A/N: Hi everyone~! Apologies for lack of a note on the first chapter, but wanted to get the prologue posted first and foremost before getting anything else set up. SO, in case you haven't read this before, this fanfiction is actually a remake of a story I originally posted up onto another site a couple of years ago. However, after the past few years, I've been really dissatisfied with a few of the choices I made in that story, especially with some of these early chapters, so I decided that not only was I going to do a (close to) complete rewrite of it, but that I'd also finally post it up here, rather than keep it to only a singular website!
So, other than that, I'd like to make a few things clear regarding this story, in case of confusion:
- This story is going to shift between different perspectives, typically broken up with a parenthesized statement in bold declaring whose POV the story is currently being told from.
- Each challenge will be spread out across 2-3 chapters, for the most part, with one chapter dedicated to "filler"/out-of-challenge interactions, and the other dedicated to the challenge, the elimination ceremony (if applicable), and any fallout or anything else needing to be covered in that specific moment.
- This fanfiction is going to be HEAVILY inspired by a variety of songs that I listened to when initially writing this story, including the title of the fanfiction itself~! Feel free to send in a review or a PM with any and all guesses you have towards what songs are being referenced, whether it be across the entire story or just within a singular chapter. At the end of this 'fic, I will do a big write-up shouting out everyone who submitted any correct guesses!
With that said, I hope you all enjoy the story, and feel free to provide any and all feedback you have in reviews or PMs~! Now, without any further adieu, let's go to the first proper chapter of "On This Day"~!
(Noah's POV)
The ride back to the island has been...surprisingly calm. Sure, so far it's given me the much-needed intake of Vitamin D that I've been sorely missing out on back at Playa Des Losers, but...maybe I was expecting a bit too much from Chris. Then again, maybe that's just because of him deciding, for whatever reason, that it actually wouldn't kill him to be something that comes close to resembling nice for once. It wasn't anything too special, truly, but before I could leave for my oh-so-grandiose return to Camp Wawanakwa, Chris basically forced me to sit down in one of the "producer-exclusive" rooms in their section of the resort and made me watch through every single unedited episode of Total Drama Island that had been taped since my elimination. Apparently, he thought giving me this "advantage" would be more than enough to motivate me to "bring the drama" or something to that effect.
Regardless, it is suffice to say that I have missed a lot since getting eliminated. Of course, I knew about some of the ongoings based on when people got eliminated, such as Heather's little alliance blowing up in her face when Beth told her off during the paintball challenge, but to properly see how Courtney got eliminated...it actually surprised me.
I mean, I knew that Courtney was screwed over; Or rather, I heard how she got screwed over from how loudly she screamed it during her first few days at the Playa Des Losers, but I didn't know just how bad it was. To think Harold, out of every person that stepped foot onto the island, had it in him to tamper with the ballot box and get Courtney eliminated, just because of what Duncan and his crew had done to him? It...honestly impressed me, to a small degree. Not that it was a smart move, mind you; From what I heard during my time holed up in the room provided for me, Harold was been made to atone for his sins and then some by Courtney after she managed to put two-and-two together. Still, it was...respectable, in some sense of the word, for him to pull off something so crafty like that. If only I had actually put in the effort to do the same thing when I was on the chopping block...
After a few moments, I refocus on the sky hanging over my head, watching the clouds drift on by as the yacht I'm riding on speeds towards the island once again; I have to admit, even with how horrible of a condition the island itself was in, the weather here is surprisingly great for Muskoka. During the short stint I was on the island, it almost never seemed to rain there, the sun's always out, the breeze rarely gets beyond mildly irritating...this place would be an excellent spot for someone to call their home, if the land wasn't already in the possession of one Chris McLean. Not that I'm that desperate to be away from people that I'd want to live on a deserted island, mind you; I basically did that back at the Playa Des Losers and found out just how horrendous of an experience that was. But if I was, say, somewhere in the ballpark of a hundred thousand dollars richer than I am right now...
As the sun gleams off my sunglasses, I let out a small sigh as the island comes into sight once more. Looking out over the bow of the yacht, I set down my book and take a good, long look at it from this faraway viewpoint, knowing exactly what I have been given: A chance at redemption, a chance at chasing my dream, a chance to return to life in this game...and unlike last time, I'm not going to let it slip through my grasp.
(Narrator's POV)
...With the guys having just returned from their weekend retreat on the S.S. Lap O' Luxury, their spirits are soon dashed, as a potential high five is cut off by the sound of static, the loudspeakers all over the island crackling to life as the sound of Chris McLean's voice rings out.
"Listen up, campers!" Chris begins, "As of right now, all teams are officially dissolved. From here on in, it's every camper for themselves!" He declares, causing each of the guys to freeze in place.
After a few moments, Duncan makes his presence re-established with a loud "Ahem" to clear his throat. "Well, uh, it's about time we flew solo." Duncan claims, turning his head away from the other guys, leading to them doing the same, as if to emphasize the 'every camper for themself' mentality.
Meanwhile, the remaining ladies seem to already be embracing this dissolution of the teams, with Heather and Lindsay both standing a few feet behind her, scowls on all three of their faces. "Oh-ho-ho, I am feelin' that! Bring it on, Chris!" Leshawna boastfully yells; Unbeknownst to her, somewhere far away from the dock, Chris' grin somehow grows even wider at this challenge.
"Well, if all of you are feeling the merger, then get ready for this!" Chris yells out, before the honking of a boat horn draws the attention of the crowd of campers towards the Dock of Shame. After a few seconds, looks of confusion appear on their expressions, before the recognition begins. Bridgette and Gwen each gasp out, seeming to realize what this means, while Leshawna seems more confused than anyone else.
"You're frontin' me." Leshawna exclaims, while Heather's perplexed face slowly turns whiter as she too realizes what is happening in this moment. "What?! B-But...that's impossible!"
Trent, though, seems to be just as shocked as the rest of the campers, if not more so, as he worries less about the implications of what is happening, and moreso who it is happening to. "Aw man, what is he doing here?"
"Back by popular demand, it's...Noah!" Chris exclaims, and the once-eliminated know-it-all speeds into frame, still looking to be in the same attire that he wore upon his exit from the island, only now seeming a touch more...determined, than before.
(Noah's POV)
Stepping off of the yacht, I steel my gaze behind my sunglasses as I look at each and every other competitor standing before me. Suddenly, my mind is bursting with possibilities; What I should say, what I should do, who I should try and befriend, who to make an enemy out of, who to target, how I could crawl under the skin of each and every person standing here and attempt to use them as tools to clear the path between myself and the one hundred thousand dollar prize. After a few seconds, though, I opt to keep things a touch simple, so as not to tip them off to my intentions upon returning to the island, and merely shrug my shoulders as I walk towards them.
"Hey, I'm just as surprised to be back at this pathetic place as the rest of you are." I tell them, before glancing towards Heather, "I was quite happy being away from queen bee over here, but then Chris came along and practically forced me to come back..." I state, and watch as most of the campers' eyes either soften or just rest as usual, my words seeming to put them at ease. "Just as planned...let them think I'm still the same lazy know-it-all from before, let them accept me back into their ranks, thinking I'll be an easy out, and soon enough, they'll be falling like dominoes..." I think to myself. As I turn my attention back to Heather, however, something in the back corner of my mind tells me that I need to make sure that my self-inflicted isolation hasn't dulled my witty tongue at all. "Speaking of you, Heather, how is that little alliance working out?" I ask; While she remains sneering, Lindsay lets out a tiny gasp, her brain apparently recognizing that I mentioned the word 'alliance'.
"Alliance? What alliance? There's no alliance between me and Heather!" Lindsay blurts out, before suddenly covering her mouth. Heather, catching this quite easily, briefly turns her gaze towards her subordinate, her scowl deepening ever-so-slightly.
With a sly smirk, I take advantage of the moment of stupidity to continue my train of thought. "Oh, so it seems you haven't discarded blondie over there...interesting. With how often she's messed up this game for you, I'm surprised you haven't tried cozying up to one of the guys on the island to make them into your next spare vote." I joke dryly, and for the briefest moment, I can see Heather's eyes widen as she sputters.
"As if, Noah! Like any of these guys would be worth wasting my time on." She says, and my blank expression goads her into continuing on. "Besides, last time I remember seeing you, weren't you walking off the Dock of Shame, being the first one booted off the team? What makes you think it's going to be any different this time around?" She asks me, a satisfied grin crossing her face.
Seeing Heather smile like that, and hearing her remind me of my failure...I admit, it definitely struck a nerve in me. I know I shouldn't let my emotions get the better of me, especially since I have only just returned to the island...but then she just has to speak up once again.
"Aw, what's the matter, nerd? Cat's got your tongue? Did that well of sarcastic comments you relied so heavily on finally run dry?" Heather taunts me further, and that is what makes this decision so much easier to make.
"No, I've got plenty left in the tank, Heather." I reply, taking another step closer towards her. "However, I don't exactly feel like wasting it by talking to the harlot that's going to be kicked off this island after the next two challenges." I state, causing Heather's expression to turn to that of shock, yet I continue on. "And hey, give me some credit here, I'm giving you the benefit of being here for two challenges instead of just one. After all, I'm sure a girl like you is smart enough to not burn yet another bridge on this island by getting blondie over there to turn on you like everyone else you've tried allying up with. Besides, if you keep her thinking that the two of you are friends, you'll at least have one last person to throw under the bus before it runs you over too."
Finally finished with my response, I look to Heather, her shocked expression sticking for another couple of seconds, before she attempts to turn it into her usual resting bitch face. This time around though, I'm not quite sure if it's just my anger clouding my judgement, or if she is for once genuinely shocked at what someone said to her, but there isn't that usual level of intimidation to her stare; It's almost like seeing the face of a spoiled princess who just now realized she isn't going to get exactly what she wanted for Christmas, and truth be told, it feels kind of rewarding. Looking off to the side, I catch glimpses of Gwen, Trent, and Leshawna watching on, their own faces having settled into a small grin at hearing Heather get torn into by me, Gwen's of course being a touch bigger than the others, given all the hell that Heather's put her through on this show. However, that moment passes by quite swiftly, as Duncan starts walking towards me, a small smirk of his own on display.
"Well, look at that. The little dweeb got him a motormouth while he was off with the other losers." Duncan quips, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I try to shrug it off, but he keeps it firmly placed there, his smirk dropping as I try to free myself. "Too bad it seems nobody gave you the instructions to go with it. They're really helpful in telling geeks like you when you should be keeping that big mouth shut." He tells me, but after a few moments, I finally get out of his grip.
"Right, Duncan, you're right." I tell him, causing him to smirk, before I continue on, "Just like how you should've learned by now that picking on people smaller than yourself will only lead to you getting in even more trouble than you normally do." I reply, his smirk dropping in an instant. "But, if you need someone to teach you that lesson again, maybe I'll have to go make sure that Chris really secured those ballot boxes this time-" I quip; Immediately, I'm made to regret this, though, as Duncan grabs me by the collar of my sweater.
"Listen here you little-" Duncan starts, only to be cut off, thankfully, by the sound of another boat horn blaring. He turns towards the Dock of Shame, seeming ready to vent his anger elsewhere; Luckily for me, this quickly dissipates as he suddenly lets me go, his jaw dropping whilst I pick myself up off the ground.
"Gee, thanks for dirtying up my clothes, Duncan." I snark at him, but when I don't get a response, I turn towards the Dock of Shame like the others and, remembering what Chris told me before I was sent off on the yacht that brought me back here, let my own jaw drop at the sight that is before my very eyes.
"And also returning to camp..." Chris begins, cutting directly into the moment for the sake of, well, himself, "it's Courtney!"
Feeling like I'd given enough of a reaction, I turn towards the others, and see that most of them are, genuinely, some combination of bewildered, dumbfounded, horrified, and appalled at the reveal of the second returning contestant to Total Drama Island.
"You...you're back?!" Bridgette sputters, before the sharp whispering of "She was an audience favorite?!" cuts through the others' murmurs, having escaped from Heather's lips.
"Well, not really, but..." Chris starts to explain, before suddenly shifting his tone to one that sounds like he's speaking directly to the camera, rather than towards us. "We here at Total Drama Island and our executives at Fresh TV feel that Courtney was wrongfully eliminated from the competition thanks to a rigged vote, resulting in her departure from Camp Wawanakwa. After much negotiations with Courtney's legal representatives, we have graciously decided to allow her to return to Total Drama Island as a contestant, and to strike her prior unjust elimination from the record books, in exchange for any lawsuits regarding wrongful termination and potential rigging allegations to be permanently dropped from this moment in time onwards."
The moment that Courtney steps off the yacht, however, she cannot even get a word in upon her arrival, as Gwen turns towards the loudspeaker, as if talking to Chris directly.
"Wait a sec. You said no one is allowed back." Gwen hisses, leading to a small pause from the host.
"...I did?" Is the only response given, leading to Gwen's disdain for the man growing even more than it already had before.
"And once you leave the Dock of Shame, on the Boat of Losers, you can never, ever, ever, ever come back." Gwen ad verbatim, repeats back to the host what Chris had said at almost each and every bonfire ceremony, leading to another beat of silence.
"...Oh yeah. That." Chris says, laughing awkwardly. "Yeah. I lied." The host admits, and this seems to be what causes Gwen to finally break.
"You can't do that! That's not fair!" Gwen yells towards the loudspeaker; Unfortunately for her, those were the exact wrong words to use at this moment in time, as Courtney strides up to her, wrath and fury coursing through her every bone, with her left eye even twitching at the mere mention of the word 'fair'.
"Well Gwen, you've set off the timebomb..." I think to myself, watching as Courtney juts her finger out towards the goth girl, before opting to poke her directly in the chest, with even Trent opting to let this continue on.
"Not fair? Not FAIR?! You want to know what wasn't FAIR?! Getting voted-, nay, getting SCREWED out of a hundred thousand dollars because some...some freak couldn't handle the fact that he was being bullied by Duncan!" Courtney shrieks out, causing Gwen to wince at every other word spoken to her.
Duncan, being the genius that he clearly is, takes this as a perfect opportunity to try and cozy up with his girlfriend once more, walking towards her with a smile on his face. "Aw, so you do care, princess-" Duncan begins, but he too gets a sharp poke to the chest by the C.I.T.
"And you!" Courtney yells out, taking even me by surprise, along with most others, as Duncan puts his hands up defensively.
"Relax, babe, I'm just joking around. No need to completely blow up on me over nothing." Duncan tells her, only to cause the opposite effect of what he wanted.
"You...you ogre! Just cut it out already and let's get things over with!" Courtney snaps at him again, with this only further confusing Duncan.
"Get what over with? You're acting weirder than usual, princess." Duncan replies, only to be given another jabbing poke in the chest by Courtney.
"Just...just get it over with! The teams are dissolved now, it's every person for themselves, there's no need for you to...to keep trying to act all nice to me!" Courtney responds, and Duncan's confusion turns to a small scowl.
"Trying to act nice to you?" Duncan questions, leading Courtney to reply once more.
"Yes! I may not have realized it while I was here, but after finally getting away from you, I finally realized that the only reason you kept hanging around me was because you just wanted to...to use me for my vote!" Courtney calls out, poking Duncan in the chest once more alongside her accusation.
By this point, even I have to admit that my intrigue in this ongoing issue is starting to become obvious, even more so with how the other contestants are watching this argument unfold; Unfortunately for us, though, the loudspeakers crackle to life once more, with our host clearly enjoying his role in ruining the moment.
"All right, campers! While I hate to break up this AWESOME drama going on right now, I'm going to be generous because of it and give our returnees an hour and a half to settle back into the cabins! After that, I want all of you to report to the amphitheater, where you'll learn about this week's challenge! McLean out!" Chris announces, before the crackle of the loudspeaker finally fades.
With all of us jolted by the verbal knife which just cut through this tense moment, I watch on as Courtney and Duncan each glare at one another, before Duncan turns around, walking off towards the guys' cabin, Geoff and DJ quick to catch up with him. While the others continued on towards the cabins, I opted to hang back for a moment, continuing to watch Courtney from behind my sunglasses while she remained rooted in her spot, her simmering wrath on display...until it finally fades, and she lets out a sigh. As she goes to walk off, however, she suddenly stops, a scowl on her face as she jerks her head towards me.
"What? You want to say something, geek?!" Courtney barks out, and while it does shake me ever-so-slightly, I maintain my ground without much trouble, shrugging my shoulders.
"I'm just impressed you finally figured out his gameplan. Figured you would be like all of the other girls on this show who completely lost all sense of strategy after they started going all gah-gah over whatever boy they've decided is cute enough to date for the next couple of weeks." I tell her pointedly, earning myself an eyeroll from her as she goes to leave.
Realizing that time is being wasted just standing here, I go to head off as well, only for Courtney to stop once more.
"Are you trying to follow me?!" Courtney asks me, to which I scoff in response to.
"Right, I'm definitely looking to be your rebound man after what just happened between you and the resident criminal of the island." I reply, before continuing on, "You do realize both of us have to go this way to get to the cabins, right? Or did that long and excruciating two week break off the island make you forget that?" I ask, and she stops once more, now turning to face me with her entire body, rather than just her gaze.
"Ugh, do you have to be such a sarcastic jerk every time you open your mouth?" Courtney asks, prompting me to smirk her way.
"Actually, I am perfectly capable of having a conversation without using sarcasm in it. I just find it easier to fall back on when dealing with emotional idiots like yourself." I jab back, but my successful dig is short-lived as Courtney gives a smirk of her own.
"Right, because you're clearly an expert when it comes to romance, aren't you? I'm sure you're a real heartbreaker back at school, whenever you're not getting stuffed into lockers or having your head shoved in the toilets." Courtney scoffs...and for a second, I'm actually left without a true reply; Courtney had gotten me pretty good there...and that's something I wasn't expecting from anyone here on the island, let alone her.
For a moment, I feel my gaze shifting, as I take a second to look over Courtney in her entirety, and in that moment, I start to feel...weird. It's like my mind's completely stalling out, and all I can focus on is the mocha-skinned beauty before me.
"...Wait, did I just call her beauty?" I think to myself, jarring myself out of these thoughts while watching Courtney start to take her leave, and for whatever reason, I feel compelled to keep talking with her, so I race ahead, trying to catch up to her.
"Wait, Courtney!" I blurt out, grabbing her attention once more, the same scowl forming on her face.
"What is it now, nerd? Chris only gave us ninety minutes to get our stuff back into the cabin, and you're making me waste it talking to you instead of unpacking my belongings." Courtney states which, for whatever reason, gives me pause to what I was about to say.
I don't quite get why, but it feels like for once, I'm actually...struggling on what I want to say to her. There's no sarcastic jabs or vicious mockery coming to mind, just...a flurry of words, with none of them feeling quite correct. After what feels like hours of silence on my end, I finally come up with the correct response for her, my eyes darting away from her, despite being hidden behind my sunglasses.
"I...just wanted to say that I'm glad you got back onto the show, Courtney." I tell her, and while I don't see it immediately, by the time I turn my gaze back towards her, I can tell that my words seem to have an effect on her, as she too pauses, taking in my response.
Her lack of immediate response makes me fear for the worst, already preparing myself for a verbal tirade of epic proportions, one filled with comments meant solely to boost her own ego while demolishing my own, or perhaps a simple slap across the face for being so foolish as to waste her time like I have...but instead, a smile crosses her face; A soft one, one that seems to be seldom used, by how it looks to be so forced, despite appearing so natural at the same time.
"You...you think so?" She asks me softly, taking me further aback by such a demure response, before she suddenly speaks up once more, with more confidence in her own voice this time around. "I mean, o-of course you think so! After all, I'm sure everyone in this competition, whether they want to admit it or not, understands that when someone gets robbed in a competition like this, they deserve the opportunity to come back onto the show!" She speaks, a haughty edge added to her grin that seems to add even more bravado to her own response. "Besides, it was only a matter of time before McLean realized just how wrong he and the rest of the producers were to act like my elimination was justified in any feasible manner, and that he'd eventually have to let me back into the game, lest I sue him and the producers for a hell of a lot more than a measly hundred grand!" Courtney adds - a touch hastily, even - but even with her words out in the open air, I find myself thinking back to the glimpse I was just shown; The showings of a girl who, despite putting up such a rough exterior, seemed to be sweeter than any soda or candy imaginable, maybe even a girl who I could...
"No, Noah. No, we're NOT going to fall into the same trap as all of those other lovesick idiots on this show!" I mentally reprimand myself, trying to force myself away from these thoughts. By the time I come back to the present moment, Courtney is already walking away, and I find myself stuck in place, just as she was when I made my first comment towards her, my feet turned into roots, refusing to leave the ground they're planted in. However, before I can bring myself to walk off, I watch as Courtney turns back - once again, a tad hastily in comparison to her other, much more graceful movements - and approaches me once more.
"Oh, uh, I should probably thank you, Noah. For being one of the only people who seems to understand how badly I was screwed over when I got eliminated, and how I deserved to come back onto this show." Courtney says, shaking me out of this frozen state.
Instinctively, I roll my eyes behind my sunglasses, putting on an indifferent expression. "Huh? Oh, yeah, don't mention it." I tell her, before adding in my own hastily-worded comment. "Seriously, don't. I already know how much you love to repeat yourself. It really shows how good you'd be as a politician; All the repetitive buzzwords and none of the results." I snark, and watch as her face turns back into the same scowl from before.
With a small huff, Courtney turns around and heads back towards what once was the Screaming Gophers cabin, now made into the girls' cabin as of the merging of the teams. Seeing this, I connect the dots, realizing that the cabin which once belonged to my adversaries on the Killer Bass is where I'm meant to be staying, but as I continue walking, my mind starts to drift and wander once more.
"...What the hell is wrong with you, Noah? Did your brain fry from being in the sun too long? What the hell is there to even see in a girl like Courtney anyways?" I hear ring out in one of the corners of my mind, reminding me of my own weirdness, before another part speaks up as well. "Well, it's not like you're even going to have a chance with her, even if you, for whatever reason, actually DID like her. She's probably just going to fall back into Duncan's arms the first chance she gets..." As that thought courses through my mind, I find myself walking a bit slower, as if knowing that once I'm in the boys' cabin, I'll have to deal with sharing a room with Duncan, something that, for whatever reason, bothers me a lot more than it normally would...and not for the fear of being bullied like Harold was. "Let's just get to the cabin and get this over with, Noah...you've got a game to win, and a list of targets to make for who needs to be eliminated to make your path to the hundred grand as simple and easy as possible..." I finally resign myself to pick up the pace, a plan of action on who to target for elimination formulating in the back of my mind...
And it's clearly just a coincidence that a certain green-haired mohawked criminal is currently sitting right at the top of that list...
A/N: Hey again~! For future reference, at the bottom of every chapter will be a listing of who currently remains in the game, as well as who has been eliminated (in elimination order). Otherwise, hope to get an update in sometime next week, if not the week after depending on IRL. Until then, this is MrLeedles, signing off~!
Remaining contestants: Bridgette, Courtney (RETURN), DJ, Duncan, Geoff, Gwen, Heather, Leshawna, Lindsay, Noah (RETURN), Owen, Trent
Eliminated contestants: Ezekiel, Eva, Justin, Katie, Tyler, Izzy, Cody, Beth, Sadie, Harold