"Last time on Total Drama…

"The contestants were separated into two teams; the Jagged Jaguars, and the Royal Rhinos. The first challenge of the season was a simple game of hide and seek… which Zee still screwed up! The Jaguars won it thanks to Scary Girl's horror-movie level hunting skills! And for his horrible seeking, Zee was sent packing!

"Now that everyone knows each other and, by extension, hates each other, campers scrambled for allies in anyone they could find. An unlikely team-up between Caleb and Nichelle followed two unfortunate early boots, and they're already in the market for a third player! MK joined the jocks, and lovergirl Emma has finally told Chase to get lost… again! Emma and Bowie exchanged some brutal blows, and even friendly hockey bro Raj got in on the drama! Who's buddying up, and who's getting bruised? Find out right here, right now, on Total! Drama! Island!"

—-

All was quiet over camp. It was early morning, and the contestants slept peacefully as the birds started to sing. Even early risers like Axel and Priya enjoyed the rest while it lasted; they all knew it wouldn't be for long.

That assumption proved to be spot-on when the fifteen remaining campers jolted awake to the sound of an airhorn. Chris's unsympathetic laughter carried through the area through the speakers as his victims groaned, some covering their ears or rubbing their heads. "Rise and shine, campers!" The host shouted over the complaining. "Your second challenge is on the other end of the island, so get moving!"

"Ugh…" Emma groaned. She fell out of bed after being startled by the announcement, and now sat up with a pained expression. "Who wakes people like that? He could have just knocked!"

Julia slid out of bed, eyeing her fallen teammate up and down with a squint. "Girl, get over it." She scoffed without a hint of remorse. "No amount of beauty sleep's fixing that mug anyway." Several campers peeked over their bunks, watching with interest as Julia and Emma glared at each other.

[CONFESSIONAL: NICHELLE]

"Coulda sworn she was nicer before… girl, what happened?"

[CONFESSIONAL END]

"Seriously? Can you not do this this early, because I literally cannot right now."

Julia made a sound between a scoff and a laugh. "Um, can you ever? Your entire personality is the crazy ex-girlfriend. Like, you're basically 'I can't even' as a person! #Sorrynotsorry!"

"Guys…" Millie tried, timidly approaching the feuding girls.

Emma completely disregarded her, pushing herself off the floor to face Julia. "What is your problem!? Like, I knew you were a toxic girlboss wannabe, but you can't even pretend long enough to start the challenge?"

"Guys," Millie tried again. "I think we should…"

"Yikes, someone's in a bad mood." Julia mocked with a smirk. "Third breakup?"

"Me and Chase are none of your business!"

"Guys!"

"Girl, you make it everyone's business!"

"Hey!" To everyone's relief, Wayne finally intervened, positioning himself between Julia and Emma. "Not cool, man! We're shorthanded, and we gotta bounce back somehow! That means we all gotta be on our A-game today, and that means we all gotta be team players!"

Julia rolled her eyes. "You'd know about being a team player."

"Yeah!" Wayne brightly agreed, oblivious to the jab. "You only score a goal if the whole team's workin' together!"

"Enough with the hockey already!" Julia snapped. Wayne was about to respond when Caleb cleared his throat, getting the team's attention.

"I don't mean to interrupt," He began carefully. "But I think we oughta be heading to that challenge right about now." Several people quietly voiced their agreement, and the team awkwardly shuffled out of their cabin.

"Fine," The influencer relented. She pushed past the crowd to leave but glanced over her shoulder to glare at Emma one last time. "But this isn't over, blondie."

"We're both blonde!" Emma called after her, following the team out.

—-

Things were notably less chaotic in the Jaguar cabin.

Bowie was the first to finish getting ready. He waited patiently on his bunk, legs dangling over the edge. Despite taking the bed just beneath Bowie's, Raj hadn't said a word to him all morning. Or anyone, really. Normally, Bowie would appreciate some peace and quiet. As much as he adored Raj, the hockey player did tend to talk a lot. But something was definitely wrong, and Bowie would have taken a talkative Raj over a stressed one any day of the week.

[CONFESSIONAL: BOWIE]

"It is one-hundred percent because of yesterday…" Bowie thought aloud, looking awfully troubled himself. "But I can't tell if I'm the problem, or Emma was the problem, or…" He sighed. "It's okay. It's all good. Raj will talk to me when he's ready. Right? He better!"

[CONFESSIONAL END]

Across the room, things were a bit more lively. Chase was chatting away to Ripper, who nodded along while he spoke. "Just you wait, dude!" He spoke with confidence. "After today, she's gonna come crawling back! We'll win the challenge, she'll see what a mess she is without me, and boom! Problem solved!"

Ripper slapped him on the back and gave him an approving nod. "Atta boy! Remember, you don't need her, she needs you!"

"Yeah, I dunno if that's right, man." Damien interjected, joining the conversation from where he knelt on the floor nearby. "Kinda s'posed to need each other in a relationship… kinda the point? Chase, you try talkin' to Emma? She might have somethin' important to say."

"Ha! Yeah right!" Chase chuckled. "Love ya, man, but girls are not your thing!"

Damien sighed and shook his head, but tuned out the rest of the conversation to focus on the task at hand. MK sat on her bed in front of him, and he and Priya were checking her leg for any sign of improvement. He felt a little guilty about it; as much as he… didn't exactly love her, it didn't take a genius to see that MK was pretty annoyed at best, and very uncomfortable at worst. She fiddled with the tip of her hat in the meantime, and Damien could appreciate that she was distracting herself.

"It looks like you're healing well…" Priya murmured. "You're not really in perfect shape, but you're recovering fast! Woo-woo! Haha… right?" Priya shrunk back as MK raised a brow, unimpressed with her attempts to cheer the latter up.

"Woo…" She sarcastically cheered, with an eye roll for good measure. "But for real, am I good to walk, or what? Could really pass on being a backpack again." She said the word 'backpack' with air quotes, and a hint of venom.

"Um… yeah, I think you're okay to walk! But you still might need help for long distances, and I really don't think you should be running or jumping or anything."

"There go my Saturday plans."

Priya shook her head, used to MK's sarcastic remarks by that point. Next to her, Damien had just begun to stand when the speakers turned on.

"Hurry it up, campers! Pick up the pace!"

Startled by the sudden noise, Damien banged his head on the bunk above MK's. Both girls winced, Priya hissing through her teeth. "I'm okay!" He reassured them, rubbing the top of his head. "We should- ow! –get goin', though."

—-

The teams made their way across the island in two clusters. In the first, Nichelle and Caleb walked ahead of the group, making their way side-by-side down the path. At some point during the walk, Caleb loudly cleared his throat. Once he had Nichelle's attention, he gestured toward Axel, who walked not far behind them. Nichelle took the hint, and slowed down until Axel caught up.

She didn't acknowledge Nichelle's presence at first. She stared directly ahead, her look of permanent fury as prominent as ever. But given some time, even Axel must have decided she didn't like being awkwardly stared at. "What?" She demanded, finally looking Nichelle's way.

"Heeeeey, girl!" Nichelle greeted her with a nervous smile; of course Nichelle wasn't necessarily scared of Axel, but she could be pretty terrifying. Not so much as Scary Girl, what with the lava, but Nichelle wasn't about to take her chances. "You killed it with that training yesterday!"

"I know," Axel smirked. "About time somebody noticed."

"Um, yeah, girl! And not just me! You ever talked to Caleb? Because we totally see you, and girl, we are loving it!" Nichelle set a hand on Axel's shoulder. She barely acknowledged it, which Nichelle considered a win. "You were robbed last season, huh?"

"You're telling me." The brunette grunted. She kicked a rock along the path, and the girls watched it tumble ahead. "Can't believe they kicked me off over that guy. But I'll crush 'em this time."

"Woo! You go, girl! Uh… speaking of, we were thinkin'… me and Caleb, I mean. We thought the three of us could… you know… team up? I mean, we could totally use your skill, girl! Imagine it! You got the strength, Caleb's the brains, and I…" Nichelle trailed off. Maybe she didn't have much to offer, but telling Axel that would be more than counterproductive. "...Point is, we'd be unstoppable!"

"An alliance with you two? Why should I? Last thing I need's a couple chumps slowing me down."

That stung, but Nichelle saw her point. Axel was a powerhouse on her own. At face value, she and Caleb had nothing worthwhile to offer her. But Nichelle wasn't about to let that stop her from trying. "Okay, true." She admitted. Nichelle spoke slowly, taking care to avoid provoking Axel. "But we'd also be two extra votes! Can't get that by yourself, huh? We're a team of seven, so we'd control, like, almost half the votes!"

"True." Axel admitted, and Nichelle brightened. Now they were getting somewhere! "I doubt either of you can keep up with me. But I'll think about it."

Yes! "Nice! Anything we could do to sweeten the deal a little?"

"I said I'll think about it!"

"O-Okay! Okay. You, uh… think on it, then!"

"Whatever." Axel picked up the pace, briskly making her way to the front of the group. Nichelle watched her disappear into the crowd. She was pretty sure that went well… as well as it could have, anyway. Caleb stopped to allow Nichelle a chance to catch up.

"So?" He asked once she'd reached him. "How'd things go with Axel?"

When Nichelle tried to answer, no words came out. What if a 'maybe' wasn't enough? Caleb watched her expectantly, and Nichelle almost wished she could disappear. Was a maybe good enough? Had she failed again?

"...She said she'll think about it."

"Perfect." Caleb seemed to noticed her plight, and offered a reassuring smile. "Give yourself a little more credit, Nichelle. You've got your own charm, and now she knows the offer's out there. You did well."

Nichelle sighed, relief flooding her. She did well.

—-

Bowie and Raj walked together, with MK limping closely behind. The walk was a silent one, and awkward on all ends. Bowie did try to make conversation, but Raj wouldn't even look him in the eye, and half MK's replies were sarcastic quips anyway. Some of them were pretty funny, but that girl needed to learn a thing called time and place!

They continued that way for over half the walk. About a quarter way in, Raj began to fidget nervously with his hands. He twiddled his thumbs, and kept sneaking glances at Bowie when he thought he wasn't watching. It all came to a head when Raj finally spoke up for the first time that morning. "Yo, MK?" His voice came out quiet and raspy. Their fellow Jaguar made eye contact, and raised an eyebrow. "Wanna give Bowie and me a sec?"

"Sure," She shrugged. "Go ahead."

They waited, but MK made no move to give them space. Raj and Bowie shared a confused look, before looking back at the unfortunate third wheel.

"What?"

"I mean, like, split up?"

She scoffed. "Thanks, captain obvious."

"So… wanna go catch up with the group?"

Oh. Yeah, Bowie was starting to see the issue here. "Um, Raji-poo…"

"Raji-poo?" MK mocked with a snicker. "No, but seriously, how am I supposed to catch up?"

"By walking faster?"

"Dude! Does it look like I can walk any faster?"

Bowie sent a warning glare her way. "He's having a rough morning! Be delicate." He then turned his attention to the confused hockey player beside him, and spoke in a more gentle tone. "Raj, hun, her leg. Remember?"

"Oh. Oh! My bad!" Raj sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, and MK rolled her eyes. To her credit, she didn't actually say anything. Bowie was willing to call that progress. "Sorry, MK. Bowie, um…"

"Yep." Bowie smiled, and Raj smiled back. "Lead the way."

Raj began to walk faster, and Bowie matched his pace. Before they made it out of earshot, Raj looked back and called over his shoulder; "Yell if you fall!"

"Woulda done that anyway!"

No more words were spoken between them until Raj and Bowie had passed the rest of their team, and lingered comfortably ahead of the others. Now it was just a matter of patience while Raj gathered his words, and Bowie never minded playing the waiting game. "So, um…" Raj started, but seemed to change his mind. "Look, I…" He tried again, to no avail. Raj sighed. "Sorry about yesterday." He blurted out.

Bowie had to take a minute to process. He expected a lot of things, but an apology was not one of them. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Raj repeated, gaze fixed on the ground. "About the thing? With Emma? I shouldn't have butted in. I was really angry, and when I'm angry I do dumb stuff and, like, I totally get it if you're mad at me, and I'm super sorry if I made it worse or something, and-"

"Okay, stop." Bowie interrupted once he was able to catch up with Raj's words. "Raj, you cannot be for real right now." Raj visibly deflated. "Um, why apologize? Unless I got some serious amnesia between yesterday and right now, I'm pretty sure you were defending me."

"Right, but… but… I dunno, man… I've been thinkin', and I mighta caused more trouble?"

"Well, I didn't notice any extra trouble, thank you very much."

Raj looked taken aback by Bowie's calm reassurance. "Oh…" A wary smile made its way onto his face. "You're not mad?"

"At that face?" Bowie shook his head, and Raj's smile widened. "Never."

"Huh." Raj contemplated Bowie's words, and seemed to accept them as fact. The hockey player took his hand, and the couple smiled warmly at each other. "Cool."

—-

Wayne spent most of the walk by himself. Raj looked upset for a while, and Wayne's heart hurt seeing him that way. Luckily, Raj talked to Bowie. Wayne had no idea what they said, but his buddy Raj was smiling again, and that was all that mattered! He would've gone to talk to Raj himself, but it'd be pretty weird to go and start walking with the other team!

But speaking of the other team, he'd been trying to get another Jaguar to notice him for a while. MK stayed toward the back of her group, but kept up well enough. Impressive, since her leg got all busted! At least, Wayne thought so. He waved whenever she looked his way, but MK never waved back. At first he thought maybe she didn't see him, but he was beginning to worry. Either she was ignoring him, or her eyes were, like, really bad.

[CONFESSIONAL: WAYNE]

"'Kay, so, here's the thing; MK's been hangin' out with Bowie and Raji, yeah? So they're buds. And any pal o' my buddy Raj is a pal o' mine! But… I'm startin' to think she doesn't wanna be buds" Wayne explained, with a face akin to that of a kicked puppy. "Which is crazy talk, right? Pretty sure I didn't do anything, so there's gotta be a reason she won't talk to me! And I've been thinkin', and I'm pretty sure I figured out what it is." He crossed his arms pridefully, and leaned back. "She's prolly just shy! No biggie! Raji was super shy when he joined the Snow Owls, and now we're best buds! All ya gotta do is make 'em feel included, and they'll come outta that shell in no time! So tomorrow's gonna be all about makin' MK feel like part of the group! Snow Owls 2.0! HOOT, HOOOOOOT!"

[CONFESSIONAL END]

—-

The walk was long, but the teams finally approached their destination with bated breath. Chris had no sense of too far, so nobody really knew what to expect. Campers wore matching expressions of curiosity and worry as they finally stopped and looked over the course. In front of them was an oval-shaped race track. Six motorcycles waited at the starting line; three gold-colored ones, and three silver, each with a helmet. Off to each side, wooden barriers had been put up in straight lines. Five paintball guns rested against one side, and a beige flag with a yellow Jaguar emblem hung from the trees. On the other was four paintball guns and a similar flag, decorated with purple and gray with a Rhino emblem. Chris made his way toward the front of the group, hands clasped together with a smile.

"Good morning, campers! Everyone sleep well?" Several people, mostly Rhinos, immediately responded in the negative. The airhorn shut them up quickly enough. "Wonderful! I don't care. Let's get to today's challenge!" Chris waved an arm toward the motorcycles, drawing the group's attention toward them. "Three members of each team will ride these motorcycles around the track; gold for Jaguars, silver for Rhinos! Each lap you finish is a point for your team! Simple, right?"

"Okay…" Millie spoke up, and the attention turned to her. "But what about the paintball guns? At least I hope they're paintball guns…"

"I was getting to that, if I may continue! On each side of the track, you'll find your team's flag, and enough paintball guns for all but your selected three! If you're not racing, that's where you'll be hanging around! As saboteurs, your job is to shoot at the other team's racers! If you land a hit, that's two points, and if they fall for any reason, they're out! The challenge ends when every member of one team falls, and whoever has the most points wins! But remember: foul play and friendly-fire are not allowed, dudes! If a racer knocks another racer off their bike? Penalty! Saboteur shoots a teammate? Penalty! Penalties are awarded in the form of two points to the opposing team! Oh, and just to be clear, no one without their license is racing!" A couple people groaned. "We don't need another lawsuit… any questions?"

Damien's hand shot up. "Hold up. We're shootin' them offa the motorcycles? That is not safe!"

"Brilliant observation, Sherlock." MK muttered. Bowie elbowed her. "What!?"

"Yes, we've been told! Many, many times… lucky for you, our lawyers insisted on protective gear! Every racer will be properly suited up before they get on the motorcycles. Don't fret! We got everyone's sizes! Now, y'all got five minutes to pick your racers!"

—-

Their five minutes were up, and the designated racers made their way to the starting lines. Priya was racing for the Jaguars, alongside Bowie and Chase. To her left, Priya watched Caleb, Emma, and Julia mount their bikes. She could feel Bowie glaring over her shoulder at Julia, and the influencer glared right back. Emma, on the other hand, avoided eye contact with Chase entirely. Good for her!

The rest of Priya's team had gone to ready themselves behind their barrier, and she could see them out of the corner of her eye, having some kind of heated debate. What about, she had no idea.

Chris's voice, amplified by the megaphone, snapped Priya out of her thoughts. "Are both teams ready?"

"Ready!" Bowie called. Chase whooped, and pumped a fist. The saboteurs on each side cheered.

"On your marks!" The racers revved their engines.

"Get set!" Chef raised a pistol to the sky.

BANG!

"GO, GO, GO!"

And just like that, both teams were off. Priya took the lead, Bowie close on her tail. Chase and Emma followed, the ex-couple exchanging glares. Well, Emma was glaring, anyway. Chase looked as smug as he always did… Julia followed close behind them, and Caleb took last.

"Now, remember!" Chris called. "Saboteurs, you cannot shoot until your intended target has reached the halfway mark! Any earlier will earn you the first penalty of the challenge!"

The mood was tense. The saboteurs held their fire, but everyone knew it wouldn't last. The halfway point crept closer and closer as Priya sped toward it. She'd just barely passed it by the time the Rhinos opened fire on her. She expertly dodged and weaved around the paintballs; no hits this time, luckily.

That is, until she heard a shout from someone behind her.

"That came from our side!" Emma cried. "Who shot that!?"

"Sorry!" Nichelle shouted back. "That was my bad, girl! You keep doin' what you're doin'!"

Priya glanced over her shoulder. A splash of color covered Emma's left shoulder, and Chase cackled at her misfortune. While the exes were distracted, Julia sped up and overtook them, leaving both coughing up the smoke.

Priya snuck a glance at the scoreboard.

2 - 0.

They were already in the lead!

But Priya planned to stay far from Julia. Just in case.

—-

"No! Don't do it like that!" The Rhinos watched as Axel harshly reprimanded Nichelle. The latter clutched her gun closely to her chest, staring dejectedly at her feet. "You've got no experience at all! You don't have the precision to be aiming at Chase!"

Nichelle flinched. She knew Axel was right, but her words were… painfully familiar.

"We need to pump her up, not crush her more! Work with me here!"

"Oh, I'm sorry… it's just that she's REALLY BAD AT THIS!"

The actress looked up. Axel watched her with an unreadable expression before the survivalist turned back toward the track. "You don't know what you're doing, so it's a fifty-fifty shot at best. We can't take more penalties!" Axel pointed somewhere else, and Nichelle's eyes followed until her eyes landed on what the former wanted to show her. "Look over there. Priya's ahead! She's by herself, so that's who you should aim for! I'll take the tougher ones!"

"Oh…" Nichelle watched carefully. Priya was ahead of the rest… "But… but what if I miss?"

"Bowie's closest! It's either nobody or him! Now SHOOT!"

"O-Okay… okay! I got this!" She nodded in Axel's direction with a smile. "Thanks."

Axel returned her focus to the competition. "Get it done, soldier."

—-

"And Priya has finished her first lap!" Chris announced, amusedly watching the race with a cup of coffee in hand. Beside him, Chef kept a tally of the points on a clipboard. "Bowie follows close behind, and it's 4-0! Oh, but here comes Caleb! And that's a point for the Rhinos! Julia, Chase, and Emma follow, and that's 5 - 3!"

"Are you still giving me the silent treatment?"

Emma huffed. So far, Chase had done nothing but badger her! If she sped up, Chase sped up. If she slowed down, so did he. The blonde was left with no choice but to tolerate his presence as he yapped on and on and on and on! Every time she thought Chase couldn't possibly get any worse, he always managed to surprise her. "Um, yes!" She scoffed. "I told you; we are done!" They finished their lap, but Emma could barely register Chris announcing the points for each of their teams. How could she when Chase was distracting her!?

Then, he had the audacity to laugh. "Yeah, right! Come on, babe, that's what you always say! You know you still need this handsome face!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"I do not!"

"Uh-huh, sure! Look at yourself, Ems! You're a wreck without me!"

"Um, will you two keep it down back there!?" Julia called over her shoulder. "I am literally going to barf if I have to listen to this makeshift romcom for one more second!"

"Yeah, whatever!"

Emma begrudgingly lowered her voice. "I'm a wreck!? I am fine without you! I literally don't even need you! And I mean it this time!"

All Emma got in return was another dismissive chuckle. She'd gotten used to those by now. "Right, right! But, uh, the only immunity you ever won was because of me, so…" He smirked. Emma snarled.

"So what!? I can win without you!"

"Like you are now? Oh wait! You're not! Because you're losing! Ha! Sick burn from the Chaste- WOAH!" Chase yelped as Emma rammed her motorcycle into the side of his, disrupting the brunette's balance. He swerved left and right, struggling to regain control of the vehicle.

A flash of color crossed Emma's vision. When she looked next, she found Chase sprawled out on the pavement, rubbing his already bandaged arm, now with a splatter of pink.

"Oooh! And Chase is out of the race!" Chris chuckled. "Say that five times fast! It's 5 - 5, people, and things are really getting heated!"

"Yes!" Emma cheered, eagerly looking to her left to identify her savior. Wayne, Millie, and Nichelle cheered, all offering their compliments to Axel, whose gun now rested against her shoulder. They looked her way, and Emma beamed.

"Thank you!"

—-

Julia literally could not.

She was well out of range by the time Chase was shot down, but before that? It was like she was listening to a middle school break-up! It was pathetic on both sides, and Julia still cringed thinking about it. She almost felt sorry for Emma! Almost. But the drama provided her one advantage; she was willing to do anything to get away, and her burst of speed paid off! Now she was approaching the front of the pack, driving nearly side-by-side with Bowie, who was barely inches ahead of her.

"Oh, hey, Julia!" He smirked. She hated that smirk. "Sorry, did you say something? Your voice is just so grating, I might've mistook it for my engine! Whoopsies!"

Julia smiled sweetly. "Oh, I didn't say anything! I don't talk to losers!"

"Losers?" Bowie jeered. "Like you in the final four?"

"Hm…" Julia looked away for a minute, pretending to think. "Maybe… but I was thinking more like you in the finale! You know, just short of the finish line… covered in vomit… and with nothing to show for it! Tooootally sad! Literally can't even imagine! #Sorrynotsorry!" To Julia's delight, her rival grimaced. So of course, she just had to keep going! "Like, seriously…" She continued with feigned sympathy. "Humiliating yourself like that in front of everyone… even your little boyfriend! Big yikes. Kind of surprised he even likes you!"

"That's some big talk for someone with zero men, Jules!" Julia smirked. Whatever. That was barely an insult! If it were between a relationship and death, Julia would have taken the latter. It almost made her sick to see people sweet-talking each other between smooches. Chase and Emma, Raj and Bowie… ick! Julia was more than happy to be single. "Besides, how many people like you? I'd say your parents don't count, buuuuut…" He giggled. "I doubt they'd be on that list."

"Um, hello? The whole internet loves me, in case you haven't noticed!" The influencer bragged. Her hand twitched as she suppressed the urge to show off her three million followers right to Bowie's face. She wouldn't even have enough time to even pick a phone before she crashed, but part of her figured that would have been worth it.

…But Bowie wasn't impressed. He snickered, and it took everything Julia had not to deck him. "The only love you get is through a screen? Oh, that's so sad!" Julia growled, and Bowie smirked. "By the way, you might wanna duck! Later!" Bowie sped off, and Julia barely got the chance to turn her head when blue paint splattered onto her helmet.

"Yikes! And Millie has earned her team another penalty! That's 7 - 5!" The Rhinos glared at Millie, who winced. If Julia's shriek of rage was anything to go by, she'd be in trouble later.

—-

Axel furiously kicked the barrier, nearly knocking it over as she fumed. "SERIOUSLY!?" She shouted at a fearful Millie. "You're useless! Pretty girl back there I get, but you!? Have you never fired a gun before!?"

Her eye twitched as Ripper shouted across the playing area. "What's the matter, Axel!? Can't handle the sound of defeat!?" He cackled. Axel grunted, whipping around to glare at the opposing competitor. "Oh, no!" He continued. "I'm Axel! I'm a total dorkus! My team's losing! Wah, wah, wah!" Axel raised her gun. Wayne reached a hand out to stop Axel before she did anything rash, but he wasn't quick enough, and the furious brunette fired.

"CHRIS!" Ripper bellowed. Just above his stomach, his shirt was stained with orange. "Axel shot me!" He whined. The rest of his team didn't look very worried at all; Scary Girl grinned, and MK and Raj snickered to themselves. The only exception was Damien, who scrambled to check on his teammate.

The saboteurs looked to Chris. "Interesting!" The host stroked his chin in thought. "Very interesting!" He locked eyes with Axel, then Ripper. Excluding the racers, both teams silently waited for Chris's ruling. Finally, after enough suspense to make anyone break, Chris leaned forward and raised his megaphone.

"I'll allow it!"

"WHAT!?" Ripper and Damien shouted in unison.

"Alright!" Wayne whooped. "No penalty this time, boys! Hoot, hoooooot!"

"Oh, wow." MK added with mild surprise. Next to her, Raj pumped a fist, grinning ear to ear.

"Well," The attention turned back to Chris as he began to clarify. "I said there was a penalty for shooting your own teammates! Technically, shooting the other team's saboteurs isn't against the rules! I mean, it won't net you any points, but hey! Watching you hurt each other is a prize of its own!"

It was quiet at first. No one wanted to make the first move. Jaguars and Rhinos alike held their paintball guns close as they waited for someone, dared someone to try anything. And then chaos broke out.

No one knew who fired the first shot, but both teams sprung into action. Wayne and Raj went back to shooting at the racers. Millie froze up, stunned by the sudden display. Axel and Ripper threw everything they had at each other, firing like there was no tomorrow. MK dived behind her team's barrier for cover. Damien screamed and quickly followed, while Scary Girl amusedly giggled. And Nichelle?

Nichelle panicked.

—-

"I can't do this. I can not do this!" Nichelle ducked, narrowly avoiding being hit by the incoming paintballs. It was one thing when she only had to worry about missing or not missing. But now, it was so much more than that. Now she was one of the targets.

[CONFESSIONAL: NICHELLE]

"These challenges have mucked up my face once already! Not again! Not! Again!"

[CONFESSIONAL END]

"Nichelle!" Someone called her from the other side of the barrier. Nichelle peeked over the top, sneaking a glance in the direction of the voice. Caleb nodded at her, and she shifted to get a better look at him. "Focus!" He shouted, but there was no venom in his tone. "Stay calm, and you'll do it! Don't be afraid to learn from the rest of the team!"

"But what if I can't do it!? What if I'm not good enough!?" Nichelle yelled back. The distance made it hard to communicate without shouting.

"You're fine, just keep going!" Her ally reassured her. "I don't expect an action hero, I expect Nichelle!"

"I don't need to be a hero," Nichelle whispered to herself. "I don't need to be a hero." Nichelle stood up off the ground, and raised her gun in triumph. "Yeah… yeah! That's right! Nichelle doesn't need no heroics to win the-"

"Duck!"

"Whoop-!" Nichelle ducked, and several more paintballs flew over her head.

[CONFESSIONAL: NICHELLE]

"I get… carried away when I'm excited."

[CONFESSIONAL END]

"Okay," Nichelle took a deep breath. She shifted herself into a sitting position, leaning against the barrier. She looked up, and watched carefully as Axel loaded her gun and took aim. Ripper's shout of anger (or pain?) easily confirmed the hit, even if Nichelle couldn't see it. Slowly and carefully, Nichelle copied her teammate's movements, and set up her gun. She aimed at Bowie, and waited.

And waited.

And waited…

BANG!

Nichelle fired. Not only did she miss, the paintball instead hit Caleb, staining his pink shirt green. Nichelle recoiled, face full of guilt.

"Ooh! And another penalty for the Rhinos! The Jaguars are in the lead with nine points to the Rhinos' five!"

"Sorry, Caleb!" She called.

Caleb recovered quickly. "Try again!" He urged.

Nichelle took aim.

Nichelle waited.

Nichelle fired.

Nichelle missed.

Again.

"And now Emma has fallen victim to Nichelle's terrible aim!" Chris announced, chuckling as Nichelle deflated. " The scores are 11 - 5, but it's still anyone's game if the Rhinos can make a comeback!"

"Stop." Axel interjected. "You're aiming in all the wrong places!"

"The wrong places?" Nichelle mimicked confusedly. "I'm aiming right at them!"

"Exactly!" The brunette cried. "Just watch!"

Axel raised her paintball gun to aim. Nichelle watched closely, and found that Axel wasn't aiming directly at the racers. Instead, she aimed just ahead of them. "Do you see what I'm doing?" She asked. Startled, Nichelle nodded. "You can't aim where they are, they'll be gone by the time the paintball gets there! Aim for where they're headed! You keep missing because they're moving targets! Watch!"

Surprise turned to admiration as Axel fired. The paintball soared across the track, and hit Priya right in the arm. "Ohoho! Markswoman Axel scores a point, and the Rhinos are catching up! It's 11 - 7 now, people!"

Axel lowered the weapon with a satisfied smirk, and turned to Nichelle. "Now do you get it?" Nichelle nodded eagerly, still partially in awe from the expert sharpshooting skills Axel exhibited. "Good. Now you try."

Nichelle's stomach dropped. "Me?"

Her teammate nodded. "Priya's open." She shoved Nichelle forward, and the actress's hands trembled. "Go on, soldier. Give her your best shot!"

Nichelle knelt, peeking over with her paintball gun. With Axel's teachings in mind, she aimed ahead of Priya rather than at her, and waited for the right moment. Could she really do it? Maybe. But then again, maybe not. But she was not going to fail her team again! She couldn't care less what MK said; Nichelle could do anything! She squinted, tuning the rest of the world out as she focused on her mark. As Priya approached, she pulled the trigger…

…And watched it just barely brush past Priya.

With a sigh, Nichelle dropped her gun. When push came to shove, she couldn't do it. That was just the cold hard truth. At least, that was what she thought, until her teammates began loudly cheering.

"See!?" Axel slapped her on the back. "Nearly got her that time!" Millie clapped, Wayne loudly whooped, and even Emma cheered from the track. Nichelle looked Caleb's way, and he bowed his head with a smile.

"What? But… but I missed, right?"

Axel scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You're gonna miss! Whining about it's no good! Now you pick that gun back up, and you try it again!"

Nichelle's gaze fell upon the paintball gun laying at her feet. She looked around. Axel waited with her hands on her hips. Wayne gave her a thumbs up. Millie smiled at her. Newfound determination burning at her core, Nichelle picked the gun back up. "Yes, ma'am!"

—-

On the track, things were heating up. Bowie and Emma drove almost right next to each other, the latter just barely falling behind. The once close friends looked at each other with nothing but contempt. Neither one spoke… until Bowie did.

"So… how's the Chase situation treating you?"

"Oh, it's fine. How's your guard dog?"

Bowie's eyes narrowed. "Raj is great. And B.T.W, not a guard dog."

"He has the personality of one!" Emma argued. Bowie rolled his eyes.

"Um, at least he has a personality!"

[CONFESSIONAL: BOWIE]

"Oooh, she makes me so… AGH!" Bowie stamped a foot. He took a deep breath in, and another out. "You do not talk about my man like that. But it's all good! It's all part of the plan." Bowie smirked. "She'll learn a lesson or two in three… two…"

[CONFESSIONAL END]

Emma watched, befuddled, as Bowie suddenly slowed down. The confusion was short-lasted, though. She was caught off-guard by a sudden explosion of purple, and swerved sharply to the right. Now frantically driving around on the grass, it was only a matter of time before Emma fell, landing hard on the dirt with a groan.

"That's another penalty hit courtesy of the Rhinos, and it's 13 - 7! Not cool, Millie! Not cool!"

"It was an accident!" Millie shouted back. "Sorry, Emma!"

Emma propped herself up on her elbows, offering a weak thumbs up. She couldn't blame Millie for the wipeout; it was actually a clean shot! But Bowie… Of course he moved. She just hoped the rest of the team could rival him… then again, he was up against Julia. Something told Emma she had nothing to worry about.

—-

Julia, on the other hand, was really starting to worry.

Priya and Bowie crossed the starting line within seconds of each other. "Fifteen to seven!" Chris cried, a chuckle in his voice. "Might be time to throw the towel in, Rhinos!"

[CONFESSIONAL: JULIA]

"Okay," The influencer began with a deep breath in, filing her nails. "So clearly, bleach blond's distracting us, then moving so those buttknuckles over there shoot us instead of him! But not today!" She clenched her hands into fists, and her nail file snapped in two. "He wants some penalties? I'll show him a penalty! Look out, Bowie! Because Julia's going in."

[CONFESSIONAL END]

Julia picked up the speed, and practically flew over the starting line. "And here come Julia and Caleb! 15 - 8! 15 - 9! The Rhinos are far behind, but it looks like Julia's got a plan!"

Oh, she had a plan alright. Call it counterproductive, but to Julia, desperate times called for desperate measures, and if her team's self-saboteurs couldn't take Bowie out, she'd just do it herself! That was the benefit to being alone; Julia relied on no one. She was perfectly capable of taking matters into her own hands, and that was exactly what she planned to do.

Bowie looked into his rear view mirror as Julia advanced on him. He smirked once he saw her coming, and Julia couldn't wait to wipe that stupid smug look right off his stupid smug face. "Oh, looksie here! You're back!" He greeted her, far too cheery. Julia ignored him. "What's the matter, Julia? Blue not your color?" He cackled at his own jab, but stopped when he realized Julia was still getting closer.

And closer.

And closer.

By the time Bowie figured out what was happening, it was too late. He barely had enough time to scream before Julia rammed his motorcycle at full speed, sending the Jaguar flying onto the grass. Cries of shock rang out from both sides, and even Chris seemed stunned. But to Julia, that didn't matter. She just flung her arch-nemesis off a motorcycle! And that was more than enough to bring a smile to her face.

—-

"Woah."

MK peered over the barrier, stunned by the brutal display. It wasn't like Bowie was hurt, but that took guts. She knew Julia wasn't the smiles-and-rainbows hippie she pretended to be, but this? If she went this berserk last season, maybe leaving early wasn't so terrible. To MK's right, Raj stopped firing. "What?" He looked around confusedly. Oh no. "What's goin' on?"

"Uh…" MK glanced at her fallen teammate, and easily recalled yesterday's drama. If Hockey Guy Number 1 got that upset because someone insulted Bowie… she shuddered. "You… don't wanna know."

Of course, things never liked to go MK's way, as made evidently clear when Chris announced the wipeout. "Woah-ho-ho!" He laughed in shock, and MK was pretty sure she could physically feel the oncoming dread. "A brutal blow from Julia, and Bowie's down and out! That's 17 - 9, but the Jaguars are down to one player left!" Raj gasped, and MK could only watch as he finally spotted Bowie, who stood with a grimace and dusted himself off.

"Bowie!" He cried, horror morphing his features. The hockey player watched in stunned silence as Chef led his boyfriend off the track, and out of sight. MK gulped. No way this was ending well. Her theory quickly proved to be correct when the brunette loaded his gun, the terror on his face replaced with a vengeful rage.

[CONFESSIONAL: MK]

"Aaaaaaaaaaand, I guess this is my problem now."

[CONFESSIONAL END]

MK hadn't even realized Raj was looking at her until he spoke.. "MK, cover me!" He ordered, a fire of determination in his eyes.

"Okay, maybe don't go sicko mode? Her whole team'll turn on you, dude." Raj growled, and MK instantly backtracked. "Alright, alright!" She snatched her paintball gun from where it rested beside her, and rose to her feet.

She was really starting to regret this alliance.

—-

"Man, that was totally illegal!" Wayne cried, momentarily lowering his weapon to gawk.

"Illegal as in like, against the rules? Or illegal as in illegal?" To the far left, Millie also held her fire. She worriedly kept an eye on Priya, and a few of her team members watched sympathetically.

"Who cares!?" Axel barked, pointing somewhere else on the track. "Over there! Hockey boy's going after Julia! Nichelle, distract him! Wayne, take out Priya! Millie, stop standing around!"

"W-Wait!" Millie argued, as the rest of the Rhinos rushed into position. "Shouldn't we wait before trying to knock Priya out of the…" Axel sharply glared at her, and Millie quieted down.

[CONFESSIONAL: MILLIE]

"I'm not trying to show a bias, but if we take Priya out now, we'll lose! Were they even listening to the rules!?"

[CONFESSIONAL END]

Meanwhile, Nichelle was firing rounds at Raj, and actually managed to hit him! But she barely got the chance to celebrate as a paintball whizzed past, and exploded into a splatter of red on a tree behind her. Across the track, MK said something to Raj as she lowered her gun, which had been pointed right at Nichelle.

"And Julia is out! Looks like Raj wasn't too happy with that hit, huh? 19 - 9!"

Julia pushed herself off the grass, completely covered in paint, but Nichelle barely noticed. In fact, she hardly noticed anything at all. Everything was red, and all she could see clearly was MK. Nichelle was pretty sure she could hear a muffled voice somewhere calling her name. She ignored them, and opened fire on her enemy. MK leaped to the right, bumping into Raj in the process. The latter wore a confident smile until MK backed into him, and shouted something Nichelle couldn't quite hear. Raj looked her way, and the duo just barely had enough time to split up before another influx of paintballs were shot right between the two. After a shot narrowly missed her eye, MK dove for cover. Just as Nichelle aimed for Raj, a red sleeve reached up and yanked him down behind the safety of the Jaguar team's barrier.

"Awright!" Wayne shouted, successfully snapping Nichelle out of her rage, and getting the attention of their teammates. "We gotta start gettin' serious if we wanna win this thing! Nichelle! Millie! Draw their fire away! Distract 'em! Keep their eyes off the puck, ya know?" Nichelle nodded, and Millie nervously glanced at the other team. "Me an' Axel'll try takin' Priya out! We can still win this thing! Go, go, go!"

—-

The Jaguars weren't as structured at the moment. Ripper only fired at Axel, despite the latter having moved on. MK and Damien cowered behind the barrier, Raj took a minute to himself to focus on his breathing, and only Scary Girl was making a genuine contribution, her hysterical laughter drowning out the other sounds as she fired at Caleb.

Damien cautiously peeked at the action. He cried out in shock as a paintball flew over his head, and ducked back to safety. "Dude, what is happening out there?" MK questioned. She wouldn't dare try what Damien did after that. "We still winning?"

"And Wayne lands a solid hit on Priya! We're 19 - 11, folks, but the Rhinos are making a comeback!"

MK hissed through her teeth. "Yep. That's not good."

"Somethin' tells me they got a lil' more… strategy, over there… B-But hey, we got a huge lead, yeah? We're all good, right? Right!?" Damien chuckled nervously, and his teammate rolled her eyes.

"Leads don't last, dude. Don't count on 'em."

[CONFESSIONAL: MK]

"Yeeeaaah, we might be in trouble." MK deadpanned, leaning forward and resting her arms on her knees. "Like, we only got half those points cause the other team sucks. Not the greatest way to go down, but hey," She shrugged. "I'm no leader. Can't do much now. Plus, if everyone messes this up for us, I might have a better shot at not being voted out." She chuckled nervously. "Really banking on Bowie and Raj coming through for me if this thing goes south…"

[CONFESSIONAL END]

"What're you pansies waiting for!?" Ripper screeched. MK and Damien shared an exasperated look. "Get off your butts and start shooting!"

—-

The race was close. Caleb and Priya took and lost the lead, not that it mattered much to either anymore. They finished yet another lap in nearly perfect unison. "And that's another lap for both teams! The score is nineteen to twelve- no!" Chris cut himself off as a paintball hit Priya right in the shoulder. "Nineteen to fourteen! The Rhinos are really bouncing back!"

Priya's eye twitched, her nerves getting the better of her. Subconsciously, she began to inch the motorcycle closer to Caleb. If she just knocked him down now, she could win it for her team… it was that simple!

But at the last minute, Caleb began to drive away from her. He shook his head disapprovingly, but at least he didn't look mad. "Hey, now." He spoke calmly, keeping a safe distance from Priya. "That's just poor sportsmanship. Why stoop that low if you're already winning?"

"Yeah…" Priya agreed with a sigh. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry, just… nerves."

"No worries," Her opponent shrugged it off, focusing on the track ahead of them. "Kind of like being the last player in dodgeball. Stressful, I get it." Priya sighed, a mix of dread and relief filling her. At least he wasn't upset with her, right? Oh, but that would have been so much easier… Priya aced her training at home, obviously, but she always kind of had trouble with people. Kind of. People like Julia were easy, but the friendlier ones were always the toughest to take down. She felt so… terrible afterwards! Every time!

"Heads up."

"Huh?"

Another paintball hit Priya, this time from her team's side. "Oh, come on!"

—-

"MK!" Ripper sent a glare the aforementioned teammate's way. "Quit racking up penalties! You want us to lose!?"

"What!?" MK gawked, her expression contorting into one of offense. "I'm not even shooting!"

"Oh. Well if you didn't shoot Priya, then it was Scary Girl!" Upon the blame being passed to her, Scary Girl's head did a full 180 to stare at Ripper. Her smile didn't falter, but the rage she felt was evident in her eyes, and even the tough guy himself backed off. "Okay… Damien?"

"Didn't you fire that shot?" Damien inquired. He looked and felt way too tired to be putting up with this at the moment, and yet there he was.

"What? No!" Ripper stammered uselessly, struggling to come up with a defense. Luckily for him, Raj stepped out of the trees with a smile.

"Alright! Enough playin' around!" The team looked up, and Raj put his hands on his hips as he overlooked the group. "Are we gonna win this thing, or what!?"

"YEAH!"

"Uh… I hope so?"

"Kinda the goal, dude."

Rather than respond verbally, Scary Girl giggled to herself as she tilted her head from side to side. Raj seemed to think that was good enough, and continued. "We need a game plan! MK, shoot ahead of Caleb! Doesn't matter if you miss! Just make sure you're always aimin' for where he's going!" He picked up MK's paintball gun and shoved it into the latter's arms. "I'll shoot right where he's at now! Ripper, you shoot behind him!"

Ripper scoffed. "Why should I shoot behind him if he's going forward, dorkus!?"

"Well, it is pretty smart to have eyes everywhere," Damien muttered thoughtfully. "He's got nowhere to go!"

MK's expression brightened a little as she caught on. "So he can't speed up, slow down, or stop!"

Raj grinned, nodding along to his team as he pridefully puffed out his chest. "That's it! If he can't do anything except dodge…"

"...Dude'll swerve too much and lose his balance!" Damien finished, snapping his fingers.

"Right! Scary Girl, you cover us! Make sure the other team doesn't go on defense!" Scary Girl squealed, gleefully hopping up and down in place and clapping her hands together. "Everyone ready!?"

"Slow down, puck-for-brains!" Ripper interrupted, smirking as if he'd come up with the world's greatest insult. "Nobody tells me what to do! I'm the leader around here, so you maggots listen to me! Ya got that!?"

The group fell silent. Everyone stared at Ripper with varying degrees of either judgment or confusion. "Uh… okay, not cool. Damien! You wanna sub for Ripper?" Raj offered, ignoring how Ripper squawked as everyone disregarded his declaration.

"Aw, yeah!" He grabbed his gun off the ground. "It's Damien time!"

[CONFESSIONAL: DAMIEN]

"Yep, I'm terrified." Damien anxiously admitted with a chuckle. "But I ain't throwin' the towel in again! If I could do it before, I can do it now! Damien is back, baby!"

[CONFESSIONAL END]

"Sweet! LET'S DO THIS!"

—-

"Whew… just… a bit… longer…" All the hits were really starting to take a toll on Priya. But no matter how many paintballs the Rhinos sent her way, Priya was in it for the win! She's taken watermelons to the face before, paintballs were nothing at all! Still, though, some help would have been nice…

As if her prayers were answered, Priya heard her name shouted over the chaos. "Priya!" Damien yelled, waving his arms wildly. On either side of him, Raj and MK aimed their guns. "Priya, we gotcha! Slow down!"

Putting her full faith in her team, Priya hit the brakes. At first, nothing happened. But once Caleb was far enough, the unlikely trio opened fire. Dozens of paintballs flew his way, and even for as calm and relaxed as he was, Caleb began to panic. He changed speed and direction every few seconds, but no amount of adjustment helped.

"Nice! Looks like Raj, MK, and Damien have triple-teamed Caleb! That's one- no, two hits! Four points for the Jaguars, and it's 23 - 18!"

Priya breathed a sigh of relief. The team had her back. All she had to do now was stay upright!

—-

"Caleb!" Nichelle cried. She watched helplessly as Damien, Raj, and MK ganged up on her… ally? Friend? It was a gray area. He took two hits; one to the shoulder, and another just below his ribs. Worry swelled up inside the actress. How could it not? No one could take that much! She sure couldn't. Nichelle felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to find Axel staring intensely at her.

"You scared? Upset? Angry?" She asked. Nichelle felt both confident and intimidated under her watch.

"Y-Yeah…" Nichelle admitted, glancing at her struggling teammate.

"I can't hear you!"

"Yeah!"

"Then use that anger!" Axel urged her. "Channel those feelings, and take the shot!"

"What?" Nichelle sputtered. "But… no, no, I'll mess it up! How 'bout you take it?" Nichelle offered Axel her gun, but the survivalist shoved it back toward her.

"No! You need practice! A well-rounded team is a winning team! SHOOT!"

[CONFESSIONAL: NICHELLE]

"There we go… that's the Axel I'm used to. Girl was scarin' me!"

[CONFESSIONAL END]

[CONFESSIONAL: AXEL]

"A good leader takes no excuses!" Axel crossed her arms and stomped her foot. The confessional rattled. "You win, or you die trying!"

[CONFESSIONAL END]

"Okay… okay, I can do this!" Hands shaking, Nichelle took aim.

"Take your time," Axel reminded her. "Don't rush it!"

"Right… aim ahead… don't rush… okay… you got this, girl! Your mom did not raise a quitter, she did not raise a quitter!" Nichelle mumbled to herself, over and over again.

"And that's another hit on Caleb!" Nichelle tensed. Another one? "25 - 18!"

Nichelle took Axel's words to heart, and allowed her worry, fury, and resentment when it came to MK specifically, to consume her. She waited for just the right moment, and…

BANG!

"And Nichelle has finally landed a hit! It's 25 - 20 now, folks! Guess the fallen star's got something to show for herself after all!"

Nichelle stood unmoving, still processing her success. Next to her, Axel nodded in approval. Wayne screeched a loud, almost deafening cheer. Was he trying to imitate an owl? Millie clapped, quietly congratulating Nichelle. She barely registered any of it. She did it. She did it! She hit a moving target with a paintball gun! Nichelle felt as if she could scream and cry from joy. She could do it. Nichelle LaDonna could do anything!

The celebration ended abruptly when Axel turned her attention to Millie. "What about you?" She honed in on the other girl. Millie took a step back with an anxious giggle. "You haven't got anyone on the other team! What are you doing!?"

"But… but we can't take Priya out now!"

"Yes, we can! And we're going to! We won't carry you through every challenge, so take the shot!" Axel demanded. Millie winced, subtly glaring as Axel turned her back.

"Fine." She relented. "I'll shoot."

[CONFESSIONAL: MILLIE]

"If Priya falls now, we lose. But that's Axel's fault, not mine! I just hope Priya doesn't take it too hard…"

[CONFESSIONAL END]

—-

The Jaguars cheered, their morale boosted after three successful hits in quick succession, to the Rhino team's one. "Aw, yeah!" Ripper stuck his tongue out at the opposing team. "You just got ripped! The rest of you chumps should be learning a thing or two from me!"

"...What?" Damien raised an eyebrow as he turned his head toward Ripper.

MK scowled. "Whatever would we do without you?" She drawled.

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have even got up! You'd still be whining on the ground like 'Oh, boo-hoo! We're weak widdle babies! If only someone would come save us!" He chuckled. Scary Girl raised her gun, and Damien immediately pushed it back down. He only seemed to realize his mistake when her eyes and grin both widened, and he swiftly stepped away.

"Hey, there's no 'me' in 'teamwork', bro!" Raj intervened with a frown. "It's a group effort! Ya can't have a team with just one person!"

"Yeah," MK added with a chuckle. "Better listen to Mr. Magic-of-Friendship."

"Whatever! Hockey's dumb anyway!"

Damien's eyes followed the conflicting players, and his expression was more confused than anything else. "He… he didn't even say anythin' about hockey!"

"Insult of the year, dude."

"Thank you!"

Raj snickered. "Oooh, I'm sooo scared! You come up with that all by yourself, or did your mommy help you?"

[CONFESSIONAL: RAJ]

"Classic trashtalk. Can't have a team without it!"

[CONFESSIONAL END]

Ripper growled. Before anyone could react, he fired a paintball straight into Raj's arm. "Hey, no!" Damien cried. "Man, that is not cool!"

"Looks like a bit of infighting has the Jaguars shooting their own!" Chris announced, with interest clear in his voice. "That's a penalty! 25 - 22, now! The Jaguars' lead is slowly fading, and it's anyone's game!"

The team, minus Scary Girl, glared at Ripper, who nervously chuckled. "Heh… whoops."

—-

Now, Caleb liked to consider himself a relaxed person. But it was difficult at best to keep your cool when three people just spent five minutes relentlessly shooting paintballs at you. Luckily, Caleb made it out mostly unscathed, and the Jaguars looked too busy with their bickering to pay any more attention to him. He snuck a glance at his team. Millie loaded her gun while Axel watched, arms crossed as she glared at the former.

[CONFESSIONAL: CALEB]

"Cold… why does Millie have to take the last shot, exactly? She and Priya looked so close. Poor gal."

[CONFESSIONAL END]

Caleb gave Millie a nod of reassurance when their eyes met. She aimed, and he saw Axel's mouth move. He could vaguely make out what she was saying to Millie;

Five.

Priya drove ahead, oblivious to her best friend's struggle.

Four.

Caleb watched Millie hesitate. Nichelle said something he couldn't make out, and Millie weakly smiled at her.

Three.

Priya finally spotted Millie.

Two.

She took one hand off the handlebar for a couple seconds at most to wave at Millie.

One.

Millie fired.

The rest seemed to pass by in slow motion. Being taken by surprise plus driving with only one hand spelled disaster for Priya, and both teams watched as her motorcycle fell, and Priya with it. She hit the ground at the same time Caleb hit the brakes.

"And that's a wrap!" The Rhinos cheered, exchanging high-fives. Caleb dismounted his motorcycle, and began to make his way toward the rest of the team, when Chris stopped them.

"Woah, woah, woah! What're you celebrating for?"

Everyone stopped, save for Millie, who looked tired and maybe a little annoyed. "We… we won, right?" Wayne spoke for his team, confusion evident on his features. The others nodded along, and Caleb soon picked up on their mistake. Unfortunately, the rest of the team wasn't so lucky.

Chris climbed down from the watchtower he'd been spectating from. Slowly but surely, the teams congregated around him. Bowie, Julia, Chase, and Emma were the last to arrive. They were led back to the group by Chef, now without their gear. Thankfully, none of them looked too injured, but all four sent nasty looks each other's ways. Whatever that was about, Caleb was grateful to not be involved.

"Y'see, campers, you forgot what the points were for! Remember? When I told you that the game ends when every member of one team falls? Yeah. And if you'll take a look at the scoreboard…" He pulled a button out of his breast pocket, and pressed it. Several numbers flashed across the screen, until the final scores were shown.

JAGGED JAGUARS: 25 POINTS

ROYAL RHINOS: 24 POINTS

"Oooh! That's rough!" Chris chuckled as the Rhinos voiced their shock and anger. "Just one point short! One tiny, single, measly little… oof!" Axel chucked a paintball gun at Chris, the weapon making impact with the host's stomach. Several people cringed. "Chef, please control the angry young lady over there!" Chef stormed toward Axel, cracking his knuckles. He growled, and Axel growled back, unintimidated by the co-host's presence. After several glares from her team, however, she finally backed down with a huff, and crossed her arms.

"Thank you. Now, if I may… the Jagged Jaguars win the challenge!"

"Yes!" Chase and Ripper high-fived, wearing matching grins. "Probably because of our epic strats!" Chase gloated.

"That's what I told 'em! Some team, huh?"

MK snorted. "What was your strategy, falling in the first ten minutes?"

Bowie loudly coughed into his fist. "AHEMteamplayer!" With an eye roll and a sigh of resignation, MK quieted down under the hostile stares of both Chase and Ripper.

"You guys okay?" Damien fretted, giving the racers a once-over. "Those were some nasty falls y'all took." Bowie chuckled and smirked.

"Better than okay," He replied. "I'm totally over the Julia thing, and like, for how uncomfy all that gear was, it sure did its job." Priya nodded, and Damien's shoulders seemed to relax. Until, of course, Chase began gloating. Again.

"Pfft, gear." He mocked with a snicker. "I woulda been fine without it! Nothing get the ol' Chaseter down!" His moment of pride was cut short when the helmet Emma flung at Chase hit him straight in the back, taking him to the ground. "Ha! Knew she was still paying attention!" Nearly everyone groaned.

—-

The sun was beginning to set, and Nichelle and Caleb stood quietly on the patio together as the time until the elimination ceremony ticked down. The only noise came from Axel, who had dedicated herself to a long bout of push-ups that evening. Nichelle and Caleb made small talk every now and then, but the mood was tense, and the atmosphere awkward. When the silence was finally broken again, it was by Axel, to both their surprise.

"I'll do it."

"Hm?" Nichelle looked down at Axel from the patio, raising her head from where her cheek had just rested in her hand. "Do what?"

"Your stupid alliance," Axel clarified as Nichelle brightened. "I'll join."

"You will!?" Nichelle squealed, perhaps just a bit too loudly. Caleb put a hand on her shoulder, gesturing for her to take it down a level. "My bad," She giggled in a more hushed tone. "Just stoked to have a girl buddy! No offense, Caleb."

"None taken."

"I wasn't finished!" Axel boomed, and Nichelle shut her mouth.

"The floor is yours."

Axel got up off the ground, and made her way to the railing Nichelle and Caleb leaned on. She stared up at them, which could not have been good for her neck, and continued. "I won't carry you through the competition, got that!?" Both nodded. "If you wanna work with me, you're gonna train with me!"

"Deal." Caleb agreed smoothly, and Nichelle nearly choked on air.

"What!?" She squawked. "Caleb!"

"You'll be fine," He assured her, his calm demeanor unchanged. "Axel, Nichelle's not got a lot of experience. Take it easy on her, would you?"

"Please." Nichelle added with a squeak.

Axel seemed to think about it, and sighed. "Fine. But I want your best effort, you hear me? No slacking off!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Nichelle saluted. Axel was a survivalist, but sometimes she reminded Nichelle more of a drill sergeant. She was tough, loud, and maybe a little scary, but she had a lot to teach, right? Right!

"Since we're on the topic of an alliance…" Caleb resumed the conversation, and both girls turned to look at him. "You decided who you're voting for yet? I've been having trouble myself."

"Not surprised you can't even handle a vote," Axel jeered. "Yeah, I got an idea."

—-

"Bowie, that was sick, bro!" Raj praised Bowie, the latter full of pride as Raj talked him up. "Sweet strategy, baiting penalties! You totally killed it out there! What a game, eh?"

"Oh, stop it! You're making me blush!" Bowie giggled. Ironically, it was Raj's face that was completely flushed, and Bowie's… not so much. "I saw that three-person attack on Caleb earlier. Was that you?" Raj grinned, chuckling sheepishly as the couple approached the cabin with the rest of their teammates. Bowie smirked as MK groaned behind them.

[CONFESSIONAL: MK]

"Major con of this alliance? I have to listen to these guys flirt. All. The time. If I ever go that goo-goo over a guy, just put me out of my misery."

[CONFESSIONAL END]

"Awwww, MK, were we bugging you? Oh, I'm so sorry-" He wasn't. "-but love is a fickle thing! For you, mostly." He and Raj snickered at her annoyance as the group filed into their cabin. "But who knows? You'll understand eventually! Probably not any time soon, but even you could get a date someday!"

MK shuddered at the thought. "Gross."

—-

The Rhinos made their way to the campfire, discord having settled over the group. Axel, Millie, Emma, and Julia argued amongst themselves, passing the blame back and forth. Everyone seemed to agree it was someone's fault; the issue was whose.

"Millie didn't help the team!" Axel argued. Julia nodded, her arms crossed. "Who else's fault would it be!?"

Millie frowned, rubbing her arm in irritation. "Nichelle got just as many penalties! It's not all my fault! Besides, I tried to tell you we'd lose if we knocked Priya down, and you didn't listen!"

"At least Nichelle was trying! What's your excuse!?"

"I was trying!"

Julia let out a dry, empty laugh. "Girl, you manage to try way too hard, and not try at all! How do you mess up that bad!?"

"Get off her back, it's not just her fault!" Emma butted in. Millie smiled gratefully. "Julia, you got a penalty on purpose! And Axel, maybe she would've tried harder if you listened to her! This was a joined effort! If we lose, it's everyone's fault!"

"Sorry to cut in on the drama," Chris interrupted. "But we're kinda limited on time! Everyone ready to vote?"

—-

The Rhinos had finally taken their seats. Axel and Millie glared at each other, Julia was thoroughly distracted by her phone, Emma was still seething, and Wayne seemed to be thinking hard about something, though no one could really tell what that was.

Chris and Chef approached the group with a plate of six marshmallows. Chris cleared his throat. "Wasn't expecting to see you back here so soon, Rhinos. But between Bowie's strategy, Emma getting distracted, Millie and Nichelle's horrible aim, and Axel's… questionable leadership skills, I can't say I'm surprised!" The team erupted into protest, everyone talking over each other to justify themselves. "ZIP IT! Chef, if you would?"

Chef stepped forward. "Emma; you let Chase and Bowie distract you! You failed to keep your head in the game, and you were the first member of your team to be eliminated."

[CONFESSIONAL: EMMA]

"That's literally not even my fault! Chase and Bowie were just being… they were so… UGH!"

[CONFESSIONAL END]

"Julia, you took Bowie out. But, you intentionally penalized yourself, and got yourself knocked out of the game doing it!" Julia rolled her eyes with an amused chuckle; she clearly wasn't worried.

[CONFESSIONAL: JULIA]

"So I got one penalty. Who cares? With Bowie out of the picture, we got way less penalties anyway! I was like, the only person doing anything helpful, soooo… I know I'm safe."

[CONFESSIONAL END]

"Nichelle, Millie; you were terrible. 'Nuff said."

[CONFESSIONAL: MILLIE]

"Wow."

[CONFESSIONAL END]

"And finally, Axel."

"What?"

"You let your temper get the better of you! You snapped at your teammates, and spent half the game shooting Ripper!"

[CONFESSIONAL: AXEL]

"I'd do it again."

[CONFESSIONAL END]

"Now," Chris took over, eyes gleaming with interest. "Cast your votes."

—-

"Y'all know how this works! If you get a marshmallow, you're safe. If you don't, it's Dock of Shame time! Let's begin." Chef held the plate out to Chris, and the host picked up the first marshmallow.

"Caleb; zero votes." Caleb smiled, and offered Nichelle a nod of encouragement. She anxiously smiled back.

"Wayne," The hockey player cheered, but fumbled with his marshmallow as he caught it. "Also zero votes!"

"Emma; zero votes." Her shoulder sagged with relief, and she popped her marshmallow into her mouth with a smile.

"Nichelle…" Nichelle froze up. "...zero votes!" She beamed at Caleb, but completely missed her marshmallow flying past her in the process.

"That's everyone who has not received a vote. The rest of you are still on the chopping block! Now, with just one vote, the next marshmallow is going to…"

"...Julia!"

"Yes!" Julia smirked, snatching her marshmallow out of the air as Chris tossed it her way.

"Millie, Axel; this is the final marshmallow of the evening. If I do not call your name, you must head to the Dock of Shame, be carried away in the Bucket of Tears, and you can never come back. Understood?" Millie nodded, and Axel grunted in affirmation. "Good. Now, with two votes, the final marshmallow goes to…"

Millie twiddled her thumbs, anxiously fidgeting with her rolled up sleeves.

Axel barely moved an inch, but her stare was ruthless and intense.

"...Axel!" He tossed the survivalist her marshmallow, which she caught with ease. "Millie, I'm sorry, but you're gone-zo!"

"What!?" Emma shot up, tapping her foot annoyedly. "Why Millie!?"

Nichelle stared into her lap guiltily. Julia smirked, and Caleb avoided eye contact. Wayne looked about as confused as he always did. Millie sighed and stood up, sending a small smile Emma's way.

"It's okay," She reassured her. "I didn't really expect to get far. I mean, I had Priya to help me the whole way through last time!" Millie giggled, but trailed off as she looked into the distance. "I just hope she can forgive me…"

"...Huh. You know what? I'll be right back!" Emma rushed off without another word, and the team watched her retreating form with mild interest (or lack of), before returning their attention to their newly eliminated teammate.

"Millie, follow me." Chris began the trek toward the Dock of Shame, and Millie followed without protest. "It's time for you to go."

—-

"Well… I didn't do as good on my own as I hoped I would… But I wouldn't change a thing! My only real regret is taking the shot at Priya just to prove a point. I mean, what difference did it make when I knew we'd lose anyway? It wouldn't have been worth my best friend if we won… so I guess this is a fair end for me. Karmic retribution, right?"

As Millie stepped up to the bucket, someone shouted her name. "Millie, stop!" Emma yelled, sprinting down the docks. "Wait up!" Millie turned to meet Emma, and gasped when she saw who she'd brought along. With a sad smile and a wave, Priya followed Emma to the end of the dock, where Millie waited for them.

"Priya? And- and Emma! You're here!" Millie sharply inhaled, before suddenly letting loose on a tangent. "Priya, I am so sorry! I shouldn't have shot at you just because Axel said to, I know it was super dumb, and I just really hope you can-" She was cut off by Priya's hand over her mouth. Her best friend giggled, and removed the hand once Millie had stopped mumbling behind it.

"Mills, it's okay. It's the way of the game. I would've done the same thing!" Priya reassured her with a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"Oh… oh! O-Okay! Good… but… what are you even doing here?"

"I went and grabbed her," Emma explained. "You seemed so worried about Priya forgiving you, and after last season, I could not see that friendship fall apart!" She crossed her arms, and puffed her chest out pridefully. "Soooo, I took it into my own hands! You know, a final goodbye?"

A final goodbye. Hearing it phrased like that hurt, but Millie couldn't help but feel overwhelming happiness. Sure, she was headed home, but she was spending her last moments on the island with her best friend, and her kinda-sorta-on-the-way-to-being-friends friend! She pulled Priya into a tight hug, which the latter returned with just as much energy. Emma aww'd behind them, while Chris groaned.

"Oh, come on! You had your moment last season! Millie, let's go! Chop chop!"

The duo pulled apart, and Millie reluctantly hopped into the bucket. Water splashed onto her pants, but she didn't seem to mind much. She hugged her knees, looking up at Priya and Emma one last time as she felt the bucket begin to move. The last thing she saw before losing sight of the island completely was Emma and Priya, enthusiastically waving her off.

—-

Priya and Emma waved, and waved, and waved some more, until Millie was out of sight. "You think she'll get home okay?" Emma asked, breaking the silence as the girls watched the sun finally disappear over the ocean waves.

"She will! They always do."

"Well, ladies, as… heartwarming… as this has been, I have an outro to do, so… shoo! Shoo! Git! Git outta here!" Priya and Emma protested as Chef appeared, herding both off the docks with a stone-cold expression. "Thank you!" Chris called after him, before clasping his hands together with his typical TV grin..

"Millie is headed home, and we're down to fourteen! Will the Royal Rhinos be able to bounce back? Or are they doomed to crumble under the Jaguars? Is Emma actually done with Chase? And who will be next to take the Bucket of Tears?" He chuckled to himself before continuing. "All that and more next time, on Total! Drama! Island!"

—-

[A/N: Funny how I said there wouldn't be lots of author's notes, but almost every chapter has had at least one. Hello there! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I wanted to take this portion of the chapter to apologize for any drop in quality readers may have noticed. I had an idea for how I wanted this chapter to play out, but changed the challenge last minute. I had to completely re-do the skeleton for the chapter, and erase most of what I already had written. Roughly 8,000 words were crammed in between Thursday night and Saturday afternoon, so I think it's safe to say I definitely rushed it. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway. Thanks again for taking the time out of your day to read this, and I'll see you all next week!]