"So, Courtney." Chris began, crossing his leg and leaning his elbow on his leg. "Tell me. How has the reunion been for you?"

She stood at the dock, alone. Draped over her upper body was a black hoodie, too large for her smaller frame. Gray shorts she slept in were nearly overtaken by the hoodie, and black flats kept her feet safe from the wood. Pinks fluttered across a touching blue sky, one that was still opening its eyes. The paleness of clouds slowly rolled across the colors, absorbing the golden light from the rising sun. She crossed her arms and looked out towards the faint, invisible line where the sky and water met. No one has ever seen the horizon except in published literature books.

The brunette sat across from him, a log lodged into the sand on the beach. The water wasn't anywhere close to touching their feet, and the humidity was finally settling down. Courtney's grey t-shirt still stuck to her body, nonetheless.

She looked at Chris, formulating a response. "It's been fine. I've been enjoying reconnecting with some of the former contestants and seeing my friends again. I wish the food was better, though."

"Nothing is perfect enough for Miss Courtney, still to this day. But you know, we've done all these interviews and spent all these years being filmed on international television together, and you still haven't warmed up to me yet?" Chris asked, a smirk on his face.

This comment made her roll her eyes. "As if I can forgive you for all the mayhem you put me through over the years. And yes, I know I signed a contract, but there were times you went too far with the antics."

Small index cards placed on the host's knee were picked up and in his hands. "Oh, but you were able to forgive other people for actually hurting you?"

"That's right." Courtney agreed, folding her arms. "And they were able to forgive me, too." She wanted to keep as many answers as short as possible, as a means to avoid Chris diving into more personal matters that involved other people. Plus, she wanted to leave and go spend time with some of the few people left on the island.

Chris nodded his head, feigning understanding or not caring enough. "We have a lot of footage of you crying, or spending time alone at the dock and in the cabin. What's up with that?"

The question made her sigh, uncrossing her arms. "I've grown used to solitude since All Stars. During this event I took a lot of time to think over myself and everyone else. And honestly, it was overwhelming at times being around everyone else. My social battery is not at the same level it was when I was in high school."

"Did anyone make you cry during your visit to camp? Or was it all on your own accord?" He asked, pestering on.

"You did. We can start and finish there." She quickly retorted, openly glaring at him for a second before resigning to her disinterested face.

He tilted his head slightly, a confused look on his face. "Yeah, but I wasn't the only one, right? Viewers saw an interesting conversation between you and Duncan a couple nights ago. When cameras tracked you down, you were crying by the 1,000-foot cliff."

Of course, they saw that. "We had a disagreement, just like old times." The second half of that statement was in a tone only described as disgustingly sarcastic. It made her outwardly smirk. "We've both moved on since that little thing. Not too much to comment on."

The sand was still warm from the sun, but not too hot to the touch. A breeze was opening its wings as the minutes passed.

Chris sighed, happily. "Ah, young love. You can't hate it."

Courtney raised an eyebrow at his comment, refusing to comment on it.

It was still cool outside. The wind flew past Courtney's freckles, waking her eyes up to the day ahead of her. Waves sprayed upwards, specs of water touching the brunette's lower body. Maybe today was going to be the start of a cooler summer, where the sun would start setting earlier and earlier and the wind would go from flowing to pressing against people. The forest behind the brunette shuttered at the thought, birds waking up their neighbors and flying off to other little islands in the distance.

"You and Gwen have seemed to make up and become friend-ish again. Think it's going to last this time?" Chris asked. Again, beginning to poke into her personal life.

But Courtney had to remember that she had no idea what the viewers had or hadn't seen. Keeping it calm and honest without revealing too many details to Chris was the goal.

The interviewee nodded her head, almost confidently. "We've both grown up and accepted the past as that - the past. This experience has bonded us in a unique way, but I think she provides a great reality check I've been missing from my life. Similarly, I wake her up to things she purposefully chooses to ignore. We may never be the best of friends, but I would consider her a friend, nonetheless."

"So, her actions of kissing your then-boyfriend, dating you ex-boyfriend, and then pretending you guys were broken up don't bother you anymore?" Chris asked.

In the back of her mind, Courtney could remember the feelings of disgust and anger, heartbreak and revenge. Yet, the forefront of her mind showed no indication of those feelings taking over. Her primary thoughts were overtaken by her secondary, realistic ones. A reminder of the present.

Ultimately, she shot a disdained look at the host. "I mean, does that stuff hurt? Yes. But, and I'm sure you noticed this yesterday during my interview with Gwen, we're OK now. I'm able to understand those actions and why those actions, and I was no saint during that period of time either. Friendship can be a tumultuous experience, but I'm glad to see ours back on solid ground."

Chris wiped a fake tear from his eye. He threw it to the side and glanced down at his index cards. "Honestly, Courtney, it seems like you've become friend-ish with most of the former contestants. Is there a bigger goal or is the general public overthinking it?"

Learning about the public's opinion wasn't something Courtney wanted to know, considering her more recent habit of overthinking. Despite this, she took the comment at face value. "Being here with everyone again and not worrying about being backstabbed or challenges has been, well, nice. Yes, I would say the public is overthinking it this time around. If you asked me a few years ago my answer may have been a little bit different."

She laughed at herself. "Hearing what everyone else has been up to has been enlightening, and the more we talked to each other or just spent time together, I realized how everyone has something likeable about them. Even if we don't talk ever again after this, it's someone I could run into and ask about their life and maybe go get coffee with. As much as I hate to say it, Total Drama bonded all of us."

"Most of the stuff you learned was probably common knowledge to many of the viewers, and me. After the finale of Total Drama: All Stars, you were practically unreachable and many wondered if you would return for this special reunion." Chris stated, not ending it off as a question.

Listening to him speak, Courtney nodded her head. She had anticipated this would be a major talking point. "Yes, after the finale I went home and sat and rewatched all of my appearances throughout every season, and every episode. I spent most of that time contemplating my actions and wanted to do some self-healing. When I ultimately decided to agree to attend the reunion, I did it with the intention of reconnecting with my former peers and apologizing for my actions. I'm lucky everyone took it well."

Again, Chris was nodding his head along to Courtney's response. When she finished, he uncrossed his legs and stared at her. "Why didn't you take any time to post these thoughts or apologies on social media?"

Matching his actions, Courtney nodded her head as he asked the question. "Honestly, I figured everyone would hate me regardless of if I posted it or not. The way I left the show wasn't the best, and I sort of assumed people would think I was trying to apologize for appearances rather than sincerity."

"But still, what about the people who defended you time and time again on the internet? The Courtney fans?" Chris cracked open the situation up more.

The brunette continued honestly responding. "At the time, I didn't even think I had fans. In my perspective, the hate significantly outweighed the support. Sure, it was a rash decision, but imagine being in my shoes. The mental and emotional effects of the past few years finally catching up and you take the time to acknowledge it. And I know it was my fault, but I was still a teenager."

For a few moments, she stopped talking, seeming to collect her thoughts. Then, continued, looking into the camera pointed at her. "I do want to say, though. To those that were supporting me, whether it was one season or the duration of the show. Thank you so much. I'm not sure if I ever addressed you all but thank you for stepping in to show support when I was at my lowest points."

Chris clapped, index cards still in his hands. "Wow! We even get a candid message from Courtney to her fans. She's truly turned a new leaf."

His voice made her want to roll her eyes, but considering the situation she was in, it would not be the best look. Instead, she smiled. "Thanks, Chris. I would really like to believe I have. The sixteen-year-old I once was I decided to grow from. I can't change the past, but I can at least learn for the future."

"Very wise words from a former reality TV star."

It still smelled like saltwater, somehow. It made her nose itch, like all the other times she had sat reading on the beach or watching her few friends surf. Or even when she and Gwen sat on the dock, finding comfortability with each other's company. The air brewed all the pines and dew and delicateness of nature and rode from behind Courtney, so if she turned around, she could smell it too. She breathed in heavily, filling her lungs and holding her breath for as long as she could. Releasing the air from her mouth, she did it again and again to force the tears from leaving her eyes.

Courtney nodded her head, agreeing with the host. There was no verbal response, though, so Chris kept up with the questions. "Is there anything else you would say you learned from filming? You're one of the most prominent and polarizing contestants we've ever had! It's an honor."

Her deadpan expression made Chris smile a little bit wider. "I mean," she started, thinking of what words she wanted to use. "You learn a lot from any situation. I learned that the show only showed a few minutes of our lives, so I can't really blame people for hating me, since twenty-three minutes a week is all they saw of me. Sometimes even less than that. You never know what clips will be shown or what confessionals will be used. That might be why people were surprised by some friendships created here or even the reunion."

"Like you and Trent?"

"Exactly. I think a lot of people were really surprised by my friendship with Trent, but there was never any footage aired of what those not involved in Action were doing, besides the Aftermath episodes. And the only people that had an idea were Gwen, Cody, and a few others before I left for filming." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's easy to judge and hate someone based on a few minutes. I include myself in that category too. But, like I said, everyone here is a good person. We were all just thrown into a crazy experience at a young age."

Chris hummed, nodding his head again. "There were truly people you seemed to hate, though. I don't think I need to name anyone in particular for you to know."

The brunette crossed her arms. "I thought most people here were annoying or useless, because I was self-centered and saw many as assets to my own victory. Of course, there were exceptions to that. Those tended to be the people I spent the most time on or felt I put the most investment towards. In the earlier stages of our relationship, that was where my growing resentment towards Duncan began. In my eyes, as a seventeen-year-old planning for the future, I invested enough time in him to receive a reward or proof of my good work, which would've resulted in a change of physical appearance or character change. I hated him, but I also cared a lot about his future and showed those feelings very differently than I should have."

"And anyone else you hated?" Chris asked, alluding to another person in Courtney's life.

She sighed. "Yes, and of course I hated Gwen after she and Duncan were fooling around during World Tour." She paused and glanced upwards, at the sky and away from the cameras for a moment. Then, took a deep breath. "My issue with Gwen wasn't that I completely hated her, though. I was jealous of her. The way she and Duncan got along, all the guys that were attracted to her, how close she had been to winning during the first season. Despite the way her makeup looked or how she dressed, she was so well-liked by the cast and that was what I wanted to be. I knew I wasn't, obviously, I'm not dumb. But I just kept going with that idea in hopes one day it would become true."

There were a few seconds of silence between the two; Courtney drummed her fingers along her leg, waiting for Chris to continue on. She didn't want to look him in the eye, knowing he had a knack of finding people's insecurities and ripping them out with his sharpened, bare teeth.

Index cards shuffled around. "But what made the people you like different? Bridgette and Trent are both well-liked people."

"Bridgette is an angel, I completely agree." Courtney started, smiling at the thought of her friend. "With her, she was so patient and understanding. I had never had a friend like that, before. It was rebellious for me to have a friend that enjoyed the laid-back style of living. We ended up talking so much in the cabin at night about our lives. I was jealous of her at some point, but it quickly went away. She doesn't have a bad bone in her body.

"With Trent, it was a little different. We became friends originally because of the situation we were going through during the filming of Action. I kind of held all the hate both of us had, and since we could both relate to the 'crazy' stereotypes we were beginning to receive, we stuck together. Ultimately, the two of us had a lot in common stemming back to music tastes and classes we had taken and colleges we wanted to attend. Our friendship grew from there. I couldn't hate Trent because I saw myself in him, if that makes sense." Courtney finished her tangent on her friends, actively avoiding talking about the harder parts of their friendships.

Once she finished talking, it didn't take much more time for Chris to collect his words. "So, we know where you stand with Bridgette, Trent, and now-Gwen. But what about Duncan? You two are hard to read."

Another situation Courtney was prepared for. She knew Chris would ask about this, while purposefully hiding how much of their interactions were aired for people to see. The brunette pushed some of her hair back, behind her shoulder, and crossed her legs. "Duncan and I are in a good place, right now. We've been able to have some good conversations about the past and what went wrong. I think that we realized being teenagers on a reality show isn't normal or easy, and a lot can get lost. He's grown up a lot."

"Grown up a lot to be your boyfriend again?" Chris asked, using one of those tones that sounds accusatory and grinds Courtney's gears.

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves here, McLean." There was some heat rising to her face, but she stood her ground. "Before this week, I hadn't spoken to the guy since All Stars. What are you, a secret fan?"

Chris smiled and threw his arms outward. "You two are some of the best drama-makers I've ever had the pleasure of working with! Of course, I care about you."

The Latina rolled her eyes. "We've never worked together. Stop trying to make us seem like we weren't mentally and emotionally abused by you."

The host laughed. "C'mon Courtney, let's use more pleasant language while filming! And speaking of filming, what were some of your personal favorite moments from it?"

This question made the young adult stop to think. In more recent times, she had been so focused on the negatives that came from the show because of her own actions, she hadn't thought about any positives.

"If I had to choose," she began, tapping her chin for a second, "it would probably be all the off-camera moments you didn't catch or get to see or air. I felt a lot more relaxed when those happened. The memories include how I became friends with people and wasn't completely antagonized on international television. Or embarrassed on television too."

Sighing, Chris gave Courtney a bored look. "You're so boring. Nothing fun, or spicy?"

In response, Courtney smirked. "You ever wonder what happened to the signed baseball in your trailer from the first season that was replaced by one of Harold's dirty underwear? The ones you gave him a lot of crap for?"

Like a comedy movie, the host's face dropped, and his beady eyes widened. "That was you?"

"Don't you think we're done here, Chris?" Courtney questioned, looking around. "I feel like you've asked me every personal question about myself and my thoughts that your puny brain could think of. I do have a schedule to follow."

He didn't immediately respond to her question. "We couldn't find any footage of who entered my trailer and was able to do that. Naturally, I thought it was Duncan messing around, but he swore on his dead cat it wasn't him."

Learning this information made Courtney erupt into laughs. When he looked at her, Courtney spoke, "Duncan doesn't have a dead cat. It was a dog."

As she continued to laugh, Chris looked mortified. "I can sue you for that!"

"You don't have any proof; I could be lying right now. Plus, I never admitted to taking it. And you can ask Duncan all you want, but remember his acting skills in Action? Good luck figuring out if he's being truthful or not."

Instead of responding and upsetting himself even more, Chris made a hand motion that Courtney interpreted as just go away. So, she stood up and dusted the sand off of her black shorts, smiled at the camera pointed at her, and waved before leaving the beach.

Thinking about where she should go, Courtney found the emptiness of the island a little unsettling. At one point, there were over twenty people inhabiting the area. Now it was lowered to five. Her footsteps took her to her cabin, and she walked up the stairs and opened the door, expecting to be met with silence.

There was someone in the cabin though. His black hair was messily sticking out in random directions, and he was doing pushups on the wooden floor of the cabin.

Courtney stared at him, raising an eyebrow before attempting to walk around him and to her bed where she could sit and contemplate her next action. Maybe she'd see if Gwen was up for socializing, or maybe check if dinner was ready yet, as it was steadily getting closer to the evening.

"Welcome back, Princess." The male young adult huffed out, continuing to complete his workout.

She flattened the creases made on the top sheet of the bed and sat down, pulling her flats off. "Hi, Duncan. May I ask why you're working out in my cabin?"

Responding, he didn't stop the robotic motion of moving upwards and downwards. "Well, I was already in here and figured it wouldn't be a big deal. I usually do it when I wake up, but I felt a little hungover and pushed it off. Plus, you wanted to get breakfast, and I always follow a lady's orders to a T."

Instead of a verbal response, she hummed and ran her right hand through her hair. Then, she laid down on her bed and stared upwards at the top bunk. "Interview go well?" Duncan asked from the floor, turning his head to look at her for a second.

"It was alright. You know how Chris is. Could've been worse." She managed to get out, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. Courtney wasn't completely sure what she was doing but tried to associate it as being moved to a relaxed state. "I will warn you, though, Chris pressed me on a question. Long story short, he knows about the baseball being swapped for Harold's underwear."

A laugh made Courtney open her eyes and sit up, looking down at Duncan. He had stopped his workout and was standing up, laughing. "Ah shit, he finally knows about it. We got him so good."

Courtney smirked and let out a laugh. "I tried pretty hard to not laugh, but seeing the look on his face, I couldn't help it. He'll probably grill you for a bit before actually starting the interview, f.y.i."

He walked over and pet her hair. "Atta girl, make him feel weak."

At her raised eyebrow, he laughed again. Which made Courtney laugh too.

"Aight, babe. I gotta go show Chris what a real man looks like for however long. I'll try and be quick, meet you at the cafeteria for dinner?" Duncan spoke, leaning closer to Courtney before his face was directly in front of hers.

The brunette glanced into his endless blue eyes and nodded. "I'll be waiting. Don't take forever, I'm still trying to learn patience."

This made them both laugh, and Duncan leaned close enough to kiss Courtney quickly. When he pulled away, Courtney's body wanted to push her head forward for another. "Go, before you're late." She decided to say, instead of overthinking her actions.

Duncan chuckled and opened the cabin door, before putting his hands in his pockets. Then, he turned around and shot Courtney a wink, and left.

She could hear heavy footsteps at the beginning of the dock behind her. They broke the silence nature provided to her, as the water continued to wash up and pull sand particles back into the deep. Courtney already knew who it was before she could hear him. He was never a heavy sleeper. She pretended to not hear him, and he continued his strut to where she was standing. Where her luggage sat, he placed his own duffel bag next to hers. Then, he walked and threw an arm across her shoulders, pulling her into the warmth of his body underneath the thin black t-shirt. The brunette wanted to inhale his cologne until it was the last thing she ever smelled on the planet. Wanted to stay warm until she lost feeling in her nerves. Stand next to him until she was laid to rest.

"What're you thinking about?" The rasp in his voice made her ears full.

"Nothing, just enjoying this view one final time."

He took the answer as honest, and they didn't speak again for a few minutes. It was quiet again, and the sun continued to rise and rise and rise.

She wondered when the boat would suddenly be in the distance, bringing them together before tearing them apart for a final time. This would be the last time that they would be forcefully separated. After this, it was up to them to put the pieces together, travel the distance, and make something together with different ingredients this time around.

Courtney continued to look at the bunk bed above her own. Only ten minutes had passed. She realized this was a poor choice in wasting time, as she wasn't tired, and time wouldn't move any quicker. The brunette stood up from the bed and put her flats back on, before stepping outside and sitting on the stairs leading to her cabin. In the distance, she could see the camera crew on the beach working as Chris and Duncan completed their interview. She was too far away to get an idea of what they were talking about or how annoying Duncan was being, but she could only assume he was already on the host's last nerve.

It was slowly getting cooler on the island, the sun slowly continuing its descent to below the horizon, waking up the other side of the world. The sky was still blue, but it wouldn't take long before it was full of warm colors transitioning into a navy blue.

"Bored out of your mind, too?" She turned to see Gwen strolling over in her direction.

The brunette nodded her head. "I'm ready to go home at this point. There's no reason for Chris to keep us around and eat this food one more time in these uncomfortable beds."

Gwen laughed in agreement. The dark-haired young adult sat on the bottom step, adjusting her body so her back was leaning against the wooden railing and her left leg stretched out across the stair. "Tell me about it. I felt like shit when I woke up this morning, and almost forgot about the stupid interview."

"One final sleep with Trent. Did it go well?" Courtney asked, glancing at the young adult below her before looking in the direction of the beach again.

There was sigh below her. "Well, D.J fell asleep pretty quickly, but we stayed up talking for a lot of the night. Just catching up. We obviously slept in different beds. I'm sure you can't relate." Gwen added on, teasing the other young adult.

Courtney gasped, something she used to do a lot when she was shocked as a teenager. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She was positive her face was flushed with pinks, so she turned away from Gwen for a moment. "I slept in my own bed with a pillow as a cuddle buddy."

"Yep, one with body heat and unkept black hair. Keep telling yourself that." Gwen rolled her eyes, a noticeable lack of heat behind the action.

It made her think about Duncan, obviously. There was always so much to think about when it came to him. "Gwen, what do you think you'll do once you're back in New York?"

The question brought the former goth's head up and turned to face Courtney. "I dunno, I hadn't thought about it. Probably go back to doing what I had been before this, working on my sketches and painting. I assume be a special guest on some random reality tv show every once and a while. Contemplate my interpersonal relationships. What about you?"

"I don't know." The brunette admitted. "I quit my job right before this, assuming I'd end up on talk shows or something along those lines." There was a pressing thought in her mind, introduced to Courtney a few days ago. "Maybe I'll travel a little bit, help Bridgette a bit with wedding preparations."

Gwen perked up at Courtney's response. "You quit your job?"

Courtney laughed. "I was working as a barista. I hated it."

The dark-haired young adult crossed her index and middle finger together. "Twins. Being a barista is the worst job ever. Luckily, I got out of that dead-end and work at a local library to help pay bills."

"That sounds peaceful." The Latina commented, imagining a job where she wouldn't be bothered.

"But." Gwen started, eyeing Courtney. "I feel like you enjoy the chaos, to an extent, of other jobs. I mean you wanted to be a lawyer for the longest time ever."

The young adult nodded her head. "I still want to be a lawyer, at the end of the day. There is something invigorating about debating others in a professional setting. Corporate law is where the money is, but I don't know if it's the right choice for me anymore."

There was a hum from Gwen. "I think helping Bridgette and Geoff with their wedding will be a good excuse to argue with people. Making sure they have the perfect cake, venue, totally seems up your avenue. Give the blondes their perfect day and all that."

It made Courtney think back to her first conversation about the wedding with Bridgette. Sitting on the brunette's living room couch with the tv on in the background, using Courtney's laptop and Bridgette's notes app to try and make many decisive choices on how Bridgette anticipated her dream wedding to look.

"Gwen," Courtney started, with a laugh rumbling in her stomach. "We're talking about Geoff and Bridgette here. Do you think they care about some luxurious dream wedding?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Gwen chuckled and closed her eyes. "No, of course. You're right. This is Geoff and Bridgette we're talking about here. They could have their wedding by the campfire and be totally happy."

Though there was much more they could have done together or spoken about, they both decided to sit in a comfortable silence.

They watched Heather walk to and from the bathrooms, Owen speed walk to the cafeteria to eat as much dinner as he could consume, and even some of the camera crew beginning to set up a shot of different angles of the island, a final goodbye to Wawanakwa as sunset was getting closer and closer. Birds flew around the island, a bear roared in the far distance, and time was slowly ticking away.

Courtney kept looking off to the beach, where the interview between Duncan and Chris seemed to be winding down and suddenly, claps were heard from the camera crew. Some stayed in the area, taking down equipment, while others scurried away, preparing to plan for a final segment.

And soon enough, hands in his pockets, Duncan came walking in the direction of the two young women.

"'Sup Pasty?" He greeted, standing a couple feet away from them. A head nod in Gwen's direction was his form of a greeting, using an old teenager nickname from way back.

Gwen looked upwards at the former delinquent. "Hey Man-Child. Never got to ask, you seen The Nun II yet? Or too scared of demonic spirits to watch it unless it's before 4PM?"

The brunette cracked a smile at the nickname, but Duncan laughed at the question. "You think that movie was so scary, so you needed to ask me my opinion? Oh please, even Princess can watch that without clinging to me." Ignoring a glare in his direction from the young adult, he continued talking. "How about Talk To Me? Seen that one yet? Not too shabby."

"Really? That's a pretty damn good review coming from you. I'll give it a watch this week." Gwen stood up, the fading blues in her hair shining underneath the setting sun. "I'm going to go get dinner before Owen eats it all. Thank God it's our last meal on this forsaken island."

Courtney stood up afterwards, beginning to walk. "We'll come with you Gwen. I'm pretty hungry anyway. Plus, you guys can keep talking about whatever horror movies you've watched. I'm guessing that's what they are anyways."

The look Gwen shot her was a mixture of surprise and contentment, and she fought a smile. "Sounds good to me. I've got about a year and the half of shit talking movies I've been holding in until this moment."

Duncan wrapped an arm around Courtney's waist, and again ignored a glare from the young adult and they walked at the same pace together. "The lack of horror movies in prison was annoying, but I've had enough time to catch up on what I missed. You definitely have some shit picks for good movies, I can just feel it." His hand rubbed the side of Courtney's hip, before he broke away and as she turned to look at him questionably, he winked and blew her a kiss.

She rolled her eyes and failed to hide her smile.

Erupting from the horizon in a slow moment, the boat sped closer and closer to the island, towards the dock. At this point, Courtney had to squint her eyes at the sun and look in a different direction. Her fingertips were still a little cold from the earlier morning, but she squeezed them into her hands and removed herself from Duncan, turning around and looking behind her. Heather, Gwen, and Owen were walking in their direction, The cabins looked older, as if they'd aged a hundred years. The forest behind them was still waking up, and Courtney could almost feel the sigh of relief knowing it can grow peacefully again. Duncan's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Ready?" He asked, bumping his arm into hers and looking out to the water. The former delinquent didn't seem to mind the sun shining in his line of vision.

Was she? Courtney spent so much of her life overly prepared for future events.

The boat continued its course, getting closer and closer to the dock.

"When have I ever not been ready?" She questioned back, with a flair of humor, bumping Duncan's arm back with her shoulder.

Courtney laid in her bed, underneath the thin sheets cooling her from the heat. It was a clearer night out, the stars shining through her window and illuminating the cabin. She was drifting in-and-out of sleep, realizing she hadn't caught up on what was missed from two nights ago, and understanding that she would need to be up early to go back home. It was a bit of a scary thought, returning to her reality of life. This unique experience clouded her vision of the life she held previously and was now pushing her back to it.

Her eyelids were heavy, carrying more and more weight the more she acknowledged her exhausted state. She pretended to not know the reason she was forcing herself to stay awake. Listening to the sound of her breathing in and out, Courtney could barely form a thought to follow into her stream of consciousness. On her back, she decided to lay on her right side, facing the window above her bed and seeing the silhouettes of trees and the stars.

Feeling like she had opened her eyes again, she could hear two people speaking outside the cabin. Her window was open, but their voices were low. If Courtney focused enough, she'd be able to hear them.

One voice spoke. "Catch ya on the flip side, Gwen. Good talks."

The brunette easily recognized the voice belong to Duncan. And even though she didn't want to eavesdrop, she couldn't help herself.

"Yeah, glad to clear the air and shit. We should've just always been friends. Wait, this is the girls' cabin, isn't it?" The revelation in Gwen's voice made Courtney smile, thinking about their conversation earlier in the day and how she, like always, lied about the reality with Duncan.

At first, no one said anything. Courtney assumed Duncan nodded his head. "Yeah, can't argue with that. I'm happy where I am with everyone now, though."

It's almost as if Courtney could hear Gwen's eyebrow raise and a smirk form on her face. "You are such a fucking lover boy. It makes me sick. Let me get out of here before I catch cooties."

"See you in the morning, Pasty." He chuckled at her, before the door to Courtney's cabin opened and the brunette kept her eyes closed, focusing on her breathing.

She could tell he walked cautiously, as to not wake her up, by avoiding all the wood that creaks. She could hear his shorts touch the ground, and then his shirt quietly fell, before the opposite side of her bed lowered and the sheet above her was quickly lifted.

As he made himself comfortable, she inhaled the familiar smell of Duncan and began drifting back into sleep.

The cabin was silent, and Duncan had gotten into what Courtney assumed was his natural sleeping position, which was on his back.

It was the sound of his voice breaking the silence - and Courtney's near-descent into sleep. "Court?" He whispered, barely registering to her ears.

Courtney muttered a response, unintelligible but enough for Duncan to know she was listening.

He didn't respond or continue his thought at first. Courtney thought maybe she had been hearing things, when suddenly Duncan moved in her bed and kissed the back of her shoulder. "Nothing, just making sure this isn't part of my imagination."

"I know you have a wild imagination, but this is reality. I'm here." She responded. Then, added, "Promise."

He asked, "Really?". She couldn't tell if his voice was trembling, but he sounded more nervous than her. For once.

Even as the boat was nearing the island, the more she thought about it, the more she couldn't help but smile a little. The beating of her heart was irregular, but not riddled with anxiety. She guessed some pieces of her never left.

"Really." She confirmed.