Thanks again for all the continued support on this fanfic everyone! You have no idea how much it means to me as a fanfic writer with all the positive feedback I have gotten on this. You all are rockstars! :) Anyway, this chapter is a bit short, but I really wanted to highlight Cody and Noah's discussion after he confessed that Sierra was currently his girlfriend. This chapter starts off with Emma waiting for her 'interview' with Sierra from the previous chapter. Hope it doesn't disappoint! :)
(Emma's POV)
Well… I seriously must be crazy, but I see no other way on how to do this.
Luckily, my cloud drive has something I saved from one of my pre-law classes that I can use. Well, at least for now in a pinch.
I was able to finish filling in the blanks as Sierra ran back into the room, her smile practically engulfing her face as she set her laptop up on the opposite side of the kitchen table.
"OMG! I've wanted to do this for such a long time! My boss hardly ever sends me out to do interviews." She said enthusiastically while I kept internally coiling in on myself in tension and discomfort.
Yeah… I can't possibly imagine why?
But she seemed pretty much completely oblivious as she just kept talking, "Where do I even start? I have SO many questions about…"
Eventually I finally started, pushing my phone toward her with the most serious and professional look I could manage as I started, "Before we 'proceed' anywhere… I have some conditions."
She looked down and saw the rough draft of the contract template I spent the last few minutes filling the blanks on.
Honestly… I'm just hoping it works.
({No POV})
After several moments of awkward and tense silence after Cody's confession outside of Sierra's apartment building, Noah and Cody eventually went into a brewery that was a couple blocks down from where they were.
Partially to have a quiet place to go over the topic; but also, it was a typical freezing day in a Toronto winter and they just wanted to go anywhere remotely warmer.
After getting seated and ordering whatever craft brew they had on special, considering they figured that having any kind of drink would probably help. Cody especially seemed to feel this most strongly since it didn't even seem to take him long to down practically the first half of his beer in a matter of minutes.
Not necessarily because of the topic at this point for him, but mostly because he was having a long overdue discussion about the fact that he'd been dating Sierra for the past year… and he was going to be judged very harshly by Noah.
And he wasn't wrong with his assumption about what one of his best friends was thinking as Noah started, "Dude, seriously, what's going on here?"
Noah kept giving Cody a confused and slightly harsh look on his face as Cody took a moment to take another long drink before letting out a sigh, knowing he had no way out of this.
"Well... remember that time I said I couldn't meet you and Owen last year when you were in Toronto. That's cuz… I was… with Sierra. He-he..." Cody admitted, letting out an awkwardly nervous laugh at the end.
It was silent for several moments and even though Cody was looking away, he couldn't feel Noah's eyes burning through his in confusion and above all judgement.
This was yet again confirmed as he saw that exactly when he looked back at his friend.
Finally Noah let out a sigh before face palming himself and said, "Okay, let's back this up here and I want you to answer one thing for me. Do you have amnesia? Cuz I need to understand why the hell you would date her otherwise. Or were all those times you asked me between challenges to help you 'get away from her' when we were 18 just a figment of my imagination? Or do you need me to show a picture of 'meat Cody' to you one more time to prove why I think you're insane?"
"Look dude, it's just…" Cody started, knowing no matter how he explained that it was going to come out sounding crazy and hypocritical toward himself personally.
Mainly because it was all 110% true.
Although never making it into any of the final cuts for season 3 of Total Drama, when Sierra would be doing really creepy things toward him… Cody would always try to sneak away from her and his team to beg Noah and Owen out of desperation and fear to quote 'hide him from her'.
Cody was reminded of that fact even more as Noah continued, "Or need I also remind you about the countless times earlier that little miss stalkerlicious 'still' steals your underwear? Seriously dude, what the hell is going on? You go to school with 10's of 1000's of other chicks and yet you're dating her of all freaking people? Are you insane?!"
"YES, DUDE! I'M INSANE! Is that what you want me to say?!" Cody called out, losing control for a second and also forgetting where he was for a second.
He knew this as he looked around and noticed a bunch of the staff and other patrons in the brewery stare in wide eyed confusion at him.
Cody's face went red a little as he bit his lip and stuttered out with another nervous laugh, "He-he… sorry."
Eventually everyone else went back to what they were doing, well except Noah.
Noah just kept his arms crossed as he kept giving him a judgmentally expectant look with a quirked up eyebrow. After trying to fruitlessly ignore it for a few more moments, eventually Cody sighed and gave in.
He was caught… and he knew there wasn't a way out of this. Cody sighed again before starting, "Okay... I'll explain. But just… just hear me out." Noah didn't respond at first but simply just kept looking at his friend in a still beyond judgmental fashion before saying sarcastically, "Please… do tell?"
After another couple awkward moments of silence, Cody said, "Look dude… the whole reason I even auditioned to get on reality TV was cuz I thought it would help girls like me more. But, when the girls on the show and at my school still didn't want anything to do with me, I gave it that one more shot on season 3… and nothing. Gwen still wasn't anywhere close to giving me a shot and how Sierra was with me also wasn't helping. But… I don't know? The only good thing that came out of that was toward the end when Sierra finally started to act somewhat normally toward me and I got in the final 3, but like it even really mattered? After striking out for the third time, I got to university and finally hit my growth spurt at 19 and thought girls would finally be into me. But… nothing. I'd go to parties and girls would recognize me from TV, but they would just grab a selfie with me and then go off to talk to other guys. And… that's when I realized nothing changed. No matter what, girls just saw me as nothing more than a 'photo-opp' or a brother."
Cody got a very frustrated look on his face as he ran a hand through his hair before letting out a long exhale.
Well, until he got a conflicted look as he started, "Well... every girl except Sierra. When I started university and she got her job here in Toronto, we started hanging out... a lot. I wasn't really interested in her beyond a friend still… well, at least at first. Yeah, I remember everything she did to me to creep me out and stuff back on the show and yeah she still kinda slips back into it and drives me crazy when she steals my underwear and stuff, but… I don't know? It wasn't really until my 20th birthday that things… changed."
Yet again, Cody paused as he got to the more complicated portion of the story, trying to figure out how to explain it without making himself look pathetic and crazy.
Although based on the looks he was still getting from Noah, he knew that was going to difficult to achieve. But, again, Cody knew he was stuck.
Instead, Cody just owned up and said, "At first she still creeped me out, but since I knew she wasn't going to stay away from me. I gave in and gave her a key to my apartment just to keep her from picking my lock to break into my place and freak out me and my neighbor's like she was doing. But, honestly… it weirdly wasn't the worst decision. Actually it was pretty… nice. She actually started asking me if she could come over rather than breaking into my place or if I wanted to come over to her place and she'd make us dinner. At first I wasn't complaining about it, besides I was even getting free meals out of it. She's actually crazy good at cooking and she knows all my favorite foods. It started becoming a regular thing where we'd have dinner and just... hang out. Besides, why not? When I'd go out to parties, all I did was go home alone every time so I just figured it was worth a chance. We kept doing that for my entire second year of college and then when my birthday came around, Sierra made me a cake and my favorite foods which was really… cool. Up until I met Sierra, no one would ever do stuff like that for me on my birthdays. You know my parents, they just write me a check and then call it a day... or just forget all together. But, Sierra actually did stuff that made me feel, I don't know... special, I guess? Then after we ate and had a couple drinks during dinner, we started watching a movie together on her couch and… things kinda became a blur. We ended up… making out and somehow made it to her room and… yeah. Things escalated pretty fast and we ended up… sleeping together." Cody stopped and avoided eye contact as he bit his lip, not because he admitted to hooking up and losing his virginity to Sierra… and also implying that their still in a sexual and romantically involved relationship together, but… mostly still the judgment he was about to face from Noah.
And he was correct yet again when he saw Noah's eyes widen in disgusted shock as he took in the news from his friend.
Cody immediately got defensive as he started, "Noah, look, it's not like that's what I was going in for." "So then why?" Noah interjected, still confused as to why Cody admitted to sleeping with and dating a girl that used to terrify him.
"Because I was in a place of desperation! Well… at least at first." Cody admitted defensively, but still trying to keep his voice down to avoid the entire place staring at them again.
It was silent between them again as Cody eventually sighed and started, "Look dude, I don't know? After spending my whole life getting rejected and brushed off by girls, I was tired of being... sidelined. I always tried so hard to be cool and it never got me anywhere. Then as I got to know Sierra, gave her a chance, and saw what she was really like as a person I… I started to really like her. Yeah, I know, she can still do weird and creepy things and I'm really sorry about what happened with you and Emma with Sierra following you guys and freaking Emma out, but… she's the first girl to ever like or care about me at all. She's the only girl to ever want to date or have sex with me and I know it sounds crazy and it's still complicated, but I… I love her. Really love her."
After Cody's confession, it was almost so quiet between them that you could have probably heard a pin drop if they weren't out in a public establishment.
Finally Noah said, looking confused and conflicted as all get out before saying into his hand after face palming himself, "Ugh, I don't even know who you are anymore?!"
It looked like Noah was about to walk away before Cody stopped him short and said, "Noah, c'mon dude, you gotta understand with Emma now, right? Girls make you do weird stuff. Besides it's not like I was planning on being with Sierra. Things just kinda… happened, you know?... Uh, Noah?"
Noah looked like he didn't know how to respond at the moment and just got up before throwing enough bucks on the table to cover his drink before saying in a beyond conflicted, confused and stressed tone while clutching a hand in his hair, "I need to think."
After that Cody was just left sitting there in silence as Noah threw his coat back on and walked out, looking like he was trying to find some semblance of sanity in this situation as he continued to try to wrap his head around it.
Sorry for the short chapter, next chapter will be a little longer but I just wanted to make this chapter specifically having a one on one conversation as friends. Well, mainly with Cody trying to explain how exactly ended up in a relationship with Sierra to Noah who at this point still thinks he's completely insane. Throughout the series from his audition tape all the way up to his last real appearance in the first episode of TDROTI, Cody always struck me as a guy who 'tried too hard' and was also INCREDIBLY insecure about himself. Hence why maybe he had slightly 'creepy tendencies' with his crush on Gwen and also his comment in a TDWT confession that he was 'born to be humiliated'. Especially with how much the girls on the show kind of brushed him off as an amusing/annoying 'little brother', I could see that translating to Cody's life outside the show that even all the girls at his high school and even that he would meet in passing at college parties would kind of be treating him the same way. And then this goes into how I could see him and Sierra realistically 'get together'. While Sierra was described by Cody as the 'stalker girlfriend he always wanted until he GOT one' and was basically all his creepy tendencies with his crushes dialed up to 1000, I could see them after the show still being friends (despite Sierra still wanting them to be 'more') and eventually all that would add up and eventually end up in Cody 'giving in' and giving Sierra a shot. Sure not the most healthy way whatsoever to start dating someone, but… this is Coderra we're talking about. However, not all relationships are completely 'healthy' and I wanted to show that through Cody and Sierra after he 'gave in' with her the night of his 20th birthday the previous year. What will happen between Cody and Noah? What occurred between Emma and Sierra back at Sierra's apartment? Stay tuned to find out next time! As always, thank you all so much for taking the time to read and constructive reviews are always appreciated.
Stay classy!
Dexter1995