The next day they were awoken early as always. Told to gather at the small auditorium after breakfast, it was there revealed that the next challenge would be a talent contest, with three of the best performing to represent their teams, and of course that they had limited time to prepare. Eight hours, to be exact.

Heather immediately took charge of deciding who would be participating, and almost as immediately deciding that she herself would be one of the three participants.

"I dunno if I'm gonna be able to help much this time…" Cody said. "What about you, Noah? Do you have any talents?" he asked the teen.

"You mean other than being sarcastic?" Noah delivered, his eyebrow giving its signature tweak.

"Point taken," Cody said.

"It's already been decided anyway," Heather spoke, pointing her thumb at herself. "Me, Trent and Justin will represent the Gophers. We're the most talented and good-looking people on the team; we're sure to win."

"Then you won't be needing me," Noah concluded, turning to leave.

"Or me," Gwen piggy-backed, turning to leave in the opposite direction.

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

"As if we ever needed either of those losers, puh-lease," Heather scoffed.

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

Cody's eyes darted between both departing campers. He'd resolved to hang out with Gwen today, but he didn't want to completely leave out Noah either. He took a step in Gwen's direction, only to change his mind and take a step in Noah's direction, then hesitated again.

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

"Couldn't they at least walk in the same direction so I don't have to decide between the two?" Cody said with exasperation.

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

In the end, and after lots of undue thought, he took off after Gwen. It took him awhile to find her though; the girl had gone off to a secluded tree stump far from camp to write in her journal. He quickly checked his breath and the crispness of the lapels on his long-sleeve shirt before emerging from the cover of the trees. "Hey, what'cha writing?" Cody asked curiously, hoping to make small talk. He took a seat beside her.

"Please go away," she grit out, turning slightly to hide the journal's contents from his eyes.

"Oh, it's private," Cody realized. He nodded. "I get it, that's cool. Noah likes his privacy sometimes too."

"Is that so?" Gwen asked rhetorically, "And you're telling me you're not bugging him instead of me?" Her tone was suggestive, really really hoping Cody would clue on and scram.

"I probably will later," Cody said honestly. He continued to sit, much to Gwen's dismay. She tried her best to ignore him and focus on her writing. "You smell really pretty today," he interjected.

"It's… it's just soap…" she looked mildly horrified.

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

"Did I say something wrong?" Cody asked the camera, "I thought girls liked being told they smelled nice. That's a thing, right?" He shrugged both his shoulders, "I'm sure Noah would've taken it fine if I'd said it to him. Though, I guess it would be sort of weird to tell another guy he smelled 'pretty'…" he second-guessed himself.

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

"Why won't Cody just leave me alone?" Gwen asked, still clutching her journal to her chest in the bathroom confessional. "All I want is some time alone. There's an entire island to roam. What's so hard about that?"

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

Gwen had given up on writing. She headed back to camp, hoping to find some way to shake Cody off her trail. But even now he was practically following on her heels; she could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head.

"Ooh, first hook-up of the show," Heather commented upon seeing the two of them. Noah felt his eyes drift up from his book, giving the asian girl a glare.

"Actually…" Cody spoke up to correct, until Noah cleared his throat loudly and drew finger and thumb across his mouth in a 'zip it' motion.

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

"Not that I mind a select few knowing about Cody and I's trial relationship," Noah addressed the camera, "But Heather is not among those. The less she knows, the better. Because I guarantee she'd find some way to try and use the information against us."

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

"Oh yeah, we're going at it so hard I need to swim just to keep cool," Gwen replied back sarcastically, entering the girls' cabin. Cody couldn't follow her in of course, so he peeked through the mesh on the door, only to be struck in the face by it a moment later when Gwen re-emerged, changed into her bathing suit. She hurried out of camp, beelining for the dock.

Cody checked to make sure his nose wasn't bleeding. It was then that a great idea popped into his head. One that would mean he wouldn't have to decide between Gwen and Noah after all! He bolted into the boys' cabin. Only a moment later, he was jogging up to the bench where Noah was reading, dressed in his swim shorts, a towel slung over his shoulder. "Hey, Noah! Wanna go with me down to the waterfront?" Cody asked.

"Count me in!" Owen accepted excitedly, clearly missing the fact that he hadn't even been asked. He rushed off for the boys' cabin to change.

Noah lowered his book to give Cody a look. "Please tell me the reason you're so eager to go down to the waterfront is because it's warm out and not because Gwen's there," he spoke flatly.

The blue-eyed teen went silent, scratching at the back of his head. Which said enough.

"You know where I'll be," Noah muttered, returning his nose to his book.

"I'm ready!" Owen thrust the cabin door open with his foot, now in his swim trunks. Cody shook off his disappointment and departed with Owen.

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

"Why does Noah have to be such a stick in the mud?" Cody asked the camera. "So what if Gwen's there? In her swimsuit…" Slowly his imagination began to take over, eyelids drawing down, "Her wet swimsuit…"

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

"Just be sure to tell me when Gwen is on her way back," Heather instructed Beth from the porch of the girls' cabin.

"Okay," Beth pushed up her glasses.

Noah's eyebrow lifted subtly. "And just what are you two up to?" he dared ask.

"What we're up to is none of your beeswax, that's what," Heather snapped.

He put both hands up in feigned defense. "Forget I asked," he mumbled out and went back to reading.

—

"CAAANNONBAAALL!" Owen shouted as he thundered his way down the dock; the old wood almost seemed ready to collapse under his footfalls. He launched off the end, tucking into a ball before hitting the water and sending a huge splash hurtling into the air and crashing back down on the dock.

"What the hell!" Gwen shouted the expletive, now soaked from head to toe.

Cody's head popped up out of the water right beneath her. "Hey Gwen!"

She gave a slight shriek of surprise before her brow drew down in both disgust and anger. She placed her bare foot on the top of his head and forcibly shoved him back under the water's surface. "I'm so out of here," Gwen muttered as she stood. She stalked away, eyes narrowed at Cody, who was paddling alongside the dock in an effort to keep up with her. She was so engrossed in giving him the evil eye that she walked smack into Trent. "Trent!" she exclaimed, a blush rising immediately to her pale cheeks.

"Hey, soaking up some rays?" he asked, glad to see her.

"Y-yeah," Gwen got out nervously. "But I was just about to go back in. Wh-what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be practicing for tonight?"

"I was, but I decided to take a break to find some more inspiration," he explained.

"That's cool," she said, not sure what else to continue the conversation with.

"Do you maybe want to go on a walk?" Trent offered.

"I'd… Yeah, I'd really like that," Gwen said, her heart skipping a beat. She came back down to earth just as fast. "But I wouldn't want to get in the way of you finding your muse."

"You could never do that," Trent said. "You're a real inspiration to me, Gwen."

"Well…" Gwen tried to keep the delight off her face, "Well okay then. Let's go." The two of them set off.

"Gwen? Hey Gwen!" Cody waved both arms as he tred water, but she didn't seem to hear any of his cries. "Where are you going? Gwen!"

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

"Great," Cody got out, disheartened. "First I tick off Noah, and now I drive off Gwen. Man, I really screwed up today." He sighed. "Now who am I supposed to hang out with?"

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

Cody glanced over at Owen as several bubbles rose to the surface of the water. Cody gagged at their smell.

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

"Why did I have to ask?" Cody facepalmed.

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

—

"Don't lie to me; I know one of you went through my stuff!" There was muffled shouting from inside the girls' cabin. Noah listened peripherally.

"Take a chill pill. You're being paranoid; no one went through your things. Who would even want to?" Heather.

"Yeah. Don't go all kookamunga!" Izzy.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Gwen.

"You're acting almost as crazy as Eva, that's what it means." Courtney.

"Omigosh, she's right!" Katie. …Or Sadie. He couldn't actually tell which. A gasp. "And you know what happened to her!"

A few more words were hotly exchanged. Then Gwen exited, slamming the door on her way out of the cabin.

"Rough day, Greenie-Locks?" Noah looked up from his book long enough to inquire.

"Ugh, yeah, you could say that," Gwen huffed. "Is it just me or is everyone on this island acting even more annoying than usual today?"

"Definitely more annoying than usual," the dark-haired boy confirmed.

"Thank god someone agrees with me," the girl said emphatically. Then she realized something else that was odd. She and Noah had never actually really spoken to one another until now. Noah had always seemed closed-off, not unlike herself. Perhaps that was why it had taken them almost two weeks to even converse. She took a seat beside him. "What about you?"

"Same shit, different day," Noah murmured.

"I feel that," Gwen replied. "Besides Heather acting like her bitchy self, I can't get Cody to leave me alone."

Noah hummed, ruefully amused but not showing it. "Have you tried just telling him you're not interested in him?" he suggested.

"Not directly…" Gwen's mouth pulled into a slight frown. "I don't know. I know how much it sucks to be rejected by someone you like. If I could spare him that…" She shook her head, not finishing that thought. "I sound dumb, don't I?"

Noah had put down his novel. "Perfectly sensible, actually."

Gwen sighed. "This whole thing could be so much easier if he could just take a hint. Why does he have to like me so much?"

Noah shrugged. "I don't know. I don't see the appeal."

Gwen cocked an eyebrow, recoiling just a touch. "Wow, blunt much?"

"Nothing personal," Noah shrugged again. "Just not the way my compass is oriented."

The green-haired girl took a moment to parse that. "Wait, you're saying you're…" Noah gave her a skeptical look for pausing. "Sorry," she apologized. "I just didn't know you were gay."

"Why should you know? It's not regularly relevant information," Noah said off-handedly. He licked his thumb and turned a page.

"That's true," Gwen felt herself relax at his reassurance. "Like how people are constantly asking me 'when I became goth', or 'why I dress this way'. It's my lifestyle; what's it matter to you? Why make a big deal out of it all the time?"

"You can say that again. 'When did you first realize?' 'How can you be sure, have you ever been with a girl?'" Noah ran off a couple more common ones, rolling his eyes. "There's a reason I tend to keep it to myself."

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

"Wow, Noah is actually really cool?" Gwen said with surprise, "I had no idea he and I were so like-minded about stuff."

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

"Your secret's safe with me," Gwen promised, crossing her heart. "So, I have to ask though," she led in, now curious, "Is there anyone at camp that you like?"

"Funny you should ask…" Noah said wryly.

"No way," Gwen gawked. "For real? Cody?" Noah nodded. "Okay, now it's my turn to say 'I don't see the appeal'," she teased, hands on her hips.

"Trust me, I sometimes question it myself," Noah issued sarcastically.

She laughed. "Hey, wanna go snag a bite to eat at the dining hall before the talent show starts?"

Noah shrugged. He'd been loosely waiting for Cody to return from the waterfront to go eat together, but he hadn't seen hide nor hair of the boy in hours. Which was honestly his own fault for shooting the teen down earlier, but he still felt slightly bitter about the whole thing. "Sure," he agreed, pocketing his book. They stood and took their leave.

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

Noah regarded the camera, gesturing with his left hand. "So on one hand, Gwen's really miffed a couple of the female campers. If I add my vote, it's probable she'll be sent home, and then there's the chance Cody will actually start paying attention to me again." He gestured his right, "On the other hand, I can help her out and probably earn an ally later in the game." He shrugged, "Or it's possible the Bass will be up for elimination. But I wouldn't bet on that."

~~kkkssshhhttt…!~~

He came to a decision. "Just so you know," Noah spoke as they walked, "I'm fairly certain Heather was the one who went through your stuff. She had Beth standing guard outside the cabin earlier."

"I knew that bitch was lying," Gwen spat. Her anger quickly metamorphized into worry. "You don't think she has anything evil planned, do you…?" she ventured.

"We're talking about the same Heather, right?" Noah said dryly.

Gwen groaned, holding her head. "You're right. Oh god, this is bad." Noah's eyebrow tweaked questioningly. "She's got my diary," the girl admitted. "There's some really personal stuff in there."

"Seems fairly simple to me…" Noah mused. "We steal it back before the show."

Gwen was taken slightly aback. "You'd help me out?"

"You forget I want to see Heather squirm as much as the next person," Noah diverted.

She smirked knowingly. "I won't forget this."