Not So Happy Campers
POV. Cody
I was in the living room of my parents' house, waiting for them to come pick me up. They had already left for work and fared their goodbyes to me, I still couldn't believe it, it was pretty unreal. Yesterday I went out to look for camping equipment, something I didn't do last time, and no one else neither, now that I think about it, even if the brochure promised a luxury hotel, I can't believe no one actually prepared for a camping trip, but I guess that it was Chris' idea, to take people who weren't prepared in the slightest.
I didn't look for anything fancy, just a waterproof notebook, a flashlight, some binoculars (and not for the reason you think), rope, fishing rod, a multi-tool, a camping lighter, first aid kit, a small camera, which was waterproof as well, and a new set of clothing that consisted of a lumberjack shirt, landscaping shoes, expedition pants and a vest, both with plenty of pockets.
What? Last time I was attacked by a bear, so I decided to dress like its natural enemy, don't judge me.
Speaking of Chris, I hadn't forgotten all the nonsense he put us through, so I decided to prepare some surprises for our dear host, nothing too scandalous, but it would give him more than a little scare.
After a few minutes, the taxi that would take me to the port showed up, I got in and it was a pretty smooth ride. I wasn't very nervous, probably because I wasn't the same person as before, and there was also the fact that I knew the competitors better than they knew themselves. We arrived at the port, and I got on the luxurious yacht that was waiting there. It's funny how much Chris invested in his luxury hotel scam, after all, he got a yacht for each contestant, and yet he couldn't get better cabins or bug-free bathrooms.
After a couple of hours, the island was already visible in sight, and the closer we got, the more anxious I became.
We finally arrived at the dock and when I saw them, my heart almost stopped.
Except for Eva, Owen, Courtney, Justin and Izzy, everyone was there.
Some bitter like Heather and Duncan, others completely lost like Harold and Zeke and then the enthusiastic ones like Beth, Lindsay, Katie and Sadie. They all looked so full of life and energy, ready to take on the world or kick it in the nuts.
Not everyone was happy, yes, but even the anger of puberty was better than the sad contrast of tiredness and exhaustion that everyone had the last time I saw them.
My vision blurred, I was crying, that emptiness that had been with me for so long finally felt full, Owen was right, this was worth going through hell for.
I wiped away my tears before reaching the dock and tried to maintain my composure. Chris was already standing there waiting for me to come down, I couldn't help but smile, time for a little revenge.
"Cody, the Code-ster, the Codemeister!" Chris and I did the same greeting as the first time, however, when we high-fived this time...
*Zap* "Ouch!", Chris held his hand which had received a shock, the others seemed surprised, "What the hell was that?", asked the injured and somewhat grumpy presenter.
I just played dumb, "Wow, this thing really works, now I don't have to worry about bears," I said as I showed that, in my hand, I had a zap button.
Many tried to hold back their laughter, "hahahahahahaha." Others like Duncan and Gwen didn't even bother.
"Whatever, buddy," Chris said annoyed, "Go with the others, and try not to fall over the edge of the dock," I think he didn't like my joke that much.
"Excited to be here," I approached the others and like last time Bridgette, Lindsay and LeShawna were the first campers I saw. Watching the episode on TV, I really said a lot of nonsense when I met them. I wasn't the best when it came to girls, I'm not ashamed to admit it now, I acted a little pathetic back then, but it's different now.
I honestly didn't know how to feel, I tried not to think about it for my own sanity, but technically I was 6 years older than everyone here and they are dear friends of mine. But I was in my teenage body in the middle of puberty, with raging hormones and they were still quite beautiful women. So... I'll just… Go with the flow and don't think about it so much? I took a look at the camp first. Oh dirty and dangerous death trap, future radioactive waste dump, I missed you too... if only a little, "I guess it's true what they say, you can't trust advertising."
Surprisingly Bridgette and Lindsay responded to my comment.
"Yeah, the truth can be pretty disappointing," Bridgette said as she looked a little melancholy at the waveless water, sorry Bridge.
"I know right!" Said the other dumber but cuter blonde.
"Well… at least the good views the brochure promised were certainly worth it," I said this time looking at the three girls and trying to be subtle, but suggestive.
Bridgette and Lindsay looked away a little blushing but happy, while LeShawna smiled.
"Wow, good move, short stuff, try not to bite off more than you can chew," the Big Sister told me.
"Hehehe, I'll keep that in mind," I high-fived her as she walked by, this time without the zap button.
I took my place near Harold, how I missed you friend.
"Good joke with the tap button, I have to remember that for a comedic setting," said my nerdy friend.
"Thank you."
Duncan looked at me suspiciously, "Hey, why are your eyes red?"
Shit! If he finds out that I was crying, he will get the wrong idea and it will be the end for me. Quick! think of an excuse, "Ah... I... I was smoking some… weed on the yacht?" Was that the best I could think of?!
Duncan and Harold's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wow, really? I didn't take you for one of those," Harold said, not scared, just surprised.
"And you did it while you were coming to a reality show? Ha, you're crazy, dude," the punk told me with a little respect, "Hey, do you still have some left?"
I didn't expect that to actually work, nor did I expect Duncan's question, although I shouldn't be surprised, he probably already tried some.
My relationship with Duncan was never the best, but after he ended up in prison, I accompanied Owen on one of his visits, and to my surprise he actually regretted how things had ended between us. We told him what happened at the trial, and he understood how we felt. After all, neither Courtney nor Gwen came to visit him once. So it was simply impossible for me to hold my grudge against him.
I couldn't respond as a heavy thud was heard on the dock, we all looked in silence, Eva had arrived.
"Eva, Nice, I'm glad you could make it," she walked past him, ignoring him. Credit where it was due. Nothing fazes Chris Mclean as long as he can be the center of attention.
Just like last time Eva stood next to me and dropped her bag, but this time I dodged it in time. A loud crash was heard when it fell to the dock, which cracked a little, "What's in there? Dumbbells?"
"Yes," she replied, raising her unibrow a little, a little surprised that I had avoided her bag.
"She's all yours man." Duncan told the strong DJ.
Oh Duncan, you underestimate Eva too much… and you overestimate DJ too much.
"WOO HOO! Chris! What is happening!? Hehehehe this is awesome, YOO HOO!" Owen was still the same as always, I couldn't help but smile.
"Owen, welcome!".
Owen hugged Chris and I'm sure I heard a crack there. "Awesome to be here man, yeah, this is so...ah...".
"Awesome?" Gwen and I said at the same time, she looked at me strangely, I for my part just shrugged my shoulders.
"Yes, awesome, YOO HOO! Are you going to be on my team?"
"Oh, I sure hope so," she said sarcastically.
"WOO HOO!".
"You about finished?".
Owen snapped at the grumpy host, "Sorry dude, I'm just so…psyched."
"Cool, and here comes Courtney."
Courtney, I don't know what to think of her, She was one of the people responsible for our future separation, but like with Duncan, I can't blame her for everything that's happened, seeing her now so optimistic and ready to compete, even her dubious kindness towards the others when saying hello was better than the defeated Courtney of the future, filled of regrets.
On the day of trial, despite not wanting to get close to Gwen, she did approach me and apologized for the way she treated me during the island finale and World Tour, so, again, I couldn't stay angry, not anymore. We weren't teenagers any longer.
Her relationship with Duncan was doomed from the beginning, they are opposing forces after all. Courtney, even from season one, already was a control freak, and within her team, Duncan, represented an uncontrollable force, more than loving him for what he was, she took the challenge of trying to correct and subdue that uncontrollable man, as shown at the beginning of World Tour. It was the same for Duncan, Courtney had the presence of an authority figure, for him there was nothing more gratifying than seeing that manic and wild side that she usually kept hidden get unleashed. But the moment they stopped being themselves, interest waned, they separated and returned to the game. It was a terrifying vicious cycle.
And when Duncan and Gwen betrayed her, she felt like she'd lost the fight, both with her new friend and her boyfriend, and Courtney isn't good at dealing with cheating. I don't know if I can do anything for Duncan, the man is stubborn as a mule, but I'm going to try to keep Courtney from being consumed by the more psychopathic side of her.
Chris helped her down to the dock and she thanked him. He approached us to say hello, this time I was next to Owen when he extended his hand. The fact that we made peace with each other doesn't mean that she couldn't have a little lesson.
"Hi! You must be the other contestants. It's really nice to meet you all."
"How's it going? I'm Owen."
"I'm Cody," we shook her arms vigorously, this time because there were two of us, Courtney became quite agitated and even left her hair disheveled. To her credit, she still maintained her composure.
"Nice to meet you Cody, O...wow," she said delightedly.
Ladies and gentlemen, Justin has arrived, all the women and Owen were amazed to see him, I felt a little sorry for him, despite being attractive to the eye, when you really know him there is not much to highlight, and when you all live together On days with someone like that, appearance takes a backseat.
I looked at Owen, this part always makes me laugh.
"This is Justin, welcome to Total Drama Island," He didn't fist bump him this time, it seems like someone is being cautious.
"Thanks Chris, this is great."
"Just so you know, we picked you based entirely on your looks."
"I can deal with that," just wait until season two my friend.
Owen approached him, "I like your pants..."
"Thanks, man."
"Because they look so worn out, hahahaha. Did you buy them like that?"
"Uh...No… just had them for a while."
"Oh…cool." Owen proceeded to slap his forehead, "Stupid."
"Hey everyone, it's Izzy".
Izzy, the person who could give me the answers I'm looking for, at one point I asked myself if there was a way to bring Brainzilla in a little sooner. But she only changed when a plane literally fell on top of her, so I dismissed any ideas. Anyway, it's not a priority right now, for now I'll do her a favor by keeping her from hitting the dock with her chin.
"Hi Chris, hi, hi-".
I interrupted her at that moment, "Be careful when you go down."
It seems that she heard me because when she tripped over the end of the yacht, this time instead of landing on her head, she did so with her hands and began to pirouette... directly towards us, oh no.
We all moved out of the way in time...except Tyler, "Ouch!", and Heather.
"Hehehehe, I call that an entrance," Chris commented, amused by the situation.
"Are they okay?" LeShawna asked.
"Ex…treme," a defeated Tyler gave a thumbs up.
"Get off me crazy girl," said a grumpy Heather.
As for Izzy, "That was so... Amazing! Well except for the landing, this dock is too lumpy," she said as she jumped around everyone.
"That wasn't the dock," Noah commented nonchalantly as he looked at Tyler's slumped form.
Izzy stopped her jumps right in front of me and looked at me with her crazy eyes, "you warned me before I fell, can you imagine if I had fallen with my head, it probably would have split open like a watermelon, it happened to a family member hahahaha" I definitely don't want to imagine it, "thank you very much, noble mountaineer," he said while ruffling my hair.
"Eh... you're welcome," I decided not to correct her, it would probably be a recurring nickname from now on.
"Ok, that's everyone, now let's take the group photos for the promos, everyone go to the edge of the dock."
Oh yes, the dock trap, I could warn you about this, but it's best not to draw so much attention at the beginning of the show and there are many who already have an eye on me after my prank on Chris. I guess I'll just let him win this time, I didn't mind getting wet anyway.
Like last time, we all struck a pose, and Chris started to linger with the camera, "Ok, now it's ready, everyone say Wawanakwa."
" Wawanakwa".
*Crack, crack*
" Ahhhhhh!" then the dock collapsed, throwing us into the water.
*Flash*
"Hahahaha, good one, it stays. Alright campers, dry off and I'll see you at the campfire in ten."
-0-
After getting out of the water and drying off, we all gathered at the campfire area, "this is Camp Wawanakwa, your home for the next eight weeks, the campers sitting around you will be your cabin mates, your competition, and maybe even your friends, you dig?", oh yes, because you care so much about friendship, "the camper who manages to stay on Total Drama Island the longest without getting voted off will win a hundred thousand dollars."
"Excuse me, what will the sleeping arrangements be? Because I'd like to request a bunk under her," Duncan said pointing to Heather.
"They're not co-ed, are they?" she asked irritably.
"No, the girls get one side of the cabin and dudes get the other."
"Excuse me Kyle, can I have a cabin with a lake view because I'm the prettiest?"
I surreptitiously glanced at the remarkable cleavage of Lindsay who was sitting to my right. Points for trying dear, unfortunately Chris only has eyes for himself.
"Ok, you are, but that's not really how it works here, and it's Chris," the host said, annoyed that he couldn't remember his name.
"I have to live with Sadie or I'll die", false.
"And I'll break out with hives, it's true", no, it's not true.
"This cannot be happening," Gwen said tiredly.
"Oh come on guys, it'll be fun," Owen said as he grabbed Tyler and Gwen by the neck in a big hug worthy of… well him, "it's like a big sleepover."
"At least you don't have to sleep next to him," Tyler told Gwen, pointing at Duncan, who was giving a deer a noogie.
"This is the deal, we will divide you into two teams, if I call your name out go stand over there," he proceeded to name the same people as last time. When he said my name I went to join the rest of my team, "Justin and... Noah. From this moment on you are officially known as...", he threw us the banner with our logo, "The Screaming Gophers!"
"Yes! I'm a gopher. Woo hoo!" Owen said excitedly.
I looked at the banner with our team logo and smiled, "and so it begins."
"Did you say something?" Trent asked me.
"I'm just excited," I replied easily.
"Wait, what about Sadie?" Katie asked worriedly.
"The rest of you, over here," Chris continued, naming everyone on the other team, "and…Harold, move, move."
"But Katie is a Gopher, I have to be a Gopher."
"Sadie, is it? Come on, it'll be okay." Courtney comforted her.
"This is so unfair, I miss you Katie."
"I miss you too."
"You will be officially known as...", he handed Harold the red banner, "The Killer Bass!"
"Awesome it's like... amazing" the nerd said.
"Alright campers, you and your team will be on camera in all public areas during this competition. You'll also be able to share your innermost thoughts, whenever you wish, in these," Chris pointed to the confessional outhouse, "Here you will be able to express how feel, talk to the public, or just get something off your chest, hehehe I expect a lot from the latter, nothing like the problems to increase the rankings", some of us proceeded to make our first confessions.
Confessional.
Gwen
She was sitting there not knowing how to start, "Ah... Okay... So far… This stinks." She spoke looking at the camera
Cody
"What can I say? So far, I am eager for the competition to begin, I will surely surprise more than one." He said without giving any details.
Lindsay
She was standing on her back, giving the audience a good close-up of her butt, "I don't get it, where's the camera guy?"
?
The camera showed a duck, which was caught putting lipstick on.
Owen
He looked very serious as he looked at the camera, "Hey everyone, Check this out, I have something very important to say...", then he farted, "Hahahahahaha.
End of confessional.
"All right, any questions? Cool, let's find your cabins."
We arrived at the cabins and after Chris proceeded to explain where each team would stay, some of us went inside to leave our things.
This time I entered directly next to the boys, "Do you mind if I take the top bunk?" I asked Trent, who was coming to the same bunk.
"Not at all, man. You seem to be prepared for all this camping stuff," he said, referring to my clothes and the backpack with everything I brought.
"Heh, actually it's the opposite, I'm not an outdoorsy person so I wanted to be prepared," I said scratching my head, a little embarrassed, I actually brought more than expected.
"Yeah, because zap buttons are definitely a bears' weakness, it probably won't take long for you to become the King of the Jungle, tiger," Noah commented sarcastically.
I didn't let it get to me, after all, he's just like that, "I don't know about that, but Owen here could probably become the King of the Bears."
"Could I?" he asked excitedly, not getting the joke. We all laugh at this.
"Communal bathrooms? But I'm not Catholic."
Hearing Lindsay's voice we all looked out the door.
"Not communion, communal."
"It means we shower together, idiot."
I couldn't help but imagine it for a moment, I hope I don't get a nosebleed, damn teenage hormones.
Lindsay complained about this, "I'm glad we're in our own cabin with just guys, you know what I mean," Owen said without being aware of his words, the three of us looked at him strangely, Owen finally realized what he said, "I mean no, I didn't mean it like that, I love chicks hahaha, I just don't want to sleep near them... Ugh no, I mean...", better stop Owen, you're not helping yourself.
I decided to go out instead of staying inside, "Sorry Chris, is there a chaperone here?" Geoff asked the host.
"No, you're all sixteen years old, as old as a counselor in training at a regular summer camp. So other than myself, you'll be unsupervised," There have never been more wrong words to say to a group of teenagers, that's just a recipe for disaster. if adult movies about summer camp are any indication, but I imagine that was Chris' intentions. "You've got a half an hour to unpack and meet me back at the main lodge starting now."
"Nice!".
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" We all heard the loud scream coming from the girls' side of the Gopher hut, so we rushed to see what it was about.
"Man, that white girl can scream."
"What is it? Kill it, kill it!" Lindsay shouted from the top of a stool, because there was a cockroach in the room.
"AAAHHH!" This time it was DJ who screamed and then he jumped onto one of the beds, *Crack* which collapsed under his weight.
"And that was my bed," Gwen said resignedly.
The cockroach moved around the room, some tried to step on it, others escaped to high places. Then she stopped right in front of me, she was the only one who hadn't gotten upset, and when she saw her, time seemed to freeze. He seemed so… insignificant, he had survived so many absurd things Chris had put us through. Like everyone, and yet seeing them scared by a small insect, it was very unreal, it made me aware of the situation I was in, and it was a harsh contrast in what is now and what would be the end. In one quick movement, I caught the insect in my hand and before everyone's surprised gaze, I took it out the window, "that's it, it's gone," I told them, still a little lost in my thoughts.
"Dude..." Gwen said, a little surprised, I guess she didn't see it coming.
Confessional.
Harold
"Wow, man, I need him to teach me how to catch bugs like that, it would be a good addition to my skills," the nerd said admiringly doing karate chops.
End of confessional.
A slap on the back courtesy of LeShawna snapped me out of my reverie, "Short stuff, I'm getting a better impression of you, I'm glad we're on the same team," he said with his big arm around my scrawny neck.
"Yeah...thank you I guess," Heather said trying to sound indifferent, I love you too man.
At that moment Duncan arrived with an axe, "What, it's over? Agh the hell, I wanted to cut something in half," he said maliciously, looking askance at Harold, who slowly left the room.
"Nice way to kill a bug," Gwen said, looking at the axe.
Tyler approached Lindsay, "If you see another one just let me know, okay? I can do that too," you could see something click in his eyes. It's funny how things haven't changed much here despite my intervention, but it's not like I know how time travel works.
"Hm, sorry buddy, they always prefer jocks," Duncan told me mockingly, it seems our exchange on the dock made the criminal like me. I just shrugged, those two were always made for each other
-0-
"Listen up! I serve it three times a day and you will eat it three times a day, grab your tray, get your food and sit your butts NOW!"
Chef, oh big, tough, scary militaristic cook, I never thought I'd say this, but I also miss hearing your grumpy voice.
Everyone moved forward in line making comments about the food, or simply complaining, this didn't please Chef at all, who proceeded to scare them all in ways only he knew how. I sat with my team, staring at the red slime between two loaves of bread. In another life I only picked at my food at lunchtime in this contest, but in this…
"Dude, don't tell me you're seriously going to try it," Trent said, guessing what he was going to do.
I took my red slime and took a bite, "Yuck!" Some felt disgusted.
"How does it taste?" Gwen asked me with morbid curiosity.
"Bad, but it's edible... I think", was the truth, to this day I don't know what the hell the chef was feeding us. In terms of flavor it was the worst possible, but it gave us enough energy. After all, Chris' challenges were pretty beastly. Many tried his food, some could endure it, but others handed their plates to Owen.
"Oh yeah, more food."
I saw one of the Bass' slime drag along the floor, marking Chris's entrance into the dining room.
"Welcome to the main lodge." the presenter said as he entered.
"Yo, my man, can we order a pizza?" Geoff asked, and Chef threw a kitchen knife at him that went over his head and crashed into the doorway next to Chris's head, "wow, it's cool, the red slop is cool, right guys?", we all nodded at the angry chef.
"Your first challenge begins…in an hour," Chris said, unfazed by nearly being decapitated, then left the dining room.
"What do you think they'll make us do?" Katie asked DJ.
"It's our first challenge, how hard can it be?", oh my friend, you have no idea.
-0-
Everyone was looking at the bottom of the slope where we were standing in our swimsuits.
"Oh shit," was all DJ could say.
Confessional.
Gwen
"I didn't sign up for this."
End of confessional.
While the others were looking worriedly at the cliff, I was standing a little further back... looking at Heather's butt in a swimsuit. She may have been a complete bitch this season, but hey, she was still a bitch with a stunning figure and the others weren't far behind.
"Wow, dude…", Shit! Noah catches me looking.
"Eh… I…".
"What happened to you?"
"Eh?".
All the other campers looked at me with varying degrees of concern and/or shock, I didn't understand what was happening. Justin seemed to notice, because he offered me his mirror. I used it to see myself and he surprised me with what I saw. Scars, they were the scars that I had left after that bear mauled me, the ones on my face were not noticeable much after my recovery. But most of the ones that were in my body never went away, even when I became an adult. They were only noticeable when I was shirtless, just like now. But it didn't make any sense, this was my body from before the attack, I shouldn't have any scars. This reaffirmed two things for me: one, this was definitely not a dream and two, I really, really, didn't understand time travel.
I responded to Noah before an awkward silence formed, "Oh, um, yeah... I was attacked by a bear once, when I went camping," technically, it wasn't a lie and bear attacks weren't that rare in Canada.
"Amazing~" Owen said, fascinated, Trent nudged him with his elbow, "uh... I mean I'm so sorry."
Courtney being the considerate CIT that she was back then, approached me, invading my personal space without realizing it, and ran her hand over one of the longest scars on my chest, my entire body stiffened due to her touch, Her hands were too soft!
"It must have been a terrible attack if it left scars like this," he said as he stepped away.
I regained my composure a little, "yes, but I was able to recover completely and got an incredible story to tell," I said optimistically.
"Dude, that's so rad," Tyler said, giving me a high five. I didn't notice Heather looking at me out of the corner of her eye.
"Yes, very interesting and all, but there are more important things to attend to, like me and the challenge," Chris said, annoyed. Everyone was so busy looking at my scars, that we didn't notice when he got to the cliff. He must have been very upset not to be the center of attention, ha, "Well, his first challenge is threefold, your first task will be to jump from this one-thousand-foot-high cliff into the lake."
"Piece of cake", oh no you too Bridgette.
"If you look down, you will see two target areas, the wider area represents the part of the lake that we have stocked with psychotic man-eating sharks hahahaha", at that moment a shark jumped out of the water biting the air. After being eaten by a shark in Hawaii, you'd think I'd care as much as bears. But on that occasion Sierra was honestly much more terrifying, "inside that zone is a safe zone, that's your target area, which we're pretty sure is shark-free", many had their doubts.
"Excuse me?" LeShawna said.
Confessional.
LeShawna
"Sharks, is this a joke? It's just the first challenge, what the hell awaits us next? Killing a dragon?" The Big Sister ranted.
Cody
He was making measurements with his hands, "I don't think that cliff is actually one thousand feet," he said, looking at the camera.
End of confessional.
"For each member of your team that jumps and actually survives," wow, way to motivate Chris, "there will be a crate of supplies waiting below. Inside each crate are supplies that you will need for the second part of the challenge... building a hot tub. The team with the best one gets a wicked hot tub party tonight, the losers will be sending someone home. Let's see... Killer Bass! You're up first."
"Oh wow, so who wants to go first?" Bridgette asked her team, no one responded or offered.
"Hehehahaha, don't sweat it guys, I've always heard these shows always make the interns do the stunts first to make sure it's survivable." you're right Owen, too bad whether they survive or not is irrelevant to Chris when it comes to planning a challenge.
After Duncan told Bridgette "ladies first," she jumped, officially starting the challenge. Everything was the same as last time, everyone except DJ jumped. Then it was Courtney's turn.
"Excuse me Chris, I have a medical condition."
"What condition?".
"A condition that prevents me from jumping off cliffs."
"Acrophobia?" I asked her.
"What? No, that's the fear of heights and I'm not afraid of anything," she said.
"Sure, and a condition that specifically prevents you from jumping one thousand feet sounds a lot more believable," Noah commented, the others tried not to laugh, and Courtney growled a little at both of us. I don't regret it in the least.
"You can chicken out if you want, but it might end up costing your team the win... and then they'll hate you," Chris said, excited at the prospect, rather than actually supporting Courtney.
"It's a calculated risk, I already saw the other team and I don't think nine of them will jump," she said, looking at us arrogantly. I don't know if it was true or not, but saying it to our faces wasn't one of your brightest ideas.
"Ok, here's your chicken hat. So, let's tally up the results... hold on, that's eight jumpers and two chickens, we're missing one" I look at BFFs Katie and Sadie who were holding hands.
"I'm not jumping without Katie."
"We have to be on the same team Chris."
"Please, please, please," they both said in his face.
"I'll switch places with her," Izzy told him.
"Alright, fine." Chris relented angrily, "You're both on the Killer Bass now, Izzy you're on the Screaming Gophers," she shrugged and came with us.
"That means you're up, girls!"
"Here we come Killer Bass!" They both launched together. I wonder if Katie hadn't been expelled. How far would those two have gone? But then I remember how irritating they were to everyone and I'd rather not open that can of worms.
"Ok, so that's nine jumpers and two chickens. Screaming Gophers, if you can beat that we'll throw in a pull cart to put your crates on."
"Nice, okay guys, who's up first?" Trent asked.
No one responded at first, "I'm sorry, there's no way I'm doing this." Heather finally said. Oh yes, this was one of the things she planned to avoid at all costs, this first argument between Heather and LeShawna was what got them each on the other's bad side.
"Why not?" Beth asked.
"Hello! National TV, I'll get my hair wet," it's a little funny to hear her worry about that, knowing everything she was always willing to do to win.
"You're kidding, right?" Gwen asked.
"If she's not doing it, I'm not doing it." Lindsay said, imitating her.
LeShawna prepared for a fight, ok, time to intervene, "And what's wrong with that? In magazines the sexiest models always have wet hair," don't ask me how I know.
"Really?" Lindsay asked excitedly, bless your naivety.
To my surprise, Trent seemed to realize what my intention was, "yes man, you know the ones that appear on the covers, with beautiful swimsuits posing by the sea," wow, who would have thought it, I had no idea that he also knew those magazines. Anything you want to tell us, dude?
Lindsay was considering it, but Heather didn't seem impressed. Time to get serious, "You know, you don't have to do this if you're scared," I said.
She became indignant at this, "What!? I'm not scared!"
"It's okay if you're scared, I get scared all the time too, it's not that bad, there's probably something else you can do later," I pretended to think about it, "on the other hand, as the competition continues, it's just going to get harder from here", I didn't say it directly, but the implication was quite clear, if you don't help you will be the one who goes home.
"I'm. Not. Scared," she punctuated each word as she moved her face closer and closer to mine. I just stood there with a small understanding smile, trying not to back away and not think about how close she was.
Confessional.
Heather
"Who does that nerd think he is!? He'll see."
End of confessional.
She approached the edge and despite her previous words, she seemed a little worried, but the anger at being underestimated was much worse for her. Heather is an extremely proud person, she won't care if you insult her or hate her. But something she will never let happen is that someone tries to trample on her ego. Either feeling sorry for her or challenging her. And for a geek to do it, of all people, was just adding salt to the wound.
Finally she jumped, thus being the first Gopher jumper, just like the first time, only this time, it was of her own free will, "Phew, it wasn't that difficult."
"Dude, that was the sneakiest trick I've seen in a long time..." LeShawna told me, "good job, I was ready to throw her flat ass off the cliff."
"Well, I just thought it would be bad if we started fighting among ourselves, especially if there's still another team to beat."
She and Gwen seemed to consider my words, "You're right, this isn't the time to fight, I'm going to try to keep that to a minimum, here I go!", with that she launched herself off the cliff.
One by one they all jumped, it was funny how scared they all looked as they fell. This time I stayed back longer, there was someone else I needed to help.
"No… I can't do it, I'm too scared," Beth said, Chris pulled out a chicken hat.
"Wait Chris, Beth, I want to give you some advice," Beth was much more capable than we all thought, she just needed a little push.
"Some advice?".
"Yes, don't think about it, just run, jump, close your eyes and think that below is what you want most."
"Like a pool of chocolate?" Owen said excitedly, Trent slapped his forehead and shook his head.
"What I love most, like a mud puddle next to my friend Big Bertha!?"
"Uh… yeah… sure?".
She gulped and looked at the cliff, "okay, I'll do it."
Confessional.
Beth
"After someone bothered to try to help me, I couldn't just back away, even if I was still very scared."
End of confessional.
"Aww, really? And I bothered to bring so many hats with me," said the disappointed presenter.
"Shut up Chris!" Beth ran to the cliff, jumped, and immediately tried to imagine herself in her happy place, "mud puddle, mud puddle, mud puddle."
*Splash*
He landed in the safe zone, "I... I did it, I really did it!" Our team applauded her from up and down the cliff.
"Okay guys, I'll see you on the other side," I told the guys.
"Good luck bro." Trent replied.
I ran out and jumped without thinking twice, "Cannonball!", the explosion was impressive.
Confessional.
Gwen
"He's pretty brave for a nerd."
End of confessional.
"Thank you," Beth told me, still in the water when I fell.
"It was nothing."
We got into the boat that sailed to the shore. While Trent and Noah jumped, I slipped away from the rest, and approached the wooded part of the shoreline, waiting for what was coming. I think Tyler saw me, but he didn't say anything.
" Alright campers, only one left, let's see if the Gophers can achieve a perfect victory... No pressure buddy," Chris said with his megaphone to Owen, "well, there's pressure, good luck."
Confessional.
Owen
"The thing is... I'm not that strong of a swimmer, so I decided to follow the advice my buddy Cody gave and imagine a... big... huge... chocolate fountain," Owen started drooling, "ah... What was I talking about? ".
Geoff
"I was looking at this guy and thinking... there's no way he's gonna make it, dude."
Gwen
"I actually thought... if he jumps... he's going to die."
End of confessional.
Everyone waited expectantly to know what Owen was going to do. But before we anticipated he was already running towards the cliff. It seems my advice worked for him too. I took the waterproof camera out of my pocket and took a photo of him as he fell.
"AAAAAHHHHH!", which was very fast.
*BOOM* *SPLASH*
Then a mini tsunami formed that swept over everyone on the coast, I held on tightly to a tree. Luckily the water only reached my waist and was not that strong. The others were not as lucky. They ended up scattered everywhere, I even saw the shark that reached the top of a tree. Take photos of everything of course.
"Yes, yes, yes, yes! Who's the man?!"
"Woo hoo!".
"And with a landslide victory by Owen, the Gophers win the first part of the challenge!" We were all happy about that.
"Uh...I think I lost my bathing suit," Owen said.
And we got upset about it.
-0-
After getting Owen some clothes and singing 99 bottles of rum on the wall, we arrived at camp and there was no sign of the bass.
"Okay campers, as the first to arrive, you can start unpacking your materials", wait for it... "with your teeth and without using your hands" there it is.
"Are you kidding me?" Gwen asked irritably.
"Hehehe, do you like it? I thought of it," Chris mocked.
Confessional.
Gwen
"Argh, I hate him."
End of confessional.
They all proceeded to try to open their boxes with their teeth, and after some struggling we managed to do it. This time Heather didn't come over to talk to LeShawna, from what I saw. It seems like he actually changed events quite a bit by interfering.
We were emptying boxes and sorting materials when the Bass finally showed up. Courtney's eye looked terrible.
"Hey, aren't you missing a couple of white girls?" LeShawna pointed out.
They looked around, "They're getting a drink," Courtney said.
"Yeah, if they drink with their butts," Harold said as he and Zeke laughed.
Then LeShawna looked scared at Courtney's eye, "Oh! What happened to your eye, girl?" she asked.
She covered it up, "Nothing, it's just an allergy."
"I think it's getting worse," Zeke pointed out.
"Shut it, we don't want them to know that."
When Geoff climbed up on the boxes to motivate his team I decided to stop paying attention to the Bass for the moment. We all divided the work and quickly began to assemble the jacuzzi, after a few hours both teams had finished. But the difference in quality was more than notable.
Chris came over to evaluate our Jacuzzi, "This... is an awesome hot tub.", we all celebrated for this. Owen appeared in the water, I wonder when he got in there.
Next, Chris approached the Bass hot tub, which had a seagull with plastic rings on its neck. Chris touched the side with his finger and it splashed water on him, then proceeded to collapse. The seagull came floating towards us, I picked it up and cut the plastic off its neck, it squawked and flew away. I don't know how to explain it, but I felt like someone, somewhere in the world, was grateful that I did it.
"Well, I think we have a winner here... The Screaming Gophers!", we all celebrated our victory.
"Killer Bass, what can I say? Stinks to be you right now. I'll see your sorry butts at the bonfire tonight."
"We won! We get to stay here for another three days!" Lindsay, Beth and Heather cheered.
Owen then walked out of the hot tub naked, "Woo hoo! We get to stay, we get to stay, we're so awesome, we won the contest~" he sang as he hugged Heather and Lindsay. I know this scene was censored when the episode came out, but I'm still surprised they didn't cut it. Plus, seeing it in person was much worse. I took a quick photo though, because Heather's face was priceless.
The bass were retreating so I approached Courtney, "Hey Courts, catch it," she saw what I threw at her, it was an anti-allergy paste.
"What's the trick?" she asked me suspiciously, I had forgotten how paranoid I was back then.
"The trick is that life is more enjoyable when you can see it clearly."
"Pff," she tried not to laugh at my bad joke, but she was barely holding on, she decided to continue talking instead, "How do I know you're not trying to sabotage us?" she asked, but she looked much more relaxed and mocking now.
"Sabotage you... how?", total silence, "the challenge is over, I lost my chance a while ago," I told him while shrugging my shoulders. She rolled her eye, "I have another one of those, you can use it or throw it away, either way, I'll see you in a bit," with that I walked away, I could have sworn I heard her grunt and I laughed inside. But I also heard her whisper a small "thank you."
"Why did you do that?" On my way to the cabin I ran into Heather, who apparently saw my entire exchange with Courtney. It would be dangerous for her to realize that I'm a threat, so I decided to trick her, acting like the silly, mischievous geek she thought I was.
"I just thought if I helped her, maybe she'd thank me with something like a kiss or maybe a date, she's pretty cute when she has two eyes."
She rolled her eyes at me, "eh... a little out of your league dude, plus she's on the other team," it seems to work, "just try not to be too nice, you seem pretty skilled, it would be a shame if we voted for you so soon", wow I wasn't expecting a compliment from her actually.
I continued with the charade, "well if I start being too nice, you can always come and scold me," I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively.
"Oh, I sure will! Don't think I'll forget your little trick, back on the cliff," she warned me with narrowed eyes.
I just put my hands up in surrender, I would have been genuinely worried, but there was no real fire in her words, she just wanted to throw me off.
She walked past me and went to her side of the cabin without saying anything else, I headed towards the main living room.
-0-
We were all in the dining room trying to digest the chef's food or just handing it to Owen. Meanwhile, the Bass were trying to decide who to eliminate, everyone was really depressed and Courtney, whose eye now looked much more normal, kept antagonizing everyone, but then Zeke did the stupidest thing he could have done during his short time in this camp, talk.
"I don't understand why we lost, eh, they're the ones with six girls," many gasps were heard at the table, Noah and I didn't get closer to the scene.
Bridgette and Eva stood on Ezekiel's sides, "What's that supposed to mean?" Bridgette asked angrily.
"Yeah, homeschool, enlighten us," Eva hit the table.
"Well, boys are stronger and better at sports than girls are." Harold and Noah took several steps back.
"Oh snap, he did not just say that," Geoff said.
"My dad told me to look out for the girls and help them in case they can't keep up."
Eva then grabbed him by the neck and suspended him in the air, "Still think we need your help keeping up?"
"Ugh, not really."
Before Geoff intervened, I spoke, "calm down Eva, you can't really blame him for this-", before I finished speaking an iron hand held me in the air next to Ezekiel.
"You have three seconds to say your last words," I growl to myself, I swear I have never been, nor will I ever be as scared as I am right now, I could see the entrance to the underworld through Eva's eyes. Some of my team showed concern about what she might do to me.
But Zeke is my friend, and I wasn't going to leave him alone here. I tried to speak as quickly as possible, "You heard him, his father taught him all this, he's never known the outside world, this is probably the first time he's interacted with other people, hell it's probably the first time he's met girls, "He doesn't even know if what they told him is true, plus they just told him with a misguided notion of kindness," Zeke just nodded, "so... let him go with a big, big warning?", Bridgette, Katie and Sadie, seemed to see the point in my words, but Eva looked just as angry, afraid I would just make her lash out.
Then she simply threw us to the floor, "you're lucky, homeschool, don't let it happen again."
We collapsed relieved he was gone, "thanks buddy" Zeke told me.
I had a hard time standing up, "no problem, but you have to learn to socialize, I'm serious," I warned him. He nodded his head.
I slumped in my chair and slammed my face into the table, "dude, I can't believe you seriously confronted Eva, you made all the scrawny people in the world who can't lift a weight proud," Noah told me mockingly.
Confessional.
Noah
"The truth is, I had already given him up for dead, his chances of returning alive were almost zero," he said as he turned a page of the book he was reading.
Cody
"It's not Zeke's fault that what he was taught is so... ah... outdated, after all he has nothing to compare with."
Chris
"Damn! I really thought she was going to kill him. It would have been a good drama and a pretty brutal first outing, but hey, I guess we'll have to do it the boring way... and now I owe the chef 10 dollars," he complained.
Chef Hatchet
"Hehehe, the easiest money of my life, ugh, why can't I get the remains of breakfast out of this pot?" He is seen struggling and fighting with whatever is at the bottom.
End of confessional.
"I don't know if you're too bold, too stupid, or if you were just born with no sense of self-preservation, but I'm willing to bet on all three, and in case you didn't know, this is a scolding," Heather told me, smiling.
"Hmm...".
-0-
"To the Screaming Gophers," I toasted in the jacuzzi just as I did the previous time.
"The Screaming Gophers!"
Relaxing in a jacuzzi after a day like today was the best, sadly I didn't stay long, I went out and put on a t-shirt.
"Where are you going?" asked Gwen, who was the only one who noticed that I was leaving the party.
"I have a morbid curiosity to know what will happen at the bonfire. Do you want to come?" I asked her.
She thought about it for a moment, "Nah, pass, tell me how it was and make sure they don't catch you," she told me with a smile, I think this time I managed to start on the right foot with respect to her.
I nodded to her and left, I reached the campfire and hid in some bushes. Chris had begun handing out the marshmallows, "First marshmallow goes to... Geoff... Tyler... Katie... Bridgette... DJ... Harold."
"Yes."
"Sadie".
"Oh yes, thank you, thank you, thank you."
"Duncan... ...campers, this is the last marshmallow of the night…," everyone was tense, Chris prolonged the silence as long as possible. I really hate when he did that. He aimed at Courtney, then Zeke, then Courts, Zeke and so on, creating tension. Those two were biting their nails with anxiety, "…Courtney."
She smiled in relief.
"That's what I would say if you were safe. It's a tie!"
"What!?".
What?
"Yeah, I was surprised too, I thought Ezekiel would be kicked off the island because of his sexist comments, but that wasn't the case. You two managed to split your team in the vote. Someone out there must be looking out for you buddy."
Ezekiel seemed surprised, I guess he expected everyone to hate him, after what he said.
"Alright, time for a dramatic tiebreaker, oh~ Chef~," the chef arrived with a covered tray and a sinister smile. I remove the lid and inside there was a black paste that moved, I swear my stomach clenched a little, "these are the breakfast leftovers that chef was scraping from the bottom of the pot," Tyler covered his mouth so as not to vomit, "This is how it works, both will eat a portion of leftovers, and whoever finishes their plate first can stay to fight one more day, the other will take the losers' boat and never come back!" Chris finished dramatically.
Shit, I'm sorry Zeke, but you can't beat Courtney in an eating contest, the girl has an iron stomach.
"This is nothing eh, back home I eat things that look worse than that."
"Begin!".
They both stuck their spoons in and started eating, they could only take small handfuls because the mixture was very hard and they had to scrape it out of their bowl, from the side, their teammates cheered them both on. They were already halfway through when out of nowhere…
"Ugh, Blaugh!" Zeke vomited on the floor.
"Ugh, disgusting, but I'm sorry dude, if you can't keep it down then you haven't eaten it, the winner is Courtney!" She raised her arms with a look of nausea, holding back the urge to vomit, "Ezekiel, you're going home.".
Zeke stood up and started walking towards the dock with his face drooping. For a moment I feared that everything would stay the same.
"Hey buddy Zeke," he turned to see that Geoff had spoken to him, "if you ever want to learn how to socialize come to one of my parties, I'll introduce you to my friends."
Both Zeke and I were surprised, "if there's something you don't understand, you can ask Katie and I, we know everything about trends and what's hot."
"Awww you are so right Sadie."
"You played well, homeschool, don't forget that," Duncan told him.
"And don't forget that girls are as strong or even stronger than boys," Eva warned him.
And so little by little all the Bass said goodbye to their eliminated companion. Ezekiel smiled at this.
"Really? Come on, where's the drama, the hate? People pay to see violence, not nice goodbyes," someone threw Zeke's bowl at the host. "Ouch! No, my pretty face!" Aaaahhhhhh!" Chris ran off somewhere.
"Thanks guys, make sure the Bass are the ones who win in the end," with that said, Zeke walked down the dock and onto the boat, satisfied instead of sad.
Confessional.
Ezekiel
"I was the first to get kicked out eh, but at least it was because I was defeated and not because my entire team hated me, the outside world is pretty tough. But I'm dying to learn more, I owe it to a friend after all."
End of confessional.
After the boat with Zeke disappeared into the distance, I walked back to the hot tub party. A tie, my actions almost got Courtney eliminated, now I know I can have a lot of influence on things, for better or worse. I must be very careful with that. But even so, a tie, does that mean someone didn't vote?
"Who didn't vote?".
Confessional.
Bridgette
We see an upset Bridgette with her arms crossed, "I'm upset about what Ezekiel said about girls," after a few seconds she let out a sigh, "but it's true, it's not to blame for how he was raised, even so, I'm upset. I'm going to leave my vote blank, since Courtney, despite being a little grumpy, still does a lot for the team. Besides, one less vote shouldn't be that important... Right?"
End of confessional.
Well I don't think that's important right now. I arrived with my equipment and everyone looked at me expectantly as I got back into the jacuzzi. It looks like Gwen told them where I went.
"Well?" Heather asked me.
I sank further into the hot tub before answering, "It ended in a tie, Courtney and Ezekiel, she won the tiebreaker, Ezekiel has officially left the island."
"Damn a draw in the first elimination, that's brutal," Trent commented.
Noah seemed to be thinking about something, "If there was a tie, does that mean someone didn't vote?"
"I don't know, dude," I replied.
At that moment the Bass passed by on their way back to their cabin, however, Courtney stopped.
"Ah... Why is she threatening that cameraman?" Owen asked.
Izzy's head came out of the water near mine, giving me a scare, "maybe she went crazy, hahahaha," look who's talking.
"Maybe she's just making a statement in front of the public," Gwen commented.
I remember how cool it looked on TV, but from behind it was kind of funny. Also, from here you had an excellent view of Courtney's slender butt, those pants that she always wore made it stand out quite a bit, something that was not shown on the cameras. Heather smacked me upside the head when she realized where she was looking, I just laughed. There was a lot to do and a lot to come… but it felt great to be back.
-0-
POV. Third person.
Chris, his face free of scraps, stood on the dock of shame, "And so concludes the first challenge, and the first episode, What crazy things do I have in mind for our competitors? Who will be the next to go home? "What dark secrets are these campers hiding? What was that that the chef took out of his kitchen? The answers to these and many more unknowns in the next episode of TOTAL... DRAMA... ISLAND!"