It's ridiculous that it's been THREE YEARS since I last updated this… I always wanted to come back and finish it, and I'm doing it now because of a couple people asking me to continue.

To the anon person who asked me to continue The Machine as well as this, I'm sorry but I won't be finishing that one, I consider it the worst thing I've ever written and I really don't wanna go back to it :p

Anyway, a big thank you to the people who asked me to finish this, and to the any of my old readers if they are here, aaand to any potential new ones!

Disclaimer: Over three years later, Total Drama still doesn't belong to me.

Part XI

If you asked around, you would find that the one who had the most complete recollection of what had happened the night Duncan and Courtney found each other was Alejandro.

He had been right by as it happened, on the hallway that led to the room the ex-couple were in. Leaning on a wall and just listening to the argument, as was his way, his almost morbid fascination with human nature. It wasn't like there was anything better to do, either.

But then Courtney and Duncan's voices had started their contest of outdoing the other, giving him a headache that had made him feel more than inclined to leave. Considering he had all the insight he needed anyhow, he exited the hallway, leaving the screams behind.

If he had stuck around for longer, he would have gotten to hear the screaming reach its highest point, and then, the few moments only Courtney's hysterical yells could be heard. Then, a sudden interruption, a sound resembling a record needle scratch from Courtney's throat; almost immediately, a hollow thump on the wall.

Then a prolonged silence, terrifying after the shouting match. Maybe a few muted sounds— choked noises or the rustle of clothing.

But Alejandro was in another room by then, and he only got to see them when they came out.

He was surprised when Courtney swung the door open, presenting a different very sight than what he expected.

He had anticipated her storming away, furious and red on the face. Instead she was pallid, and the look on her eyes was as if she had seen a ghost. She looked scattered, like she would crumble down at any second, but she held her stride until she disappeared through the door at the end of the room, after sparing Alejandro a single glance—he wasn't sure she had even registered he was there.

Duncan came out moments later, and the Latino too had to pause on him because of the look in his eyes. They were heartbroken, as if he had just killed someone he loved.

He didn't even glance at him as he also walked out the door.

And Alejandro was left sitting there, staring after them like the idiot he most certainly was not, an itching in the back of his head that could only be called curiosity.

What he had heard before didn't justify such a state. He feverishly wondered what could have happened in those few minutes he wasn't listening in, what they could have possibly said to each other that had left them like that.

But what he did know in that moment, based on the looks of both of them, and on his vast knowledge of human nature, was that this was it for that particular couple. They would never get back together after that.

It was simply impossible –and in this Alejandro based more on intuition than logic and knowledge- that they could ever love each other again.

…It's morning, you wake, a sunray hits your face
smeared makeup as we lay in the wake of destruction
hush baby, speak softly, tell me you're awfully sorry
that you pushed me into the coffee table last night
so I CAN PUSH YOU OFF ME

-Love the Way You Lie, Part 2

Come the next day, the cast mates demanded Duncan and Courtney clean up the mess they made while they were doing whatever they did the night before. Naturally, no one was surprised when Duncan and Courtney refused to be in the same room together; Gwen didn't even look up as a small, tired round of half-hearted insults rose between the two, and in the end it was decided each party would clean one half the room at different times.

Normally, Courtney would have spoken up and suggested that Duncan 'cleaned' the whole room, and then she would go in and actually clean it, since his idea of cleaning up varied greatly from that of the rest of the world. But this time, she said nothing. The rest of the contestants would later go in, and they could see for themselves when half the room was clean, and half was dirty.

"Hey Courtney, are you done cleaning?"

The brunette frowned at Heather. "Yes, I'm done with my part of the room- where're you going?"

"I'm," she blushed, then snapped, "I just need to do something-somewhere else. Okay?"

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Fine," she heard her voice creak at the end, and took her hand to her throat. The action gave her dread but she quickly convinced herself the creaking was from all the yelling she had done the night before. The door was still swinging where Heather had disappeared, oblivious to all.

When Courtney drew her next breath, she did it with an unusual gratitude. She was lucky to be alive, she realized. She could have died the night before. As in, no more Courtney. No more breaths to be drawn, no more light entering her eyes. One less daughter in her family. It was chilling to think about it.

She couldn't help but wonder exactly what had ever made him stop.

By Duncan's own admission, he shouldn't have hugged Courtney right after… what he had done.

If he'd had any respect for her he would not have touched her, but done her a favor and stayed away from her for the rest of their miserable lives, drowning on guilt on his own. But he was weak, and he wanted her to forgive him.

Last night, after they had… after he had done that evil thing, after he'd hugged her to him when he shouldn't have and she slowly came to, she had slipped off from under him. Her instinct of preservation was still working and –God help him- he didn't want to let her go.

Everything in his body was shouting at him that if he let her go know, everything was over. He would give her time to think about what had happened; she would realize how much of a monster he was, and she'd never come near him again. He would lose all chance of her forgiveness.

No, he couldn't let her go. He had to keep her there, with him, until he was sure he had her forgiveness.

And despite all that, he let her go.

Even though she moved slowly, wanting to see how he reacted –she was afraid of him now, she would probably always be-, he had not moved a muscle while she inched out of his reach, stood up and shakily walked to the door.

Not a word passed between them then, but her final question haunted him.

"How did we come to this?"

How?

How did they get there from such a bright, effortless beginning? How had they fallen into that abyss? How come they hadn't known better?

Thinking back to the beginning was painful. It was time throwing in their faces the stupid mistakes they had made.

She hurt him, so he tried to hurt her right back— she made him mad, he made her believe he didn't care—she believed he didn't truly didn't, and so she tried to hurt him as much as she was hurting. It was an never-ending cycle. It was all because of revenge. It was all because of him.

"How did we come to this?"

I don't know, Princess.

I have no freakin' clue.

"Oh, no, I wasn't looking for him when I found him," Courtney related to Sierra and Heather later.

The three girls formed a circle, but they didn't stand close to each other because Courtney was purposefully talking loudly enough for Gwen to hear. The Goth was a few feet away on one of the seats. "But when I did, I just used the opportunity to tell him it wasn't worth it to keep avoiding each other, and that we should just be civil to one another, and of course, he completely ignored me." She rolled her eyes. "Then the fight started because I wanted to know the reason of his insistence on, well, dating down."

"Did you ever get an answer?" asked Sierra.

"No," Courtney threw her head back. "He wouldn't tell me. I think some guys just, you know," she looked up affectedly, "are plain untrustworthy."

Heather and Sierra nodded in silence.

"So, what happens now?" asked Sierra.

Courtney looked blankly at her. "What do you mean?"

"Are you and Duncan done for good? 'Cause I gotta notify my followers if you are."

Courtney glared daggers at the purple-haired girl, but Heather jumped to respond before she could.

"Sierra, a little consideration! Courtney's going through a rough time here!"

"Thank you," Courtney said.

"So, Courtney," Heather said, leaning in in mock-secrecy, while keeping her voice at the same volume. "Did you and Duncan ever… you know, do it?"

Courtney's brow furrowed in confusion, then her eyes widened. "Oh my God, no." She cocked her head. "Oh, but it would have been awful if I had, and then this happened," she said as an afterthought. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," Heather said disinterestedly, looking at her nails. "Just wondering 'cause, you can rest assured he's done it with the new one."

Sierra's eyes widened, but Courtney looked skeptic. A distance away, Gwen's shoulders tensed.

"Really. How can you tell?" Courtney asked cynically.

Heather shot her a glare. Play the hell along with me. "It's only probable. Since she did it with Trent, back when they were together."

"She did?" Sierra asked excitedly. Her eyes wore was half her usual gossip hunger, and half malice because of her current dislike for the girl.

"Oh, definitely," Heather nodded. "After all, you can't be a full-blown slut without the sex factor."

Courtney smirked. "Well, I guess that's it then. There's my reason."

There was a rustle of fabric, as Gwen suddenly got up and faced them with a glare. "You know, this whole middle school-y bully stunt you're pulling here is really pathetic."

"You're pathetic," Courtney told her. "I'll tell you something that might be a bit of a shock to you—if you date a guy that cheats on his girlfriend, you'll be dating a guy that cheats on his girlfriend."

Gwen took the blow without flinching; clearly she didn't think she would suffer the same fate. "Doesn't that put you in the same boat?"

Courtney's smile vanished. "I had no way of knowing what he'd turn out to do. You do. That puts us in a different boat." She advanced past her lackies and onto Gwen, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Or what, you think you're special? You think with you it's gonna be different? It's not."

"Look, do you want me to tell you I'm sorry? Because I am! "

"Shut UP!" There she is, thought Gwen. No more of this theatrical, indirect harassment. The real Courtney had come out. "You could've stopped it at ANY time!" Courtney punched a seat, sending an empty cookie tray flying across the room. "Don't tell me you're sorry! I will never forgive you!"

Crossing her arms and looking off to the distance, Gwen muttered, "I was a better friend to you than these double-faced-"

"Don't you dare call yourself a friend! You were never a real friend." They were now close enough to each other and Courtney had stopped shouting. "You always wanted what I had."

Gwen looked down with guilt. "I didn't mean for this to happen. We just-," She risked a look up, and immediately swallowed her words when she saw Courtney's eyebrow rise dangerously at her use of the word 'we'.

Heather and Sierra had become as good as furniture, as Courtney held her stare at Gwen, to wordlessly advise her to stop pleading her case.

Then, Courtney turned her back on the silenced girl and left the room, observing that Gwen seemed really sure of where she stood with Duncan, and didn't see his cheating history as a threat. She probably thought Courtney had been a fling, and she was the real thing.

She really did think she was special. She would learn.

~The Lighthouse