AN; And now for something completely (ok slightly) different. I've set up enough mini plot threads that I've decided to write an interlude. Feel free to skip this chapter, as it's not actually the episode being watched. But if you actually care about the plot of The Peanut Gallery (which confuses me that people care), this should cover a lot of the various things that have been going on. Oh yeah, and a fair warning, there is mention of NoCo. It's also a different writing style, but don't worry, it's not permanent
"Ugh." Noah moaned, checking the clock on his bedside table, which read 9:30. Last night was the worst night of sleep he had ever had, bar none. Not even the 'Big Sleep' challenge made him feel this crappy. "Do you always wake up every hour and check the locks?" He asked Cody as they unlocked all five of the locks (four installed over the night) that kept their door Sierra-proof.
"Yes, actually." Cody said, not looking any worse for wear from his lack of sleep. "I've developed it after a year of dealing with Sierra." He inspected one of the locks and frowned. "She broke this one."
"Big shock." Noah groaned, looking at the door as he closed it. It was covered with scratches and burn marks. "I think she tried to blow up our door."
"I'm just surprised she isn't sleeping out here." Cody mused. He suddenly twitched and looked around wildly, as if expecting Sierra to pop out at any moment.
"Yes, let's just count our blessings there and get some breakfast." Noah rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and walked down the hall, praying no one would interrupt them.
"Hey Fruitcake One and Fruitcake Two!" Eva interrupted the silence, walking up behind the two. "You two pansies sleep together?" She threw her arm around Noah's neck and noogied him.
"We did nothing of the sort." Noah's eye twitched and he pushed Eva's arm off of him. "And I don't understand why you feel the need to do that." He flattened his hair back to its normal shape.
"Wait, who's Fruitcake One and who's Fruitcake Two?" Cody asked, both Eva and Noah looking at him oddly. "What, I just want to know!" He said defensively.
"You're Fruitcake Two." Eva poked Cody. "Fruitcake One over here's been Fruitcake for longer, so he wins the title."
"Gee, I'm so honored that I get to have the superior demeaning nickname." Noah rolled his eyes.
"I'm surprised, Eva." Cody said, earning another look of confusion from her. "You seem so... normal."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Eva gave him a menacing glare and he shrunk back.
"I think he means that you haven't turned into a psycho yet." Noah interrupted her rage before it could get worse. "Remember, the last major interaction you two had was you nearly chomping his arm off for nearly touching your iPod."
"Oh yeah..." Eva sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh, sorry for that..." She extended her arm in a handshake. "We...uh..cool?"
"We're cool..." Cody looked nervous about grabbing her hand but did anyway, not prepared for her strength, she shook him like a ragdoll before sheepishly stopping. "I-I'm just confused on the sudden change in attitude."
"I may have taken anger management classes in the year between ROTI and All Stars." Eva laughed. "But seriously, don't test me, I've won judo championships at seven, I will not hesitate to break you." She stopped laughing, poking Cody in the chest and growling.
"A little rough there, Iron Woman." Noah snarked. "Come on, let's get breakfast before we run into any more unwelcome guests." He said.
When the trio arrived in the lunchroom of the Playa, they found that almost everyone was already there (not really surprising when you get up at 9:30). Noah scanned the tables for an open seat furthest away from everyone else, only to be interrupted by an unexpected bone crushing hug. "Owen..." He gagged. "Can't...breath!" He choked out, Owen dropping him from the hug and laughing.
"Oh, sorry, Noah!" Owen chuckled. "Man, I had a great night!" He looked down at Noah. "How was your night, huh?" He elbowed Noah, purring suggestively.
"Lousy." Noah ignored the innuendo. "How was your-" He began, but widened his eyes as he realized he did NOT want to know.
"Well, me and Izzy-" Owen began, but a sudden noise interrupted him. They all turned around to see Sierra bursting into the room, manic and desperate. Cody made terrified gibberish noises and quickly hid behind Owen.
"Cody? Cody where are you?" Sierra pleaded, looking around.
"Don't worry, I've got you covered." Eva smirked at Cody, who nodded and continued making himself scarce behind Owen, who was rather confused at the fact that Cody was clinging to him. "Hey, Sierra, I saw him in the juice bar!" She waved at Sierra, who grinned and gave her a thumbs up.
"Thank you Eva!" Sierra squealed, running off again.
"That should keep her occupied for... oh... ten minutes min, thirty max." Eva turned back to Cody, smirking.
"She-she just bought that?" Noah gaped. "I think she's gotten stupider."
"Crazier, stupider, more deluded, whatever." Cody shrugged, calming down. "Let's get food and sit down before she comes back."
"Oh yeah..." Eva stopped suddenly, thinking. "The juice bar is closed today, so she'll either give up and be back in a couple minutes..." She mused, Cody shrinking back. "Or more likely, the moron will spend hours trying to bust in."
"Let's pray for the second one." Noah said, annoyed. "Look, I just want to get breakfast?"
"Can I join you guys?" Owen asked, giving Noah the full force of his puppy dog eyes. "Please? I haven't hung out with you at all since Cody started hanging out with you!"
"...uh..." Noah tried to resist buckling under the pressure of Owen's stare, but failed. "Fine."
"Yeah!" Owen whooped and threw a hand in the air. "Man, I missed hanging out with my little buddy!" He hugged Noah, who didn't seem at all surprised by the crushing force being applied to his chest.
"Is-is he always like this around you?" Cody whispered to Noah when Owen let go of him.
"Yeah. He's like an overgrown puppy. You get used to it." Noah whispered back.
"Um, I'll just... let you two get caught up." Cody said nervously. "I've got some... business to attend to."
"Yeah, whatever." Noah scoffed, watching Cody walk away.
"Boy, what was up with Cody?" Owen said, confused. "Did you two break up or something?" He asked Noah, who froze in place and narrowed his eyes.
"We're not dating, Owen." Noah said sharply.
"But last night you two slept together-" Owen looked confused.
"Literally. We slept in the same bed. No shenanigans." Noah flushed slightly, although his dark complexion hid it. "And anyway, how did you know?"
"Well, Eva-" Owen began, but a swift punch in the gut from an 'unknown' source shut him up. "I just heard it going around! Not from Eva, no way!" He laughed nervously, his eyes darting back at Eva, who kept glaring.
"Look, just drop the conversation, ok?" Noah said, frustrated. "I helped Cody out because he's my friend, nothing more." He sighed, a muffled cry of 'Yes!' coming from over in Sadie's direction, quickly stifled by Katie.
Over with the two girls, Sadie was smirking triumphantly. "See, I told you, just friends."
"Oh come on, you saw him blush!" Katie whispered back.
"Yeah, because he was embarrassed that Owen suggested that!" Sadie countered, whispering back as loud as could still be considered a whisper. "Not everyone blushes because they have a crush!"
"What about Brick and Jo?" Katie said, pointing to the two, who were sitting at opposite ends of a cafeteria table, making a point not to glance over at each other as they blushed heavily.
"That's different." Sadie rolled her eyes. "Those two are clearly repressing feelings for each other."
"Oh my gosh I know!" Katie suddenly said, dropping the previous subject in favor of squealing. "We should totally set them up on a date!"
"That is the greatest idea ever!" Sadie agreed. "You are like, so totally the best planner."
"No, you are!" Katie smiled back, giggling.
"Oh my gosh, will you two just CAN IT!" Heather butted in from another table, imitating their voice for a brief second before yelling. "I've had enough of your matchmaking!"
"Is this about Ale-" Sadie began, slightly hurt, but was cut off by Heather hurling a fork at her head. "Oh my gosh you could have hit me!"
"Yeah, well then, you better stop talking about... what you were just talking about!" Heather huffed, faltering as she struggled not to mention Alejandro's name.
"Katie, I think we should plan this in private." Sadie narrowed her eyes and the two got up and left, Heather blowing a raspberry at them.
"Honestly, do those two just hover around any two people who act the slightest bit nice to each other and wait until they find something that proves their insane romantic theories?" Heather mumbled to herself, tapping the table.
"You should stop repressing your feelings and embrace them." Heather jumped up in fright as she realized Dawn was meditating on what she was pretty sure was an empty chair a few seconds ago.
"Jesus Christ!" Heather screamed, heart racing. "How did you sneak up on me like that, freak?"
"I simply walked up." Dawn explained, as if there was no physical anomaly going on. "And your attempts to divert my attention are noted."
"You couldn't have 'just walked up', I was looking straight at that chair and it was empty five seconds ago!" Heather insisted.
"You looked down at the table to mumble angrily, and I sat down then." Dawn said simply. "You know that you and Alejandro could be happy together."
"No, we couldn't." Heather looked down again. "He's an arrogant jerkwad with no respect for me and my talents!"
"On the contrary." Dawn smiled. "You are the first girl he's ever met that has truly been a formidable opponent in his eyes."
"Just an opponent." Heather added. "He was just an obstacle to the million."
"Heather, the money is never worth more than love." Dawn looked at her as if she was pitying her.
"Money can buy love." Heather said, annoyed. "I could have kept the million if it wasn't for him!"
"No, you couldn't have." Dawn said sadly.
"Yes I COULD!" Heather yelled, attracting more attention.
"Ignoring the fact that Alejandro was not present for the awarding of the million and that Ezekiel was the one who took the case," Dawn said, struggling not to roll her eyes. "No one on Total Drama has ever kept the million in its entirety. I believe it is cursed."
"Oh come on, seriously, cursed?" Heather scoffed.
"One; Owen was coerced into giving up his one hundred thousand-" Dawn began.
"Yeah, cause he's stupid and thought he could win the million." Heather countered. "That's not proof of a curse in the slightest."
"Two;" Dawn ignored her. "Beth is forced to use up all of her money to post bail for her and Lindsay."
"Beth tripped and ruined a national treasure, that's not a curse!" Heather stammered. "She's a total klutz, of course she tripped!"
"Hey..." Beth said from another table. "I've gotten way better, I swear!"
"Three; you win the money, only to have it be grabbed from you and get it burned to a crisp in the volcano." Dawn continued. "And four; Cameron splits the money thirteen ways and gets only seventy seven thousand."
"See, he didn't lose the money, he gave it up like a moron!" Heather said, annoyed.
"I have reasons to believe that if he had kept the money, a similar fate would have befallen him." Dawn said ruefully.
"So what, the money is worthless and we shouldn't even try?" Heather said. "What's the point in competing if you think the money is cursed?"
"No, I'm not saying that." Dawn looked slightly annoyed. "What I'm saying is that you shouldn't put the money that you might not even get over a person who loves you for who you are."
"Yeah, like he actually likes me." Heather actually looked hurt. "He took the first chance he had to dump me down the drain."
"Because he believed that there would no way for you two to be together without being on equal ground." Dawn explained. "You cheated him out of the million and he did the same."
"Your little mystic thing gets old really quick." Heather grumbled, no longer interested in the conversation, she looked away. "Seriously, what is your deal, any-" She looked up again, only to find Dawn had disappeared just as quickly as she had appeared. "Ugh." She groaned.
"Geoff, today, we're going to the producers." Bridgette suddenly announced to her boyfriend at the breakfast table, causing him to drop his spoon in shock.
"Awww come on babe, I don't want to." Geoff groaned.
"But if we don't do something, who will?" Bridgette asked, giving him a sad look.
"Uh, well, there's Mike's family." Geoff mused. "I'm sure they'll do something."
"I doubt it." Bridgette scoffed. "Have you ever met Mike's parents?"
"No... have you?" Geoff looked confused at the question.
"No, and that's exactly the point. No one's seen them, and Mike's never even mentioned them." Bridgette said, annoyed.
"So what, he's an orphan?" Geoff said. "I don't think he's an orphan."
"I don't either." Bridgette said. "But I don't think they'll do anything to help. I remember Dawn saying he had a worse home life than Scott."
"I don't remember that." Geoff scratched his head, before his eyes lit up. "Ooh, yeah... I guess that's who she was talking about."
"Yeah, she was." Bridgette frowned. "And we know how Scott's dad dealt with the trauma chair."
"He didn't deal with it, babe. He left him here at the playa-Ooh, that's what you meant." Geoff said, as he realized what she meant. "But we can't really do anything about it..."
"We have to do something!" Bridgette interrupted him. "Listen to me, Geoff, I get it. We're not going to change anything." She sighed. "But I can't just sit here and do nothing! It goes against everything I believe in to just sit back and let bad things happen!"
"What about Chris and the whole nuclear waste debacle? You weren't storming over to them." Geoff countered.
"Hey, who do you think called in Environmental Protection?" Bridgette smirked. "Just because I don't tell you doesn't mean I don't have adventures."
"Honestly I just figured that the whole thing being aired on national TV-" Geoff shrugged, only to be interrupted by a nearby Harold, who gave him a meaningful look. "-Ok, international TV. " He corrected, and Harold nodded. "I just thought they watched the show and figured it out themselves."
"Well yes, but I helped." Bridgette folded her arms. "I was there and reported on the state of the island."
"So that's why you agreed to be in episode 5!" Geoff said. "I thought you had just gone temporarily nutzo."
"Thank you for your ringing endorsement." Bridgette rolled her eyes. "Look, come with me or not, I'm gonna go to the producers."
"Bridgey Bear..." Geoff whined. "You know I can't let you go on your own, right?"
"I know." Bridgette gave a devious grin. "Let's get going, Geoffy-poo." She scratched underneath his chin and smiled warmly.
"You just tricked me into coming, didn't you!" Geoff realized what was going on a second too late, Bridgette dragging him along by his necklace.
The cafeteria was a lot quieter once they were gone, people staying in their own groups, much like a high school cafeteria... An extremely dysfunctional high school cafeteria with actual food and not mandatory slop. Most of the people left in staggering groups, heading off in different directions, for the pool (finally fixed) or their own rooms. Sam honestly wasn't in any of those groups, really he was just wandering aimlessly while playing his GameGuy, not headed in any particular direction. "Hey, hey, hey Sam!" Sam suddenly jerked up from looking at the screen, looking around for the source of the noise. "Hey, Sam!" He located the person the voice belonged to, Cody, waving him over.
"Hey Cody." Sam laughed. "You could have just poked me." He closed his GameGuy and stuck it in his pocket. "What's up? You still stuck on that one level on-" He began.
"That was just that one time." Cody said, interrupting him. "I swear, I'm not that bad at video games, I was just distracted!"
"Yeah, whatever, huhuhuh." Sam chuckled again. "So what's up?"
"I was just wondering if you'd like to start up that Gamers Club again." Cody said.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with Sierra being back, would it?" Sam smirked.
"If I answer yes will you get Dakota to join?" Cody looked pleadingly at Sam.
"...I would enjoy hanging out with you and Harold again, but Dakota isn't super in to video games." Sam sighed. "Plus, you know, the whole mutant sized hands thing?" He motioned with his own hands.
"Oh yeah." Cody sighed. "So, uh, you still want to rejoin?"
"Sure, it's not like I have anything better to do." Sam smiled. "I mean, besides watching the show at 7, but everyone's doing that."
"OH CRAP!" Cody's eyes widened in fear as Sam said that.
"...Don't tell me..." Sam chuckled. "You forgot about the whole reason we're staying at the Playa and not at home, didn't you?"
"Yes!" Cody suddenly grabbed Sam's shoulders and attempted to shake him back and forth, but due to the size difference, he couldn't move Sam. "What am I going to do when the show airs? I'm going to be stuck in a room with Sierra for thirty minutes or more!"
"Calm down, calm down." Sam smiled. "I'm sure you can..." He paused, unsure of what he could say. "Uh... yeah, you're screwed."
"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" Cody asked, scared. "Cause, it didn't. It really didn't."
"Hey, you asked for my opinion." Sam shrugged. "I don't have any experience with crazy girls." He said, only to elicit a confused look from Cody. "What?" He asked.
"Don't take this the wrong way or anything," Cody began. "But Dakota's kind of crazy."
"Oh come on, she's not that bad." Sam said, annoyed, hands on his hips. "She's doing fine considering all the crap that keeps happening to her."
"Well, she's kind of like Sierra." Cody said. "I mean, she's tall and super strong and tends to go on rampages."
"...Ok you've got a point." Sam admitted. "So, you want my advice?"
"Yes!" Cody grinned.
"Well, whenever Dakota gets mad, I just sit back and do damage control." Sam said. "But I guess that really won't work if Sierra is damaging you, now will it."
"Yeah..." Cody mused. "So what, I just run away?"
"That's probably your best bet, huhuhuhuh." Sam laughed nervously.
"CODY!" Cody jumped up in fright as a familiar shriek was heard, Sierra standing in the doorway. Cody didn't have time to react before Sierra zipped up and grabbed him tight in a hug, suffocating him in her cleavage. "Oh my gosh when did you get out of the juice bar? Like, it was closed so I had to climb through the vents to get in, but by then you must have left, hehehehe!" She giggled, pulling Cody out of the hug. "Camody says hi!" She grinned manically. "Oh, and Gwen too."
"...H-hi Sierra..." Cody whimpered, looking at Sam pleadingly, Sam shrugging weakly.
"Hi Sierra." Sam waved. "We were just talking about you!" He smiled, only to realize Cody was waving his hands frantically to get him to stop. "I mean-uh, what do I mean?" He asked Cody, who whispered in his ear. "Oh, ok. We were just talking about video games. Yep, very boring video games." He chuckled weakly. "Nothing you would be interested in."
"Oh my gosh you're talking about video games?" Sierra clapped her hands. "I've been out of the MMO loop for so long!"
"You play MMO'S?" Sam asked incredulously.
"Yep! I'm a Druid warrior elf with level 35 sword skills and level 62 massage in Third Life!" She recited off the top of her head. "And I've got almost all the achievements right now! All I need is to fish on both sides of the current conflict and I'll have all the ones achievable in my skill set!"
"Really? I didn't even know there was a masseuse skill set." Sam looked confused, Cody taking the opportunity to sneak away while they were talking.
"Oh yeah, it's from a defunct DLC pack from 2005 that was taken down for being too racy." Sierra purred. "I managed to pick it up during the five months it was available."
"Really? Sweet!" Sam grinned. "I'm a human warrior with maxed skills in combat!" He made a chopping motion. "Maybe you should join the Gamers Club me and Cod-" He began, only to realize Cody was gone. "Hey, where'd he go?"
"I don't know..." Sierra said, hand on her chin in thought. "Well, give my regards to Dakota!" She grinned. "I've got to go find Cody!" She ran off.
"Wait, I didn't even get your username!..." Sam yelled, but Sierra was already out the door. "Oh well, huhuhuhuh..." He pulled his GameGuy out and began playing again.
The pool was always crowded at the Playa, seeing as it was pretty much the only interesting place besides the rec room, which was closed until the episode aired. So it wasn't a surprise that most of the girls were sitting by the poolside, tanning (or spraying in Anne Maria's case). Even Staci, who never actually got the chance to try out the swimsuit she packed for ROTI, was sitting with her feet in the water, not sure that she wanted to get in. "Hey, Darci!" Staci looked up in shock to see Lindsay waving at her, over with Anne Maria, Beth and Dakota. "You want to come paint Dakota's nails with us?" She grinned, holding up a paint bucket.
"You want to hang out with me?" Staci looked shocked. "No one wants to hang out with me." She sighed.
"Awwww, come on Darci!" Lindsay ran over to her and tugged on her arm. "I want to hang out with you!"
"Yeah, you looked lonely." Beth agreed, walking over to her. "We really haven't been fair to you, I mean, just cause you were annoying in ROTI-" She stopped when she realized what she was saying. "Ok, that came out wrong."
"Yah, I know what you mean..." Staci smiled weakly. "I just got so stressed about everything, and Mildre-Blaineley told me that I had to make sure no one knew who I was or she'd end me." She stammered. "I guess I tried too hard, huh?"
"Oh, it's ok, Bailey is a meanie, she hates everyone." Lindsay smiled, and dragged her up. "Come on, let's get you painting nails!"
"Hi Staci!" Dakota waved at Staci when she walked over, her other hand being painted on by Anne Maria, who shushed her.
"Don't move those claws, girl." Anne Maria scolded, while painting one claw. "The nail polish ain't done yet."
"Sorry, Anne Maria." Dakota sighed. "Me forgot nails need dry."
"It's ok, just don't do it again. I don't know how your claws wash, but nail polish ain't easy to get off for me." Anne Maria said, annoyed.
"So...hi." Staci waved nervously. "You're being unusually nice."
"What?" Anne Maria stopped painting for a second and looked annoyed. "What do you mean by that?"
"Uh, well, uh..." Staci backpedaled. "I just meant that I never would have guessed you'd be, like, nice to Dakota."
"What, cause she's scaly and she's big and her hair's green?" Anne Maria scoffed, Dakota looking hurt.
"Well...yeah." Staci rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean... that came out wrong."
"Well first of all, Dakota's a nice girl." Anne Maria smiled. "And second, she's managed to land a great skin color without having to spray." She patted Dakota's hand. "Plus, I've never been able to draw this much stuff on one nail." She pointed to one of Dakota's finished nails, which was bright pink and sparkling with stars and hearts all over it.
"Me like having nails painted." Dakota smiled. "Anne Maria nicer than looks."
"... Can I help?" Staci smiled. "I've never helped anyone with their nails since Mildred grew up and left the house."
"That's why I asked, silly! Anna Marie, Bethany and me were just talking about how we wanted to invite you!" Lindsay clapped. "Oops, I forgot to call you Beth." She looked sadly at Beth, who smiled.
"It's ok." Beth smiled. "So Staci, how are you doing?" She started the conversation awkwardly.
"Uh, fine." Staci grinned awkwardly. "I haven't really done much."
"Staci have crush on anyone?" Dakota asked.
"Not really..." Staci blushed. "Well, I mean-"
"Oh come on, spill the beans!" Anne Maria seemed to have stopped painting Dakota's nails to instead gossip.
"I haven't really talked to him though..." Staci stammered.
"Darci, you have to talk to him to get it started!" Lindsay giggled. "Who is it, uh, let me guess, let me guess," She put her finger on her lips in thought. "Is it Brock?" Staci shook her head. "Good, cause I think Jane called dibs."
"Is it DJ?" Beth suggested, eliciting another no from Staci. "Yeah, I didn't think so."
"Cody?" Dakota asked, confused.
"No, no way." Staci shook her head. "He's super smart."
"Cameron?" Anne Maria giggled. "Oh my gawd I know who it is, it's B!" She broke out into guffaws as Staci blushed. "Sorry, sorry." She stopped laughing after a couple seconds. "But it's totally ionic, you know."
"Ironic, not ionic." Beth corrected her.
"Whatever." Anne Maria said, going back to painting Dakota's nails while smirking. "So it's Silent Treatment, is it?"
"Maybe..." Staci twiddled her fingers nervously. "It's stupid, I know, yah."
"Not stupid." Dakota disagreed. "Dakota love Sam, and it not stupid."
"What time is it?" Staci asked, trying to change the subject.
"Uh, the big hand is on six and the little hand is on twelve." Lindsay said. "So is it 6:12?"
"It's 12:30, Lindsay." Beth corrected her. "What do you think is going on over on the island?"
"Well, I think they're racing something." Staci said.
"Why do you think that?" Beth scratched her head.
"Well, the dock and beach are closed, and the hot air balloon and Boat of Losers are both missing." Staci explained. "Plus-" She began, only for a small explosion to go off in the distance. It wasn't jarringly loud, but it was loud enough to interrupt Staci. "Plus, I just heard an explosion, yah."
"I don't get it." Anne Maria said, confused.
"Well-" Staci began again.
"No, I get the racing thing." Anne Maria cut her off. "What I don't get is how you turned into little miss super genius all of the sudden."
"Yeah, why didn't you use your smarts in the show?" Beth asked. "You could have got farther than the first one out if you had."
"I kind of panicked and tried way too hard to get attention." Staci shrugged. "It was the first time the camera would be focused on me, and I just had to keep it focused on me, so I lied. A lot..."
"Yeah you did." Anne Maria said. "I was ready to vote you off myself, even if we were on separate teams."
"Hehehehe..." Staci laughed nervously. "So... Who do you think was blown up?"
"Me hope it was Courtney." Dakota growled. "She still have pay for hurting Sam."
"I hope it was Mill." Lindsay said. "Maybe another explosion will bring Mickey back?"
"I second the vote for Courtney." Anne Maria said simply. "She's a bitch."
"She's not that bad, guys..." Beth said weakly, before everyone's stares caused her to sigh. "Ok, she's pretty bad."
"She call me freaky spike monster." Dakota admitted, everyone else gaping.
"She called you WHAT?" Anne Maria said, incensed. "Oh that is it, when she's voted off, she is getting the beat down!"
"Candace is a meanie! Sure, you're spiky, but you're not a monster!" Lindsay assured Dakota. "Monsters are mean, and you're not mean."
"Yeah, that's not cool." Beth said, frowning.
"Nobody insults my friends and keeps their hair." Anne Maria growled.
"Me Anne Maria's friend?" Dakota asked, smiling tentatively.
"I don't paint the nails of people I hate, girl." Anne Maria smiled.
"Yay!" Dakota clapped, her tail thumping the ground loudly, she grabbed Anne Maria and hugged her tight.
"Ack-!" Anne Maria coughed, and Dakota let her go, frightened that she might have hurt her friend. "I'm fine, I'm fine."
"Sorry..." Dakota mumbled.
"It's-" Anne Maria paused and checked her nails. "Yeah, it's fine, none of my nails are broken."
"Yay!" Dakota said, keeping from hugging her this time.
"I thought we were painting her nails?" Staci smiled.
"Oh yeah!" Anne Maria grinned. "Ok, you take her pinkie claw and Lindsay will take her ring finger, ok?" She said, as if she was a drill sergeant.
"Aye aye captain Anne Maria!" Staci giggled.
"Cody, come back!" Sierra shrieked, chasing after her 'husband' through the halls of the hotel (she still considers the marriage official, no matter what the law said). "I have to check your temperature and update my 'Cody's Physicals' blog!"
"Eep!" Cody squeaked, running away, stopping to check the locks on every door as he ran.
"I swear it's not the rectal thermometer this time!" Sierra added pleadingly, rounding the corner. "And I made sure to bring the candy for being a good patient!"
"Wait, candy?" Cody skidded to a halt, all sense of self preservation thrown out the window in the face of sugar. "I mean, uh," He realized what he was about to do and quickly shook his head. "No thanks!"
"But I need to update it, it's been weeks since I last snuck into your room at night!" Sierra pleaded, advancing closer as Cody backed away.
"I'm going to ignore that creepy fact and keep backing away now!" Cody whimpered, speeding up, only to bump straight into the end of the hallway, Sierra quickly getting closer.
"Don't worry Codykins, it's only a therm-" Sierra purred, only to be interrupted by a sudden punch to the face from an unexpected source; Jo. "What the-Jo?" Sierra blurted out, rubbing her cheek.
"That's for the Jock blog." Jo snarled, Cody taking his opportunity to scamper off yet again.
"What blog-ooooh..." Sierra looked confused, before grinning smugly. "I see."
"See what?" Jo fumed. "There is nothing to see, nothing!"
"Tsundere much?" Sierra giggled.
"What-dere?" Jo's anger was lost in confusion.
"Tsundere." Sierra corrected indignantly, emphasizing her words as if Jo was a small child. "Tsun meaning harsh and dere meaning sweet."
"If you don't start making sense I'm going to sock you again." Jo raised her fist threateningly.
"And that's the tsun part right there." Sierra giggled, dodging Jo's slap. "If you don't like Brick, why are you so angry?"
"Because-Because that's creepy! You've found footage that wasn't ever aired and made it seem like I actually like that doofus!" Jo groaned, face flush.
"How much did you search that blog?" Sierra smiled. "I place the found footage in a separate category than the main page." She smirked even more.
"I-I just needed to see what crazy crap you've put there!" Jo growled.
"It's not crazy, it's investigative reporting." Sierra put her hands on her hips. "I had to track footage from a government protected hazardous waste site!"
"...That's called crazy." Jo snarled. "You are crazy!"
"I'm not crazy, I'm an investigative reporter." Sierra repeated. "And my 500 subscribers agree."
"THERE ARE 500 OF YOU PEOPLE?" Jo screeched, recoiling.
"Oh no." Sierra smiled, unfazed. Before Jo could breathe a sigh of relief, she pulled out her phone. "Those are just the subscribers. I get thousands of visitors every day."
"UGH!" Jo groaned loudly and grabbed Sierra's phone from her hands and tossing it to the ground, shattering it. "UGH!" She repeated, storming off.
"Jo, that was a new phone!" Sierra sighed.
"I DON'T CARE!" Jo called back.
"Bridgette, you can let go of my collar now." Geoff whined as his girlfriend dragged him along the halls of the studio, attracting odd looks from most of the interns.
"Oh," Bridgette giggled and let go of Geoff's necklace, apparently forgetting she was dragging him. "I'm sorry, babe."
"It's ok." Geoff rubbed his neck, smiling. "So, uh, do we even have an appointment?"
"Oh we don't need an appointment." Bridgette smirked deviously.
"Actually, I'm pretty sure we do." Geoff said, confused.
"I'm pretty sure I don't." Bridgette's smile didn't falter. "See, they still owe me for the whole Siberia incident."
"I thought that was Blaineley's fault." Geoff scratched his head, frowning.
"Well yes, and no." Bridgette said. "Blaineley might have sent me there, but they facilitated it."
"Face-illi-what now?" Geoff blinked, clearly lost.
"...They helped." Bridgette rolled her eyes, and Geoff nodded. "Now, look, I need you to stay here while I go talk to the help desk."
"I thought you said we didn't need an appointment.." Geoff protested.
"I still need to know where the producers are." Bridgette explained. "Just stay right here, babe." She smiled and pecked his cheek, walking towards the help desk.
"Can I help you?" When she reached the desk, the lady sitting at the desk turned to face her, rolling her eyes. She was stout and tanned, looking a lot like Anne Maria, and she was staring intently at Bridgette, annoyed.
"I'm wondering where the producers for Total Drama are?" Bridgette smiled sweetly, ignoring the woman's glare. "I really need to see them."
"Do you have an appointment?" The lady drawled, clearly growing more bored by the second.
"No, but-" Bridgette began, but the woman cut her off.
"Then please go away." The lady said. "If you don't have an appointment, I can't let you see them."
"You don't understand, I-" Bridgette tried again, but was cut off.
"I understand that you don't have an appointment." The lady said, annoyed.
"Look, I'm one of the contestants, Bridgette! I competed in three seasons!" Bridgette said, pleadingly. "I need to speak with the producers!'
"Well, when you put it that way..." The lady smiled. "Still no!" She snapped.
"Ugh!" Bridgette groaned. "How can I get an appointment?"
"There's an opening in three days, and I can skip the screening process since you're a contestant..." The lady checked her computer. "I can schedule you for 1:00 in the afternoon three days from now."
"Is there any way I can see them any sooner?" Bridgette pleaded. "It's imperative that I see them as soon as possible."
"That is as soon as possible." The lady glared at her. "The producers have a very busy schedule."
"What could they possibly be busy with?" Bridgette asked in disbelief.
"...Ok; there's the lawsuit from the Miller family for extensive mental and physical damage of their son due to the show..." The lady listed off on her fingers. "Then there's the Milton case about the reckless endangerment of their daughter and permanent physical deformities... And then there's the ten or so lawsuits over the workplace safety violations and exploitation of workers..." She continued, drawling on. "And that's not even getting into the other minor lawsuits that fell through."
"...Wow...You guys get into a lot of lawsuits." Bridgette's jaw dropped.
"That's only this month's list, girl." The lady shrugged.
"...How are you all not in jail right now?" Bridgette frowned.
"Money and really good lawyers." The lady smirked, filing her nails. "Really good lawyers that know the judge."
"...Remind me never to sue you guys." Bridgette sighed, mentally crossing off one of her life goals.
"So do you want me to schedule it for 1:00 PM in three days?" The lady asked, and Bridgette nodded. "Ok, we'll catch up with you later about the details." She said as she penciled the date on her desk calendar.
"Thank you!" Bridgette smiled. "See you then!"
"I'll be waiting with bated breath." The lady rolled her eyes as Bridgette walked away.
"So how'd it go, Bridge?" Geoff asked his girlfriend when she walked up to him. "Did you learn where the producers are?"
"You were right, Geoff." Bridgette sighed.
"I was?" Geoff asked. "I mean, yeah, of course I was!" He paused. "About what?"
"It turns out I can't just waltz in." She sighed again.
"So... we can't see the producers?" Geoff looked confused.
"No, we can... In three days." She groaned.
"But the show will be..." Geoff counted on his fingers. "Eleven episodes in by that point!" He concluded.
"It's better than nothing." Bridgette smiled. "Now come on, let's get home before the episode starts."
"...Wait...Why did I need to come with you?" Geoff asked as they walked away.
"Moral support." Bridgette shrugged.
"-And then she called me G.I Joke, and punched me." Brick finished his story, talking to Trent and DJ, who were extremely confused. They were all sitting around a picnic table outside the Playa, near the poolside. "And that's the first thing she said to me when we were on the boat to the island."
"...I thought you were trying to explain why you liked her. All you've told me is how she beat you up and called you names." Trent scratched his head.
"I wasn't done..." Brick blushed. "And don't go spreading it around, ok? I don't exactly want it to be common knowledge."
"...Dude, everyone knows you like her." DJ shrugged. "Not to be rude or anything, but seriously, you really aren't good at hiding it."
"Sh-shut up!" Brick frowned.
"See, that's what he's talking about, dude." Trent said. "You stutter like Porky Pig and turn tomato red whenever we say Jo's name."
"...Do you want to know why I like her or do you just want to mock me?" Brick glared.
"Sorry, sorry." Trent laughed. "But you have to admit you haven't really hid it that well."
"I don't bother you about whatever's going on between you and Dawn." Brick said defensively.
"There's nothing going on." Trent said, shifting his eyes slightly. "You were saying?" He changed the subject nervously.
"Oh, yeah." Brick said. "The second time we spoke was when we crashed into each other on our morning runs."
"Oh yeah, and you said that you ran an uphill 8k run with earplugs on?" DJ said, laughing.
"I was trying to impress her, I wasn't thinking ahead!" Brick blushed slightly, embarrassed.
"Yeah, that was pretty obvious." Trent laughed.
"And then the next challenge day, we got into another fight over who could finish our breakfast first..." Brick smiled. "And then I swallowed the spoon and she saved my life."
"By punching you in the back." DJ countered.
"Yeah, but she did save my life." Brick smiled. "She's really strong and authoritative, and I like that."
"You have weird standards." Trent said.
"Didn't Dawn say something about him needing to be domi-" DJ began, only to stop when he realized Brick was fuming and blushing. "I mean...Never mind."
"I wonder when the episode airs..." Trent said, changing the subject, looking at Brick. "What does your watch say?"
"... It's 1500 on the dot." Brick reported sharply. When DJ and Trent gave him blank looks, he sighed. "3:01."
"Well, then we've got five hours to burn." Trent said, putting his feet up on the table and leaning back. "I wonder what we shou-" He began, only for a massive explosion to sound off in the background, sending him toppling over and shaking the ground slightly. "Agh! What was that?" He gaped.
"It sounded like a bomb!" DJ shrieked.
"What exploded?" Brick asked. "What if someone's hurt?"
"It sounded like it came from the island." Trent got up and brushed himself off. "I bet it's part of the show."
"What if that was the thing Dawn was warning us about?" DJ asked. "I mean, she said the island was going to sink."
"I don't think that was anywhere near big enough to sink the island." Trent said. "But... We should probably go check with someone else."
"I'll go check on Jo." Brick announced suddenly, blushing.
"Of course you will." Trent smirked and rolled his eyes. "I'm sure she'll appreciate that you think she needs rescue."
"Shut up." Brick snapped, running off.
"I guess we better go ask someone if they heard it too." DJ shrugged.
"How could they not?" Trent laughed nervously.
"What the hell was that?" Jo gaped, rushing outside to the poolside, everyone else also running up to look over at the island, where there was smoke billowing out of somewhere off the coastline.
"Well, it sounded like an explosion, gosh." Harold shrugged, standing nearby and looking through his pocket telescope.
"Gimme that!" Jo snatched the telescope out of his hands and looked through it.
"Hey, I was using that, gosh!" Harold whined.
"Calm down, I'm just borrowing it." Jo rolled her eyes and looked back at the telescope. "It looks like that mansion is a pile of rubble."
"Jo!" Brick skidded to a halt in front of her. "I was worried-I mean, I wanted to make sure you didn't blow up anything!" He laughed nervously, backpedaling.
"Of course I didn't blow up anything!" Jo tossed the telescope back to Harold. "Who do you think I am, Izzy?"
"I don't know how to answer that in a way that won't get me beaten up." Brick said, shifting his eyes around nervously.
"Shut up, Brick." Jo rolled her eyes. "Looks like someone finally blew up something of Chris's for a change."
"I'd say it's about time." Leshawna spoke up, sitting on the poolside chair next to Harold. "That man needs to have his ego taken down a notch."
"His comeuppance is coming." Dawn said sagely, Leshawna flinching as she realized the little pixie girl was meditating on a nearby chair. "Do not worry."
"Jeez, could you maybe not sneak up on me?" Leshawna gaped.
"What do you mean?" Dawn tilted her head. "I was meditating here before you got here."
"...I was pretty sure the chair was empty a minute ago." Leshawna said, confused.
"Don't bother." Jo called over. "She still won't explain what shortcut through the middle of a lake leaves you completely dry!" She glared at Dawn, who shrugged.
"I already told you, I took a shortcut." Dawn smiled.
"What shortcut?" Jo snarled. "What possible shortcut is there that takes you from the middle of a lake to the shore without getting a drop of water on you?"
"A very good one." Dawn smirked, Jo making incomprehensible grumbling noises in annoyance.
"Can you show it to me?" Brick asked, smiling, earning a glare from Jo. "What, you never thought about just asking nicely?"
"I'm sorry, but it's not something I can just teach you." Dawn said sadly. "It's just not possible for me to show you."
"Of course, how convenient." Jo rolled her eyes. "It's some mystical secret."
"It's not exactly a secret-" Dawn began, but Jo cut her off.
"If it's not, then why don't you tell us?" Jo asked.
"I'm not sure if I could explain it to someone without the abilities I have." Dawn frowned.
"Ugh." Jo groaned. "I assume that you wouldn't tell me even if you could?"
"That would be a fair assumption, yes." Dawn shrugged.
"Can you answer any other questions?" Jo asked, annoyed.
"It depends on the question." Dawn smiled.
"Ok then, can you tell me who's going to win the season?" Jo asked.
"I am not sure yet. Every time I reshuffle my tarot cards, they give a different answer." Dawn frowned. "I believe that the answer is hanging in the balance every episode."
"Oh, that's helpful." Jo snarked. "Is there anything you can tell us that would be of any use at all?"
"You should probably carry a needle in your pockets." Dawn smiled.
"How is that going to be relevant in the slightest?" Jo asked, annoyed.
"It will be essential for your survival." Dawn took on a serious look. "Please don't forget."
"How is a needle going to be essential to her survival?" Brick interrupted, confused.
"It's going to be essential for everyone who was competing." Dawn put a hand in her sweater pocket and pulled out a needle and handed it to Jo. "I've got to go give ones to Heather and the others." She got up and calmly walked off, much to the confusion of Jo, Brick, and Leshawna, who had been silently watching the conversation.
"...Dawn is kind of creepy sometimes." Leshawna said, blinking slowly. "I wish that girl would just explain what she means instead of just giving out weird messages."
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going inside." Jo shrugged. "The pool's too crowded."
"But Jo, there's just..." Brick looked around, only to realize that most of the cast was standing by the beach and looking out at the still smoldering wreck of Chris's mansion. "Ok, it is a little bit crowded." He admitted.
"See you at seven, doofus." Jo laughed, walking inside the playa.
Second AN; Ok, so yeah... This is pretty much what happens between the chapters, but since this one was more important, I guess I just had to write it out. What is Eva's nefarious plot? Will the Gamers Club reunite? Is Staci actually making friends? How will Sierra update Cody's physicals? How will Cody escape that fate? Will Bridgette ever get through to see the producers? Just how many lawsuits have been filed against the show? Will Brick man up and ask Jo out? Will Jo quit breaking everyone's stuff? Will Dawn ever just explain what she means and stop speaking in metaphors? What was the cause of that mysterious explosion? How is a sewing needle supposed to save their lives? All this and more might possibly be explained next chapter. Possibly. Maybe.