Helping Hand

"They did WHAT!?"

"Shhhhhh…Millie, not so loud!"

"Priya…like…do you not see how awful this is!?" Millie asked, her hands running through her hair in confusion and frustration. Millie and Priya were, thankfully, all alone in their team, Team Rat Face's cabin, trying to unwind after today's difficult challenge. However, Priya off-handedly mentioned that her parents had taken the $1 million that she won in the last season of Total Drama and put it into an account that she had no access to.

"The money's still there, Millie! It's OK!"

"No, it's not OK, Priya! You almost died multiple times for that money, and your parents are just taking it for themselves!? I knew your parents were terrible, but I never thought they'd do THIS!" Millie almost exploded, trying to wrack her brain for a solution to this problem, but this train of thought was interrupted by Priya.

"They're not terrible! I mean, they're a bit…overbearing, but they love me and want what's best for me," Priya said, her voice getting quieter the more and more she talked, almost as if she was trying to convince herself that it was true rather than convincing Millie. Millie, looking at Priya's downtrodden look while focusing her gaze down at the floor, took a couple of deep breaths to calm down before walking up to Priya, and putting a comforting arm around the back of her neck.

"Priya, I know this is hard to hear, but they really don't care about you. You told me when we first met that you wanted to go to medical school, become a doctor, and help people. But your parents are trying to make you into a reality show star and parade you around the media circuit so THEY can leech off of the fame that YOU earned. You don't see anything wrong with that!?" Millie exclaimed, as the more she thought about the abuse that her best friend/crush had gone through, the angrier she became.

"Well…I mean…I…" Priya looked around the room at everywhere but Millie's gaze, trying to think of something she could say to defend her parents. Millie was feeling awful about making Priya uncomfortable, but if Priya didn't hear this, then she wouldn't be able to escape her parent's grasp, and Millie wanted her to get out of that toxic environment.

"And not to mention this 'training' that they put you through. You had to fight wild animals, get melons shot at you, do all these crazy stunts that no child should EVER have to do, and even left you alone in the middle of the woods! That is textbook abuse, Priya, and is inexcusable!" Millie continued exclaiming, trying to keep her energy up despite seeing Priya's eyes getting cloudy with tears as if she were trying to block the terrible memories out of her head.

"I…I…uh…"

"Priya, I lo—care about you a lot. I don't want to see someone I care about being put in positions like this. You don't deserve this life with your parents, you deserve to make your own choices in life. I know you didn't want to be here in the first place, I know you don't actually like Total Drama, and I KNOW you didn't want to come back for a second season. I know it's hard to think about, but I need you to understand that you're in an abusive relationship with your parents and you need to get out of it before something worse happens to you," Millie explained, lowering the volume of her voice so that she didn't freak Priya out, who looked like she was about to fall apart any second. However, Millie's efforts were in vain as Priya burst into tears and began bawling as she tried to wipe the tears away with her hands. Millie, not being used to comforting people, walked over to Priya and hugged her, stroking her hair to try and comfort her, taking some cues from how her parents used to comfort her when she got overwhelmed.

"Shhhhhh…Shhhhhh…it's OK, I'm here for you. Let it all out," Millie whispered in Priya's ear. Millie wasn't sure that Priya could hear her due to the volume of crying, but Priya returned Millie's hug. Millie moved to sit down on the bed, moving Priya so that she could sit comfortably on the bed while she cried. Millie didn't let Priya go, no matter how much Priya's crying hurt Millie's ears, or how Priya's grip on Millie was starting to hurt. It took a while for Priya to calm down, which didn't surprise Millie, given how long she assumed Priya was keeping her sadness and misery inside her. When Priya stopped crying, she looked up at Millie, streaks of tears staining her cheeks and her eyes still shining like a star from the tears in her eyes.

"You're right, Millie. I…I can't keep living like this. I don't want to be a reality TV star. I don't want to go back to my parents. I…I need to get out, but…I…I don't know how," Priya said while choking back sobs. Millie continued keeping Priya in a gentle hug before pulling out her phone and showing off her mother's contact information, with Priya raising an eyebrow while turning her attention back to Millie.

"I think I can help get you your money back. My Mom's a lawyer who deals with a lot of white-collar and family cases. I can tell her about what's happening with you and see whether or not she can help. I can't promise anything, but I want to help you out as much as I can," Millie said. Priya looked on in awe as Millie e-mailed her mother about the situation, and the second he finished, Priya jumped up and kissed Millie on the lips. Millie looked absolutely shocked at this turn of events, and Priya's face immediately exploded into a red blush when she realized what she had just done.

"I—I—I'm sorry! I…I just really like, LIKE you…a lot, and you've been so helpful, and I really appreciate what you've been doing for me, and if you don't feel the same way, I understand, but I just really wanted to tell you-!" Priya began rambling before Millie simply smiled warmly before grabbing Priya by the chin, pulling her closer, and kissing her on the lips in return. Priya, after recovering from her initial shock, quickly returned the kiss. After taking a break from the kiss for a breath, Millie hugged Priya close and gave a couple of pecks to Priya's ear and cheek.

"I love you too, Priya. I…I have for a while too. I was just a little nervous that you didn't feel the same way, so I'm glad that you love me too," Millie said with a smile on her face. Priya looked up at Millie as if she were a Goddess that just appeared in front of her, with tears forming her eyes, this time from happiness, and leaned in for another kiss. Millie noticed this, and immediately did the same, the two laying down on the bed and kissing each other while cuddling. Priya knew that her life hadn't been good up until this point, but she had almost given up the idea that she could be free from her parents and their obsession with reality shows and being famous. However, with Millie by her side and how willing she was to help her, that hope that had left her mind long ago started to come back. Maybe Priya could finally be free to live the life she wanted with the person she loved the most, and that thought alone made Priya smile when she and Millie broke the kiss for air.

"Thank you, Millie…thank you for everything," Priya said breathlessly before nuzzling up to Millie, who responded by running her hand through Priya's silky black hair before leaning back in her pillow.

"Of course, Priya. I'll stop at nothing to help you," Millie responded with a warm and comforting smile on her face, which Priya responded by giving Millie the first genuine smile she had given anyone since she returned to the Island. Millie knew then that she wasn't going to rest until Priya was free from her family. She knew that it would take a while and cost a lot of money, but the thought of Priya staying with her parents long enough for them to turn her into their meal ticket made her sick to her stomach. Millie wasn't going to let Priya down, this she swore to herself, so as she laid down with Priya close next to her, she hoped and prayed that her mother would have some good news for her by the time they woke up for the next challenge tomorrow.