3:10 to Crazytown
POV. Third person
Chris begins to narrate, "people have always been drawn to the beauty of the sea", the fin of a shark emerges from the water scaring Kevin who was sitting on a buoy, but it was only Chris, "hahahahaha, but that's not where we were last time! Lindsay's surfing adventure turned trailer park when a twister ruined her fun, and DJ was stripped bare, hahahaha, nice pecs, dude. Although it seemed that Courtney had managed to stand up for her team, Duncan's gnarly moves, and Cody's cunning got the better of her. Thus, the Gaffers managed to take the lead and win the first challenge. While in the second it seemed that the Grips had a big advantage, but as in the true art world, they were separated by differences of opinion. Lindsay in search of prominence tried to work things out, but maybe she only ended up making them worse," Lindsay looked sad, "the Gaffers won both challenges scoring them a Hawaiian-style luau, while the Grips were taken to a corner and consumed by their sad thoughts. With only thirteen remaining, maybe the Grips will stand a chance this week, find out next on TOTAL... DRAMA... ACTION!"
-0-
POV. Cody
I think I'm going to die...
That's all that's going through my mind right now as I have my head against a picnic table.
Remember how I recently discovered that I have a high tolerance for cold? Well, it turns out that it's not the same with the heat, and at this time it was very hot.
I think because I live in Canada my body got more used to the cold than the heat, here heat waves are quite rare, so I guess I'm not a hyper-resistant superhuman, good to know now.
Of course, I wasn't the only one, everyone else was scattered around the rest area trying to deal with the abnormally warm weather. I wonder if Chris had anything to do with this again.
Gwen who was sitting at the table next to me sighed wearily as she looked at Trent sitting under a tree, it had been a lot going on since the beach challenge, well, I think I gave them enough space.
"So... did something happen between you and Trent during the previous challenge?", I'm too tired to try to be subtle.
She didn't look at me, but spoke anyway, "You were right, I had nothing to do with her obsession with the number nine... But I think I'd rather it had been, otherwise things between us wouldn't be so awkward."
Duncan who was sitting in front of us with dark circles under his eyes laughed, "oh, that seems interesting, tell us."
"Ha, yes of course, it's something private, good luck figuring it out... Why do you have dark circles under your eyes?" Gwen asked the criminal.
Duncan dropped a big stack of paper on the table, I recognized it immediately, Courtney's list of guidelines for being a good boyfriend, I guess taking away the evil doesn't take away the methodical, that woman needs to learn to relax. This thing was part of what started the catastrophe, as it made Duncan sick of dating Courtney, it could very well be a cursed object, or a harbinger of tragedy.
"Courtney wants me to study 'how to be a good boyfriend' and learn everything on this list if I don't want her to feel ignored," Duncan complained.
"Wow," Gwen said as she read part of the list, "if you ask me this almost seems like a punishment."
"Ha, it's because it probably is, but I have to do it if I want her to stay happy," he said.
"Since when do you care if she's happy?" I asked, from what I've seen, and I know, he just likes to see her angry.
"I don't care that she's happy, I care that she's not mad at me," sure, that makes sense, he doesn't even like being on Courtney's receiving end.
I accidentally caught Trent staring at Gwen, "hey Gwen you should go talk to Trent... I think he would appreciate it."
She looked in his direction, he looked away, "I'm not sure that's a good idea," she said.
"Wouldn't it be better to work things out before Chris shows up out of nowhere and gives us a challenge?" I tried to persuade her.
Confessional.
Gwen
"I hate when he's right... I wouldn't want this awkwardness to get into my game or his, it's been a while and I think it's time to talk."
End of confessional.
...
POV. Gwen
I got up from the table and walked over to where Trent was sitting, "Hey, do you mind if I sit here?" I asked with a smile.
"No, not at all, go ahead," he said, and I sat down next to him.
Sadly, we were left in awkward silence, damn Cody, this was one of your worst ideas.
"So, excited for the next challenge?" he asked me, trying to remove the discomfort.
"As long as Chris is in charge... never," we both laughed about at least we're moving forward.
"Would you like some water?" he offered me his bottle.
"Thank you", I was really thirsty, I took some and handed the bottle back.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9," which Trent cleaned nine times, of course.
"You know?... You shouldn't do that."
He became uncomfortable, "Is it so weird?" he asked.
"Yes... but that's not the reason," Trent looked at me confused, "that's not how a 'lucky number' works, you can't force it, it has to come to you naturally... otherwise it'd stop being special, don't you think?" I said, trying to be gentle.
He widened his eyes and looked down at his bottle, "I... I had never thought of it that way... I thought that if I used it with everything, my grandfather would always bring me luck."
I put a hand on his shoulder, "maybe it'll do it sometimes, but if you keep it up you'll end up losing all your luck, then I'll crush you in the competition," I said humorously, "I'm sure your grandfather wouldn't mind."
He smiled, "thank you Gwen, you gave me something to think about."
"Yes, I did, didn't I? I guess you owe me one now," I said, thinking about doing something together later.
"Hahaha, yes... I do, don't I?"
Confessional.
Trent
"Was that a hint? That's the way she tells me to help her with the challenge? Heck, why can't women just say what they want instead of hinting at it? It's so confusing."
End of confessional.
-0-
POV. Beth
I was sitting in the door of our trailer, Harold crawling on the floor near me.
"Wow this is so much better," Lindsay said sitting on a lounger next to Justin as Owen fanned them, "thanks for letting me sit here Justin."
"Of course, beautiful people can't ruin our skin with sweat."
"And thanks for fanning us, Owen," he was drenched in sweat.
"You're ... welcome... Lindsay... Man, it's really hot, you know? If the two of you were dating, you'd probably be the most... sexy... couple… ever."
*Boom*
After saying that, Owen fell to the ground in a faint.
"Really? I hadn't thought about it," Lindsay said thoughtfully, I couldn't help but gasp.
Confessional.
Beth
"Because we're on different teams, it's very hard to try and befriend Justin... and now it looks like Lindsay is starting to get along better with him," she sighed, "everyone prefers the sexy blonde."
End of confessional.
"There's no way I can compete against Lindsay for Justin's love," I said to myself.
"You know? If you make a nice gesture for him, maybe you'll get him to pay attention to you," Harold said from the ground.
"Do you really believe it?" I asked.
"Of course, while I know my charms are striking to LeShawna, it's my many virtues in different areas that make her truly drawn to me."
"Wow, thank you Harold."
Confessional.
Beth
"I wonder what skills I have that might be attractive to Justin."
Harold
"LeShawna plays hard to get right now, but that's okay, I'm an expert at the pleading game."
End of confessional.
-0-
POV. Cody
*Bang, bang, bang*
I was startled when Chris arrived and shot into the sky with his cowboy revolvers.
"Chris!" Beth complained over the loud sound of gunfire.
"Hahahahaha, take it easy, guns are loaded with blanks... least I'm pretty sure one of 'em is," I imagine they are, "since there's no beatin' the heat, we're goin' west this week. There's a town meetin' at high noon," the hottest time of the day, perfect, "be there or I'll drive you deadbeats outta town."
Confessional.
LeShawna
The makeup team was combing her hair when suddenly her hair burst into an afro, "Ugh, darn humidity, what you think you're looking at? Nothing to see here," she said as the makeup team laughed.
End of confessional.
-0-
We all moved to the Wild West movie set, LeShawna's hair had fluffed up from the humidity, and Heather couldn't help but laugh about it.
"I'm sorry, do you see something wrong with my hair?" she asked angrily.
"Oh, nothing, just thinking you should cut that bush, you know, like you did mine," she returned the fire in annoyance.
They both held each other's gaze for a moment, "good point," Leshawna said, acknowledging that she may have gone a little overboard in cutting her hair.
"Listen up, partners," Chris said with a pocket watch in his hand, "in any good western, there are heroes, outlaws, horses, and pretty dames. The hero defeats the outlaw, then rides off into the sunset on the horse."
"What about the pretty dames?" asked Beth.
"None of your beeswax," Chris said annoyed, but then laughed, "just messing with ya, they usually hang out in the saloon during the bar brawl," too bad the women back then were very conservative, even though the dresses fit them well.
"Bar brawl? Cool," Harold said as he tried to fight an unseen enemy in front of LeShawna to impress her.
Courtney rolled her eyes, "historically bar fights were violent brawls, not poor martial arts attempts," she said upon seeing Harold's moves.
She looked at Duncan as he stared indifferently at nothingness, hit him with her elbow to get him to react, "Huh? Oh, right, you're absolutely right, as always Courtney," he said, making her smile.
Confessional.
Gwen
"I think I've seen dogs with their leash less thigh than this."
Harold
"Poor martial arts attempt!?" he asked angrily.
Duncan
He yawned, "Article 7, paragraph 6, section 9, agree with Courtney when she makes a comment," sighing wearily with his hands on his face, "this is ridiculous."
End of confessional.
"Well, time for your first challenge," Chris said as he fired his pistols into the air, "no cowboy worth spittin' at will go one day without saddle practice. Time to saddle up!"
*Pffffffffff"
The only horse in the clearing was spewing almost as many farts as Owen, what the hell are they feeding him?
While Chris was complaining to chef about the horse, I walked over to pet him, Kevin was standing on his back. Since the beach challenge I've seen it around here more often.
"Hey, buddy, I think I'll call you Cletus," I said.
*Pff*
He farted, "I'm going to assume you agree."
Confessional.
Beth
"Aw, I love horsies, Justin said I look like one, he's so... great."
Harold
"I spent three summers at Medieval Steve's Medieval Camp, we learned to joust, ride horses, and how to look manly in tights. It's harder than it looks."
Trent
"Who says a western has to end with a guy and his horse. This is the movies. The guy always gets the girl. Meaning me."
End of confessional.
-0-
Duncan looked at the horse in the landing zone, "You call this a challenge?" he said as he tried to get on the horse.
"Not so fast," Chris stopped him, "You cowboys and cowbabes are gonna have to mount the steed from up there," he said pointing to the water tower, "Not there. Waaaaay up there," said pointing to the trampoline that was a few meters above it, I gulped, of course he wants us to jump from there, "SInce the Gaffers won last week, they go first," he said making us uncomfortable, "Don't worry, our unpaid interns assured us it's safe."
"We won last week, why do we have to go out first?" asked Gwen.
"Because I say so," was Chris's reply, "and I'm your host, Chris Mclean," he said, smiling at the camera.
"If you ask me, it was time already," Courtney teased her.
"Achoo! Guys, I really think I'm coming down with something," Gwen said, sneezing.
Confessional.
Gwen
"Damn allergies."
End of confessional.
"Uh, if no one minds, I think I can go first," I told my team, before Trent chimed in.
"And, like, why would you want to do that?" asked Heather, the truth is that it was crazy to volunteer for something like this first.
I shrugged my shoulders as I walked to the stairs, "we all have to try eventually, and I'd rather not think about this too much while I wait, besides, we have to motivate the team, right?" I said winking at her, trying to hide the fact that I was scared.
"That crazy redhead definitely infected you with her madness," was LeShawna's taunt.
"Maybe it was the fleas hahahaha," was Duncan's taunt.
"Izzy doesn't have fleas," Heather said, everyone looked at her, "What? She slept underneath me."
At least this kept them from realizing I'm scared.
"Uh...", I looked behind me, Lindsay looked nervous, "be very careful up there, it looks dangerous, since you can't fly and all that... right?"
I stared at her, "... hahahahahaha", and wiped a tear from laughing, that was out of place, "thanks Linds... I needed it," I don't think she understood me, but she smiled anyway.
That helped dispel some of the fear as I climbed the ladder.
Now that I think about it the last time, I jumped at an animal this was a bear, it seems like an eternity since that, and the fact that it was Lindsay of all the people who gave me courage at this moment makes it even more meaningful.
When I got to the top I could feel the strong wind on my face, I walked to the end of the trampoline, I didn't look down until I reached the edge... And shit was high.
I took a few deep breaths, "come on, you've jumped from scarier places to worse places, you can do this," I said to myself, I slapped both cheeks and before I could think of anything... I jumped, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
*Boom*
"Uff", and I landed on Cletus' back, everyone looked at me with a grimace, I'm not going to lie, it hurt quite a bit, but less than I expected when jumping thirty meters into the bony back of an old horse, I guess my small size reduced my fall speed in the same way that it increases Owen's.
"And with that spectacular start, the Screaming Gaffers have their first point," Chris said.
I tried to get off, but I just ended up falling face first to the floor, "Ouch! Hey... I can't feel my legs," I couldn't even move my toes, I hope it's not permanent.
"Hahahahaha... then Grips, who's next?" asked Chris.
"I'll help you buddy," DJ picked me up like a sack of potatoes and left me in a pile of hay, I could already wiggle my toes, that's a relief.
"Thank you, DJ, I won't lie, that was scary, but very exciting," I said.
"Rather reckless," Heather scolded, "it looks like you haven't changed since the island... What's more, I think you're even crazier, don't you think about how Izzy would feel if something happened to you?", wow, simply... wow.
I smiled at her, "It's good to see that you didn't forget to come and scold me like I asked you to do that time," I said.
She looked at me for a moment, then stepped on my foot, "Ouch! Why is that?"
"Well, it looks like you can still feel your legs, doesn't that make you happy?" she said with a slightly too innocent smile.
"Yes, it's a relief... It doesn't change the fact that you still care about me," and there it is, the cute scarlet on her face.
-0-
POV. Lindsay
"Well, is there a volunteer to take the first step toward victory for the Grips?" asked Courtney excitedly, I think she's trying to motivate us? I don't know because no one was excited about the idea of going first. She sighed, "I guess I'll have to do it then."
Wait, this could be my chance, I raised my hand, "oh, I can do it, I can go first," I said, most of them looked surprised, it's starting to bother me that they react like that.
"Okay," Trent said, "let's let her do it."
"All right, Lindsay, you can go first," Courtney said.
Confessional.
Lindsay
"Yes, finally an opportunity to do something good for the team, this was a good idea."
End of confessional.
...
"This was a bad idea," I said scared as I looked down from the trampoline, everyone looked so small, my legs started shaking, "No! Come on Lindsay, this is just like jumping off the mountain on the island... only there is no water... just a horse... okay, it's not like Wawanakwa... Hey, I remembered the name of the island, great."
"Come on Lindsay, you can do it!", Justin was cheering me on from below, ok, I have to do it, then the others will want to try too. I jumped off the trampoline, "Here I come! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
*Boom*
"Neigh."
I landed right on top of the horse which just neighed, but then kept eating, my butt hurt a bit, but that was it.
"I... Did I?", Did I really do it right?
"And Lindsay gets a point for the Grips, which makes both teams tied," Chip said.
"Well done, Linds," Owen complimented me. Everyone seemed excited.
"Thank you," I said happily, I'm finally starting to get things right.
-0-
POV. Beth
I watched as the guys on the other team, especially Justin, congratulated Lindsay for doing it. That made me a little jealous.
"Alright, who wants to be the next sacrifice?" asked Duncan with a scary smile, why should he always try to scare us? That's not right.
But to stand out I guess I have to do the same as Lindsay, "I'll do it," I said as I started to walk towards the stairs.
"Perfect, we'll have to clean up the floor after this," Heather sneered.
"Shut up, Heather!" I yelled at her as I climbed the stairs. I focused on just looking up, "don't look down, don't look down, don't look down", I got to the top, and I looked down to know where the horse was, bad idea, "oh hell no, I looked down", I said scared.
"Hahahahaha, I wonder if Beth will really be able to give her team a point," Chris sneered from below.
"You can do it Beth!" shouted Gwen from below.
"Remember, find your happy place!" Cody yelled at me, it's true, I have to imagine jumping into my happy place.
I closed my eyes and tried to imagine myself in my happy place.
"Come on Beth, you can do it," a bunch of Justins were cheering me on from below.
"I can," I then jumped off the trampoline, "AHHHHHHHHH!", I'm never going to get used to this feeling of falling every time Chris makes us jump from high places.
*Boom*
Fortunately, I managed to land on the horse without much trouble, and without hurting it either, which is good.
"And Beth gets another point for the Gaffers," Chris announced, yes, I did.
As my team celebrated I looked at Justin to see his reaction, but he was looking at his reflection in a mirror, I sighed.
Confessional.
Beth
"It's not that I blame Justin, if I was as attractive as he was, I'd probably be looking in the mirror too."
Heather
"Don't think I didn't realize where Beth was looking, that girl is going to betray us sooner or later, I'm telling you, I'm not going to take my eye off her."
End of confessional.
-0-
POV. Courtney
"Says right here, page thirty-seven of my gluteus maximus modeling contract, I am forbidden from any form of jumping that might strain my uh, assets," Justin told me, as I looked at him bored for giving me that excuse not to jump.
I'm starting to understand why the moles eliminated him first last season.
"Courtney maybe you shouldn't make him jump, just look at those buttocks, they could be ruined forever, he wouldn't be able to sit comfortably again," Lindsay begged me with gravity and puppy dog eyes.
I had to resist the very tempting urge to yell at her why that was nonsense. Justin certainly had perfect buttocks. But we need as many jumpers as possible, or we would repeat the same mistakes from last season's first challenge.
And yet, here I am, surrounded by weird and capricious people again, why can't I get a decent team for once?
I grabbed the bridge of my nose and sighed, "Okay, we'll get Justin out of this... For now," I warned, there's so much I can tolerate before I start going crazy, "for now I'll jump," I told them as I went to the stairs.
-0-
POV. Cody
Courtney was coming up the stairs now, I had long since regained feeling in my legs, and now I was standing again.
From what I saw, if Justin doesn't jump and Trent misses his jump again, that would mean they would have four points, we need LeShawna or Heather to jump in and get it right if we want to win this challenge.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
*Boom*
Courtney jumped up and managed to saddle properly with a grimace, it's our turn again.
"All right, who's going to jump in now?" asked LeShawna.
"Achoo! I really think I'm getting sick, I think I'll stay out in case of emergency," Gwen said, allergies are a real problem, I know that better than anyone.
"Duncan?" LeShawna asked the delinquent.
"Zzzzzzzz," but he had fallen asleep, studying Courtney's rules took its toll.
"Are you serious?" asked Gwen, her nose stuffy.
Heather sighed, "I'll do it."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Huh?" might sound stupid of me considering that sometimes things change just for the sake of it, but I didn't expect her to offer to jump of her own accord... Should I be worried that maybe I've done something to Heather's mind with so much stress?
"Do you want to stop looking at me like I've grown a second head? Yes, I meant it."
"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to figure out, why? Exactly," I said.
"Do you think we're going to trust you just because you're trying to play the good teammate?" asked LeShawna, apparently there is some friction between them.
Gwen sniffed her nose, "don't think I've forgotten that it was your fault that I ended up eliminated last season."
Instead of apologizing Heather took a deep breath and started walking towards the stairs, "No, I'm not going to pretend to be the good girl, and no, I'm not going to apologize for voting for you back then. You can think I'm just as bad as I was last season if you want, but remember that it was partly thanks to me that we won so many challenges on our previous team, so unless you want your boyfriend," she said pointing to Gwen, "and his girlfriend," she said pointing at Duncan, "kick our ass, I suggest you focus on winning and less on trying to pierce my skull with your stares," She finished up angry.
Looks like she's had enough of going unnoticed... It lasted longer than I expected.
"She's got a point, I hate it, but she's got a point," Gwen told her friend.
LeShawna sighed, "I guess we can go back to our old nonviolence agreement... But I'll be watching you, prom queen."
"Do what you want," she said.
Confessional.
Courtney
"Oh, great, now they'll also stop arguing, why not?"
Gwen
"Do I trust Heather? Not at all, she'll stab us as soon as she gets the chance, but until then, we have to focus on winning."
Trent
"Did Gwen and LeShawna make peace with Heather? Owen was right, the girls don't care about anything but winning."
Heather
"Duncan fell asleep because he was reading Courtney's rules, I wouldn't be surprised if miss CIT was starting to pull strings within our team, no one would suspect her, I'll be watching you too Courtney."
End of confessional.
...
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
*Boom*
Now Heather had managed to add another point to the team which was good, Harold started to climb the ladder for the Grips.
"Ok, DJ you'll be next," Leshawna told him, DJ swallowed but nodded, I imagine it's because of his parachute plan, I could try to get him to jump normally, but I doubt he'll hear me.
"AHHHHHHH!"
*Boom*
Harold managed to land well on the horse, "wow, both teams keep scoring points, normally this would be boring, but hearing them scream in fear, and fall from thirty meters is so much fun hahahaha", Chris taunted us, "besides, we're getting close to the end, this could go to anyone," he said as DJ climbed up.
"AHHHH!", DJ threw himself in with his antique pants parachute, and like the last time the wind blew him away, "Not the electrical wires!"
*Zap, zap*
We all grimaced when DJ went electrocuted, but he will be fine, this studio is so ruined that the voltage running through the wires is relatively low.
...
"All right, get up," Gwen moved Duncan with her foot.
"Huh? How? When? Where?" he looked around in a daze, "oh, it wasn't a nightmare then, I'm really in hell," he complained.
"Yes, it's hell and it's time for you to pay your dues, you'll go after the next one," Gwen told him mockingly, her nose was starting to drip less, it seems that giving her time really helped with her allergy.
"Ha, I guess I don't have an option, Lady Satan," the criminal said as he stood up and stretched.
"Do you want to stop flirting and focus on the competition?" complained Heather as she still massaged her sore butt.
"What!? We weren't flirting / don't talk nonsense, just friend jokes / she was making fun of me," they both immediately defended themselves, and in a manner so similar, that it was creepy.
Because I have the context, seeing them act like this leaves me with a palpable sense of bewilderment, as if a cruel and superior being is orchestrating this, only to revel in the explosion that will occur later... I've seriously been spending too much time around Izzy if I'm really imagining crazy things of that magnitude.
"Alright I'll go next", my attention was drawn to Trent asking to be next, he looked at Duncan with some annoyance, it seems that he saw all of the above and was not happy.
He went to the stairs before her adviser (Courtney) could say anything.
He seems very motivated, last time I don't know if he missed the jump because he wanted to give Gwen an advantage or it was just a miscalculation on his part, the guy forgot he had a parachute during the extreme challenge.
"AHHHHHHH!"
*CRACK*
"Uhhhhhh~", we all grimaced as Trent fell back onto the pole in a very painful way.
I still don't know if it was on purpose or not, but I don't think his intention there was to fall on the post.
"Hahahahahaha, good one, Elvis," Duncan sneered as he walked to the stairs and yawned.
-0-
POV. Duncan
Uff, I feel so tired, my sight gets blurry every time I blink, damn Courtney's rules, maybe I shouldn't have stayed up two days straight trying to learn them all, but she said she wouldn't let me kiss her until I could recite at least three paragraphs from memory without making a mistake.
Why was I doing this again?... Of course, I like her, that's why, damn, why couldn't she be an aspiring rapper, or a cook? It would have been easier to manage a relationship with her.
I made it to the top of the trampoline, but I was starting to feel tired again, I walked to the edge with heavy body. I looked down, where was the horse again?, ah, there it is.
-0-
POV. Cody
*BOOM*
We all opened our eyes when Duncan crashed to the ground inches from the horse who barely glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before continuing to eat.
The criminal left a crater with his image on the ground, "Duncan!" cried Courtney worriedly.
"Is he okay?" asked Gwen in the same way.
"Zzzzzzzz."
"...," I walked over to the hole, "he's... asleep," I said, I doubt he'd even felt the blow there.
"Hahahahaha, well it looks like neither Trent nor Duncan made it," Chris said with a laugh, "let's see how this ends, the next in line please."
"Do you want me to do it?" Leshawna asked Gwen.
She tried to take a deep breath, "my cold seems to be better, I will," the goth said.
...
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
*Boom*
Without her cold and with the whole team doing it, Gwen had more courage to make the leap and managed to saddle the horse without too much damage.
"Owen, I hope you know we're counting on you to saddle the horse," Justin told Owen.
Confessional.
Justin
"That way this guy won't have to."
End of confessional.
"In fact, if we want to at least tie, we're going to need you to jump too, Justin," Courtney told him.
"What!?" the supermodel said in surprise.
"If LeShawna manages to saddle, we'll be beaten by one unless you jump," she told him.
Confessional.
Justin
"This wasn't in my plans, how is that possible?" he said, upset.
End of confessional.
...
"Woo Hoo~! Here I come!" as Owen fell, the horse got scared and ran away from the landing zone.
*BOOOOM*
Owen ended up crashing to the ground in the same way as Duncan, but he immediately got out of the hole and started chasing the horse, "Hey come back here!"
"Neigh."
In the end Owen managed to catch him and climb on him, which is definitely cheating... or it would be if Chris had said this was against the rules, but since he didn't, he can manipulate them as he pleases.
"Nice effort, Owen, my man. If horses can bend, so can the rules. Grips are now on the board with one", this of course annoyed several in our team.
"You heard the judge, guys, there's nothing to do," Courtney sneered.
"LeShawna, shut her mouth," Heather told Big Sister.
"I'm only doing it because it's my turn, not because you asked me to," he replied as he climbed the stairs.
-0-
POV. Courtney
"You have to do it," I told Justin angrily.
"The contract, Courtney, the world will miss out on my buttocks, do you want that for the world? Would you be so cruel Courtney?" that was the narcissist's ridiculous excuse, I clenched my fist.
"He's right, you know?" I automatically looked at Lindsay with a murderous look that forced her to back off in fear, if she's not going to support me on this, then stay out of it.
"You. Have. To. Jump," I was seriously starting to get angry at this point.
"You're not even the leader of this team, that's Trent, and he doesn't have a problem with this, does he?" he said, looking at our supposed leader who was very busy watching that Gwen didn't get near the sleeping Duncan.
"Hey, yes, of course, whatever, me too," he said without looking at us.
"You see?"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
*Boom*
"Neigh."
"And LeShawna gets the last point for the Gaffers, the Grips are in trouble, can they get it, even if it's a tie?" said Chris.
Shit, "Justin, for God's sake!" I begged him now.
But he folded his arms, "no-oh, I'm sorry Courtney, you'll have to discuss it with my agent", I swear I was about to put him on the trampoline myself and throw him on the horse, unfortunately Chris wanted to be nosy.
"So, aren't you going to do it?" he asked Justin.
"He-"
"Apapa, I'm sorry Courtney, but I have to hear it from the participant," Chris told me with mockery and arrogance.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to jump in and risk my whole self, for a measly draw," Justin said stubbornly.
"Well, it's a shame, the Screaming Gaffers win the first challenge," Chris announced, causing the other team to celebrate.
I looked at Justin with murderous intent, "Now, now, Courtney, it's just the first challenge, we just have to win the others and we'll be fine... right?" he said scared.
"Don't hurt him Courtney, his attractiveness is all he has," Owen pleaded with me.
I sighed, "You better win the second half," I warned.
Confessional.
Courtney
"This team is totally useless! First, they kick out our toughest competitor for an absurd script error instead of Harold! Trent is a lousy leader! We also lost the second challenge because of their nonsense! Half the time it feels like I'm talking to a bunch of carrots! And now this! I feel like I'm going to go crazy!" she complained loudly.
Trent
"Yes! We lost, that will definitely make Gwen happy."
Justin
"Maybe it's a good idea to stay away from Courtney for a while."
End of confessional.
-0-
Chris brought us to the corral where the tiebreaker of tying up the cattle was done, it seems that since there was no tie, there is no need for the pistol duel which is a relief because no one wants to see Owen without pants, I imagine the tiebreaker will happen if the Grips win this challenge.
"Well, his next challenge will be calf roping," Chris said.
"Where are the baby cows at?" asked DJ worriedly.
"There's not, since the Grips lost the first challenge, they are going to be the cattle and they're going to wear these udders on their heads," the announcer said as he tossed the udder hats at them.
"This is not right," Courtney complained.
Confessional.
Harold
"Hahahahahahaha, I have cow boobies on my head."
End of confessional.
"Gaffers, you guys will have cowboy hats and you'll have to lasso the cattle hahahaha," Chris threw us the cowboy hats, which actually looked pretty cool.
Lindsay had put her udders on her head, "Do they match me? Moooooo~."
I'm sure I wasn't the only one whose heart sank at the sight of Lindsay tenderly imitating a calf.
"Ahem," Chris tried to refocus on the competition, "well, if the Gaffers can rope the cattle they win, if the cattle can dodge the cowboys, they win. The chef will judge the competition now, hey chef."
Chef arrived in a semi-transparent red old west dress, this is something I could have lived with without ever seeing.
"Love the dress, Cheffette, hahahahaha", yes, Chris is looking for his own fall today.
...
After the chef tied Chris to one of the corral posts, the cattle lasso competition officially began.
"You're mine Harold!" shouted Duncan as he chased after the scrawny nerd.
"Ahhh!" he ran away from him in fear.
From one moment to the next this became a real rodeo; everyone was running in different directions and it was hard to know what was going on.
...
POV. Third person
"You're mine girl," LeShawna said as she chased after Courtney.
However, this was part of the CIT's plan, the moment LeShawna thought he had her cornered he threw the rope to her hoping to tie her up.
But Courtney got out of the way, and LeShawna ended up tying up the tied up Chris, "hey, you're supposed to catch the cattle, there's no points for the host," he complained.
Courtney took this opportunity to escape, but to her bad luck she ran into someone.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, look what we have here, the cattle princess," Duncan said with a sadistic smile.
Courtney opened her eyes, "Duncan, you wouldn't dare."
He began to spin his lasso, Courtney had no choice but to run for her life.
Confessional.
Duncan
"That was for making me read a hundred pages of nonsense."
End of confessional.
...
"I've got you pretty boy," Heather said in front of a cornered Justin, "your head will be a hot, sexy trophy on my wall."
"No! I'm too beautiful!" said Justin, covering himself.
Heather was about to link it, "No!", until Lindsay stood in front of her causing the two to look at each other face-to-face for the first time in weeks, causing Heather to freeze for a moment, as did Lindsay.
Their awkward silence didn't last long, when a rope tied around Heather, "The hell?"
"Run!" said Justin, causing them both to move and flee.
Heather turned angrily to see who was stupid enough to her up.
"Oops, I'm so sorry Heather, I need to practice my aim," Beth told her with apparent regret.
Confessional.
Beth
She scratched her head nervously, "yes, that may not have been so much an accident, as a slight last-minute change of trajectory... but I'm sure Justin will be very grateful for that accident," she said, trying to be optimistic.
Justin
"Ha, maybe Beth can be useful after all...," he said considerably.
End of confessional.
"Beth! You did this on purpose!" said the queen bee as she tried to free herself.
"Of course not, it was an accident."
"Don't try to deny it, you're trying to sabotage us," she accused her.
"I'm not like you!"
"Of course not, I wouldn't betray my team for an Adonis."
"I'm not going to talk to you," the farmer said as she left.
"Hey, come back here! We're not done!" Heather tried to move, but was still tied up, "At least untie me!"
...
"It's not going to stay like this, you hear me?" said Courtney angrily, who was strapped over Duncan's shoulder.
"Yes, of course princess, whatever you say," Duncan sneered as he carried her.
"And what did I tell you about that nickname? I put it on the list."
Duncan smiled arrogantly, "clause 25, paragraph 7, article 2, the list is suspended during the competition," he told her, Courtney's eyes widened.
Confessional.
Duncan
"It's not the first time I've had to find a loophole for a lawyer, sorry princess," he said, leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head.
End of confessional.
As she was being carried, Courtney caught a glimpse of something. Trent ran straight to Gwen, who he turned his bow around, "oh no, there's no way out you caught me," Gwen raised an eyebrow at his weird behavior. Trent pretended to back off, but then threw himself to the floor, "oh no, I'm on the ground now, it would be so easy to catch me now that I'm vulnerable," he said exaggeratedly.
"What are you doing?" Gwen asked angrily.
"Nothing, I can't run, don't you see? You'd just have to come up and catch me," he said, totally surrendered.
Confessional.
Gwen
"Is Trent trying to give away the challenge for me? What? Does he think I can't win without his help?" she asked angrily.
Trent
"It went really well for me, I'm sure Gwen must be happy about that."
Courtney
She looked on the verge of a fit of rage, "WHAT IS THAT FOOL DOING!? HUAHHHHHHHH!" he shouted furiously.
End of confessional.
A rope was tied around Trent, only it wasn't Gwen's, "I've got you Trent," said Beth who had taken advantage of the situation.
"Yes... I guess you've got me," the guitarist said, turning to Gwen, but she was gone.
...
POV. Cody
"I've got you," I said catching Harold, no matter how many crazy abilities he has if I catch him from behind.
"Gosh!" said the other nerd.
"I can't... We both saw Owen collapse near us, DJ walked up to him and threw the rope around his neck.
"AHHHHHHH!", Lindsay and Justin were also running, but they were both caught together by LeShawna.
"Well, we did it, we've got them all," the Big Sister said excitedly.
-0-
We gathered all the cattle in front of Chris, "well this shouldn't surprise me anymore, the Screaming Gaffers win the challenge... for the third time in a row," Chris announced, we celebrated our victory, "You Grips are losers, and you know what happens to losers?" he pulled a red-hot marker out of the fire, What does the L stand for?, "Which Grip wants to take the heat?"
The whole team but Trent ran away, "Got anything in a G?" the guitarist asked.
Confessional.
Gwen
"G? Like for Gwen? Ugh! Trent wants to brand himself with my initial! This has gone way too far."
Trent
"Do you think it was too much?"
End of confessional.
Chris dipped the marker into the water, "Legal says branding's out. Guess I have to settle for booting one of the Grips off in the most exciting Gilded Chris ceremony ever! Now, go shower. You stink. P.U." Chris complained.
-0-
I'll never understand why everyone chose to bathe in a barrel when the showers are perfectly functional... by the standards of this program, of course.
Not that I complained, beautiful girls in nothing but towels is quite a show, which I was able to enjoy in person this time.
However, now I had to deal with another matter far more important, yes, much more important than beautiful ladies in towels.
That's why I'm now standing behind a tree while Gwen waits for Trent to get out of the shower.
I'm not going to stop Justin from listening, my goal isn't to stop Trent from getting out, he brought it on himself and he has to deal with it, my real goal is the Grips' blackmail against my friend.
"Why didn't you bathe in the barrel like everyone else?" I heard Gwen's voice so I peeked out a bit.
"I thought I'd humiliated myself enough," Trent replied.
Gwen sighed, "... Trent, we need to talk," she said ruefully.
"... Uh, I think I can imagine about that," he said, resigned to what's coming.
"Trent... I like you a lot, I mean it... You were the first to show me that you don't judge a book by its cover... But you were also the one who taught me that it's important to read the content."
Trent looked confused, "uh, I think I got lost..."
"What I mean... It's just that ours is a summer love... As cliché as it sounds and like any other, I thought it might be something more, but I think you've also noticed, haven't you?" she asked.
He thought about it for a moment, "... it's because of my grandfather's story, isn't it?"
"... In a way, yes, but... It's more because of the fact that I didn't know about it."
"Well, I never told you."
"But I should have asked."
"..."
"It was something so present in you, and yet I was on the verge of believing that it was because of a stupidity... all because I didn't bother to get to know you better... and it's the same with you, that's why you tried to give me the challenge, right? And not just this one, you've been acting weird for a while."
He sighed, "yes, I've tried, I just thought winning would make you happy... And I wanted to help you, I thought you'd appreciate it... I thought maybe telling you about my grandfather would have made you feel sorry and that it would affect your game... then you'd want to leave me."
She put her hand on his shoulder, "that's my point, we both went ahead and assumed things about each other, we thought we knew everything about each other, but we didn't try to get to know each other more... And that blew up in our faces... We were just left with the image of the bitter goth and the sensitive guitarist, believing that was all there was."
"Hehehehehe, yes... it wasn't very smart of us, was it?" laughed Trent humorlessly.
"If we stay together, we'll most likely continue to do things wrong... therefore... I want us to break up," Gwen said seriously, "... I want to meet the person who is beyond the sensitive, superstitious guitarist, before I'm sure what I really feel," Gwen told him with a sad smile.
This time Trent smiled genuinely, "and I might need to learn more about what's hidden behind all that black makeup... and learn to be less jealous," he said, scratching his head.
"Hahahaha you sure do," she said while giving him a slight push, they both laughed humorously... But it was a sad, resigned, painful mood.
Then they fell into a serene silence, "then that's it, isn't it?" said Trent resignedly, "... at least... we can still be friends, right?"
She smiled, "of course, otherwise we couldn't get to know each other better."
"Hahahahaha, right... Agh, this is going to be very uncomfortable," he said.
"Yes, definitely... but, maybe one day, we'll be able to try again," it's amazing how somber those words sounded to me.
"Yes, I would like that."
"For now, don't try to give me challenges again," she told him.
"Yes, I apologize for that, I think I acted like an idiot."
She gave him one last kiss on the cheek, "good luck at tonight's ceremony," she said, "I'll see you later."
"Yes," with that said, they both went their separate ways.
I didn't bother to see if Justin was listening, I just sat there and reflected on everything that had been said compared to the first time.
Only a few small actions managed to make those two understand each other better, a small part of me still hoped that they would continue together, but both have made so many mistakes at this stage of their lives, that a relationship between them was not made to last. Maybe if they had met much later, without a drama-filled show, and no longer just stereotypes, maybe it would have been possible.
But I don't know if that timeline exists, and if it does, it's definitely not this one, so I can just pour alcohol on the wounds and hope they don't get infected, that's all I can do.
"I really feel sorry for you guys, in part, it was my fault that you ended up together."
-0-
POV. Third person
Trent was heading towards the trailers to change, "wow", when he was pulled behind a tree with force, "hey what the hell?", the guitarist swallowed hard when he realized that the one in front of him was an angry Courtney, "h-hello Courtney", he said very frightened.
"I'll only ask once, so you better be honest, or I'm going to have to get violent."
Wasn't this violent? Trent wondered, "ok, okay, I get it, pure honesty, I promise."
She let go of him, but she was still glaring at him angrily, "Why did you try to lose?"
"... I wanted to help Gwen win, I thought that would make her happy, but I was wrong, and now she's done with me," he said sadly.
"What?" this shocked Courtney so much that she forgot her anger for now, "Did you guys broke up?"
"Yes, I was acting like a fool and she decided we should end our relationship, apparently we both rushed into this without really knowing each other at all, so we broke up before it got worse."
"Wow," Courtney said ruefully.
"I guess I owe you and the others an apology too, for acting like a fool."
"Yes, you do," she said angrily again, "why did you think Gwen would like you to give away the challenges? I don't know if you noticed, but she's not Heather," Courtney asked, still annoyed.
Trent banged his head, "augh, it's all the fault of that stupid advice."
Courtney looked at him suspiciously, "What advice?"
-0-
POV. Gwen
I got out of the girls' trailer when Justin stood in front of me, "tell them what I just heard you say to Trent," he said so abruptly that for a moment I didn't understand what was going on.
Harold, Owen and Lindsay, who had finished bathing, stood behind the supermodel.
I finally understood what was going on, Justin had been listening to us, he must think that Trent and I worked together secretly, "ah... sorry, I can't hear you. Head cold" Is that really the best thing I could come up with.
"Fine, I'll do it then, Trent's been purposefully throwing our challenges for Gwen, they've been cheating."
"No way!" said Owen, totally surprised.
"Have they been cheating? Shoot! No wonder my mad skills didn't make us win."
"Gwen...", Lindsay looked at me with teary eyes and I felt like I had kicked a puppy which had done nothing to me, "Is that true? Have you and Trent been cheating?"
"No!" I replied immediately, if there's anything truly cruel about this show it would be making Lindsay cry.
"But you don't deny that he's been trying, do you?"
"It wasn't my fault, I wasn't in on it, I swear," I tried to defend myself, but I felt like I was cornered.
"Why should we believe you?" asked Harold.
I sighed, "because I broke up with Trent," Lindsay gasped at this news.
"This, this whole thing could be a ruse, some strategy to make it to the final two!" said Justin, of course, the supermodel had to get all paranoid now of all the moments.
"Wow, beauty and brains," Owen said.
"I don't know guys, what if she's telling the truth?" said Lindsay.
I couldn't help but feel grateful for Lindsay.
"Don't believe her Lindsay, maybe he's just trying to take advantage of your naivety now," Harold said, augh, then wonder why I hate everyone on this show.
"I wasn't in on it, I swear," I tried to reason again.
"Prove it," Justin said.
I opened my mouth to tell them to kick out Trent, which might have been the worst thing I could have done to him after I broke up with him.
"She doesn't need to prove anything," but someone else jumped into the conversation, "that's enough Justin, don't think I'll sit idly by while you accuse my friend like that."
"Cody...", I was surprised and a little relieved.
"This is none of your business geek, this is between the traitor and our team who was the victim, you could be complicit as far as we know," Justin said.
Lindsay looked tragic for a moment, "wow, a triple conspiracy," Owen said, which side are you on? We were supposed to be friends.
Cody was angry, a rare occurrence for him, but he remained calm, "If it's really your team's business, then where is the other culprit to tell their side of the story?"
"..."
Silence filled the area at the geek's words, now that I think about it it's true, why didn't Justin face Trent too?
"Ah... Well... that...", now Justin looked unsure.
"You didn't want him to be here, because you knew he would be blamed for everything, didn't you? I listened to their conversation, too," Cody said.
"What?" I said incredulously.
"Yes, I'm sorry for that I'll apologize later," he told me, argh, this place doesn't have a bit of privacy.
"You're also suspicious, how can we trust what you say?" asked Harold, Lindsay seeming to want to be anywhere else but here.
"You can't", said a third voice, we all looked at Courtney who was walking with a serious face, shit, I think this just got worse, "so trust me", huh?, "Trent already told me everything, you're wrong Justin, neither Gwen, nor Cody have anything to do with this, they didn't know anything", Courtney is defending us? Did I die when I jumped onto that horse and now I'm in a parallel limbo or something?
"But, but, but, how can we trust Trent? He could have lied to you too," Justin said.
"Because he told me the real reason for his behavior," she said, looking at... Owen? He now seemed to shrink under her gaze, "so we women are only interested in victory and nothing else, right? Wasn't that what you said to Trent?"
Owen widened his eyes, "oh, pickled turnips... Now that you mention it... I may have said something similar to him... I had forgotten hahahahaha... Oops," the big guy tried to apologize now with sorrow.
"So... Cody and Gwen are innocent?" asked Lindsay more animatedly.
"Yes, it was all a misunderstanding," Courtney said while still staring at Owen with daggers, I wouldn't want to be in his place right now. Lindsay breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well... I guess we'll leave them to figure this out as a team," Cody said speaking again.
He walked away from the clearing in silence, I followed him closely letting the Grips sort out their affairs, dodge a big one there, I have to be more careful in choosing where to speak on this show.
"Thank you for standing up for me, you almost put yourself in harm's way for me," I told the geek.
"Hey, you were being unfairly accused, I wasn't going to leave my friend alone in something like that... Sorry to listen too, it was by accident," he apologized.
"Okay, apparently I didn't choose the most private place for a conversation," I sighed.
"... I'm so sorry about you and Trent."
I grimaced, "yes... Maybe we weren't made for each other, stupid summer loves."
"Hahahahahaha, yes... They're stupid, aren't they?" he said.
"... Did Cody have trouble with a summer crush too? Maybe I shouldn't dig in. At least I still have good friends here.
-0-
POV. Third person.
The Killer Grips were sitting in the awards gallery of the Gilded Chris. Everyone had just voted.
"The votes have been counted, if they get a Gilded Chris, they're safe... for now," chef arrived with a dress jacket over his normal clothes, "What happened to your dress?" the host sneered, chef made a gesture of I'm watching you, so he decided to move on, "And the Gilded Chris is for...
...
...
...
...
... Lindsay," he said, throwing the first one.
"Yes!" said the blonde happily.
"Harold... Justin... Courtney... they're also safe," the presenter told them throwing their prizes, "Owen, Trent, there's only one Gilded Chris left," the presenter said, both boys looked at each other doubtfully.
Confessional.
Trent
"After that conversation with Courtney, I wouldn't be surprised if I get kicked out."
Owen
"Courtney was scolding me for hours, and I think she's still angry."
End of confessional.
"And the last golden Chris is for...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Owen!"
"Yes!" said the boy triumphantly.
"Step aside so I can give the prize to Trent," the host sadistically concluded.
"Oh... bummer."
"Trent, you're safe... for now," Chris said as he tossed the prize to the stunned boy, "Owen I'm sorry, but your time in the competition is over, please leave the facility."
"Well, it was fun while it lasted, but I guess my film career is over," the big guy said ruefully.
"Goodbye Owen, you're still great," Harold told him.
"We're going to miss you," Lindsay told him.
"Thank you folks," with that one of the favorites of the show walked up to the lame-o-sine and got into it, the limo dragged its back end on the floor releasing sparks all the way.
"Well that's it, you can leave now," Chris said dispatching the rest.
Trent walked up to Courtney, "hey Courts, thanks for not kicking my ass off the island," he thanked her.
But Courtney still looked upset, "I only did it because it was partly Owen's fault, but now that you're still here, you better pay for your mistakes," she narrowed her eyes, "and no more attempts at sabotage," she warned.
"Sure, I promise," he said with one hand raised and the other on his heart.
"Also... From now on you are relieved of your position as captain, I give the orders and you will support them, I do not intend to continue losing, you hear me," he warned.
"Uh... Yes, of course," he said now more uncertain.
"Perfect, now let's go to sleep, I'm exhausted."
Unbeknownst to them, someone was spying on them, today was the day of eavesdropping.
Confessional.
Justin
"Damn! Because of Cody we lost the opportunity to get an advantage over the other team, and because of Courtney I lost one of the people who would do everything I told them without hesitation! And now she's also going to be the one to make the decisions in the team? This is not going to stay like this, I'm going to have my moment of glory and no one is going to stop me, they may have won this round, but the next one will be all mine... Did I say it right? I don't know anything about boxing," he said doubtfully.
End of confessional.
-0-
Chris is standing in the clearing of the rest area, "and just like that, the Grips lost another one of their members, this is looking like Total Drama Island now hahahaha, will Justin be able to get what he wants? What will things be like between Gwen and Trent now that they're done? How will Courtney fare as the new leader of the team? Find out next time here, in TOTAL... DRAMA... ACTION!"