Monster Cash

Courtney shook her head in disappointment as she watched the credits roll through the screen. It was blatantly obvious to Courtney that the producers highly overestimated the strength of the show and were quickly going through their budget.

Film lots aren't cheap. Neither is an animatronic monster. And they used both on the first day.

Am I really wasting my whole summer to watch this train wreck?

There wasn't much for Courtney to do. Courtney really only knew Katie and Sadie, and she could only listen to them for so long. The rest just annoyed her. Could she really do eight weeks of this?

"Trent and Gwen are so cute," Sadie said interrupting Courtney's train of thought.

Katie nodded. "I know, right? And so are Bridgette and Geoff!"

Not really. If anything, Courtney was starting to regret ever encouraging Bridgette to pursue Geoff. Before, she assumed that Bridgette had acted that way with Geoff because they were no longer competing. She should've known that they'd just be like every high school couple.

But she didn't have the energy to argue.

"Yeah," Courtney said absentmindedly. "But I don't know... I think Geoff is making Bridgette lose focus..."

"Don't be silly, Courtney," Sadie said laughing. "Bridgette's a smart girl. She would never get sidetracked by a guy like that!"

Alien Resurr-Eggtion

Courtney silently watched Bridgette as she unpacked her overstuffed bag. On the one hand, she was thankful that she didn't have to wait for days before one of her friends returned like she did before. But on the other hand, Bridgette's performance was beyond disappointing.

And she was definitely going to let Bridgette know about that.

"It wasn't that bad-"

"Bridgette," Courtney said sternly. "You barely participated!"

"I know but-"

"Did you even want to compete?"

"Of course!"

"Then, what the hell was that?"

"I don't know," Bridgette finally admitted. She let out a loud groan before lying down on her bed.

Courtney took a deep breath before sitting next to Bridgette. "Bridge-"

"I don't know what happened," Bridgette said softly. "But I just... I just couldn't focus! It was like all I could think about was Geoff... and being around Geoff... it's like nothing else mattered..." She looked over at Courtney. "How do I fix this?"

Courtney blinked at her. "I don't know! What did you do during your last relationship?"

Bridgette sighed. "I've never been in one before. This is all new to me..."

"But I thought-"

"Courtney," Bridgette laughed. "We're sixteen! The only guy I kinda dated was the one I had my first kiss with. And by 'dated,' I mean we just hung out maybe once a month outside? Maybe a few lunch periods in school? I wasn't hanging out with him 24/7 like I did with Geoff." She sighed again. "I just don't know what do..."

Riot on Set

Courtney had thought a lot about what Bridgette had said. Perhaps she had been too harsh to judge her high school classmates. Bridgette was right. They were only teenagers. How much experience in relationships could they really have? How were they supposed to know what to do with their feelings?

When do you know if you're in a relationship?

When Courtney saw Duncan help Gwen from falling, she wasn't really bothered. It wasn't until he smiled at Gwen that Courtney started to feel a bit anxious.

You're being ridiculous. Gwen likes Trent!

...But that didn't mean Duncan couldn't like Gwen.

"Whoa, bro," Geoff commented between sniffles. "Who knew that Duncan could act?"

"I did," Bridgette let out bitterly. "He always acted like he was our friend."

"Aw, babe," Geoff said. "Duncan is our friend!"

Bridgette scoffed. "Friends don't eliminate friends, Geoff. Duncan did that to us twice."

...Maybe she'll bring up the topic of Duncan and Gwen later.

Beach Blanket Bogus

Courtney hadn't been able to talk to Bridgette the whole day. The producers claimed they needed her and Geoff for a project. Whatever.

Courtney was stronger than this. Sure, Trent thought that Duncan and Gwen might have something. It didn't mean it was true. She really had no reason to worry. Still, it stung a little when she saw him hug Gwen. God, she wished she could just go over and talk to him.

I wonder how far away we are from the set...

She focused back on the episode. It was clear that Heather's role as the "bad guy" was out. Instead, the producers had Justin fill in that role.

Chris called Justin "clever" and "manipulative."

Courtney couldn't see how he could be either.

3:10 to Crazytown

The news came at breakfast.

Geoff stood up on the table and announced the show would be holding an aftermath hosted by Bridgette and him. As if that wasn't bad enough, it turned out the producers wanted everyone else on the show too.

While Geoff was excited about his new job, Bridgette looked more flustered. When she saw Courtney, she motioned her head to outside. Courtney quickly followed.

"So," Courtney started. "A host..."

"Yeah," Bridgette huffed before she noticed Courtney's questioning look. "Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to do it. It's just... I don't trust them."

"The producers?"

Bridgette nodded. "Let's be honest. They probably don't want us to only interview everyone. They want chaos. They're losing money and viewership and don't care how they get it back. I don't know what they'll make me do, but I don't think I'll like it."

"So what are you saying?"

"Be careful, Courtney," Bridgette warned. "I have a bad feeling about this show. Trent is already going through a mental breakdown. Who knows what else these people are planning?"

The Aftermath: I

It was one hour before airing. Courtney had all but put Bridgette's warning in the back of her mind. Unlike Bridgette, the producers didn't care enough about her to bring in ratings. If they did, they would have brought her back in when it was announced that she was unfairly voted off. Instead, they just laughed at her face.

"Courtney," a small intern called on the intercom. "The producers would like to see you."

Courtney looked over at Bridgette, who gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. Then, with a deep breath, she walked over to the producer's office.

That's when the plan was revealed. The plan that would change everything.

The idea came when the producers realized that Courtney was actually one of the more popular characters and that her elimination caused more outrage than they'd like to admit. Due to that, they were considering putting her back on the show.

"Well, put me back on then."

They laughed at her simplicity. God forbid that the producers would admit to the audience a mistake was made. No, Courtney had to show that she fought her way back into the show.

And after that? Well, they would work that out in the future.

Courtney could've said no. After all, making a deal with the producers was like making a deal with the devil himself. She could do it just to see Duncan again. As much as she hated to admit it, she understood Bridgette's obsession over Geoff. She had the same feelings with Duncan.

However, unlike Bridgette and Geoff, Duncan and her weren't official. Perhaps talking to him would fix the problem, but Courtney was terrified of the chance of Duncan rejecting her. She'd rather live in her fantasy than ever knowing that Duncan was over her.

Then, the producers showed Courtney a letter, and her heart sank. It was from her parents. She knew that with every passing day she was testing her parents' patience. However, she never expected things to get this bad.

"Don't come back." They even stapled an emancipation petition with the letter.

And with that, the Producers dropped a PDA into her hand and pushed her onto the stage.

The Chefshank Redemption

Courtney hadn't told anyone about the letter from her parents. How could she? She doubted anyone else faced a problem similar to her, and she wasn't interested in sympathy. No, this was a problem she had to work on on her own.

However, she did tell Bridgette about the Producers' plan to put her back in the show. It was only then that Courtney asked Bridgette the question that's been plaguing her mind.

"Do you think Duncan will be happy to see me back?"

"Of course," Bridgette automatically responded. "Why wouldn't he?"

Courtney rubbed her hands together trying to calm down her anxiety. "It's just, you know, Gwen and him seem to be getting closer-"

"Oh yeah," Geoff said while nodding in agreement. "The Producers asked me to bring that up in the next Aftermath-" Bridgette smacked Geoff's arm. "Ow! What?"

"Shit," Courtney whispered.

Bridgette glared at Geoff while motioning at him to fix his mistake.

...Unfortunately, Geoff didn't get the message. "Yeah, the Producers just showed me this clip, and yeah, I was like 'bro's such a player!' And-"

"Seriously, Geoff," Bridgette yelled.

"Well that's just great," Courtney said with a sigh.

"I'm sure that Duncan is still just as into you as you are into him," Bridgette reassured.

Courtney studied Bridgette for a moment. "Did either of you really pay attention to anyone else when you were on the set?"

Bridgette flinched. "Well, no-"

Courtney stood up. "Thank you. That's all I wanted to know." She then turned around and walked out of the room.

Bridgette stood up to follow Courtney, but Geoff grabbed her arm and shook his head. She sighed. She knew Geoff was right. It didn't matter what she said. The only person who could reassure her was Duncan himself.

Bridgette turned back to the screen and watched Duncan try to take Gwen's place during elimination. She shook her head and scoffed. "What a dumbass. He's going to lose her one day, you know."

"Nah," Geoff replied. "Duncan's immature, but he's not stupid. He wouldn't fuck things up that badly."

Bridgette hoped that Geoff was right.

The Sand Witch Project

Courtney knocked on the door and waited to hear a quiet "come in" before opening it. There, on his bed with a guitar and pen in hand, was Trent. She let out a deep breath.

Courtney was never close to Trent and had no plans to ever be. However, if anyone was going to be honest about Duncan and Gwen's relationship, it would be him. Besides, they were both in a similar situation. Only Trent could really understand what she was feeling.

Trent stood up suddenly quickly closing his book of scribbles. "Courtney! This is unexpected."

Just rip off the band-aid. "What's going on between Duncan and Gwen?"

She almost regretted asking the question. Trent's eyes suddenly drooped and became dull. Is this how I look whenever I ask about Duncan?

"According to them, nothing," he casually answered.

"But what do you think?"

He nervously twirled his pen with his fingers. Perhaps it was too big of a question to ask since the break up was fresh. Or maybe she just wasn't close enough to Trent that he felt comfortable to answer. "I think it's really hard to see two people have that many similar interests and not wonder if there's something more."

Courtney groaned. "Look, Trent," she said sharply. "You are the only person who knows what I'm feeling right now. The only difference is that you actually got to experience the two of them together in person. I don't have that luxury. So please tell me the truth. I don't want to waste my time with Duncan if there's nothing there."

He sighed. "You're right." He reached into his shirt and took out a necklace. The necklace Gwen gave him. He tugged on it gently. "To be honest, they're probably telling the truth that there's nothing going on." He looked down. "Still, it's strange how close they are. They went from being maybe acquaintances to good friends in half a day. It's enough to make you wonder."

She nodded. "Thank you, Trent." She turned around to exit before looking back. "You know, I think that Gwen really does like you still. Maybe you should try talking to her."

"Will you try talking to Duncan too?"

I don't know.

Masters of Disasters

"I realized something last night."

Bridgette looked up from her lunch at Courtney. "Oh?"

"If I want to win this season," Courtney continued. "I'm going to have to look out for myself first and foremost."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, I'm not coming back to make friends. I'm coming back to win. And I'll do whatever it takes." She looked over at Bridgette, and when she noticed that Bridgette wasn't planning on talking, she continued. "I tried to do it the right way. I tried following the rules. I tried making friends and allies. But I still got eliminated. Not because of anything I did but because I was associated with Duncan. The show knew that too, but they still eliminated me because they didn't care." Her eyes started to water. "I'm just sick of following the rules and not getting results."

Bridgette walked over to give Courtney a tight hug. "Hey, I don't think anyone would blame you if you wanted to put yourself first. At the end of the day, it's still a competition. You do what needs to be done."

Full Metal Drama

Courtney looked around her room again making sure everything was packed. She had her doubts, but true to their word, the producers told her she'd be back on right after the Aftermath.

She still wasn't sure what to think about her situation with her parents. She knew that going back on the show was a risky move. Going on once was enough humiliation for her parents. Twice was like a death sentence. Still, she continued on because no matter what she couldn't go back to where she was before. She just hoped that her parents would understand.

Then, there was Duncan. God, it felt stupid to think about a guy that much, but Courtney couldn't help it. It was like Bridgette said, he was all that she could think about, and she had no idea what to do about it.

DJ advised her to give Duncan the same amount of love he gave her. "My Mama always said that you should put the same amount of energy they give to you into them." It sounded like good advice and was definitely better than Geoff ("throw a dance party and see if he dances with you!") and Bridgette's ("don't do what I did").

At the top of her suitcase, Courtney gently placed her skull. She sighed. Ready or not, she was about to face Duncan.