The Bass Girl cabin was rowdy, the voices of seven different people filling the space inside the cabin besides the furniture.
Though the original plan was to play tens of different games and compete against each other, everyone fell into fun conversations about the entire Total Drama experience and their favorite and least favorite moments, who they rooted to win on Ridonculous Race (Geoff secretly hoped everyone would say him), and people they wish they met from other seasons.
Sometimes, the conversations would split off into boys and girls, or Bass and Gophers, or other former teammates. Courtney and Gwen, red solo cups in their hands, couldn't stop talking about what being on a team with Sierra and Heather was like, and everyone groaned at the idea of being on a team with Heather. Geoff offered lighting a fire outside for all of them to sit around and talk some more - that got quickly shut down as he was one of the drunkest people in the room from the drink he made.
Everyone in the cabin felt a little giddy. Geoff made some secret fruity concoction that tasted like alcohol was barely present, and he simply needed to taste test it several times. Several times meaning having three-to-four cups before anyone else had a chance to try.
"Should I grab my guitar and play some tunes?" Trent asked the group at one point, placing his hands on the as if he was beginning to stand up.
DJ placed one of his hands on Trent's shoulder. "Trent, I think you're a great guy and very talented, but no."
That made the entire cabin erupt in laughter.
"Holy shit DJ. That was brutal." Duncan commented, laughing.
This made DJ think he genuinely hurt someone's feelings. "Trent, please don't take that personal -."
"DJ, dude, it's all good!" Trent laughed with the rest of the group. "I was only half-kidding, but I expected Courtney or Duncan to be one of the first people to stop me."
Gwen interjected. "I would've totally said no too. Just throwing it out there."
Bridgette clapped her hands. "I would have loved to hear some cool tunes from you, Trent. Maybe another time." She paused. "Hey! Geoff and I will buy some concert tickets when you go on tour."
Trent laughed. "Thanks for the support, but no need to do that. You can all get backstage with no problem."
Geoff whooped at that, and requested he be put in charge of the "Trent's final concert afterparty" party. Instead of verbally responding, Trent threw the male blond a thumbs up.
Duncan, who was standing over by the drinks with Geoff, put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Let me in on this afterparty action. You know I know some good connects to make that shit go crazy."
At the sound of that, Trent glanced over worriedly, before turning his attention back to sitting in on Gwen and Courtney's conversation.
"You really liked the music I played?" Gwen asked Courtney, engulfed in a conversation about music.
The brunette nodded her head. "It was really good, Gwen. I know it's hard to believe, but I've even listened to the stuff Duncan would play on his motorcycle or while we were driving somewhere together." She seemed to be trying to find the words. "I feel like musicians should have an appreciation for all music, to an extent. I have a wide variety of music I listen to, outside of the traditional classical genre."
"Damn, if you can withstand the trash Duncan plays, then I guess you really can handle anything." The former Goth commented, saying it loud enough for Duncan to take notice.
"The hell?" He threw his hands out. "My music is awesome."
Both girls looked at each other, rising an eyebrow and laughing together.
Trent added himself into the conversation. "It's true, Gwen. Courtney's taste in music isn't as, well, plain as you would think it is. Plus, she always provides me good critiques for my own music when I've played demos for her or something that's released."
"Some things never change, huh?" Gwen jokingly questioned, making both the musicians laugh.
"Don't worry Gwen, I'm sure Trent will let you listen to some of the newer music he's made." Courtney turned to Gwen, and smoothly winked at her. "Right Trent?" She innocently smiled at him.
He nodded his head, oblivious to Courtney's underlying intentions. "Oh absolutely, Gwen. You just have to promise to not leak it to the internet. That's been happening a lot more frequently and I'd hate for my work to get out there before it's finished."
"I would never leak your work, Trent. Who am I, Sierra?" Gwen joked, making Trent chuckle and Courtney laugh.
"Okay, and I would never leak your work either." Trent responded. "Just setting the record straight there."
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Thanks, Trent. I'd hate for an unfinished art piece to get on the internet."
He clapped his hands and closed his eyes. "Oh absolutely." Then he opened his eyes. "Speaking of artwork, how's the 'gathering inspiration on the island' project been going for you?"
Courtney sat across from Gwen and Trent but still had a smile on her face. She barely heard a word from the past thirty seconds - she was feeling very good from the alcohol. The room might have been spinning just a little bit, but it wasn't bad enough to make her salivate or think she needed to vomit anytime soon.
To her left, Bridgette nearly shouted. "Really, Deej? I didn't know you were familiar with so many vegetarian recipes!"
The gentle giant nodded his head, comfortable in his position on the floor. "Of course I do, Bridgette. I'm a chef! You'll have to come by the restaurant one day and try out all the food Mama and I make."
Bridgette pondered this for a moment. "DJ, you should totally cater our wedding. That would be great business for you, right?"
He looked shocked. "Really? Are you sure. I don't know if I'm that good -."
DJ was interrupted by Bridgette, "I know you're that good. You always doubt yourself and there's never a reason to. You're one of the best cooks I've ever had! Dude, this would literally be an honor for us."
"You guys are what, two hours away from me?" DJ asked. Once he received confirmation from Bridgette, he continued, "Why don't y'all come by for a day trip, if you have the time, and see the restaurant for yourselves. That way you can try some of the food and decide if you really want it. I'll give you some recommendations for other places in the area too, for breakfast and dinner."
The blonde clasped onto his arm. "You are truly the sweetest, DJ. I can't believe you. Actually, I can. That sounds like an awesome idea."
Though her attention was on DJ, she noticed some movement from the corner of her eye and turned to see Courtney beginning to uncross her legs.
"I just need some fresh air, I swear." Courtney giggled to Bridgette, uncrossing her legs and standing up from the cabin floor.
Bridgette, still on the floor, looked up at her with a questioning look on her face.
Courtney smiled at her. "Bridge, I'm drunk and the room may be spinning a teeny bit. Give me a few minutes."
"Boo!" Gwen called from across the circle, temporarily escaping her private conversation with Trent to look at Courtney drunkenly disappointed. "You're a quitter." Then, she turned back to Trent, getting lost in their conversation of the New York City art and music scene.
Standing up, Duncan nodded his head. "Yeah, I agree with Pasty over there." He turned to go refill his cup with alcohol and didn't get to see the professional eyeroll Courtney threw him.
"Takes one to know one, right?" She commented, a smirk on her face.
He faced her, a matching smirk on his face. "Damn woman, I get it. Come up with better material next time."
She jokingly scoffed. "I don't need to provide a response to that."
"You just did." This made both Duncan and Geoff laugh.
DJ looked nervously between the two, sitting next to Gwen and Geoff.
The alcohol skewing her line of vision, she didn't see DJ's facial expressions and continued. "You make me sick."
After nearly filling his cup, Duncan blew her a kiss. "Right back at 'cha, babe."
Courtney looked down at Bridgette, who had a big smile on her face and winked at Courtney before turning back to lock eyes with Geoff. Again. As if they weren't a foot away from each other.
Shaking her head at the two, the brunette turned around and walked out the Bass cabin door, quietly shutting it behind her and walking to the wooden fence. The stars looked incredibly beautiful tonight, with a clear sky overhead and the moon silently watching everyone from outer space. Every individual star seemed to be glistening at different times, providing each one the opportunity to shine.
As she breathed in the summer air, Courtney tried to focus on things not related to alcohol. The lack of man-made light, Boney Island in the distance, maybe picking up her violin again when this is all said and done. Pushing a piece of hair behind her ear, she placed her forearms on the top of the wooden fence preventing her from falling over. It let her lean forward enough to take a deep breath. Her head was spinning a little bit - it had been a while since she was properly drunk. The brunette could handle beer, it was easy to control since they were made in cans and bottles.
Liquor was a totally different story. Though they could be controlled by professionals and other apparatus, for the most part, it's just winging it and guessing how much one is consuming. The other day she may have had a few shots, but she could see how much. Red solo cups provided by Geoff was a different story - there was no way to control his hand or how much Courtney was consuming. She could barely taste the alcohol mixed with the orange juice and pineapple juice. She shouldn't have assumed how little was inside. This was a common mistake she had when it came to drinking with the acclaimed party animal.
"I see your dark side still shines every blue moon." A deep voice followed her footsteps, and she turned to face Duncan with a comedic grin on his face.
He was holding a red solo cup in his left hand, and the thought of what was inside it made Courtney look away from it as quickly as possible and take a heavy breath. She wanted to glance away from it and look anywhere else but there; it led to her making eye contact with Duncan. She was too simple-minded from the alcohol to understand the face she made, how much she smiled, and how raised her eyebrows were.
She blinked. "I don't think I can take another sip of strawberry vodka for the next few years." The former CIT chuckled, breaking eye contact to lift herself up and stand as straight as she could. "How does Geoff hide the taste of it so well?"
This made Duncan breathe out a laugh. "Well, he wasn't stereotyped the 'Party Animal' for no reason. The dude's a beast." There was a quick pause. "Also, let the record show that I did help making the drinks. Thank you very much."
Courtney rolled her eyes. "Wow, Duncan. Thank you oh so very much for your contributions to making everyone in the cabin silly drunk. We wouldn't be here without you." The sarcasm rolled off her tongue naturally, falling back into her old habits.
The door Duncan was holding open showed everyone still inside, laughing obnoxiously and not registering their lengthy disappearance. Quietly, he shut it behind himself. "You feeling okay, though?"
Her eyes felt drooped, like she was starting to get tired and didn't have the energy to keep them open. "Yeah, I just drank a little too much alcohol. I don't feel sick though, think I needed a little air to come back to Earth. All of the sudden, though, I'm started to get a tired."
"Well, if you ever need me to pump your stomach, I'm a professional in that department." Duncan joked, getting closer to Courtney.
She giggled. The lack of nerves running rampage in her head made her feel giddy. "As if. This is making me feel good, like all my anxiety is gone. It's like once you feel this way, you want to keep feeling this."
He still was a couple feet away from her. "Let's not begin the road to addiction here, Princess. You could at least do it somewhere else, like a club or at a resort."
The brunette leaned back, continuing the joke. "Well, what do they say about a glass of wine every night at home again?"
"Nothing other than a bunch of lonely moms drinking it and wishing for a different life." That made them both laugh.
Duncan walked over and stood next to her, the wooden fence creaking a little bit then silencing. It must have been the original one from before they ever stepped foot on the island. "So, speaking of different life, how's the peanut-butter-less one treating you?"
That made Courtney laugh aloud, almost obnoxiously. It caught her completely off-guard. The alcohol was really taking a toll on her reactions and responses to things around her. She turned to her left and looked up at Duncan, who felt closer than the few-inch difference they had. "The same way you enjoyed prison, I suppose?"
The former delinquent face-palmed and laughed into his hand. This made Courtney giggle too, turning away to hide her smile.
"Low blow, Princess." The response sounded somewhat serious to her ears, so she quickly turned around to apologize.
Instead, Duncan was looking at her with a smile. A genuine one.
She smiled back. "You know, I almost apologized for it. You're a Neanderthal."
"I know." He quickly responded, taking a quick sip of the red solo cup he was still holding in his hand.
Courtney glanced in his eyes before watching the cup disappear from her vision. "You don't seem too drunk."
Their body heat was touching, interlocking with each other like it had done previously time and time again. "I'm a little tipsy, but it's gonna take more than some fruity drink Geoff made to knock me off my feet."
The brunette made opened her mouth, before closing it. "Well, what sweeps you off your feet then?"
She could feel herself leaning in, feeling out at sea while staring into his eyes. But she wasn't lost. Those blues were familiar, something she'd already seen before. Though it wasn't any less beautiful, she never felt lost looking into his eyes. Out at sea, but exactly where she was supposed to be. The comforting reminder of home.
Duncan nearly met her halfway. "Do you really need me to spell it out?"
"C, O, U, R, -." Courtney began spelling, giggling after every letter.
He laughed with her, before leaning all the way in and letting their lips meet for the first time in years.
It was soft, mouths closed, yet tasted like oranges and pineapples. Only a few seconds had passed, but Courtney realized she wanted this to be at least for another decade, plus some. His familiar taste of cigarettes and cherries was gone, replaced with alcohol and the woody scent of cologne. The kiss made her sigh, as if all the stress in her body was finally gone. This was something that should've already happened, but when she placed her hands on his chest, he pulled away.
She looked at her hands, and looked up at Duncan. He had a goofy smile on his face, but his eyes failed at hiding the concern he had. Instead of speaking on her comfortability, the brunette slid her hands to meet on the backside of his neck and wrap her arms around him and pull him close.
Automatically, Duncan put his hands on both sides of her waist. As she pulled his upper body to her, he pulled her lower body to his.
Their second kiss felt like confirmation, and the pineapple taste reappeared. Their third kiss held more passion, as Courtney's right hand went even higher and felt its way through Duncan's shaggy dark hair. He matched her energy, and pulled her even closer by moving his left hand to her lower back and resting it where her back ended and bottom began. By the fifth kiss, they were lost in their own world. Courtney's tongue battled for dominance against his, and in-between kisses he would lightly bite on her lower lip, making sure to lock eyes with her.
When they finally pulled a part, Duncan's red solo cup was in the grass of the campgrounds somewhere, and Courtney was truly starting to feel sober. They were both breathing heavily, and when Courtney looked at the other young adult, she couldn't help but let out a breathless laugh.
"What, is my kissing that bad? Can't say I've been practicing recently." Duncan sounded a little concerned, thoughtlessly moving his hand to touch his mouth.
That made her laugh even more. "No, you Ogre." Then, she started fixing his hair. "I messed up your hair a little bit. I was just laughing at how silly you looked."
He had a lopsided grin. "Oh, cool." Then, he bent his head over and let her finish her work.
When Courtney felt satisfied, she began to flatten her own hair. The brunette looked at Duncan again and smiled at the redness of his cheeks and his lips. "You sound like you're out of shape."
"Now both of us know that isn't true, so don't even start." He commented, watching her intently. "Listen, you're not gonna wake up tomorrow and regret this, right? Just need to know before the sun rises."
This time, he left her speechless. "Duncan, what? Why would I regret this? I'm not that drunk. You wanted this. I wanted this. It's as simple as that." Courtney glanced up. "Now, am I going to babble to my 'bros' about it tomorrow? No."
"Okay, that was one time." Duncan interjected, crossing his arms before smiling at her. "But cool. Just didn't want to feel like I was taking advantage of you or some shit."
"I wanted to kiss you, Duncan. Does that soothe your cold, Ogre heart enough?" She asked, sarcasm dripping from her question.
He smiled with his teeth. "You wanted to more than once, might I add. Consider my ice cold heart melted. Congrats, Princess! You did it!"
As he continued to gloat, Courtney decided her hair was fixed enough and walked away from him, re-entering the cabin where she was greeted by loud cheers by the other former contestants and questions about if she was ready to play some games.
Sitting on the floor in-between Bridgette and Gwen, she smiled and gave a thumbs up. "Hell, yes."
The sound of her cursing made Trent laugh lightly, and they started playing games like Heads Up.
Once they decided who would go next, Bridgette held her phone on top of her head so she couldn't see what the answers were.
"Bridgette, he has a scar, on his head! Super famous, it's something that even I would read and watch." Gwen nearly yelled, exasperated with the blonde.
Courtney added on, "Bridgette, it's literally one of the few book series Gwen and I have both read. It's so easy."
The girl playing, smiling with a glazed look over, confidently responded, "Joaquin Phoenix."
Gwen and Courtney both looked at each other before silently turning to Bridgette. The brunette face-palmed, beginning to laugh. Gwen shortly followed, covering her mouth to hide her smile.
Looking confused, Bridgette asked, "Well, can I go to the next one."
Right after speaking, her phone buzzed to indicate the game was over. She smiled, moving it lower so she could read all the answers. Then, her face looked confused again. "Wait, was this the only one we were on? And it was Harry Potter? Why didn't anyone mention wizardry to me?"
"We did!" Gwen and Courtney both responded simultaneously, with Courtney throwing her arms out and Gwen placing her hands on the top of her head.
"It's okay babe, you'll do way better the next time!" Geoff patted the top of Bridgette's head, walking over from where he, Trent, and Duncan were having a conversation.
She looked up and smiled at him, and he bent down to get closer to her. Everyone knew what was about to happen, and collectively groaned.
Like clockwork, Bridgette and Geoff began making out. On the floor of the cabin like they were sixteen again. Behind them, Trent raised an eyebrow and Duncan put a finger into his open mouth as a fake attempt to barf.
Courtney looked over in their direction as her laughter died down, wondering to herself what they could be talking about. Before either of the young men noticed, she looked away and plainly stared at Bridgette and Geoff, her mouth forming a line as the humor rushed out of her body and slight annoyance began.
As they continued, DJ stood up. "Okay guys, I'm going to get some sleep since I have to be up early. I had a really good time, though. It was nice to see everyone all together again." His voice went up an octave, before he tried to clear his throat.
Pitifully almost, Courtney stood up and smiled at him. "It was really nice to see you too, DJ. I'm sure this won't be the last time we see you." They both looked down at Bridgette and Geoff. In her mind, Courtney hoped they would at least have some form of composure for their wedding.
"Dude, no crying allowed." Duncan walked over to DJ, lifting his hand so they could dap each other up and lean forward for a chest hug. "Good to see you, man."
"I know, I know." DJ agreed, a small sniffle coming from him.
Trent walked over to the rest of the group and patted DJ's shoulder. "Yeah man, I don't we never got a lot of chances to talk, but I'm glad we do now. I'll let you know if I'm ever in your city - I'd love to try the restaurant you have with you mom."
Realizing the reality of the situation in front of him, though, made Trent change his tune a bit. "Actually, DJ, you wanna talk more over in my cabin? I'm not sure how packed you are, but you're more than welcome to stay there."
The gentle giant released a breath he was holding onto, making Courtney chuckle. "That would be great. Thanks Trent." He patted Trent's back.
"Not to be weird or anything, but mind if I join you?" Gwen asked. "If it helps, Owen wanted to sleep with Izzy tonight, and last I heard was getting a makeover done by her and Lindsay. I think your cabin is free from his farts."
The musician smiled. "That would be great, Gwen. You can totally stay with us. And thanks for the head's up, that's really a relief."
Comprehending the situations going on in front of her, Courtney looked to Gwen. "Gwen, you can stay in here if you want. There's more than enough room!" She smiled, extending her arms as proof.
"Thanks, Court. But considering the number of cooties that have officially entered the cabin, I don't think it's good for my skin." Gwen smirked at her.
When Courtney realized what was going on, she dropped her shoulders in defeat. Gwen laughed, almost like a villain. "Sorry, still a little drunk." Gwen commented, clearing her throat.
"Hey, you two." Courtney spoke down to the two blondes who were still making out. "Go to your cabin and stop this nonsense in mine." She lightly tapped Bridgette's back for good measure.
They finally stopped, and Bridgette looked up at Courtney with pseudo-puppy eyes. "Sorry Courtney! We'll be out of your hair now."
Adjusting his cowboy hat, Geoff tilted it down to everyone. "If we don't hangout beforehand, I'll be seeing all y'all at the wedding." His attempt at an American Southern accent did not go unnoticed, and most in the cabin chuckled at them before they made their escape.
As they were leaving, DJ followed them out, politely waving to everyone.
Trent held the door open for Gwen, who thanked him and turned around one more time to look at the remaining people inside of the people. Then, similarly to what Duncan did towards Bridgette and Geoff, she stuck her finger inside her mouth as if she was trying to make herself vomit. The musician chuckled at the motion, following her out and shutting the door.
This only left one more person in the cabin, and Courtney turned to look at him with a deadpan expression.
"Aren't you going to leave too? The party is over." She asked the former delinquent, picking up everyone's cups and setting them on one of the unused dressers.
He followed her motion, starting to move things around as a means to clean up the cabin. "And listen to Bridgette and Geoff get it on for the twentieth time this week? Nah. I'd rather sleep outside with the Yetis."
Once they finished, Courtney looked at him with a smile on her face. "Well, the door is over there whenever you're ready to sleep with the Yetis. You're more than welcome to grab a sheet if you think you'll be cold."
"Princess, you're too cruel to me." Duncan commented, walking over to her and placing his hands on her hips. She giggled some more and looked up at him.
"Fine, you can sleep in here. But not in my bed. Find your own." She removed his hands from her hips and skipped over to her bed, sitting in it and taking her flats off.
Like clockwork, he followed her to her bed and hunched over, so his face was inches away from hers underneath the bed bunk. "Really?" He asked, moving slightly closer to her.
Heat rising to her face, his deepened voice caught her completely off guard. Her eyes widened a little bit, but she hoped it was feigned well enough and she kept her cool. "Really." She confirmed, raising her eyebrow to lock eyes with him.
If this was a game, Courtney had already lost.
Duncan tilted his head, standing up in a normal position and walking to the cabin door. Courtney followed him with her eyes, hoping the dejection didn't show on her face. Once the former delinquent got to the door, he turned to look at her and raised his arm. Just as quickly, the lights went out and Courtney could hear his footsteps returning in her direction.
"Really?" He asked again, feeling even closer than before.
Her heart was fluttering uncontrollably, and she desperately wanted to take a deep breath to calm herself down. Then, she remembered, there was no game to win here. There was no grand prize in the form of money, or status, or anything else tied to the success she was taught.
She smiled. "No." her whisper came out like she was breathless.
Almost as quickly as she said she, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her bed, and he happily obliged. In the darkness of the cabin and the island, countless kisses were exchanged, but it was an unfair war as Courtney received more on her cheeks and her nose and Duncan remembered the placement of all her freckles and he kissed every single one.
They stayed like that, with Duncan hovering over Courtney or warming her body with his own, until they fell asleep.
The cabin door opening made Courtney squint her eyes, and yawn before taking a deep breath. The sun wasn't completely up yet, and her vision was blocked by a bundle of blonde hair.
"Court." Someone whispered.
The brunette opened her eyes more, realizing it was Bridgette standing in front of her.
Duncan had never been a deep sleeper. Courtney knew this, and he was probably awake right now. Despite this, she needed to remove his arm from across her midsection. As painlessly as she could, she placed his right arm on the bedsheet that fell in-between them, and was able to stand up and face Bridgette.
The surfer, with tears prickling her eyes, opened her arms as wide as she could. Courtney leaned in and hugged her best friend. Bridgette's arms wrapped around Courtney's neck, and the two young women embraced each other silently.
The chirping of birds in the far distance was the only sound disrupting them, and the brunette leaned her head into her friend's sky-blue t-shirt, inhaling her summer scent. Bridgette always reminded Courtney of summer - she probably made at least half of Canada think of surfing when they thought of her.
She smelled like the ocean and her heartbeat made Courtney think of a seashell. It was peaceful, consistent, and the foundation she needed to keep going. Though there were billions of seashells, this one led Courtney to think of home every time she heard it.
Bridgette sniffled, squeezing her friend ever tighter.
"Bridge, I'm okay." Courtney whispered. "Are you? Let me walk you to the dock."
The question made the blonde laugh a little. "I feel like the roles are reversed for the first time. Here you are checking up on little ol' me."
Courtney slid her black flats on as quietly and quickly as she could. "I'm sorry I haven't asked before." Her grey t-shirt was on the floor, so she threw it on over her black tank top and black shorts.
The cabin door creaked as Bridgette stepped outside. Courtney turned around and whispered, a little bit louder than before. She had a smile on her face. "I know you're awake, since you stopped snoring. I'll be right back.
She could hear the faintest 'I don't fucking snore' as she closed the cabin door behind her. Locking arms with Bridgette, the two made their quiet walk to the dock.
The old boat that brought them to the island was patiently sitting there, sifting through the cool lake water as the sun still have time before it moved above the horizon. Geoff was standing at the dock, waiting for Bridgette. As the two women got closer to the dock, Courtney could see Geoff's face light up and a genuine smile across his face.
"Mocha." He didn't yell his greeting, but at a normal tone his voice was happy. "You came to see Bridgette off."
Courtney rubbed Bridgette's back. "And you too, Geoff. I wouldn't have my best friend without you." She smiled at Geoff, and his smile got even larger, if that was possible.
Once she removed her arm, Bridgette turned and looked at Courtney with glassy eyes and a pout. "I'm going to miss you so much, Courtney. I want to see you soon, OK? No more disappearing act."
The brunette blinked away tears. "I know, Bridge. No more disappearing act. I'm here for good now."
"You'll be okay?" The blonde asked, rubbing Courtney's arm.
Courtney nodded, unable to form words for a moment. That would've been the first time she's ever committed to the idea, the movement, the belief. Will she be okay? Her friends, her rocks, were leaving.
As she took a deep breath, she awkwardly laughed, and a few tears fell. "I'll be okay, Bridgette. I'll be okay. Really." She wanted to believe it, so badly. If she could find a way to scream it or place it at the summit of the tallest mountain in the world, she would.
Suddenly, a warm body embraced her, and the fact it was shirtless made Courtney realize it was Geoff. His chin sat at the top of Courtney's head. "You'll be okay, Mocha. You got us. And we got you."
Some more tears fell down Courtney's cheeks, and she sniffled, trying to hug Geoff back at quietly as possible. Behind her, Bridgette engaged in the hug too. A rare feeling escaped Courtney in this moment. Security. The brunette just stood there, letting herself be consumed by love - a feeling she forget could be given to her.
"Guys," she started, "you live an hour away from me. Not an entire continent."
"But still, life can be in the way sometimes. We just want to make sure you know you can always call if you need us, and we'll come running."
Courtney sighed, warmth bubbling in her stomach. "I know, and I don't say this enough, but I'm happy you're in my life - both of you."
There were footsteps getting closer to the trio, and Bridgette and Geoff broke away to see who it was.
"Hopefully you're happy I'm in your life too." They spoke, dropping their duffel bag onto the wood.
When the brunette turned around after wiping her eyes, she immediately locked eyes with Trent. "Oh fuck." She cursed, the tears in her eyes swelling for a second time in a matter of minutes.
Everyone on the dock, except Courtney, began laughing at her slip up. Trent walked closer to Courtney as she covered her eyes, afraid the tears would never stop. She let him hug her, and he rubbed her back.
"Gonna copy your words for a second, Court. But I don't say this a lot either." Trent began speaking, as Bridgette and Geoff walked onto the boat. "But I am so proud of you. I'm proud of both of us, but you did so well. Good job, Courtney."
Trent separated from Courtney, and she finally removed her hands from her eyes, bloodshot from the stream of tears falling.
She couldn't remember the last time anyone told her they were proud of her. Her parents set expectations so high, there was never a need to say it. Her high school friends never said it, because they could care less about what she did for the debate club or model UN club. She never won a single season of Total Drama, so her peers and few relatives didn't need to say it. Had someone ever told her they were proud of her?
Was she blocking those memories from her childhood? No, she could remember almost everything from the age of five. She exceled because that was the standard. As she scraped through her thoughts, she realized this might have been the first person to ever say it. Over twenty years later, and the confirmation that Courtney was doing a good job finally arrived. Wrapped up in a box with a musician inside she met on a reality television series.
Courtney looked up at Trent. "For the love of God, Trent." Courtney spoke, her voice lowered. "If you don't get that coffee with Gwen, I'm going to wring your neck."
The young adult knew she hit a nerve, because his face quickly changed to a reddish tone, and he looked away from her. "But," she continued, " I'm proud of you too. I hope you were able to finally able to forgive yourself."
"Look who's talking." He quickly jabbed back, making them both laugh.
They hugged one more time, one that Courtney was able to properly reciprocate, before Trent picked up his bags and winked at his friend. "Go back to sleep, Court." He bent over to say in her ear and continued to walk onto the boat with the blondes.
Wiping her eyes, the brunette waved goodbye to Lindsay as she stepped onto the boat, and hugged DJ one last time. Finally, the boat set off and those on it were waving goodbye to Courtney. Except Izzy, who was standing on top of the boat and throwing her arms upwards to the sky.
The boat was far closer to the horizon than the island after ten minutes or so. Courtney, feeling the heaviness of sleep overpower the adrenaline she once had, slowly walked to the communal to look at her face. Despite all the crying, her eyes weren't as puffy as she imagined. That said, her eyes could desperately use some help. Maybe a few more hours of sleep would be beneficial; she had most of the day to sleep, chat, and lounge around the island. Wetting a paper towel, she dabbed at her cheeks and the lines her tears made underneath his eyes before throwing the paper towel out and walking back to her cabin.
Wawanakwa felt so much quieter without her friends. The island felt more vast, undiscovered, and threatening.
Those feelings quickly disappeared once she entered the cabin and saw Duncan asleep, turned so his body faced the wall and arm covering his eyes from the approaching lightening of the sky. Courtney took her flats off beside the bed and sat on the mattress, wiping her dry eyes one more time before laying down in the same direction Duncan was facing.
He was shirtless, so she stared at his back muscles and watched the way his body rose and fell when he breathed. If he had woken up from the door, he quickly fell back asleep. Courtney couldn't tell, since he didn't move when she returned.
She wondered if he would look with a buzzcut. He probably would. She liked his hair in most styles, with the exception of that terrible mohawk.
Instead of letting her thoughts trip her backwards into the past, she closed her eyes and found a way to drift back to sleep, the exhaustion winning the war.
The next time Courtney woke up, her eyes realized her vision was primarily dark. Her body realized how much warmer she was now compared to when she fell asleep. Through an educated guess, her grogginess allowed her to assume Duncan's body was around her. Their legs were intertwined, the sheets falling off the bed. The sun was a lot higher than it was the last time Courtney was awake. Though there was a ball of sadness unraveling in her stomach once she realized the events that took place this morning were real, she felt equally refreshed. She was a bundle of emotions, and internally tried to place them in their correct spots.
Duncan, in his state of unconsciousness, had his arm across Courtnet's side and back. He unintentionally pushed her out of her thoughts by squeezing the Latina closer to him. That was barely possible, considering how small the bed was and how close they already were.
Courtney didn't want to leave this moment.
"Duncan, get off of me." She mumbled, her words barely escaping the top of his chest.
"Hmm?" He mumbled back, sounding only a little bit awake.
Thinking of what to say next, she told him, "I know you're not into golden showers, but if you don't let me go in the next couple of minutes, you'll have to learn to like them."
Instantly, Duncan removed himself from Courtney and opened his eyes. "How do you know what a golden shower is? Who are you and what have you done to the real Courtney?" He asked, staring at her with the slightest of a smirk on his face.
The young adult stood up and stretched her arms upwards. "I don't live under a rock. Obviously, I know what those are. And I know you definitely wouldn't be into that."
"People change, Princess." He responded with that mischievous tone in his groggy voice. "Why don't we give it a try now and rate the experience out of ten."
She looked over at him while putting her flats on. "As if I would let you pee on me. That's disgusting."
Duncan, still in bed, turned onto his back. His face was still looking at her, and he placed his hands behind his head. "Kink-shaming isn't very nice of you."
"Well, peeing on someone isn't sanitary. That's just from a health perspective." She retorted, walking to the cabin door.
"Babe, I can tell you most things that happen during sex aren't sanitary. I'm sure you're aware of that."
His response was Courtney closing the door and walking off to the bathroom.
The sun was higher in the sky, and if Courtney had to guess, it was closer to ten or eleven in the morning. As she walked to the bathroom, she realized how little aftereffects she had from the night before. She thanked the water she consumed before beginning to drink and didn't question it any further.
The communal was empty when she walked in, which would make sense since there were only three girls left, herself included. Heather is one of the earliest risers, and Gwen is one of the latest sleepers. Courtney found herself somewhere in the middle.
Her stream of pee broke the silence of the room, and in her mind, she cursed Duncan for his conversation about golden showers. There was no way she could go back to sleep, though. Her stomach agreed with her, rumbling.
After she washed her hands, she shook them dry and grabbed a paper towel to fully dry them off, before exiting the bathrooms and making her way back to her cabin.
"Get up." She ordered once she walked back in. "We're going to breakfast."
Duncan shot up from his position. "Yes ma'am. I'm starving." He grabbed his black drawstring shorts from the floor and his black t-shirt and pulled it over his head, walking over to Courtney and opening the door for her to step out.
She smiled at him politely and returned outside, this time with the former delinquent following her.
Their walk to the cafeteria was silent, Duncan catching up to walk beside her and at her pace. Courtney didn't really have much to say, so she continued to quiet stroll over to where their food would be served.
As they walked in, they quickly realized they were the only ones around. "I wonder if Gwen woke up yet." Courtney pondered aloud, making her way to where the food was out and available. It was similar to what was provided yesterday - breakfast sausages, pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon.
"Pasty takes her time coming back to the living world. I'd say give it a few hours." Duncan replied, grabbing a few pieces of bacon and sausages.
With her plate holding a pancake, some eggs, and a piece of sausage, Courtney sat at one of the tables with some utensils for both her and Duncan and waited for him to finish poking around the bacon strips. Once he was finally satisfied with the pieces he picked up, he walked over and sat across the table from Courtney.
She slid over the utensils for him, and a napkin, and began eating.
For the most part, their breakfast was consumed in silence, with Courtney occasionally telling the other young adult to stop touching her ankles with his feet. That would make him innocently bite a piece of his breakfast and sound confused.
"What are your plans today?" Duncan eventually asked, placing an elbow on the table and looking at Courtney.
The brunette tapped her chin, thinking. "Oh, you know, watch a few episodes of TV, then go grocery shopping and maybe pick up dinner on the way back."
While she talked, Duncan's smile got bigger and bigger. "Wow, someone really has jokes today."
Courtney raised an eyebrow at him, a smirk on her face. "I already told you this, Duncan. I've always been funny."
His eyebrow matched her own raised one, and instead of verbally responding, he decided to eat his sausage.
"In reality," she spoke, genuinely answering the question, "I hadn't thought about it. I have one more interview with Chris this afternoon, but I might just sit on the dock or go for a swim. It's our last day here, so maybe I'll do one more walk to the thousand-foot cliff." She rambled, not sticking to one specific idea. Then, she looked at him, "What about you? What did you plan on doing today?"
"Just following you wherever you go." He replied simply, before biting his last piece of bacon.
With her plate clean of food, Courtney stood up to throw it in the box they left dirty dishes in. "And if I don't want you to follow me?"
He stood up after her. "You'll have to suck it up, big girl."
Duncan was true to his word, following Courtney to the docks and sitting beside her.
The sky was a romantic blue today. clear of any clouds and the sun warmed the island with its love. Though it was still sticky, it could have been worse, and had been previous days. It felt somewhat comfortable. With the company of Duncan, she felt even better. She'd never tell him that though.
"You know," Duncan spoke, feet dangling off the dock and swaying in the direction the wind was pulling the water. "I think brown really suits you."
Courtney turned her head to look at him. She leaned her head on her knees, legs pulled up and cheek pressing on her legs. "What do you mean?" Confusion tinted her voice, blinking at him as he chose to stare out into the lake. Boney Island sat in the distance, looking as intimidating as ever.
They had been sitting on the dock, shifting between short conversations and content silence for at least an hour. The sun's heat continued to put pressure them, and there were a few times Courtney contemplated grabbing her swimsuit and going for a short swim in the lake.
Duncan rested his elbows on his legs. "Your skin color, your hair, your eyes. I can't imagine you looking any different. Shit, even your personality reminds me of brown."
Courtney continued to stare. "Are you comparing me to shit?" She ended up asking.
"What?" Duncan laughed. "No, no. Fuck no."
Instead of laughing, Courtney continued to listen to him speak, hoping he would explain himself.
He made a face. "Look, this is gonna sound cheesy as fuck, so you can't laugh."
When he glanced over at her, she silently confirmed her agreement with a nod.
"In prison, we don't get access to the internet. Obviously. So, one of my visits my Ma came to see me, and we were just talking and shit. I asked her to look up the meaning of brown for me. My next visit, I forget it was like a couple weeks or a month later, she visited me again and told me it meant reliability, resilience, loyalty, shit like that. She added something else too - that people with a brown personality type love structure, might be a little rigid, and have high self-esteem. But that they can be incredibly loyal and show a side to them not everyone gets to see once they're comfortable."
Though he stopped talking, Courtney didn't respond. The look on his face indicated he had more to say.
She was correct, and he continued speaking. "After a while, everything in prison looked like garbage. I mean, that's kind of the point of it, so you don't feel like going back. But you were on my mind a lot, and every time I thought of you, I thought of brown. Short brown hair, pretty brown skin, deep brown eyes. I'd look around me and nothing could ever compare, even once I left prison. I figured it had some meaning to it. That's why I asked my Ma to look it up for me. People with college degrees are really into shit like that, making things deeper than it needs to be. Psychologist and shit. But after she told me that, I figured there was truth to it. But yeah, that was it." He paused. "Don't fucking laugh either."
Once he finished, she watched the redness in his face steadily increase across his tanned cheeks and nose. He leaned his face further underneath his hands to hide it. Swinging his feet more inconsistently underneath the wooden dock, beaten converses were still far from touching the water.
Tears prodded from her eyes, sticking to the corners and pushing to fall down her face. This was the Duncan she was so fond of, the one that embarrassingly hid his real, emotional feelings until they were alone with nothing to build a wall between them. He struggled so much walking through his feelings that she remembered having to force patience to listen to him. Sometimes, when she looked at Duncan, it felt like a mirror replaced him and she was staring at herself. Even after all these years, he still couldn't fully commit to the bad boy image he showed on television. The same way she was just a lonely girl, he was a lonely boy.
Courtney cleared her throat. "Duncan," she started, "that was one of the most thoughtful things you've ever said to me." A tear from her right eye escaped and fell down her face. "It might be one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me."
"Well, considering who your parents are, that isn't hard to accomplish." He joked, lifting his face and making them both smile. When he turned and looked at her, he must have seen the tear or the glassiness of her eyes, he reached over and lightly pushed her.
She furrowed her eyebrows, bringing them closer to her eyes as she blinked and unraveled herself, finally letting her legs dangle off of the dock and placing her hands on the wood. "But I'll keep saying nice things to you. If you want that."
Before she could smile at him, he added another comment. "Just let me touch that beautiful bottom you sway when you walk and I'm all yours."
"You're the most annoying person I've ever met in my life, and that's saying a lot." Courtney glared at him, but there was no bite to her words.
As a matter of fact, she smirked at his comment quickly before looking unbothered again.
He hummed underneath his breath. "I can't be that bad. I think you spend the most time with me out of everyone on the island."
The tears had fully dried at this point. "Well, unfortunately my options are limited. It was either you or Heather, and as much as I'd love to debate over who the better leader for their team was, I prefer an attempt at having a conversation with you."
"Oh, Princess, you wound me so." He placed his hands over where his heart should be. Except he put them on the right side of his chest.
"Your heart is on the other side of your torso." Courtney rolled her eyes.
Duncan quickly moved it to the correct side, before pretending to wipe a tear from his closed eyes. When he slowly opened them, the other young adult was staring at him with an unimpressed expression on her face.
He dropped the act. "Man, Princess, you are one tough cookie to crack."
"Thanks!" Courtney pridefully responded, smiling at the compliment.
The former delinquent laughed. "That wasn't a compliment."
She kept her bright tone up. "Well, I'm accepting it as such, so thanks again."
Duncan stared at her, a smile growing on his face. "You are unbelievable."
Courtney looked at Duncan and locked eye contact with him again, this time lasting longer than previously. She decided to scooch over to her right, so they were closer together. Their upper thighs were touching, and under the dock their feet could hit each other if they swayed at the right angle.
"I didn't get to properly say thank you for what you said earlier. I didn't realize how much you thought about me for all this time." She tilted her head up to look at him. "Can I give you a compliment back?"
His smile seemed to be enough confirmation for Courtney to continue speaking. She spoke quietly, almost to a whisper. "I've been learning to humanize the people and things around me. I've really been able to do that while being here and talking to everyone again. Something that I always thought about is how we're more similar than we give each other credit for. When you were talking about how I remind you of brown, I felt like you were unintentionally talking about yourself too."
Slowly, he began to lose his smile. "Don't you see it?" Courtney asked. "You are resilient, and loyal, and very kind. But your eyes are blue." She leaned her head to the left a little bit. "You force yourself to intimidate others because you're so comforting. You're dependable. Anyone can look in those eyes and feel lost, yet comforted. But I see a world of sadness too, a short life lived too quickly and now you're the one looking for comfort."
Duncan's hand was a little sweaty, but so was her own. She pressed hers on top of his. "I want to be that for you. I think I can be that person for you. Just like you've been for me. Just give me a little time to work up to it. If you're 100% of the way there, I'm 80% there. I'm so jealous you've always been so honest and clear about what you want. I've had the strings of my life pulled for so long, I'm still learning how to walk. But wait for me, I'm almost there, okay?"
Suddenly, she felt Duncan's hand switch positions and hers fell underneath his. It completely covered her own, and when she looked down out of slight surprise, he kissed the top of her forehead and leaned forward so his face was next to her ear.
"I think I'd be willing to wait a hundred million years or so. But if you don't get it together by then, we might have a problem, Princess."
It made her smile, and Courtney felt like she might cry again. "I'm hoping to be ready in a couple million, if that's okay with you." She whispered back.
His chuckle sent shivers down her spine. "Even in the afterlife, I'd wait."
wow guys, you would not believe the turmoil i had writing this chapter
i actually finished it last night, and then when i went to click and save a (rather small) chunk of it, fanfiction had crashed :D LMAOOOO i was in so much distress at 2am. there was nothing i could do but sleep and hope it was fixed in the morning and trying for fifteen minutes
also HELLOOO QUICKEST UPDATE YET. 20 days?! can you believe it? me either.
why the quick update? well, i was sitting around thinking about what to write about two weeks ago, and i literally had the most GENIUS idea which later became the duncan x courtney scene outside the cabin. i have in my iphone notes "MUST RECREATE EPISODES 12 OF TDI" and had some lines of dialogue written out, so i came into fanfiction to flush it out more. then, i was like no i need to give the people one more really good moment, and so the final scene with them was designed.
basically, this chapter was written completely in reverse, and then i had to add parts in-between to make it all flow. it was challenging! but i had the time and here we are.
i hope you enjoyed it all! the next chapter will be the "official" last chapter (i teared up writing that and making it a reality) and then of course a little epilogue action. the final chapter should be out before the end of the year, and the epilogue? let's hope for the best :3
as always, i didn't proofread so please point out any errors you see
for this chapter, i listened to pinkpantheress, newjeans, and some of my old depressing 8tracks playlist from 2014 and 2015 to get me through. hahahaha. feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think! if not, the follow and favorite buttons slay too *heart eye emoji*
thank you so much for reading! thank you so much for all the support! you have no idea how much i appreciate the love and support i've been given, and i'd hug you all if i could. i cannot say thank you enough.
until next time friends! xoxo
