A break, and a bike! Oh, wait...the bike is next chapter. Sorry. Thanks for reviewing, Gage the Hedgehog and Guest.

The next day marked the end of the fifth week, and I got another letter. This one was signed by my whole family, but the bulk was written in Lisa's neat curly handwriting, as usual. Inside was another letter – in my best friend Tasha's handwriting! I would've gone to sit on one of the stumps outside, but the one I usually went to was near the outhouse confessional, and Geoff had locked himself in, crying over having voted off Bridgette (see, he was totally lying about having not voted for her). So I sat on the cabin steps. Luckily, I'd stopped feeling like an outcast because of voting with the guys. Gwen and Leshawna were still friends with me, Izzy had never stopped, and Lindsay seemed to have forgotten and was her usual bubbly self.

Dear Steph,

We've just seen the gross meal episode. I thought I was going to be sick. Even Bart cringed when Heather took a bite of the first course. Dad scoffed, though. He'd eat pretty much all of those things without noticing how gross they were. Then again, even Owen seemed to have trouble...although, gotta say I was impressed at how much blended roach you were able to drink, even though you lost. And you should introduce me to Bridgette after the show. I wouldn't have eaten dolphin hotdogs either, even for a five-star hotel! (Lisa was a strict vegetarian, same as Bridgette. She wouldn't even eat fish).

So you guys voted Sadie out after the trust challenges? I'm kind of surprised she stayed around for so long. Did she cry a lot off-camera? I know you can't answer that, but tell me when you get home.

Also, just so you know, Harold rigged the votes to get rid of Courtney. I know she didn't really deserve it then, but he wanted to get back at Duncan for picking on him all the time. Don't tell him that, though, please! Harold doesn't deserve any more abuse. He's a good guy, deep down. And not much to say about that.

Now you guys have merged, my prediction is that Heather could be next. Do any of you even like her? She's a good player. If she can get out of it, though, probably Gwen – she's already won several challenges for her team. Or Leshawna. Or Duncan. (Boy, was she way off!)

Bart's still rooting for you and Duncan. Dad's decided that Owen's going to be in the finals...maybe. If I was to predict the final two now, sorry, but I don't think you'd be in it. I think Geoff or DJ might make it, because everyone likes them. If Leshawna hasn't gone yet, I think she'll be in the final three, at least.

Love, Lisa

PS: Enclosed is a letter from your friends. Don't forget to read that next!

And everyone else had written their names. Even Maggie knew how to write her name by now. In fact, her handwriting was better than Dad's.

Next, I opened the other page, the one from Tasha. This one read:

Hey Steph,

We all miss you, girl! If you don't come back with the cash, we are going to be so mad!

I'm the only one who gets the channel, so I record every episode and we all watch it, and we're all making predictions. I have messages from everyone.

Mel said she's missing you a lot. She thinks you and Gwen are going to be in the final two, but if you don't, then it'll be Heather. By the way, we all hate Heather, just so you know!

Sunshine wants Heather to go next, and then Duncan. I told her that he's probably going to go far, but she doesn't want to see it. She also has a crush on DJ. She wants Bridgette and Trent to get into the finale, but thinks that they won't.

Azure thinks Duncan is actually really awesome, and wants to see him in the final two. She wishes Izzy was still in the game, but meanwhile, she thinks Leshawna might get to the finale.

Laura has been shipping Geoff and Bridgette since the trust challenge, although she's also got a crush on him. She also has a soft spot for Lindsay. I'm not sure why.

As for me...you and Gwen should be in the final two. Totally! Come back to the US with that money! We're all rooting for you!

Love Tasha

PS: Pretend Heather doesn't exist outside of the bonfire ceremony. In that case, keep voting for her.

Apart from letters, we all hung out around camp together. I was still struggling with my crushing-on-Duncan situation. Eventually, I found him with a couple of the other guys, and dragged him off with no explanation. Geoff, who had come out of the confessional long enough to see that, gave me a thumbs up, knowing what I was going to do.

I didn't stop until we were at a little clearing, secluded in the woods. "Sorry about that, but I had to tell you something, and I figured that if you end up leaving me here while I cry, it would be better to do it here."

"Well, I'll be sure to let the others know if I do make you cry." Duncan laughed.

I blushed. "Okay, okay. But seriously, my little sister's been writing to me, and she said that she thinks you...well, like me. But you've got Courtney. What's up with that?" I paused, and then said "And I mean, in all seriousness. What do you actually think?"
Duncan gave a sigh. "Here it comes...fine, I think you're fun. And I like that you're not afraid to break the rules and are pretty cool with things. And I know you like me. You're not as subtle as you think. As for Courtney...yeah, I do get frustrated with her sometimes – she can be really bossy. And yeah, I know I kissed her and gave her that skull, but truth be told, I still haven't decided. I figured if I decided you were worth it, I could break it off with her when we saw each other after the show ended. But don't expect an answer, cause I won't have one for at least another week. I'll definitely have decided by the end of the show. And you'll be the first person I tell."

I grinned. "Well, if Courtney got a kiss, then..." I said teasingly.

Duncan grinned back. "Actually, she kissed me."

"Well, then, I should get a chance to kiss you." I reasoned. He couldn't get away with it that easily.
"Courtney wasn't wearing purple or black lipstick." Duncan pointed out.

I grabbed a tissue and wiped off the lipstick. "Now?"

Duncan shrugged. "Go ahead. If you want to kiss me, I guess I should let you."

That wasn't my first kiss, not by a long shot. I'd kissed that boy Spencer at the dude ranch when I was thirteen, and the nutcase stalker I had in Hillwood had kissed me several time, sure. I'd had a couple of boyfriends in Springfield – I'd even hooked up with that creep Kearney who had been stuck in fifth grade for years, although he was a year older than me – but this was different. I'd thought my friend from Hillwood was a good kisser for a nine-year-old, but this was so much better.

Duncan had a sort of dangerous, smoky taste to him. Pretty fitting for the delinquent of the show. But fitting aside, I liked it. I'd expected him to be a lot rougher, but despite it all, he was forceful, but still gentle with it. All in all, he was a fantastic kisser, and as we got into it, I felt his hand wind into my dark hair, pushing my head closer.

When we finally broke away, there was a pause. Then Duncan laughed. "Your roots are showing, you know." he laughed. "Now that's why I only dye the top of my hair."

I shrugged. "Yeah, but you dye it neon green. My hair is dark brown. Can anyone else tell?"

"I'd say definitely, but you'd know I was lying." Duncan said nonchalantly. "Just me, because it's not obvious your hair is dyed, but I notice since I dye my hair. If you look closely at Lindsay, you'll notice her roots are mouse blonde, not like the rest of her hair. Well, if it wasn't for her bandanna. I saw it yesterday, when the bandanna slipped over her eyes, just before she tied it so it wouldn't fall down again."

The conversation and the kiss went unspoken for the rest of the day, and the next day, we were back to normal.

I thought I'd go to the bike challenge in the next chapter, otherwise it'll be really long. Hope you liked it! I'm starting to ship...Duncanie? Stephacan? I'll go with Duncanie.