Playa Des Losers, here we come! Thanks for reviewing, Gucci Mane LaFlare and lordgemini.

Chef didn't drive me back to the mainland, as I expected. Instead, he skirted around the edge of the island and to a dock around the corner.
"Um, where are we going?" I asked timidly.

"Where all the other losers go," Chef replied with a chuckle.

That didn't make me feel any better. But when he dropped me at the dock and I saw the mansion looming above, I felt just a tiny bit better.

"Have fun," Chef said as I jumped off the boat, and then he was gone. It was getting darker, since it was sunset, but as I walked up, I could see lights. Even in the semi-darkness, I glimpsed the grounds. A pool and a hot tub gleamed in the dim light. And I could see…how many people silhouetted? A lot, that's all I knew. Some of them had to be inside, I guessed. All the other contestants that had already left the campground, like Chef said.

Before I could make all of them out, one of them, sitting at a bar in the pool, looked up. She started squealing, and nudged the person next to her. They both squealed and dived into the water, only to come out at the steps and pull me into a three-way hug. A very damp one.

"Easy – I was dry a second ago!" I said, laughing.

"I can't believe you're here, Peyton!" Katie said, grinning. "You probably guessed I told Sadie all about how much fun we had on the island, and so we decided you are totally going to have to hang with both of us now!"

"We have so much to talk about!" Sadie added, also smiling at me. "I so wish I got to know you on the island too, but any friend of Katie's is a friend of mine, and this resort is so cool! You're going to love it!"

Getting inside the resort was just as good as the outside. We had a kitchen where we could order from any time, or cook ourselves if we wanted, we had a massive video game room – (when we looked in, a fully-healed Cody was playing some game against Noah, both of them throwing playful banter at each other), and we all had two-person bedrooms.

"It sucks you can't share with us," Katie commented, "But you knew we'd have to share with each other."

I frowned nervously. "Who do I have to share with?" I prayed it wasn't Izzy.

"Oh, no one," Sadie shrugged at me. "There's twelve rooms, six per gender, so there's usually one free. The other girls have mostly taken one room, but there's still two free for the moment."

I smiled. "Cool. Maybe I could ask one of the other girls to room with me when they get here."

Katie and Sadie exchanged looks at that moment, and both of them got these identical smirks all over their faces.

I frowned. "What?"

"What do you mean, what?" Katie said, laughing. "You promised you'd tell me everything about who you were crushing on. You have to spill everything now!"

"We get all the episodes, with partly uncut footage, so we get all this juicy extra stuff that won't make it into the final cut," Sadie explained. "Katie's just excited because she's been seeing you sending notes to Leshawna every week since she left. But I want to know, too! We didn't know what was in the notes, but we got enough raw footage to see you writing and placing them. But we haven't seen anything from today – or yesterday!"

I blushed. "Um, well…yeah. I confessed. And we're together." That reminded me of something. "By the way, is Harold around? I'm worried he might be mad at me."

The girls looked uneasy. "Um, I think he's around somewhere," Sadie spoke up, "But we don't know where. I don't think anyone does."

"Courtney's been trying to find him ever since she found out he got her eliminated," Katie clarified. "He had to hide the second he arrived. We haven't seen him since. Why?"

Sadie nudged her. "You know he and Leshawna kissed when he left. We saw her saying she got emotional and the kiss didn't mean what he thought it meant."

"And we were friends on the island," I added. "I know Harold has a vindictive streak. What if he doesn't want my friendship anymore?"

The girls didn't know what to say. I went to a much fluffier bed that night, feeling a little bit worried, but also looking forward to the days ahead.

I was right to look forward to it. Hanging out at what the other campers told me was called "Playa De Losers" was amazing. The accommodation and food was fantastic, the entertainment was just as good, and it was…well, did you ever see the Nicktoons Summer Beach House commercials where all the characters from Nicktoons are hanging out by the pool? It was like that, except it was us, the cast of Total Drama Island, minus the final eight. I even got to change my clothes – everyone had an extra outfit for summer, and we were told that unless told we were on camera, we could choose what we wore. If not, it had to be camp clothes or swimsuits. I was sure to put my grungy top and leggings in the washing machine, ready to put back on clean at any time. Lindsay would probably have approved more of my denim skirt and magenta blouse, even if she still didn't like my shoes.

However, one thing that I ended up having to do was watch all the episodes thus far. We had raw footage of every episode, "And Chef's due to bring us yesterday's episode tonight," Cody told me excitedly. Apparently he'd been watching every episode avidly, mainly because he had a major crush on Gwen and that was the closest he'd ever get to dating her, and Trent didn't even seem to mind (it turned out Cody had actually tried to help get them together before he left the island…so maybe he wasn't quite the creep I thought he was). So I spent my first day there checking out episodes one to eighteen.

I hadn't quite realized how shy I came off. I seemed afraid of talking to people, and they didn't show my first conversation with DJ, either. It did show us making friends at the end of the second episode, though, after the first challenge. So far, they hadn't yet cut my conversation with Duncan when I told him why I'd freaked out when he'd pushed me in the challenge. I expected that part to get cut, though, and just leaving in my outburst when the push happened. It was Total Drama, right?

Dodgeball was a lot more fun to watch than it was to actually play in, but I took a little pride in my performance. At least I took a few people out. And I was able to feel good about my part in the talent show, too, although I couldn't help evaluating my mistakes.

I enjoyed watching the other episodes, too. The night in the woods (and Izzy's bear attack), the Phobia Factor (it didn't show much of me, but a couple of shots of me looking lonely and close to tears), and everything else, right up to Hide-and-Seek. And I finally got to see exactly what Heather had said to Trent before the kiss. I'd known that she'd said Gwen thought Trent was a cliché, but wow, she'd said a whole lot of things – stuff that sounded more like something she'd do.

In the evening, the new tape arrived, and all the details were there. The earlier tapes had shown some of the notes I'd sent Leshawna – not what I'd written, but there had been cameras of her getting the notes, and now I saw it again, she'd actually been watching me when I wasn't looking at her, like she was wondering when I was going to own up. Well, she probably was, but still. But during the last couple of days, apparently the footage had enough time to make it look like my confession was after the bike race, not before. It still showed me offering to help Leshawna with her bike, but put the confession at breakfast look like it was just before I left, like it was at dinner (of course, I'd stayed long enough for one last camp-style meal, but my point is, that's not when the confession was – I'd been sitting next to Leshawna, but we'd mostly just been talking to the others and occasionally stealing glances at each other. I just had to hope that we'd be able to act more like a couple when we were both out of sight of the cameras). Guess it was more effective if it looked like I waited until I knew I was going home.

And then, the next day, I just spent hanging out at the pool with Katie and Sadie, and keeping an eye out to see if I could spot wherever Harold was hiding so I could talk to him. Courtney still hadn't found him, but she was willing to wait until she had some idea of where to look. When I asked around, a few of the others said they'd seen him briefly, but no one knew where he was at that point. I didn't say anything to Courtney – we hadn't really been friends, but she didn't have a problem with me before and I didn't need her to start having one now. However, she did spend a lot of time with Duncan. I pretty much knew that if I couldn't see her outside, she was with him. I'd already come across them making out in the game room when I'd been passing it to get a snack from the kitchen, and since they never seemed to be at the pool at the same time, I would assume they were busy if both were missing. At the pool, Courtney mostly hunted for Harold and Duncan hung out with the other guys. I was happy I could just avoid him again, now that we didn't have to be around each other. I wasn't exactly scared of him any longer, but I didn't like bullies, and he still was one.

I also found that in the DVD library, there was this old Winona Ryder movie from the 1980s. I'd seen it before and thought about it on the island, mainly because it was named after a whole posse of bullies, all called Heather. I had to wonder if that was why the movie had been put there, Either way, no one else was in the TV room when I started watching it and people just wandered in and out.

I had forgotten that one of the girls called Heather died in the first third and then one of the others took over and was just as terrible, turning the third one into the new punching bag.

Ezekiel came into the TV room just as the police officers found the two dead boys, who'd just been murdered with a forged suicide note stating that they were in love and killed themselves because the world hated them. "That's what God said, eh?" he said. "That the man who lays with another man is unnatural."
I turned around and glared at him, so angry that I forgot I hated confrontation. "So you make sexist comments, and now you make homophobic ones too? How much do you want me to hate you?"

Ezekiel blushed and mumbled "It's what I heard at church. Mom made me read a lot of Bible verses too."

"Well, God does not hate gays," I told him, "No matter what you read. That's out of date. Like how girls are just as capable as boys. You need to tell your parents when you get home that you need some way to socialize, because you're going to get eaten alive if you don't learn a few social skills. And those boys weren't even gay – they were much worse." (This was true – the protagonist wanted revenge after she ran out on them and then they told everyone the opposite happened).

The next day was much the same, although I made another sort-of friend. Katie and Sadie liked to check out Justin while they were hanging out at the pool. Noah spent most of his time at the bar in the middle of the pool (yeah – you had to swim to it), where our favourite spots were. When the others were busy staring, I had nothing to do since Justin didn't interest me in the slightest, and I didn't have any interest in the girls. Izzy was the most attractive there and I didn't want her to catch me staring.

So on the second day, while I was waiting for the girls to come back to earth, I heard a snarky voice beside me. "You know, if you're so uninterested in what your friends are doing, why don't you find some less annoying people to hang out with?"

I turned to look at Noah. He wasn't even looking up, his eyes fixed on the book he was reading. I shrugged and answered "They're good friends. My other good friend here is too hard to find and I think he might be mad at me if he's seen the footage, anyway. All the other friends I've made are still on the island. What's your damage?" (I'd picked that up from the movie I'd been watching).

Noah, still not looking up, shrugged too. "Just wondering why the girl with the pink hair tied herself to the girls who are mentally five years old. Then again," he added, glancing up at me, "You all seem to like playing with Mommy's makeup."

I giggled. "Nah, Mommy has a different skin tone. I can't afford to play with that stuff. What, don't I look old enough for you?" I made a fake pouty face just in case he looked up again.

Yeah, he did, and I caught the ghost of a smirk. "Huh. Maybe I was right the first time. After you started hanging out with the surfer and the goth on the tapes, I figured you had good taste in friends. And girlfriends,' he added, smiling properly this time.

I pretended to frown. "Please tell me you're not into her, too. I already feel for Harold!"

Noah gave a humourless chuckle. "Please. I don't hook up with just anyone. Make that I don't want to hook up. I only date girls who can carry on a real conversation. I don't care about any of the other stuff – I'd only put up with it for a girl I could actually connect with."

It took a while for me to process this. Apparently a long time, because Noah sighed and said "It's called asexuality. Surely that dye hasn't drained away your brain's knowledge?"

I snapped out of it quickly. "I know what it means, thank you – I just thought it meant you didn't want a relationship at all."

Noah scowled. "You and like ninety percent of the world. Just because I don't want a quick hook-up doesn't mean I don't want a girlfriend – or that I wouldn't make the sacrifice of giving her a bit of action if she was the right girl."

I shrugged. "Okay, sure, asexual but still wouldn't mind a relationship. I'm not going to question or fault you for that. I mean, you didn't judge me for having friends who aren't like me…oops, that's exactly what you did do. Still, I don't want to do the same."

Noah smirked again. "Huh, maybe you've got potential there. Still, you're nowhere near my snark level. Keep trying."

So our friendship was more of a friendly rivalry, but at least it was a change from girly gossip that I engaged in with the girls.

Still, on my fourth night, everyone was hanging out at the pool in the cool evenings when we heard a new voice pierce the air.

"Hey, guys!"

I leapt to my feet and ran in the direction the familiar voice came from. "DJ!" I squealed, throwing my arms around his neck and lifting my feet right off the ground in the process. "When did you get here?"

DJ returned the hug, before putting me back down. "Just now. I guess by now you know I'm not in the finale. Last challenge was mostly in the middle of last night. Chris made us watch a scary movie and Chef chased everyone down as a psycho killer. I got kicked off because I didn't get scared by Chef. I freaked when I caught Heather in a face mask and towel shaving. That girl ain't as pretty as you might think!"

I giggled. "Did you at least scare her when you freaked?"

DJ shrugged. "I don't think so. She tried to tell me it was her, but you know me. I'm sort of scared of her when she's dressed and made up, too."

I gave a sigh. "It's not fair. How come such a mean girl can look so gorgeous? I really hope they got exactly how terrible she looked on camera when you saw her."

And the next night, when we watched the whole show, I found out they did. And cameras followed DJ everywhere, while he screamed his head off until he reached the camera area where everyone was taken once Chef had gotten ahold of them. In fact, just about everyone got caught. Gwen was the smartest about this, but she never faced off against Chef. She ended up winning the challenge anyway, when a real escaped killer approached her, and she ended up kicking him in the face several times, so he backed down and left.

Still, either way, it was great to have another friend back.

Yep, DJ falls as in canon! Who else could have? Too bad Duncan and Gwen weren't together, though – they had great platonic chemistry and this was a good episode for it (I liked them together far better when they weren't romantically together). So far, Peyton gets her own room, but as there's only one spare room for the girls left, she might need to give that up soon. As a side note, I have a rough idea of how the next episode goes (the elimination, of course, is not Izzy), so you'll see who I thought would be kicked off when trying to catch animals.

As for Noah and Peyton…well, Noah being asexual is my headcanon. What this means is that he has no sexual desires. He might want an emotional romantic relationship, but he's uninterested in the physical side. That is, he's not aromantic, which means uninterested in relationships. So he's attracted to Emma in RR because he likes her attitude and brain as well as her looks, but he doesn't necessarily want to do anything past first base and would only do it if she wanted to.

Oh, and that Nicktoons Summer Beach House thing? It was something Nickelodeon did in the summer. The Cartoon Cartoons did a similar thing. The beach house had a lot of shorts, which is what I was referring to. Sometimes the characters were doing things they did in their own show, but it looked like fun. There was even Spongebob giving Plankton a "Would you rather take over the world or kiss Helga G Pataki?" and Plankton was all "WHO TOLD YOU?!" That was pretty funny.

And finally, I do not own the movie "Heathers", which is what I was referencing. With an Alpha Bitch called Heather, how could I not? And yeah, it's a headcanon of mine that Ezekiel's parents are deeply Christian, so he'd probably be homophobic. The two guys, as Peyton says, are not gay – the antagonist just suggested that they make their deaths look like a suicide pact (basically all his murders follow this pattern). Also, there will be another reference to "Heathers", coming up in a later chapter. See if you can spot it.