A Much Wanted and Needed Reunion
Axel De La Renta walked into Playa De Losers wet and pissed off, trying to dry her hair after her somewhat-ex-boyfriend, Ripper, inadvertently pulled her down into the lake around Camp Wawanakwa when she was getting flown away from Total Drama Island thanks to the Drone of Despair. Axel wanted nothing more than to just go to her room, dry herself off, and relax, but while she was walking to her room, the Latina survivor saw something that she never thought she'd expect; Nichelle Ladonna sitting outside of another room next to hers, looking downtrodden and annoyed.
"So…I take it the filming for your new superhero franchise went well?" Axel said with a smirk on her face. Axel may have been wet, irritated, and tired, but she could never miss an opportunity to make fun of Nichelle given the attitude that she had given her fellow cast mates when she left.
"Ha ha," Nichelle responded, rolling her eyes before turning away, hoping that Axel would get the hint and leave her alone. However, Axel wasn't one to give up, so she walked up to Nichelle and patted her braided hair with her confident smirk still on her face.
"Are you going to get us free tickets to the world premiere?" Axel asked, causing Nichelle to sigh and roll her eyes.
"OK, I get it. I fucked up, and I shouldn't have left. I'm still trying to find some roles for myself, so it wasn't a complete waste of time," Nichelle said in a biting tone before pulling herself back up to her feet and walking back into her room, hoping to escape Axel's jokes and sarcasm. However, Axel didn't seem to take the hint, as the survivalist followed the up-and-coming actress into her room, and plopped down onto her bed.
"Hey, relax, I was just messing with you. You're not the only one on the Total Drama Island Reboot that did things they regret," Axel said while shrugging. Nichelle breathed out a sigh of relief, not really wanting to deal with more people laughing at her for her decision-making (she had enough of that when she tried to go back to her Hollywood agent). Nichelle decided to sit down next to Axel on the bed, crossing one leg over the other before deciding to continue the conversation.
"You mean like you and Ripper?" Nichelle jokingly asked with a smirk on her face, causing Axel's face to explode into a red blush while growling.
"Look, that was just…I don't know, a test."
"A test? What do you mean?"
"I've…been questioning my sexuality for a couple of years now. But nobody really wants to go out with a girl who likes fighting, camping, and…that kind of thing. Ripper was the best option I had to see whether I liked boys or not. He was a nice guy, a lot nicer than I expected him to be, but…it just didn't feel right no matter how much I tried to get into it," Axel admitted, remembering all the times she had to fight back the urge to slap Ripper's hand away when he tried to hold her hand or punch Ripper in the face when he leaned in for a kiss.
"Did you tell Ripper that?" Nichelle asked. Axel cringed while rubbing her arm, looking down at the brown shag carpet instead of Nichelle. "Axel, you seriously didn't tell him?"
"Look, it's not really an easy thing to bring up. 'Hey Ripper, you know all those times we kissed and had little dates? Well, I was just seeing whether or not I liked boys or not, and I don't so…bye!'" Axel countered, specifically mocking the way Nichelle said 'bye' to the campers when she decided to quit the show to go back to Hollywood. Nichelle rolled her eyes and playfully punched Axel in the arm, chuckling at Axel's impression of her.
"I get that, but Ripper and I can't believe I'm saying this, deserves to know the truth. He really seems to like you," Nichelle noted as Axel sighed and nodded.
"You're right. I just…I'm just nervous I'm going to hurt him even more than I already have," the Latina survivalist admitted. Nichelle nodded before patting Axel on the shoulder, sighing herself, causing Axel to look at her in confusion. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing, just…thinking about my Mama," Nichelle admitted.
"Your Mom? What about her?"
"I'm the breadwinner of our house. It's only me and my Mama, and she's basically a high school dropout who works at a gas station. I auditioned for some TV show as a joke when I was 6, but I got the role, and next thing you know, me and my Mama are moving into an actual house. My acting career basically helps me and Mama have a roof over our heads and food on the table. That's why when Hollywood decided to give me the shaft, I was so worried that me and my Mama wouldn't have anything and we'd be stuck back in the cheap apartment again," Nichelle confessed.
"So that's why you were so willing to leave for a Hollywood gig?"
"Yeah, I don't want my Mama to have to worry about money again. When I was 3, my Mama and Dad got divorced, and it was…ugly. I haven't seen my Dad since I was 5, and my Mama worked really hard to give us a life away from my Dad before I became an actress. And you know, despite everything, the first thing Mama did when she saw me come back after last season, completely humiliated and exposed, was give me the biggest hug and tell me that 'It would all be OK'", Nichelle's voice broke to the point that she couldn't even speak anymore. Tears began falling down the actress' cheeks as memories of her and her Mama doing things together came flooding back into her mind. Axel just looked on at Nichelle in complete disbelief. Axel was impressed that Nichelle had actually trained to get better after the first season, but wasn't a fan of her using her newfound talents to continue her Hollywood career. Axel always thought people from Hollywood were nothing but spoiled and selfish people who didn't deserve all the money and fame that they got. However, hearing that Nichelle was an actress mainly to help support her single mother was something she was not expecting. And it gave her a whole new respect and interest in the young actress, as Axel remembered
"So…do you actually like acting or is that something you just do for the money?" Axel asked.
"Both. I've had a lot of fun acting, but I only ever got into it so that me and my Mama wouldn't have to worry about money again," Nichelle responded, running her hands through her braided hair while trying to wipe her eyes. Axel patted Nichelle on the back, not exactly being comfortable with making people feel better. Axel had never exactly been a comforting person, as that had been more of a job for her older brothers. So, Axel did what a couple of her brothers would do for her when she was upset, and just ran her hand up and down Nichelle's back. Nichelle seemed to appreciate the gesture, as she rested her cheek and the side of her head on Axel's shoulder. After being in this position for a couple of minutes, Axel stood up, causing Nichelle's head to spring back up.
"Sorry about that, I just…I'm just going to have that overdue talk with Ripper," Axel confessed, with Nichelle crossing one leg over the other with a smirk plastered on her face.
"Gee…I wonder what brought that on," Nichelle wondered out loud while flipping her hair. Axel rolled her eyes before playfully throwing a pillow at her face, causing Nichelle to laugh as she rested her chin on said pillow.
"Oh shut up. I just don't want to lead Ripper on any longer. But…if you're THAT into me, I guess I can make room in my schedule for the big Hollywood celebrity for a date," Axel responded over-dramatically, placing a hand over her heart while looking up to the Heaven's, causing Nichelle to laugh out loud for the first time in what felt like forever. Nichelle had never seen Axel like this before, as she had usually seen Axel as a no-nonsense survivalist who was also not keen on showing her emotions on her sleeve. But Axel had been willing to lend an ear to listen to her, make some jokes to lighten the mood, and was even being affectionate in a way that made Nichelle feel warm …and loved.
"Well, being a Hollywood starlet does pack a schedule, but I suppose I can free some time up this weekend," Nichelle said while pretending to file her nails. Axel couldn't help but chuckle at Nichelle's attempts at going along with her joke but took several deep breaths to calm down before walking down to the lobby of Playa De Losers to break up with Ripper. Nichelle laid down on her bed, being in a good mood for the first time since she came back from Hollywood. Nichelle had thought of herself as a failure to not only herself but also to her mother as well but talking to Axel helped her realize that she was anything but a failure. Nichelle was someone who had the skills, experience, and confidence to do whatever she wanted, but Nichelle realized that she needed to find a way to put them all together to make sure she maintained that success.
And maybe…spending more time with Axel will help her get there. Nichelle smiled at the prospect of spending more time with the Latina survivalist before her eyes fluttered open and shut, trying to fight off sleep so that she could see Axel again before she went asleep.