That's Off the Chain!
POV. Third person
Chris is standing on the Dock of Shame, "Last time on Total Drama Island. In a challenge of hide-and-seek, campers had to avoid capture by Chef It, or join his guerrilla tactics to tag fellow campers," all campers seek hideout, "Cody and LeShawna had interesting strategies that involved hiding in the water," LeShawna dives into the water while Cody and Izzy are in a canoe, "the others on the other hand didn't have the best performance, hahahahaha", Heather and Lindsay were the first to be found, "however only four people were caught without getting immunity", images of Geoff and Bridgette kissing in the woods are seen, and Sadie and Owen hiding in a cave, "consumed by guilt, Bridgette makes a deal with the deavil herself- I mean Heather, so that Geoff could stay in the competition, in exchange for her taking his place. That's how our beloved surfer was tearfully eliminated in one of the most dramatic campfire ceremonies yet," Bridgette leaves in the loser's boat, "What's going to happen this week? Who will pedal to victory? Find out right now, here at TOTAL... DRAMA... ISLAND!".
-0-
POV. Cody
Someone once asked me what I thought my death would be like. I remember replying that it was most likely going to be at the hands of a wild animal, I had no luck with them back then.
Never in my life, this one or the one before, did I consider that I could actually die of asphyxiation from a pair of breasts, especially ones that were literally labeled as a full-fledged deadly weapon.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"
But it seems like that's the situation I was in.
I think I'm getting ahead of myself here. In the gift basket for the scavenger hunt challenge came a bottle of grape soda, which is Lindsay's favorite. She never got a chance to taste it since Heather threw the bottle away the first time.
I thought about giving it to her, but she wasn't allowed to talk to me since I left the alliance.
Fortunately, depending on your point of view, Izzy told me that Heather usually takes long baths in the morning to avoid the other girls. I know she told me with the intention that I would go see her, but I was going to use the opportunity to talk to Lindsay.
And that brings us to my current situation, being suffocated by the big but soft attributes of one of my best friends in this timeline... I'm sorry Tyler.
Izzy was using my camera to take some pictures of the moment instead of helping me, "hahahahaha, you should let him go Linds, it's starting to turn blue".
"Uh, sorry".
"Ah", Finally fresh air, I won't lie, that was very shocking, in every sense of the word.
"You have no idea how much I've wished I could try this drink, it's the only thing I've wanted since we arrived at the camp," she says.
"I don't blame you, I love that soda too," I said, still a little red, and out of breath.
She was about to take it, but now she looked somewhat doubtful, "uh, then, shouldn't you take it? It's part of your reward after all."
"It's okay, I wanted to give it to you, we haven't been able to see each other much lately," she now had a radiant smile.
"You're still a nice person, I'm glad about that."
Lindsay's words surprised me a bit, making me blush quite a bit.
"Hahahahaha, it's always fun to annoy Cody," Izzy said as she leaned on my back.
"Well, Cody doesn't think it's that funny," I said.
"Aw, you're talking like Izzy, that's so cute," Lindsay said, letting these two get together wasn't a good idea.
Confessional.
Lindsay
"It makes me happy to be able to hang out with two of my best friends at the same time. Campfire ceremonies have been very intense lately, I wouldn't want to have to say goodbye to another friend without having spent at least some time with them."
End of the confessional.
"I'm sorry Heather forbade you from talking to me," I said to Lindsay, "ah, she's treating you right, isn't she?"
I haven't overlooked that Heather betrayed her during today's challenge last time. Irreversibly breaking her friendship with the only person besides me who ever considered her a friend.
I don't know if she planned to do the same thing again, it seemed that she got along better with Lindsay than she did before, there was a high chance that she wouldn't betray her this time... But fate has already shown me many times that it has no favorites, and just because that doesn't happen, doesn't mean that the alternative is going to be much better.
It all depended on how today's challenge plays out.
"Oh yes, Heather and I get along great, we're best friends," well that seems better than last time at least.
"Izzy also gets along well with Heather, we've even gone for a bath together a couple of times, Lindsay too," Lindsay's face blushed a little at Izzy's words.
Knowing what bathing together entails for her, I can imagine that it must be very embarrassing to hear her talk about it.
"Well, changing the subject!" said Linds hurriedly, "Are you two dating?" she asked.
Izzy and I exchanged glances, certainly our closeness could be interpreted that way, I'm actually surprised that most just assumed it instead of asking.
Izzy was about to reply, "ahem," then we saw Heather with wet hair and a tiny towel around her body, standing in front of us.
"Oh, Heather... You are here... now," Lindsay said nervously, "uh, this doesn't-"
"Would you mind? You're blocking the stairs," Heather interrupted.
The three of us stood aside, a little taken aback by his utter indifference. She walked past us as she entered the cabin.
"Thank you."
He walked into the room, we just stared at the door in silence, "huh, what just happened?" I asked confused, that was very strange.
"I think she may be in denial," Izzy said.
"Izzy, she isn't mourning."
Confessional.
Heather
She had a twitch in her eye, but she was smiling, "You know what? In these last few days, I've had time to reflect, and I've realized that I don't have a reason to be chasing Cody... I'm the best option on this island! That is more than clear, I was worrying about what to do to get him to return to my side, but now I realize that it is not necessary, he will come, it is only a matter of time", although she seemed very sure of her words, her eye continued to tremble erratically.
End of the confessional.
"BRIDGETTEEEEEEEEEEEEE!", our attention was diverted to Geoff's lament.
The guy has been sobbing the past few days since Bridgette's elimination, and most were already getting tired of it.
"You're right Cody, he's in mourning," Izzy said.
Confessional.
Geoff
He was sitting on the toilet whining and yelling Bridgette's name, "Baby! Why!? Why did it have to be you!?" she continued sobbing.
*Crack*
The door kicked open, and a hand grabbed Geoff by his shirt, dragging him outside.
End of the confessional.
-0-
POV. Courtney
"Enough is enough, Geoff! I haven't been able to sleep well the last few days because of your whining!" I said as I shook him by the shirt.
"But, but... Bridgette...," he continued to sob.
"And you think it doesn't bother me?" I let go of him, causing him to fall to the ground, "she was my friend too, and now she's gone."
Confessional.
Courtney
"And you want to know what the worst part is? Heather's still here, I don't know what kind of witchcraft she's using, but she's starting to get me out of my mind. I need Geoff to be on the same page, I'm going to need his help now that Bridgette is gone."
End of the confessional.
"You made her a promise, remember? You promised her that you weren't going to waste this opportunity, don't forget that she sacrificed herself for you."
"Y-You're right, she wouldn't have liked to see me like this, I need to move on, for her," well, that's something.
"Listen, I've been thinking about it, and Heather's gotten away way too long, Sadie and I are going to need your help to take her down, what do you say? For old time's sake."
"Uh, I don't know Courts, I'm not comfortable with the idea of being part of an alliance, those things are what took Bridgette away from me," the doubter said.
At that moment Chris spoke over the loudspeakers, "Morning campers, your next challenge awaits you at the Arts and Crafts Center."
It seems like it's time, "at least think about it, I know you don't want to leave things like this."
"... Okay, I'll think about it," he said after thinking it over.
-0-
POV. Cody
We all gathered outside the warehouse that acted as a craft center. Some of us had come here a couple of times, they had all kinds of tools and materials. I was a bit excited about the idea of making my own bike, too bad I didn't know if I was going to get to use it.
" Welcome to the Arts and Crafts Center, it used to be an outhouse, but now it's where Chef parks his road hog," Chris kicked the door open and the guys watched the chef's motorcycle fascinated.
Although the girls (except for Izzy) didn't think it was a big deal, "What's with guys and motorcycles?" asked Courtney.
"They're amazing, what more do you need than that?" I replied, the other guys nodded their heads, she just rolled her eyes.
" Which brings us to your challenge, building your own wheels," said Chris.
" Hot rods! Yes! Awesome! Gimme five!", Owen said excitedly.
I gave him a high five as I shared his excitement.
" You'll find all the parts you need in our bike depot," Chris said, the bike depot was nothing more than a pile of bike parts on the side of the craft center.
On the other hand, I managed to build a hot air balloon from a wheelchair and parts of the Jumbo jet, a bicycle would not be a problem.
" Bicycles… less awesome, but still good. Right?", you're really a huge ball of joy, aren't you? Owen.
Confessional.
Cody
"At home I've always been good at building all kinds of interesting gadgets, this challenge is going to be amazing."
Courtney
"I have experience when it comes to bikes, whether it's putting them together or repairing them, that's the great thing about being a Counselor-In-Training."
Heather
"This challenge will be unpredictable... I hope I don't have to come up with anything drastic."
End of the confessional.
"Once you've collected the basics, you can trick 'em out any way you want using props from the Arts and Crafts Center," Chris got on a quad bike, "Best design wins! And… to prove I'm a nice guy," not with everything you've done and will do, "I'll even throw in a bike manual," I throw it at Heather, who was disgusted when she saw that it had mold and ended up passing it on to Izzy.
I went over to the pile of parts, I didn't need a manual to put together a bike, "some of these things still seem to be useful."
Many others came to see what there was to use, "dude, I hope there's a seat of my size here," said Owen, I'm sure there was one somewhere.
Lindsay stood next to me, "oh, I can't wait to build my own bike, every year at Christmas I would ask for a Sunset Sally bike, but never got one," she said.
"That's sad, but now you'll be able to build the bike of your dreams," my first bike was also made of parts, not because I couldn't afford one, but because I wanted the first one to be special.
"Thank you, do you have a dream bike?"
"Not a dream one, but I came up with a good design."
"I'm sorry to interrupt your lovely conversation, but I'll borrow Lindsay for a moment, thank you," Heather came over and took Lindsay's arm taking her away, it looks like she's planning to build the same bike from last time, I've been watching her for a while and she really seems to treat Lindsay better than before... But she, being polite, is even more chilling than when she's bitter.
I guess I'm just going to continue to keep an eye on her, I can't do anything against her without resorting to sabotage, which is very risky, I'll leave it as a last resort. For now I have a bike to work on.
-0-
POV. LeShawna
I had a bunch of pieces in my hands, Heather and Lindsay barricaded themselves in the cellar for now, only Chris will know they're up to, Sadie was next to me also collecting pieces, "Any idea what to do? I've never built a bike in my life."
"Me neither, but Katie taught me how to maintain one, so I know what we need, AH! How about we work together!?" the BFF told me excitedly.
I looked back at the box in my hands, yes, I wasn't going to be able to do this alone, "You know that sister? Count me in."
-0-
POV. Courtney
"Are you serious?" I asked Geoff rolling my eyes, I thought he was drawing the blueprints for a bicycle, but all he's done so far was nothing more than a portrait of Bridgette, which was eerily accurate, but useless after all. He hadn't even brought parts for his bike yet.
"Hey, this is important, she'll adorn the front of my bike, so she'll be with me in the competition," he said with his hand on his heart.
"Ok, first, that's creepy, second, that drawing won't go on the front of a bike, if you don't have one."
"... You might have a point there."
*PFFF*
We both looked at Owen with displeasure, he had leaked a gas while trying to inflate a tire, Kevin was unlucky to be behind him.
"Furious squawk," he proceeded to attack Owen.
"AHHH! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he ran past us.
"Hey, should we help him?" asked Geoff, I slapped my hand in my face.
Confessional.
Courtney
"I'm surrounded by idiots!"
End of the confessional.
"Leave him, he'll be back in a moment, I'll help you work on your bike."
Confessional.
Geoff
"Courtney can be very bossy and demanding at times, but I know she does it because she cares about me, plus she's friends with Bridgette."
End of the confessional.
-0-
POV. Izzy
"And that's it, my bike is finished", I have to send a thank you letter to my brother for teaching me how to do this, a real shame about his fear of engines. I walked over to Cody to tease him a bit, "oh Cody~, I've already finished my bike, do you want Mom... to... Help?" my eyes widened as I saw what I was working on.
His bike was made entirely of metal parts, mostly gears and knick-knacks of all kinds, but what surprised me the most was the little boiler under the rider's seat, the fucker had made a steampunk bike with a steam engine, it might as well be a work of art.
"Uff, that was pretty tricky, but I think I got it," he'd taken off his shirt by tying it around his waist, but he'd left his vest, albeit open due to sweat, "uh, what's up Izzy?"
His question was due to the look of disbelief he was making.
Confessional.
Izzy
Her face was red, and she was clutching her head with her hands, "Control yourself, woman! You made a damn promise!" she yelled to herself, "now I'm kind of upset with Heather, what reason could she have to break up with such an amazing guy!? You'd better appreciate what I do for you, because if you mess it up, I won't be held accountable."
End of the confessional.
I was thoroughly inspecting his bike, marveling at all the little details I could find, this was a first-, "Did you really do all this by yourself? You must stop hiding these abilities of yours from me Cody or else I will have to do an exhaustive search of everything you are hiding from me," I said moving my fingers, the truth is that the idea didn't seem so bad to me.
He shuddered a little, I knew it could make him nervous, "believe me, you'll end up disappointed", I totally doubt it, but if you want to keep me intrigued longer, I guess I can be a little merciful.
"How about a not-at-all-romantic ride now that we've got our bikes?" I really was eager to try mine.
"Eh...".
"Ahem," we both turned to look at Heather, who I think has a coughing fit, she was looking at us with a smile and a trembling eye, "I wouldn't do that, Chris could come back at any time, you don't want to be lost before he can evaluate your bikes, right? It would be best for you to stay here, where everyone can see you, at all times and places," the more she talked, the more her eye contracted, it was very fascinating. Her words made me feel like I was succeeding in my mission, but this time, a part of me was also disappointed, which was very interesting.
"I guess there's nothing we can do, we'll have to wait to test our bikes on the track," I replied, you're so lucky to be doing exactly what I want right now Heather.
"Yes, it would be bad if we missed the evaluation," Cody said, but I didn't miss the skeptical look he gave Heather, he didn't think she was doing this just out of the goodness of her heart either.
"Okay then, I've got to go back to Lindsay to finish our bikes," with that she went back to the depot.
"Do you think she had another reason for not letting us go?" I asked Cody mockingly.
"Oh, definitely."
Confessional.
Cody
"Of course I'm no stranger to Heather's intentions, I know this isn't just about her returning to her alliance, it hasn't been for a while, the problem is that I don't think Heather herself is aware of what she feels, I think the best thing would be to let her put everything in order before having to complicate them even more... which could take a while."
Lindsay
"Heather left for a moment while she was helping me, I think she said a harpy was stealing something from her, I wonder what it was."
End of the confessional.
-0-
POV. Courtney
"And that's it," said Geoff, finally, after many distractions he was able to assemble his bike, but I still think that carrying a drawing of Bridgette on the front was too much, "I call her... Bridgette," I correct myself, that was too much.
I was just rolling my eyes at him, "not yet, you have to take a test drive first."
"Okay, but I think that's kind of unnecessary," Geoff rode on... Bridgette, no, that sounds bad, he got on his bike and started pedaling. At first everything was fine, "ha, what did I tell you? She's very solid," but a moment later the bike fell apart sending Geoff to the ground, "Woah! Ouch!... Uh, I think I forgot the screws," I sighed, back to work.
-0-
POV. Cody
It had been a while and now that we all finished our bikes, Chris came back to evaluate them, starting with Owen's, his design was the same as last time, I guess it worked for him.
"What do we have here?" he now reviewed the work of Sadie and LeShawna, who... made a double bike?
"You never said we couldn't share a bike," LeShawna cheekily said.
"Wow, I really have to stop forgetting things, well... What the heck, I'll allow it," they high-fived. Next, Chris came to see the bikes that Izzy and I made, "wow, this is a very retro style dude, and I love it, yours isn't bad at all Izzy", too bad he didn't give any award for the most creative design, I guess the privilege of showing off was all we would get.
Heather, Lindsay, and Geoff's assessment was the same, Courtney's on the other hand...
"What?" Courtney asked when she saw that Chris didn't say anything.
"Well... I guess it's a bike", and that was it, Courtney's bike was a standard bike, but by standard, I mean the biggest stereotype of a standard bike, I'm even sure she put it together using all the original parts she could find in the pile... It was pretty boring, "... it's kind of boring, it seems like you did it after all, Ouch!" she kicked him in the leg for that comment.
"Come on Courtney, there's no need to act like a bad loser," Heather told her, "Of course, my bike is clearly the best here."
"Well, it's not like that matters, because you won't be riding it," Chris said after recovering, surprising everyone by the plot twist, "you'll be switching bikes."
"What!? Wow! I didn't see it coming," Izzy said in an exaggerated way, it looks like this time she will be part of the race.
-0-
We were now on the beach where the race would take place.
"Everybody, come over and take the name of the person you're riding the bike from," Chris said, helmet in hand. Since the papers were folded, I had no way of knowing who they belonged to, this would be totally random.
I took a piece of paper and unfolded it, "Courtney", I had her bike.
"¿LeShawna?".
"Sadie? But that means...", Heather and Courtney had dismayed faces, they would be sharing the double bike... ouch.
Confessional.
Chris
"Hahahahahahaha, allowing that bike was one of the best decisions of my life."
Heather
"This can't be a punishment for getting rid of Gwen and Bridgette, it's just more than I deserve."
Courtney
"I want to talk to a lawyer!"
End of the confessional.
"Hey Cody, I have Lindsay's bike, I'll be riding a yoo~hoo~ horse," Izzy said, at least someone was enjoying this change.
"Oh, Geoff, I'll have your bike," Sadie said.
"Take good care of her, she's just as important to me as the real Bridgette," the party bro told her melodramatically.
"Oh great, I got the crazy girl's bike," Leshawna said.
"If you see it starts to catch fire, jump out and don't try to put it out," Izzy told her, scaring her, "Why would it catch on fire?" You know what? I don't want to know.
Geoff had Owen's bike, while Lindsay had Heather's once again.
And mine was in the hands of... "Hey Cody, buddy, I have your bike," Owen said, I hit my face, yeah, it wasn't going to make it to the last round.
-0-
We all went to the start line and were putting the finishing touches on it before the race started.
I filled my bike's steam boiler with water, "alright Owen, it's loaded, the steam engine works by pedaling, that's all you have to do and she'll get you quickly to the finish line."
"Thanks buddy, I promise I'll be careful," the big guy told me.
"No! I'm going to the front!"
"In your dreams! I'm not going to stand back watching your huge ass bounce off the seat!"
"What did you say bitch!?", Heather and Courtney's argument was escalating rapidly, apparently neither wanted to be the back of the double bike.
Many recoiled scared of being caught in the crossfire, "Cody! Choose who's going to drive in front!" Heather ask- demanded.
"Wait a minute, why should he decide who goes ahead? It's not even his bike," Courtney complained.
"Better him than you, that's for sure," was Heather's reply.
I stood in the middle of the two angry Amazons, wow, this brings back so many memories, "ok, okay, there's no need to fight", I took a coin out of my pocket, "let the coin choose who goes ahead".
"Sounds good to me," Courtney said, Heather nodded.
I tossed the coin in the air, "hea-", Heather was interrupted.
"Heads!" the coin landed and came up heads, "Yes!"
"Hey!"
"I'm sorry Heather, but the coin has spoken," she pouted as Courtney stuck her tongue out at him. Where did all your maturity go, Miss CIT?
...
With all the preparations in place, we lined up in front of the start line ready for the race, Heather was giving one last piece of advice to Lindsay about her bike.
Chris stood on the side of the road, "okay, racers, on your marks... get set... paramedics on standby... and... Thread!".
We all started running and for some it became clear that it wasn't going to be that easy.
"Pff, pff, agh, I think I swallowed sand", Owen's bike was so low that Geoff was splashed with all the sand left by the others, in my case...
"This bike is so well made that it feels wrong," Courtney's bike was what you'd expect from any bike, and in the context of this show it felt a little out of place.
Confessional.
Courtney
"Why is everyone criticizing my bike!?"
End of the confessional.
"Run like the wind Bullseye! YEHAAAAAAAAAAAA! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!", Izzy walked past us pedaling at full speed, at least someone was enjoying this race.
Sadie was also catching up with us, "Woo hoo! Geoff, your bike is awesome."
"Thanks, pff, sister, pff, I've, pff, put all my, pff, my heart on it, pff".
Confessional.
Geoff
"Technically, though, Courtney did the hardest part."
End of the confessional.
The photo of Bridgette riding on the front of Geoff's bike flew off, "Noooo! Bridgette! Here I go baby!" he turned around and drove in the opposite direction.
"Geoff!" Sadie called out to him.
"It's just a picture," I tried to bring him to his senses.
"It's not just a picture, it's the love of my life!" that would have sounded very romantic, but at the moment it was a little unsettling.
"¡You're pedaling too slow!".
"No, you pedal too fast, why don't you calm down? The goal isn't going anywhere."
"I want to win, and you're not going to stop me!"
Courtney and Heather were arguing behind us, and it was getting intense, I had to take a picture, I wouldn't get a chance to see this again.
"Do you realize this isn't even your bike?"
"So what? I'm not going to increase your chances of victory by reducing the competition."
"Argh, you're unbearable, what the hell does Duncan see in you other than that unbalanced ass of yours?"
Courtney gasped at Heather's comment, "And what is Cody supposed to see in you? Small breasts!" now it was Heather's turn to gasp.
"He likes them! You don't know what you're talking about bitch!", ok, now this is getting awkward.
Sadly, due to their argument they didn't see the partygoer heading towards them chasing a photo.
*CLANK, BOOM*
They collided hard, "Ah! What is this!?" then the photo stuck to LeShawna's face, which led directly to the crash.
*CLANK, BOOM*
"Oof, my ribs," they were all buried in a pile of pieces and bodies.
Confessional.
Geoff
"I think I got a little carried away at the time, but I'm sure Courtney gets it."
Courtney
She had some nuts stuck in her disheveled hair, "What does Bridgette see in that guy?"
Cody
"The craziest domino effect I've ever seen in my life."
End of the confessional.
Sadie and I crossed the finish line, a moment later Lindsay arrived.
Izzy was standing next to the latter's bike, while drinking water from a canteen, "hey guys, boy, were you late, where are the others?"
"Oh, car accident?" said Sadie.
"It happened to me a few times."
"All right, it looks like we've got our finalists," Chris said.
"Wait!," Owen finally appeared, pedaling like crazy, sweaty, and the boiler under the seat was whistling like a kettle.
My bike was working as far as I could see, but the boiler overheated due to it having been running too long. If Owen was lighter, he would have arrived before that happened.
*BOOM*
Before it crossed the finish line, the boiler on my bike exploded sending Owen flying, "AHHHHHHHHHH!", he fell face-first into the sand.
"A real shame, but it looks like Cody's bike didn't make it either," Chris said.
"I'm sorry bro," Owen apologized.
I just sighed, "okay, that wasn't your fault", there was no way of knowing who would get my bike, so this was just bad luck.
Lindsay gave me a hug of comfort while Izzy patted me on the back, "the pain of losing a bike is just as painful or more painful than losing a loved one," she told me with false regret, I wouldn't go that far.
"Well, we've got our four bikes for the final, Heather's speed machine, Lindsay's Sunset Sally, the... Courtney's boring bike I guess, and Bridgette," that's just wrong, " It's time to head over to the TDI Motocross," Chris said.
"Wait Chris, three of the participants were in the crash, at least you could give them a break," there's something I need to check.
"Okay, everyone has twenty minutes to lick their wounds," the presenter said.
"One more thing, what are the rules of the last race?", I need everyone to be aware of the rules this time.
Chris looked at me for that question, but then turned off his vehicle, "hahahahahaha, why not? You're certainly too cunning brother, the TDI Motocross isn't just a race for immunity, it's a race to stay in competition. The last of the four finalists to cross the finish line will be ejected from the island immediately, without voting, or bonfire ceremony," so it wasn't improvised, it was planned from the beginning, and what was the point of immunity then? Damn cunning presenter.
The four finalists were the most shocked by the news.
Confessional.
Courtney
"I'm confident in my ability on the bike, this will be the best opportunity to take Heather out once and for all."
Geoff
"I haven't done very well so far, but I'm confident I can win the last race," he began to sob, "I have Bridgette with me after all."
Lindsay
"I'm not worried, Heather said she'd keep me safe and I'm sure that's what she'll do, we're B.F.F.s after all, best friends for life."
Heather
Sigh, "this race will be the end game for someone and I'm not going to let miss Uptight or the party moron snatch the victory away from me", now she seemed more resigned, "I'm going to need all of Lindsay's help for this race... And we all know that means there's a chance she'll lose... I'm fine with that, this is a competition. At least I should have been aware that only one won the prize... It's not my fault if she believed that friendship on a reality show is real," despite everything she said, she didn't seem very convinced of her own words.
End of the confessional.
"Is this the part where you help save my butt from being kicked off?" Lindsay asked Heather.
" Not yet, we have to make sure we win this part of the challenge, too, so get your A-game on", This wasn't going to end well, it's time for the queen bee and I to have a chat.
~0~
A day before the trial...
"Hi Heather, it's been a long time," I happily told my cantankerous friend.
She looked at me nonchalantly, "Excuse me, do I know you?"
I blinked twice, "Come on Heather, it's me, Cody."
She looked me up and down, "No, Cody is much shorter, scrawny, and with a constant silly, perverted look on his face."
I looked at her rolling my eyes, "haha, very funny".
She tried to keep the façade going for a while, "pff," but then laughed, "Can you blame me? You're unrecognizable, give me a hug, loser."
We hugged, unlike me, she hadn't changed much physiquely over the years.
"Have you seen anyone else yet, or am I the first?" I asked.
She sighed, "I bumped into Lindsay and Beth," she said ruefully.
I grimaced, "I thought you were already on good terms?"
"Not fighting doesn't necessarily mean we're on good terms... They're not the problem," he sighed again, "it's me, I can't see others without... feeling ashamed... On the show I was very proud of the kind of person I was, I didn't mind being seen as the bad girl... Then I grew up... And now not only does it seem stupid to me, but it really didn't do me any good... The people we're going to see today are not my friends... I haven't had a real one in a long time."
"Hey, I'm still your friend."
She smiled at that, "and I'm grateful of it... But we both have lives now, which are distant, this is the first time we've seen each other in years, for a moment I didn't really recognize you... I didn't want to come honestly," she clenched her fist angrily, "especially if he's going to be here."
"Did you fight Al again?"
"Pff, we never reconciled to begin with, seeing his face I just want to knock out some of his perfect teeth."
"Well, at least Chris is going to get his comeuppance, just hang in there until then."
She gave me a tired smile, "I'll try".
-0-
Heather and I were in a slightly secluded place, she was rolling a few strands of hair around her finger, but I don't think she did it consciously, as she was trying to look indifferent, if a little messed up due to the slight blushing on her cheeks.
I remember how she behaved during the whole world tour debacle as for Alejandro, she was very bad at dealing with her own emotions.
"Well, I followed you all the way here, are you going to tell me what you need?"
I just looked at her, "What are you up to, Heather?" I asked, getting straight to the point.
She had a slight upturn and looked away, "I'm not up to anything."
"I heard you talking to Lindsay... She hasn't noticed, but I have... you're going to use her to gain immunity, right?"
"...And? What about that? It's a competition, you can't blame me if she doesn't realize it's silly to blindly trust someone, I do what it takes to win."
"Heather, think about this, Lindsay is probably the only person who has always looked kindly on you, do you really want to get rid of the only real friend you have?"
"And what about you? Didn't you say you were my friend?"
"That's why I'm here."
"..."
"Both you and Lindsay are my friends, I don't want to see her leave the competition like this, she doesn't deserve it, just as I don't want you to make an irreparable mistake that you're going to end up regretting."
"Pff, are you taking it for granted that Lindsay is going to lose? You have so much faith in your friends," she began to leave, but stopped for a moment, "besides, if you really cared about us, you wouldn't have left the alliance," the latter she said with some spite, then left.
Believe me Heather you have no idea how much I really care about you, I don't think anyone can understand it, at least no one from this timeline.
"I guess I'll have to convince Lindsay directly... but I seriously doubt that she will listen to me."
There's a reason it has to be Heather who gives up on her plan. This was never about her not winning the challenge, but about her not betraying Lindsay. I was hoping that now that they get along much better than before, she would come to her senses and recant... But she's not there yet.
If she left the island before this challenge, she probably would have had more time to reflect, but that didn't happen, and now, things were about to blow up.
-0-
There were only a few minutes left before the race, but I managed to find Lindsay and push her aside to talk.
"What's wrong, Cody?"
I took a deep breath, this wouldn't be easy at all, "Lindsay, you can't trust Heather", I got back to the point, we didn't have much time.
Her eyes widened, "What? Why not? She's my friend."
"Linds, she plans to sacrifice you to gain immunity," I told her carefully.
"No! That's not true, she promised me that we'd make it to the finals together, and she's been very nice to me, you've got to be wrong."
"Lindsay, Heather only cares about competition, I'm sorry, believe me, I wish it wasn't the case too... but I have no doubt that she will do it," now she looked very hurt by my words, but then she frowned.
"Oh, and you care less about it, right?" she said angrily.
"What?" what did she meant.
"You abandoned me... you left the alliance like nothing and you didn't even bother to say goodbye", the forest seemed to fall silent because of her words, I could only look at her as she shed a few tears, "we were supposed to be friends, but you left without saying anything, then Heather forbade me to talk to you, this morning was the first time we talked in weeks, I thought everything was the same as before, but now you come and tell me I can't trust Heather, how do you want me to trust you? You were a bad friend! And it's all because of the competition."
"...", I couldn't object, because she wasn't necessarily wrong.
"Attention racers, five minutes to the motocross of drama island."
"I have to go check out my bike...", she wiped away her tears and left, while I just looked at her sadly.
I walked up to a tree.
*Crack*
And I hit it hard with my head, lay on the floor and sighed, "I was a complete idiot," I said to no one in particular. Lindsay was right, she was my friend before she traveled back in time, but now, she was much more important than she once was, and I turned my back on her without any explanation, I just assumed she would understand, but this Lindsay hasn't fully matured and her greater closeness played against me this time. Sometimes I forget that they are not the same people that I called friends for so many years, I guess I got carried away by that, I have to accept that things are different now.
*Paf*
I slapped my cheeks with my hands, "I still have time to play one last card", I got up and left, I could still do something, I just hope it works.
-0-
Now we were all sitting on top of a cliff overlooking the beach, the racers were already at the starting line below.
For a moment a green butt filled my vision, then Izzy sat back on my lap, "this is the best place to watch the race."
"I thought you weren't going to flirt with me anymore to make Heather jealous," I said.
"What are you talking about? When did I flirt with you?" she said with a mischievous, mocking smile.
I just sighed, "do what you want," I resigned.
Chris arrived and was about to announce the race.
-0-
POV. Lindsay
Chip was telling us what the race course would be like, but I only half listened to him. I couldn't stop thinking about my fight with Cody.
I don't like fighting with my friends, but he said bad things about Heather. There's no way they're true, Heather has been nice to me all this time.
Maybe Cody is just wrong, I'm going to talk to him after this challenge is over.
Once we are safe, I am sure we will be able to make peace, I don't want everything to stay as it is, he is very important to me after all.
"...insay... ...Lindsay... Lindsay!".
"Eh?".
"I'm talking to you, you heard everything Chris said, didn't you?" asked Heather.
"Hey, something about mines and oil and piranhas, right?"
"yes, is something wrong? I notice you're a little weird," she asked me suspiciously.
"No, it's nothing, nothing suspicious of me," I said a little too quickly.
"Okay, so here's our strategy, we have to stick together so that one of us wins the race, you will clear the mines and oil, then you will distract the piranhas, then I will pass by and sneak away."
"Wait, so you'll win and not me?", this must have a reason, right? Please let this have a reason.
"You don't have to worry Lindsay, you saw what Geoff did during the first race, and there's no way Courtney can beat the obstacles with such a boring bike."
"Oh, I see," I knew she must have it all figured out, she's the brains of this team for a reason, "okay, I'll do my best then."
"... Lindsay."
"What?"
"... nothing... Thank you for everything you've done for me so far," she said with a smile, which I returned to her.
"No problem, we're BFFs after all."
"Racers, take your positions," Kyle said, "aaaand... Go!"
We all started pedaling, Heather and I took the lead, but Courts and Geoff were hot on our heels.
*BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM*
We got to the first obstacle and Heather started to slow down, I sped up to go first.
Courtney was on par with me and got around the obstacles very well, "you're really good at this."
"Thank you?"
"SHIIIIIII!", Geoff on the other hand was almost sent flying by the explosions.
The three of us got out of the minefield and were getting to the oil road, I slowed down, I didn't want to be hit by accident.
Courtney was the first to enter the oil, "Woah! Woah! Woah!" and her bike quickly lost grip.
"Watch out!" Geoff slid uncontrollably through the oil.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!".
*CRASH*
He clashed with Courtney again, "my... other ribs."
Ok, now it's my turn, "YOU CAN DO IT LINDSAY!" yelled Izzy from Cody's lap.
...
POV. Cody
Izzy started jumping on my lap with excitement, which you can imagine, put me in a difficult situation, "Izzy, calm down, this is, a little...", she ignored me of course.
...
POV. Lindsay
"YA HOO!", I lifted the front wheel of my bike, which caused the mop I was using as a tail to clear an oil-free road. Once I got out of there, the pool full of piranhas was waiting for me, I hardly had time to think about what to do, but I came up with something.
I slammed on the brakes, which caused my bike to slide through the water to the end of the pool where I was left hanging with the mop acting as a decoy.
Heather was already passing through the oil-free path. When she got to the pool she activated the motor of her bike which made her accelerate quickly and cross the pool in one jump, she reached the other end and after pedaling a little she reached the finish line.
"And we've got the winner, Heather!" announced Chip.
"Yes!" I got out of the water and started pedaling towards the finish line.
*Clank*
But then my chain broke, and my bike fell apart, "uh, what happened?", it was fine when I checked it.
"Wow, looks like your bike didn't make it Lindsay," Chip said.
"Does it mean I lost?!" I asked in alarm.
"Well... yes and no."
"... I don't understand."
Now he rolled his eyes, "you lost the race, but so did Geoff and Courtney, but since neither managed to make it to the finish, neither came last, meaning there will be no immediate elimination."
"But... That means...", even I understood what was happening at this point, the others had come to listen.
"That's right, if you had crossed the finish line, you would have arrived as the last and you would be out of the competition."
A lot of things went through my head at the time, but only a few really mattered.
"Linds, she plans to sacrifice you to gain immunity."
"Wait, so you'll win and not me?", this must have a reason, right? Please let this have a reason.
"You don't have to worry Lindsay, you saw what Geoff did during the first race, and there's no way Courtney can beat the obstacles with such a boring bike."
"Beat the obstacles with such a boring bike, beat the obstacles, beat the obstacles, beat them."
"You knew?", I asked Heather.
I didn't want to believe it, there's no way she would do this knowing they could eliminate me, right? She promised me that we would make it to the final together, didn't she?
She was silent for quite a while, "... You should know by now... Only one of us can win this competition, trusting someone else to take you to the final, it's for fools and gullibles," she told me without looking at me, at no point did she turn around.
The whole place fell silent as we processed his words, "Heather..."
"You weren't eliminated right away, I guess that's a good thing, right?"
"Dude, that... It's not right."
"Well, it looks like we're going to have a campfire ceremony after all, for our three finalists of course, there's a lot of potential here," Chris said.
Confessional.
Lindsay
She was sitting with her arms hugging her knees and tears in her eyes, "I was so foolish," she got up and ran out of the toilet.
Heather
She was crossing her arms; she raised her finger and opened her mouth to speak... But she closed it and lowered her hand.
End of the confessional.
-0-
POV. Cody
"Izzy, where are we going?", it had been a while since the race and Heather's revelation, out of nowhere Izzy asked me to accompany her and started pulling me into the woods.
"It's okay here," she said curtly, she let go of me and walked a few steps ahead of me, then turned around, she was giving me the look she gave Owen when he abandoned her with the fake hook killer. For a moment I feared that she was going to hit me.
"Uh, what's up Izzy?" I asked awkwardly.
"... I know what you did," she said, and my eyes widened.
~0~
Before the last race...
I got to the spot where Lindsay had her bike and hid behind a tree.
"Attention runners two minutes before the race starts."
"Oh, that's enough time to get some water," Lindsay went to fetch water.
I walked over to his bike and with the screwdriver of my multi-purpose tool, loosened all the screws on his bike, that should be enough, I just hope he doesn't get hurt by this... But better that than having her expelled immediately.
-0-
"Did you sabotage Lindsay's bike?" asked Izzy, still serious.
I clenched my fist. I can't believe I didn't make sure no one saw me. But there was no turning back, "yes, I sabotaged Lindsay's bike."
"..."
"... I didn't want her to be eliminated like that, she didn't deserve it, I realized how Chris's rules worked and tried to save her from immediate elimination... even if we fought before that, even if I abandoned her by leaving Heather's alliance, she's still my friend and I care a lot about her, I wish this could make up for the time I was ignoring her, but it doesn't, still, I don't care if it sounds like excuses to you, I felt like I should at least make sure she had a fairer ending than just being screwed by her best friend." I got all that out of my chest, I probably wouldn't have talked so much if it was someone else.
But I had shared so much with Izzy over the past few weeks, that simply calling us friends was an understatement.
"…", she looked at me with her arms crossed, she was like that the whole time I spoke, she hadn't said anything yet. I had no way of knowing what was going through her mind right now. Then she smiled, "there you have it, I told you he wasn't mad at you, that's all you needed to know, isn't it, Lindsay?"
A pair of arms wrapped around my neck from behind, and a pair of breasts pressed into my back, I became stiff as a board, I knew perfectly well who these arms and breasts belonged to, "thanks Izzy, can you give us a moment alone?".
"Just wash it before you give it back hahahaha", with that bad joke she left leaving us alone.
I refused to turn around, both out of shame at knowing I heard everything I said, and out of guilt that I couldn't do more for her.
In turn, she refused to let go of me, "Izzy wasn't the one who saw me, was she?"
"No, I did, I just asked for help with this," I'm amazed and proud of how far you've come so far.
"I feel like trash right now."
"Same... You told me what Heather was planning... But I was so angry that I just called you a bad friend and left."
"Why didn't you confront me about the sabotage?"
"Because I didn't think you were going to do anything wrong."
"That's a very naïve thought," she hung something in front of my eyes, it was my little braid with feathers.
"Not when it's about the guy who's wearing the same braid I did to him weeks ago," she hold my dream catcher, "or the one who jumped on a bear just to save me."
"..."
She tightened her embrace, "You're my friend too, and I was afraid you'd be mad at me for not listening to you, so I'm glad to know what you really think."
I smiled a little, "Lindsay, you really are someone wonderful."
"Thank you."
"Are you aware that this may be your last day at camp?"
She tightened her grip even more, "then let me be like this a little longer."
-0-
We were all present at the campfire ceremony, I don't know who the others are going to vote for, Lindsay didn't let me go until a little before the ceremony, I didn't even have an idea, anyone could leave today.
But whatever happens, I plan to see it through to the end.
"Do you smell that tension?" asked Chris excitedly, "let's make it short, I've got two marshmallows here, whichever of the three doesn't get one will be eliminated, blah, blah, blah... The first marshmallow is for the person with the fewest votes...
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...Courtney", She received her marshmallow, Geoff and Lindsay looked at each other just as tensely.
Confessional.
Geoff
"It wasn't my best challenge."
Lindsay
"I'm very happy for the friends I made here."
End of the confessional.
"And the last marshmallow, the one that will decide who will be able to fight one more day, is for...
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Confessional.
Courtney
"I'm sorry Lindsay, this wasn't personal, it was the only option there was, I would have preferred a thousand times to kick Heather off this island," she said sadly.
End of the confessional.
-0-
We all stood on the dock as Lindsay said goodbye on her way to the losers' boat.
"Goodbye LeShawna, I'm going to miss you," she gave her a hug.
"Girl, I never thought I would be so happy just to have someone remember my name, but you made it happen, take care."
She then walked over to Courtney who looked a little awkward, but that didn't stop Lindsay from holding her in a tight embrace, "no hard feelings."
Courts hugged her back, "If it makes you feel better, I like you a lot more than Heather."
Now it was Sadie's turn, "Goodbye Sadie, it was fun to be with someone who understands fashion."
Sadie was crying as she smiled, "S-same."
"Good luck Geoff," she told the partier.
"Thank you, have a safe ride sister," the partier said as he gave her a hug.
Now he walked up to the sobbing Owen, "aw, I'm going to miss you so much big."
"WAAAAAAAAAAA!", he took her in a strong hug shaking her in the air, when he let go she was a little disoriented, but continued advancing.
When she got to Izzy he gave her a much more brotherly hug than the rest, even rubbing their foreheads, "I'm going to miss you," she said.
"Me too."
"Take care of him for me, okay?", Lindsay whispered something, but I didn't hear what it was.
"Leave it to me, he's in good hands," Izzy replied, "What did Lindsay say to her?"
To everyone's surprise Lindsay took off her characteristic scarf and handed it to Izzy, "for good luck", Izzy very surprised held it as if it were the holy grail.
"Thank you, it's going to be a family treasure," she said dramatically, I couldn't help but smile a little at her antics.
She stepped forward and was now right in front of me. I looked everywhere but at her, that didn't stop her from imprisoning me in a tight embrace, my face was tucked into her cleavage, but unlike the excitement of this morning, her warmth only made me sad.
"I wish I was a little taller," I said muffled.
"I like it better this way," she whispered, "I'll be supporting you to win at all times, so don't give up," she blurted out and gave me a kiss on the cheek, "good luck."
"Never change Linds, the world is brighter with you just the way you are," I told her with a sad smile.
"Thank you," she continued on her way and stopped in front of a person who was turning her back to her, "Heather..."
"..."
"I was really your friend..."
"..."
"That's all I'm going to say," Heather didn't react in the slightest, and it was hard to tell what her face was, but these words sounded more hurtful in some ways, than all the obscenities she spewed at her last time.
"I'm ready," she walked to the boat, "bye Kyle," and she walked past an outstretched Chris, really dude? You know how inappropriate that looks?
"Oh come on! At least I got my name right! Even if it's just this time!"
She got into the Boat of Losers, it started to slowly leave, or maybe it was just me. We stood there for a while, little by little the others left the dock while the boat was no longer visible, but I stayed there. Sitting on the edge of it as I looked in the direction it went, the hours passed... But I just sat there in silence
All I did was stare at the moonlit lake, even when Kevin sat on my head, and even when Izzy came with a blanket and sat down next to me, falling in total silence for once as she accompanied me, all I did was stare at the lake.
-0-
POV. Heather
I was lying on my bed ready to go to sleep, the others didn't even look at me when I entered, giving me the silent treatment, how mature. I settled in one last time, today felt unusually exhausting for some reason, "good night, Lindsay".
"..."
"I said good-," I fell silent the moment I realized that there was no one lying on the top bunk anymore, "... oh... It's true... She's not here anymore," I had a hard time falling asleep, as I looked up at the top bunk.
5
-0-
POV. Third person
A bitter Chris is seen standing at the beginning of the dock, "Wow, that was the most depressing elimination so far, will Cody manage to get over this loss? Did Heather really get away with this? What will happen next? Find out next week, here on TOTAL... DRAMA... ISLAND!".