When Dawn had left, she truly meant what she said. In the days since, she hadn't attempted to communicate with Cody once, presumably recovering for everything she did that day.

A lot had happened, but at the same time, not much happened. The cooking challenge went as expected, and against his better judgment, Cody went through with placing a tiki statue he nicked from Boney Island in LeShawna's things, just obvious enough that it would be noticed upon the Gophers' return. Always the superstitious bunch, the team voted her out instead of Owen, who had cost them the challenge.

The trust building challenges led to Izzy being kicked out, though it seemed like she did it on purpose. She mainly did things directly to piss Courtney off, like giving Ezekiel bad advice on throwing the crabapples, or taking the sled to the other side of the camp in the last challenge. Her exit was far less dramatic this time as well… maybe she was crazy? You never knew with Izzy.

This time where Cody was just floating around and being unengaged with everything made him think he would be an easy target, but it never came. He still talked to Trent, though he avoided the topic of Gwen now, and he shared hollow affections with Beth, but he could never truly love her. He no longer hated everything he was doing, it was just a hollow feeling inside him. A pit, digging deeper and deeper, the 'spiritual weight' not being there, but if anything that just made him feel worse in some ways.

When he tricked Ezekiel into getting himself eliminated with his sexist comments… that really hurt. He never liked the guy that much, but using people's vices against themselves was something he had grown to hate. Harold had his vices used against him as well, but that was more down to Lindsey's idiocy than anything, and he was voted out because of it.

The boys vs girls challenge was one he was also really accustomed to. Knowing that it won't kill you does make it easier to eat disgusting food at least, but he was the only guy with a deep enough stomach. Tyler ended up costing them the challenge, but thankfully it was a non-elimination round. This led to a fairly odd imbalance between boys vs girls, but Cody had seen worse (the loop where he tried to construct his own personal harem didn't go over so well).

So, that left Cody on the beach, alongside Trent, Tyler, Owen, Justin, Geoff, and DJ. It was honestly weird to see Justin here despite the guy never speaking- did he only learn how to talk on the Playa? It was creepy.

The yacht with the girls team arrived, containing Beth, Lindsey, and Courtney. That was another weird thing, how many girls he'd gotten eliminated, but Eva and Izzy would be coming back soon to beef up their numbers (quite literally in Eva's case). It eased his conscious to know that the next elimination would be an easy one, with Eva's antagonism still present, along with her former teammates.

At least, that's what he had hoped. While Cody had only quirked an eyebrow at Chris saying there would be returnees, he collapsed when he said the names.

"Welcoming back our injured little loner, it's… Gwen!" Chris' voice resounded like a bullet in Cody's brain.

"This can't be happening…" Cody mumbled, catching the attention of the other guys. It was always Izzy and Eva, that never changed! Why would it be these two…

It's because you're the antagonist.

Cody wanted to crawl away and die at that thought. As much as he hated it, that likely was the reason for Gwen's return, and he could only hope the other girl would be a bigger target than him. He almost got his wish.

"And the devious popular girl who went out like a wet fart, let's give it up for… Heather!" That made two bullets in Cody's brain, bouncing around and wrecking his mental state.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Trent asked as the yacht carrying two of the people Cody targeted arrived at the beach. "I thought you liked Gwen? Heather's a bit of a creep, but Gwen was real… for the one day we knew each other."

Cody couldn't even bring himself to look at Trent, too focused on the yacht's approach. He could see them, Gwen and Heather both glowering in his direction, the anger seeping from their very beings.

As they disembarked, Cody wanted to run away, but found himself joining the other guys on the dock to welcome them (in the back row, of course).

"Where's that conniving little twerp!" Heather shouted as she got on the dock, glancing at the group in front of her, looking for him.

"I hate to agree with the drama queen, but Cody better show himself right now. " Gwen growled out, anger evident in her voice. It was like being stabbed in the gut, hearing her talk about him like that.

"Cody, what did you do?" Trent was still friendly, but his voice was drenched in suspicion. This couldn't be happening.

"Cody?" Beth squeaked out, looking over to him, her face torn with curiosity at just what had happened. What had caused Cody to be so hated, he was just the background guy! The guy who loved the cute farm girl instead of pining after the more conventionally attractive girls! The guy who had nothing but positive things to say about the people left here?

Cody just gulped, and pushed himself to the front, facing the glares of Gwen and Heather. It was over, this entire loop was forfeit now.

"You see, Cody here decided to play mastermind in my place." Heather snarked, looking down at him as if he was a cockroach. "Have you told Beth about how you used her to get me to read LeShawna's diary? How about planting a fake diary for me?" There were several gasps at this, and Cody could feel the confused looks pointed at him.

"Well, getting rid of Heather was a good thing!" Trent defended him, pushing forward. "Heather was the type of person to read LeShawna's diary on national TV! Cody just used that to get her booted out!" He didn't sound very convinced by his own words.

"He also got me eliminated." Gwen said quietly, which grabbed Trent's attention. "I found out from Noah. He set up something on that path, and then used you to get me in position for it."

Trent gawked, in shock and surprise. Everyone else as well.

"But that was like, the first day!" Geoff shouted, shocked as everyone else. "Why would he have taken you out?"

"Yeah, if you wanted to take out anyone on the first day, it would've been someone clearly useful, like Eva or Geoff. No offense buddy." DJ said, placing his hand on Geoff's shoulder.

"Cody…" Beth whimpered, sounding as betrayed as everyone else.

"No way!" Courtney shouted from behind him. "Cody's like… he's just a geek! How could he have orchestrated two of the earliest eliminations?"

"Not just two." Gwen's glare caused Cody to look down at his feet, not daring to look up.

"What? Like three or four?" Owen asked, as curious as anyone else here.

"Well, there's pasty here, Eva, Duncan, myself, Noah, LeShawna, and Ezekiel." Heather smugly remarked, slowly counting out seven fingers as she spoke.

"But, that's like, half the people right?" Lindsey wondered aloud, vocalizing what everyone else was thinking. "No way Cory could've done all that!"

"Besides!" Courtney was very upset at this revelation, still not believing it. "Noah was injured, remember? And we eliminated Ezekiel because he was a sexist pig, Cody can't just make him that!"

"As for Ezekiel, Cody's the one who encouraged him to say that." Heather remarked, stepping next to Cody and gripping his cheeks. Her cold fingers dug into his skin as she examined him and asked. "Isn't that right?"

Cody could've said Heather was lying about Eva, but it didn't matter now. "Yeah… it's all true."

"Then, Noah was…" Trent gasped as he figured it out, before backing away from Cody. Everyone did, except Heather and Gwen.

"Cody got him mauled because Noah caught onto his gameplan." Gwen said matter-of-factly. Shocked stares and glares focused on Cody's back, and he just wanted to die. Die and reset this cursed world.

Just as another argument was about to break out, DJ stepped in to cool things off. "Listen guys, I think we should all head back to our cabins and cool off. I know things are getting pretty dicey, but we don't want to waste too much time before the next challenge, right?"

Nodding in agreement, everyone went their separate ways, Cody and Beth trailing behind the group. Beth's warm hand grabbed Cody's, noticeably softer after her time on the boat.

"It will… all be okay Cody. Right?" She didn't sound too convinced. He couldn't blame her.

"I'm not staying in the same cabin as him!" Trent's shouts were audible before Cody even got there.

"Just chill man, not like we need to talk to him in here." Tyler's attempts at defusing the situation were pretty poor to say the least. Cody tried to close the distance to the cabin, but was met with a bag thrown his way- his bag, to be precise.

Trent's glare from the door was all he needed to see. "Stay on the girls' side of the cabin and we won't have an issue. You'll be gone after tonight anyways." The girls' side of the cabin was unused now, as they had all moved over to the Screaming Gophers' cabin, leaving this one still open (Chris had done this because of the sheer amount of guys, but all of them were fine rooming with each other- until today that is).

"Come on Trent, be easy on him." Owen tried to reason, but Trent just shoved him away, slamming the door as he did so. Cody honestly couldn't blame the guy, what he did was horrible. But, he still hated this feeling of isolation, and he resented that hatred his fellow campers shared all the same. It made him want to win the game all the more…

So, stepping over to the girls' side, Cody took up one of the empty bunks, tossing his bag on another. Typically, this would be the time where all of his friends would come to join him in solidarity, and cause a civil war among the guys, but nobody was willing to side with him after what happened. Cody couldn't even cry about it, but the cold chill that went up his body allowed him to softly smile.

An intrusive thought, one he hadn't had since the early days of this loop, rose up in him.

"If they want an antagonist so badly, then I'll be everything they could ever need."

The "Say Uncle" challenge was one of Chris' less inventive ones. Cody reasoned that it was just a recycling of the Truth or Dare one from later on, made solely because the staff had a non-elimination and then a return in quick succession. Or, maybe it was the other way around, it didn't really matter.

"Cody, you're first up!" This part was actually somewhat random. It seemed Chris just chose whoever stood out the most, and Cody certainly did stand out with all the wary looks sent his way. Standing, Cody made his way over to the wheel.

One hundred and seven prior loops, at least half of them making it to the merge, did him good in regards to wheel spinning, but figuring out which of these he'd want the least? A bit harder. Eventually, he just decided to let it spin to the marshmallow face wax, at least that one didn't require much effort on his part beyond not moving at all- and he certainly knew a lot about that.

"Doctor Chef, if you would…" Chris bowed out of the way so Chef could cover Cody's face in the congealed sugar… things. What were marshmallows anyways? It wasn't too bad, ignoring the severe burning sensation all over his face. Therapeutic, even, leaving him alone with his thoughts for a blissful ten seconds.

Was it right that everyone should hate him?

Yeah…

Was it right for Heather and Gwen to reveal everything so publicly?

Definitely.

Would it be okay for him to feel some pain at all this?

I don't see why not…

Cody gulped. Would it be fine to even hate some people for this?

No.

He shrieked in pain as the marshmallows were torn from his face, with no hair on them to show for it. Talk about emasculating.

"Alright Cody, who do you want to go next?" Cody glanced at the crowd of suddenly on edge campers, all looking like they were expecting to be chosen next. Well, all except Lindsey and Tyler, who were too busy making lovey dovey expressions at each other, and Beth, who was more worried for Cody.

Beth. It was heartwarming to think that she was the one person who didn't abandon him, despite the fact that he did it to her countless times. She didn't know that, she didn't even know that their relationship was a fraud, but… still, even after all of this. She cared for him.

"You choose Chris." He couldn't bring himself to lie by saying 'I wouldn't hurt a friend.'

"Too many people to pick from huh? Well, I think Trent looks ready to take on one of these!" Chris waved Trent over to the wheel. As Cody passed him, Trent roughly shoved him to the ground, not even looking back at the damage he caused. Cody just quietly got back up, and made his way to the stands.

A short while later, Trent returned from a bath of lake leeches, far more determined than in any prior timeline. "Chris, I'd like to nominate Cody."

"Cody, you're back up!" Cody decided to dodge Trent's shove this time, knowing he deserved it, but not wanting to indulge in it.

Spinning the wheel more apathetically this time, he was rewarded with the snapping turtles challenge.

Joy…

Every camper except one had a single target in mind when asked who should go next.

"Cody, it seems like you're up again! Dude just can't catch a break, huh?"

Cody looked completely disheveled. His shirt was torn from a scramble with Sasquathenakwa, there were probably a few leeches under his pants, his face and nose were cleaner than they'd ever been, among so many other things. He just took it all on the chin though, not making a single comment about the treatment.

He managed to outlast most everyone else though. The only remaining competitors were himself and Trent, the other boy seeming dedicated to watching Cody go down.

As another snapping turtle latched onto Cody, the same intrusive thoughts came back to him.

Was it right that everyone should hate him?

Yep.

Was it right for Heather and Gwen to reveal everything so publicly?

No arguments there.

Would it be okay for him to feel some pain at all this?

This is far from what he deserves.

Would it be fine to even hate some people for this?

Yes.

So, as Chris asked him if he would like to nominate someone (a joke at this point), Cody decided to be spiteful. He knew which challenge Trent hated the most, and would be an easy elimination for him.

"Trent. Lake leeches." Cody strode back to his seat, ignoring the gawking of the others. "This is a sudden death round, right Chris?"

"Considering there's only the two of you left, sure." Chris smiled, his eyes gleaming at the shift in Cody's demeanor. 'Rating hog' was far too soft a term to describe the host. He was more like the vulture of reality TV, but Cody didn't mind.

Trent couldn't even last three seconds, bursting out of the barrel screaming, giving Cody immunity and a personal trailer away from everyone else. Alone, with his thoughts, nobody to bother him or antagonize him.

It was no surprise when the votes were split. The guys' cabin was pissed (though mainly Trent) at DJ for still defending Cody in some way, while the remaining girls were on Beth for going out with him. Cody ended up being the deciding vote, and he couldn't bring himself to break Beth's trust after all the desperate looks she gave, all the concern that radiated from her. He could never love the girl, but she would be a great friend. A shame she had to fall for him.

"DJ, I'm sorry." Cody said to the brickhouse as he carried his stuff to the boat of losers. Owen and Geoff were there as well, but they didn't care too much for Cody's presence- that was all Trent, and they just followed the loudest guy in the room. "It's my fault you got voted out."

"Just tell me Cody." DJ asked, looking at Cody with those sincere, innocent eyes that seemed mismatched for his build. It only deepened the wound in Cody's gut from this morning. "Everything Gwen and Heather said… was that true?"

"All of it." Cody gulped, looking away in shame. Why did he do all of this? Why did a part of him want to continue doing all of this?

DJ just gave Cody a look of disappointment, one he had seen from countless people before, but not from DJ. Such a piercing look didn't fit the boy, and he had dragged it out of him. Sighing, DJ turned away, and left on the boat of losers, leaving Cody alone in his own self-pity.

Loop 0107

"Hey Gwen!" Cody shouted as he saw the girl gently dipping her feet into the water, her form sitting on the edge of the dock. He wanted to try something new this time, and put all of his research and effort towards something positive, rather than destructive.

"What do you want?" Cody recognized this now as Gwen's ability to 'judge a book by its cover'. Reading her diary had been great insight into what she thought of guy's like him, and this was a defensive response to a perceived threat. No harm, no foul.

"Well, I just saw you and thought you looked kind of lonely." Cody tried, scratching the back of his head. "Everyone else is getting along just fine, but none of the guys have much in common with me. Completely different interests."

Gwen was dismissive, as usual. "And what pray tell does a geek like you not have in common with a party animal and a music kid? Honestly, I thought the bookworm would be more your speed."

"None of them like the same movies or music as me is all. Hard to talk to them when they're going on about American Warriors 3, and my favourites are stuff like Hook Hand Slasher 7!"

Gwen's eyes brightened at the familiar name. "Didn't peg you for a horror guy. Who's your favourite slasher?"

"Come on, it's obviously Teddy! He can kill you while you're asleep!"

"He's good, but I prefer the down to Earth ones, makes you feel like you're in the movie. Guys like Gordan Rates or Pike Buyers."

"I like them too, but you have to admit, some of the supernatural ones are good. Like, Binhead from Helltaker?"

The two laughed and talked for what felt like ages. It was all Cody could've ever asked for, to finally have Gwen like him.

So, why did it feel like he had done something terribly wrong?