. "He was never my boyfriend, and he's not Gwen's boyfriend either. Stop acting like you know what you're talking about when you clearly don't. Just drop it."
"Sorry, Courtney," Cameron mumbled to the floor, not expecting the outburst.
Oh, right. Do we think they ever dated, or is Courtney telling the truth?
"To be honest," Mal started, "I was never clear on whether he liked women or not."
"I thought he did not?" Svetlana wondered. "But maybe I am wrong?"
"I don't think he ever said," Manitoba added. "But I think he might? But he also might not?"
"Mike, bro," Vito complained, "you should have asked when you had the chance, just sayin'."
I don't know, I felt uncomfortable asking.
"You always feel uncomfortable," Mal sighed. "Final answer, he might, or he might not, but I don't think he dated Courtney. It doesn't make sense. Think about it- why would she go through the strife of the boyfriend kisser arc and then suddenly say she never dated him? And why would Courtney want to keep Gwen around unless they're actually friends? It only works if Chris actually did write that plot, and neither Courtney nor Gwen ever dated him. But does that change anything?
Mike was so lost in this discussion that he didn't realize his teammates were starting to leave.
"Campers, let's go!" Chris yelled from outside.
Shoot.
"I guess that's our cue," Mike smiled helplessly, hoping nobody realized he zoned out. As he followed Zoey outside, he tuned back into the conversation.
"The question is," Mal was still talking, "does this change anything? I don't think it does for you, but it definitely gives me peace of mind. I definitely hate Courtney a little bit less now."
It doesn't matter. He still ditched us. Who cares what he did after?
"Yeah, I thought you would say that."
"Because he says it every day?" Vito asked.
"Of course, he's like a broken record."
I don't say it every day, and-
He suddenly stopped walking to avoid crashing into Zoey. She turned around and smiled at him.
"Day two, good luck everyone," she said to her teammates.
The Villains slowly reached the beach. They stayed on Chris' other side, but the Hamsters could still hear Alejandro bothering Heather.
"Heather, cariño, please, talk to me," Alejandro pouted.
"No way," she crossed her arms. "Not unless you admit that your legs are fine."
"How could you not believe me?" He frowned. "Come on, Heather, where is the trust?"
"I'm ignoring you now."
"Wha- Heather," he started to walk in circles, still somehow on his hands. "Heather," he dragged out her name. "Heather. Mi amor. Mi tesoro."
"What's he saying?" Sam whispered to Mike.
"How would I know?"
"Are you not…" Sam trailed off.
"Am I not…" Mike repeated him. "What, Sam?"
"I thought maybe…" Sam's eyes were full of panic.
"I'm Sicilian," Mike put Sam out of his misery.
"Oh."
"And he said, my love, my treasure."
"So you do know," Sam narrowed his eyes at him.
"Sorry," Mike shrugged.
"Alright, campers!" Chris announced. "Welcome to your second challenge!"
"Sam, are you feeling any better?" Zoey checked in on her teammate.
"Ugh, not really," he swayed on his feet for a moment. "But don't worry, I'll pull through!"
"Just don't hurt yourself," her voice was full of concern.
Chris ran through the challenge, which involved digging up pieces of a statue and putting them together. The Hamsters weren't given any shovels, but seeing as how the Vultures immediately started to argue over them, Mike wasn't sure it gave them a huge boost.
"Lightning looks like shit," Mal noted. "Boney Island sounds fun."
Alright, I don't know how to convince these guys to vote for someone who isn't Courtney, so we need to win this challenge. How can we find the pieces faster?
"Maybe we should split into sections?" Zoey offered. "We'll move faster that way."
"No way, we need to split up into quadrants. That's a better plan," Courtney decided.
Isn't that the same thing? It definitely is, Courtney totally stole that idea. Should I stand up for Zoey? No, that will only turn public opinion against Courtney, and then what? I'll just pretend like I didn't hear it.
Mike chose the option of staring at the floor. He felt Zoey's eyes boring into the side of his head.
Nope. I did not hear it. I did not see it.
"Bro, asshole move."
I know, but I have no idea what else to do.
Thankfully, Cameron came to Zoey's defense, and they all split up to start digging. Immediately, Sam hit a trap in the sand, sending him into the air and crashing into the lake.
Mike couldn't stop himself from smiling.
"He's so annoying," Mal noted.
Yeah, he really is. Unfortunately. Sorry, Sam.
"He looked exhausted earlier," Vito noted. "Bro needs a powerup."
"Someone get that man a charger!"
That last part made Mike audibly laugh.
"What's so funny?" Zoey snapped at him.
"Oh, uh," Mike faltered, knowing she wouldn't like the joke. "It's just…Sam…kind of funny…"
"Flip it back on her," Mal ordered him.
"Why are you upset?" Mike asked her, effectively avoiding giving her a real explanation.
Thanks.
"Of course."
"Oh!" She didn't seem to expect this question. "I guess…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped like that," she frowned. "I guess dealing with Courtney brought out the worst in me."
Shit. She's mentioning her by name. This is a disaster. What should I say? Who do I side with? I think I have to agree with her. Anything else would look suspicious.
"I guess she does that to people," Mike smiled at Zoey after making sure Courtney was completely out of earshot.
But don't vote her off. Please.
Thankfully, their conversation was cut short by the need to complete the challenge.
"Mike," Manitbota asked as Mike dug through the sand with his bare hands. "I want to look for pieces."
Well, you can't.
"Awe, what? C'mon mate, let me dig. Please?"
Do you see a fedora anywhere?
"Wanker."
Mike kept digging, careful to avoid traps. He wasn't finding anything, except for a couple of hermit crabs. He looked around at his team members. Sam kept falling over in the sand, Sierra kept sneaking glances at a poorly-concealed cellphone, and Courtney was digging like her life depended on it. He purposefully did not check on the Villains, but he imagined the shovels were a large advantage.
"Hey, guys," Cameron gathered Mike and Zoey's attention. "Um. I found this," he held out a fedora to Mike. "So maybe Manitoba can help dig?" He looked completely unsure of how Mike would respond to this information.
"Oh, crack on, Cameron!" Manitoba was thrilled.
"Thanks, Cameron," Mike took the hat, trying to ignore how Cameron was shuffling his feet and looking away.
"Mate, come on, I don't bite."
He's trying his best. He just gets nervous about you guys. You know he's trying, I can't ask for anything else.
"I'm sure Manitoba will love this," Mike added.
Alright, Aussie, listen. You're going out there to dig, alright? Nothing else. And remember the plan. Do you remember the first part? Avoid all contact. So don't go over there, don't talk to him, don't even look at him, alright?
"Crikey, I know. I won't do any of those things."
Alright, I trust you.
Mike put on the fedora.
…
"Alright then, here we are!"
"Oi, mates, I hear there's some diggin' to be done, yeah?" Manitoba asked Cameron and Zoey.
"Yes, that's correct," Cameron nodded, keeping a slightly larger distance than normal. "We need to find the pieces of a statue in the sand. Do you think that's something you can manage?"
"Crikey, what is this, a business meeting?"
"Oh, sure, mate, I reckon I've got that covered."
"Great," Cameron nodded again. "You can start by looking over there."
He pointed directly at where Duncan and Gwen were standing.
"Ah," Manitoba frowned.
"Fuck me dead, that's exactly where I'm not supposed to go. And Mike just said he trusted me, and he never lets me do anything. Bugger, what do I do now?"
"Oh, bro, that's a tough one," Vito was equally puzzled.
"You want me to go over there? By the other team?" Manitoba repeated Zoey, hoping he somehow misheard her.
"Yeah, why, is something wrong?"
"Don't say shit," Mal ordered. "There's no good excuse for why you can't go over there."
"Oh," Zoey answered her own question. "Is it Scott? Of course…you know, you shouldn't worry about him. He won't do anything with everyone watching."
"Scott? That bloke? I can handle him. Bloody hell, I have to go over there. What else am I going to say? Sorry, Mike. Nobody tell him."
"Oh, Scott? Right, well, he can be a tricky fella, but don't worry! I'll go right over there. Now. Yeah."
"Alright, great!" Zoey smiled. "And look out for traps!"
Manitoba started to walk over.
"Someone help me."
"It will be fine, da? Just do not pay him any mind," Svetlana tried to reassure him.
He chose a spot close to the border with the other team and started to dig.
This is a great challenge. I love digging for treasure.
Caught up in the riveting activity of digging in the sand, Manitoba didn't anticipate the impending disaster only a few feet away. He watched as Scott stepped onto the Hamsters' side of the beach and stole a piece of the statue, somehow not noticing Manitoba.
"That dickhead. Of course he would steal a piece. I have to get it back. Mike wants to win, yeah? We can't do that if Scott's cheating."
Before Manitoba could act, he watched as Scott brought Duncan over to where he hid the stolen piece.
"Ah, nevermind?"
"You have to go over there," Mal decided. "You don't even need to look at Duncan, just talk to Scott and get the piece back. Ignore him. Play it cool."
Manitoba took a breath and marched over to Scott and Duncan, purposefully ignoring the latter.
"Oi, Scott! What're ya doin', fella?" Manitoba marched right up to the border between the two teams. He kept his eyes trained on Scott's face.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Scott shrugged.
"Oh, yeah? What's this, then?" Manitoba grabbed the shovel out of his hand and dug it into the ground, where it struck the stolen piece with a loud clang. "Aha! That's what I thought," Manitoba tossed the piece back onto the Hamster's side of the beach.
"Fine, whatever," Scott was already done with the conversation and walking away. Unfortunately, he wasn't watching the shovel, which he used to nail Manitoba in the head, sending him to the ground.
….
….
"Fuck me, that hurt."
Manitoba heard the muffled voices of Scott and Duncan while he tried to get his bearings.
"Ah…I'm alright," he said to no one in particular. When he finally looked up, they were both gone.
"Ugh."
He flopped back into the sand.
"This is so humiliating," Mal was appalled. "I can't believe he watched that happen."
"Bro, you couldn't duck out of the way?"
"I agree, that was shameful," Svetlana was also disappointed.
"I know, I know, I'll just lay here in the sand and sulk."
"Manitoba!" A voice shrieked. He could hear footsteps quickly approaching him. "Are you alright?" Zoey crouched down to check on him.
"And now I can't even hide. Bugger."
"M'fine, Sheila," he propped himself up.
"What happened?" Her face was full of concern.
"Just Scott, doesn't matter," he slowly stood up.
Her face fell. She glared in Scott's direction.
"Well, be careful, alright?"
"When am I not?" He winked at her. "Let's get back to digging."
Satisfied with his answer, Zoey left him alone to keep searching for pieces.
"I can't believe you acted uncool in front of Duncan," Mal couldn't get over it.
"Bro, he's the coolest guy we've ever met, and now he's not gonna think we're cool anymore," Vito was distraught.
"Enough of that," Svetlana chided them. "Yes, it is true that Duncan is very cool. And Manitoba may have just ruined our lives. But that is besides the point. We need to keep looking for pieces."
"Fellas, I'm sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you by finding the pieces, alright?"
This newfound sense of guilt fueled Manitoba's efforts, causing him to find two pieces of the statue.
"See? Look at that. I'm like a machine."
"Courtney!" He yelled her name. "Look out, sheila!" He tossed the piece of the statue towards her. She caught it and put it with the others, then stood back to look at the pieces.
Figuring he had done his job, Manitoba walked over to join her.
"Six pieces," she observed, "but what's it supposed to be?" She noticed Manitoba. "Oh, hey."
"G'day, sheila," Manitoba looked at the pieces.
"Why are you talking like that? And why do you have that hat on?" She frowned. "Are you even trying to take this seriously?"
"I guess she really didn't watch last season."
"I am taking this seriously. I found two bloody pieces, didn't I?"
"Hmm," she stared at him for a moment. "Oh, are you, like, one of the other ones? Like, one of the guys who looks like Mike, but isn't Mike?"
"Bang on, sheila. I'm Manitoba."
"Right," she paused. "Well, I don't care who you are, as long as you can figure this out," she gestured to the pieces. "It's supposed to be somewhere we visited in World Tour."
"Great, that's the season we didn't watch, unless it happened after season three episode thirteen," Mal noted.
"Mate, you're forgetting that I'm an expert at this sort of thing."
"Oh, that's no problem," Manitoba informed her. "I'm quite the world traveler. Adventures, exploring, treasure hunting. All of that."
"Ah," Courtney didn't look confident in his abilities. "Well, try your best."
"Let's see here," he crouched down to examine the pieces. "We've got a face, an arm, some sort of fabric?" He stood back up. "Ah, it all makes sense now."
"What is it?" Courtney asked.
"It's the Statue of Liberty! We're just missing the torch."
"Then let's get moving. Help me put it together."
"Wow, not even a thank you? She doesn't play around."
In the end, Zoey found the final piece and attached it to the statue just in time to win the challenge.
"And, the Heroic Hamsters win!" Chris announced. "Meaning they will stay in the Spa Hotel tonight!"
"We did it, guys!" Zoey cheered. "Great work!"
"Yeah, good job," even Courtney smiled at her teammates.
"Well, I guess my work here is done."
Manitoba took off the fedora.
…
Where are we? What happened?
"Hey, you're back," Zoey smiled at him. "We won the challenge, isn't that great?"
"I found two pieces, Mike!" Manitoba was reveling in his success.
Great job, Manitoba. I knew you could do it.
"Yeah, that's great," he smiled at Zoey. "Do you know why my head hurts?"
"Scott hit you with a shovel."
"Oh, of course he did," he pulled Zoey in for a hug. "That's Scott for ya," he let her go.
Did you-
"Nope. I didn't go anywhere near him."
Good.
"Alright, guys," Courtney caught the attention of her team members. "Let's go-"
She was interrupted by a flying bag of trash that hit her square in the chest.
What the hell?
Mike looked around to see who might have thrown it, only to see Gwen standing there looking guilty. However, Courtney focused her anger on Chris.
"Chris! What the hell?" She yelled at him.
"Pay attention to that," Mal spoke up. "She's acting like Chris was behind it. Could he have told Gwen to throw the garbage? That's the only thing that makes sense when we consider how badly she wants to keep Gwen in the game."
I think you're right. You'd think she'd want Gwen voted off as soon as possible, but it's the opposite. I guess it's true, they never dated, and he's not dating Gwen. Everyone in agreement?
"Yes."
"For sure, bro."
"Da."
"Yeah, mate."
Alright. Wait, I should really be paying attention.
Mike watched as Courtney picked the garbage off her clothes. He didn't miss the tears in her eyes.
"I don't get it," Cameron asked her as the team walked towards the elimination ceremony. "Aren't you happy that we won?"
"No, Cameron," she snapped. "I'm not happy. I'm covered in garbage. Gwen threw trash at me on camera so I'd be humiliated. Sorry I'm not thrilled."
Chris is kind of a jerk for doing that. I know he's not a bad guy, but still, that can't be fun.
"I don't trust Chris one bit."
Well, you don't trust anyone. But he's always been nice to us, right? He didn't have to do that for us.
"Bro, you have to admit it was nice he paid-"
"I'm not saying I'm not thankful for that…it was a huge deal…but I'm still cautious. That's all."
Zoey offered to help Courtney clean up, which she politely turned down. Then, Zoey turned to Mike and uttered a sentence that echoed in his head for hours after.
"I'm gonna go say hi to Duncan and Gwen, anyone want to join?"
Shit. Why would she do that? She really does see the best in people. She has to stop doing that.
Cameron and Sam both turned her down.
"Are you coming?" She asked Mike.
I know I might have to talk to him at some point…but not now. I need to prepare.
"I'm good."
"Really?" She seemed surprised. "Why not?"
"Ah, I'm sure they're villains for a reason, right?" He tried and failed to smile.
Dumb. So dumb.
"Alright," she shrugged and walked over to join them.
Mike stared straight ahead.
What if he's telling her everything right now? Would he do that, on TV?
"Mike, you have to either stop worrying about that, or go confront him directly, just like how you spoke to Courtney," Mal spoke. "You can't stay in limbo the entire time, it's going to drive us all crazy. For what it's worth, I don't think he'll say anything on camera. I really think he's better than that."
Of course you'd think that. You all think that. Anyways, we have something else to worry about.
"Da, how you keep Courtney in this game when she is so unlikeable? I do not see you convince Zoey and Cameron to vote for Sam or Sierra over this girl," Svetlana pondered.
Exactly. It's almost impossible.
"Something about the teams seems weird to me," Mal jumped in.
What? How?
"Doesn't it seem odd how Chris put Courtney on a team where she's guaranteed to fail? She doesn't even have a fighting chance. I understand why she'd be considered a hero, but the team is so biased against her that I don't see how she can win. It's like Chris wanted her to be eliminated early."
But why would he do that?
Mike frowned as he took his seat for the elimination ceremony. He didn't notice Zoey when she sat down next to him.
"In case you haven't noticed, Chris and Courtney don't seem to like each other."
I guess you're right. And I don't see how Courtney makes it past the next round of eliminations on our team unless…
"She switches teams."
She switches teams. But how would that even work? Would someone from the Villains come over here?
"Bro, you should just ask her," Vito told him. "She knows Chris pretty well. She'd know if he would allow it."
Maybe I can talk to her tonight. It's worth a shot. Otherwise, she goes home, and we didn't hold up our end of the bargain, which means…
"She snitches."
Exactly. She'll take us down with her.
"This is a good idea. You need to keep her as far away from Zoey as possible."
Suddenly, all of the other contestants stood up.
What? Is the ceremony over? Who went home?
He noticed that Lightning was no longer in the crowd.
Ah.
The Heroes walked back towards the Spa Hotel in a clump, minus Sam, who had volunteered for Boney Island.
"So," Mike asked Zoey, "how was your talk?"
"Oh! It was good," she smiled. "They both seemed really nice."
"Glad to hear it."
Of course he was nice to her. That's how it always starts out. He would never show her what he's really like.
Once they reached the Spa Hotel, Courtney immediately split off to shower, while the other contestants hung around the kitchen.
"I'm so excited for today's update," Sierra started typing on her phone.
"I'm just glad we won," Zoey, who was sitting at the kitchen table, leaned back in her chair. "This is much nicer than the cabins."
"And better wifi."
With Sierra both absorbed in her blogging, Zoey took the opportunity to pull Mike and Cameron aside.
"Hey guys," she spoke in a hushed voice. "Look, I wanted to ask you guys something," she glanced over to make sure Sam and Sierra weren't watching. "When we have to vote again…I was thinking…Courtney?"
"So was I," Cameron nodded. "Makes the most sense. Mike?"
I have to agree, of course. I have no reason to keep her around, as far as they know.
"Right," he decided. "That makes sense."
"Good," she smiled. "It's settled."
The three of them rejoined Sierra at the kitchen table.
"I really hope Sam is alright at Boney Island," Zoey frowned. "He was already looking sick today. We have to bring him food tomorrow, alright, guys?"
She was met with a chorus of muted agreement.
A few minutes later, Courtney stepped out of the bathroom in her pajamas.
"Alright, listen up!" She ordered.
Sierra ignored her, staring at her cellphone.
"Guys!" She snapped. "Drop. The. Phones."
Sierra put her phone on the kitchen table and crossed her arms like a teenager who had been scolded.
"Now," Courtney crossed her arms. "I just wanted to tell you all, congratulations on winning today's challenge and getting us out of the cabins. I hope to see that level of effort continue into tomorrow. Remember, effort is everything. And winning. They are both equally important."
"I have to say," Mal commented, "she's starting to grow on me."
"You made me put down my phone for that?" Sierra frowned.
"Well, it's important for you to understand," Courtney started to walk across the kitchen. She reached one of the cabinets, opened it, pulled out a bottle of red wine, and put it on the counter. "Anyone find the glasses- I'll just do it myself."
Oh, hell yeah. Wine time.
"Bro, she's cool as fuck. Red wine? We're fuckin' royalty!" Vito was equally excited.
"Um, Courtney," Cameron eyed the bottle like she had just put a crack pipe on the kitchen table. "What are you doing?"
"Looking for glasses," she shut the cabinet, then turned to face the other contestants, who were staring at her like she'd grown a third head. "Ah," she noted their reactions. "Do you guys not do this after you win your first challenge?"
"No," Cameron dragged out the word, fearing something terrible might happen to him.
"Oh," she frowned. "So do you guys just go to bed?"
"We hang out for a bit," Zoey shrugged. "But yeah, we go to bed."
"It's scientifically proven that you perform better when you have a full night's rest," Cameron explained.
"Right," Courtney frowned and put the bottle back. "Well, you guys aren't what I'm used to."
"No! The wine! Bro, why is everyone here so lame?" Vito was distraught.
"Fuck that," Mal cut in. "You need to get Courtney alone before she goes into that bedroom."
Right.
"Well, personally," Mike announced, "I won't go to bed for a while. I'll be sitting here, in this kitchen. Just thought I would make that clear." He smiled at Courtney. "At this very kitchen table."
Do you think that was good? Did she get the message?
"As subtle as a brick to the face."
"Well," Cameron frowned. "That's probably not a good idea, because sleep is really important."
"Yes, well," Mike faltered for a response. "It's fine."
"Have fun," Sierra stood up, rescuing him from the situation. "I have to work on my blog for a while. It requires a lot of concentration, you know," she disappeared into the girl's bedroom. Then, she stopped in the doorway. "Zoey? Do you care if I ask you some questions? Kind of like a mini interview?"
Sierra coming through for us!
"Oh!" Zoey perked up. "Sure, that sounds fun!" She followed Sierra into the bedroom. "Good night, guys!" She turned around and waved.
"G'night!" Mike smiled back at her.
And stay in there, just until I can work this out.
Realizing he was alone with Mike and Courtney, the latter he was still unsure about, Cameron quickly retreated to his room, leaving the other two alone.
"So," Courtney sat across from him and clicked her nails against the surface of the kitchen table. "What's up?"
Mike glanced at the girl's bedroom door, then turned back to her.
"Fine," she sighed, "got it. Let's go downstairs."
She stood up from the table. He did the same.
"Hang on," he whispered, opening the cabinet and pulling out the bottle of wine. "Find the glasses."
Mike followed Courtney downstairs, where she settled on the library. She took a seat in an oversized armchair while balancing two wine glasses in her hand. He took the seat across from her.
"Are your friends really that anti-drinking?" She stared at him as he poured a glass of wine and offered it to her. "Is that why we're hiding downstairs?" She took the glass. "That weirds me out a bit."
"Hmm? Oh, no, I just needed to talk to you alone."
"Oh. Oh, right. You were being really obvious earlier."
"Ah. Yeah."
"You really need to work on that."
Enough of this.
"Look," he took a sip of his own glass. "I've been thinking. You're not going to win the competition if you stay on this team. It's not possible."
"Why not?" She frowned. "Didn't you say it would be fine?"
"Well…"
Zoey wanted to vote her off.
"Bro, you can't throw Zoey under the bus."
"It doesn't matter," he continued. "I have a plan. I'll ask Chris to switch you to the other team."
Courtney nearly spat out the wine.
"What?" She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Yeah, right. What's the real plan?"
"That's it."
Why does she think it's so funny?
"Sorry," she smiled. "You think Chris will put me on the other team just because you asked him to?"
"Why wouldn't he?" Mike was troubled by her disbelief. "And besides, you'll do better on that team. You'll have your friends, there's enough drama already to keep the heat off you, I think it will work."
"Hmm," she frowned. "Well, let me think about this. You know he might send someone from their side over here, right?"
"Whatever," Mike shrugged. "I'll…deal with them."
Like I always do.
"I guess it wouldn't even matter," she took another sip. "Whoever Chris sends over here would be voted off right away. You and all your friends would stick together, I'm sure. If you guys want to kick me off, someone who's a natural-born leader and actually good at challenges, then I'm sure the new team member wouldn't last a day."
…Wait.
"Hang on," Mal spoke up. "Wait. I'm thinking of something."
Everyone stop for a second. Wait.
Mike stood up from his chair, leaving the wineglass on a small side table.
"What are you doing?" Courtney frowned. "Are you-"
"Courtney, I don't mean to be rude, but you have to be quiet for a bit. Just…let me think, alright?"
"Alright," she watched with uncertainty as he began to pace the room.
Number one. Avoid all contact. Number two. Vote him off as quickly as possible. Number three. Don't let anyone find out what happened.
"Number three is already fucked, mate," Manitoba noted. "Look in front'ya."
"I would like to say that number one is not possible, da? Zoey has already decided to reach out to him," Svetlana added. "And really, what will you do? Ignore him if he tries to talk to you?"
Then we need to vote him off as quickly as possible, forget the rest. But how? Mal. Come on. I know you're thinking what I'm thinking.
"I don't know. I don't think it's a good idea."
Why not? We can ask Chris to bring him over here, tell Sam and Cameron to vote him off the next time we lose, and that's the end of it.
"So what? You'll throw that challenge so you guys lose?"
Sure, right?
"Bro, that's a sick plan!" Vito approved. "It takes care of everything."
"Da, I agree," Svetlana added. "Quick and over with."
"Alright, everyone, calm down!" Mal insisted. "Just stop. Don't you think you're letting your emotions get the best of you? What happens when Zoey asks who you're voting for? Are you going to lie to her?"
Of course not. I'll just…avoid the question. Or convince her to join me.
"Right, that sounds foolproof."
Aren't you the one who didn't want to see him? Weren't you the one who kept saying he abandoned us, and now all of the sudden, you don't want to vote him off?
"I just don't think this is the best way. It's too risky. That's all."
I knew you wouldn't side with me on this.
"I always side with you," Mal was getting angry. "I just don't want you to fuck this up. I don't want you getting hurt. You know that. And from where I'm standing, this doesn't look like a good idea. Of course I'll support you, but please think about it. Are you doing this to vote him off, or-"
Or what?
"...I don't know, maybe…well, fine. If this is what you really want, I'll help you."
Great. Thank you.
Now, Courtney.
He looked over to find her staring at him.
"Hey, Courtney," he smiled. "Sorry 'bout that."
"Are you alright?" She looked concerned. "You were like…whispering. Who are you talking to?"
"Forget about that. I have news." He picked up his wine glass and sat back down.
"Wha- news? You didn't go anywhere, how could you have news?"
"Well," he grabbed the bottle and poured more wine into his glass. "We had an internal discussion, and we've reached a conclusion. So, it's a pretty big deal," he set the bottle back down.
"Discussion with who?" She was puzzled. "Oh, like, the other ones? They can talk to you?"
"Yeah, and basically, we have a plan."
"A plan?" She looked suspicious. "What kind of plan?" She took another sip.
I shouldn't tell her.
"Absolutely not," Mal added. "You can't trust her."
"I can't say. But, it's a good plan that will solve both of our problems."
"Look," she sighed. "I don't know what your deal is, and I don't care to find out. This whole thing, not telling Zoey, skeeves me out, and if it weren't for that million dollars, I wouldn't be giving you the time of day. So fine, do your plan, I don't care."
"Great!" He was beaming.
"And stop…smiling."
"Sorry," he frowned.
"And stop apologizing."
"Ok." He took another sip of wine. "This tastes expensive."
"It's not."
"Courtney, you're taking the magic away from this moment," Mike frowned.
"There's no magic. This is depressing."
"Well, I'm raising a toast. What should we toast to?"
"Do you know who you sound like right now?"
"Fine," Mike put the glass back down. "No toast. And I don't sound like him at all."
"Whatever you say," she started to smile.
"I don't," he insisted.
"I think you do."
"No I don't, Courtney. Take it back. Please. Take it-"
"God, fine, I take it back. I didn't think you'd cry about it."
"It's a sensitive subject," he took another sip from the glass.
"You seem to have a lot of those."
"Well," he frowned into his glass, watching his own reflection from the surface of the liquid. "Life is hard."
Courtney looked uncomfortable at that, choosing to look at the floor.
And now I've freaked her out.
"Look," she sighed before he could say anything. "I know I've said it before, but I want it on record. I don't agree with what you're doing, alright? I know I don't have the full story, but I just hope Zoey doesn't get hurt in all of this. That's all I'll say about it."
She's got it all backwards. I'm doing this to help Zoey. I'm doing this so we can be happy. I would never do anything to hurt her.
"Well, don't worry about me."
"I'm not sure it's you I have to worry about."
What? Who-
"Oh, look," she interrupted his thoughts. "We finished the bottle."
Huh, I barely feel it. That's probably not good.
Mike stood up and felt the room spin.
Oh, there it is. I need to build up a better tolerance. Let's drink more.
"Lightweight," Courtney muttered.
"Alright, stop with that. We drank it fast. And wine-drunk isn't even real," he felt suddenly embarrassed. "How do you not feel anything?"
"I don't know," she shrugged. "But you better get to bed. I don't want you throwing up on me."
"You better…it's not even that bad," he frowned.
Still, he took her advice, bringing the glasses with him and trusting her to get rid of the bottle. He rinsed the glasses in the sink and left them there, then thinking better of it, he soaped them down, washed them, dried them, and put them back in the cabinet.
Wine drunk…you can't get drunk off wine.
"You can," Mal chastised him, "and you are."
Nah.
He passed out the moment his head hit the pillow.