When Ezekiel woke up the next morning, he felt rejuvenated, despite dried blood still laying underneath his nose. The previous day had not been… successful, to say the least. After spending all day trying to find Cody, the only thing Zeke left with was a bloody nose. Still, he'd at least found Cody.

When he rolled out of bed, Trent was already awake. "Slept in late today, huh? I get it, I'm sure yesterday wasn't easy. How's the nose?" he asked. As Ezekiel's eyes widened, he noticed that the sun had long since risen.

"It's doing better, thanks. Do you think there's a challenge today?" Zeke asked.

Trent thought for a moment before answering. "Yeah probably. But I think the bigger question is if he's gonna show up." Ezekiel knew he was talking about Cody immediately, and he had the same question. After hiding in the woods for the last day and a half, the only time anybody had seen him was when Ezekiel dragged him out. And that only made Cody want to be shut away even more. With the way he was speaking yesterday, he wouldn't put it past Cody to purposefully not show up to the challenge just to get eliminated.

"Attention campers!" Chris' voice rang out from the speaker. "Meet me by the cabins for your next challenge!" Ezekiel and Trent exchanged looks before the two walked out.

"Can't wait for the next awful challenge," Trent complained. "This place is just getting more and more unbearable."

Zeke glanced at the musician and shrugged. Sure, he agreed that the place was awful. But at least Trent's friends didn't hate him.

As the campers gathered around, one person was noticeably missing. "Yo, where's the Codemeister?" the host asked. The campers looked around at each other, wondering if anybody had any news. Nobody did, not even Ezekiel, who hadn't seen him since he ran off after yesterday's confrontation.

"I think…" Heather began, pointing her finger, "the geek's somewhere in the woods over there". Though all were confused as to how she knew that, Chris moved past it and yelled for Chef Hatchet to join them.

"We seem to have a bit of an issue with one of our campers. We don't want him missing out on all the fun, so if you could go fetch him, Chef?" Chef nodded dutifully, before sprinting into the woods. After a few minutes of waiting, he returned with the teenager under his arm. When Chef set him down, Cody's appearance frightened everybody.

The day before, he had been covered in ant bites, but today that was just the tip of the iceberg. His tear stains were gone, not from not crying, but from being unable to cry. His eyes were a gross mixture of baggy, puffy, and red. He stunk as if he hadn't taken a shower in days, which he hadn't. The ant bites were less noticeable, but the new cuts from the woods weren't subtle.

Cody knew they were all staring at him and was able to croak out, "I cut myself trying to light a fire with sticks. Turns out I'm not great at it." He chuckled lightly at his last comment, trying to lighten the mood. However, people were either too angry or too afraid to dare laugh.

When Chris began explaining their challenge for the day, Ezekiel barely listened. He got the gist of it: go in the woods, survive the night, return. But he didn't pay attention all too well. His focus was squarely on Cody, who had noticeably distanced himself from the homeschooled kid, rather standing by Lindsay and Beth. Even though Zeke stared at him throughout Chris' explanation, Cody didn't once look at his friend.

"Cody!" His head popped up from staring at the ground as his name was called by the host. "Since you seem so adept at living in the woods now, here's a compass and map." Chris handed him the two items before turning to their rival team. Once everybody had their items, Chris let them set off. Cody began to trail behind quickly, before they had even reached the trees. And Ezekiel saw his chance.

"Yo, Cody," he whispered. Cody looked up from the ground he was constantly staring at and gazed at his friend.

"Dude, I told you to stop talking to me. Please. My game's over, just play yours."

"It doesn't have to be! Look!" Ezekiel excitedly said, flashing the tape recorder. When Zeke looked at his friend, he could see a spark of hope flash in his eyes before it just as quickly faded away.

"Look. Thank you, Zeke. I know you're trying hard to help me, and I really do appreciate that. But I know Heather. And she's going to find some way of refuting your evidence. She'll interrupt, or break it. I don't know exactly what she'll do, but she can stop you. So, just forget about it."

"Why are you giving up so easily?" Ezekiel asked, anger growing in his eyes. "You've still got a chance to keep going, eh! I know they hate you now but that won't last. You've just got to try!"

Cody began to argue but was immediately silenced by Heather, who had seen the two falling behind the group. "Would you two, please stop flirting and get back to the group? And I swear Cody, if I see you throwing today's challenge, I'll make your life a living hell outside of the game." She snatched the compass and map from Cody's hands and took charge. Although they didn't agree with her harshness, the others of the team shook their heads at the two for slowing them down. Sharing a glance, Ezekiel and Cody caught up to the group, splitting apart from each other.

The team found their designated trail and began to walk through it. Cody's thoughts returned to what Ezekiel had said, that he shouldn't give up. He took a deep breath and walked up to Gwen to try to sort out the situation himself.

"Hey, Gwen?" he asked uncomfortably. "Can I talk to you for a second?" No response. "I promise I didn't write that. Swear on my life. I don't know why Heather-"

"Would you shut it?" Gwen snarled. Cody looked at her fearfully but decided to keep pushing.

"Listen, I get why you're angry, but I just want to sort everything-"

"I said, shut it!" she seethed, grabbing the collar of his shirt. "I don't care that you're sorry. I don't care that Heather helped. I don't care that 'you know why I'm angry'. I just want you to stop talking to me! Please!" She took a breath and Cody looked down at the ground. When the two peered at the trail ahead of them, they found that not only were their teammates gone, but the trail split in two.

"You have got to be kidding me." Gwen angrily stared at Cody. "Thanks, jackass." She started down one of the paths, with Cody following her from a distance.

With the rest of the Screaming Gophers, Ezekiel found himself in a conversation with Lindsay and Beth. It was an unlikely trio, but Lindsay had heard Beth and Ezekiel talking about life on the farm and had a few questions. "So you guys just have cute little piggies in your homes?" she asked, both weirded out and jealous at the same time.

"No?"

"Yeah!"

Ezekiel and Beth looked at each other weirdly. "You let the pigs in your house?" Ezekiel asked.

"You don't? Big Bertha's my best friend, how could I not let her see my room?!"

"I guess, Lindsay, it depends on the person," he said, before leaning in closer. "But please, if you ever do get a pig? Don't let it in your house, eh." Lindsay giggled as Heather caught wind of their conversation.

"Lindsay, Beth. Come over here, now." The two looked at each other but obeyed and joined her up near the front. Heather turned around and glared at Ezekiel, who happily glared back.

Soon, the team made it to their camping site and began to drop whatever they had brought. As they did that, Leshawna noticed something. "Am I trippin', or are Gwen and Short Stuff not here?" Everybody suddenly looked up to try and find the duo, but to no avail. They had finally noticed their missing team members.

"Uh uh, no way Shorty's trying something again." Leshawna shook her head. Murmuring spread through the team, but all Ezekiel could do was worry.

Cody and Gwen found themselves aimlessly walking in the woods, in complete silence. Cody didn't dare say anything, worrying that she might snap and leave him completely alone. That was until he spotted something.

"Hey, Gwen?"

"Shut up."

"Isn't that the tree you had to take a leak at earlier?" he asked. Gwen turned around to see that he was right and that they had begun to walk in a circle.

"Ugh! This sucks! Everything about this sucks! Could anything be worse right now?" she yelled into the night sky.

"Oh Gwen, you definitely should not have said that." Cody meekly replied. Gwen once again glared at him until rain began to pour down.

"...Let's just go," she said, beginning to walk off the trail. They continued in a straight direction until finding a cave.

"Finally, some shelter," Gwen said, exasperated. The two began to run towards the cave. Once inside, Gwen took off her boots to pour out the water that had been collecting. Cody ran his hands through his hair to get water out of it. He sat down on the ground, as did Gwen. The two sat in silence for what seemed like hours. The tension was palpable, as neither dared look in the other's direction.

Eventually, Cody grew bored enough to hum, trying to alleviate the silence. Gwen's initial reaction was to clench her fists and hold back the urge to punch him to shut up. But when she recognized the tune, her curiosity peaked.

"Is… is that 'Thrash Against Industrialization?'" she asked.

Cody was shocked to hear her voice, but responded. "Uh, yeah, it is. I know they're kinda old school."

"Huh? What do you mean 'old school'? They just reunited." Cody's eyes widened after his slip-up. She's right, they weren't old to her. But to him? It had been years since he had even heard the song he was humming. Why it came to him he had no idea.

Another beat of silence. "You a fan?" Cody asked her. She raised her eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, have been for a while." More silence.

"...Since when?"

Ezekiel and the rest of the Screaming Gophers had finally set up their camp and were now in need of food. Owen volunteered to gather it for them. Ezekiel, however, was already nervous about two of his teammates going missing.

"Hey, why doesn't someone join you, eh? Don't want any more people going missing," he suggested.

"Oh, what, you don't want more people dying like your boyfriend?" Heather sneered.

"You know what, why don't you join Owen, Heather? Maybe his farts can lure in the animals while your face kills them instantly." Leshawna said with a grin. Heather blanched but had no time to protest because Owen excitedly grabbed her arm and dragged her off into the wilderness.

Once she was gone, Leshawna took a deep breath and said, "Now that's some weight off our shoulders! Both our food and Heather problems are fixed!"

Ezekiel laughed, before remembering what Cody said earlier. With Heather not here to refute anything, Zeke took his opportunity. "Hey, everybody? I've got something to show you. Or, I guess have you listen to." His teammates look at him quizzically. He stuffed his hand into his hoodie pocket and retrieved his tape recorder, gifted to him by the one he was trying to exonerate.

"Cody's next to go because of what they think he did. If people believe what I wrote is true, Gwen's after him." Ezekiel pressed a button and skipped ahead. "Just accept defeat and let Cody take the fall for me. 'Kay?" As Ezekiel looked around, he saw his teammates' mouths wide open. Cody and Ezekiel had been telling the truth. Cody was innocent.

By the time Heather and Owen returned, Ezekiel had explained everything. When she and Owen appeared out of the bushes, all eyes were on them. The two were both confused. Owen thought people were just that hungry and were waiting to collect the fish they had caught. Heather, on the other hand, didn't have a clue what the looks were for. Sure, she had never been the most popular contestant, and the recent reading of Gwen's "diary" certainly didn't help. But this was much worse than normal.

However, as she laid her eyes on the homeschooled teen, things became much clearer. His eyes weren't of hatred or rage, but rather smugness. Heather was ready to defend herself. "Oh, Ezekiel forced me to say things because he's in on it with Cody., Ezekiel took those out of context!" she thought. Heather's plan C, and personal favorite was, "He's homeschooled, he doesn't even know anything, plus he's ugly."

But no one said anything. After a few moments of rageful staring, Owen offered food. And just like that, it was as if a switch had been flipped. No more anger. Heather wanted to say something but bit her tongue. If she said anything, it would be an admission of guilt that she wasn't quite one hundred percent sure she was known for yet. Sure, things seemed off, but if she said something, the ruse would be up instantly.

Ezekiel wanted to laugh at how uncomfortable Heather looked. Before she had arrived, Zeke told everybody to not say anything about it to her, as much as they wanted to. Not only did he not want to give her the opportunity to deny anything, but he wanted to make sure both Cody and Gwen were there when it happened. Assuming they were still alive.

Heather was so suspicious over everything that she didn't allow Owen to tell a story. Although tensions were high, both with Heather and the fear of the outdoors, the Screaming Gophers would sleep peacefully that night. Under the comfort of their tent, they could hear the raindrops falling above them.

The next morning, Ezekiel took his place as the team alarm clock, getting them up as soon as the sun rose. Most of them looked like they'd rather die than run through the forest, but Ezekiel and a surprisingly passionate Heather forced them to. As they made it to the tree line, they spotted only Chris, who was pleasantly surprised to see a team arrive so soon.

"Congrats on making it back first, Gophers. I'd congratulate you guys on a clean win, but you seem to be missing two members."

The team looked around nervously, both due to the possibility of losing the challenge and the possibility that the two weren't ever going to make it back.

"Harold, I swear if you say 'GOSH' one more time, I'm going to wring your neck!" The Screaming Gophers heard their rivals through the trees. It wasn't looking good for them.

"Hurry it up Cody, we're not going to make it there if you keep slowing down!" The team's face lit up as they saw their two teammates leave the woods, just in front of the Bass. In the end, although they were passed by some of the more athletic of the Killer Bass, Gwen and Cody were still able to make it first.

The Gophers cheered for their victory but were silenced when they witnessed their two formerly missing teammates high-fiving.

"What the hell happened last night?" Leshawna asked the two, as they looked at each other and shrugged.

"Things aren't entirely forgiven, but-" Gwen started.

"I wouldn't be so fast to finish that sentence there, eh," Ezekiel said, taking a step forward. Heather eyed him warily, as Gwen looked confused. Reaching into his pocket, Zeke pulled out the tape recorder. Heather's eyes bulged, as she scrambled to think of something. But as Ezekiel pressed play, she knew there was no stopping it now.

Gwen's eyes grew continuously wider as the tape went on. When it was over, she could only stare at Cody. "I'm- I'm so sorry, Cody."

Cody, just as shocked that Ezekiel decided to play it then, put his hand on his neck. "Don't worry about it. I would have done the same thing if I thought you had done that. You were tricked."

Gwen nearly felt tears welling up in her eyes before her guilt was replaced by overwhelming hatred. "You," she said, eyeing down Heather, who for the first time on the island, looked at a loss for words. Gwen stomped forward until her face was mere inches from Heather's. "I am going to make your life a living hell for what you've done." With that, Gwen left for the washrooms to take a shower.

Disappointed by the lack of fights, the Gophers went off to prepare for the tuck shop, as Chris had earlier promised. The Bass, disappointed with their performance, decided to meet as a group in the dining hall. All that was left were Cody, Ezekiel, and Heather.

Heather took a step forward and raised her finger, seconds away from releasing a tirade on Ezekiel before Cody stopped her. "Heather, do you really think that it's in your best interest to create more issues between you and your teammates? If you want any chance of staying on the island, I'd recommend you lay low and not worsen your relationships." Heather looked angrier than she ever had been but restrained herself and merely hissed at Zeke as she walked away.

"What? Come on Cody, surely you want to lay into her, eh?" Ezekiel asked his friend. "After all you went through?"

Cody looked at Zeke, before turning to look at Heather's retreating figure. "After all I went through, Zeke? I'm just happy to be accepted." Although visibly disappointed, Ezekiel understood and bid his friend adieu so he could wash up from a night in the woods.

Despite the offer of sweets from the tuck shop, Cody decided to just tell Ezekiel what he wanted and took a long-awaited nap in his bed. Although not as long as he wanted it to be, the nap served its purpose and fueled Cody with long-lost energy.

Later that night, Cody watched from his cabin as the Killer Bass entered the fire pit with nine, and ended the night with eight. It seemed as though Katie was on her way to being reunited with her best friend. Cody turned from the window as Ezekiel lay asleep. The team had returned sometime as Cody was sleeping.

Trent was on his bunk, tuning his guitar as silently as he could. "Hey, Trent?" Cody asked as the musician looked up to see the guy he had once hated more than anyone else here. "Are we cool now?"

"Of course, man. Sorry for everything you went through." Cody smiled as Trent suddenly changed his tune. "But if you do ever actually do that? You will be off this island before you could blink. Got it?" Cody nodded, both out of confusion and fear. Trent nodded back, before setting his guitar down and rolling into bed. Confused about his encounter, Cody decided to finally get a good night's rest after three days. He laid down in his bed and set his head down on the pillow he had so dearly missed, and was out in seconds.

A/N: I hope Gwen's turn around wasn't too quick. I didn't want her to hate Cody for too long, since she becomes one of his better friends. Keeping them at odds for so long wouldn't do any good.

More set up for Cody vs. Heather, but Gwen and Heather's iconic rivalry really shows itself here.

I didn't want Cody to feel too much hate towards Heather, despite what she did. Heather is going to be kind of… weird in this story, as you'll come to find out. I have an idea for how she'll turn out, I just have to get her there, and having Cody despise her for this and lash out just wouldn't do anything for either of their plots.

And lastly, set up for what Trent will be like. Spoiler alert, unless you read the original story, Trent does not end up very nice. Sorry, but that's how I want it to be. Up until this point, Trent has had his moments where he snaps at people, but here he finally shows that he can be rude. Get ready for my Trent, folks. It's a bumpy ride.