Very nearly approaching asphyxiation, or perhaps death, in Cody's mind, he jerked around in his infirmary cot even more, trembling and shaking up a storm. Mercutio, looming over him and blocking his mouth and both nostrils with one hand, pressed harder, forcing the cot to snap and crash Cody to the floor.
The geek toppled over and gasped for breath, rasping and writhing. "What the f-" He coughed hard, hacking up his lungs.
"Do you wonder why you weren't present in tonight's elimination round, Cody?" Mercutio asked, as calmly as though the two were having a visit on a park bench together, feeding pigeons. Cody couldn't answer, as he instead spent all his time restoring breath to himself. "It had nothing to do with your health, nor the theatrics of the elimination round. It's because I don't wish to let you, as they say, off the hook quite that easily, yes? Vy zasluzhili osobove otnoshenive."
With Cody watching him in complete shock, his eyes wider than two planets, Mercutio stepped away, his loafers making the same tapping sound they made as he entered the infirmary-the very same tapping sound that would now stain Cody's mind with fear. The host straightened his suit's wrist cuffs, and muttered, "Fix your cot and get some sleep."
"Londyn," whispered Fish. "Londyn, you awake?"
In the middle of the night, Fish loomed over Londyn's cot within the infirmary. A few cots away, Cody was fast asleep. The face-tattooed girl let out a groan of involuntary wakefulness, leaning up in her cot to face him.
"Fish?"
There was a mischievous, almost eager look about him, his eyes locked onto her, a grin trying to bud and spread across his face.
"So, you are awake. Good."
"What's goi-"
Fish shushed her, pressing a finger from his lips to hers. "Quiet now, baby. Quiet... Say, how do you feel about messing around in here?"
"Messing around? In here?"
"That's what I said, isn't it?"
Londyn glanced over to see Cody resting in his shoddily repaired cot, now standing up with the help of a shelf underneath it, leaning it higher than the rest of the cot in one corner. "But Cody's right there. We can't do that."
"Haven't you ever done anything risky in your OnlyFans videos?"
"Well... to tell you the truth, I go the Amouranth route and mostly do lewds, not very much nude stuff-only ever for those creepy old men who are willing to spend their entire life savings on me. I did the math, and I'm actually pretty well set through 'til my late forties at the rate I'm going. Amouranth knows what the hell she's doing."
Fish set his hands down on both sides of Londyn, looming closer. "We're not worried about her or your forties right now. We're worried about what you're doing right now."
"I think only I'm actually worried about what I'm doing right now."
"Londyn, Londyn, hey," he urged. "Listen; you can't deny that you want me. I see the way you stare at me. You're practically my third leg. Aside from my other third leg," he mentioned with a wink.
She faced away from him. "Well, I do kinda want you... but Bowie says I need to leave you behind me. He says you're a fuckboy."
"Why would you care about anything that poser says?" Fish argued. "I'm the one who matters. Don't listen to him. Listen to me." He placed a hand under her chin, gently prompting her into giving him eye contact again. "I'll take care of you. I can give you everything you want, Londyn. No more wishy-washy. No more cold feet."
"N-no more?" she echoed.
"I will fully give myself over to you. I'll stop pulling away right when you're starting to get into it, and we'll be official. Isn't that what you want?"
Mixed emotions on her face, she whimpered, "Yes."
He kissed her a few times, then whispered, "Then let me have what I want."
A few more kisses later, and Londyn began to kiss back, finally responding with her hands on his face, "Okay."
Before long, Fish and Londyn's kissing began to become more intimate, less friendly for families of all ages. Not long later, Cody sleepily blinked open his eyes at the sound of rustling, and muted moaning. He glanced aside to see Fish and Londyn going all the way, right there on Londyn's cot not ten feet away. Cody shifted and pulled over the thin blanket provided to him, muttering, "Ah, come on, really?"
"Ow, ow, easy," Londyn peeped.
Confessional - Fish
"Fuck taking unnecessary extra steps. OnlyFans shoot here, kissing there- today's challenge has me amped. There wasn't anything on this earth that was gonna stop me from having Londyn then and there-not even Londyn."
Rome's POV
"Am I the only one who thinks the new host is weird?"
My dashing girlfriend, Kali, was the one who asked this question. It was another evening following the news that Total Drama was renewed for a sixth season, complete with a new everything. After hanging out in Vancouver together not long ago, we were back to spending our time at Zoey's house, which was mine, Kali, Masi, and Shay's base for our duration of time in Canada.
Us four, Mike, and of course, Zoey were hanging out in Zoey's room. I liked the scenery around her place. It was very calm, one of many houses in a small town of suburbia outside Vancouver. This was the kind of place you see in movies with multiple houses to a block, cul-de-sacs, and quaint plots of grass in front of each property. The kind of grass you'd see middle-aged men in jean shorts mowing as they turn and wave politely to their neighbor, chirping, "Mornin', Phil!" But with more of a Canadian jingle to it, I'd wager.
Zoey's room was on the second floor, and she had a great, big, rectangular window overlooking the peaceful set of houses across the street. The window was so big that it reminded me of the aquarium glass five-year-olds love to press their hands and faces against. Thankfully for Zoey, she had curtains; I'd hate it without some curtains.
"He's a character, sure," Shay peeped.
"He definitely had some unsettling quirks," Kali added.
Zoey had a big room. She had posters of the band Arcade Fire on her walls, plus a framed picture of herself and her father on a dresser, not to mention a sewing machine setup on one side of her room. Her walls were a not-so-jarring shade of red. I don't mean that sarcastically; they really weren't all that jarring. I sat leaned against the front of Zoey's bed with Kali at my side and Masi beside her. Zoey sat on her bed behind us with Mike while Shay sat in a comfortable, plush-like chair nearby.
"So, congrats Mike and Shay for beating those goofy Canadian guys in the ski race," I threw in, just remembering it.
"Nothing like a little friendly competition with complete strangers," Shay responded.
"We're not all just gonna ignore the fact that Mercutio happens to be acquainted with a trained serial killer, right?" Mike asked.
"Bro, that was the creepiest fucking shit!" Masi remarked.
"I liked the part in that episode when Tracy said he smelled like day-old piss and Marlboro's," Kali added, then some of us, myself included, laughed.
"Man, it feels so good not having to compete anymore," Zoey chimed in, hugging a pillow tight in her criss-cross applesauce position.
"I'll never be able to apologize enough times for how difficult I made your last season," Mike murmured.
"Oh, Mike." She reeled him in for a hug. "We've worked this out. You don't have to keep beating yourself forever."
"We're just happy you're you again, man," I added.
Smiling as he embraced his loving girlfriend, he replied, "You and me both, Rome. Thanks again for being there for Zoey."
I pawed my hand through the air. "Ah, it was nothing."
Then Kali hugged me from beside me. "That's just the kind of person he is."
As I started to pet her hair, Masi stood from the other side of her. "Hey, hey, come on, kids, let's cut this gushy shit, eh? Eh? Ain't that what you Canadians say? Hey, I'm not tired yet. We ought to do something, Zoey, if your dad won't beat us for being up later."
"I hope my dad wouldn't beat anybody..." she whispered.
I glanced outside Zoey's huge window, noticing just how dark it was outside. It must have nearly been midnight by this point. The mention of doing something seemed to have suddenly sparked something in Zoey's brain, as I could see her brown eyes light up suddenly. She tipped Mike's drooped head up by his chin, smiling at him.
"I've got something that'll make you feel better, something that never failed to make you smile when you were with me."
Then he smiled. "Are you gonna show them the-"
"Shh! Don't let them know what it is," she scolded him playfully. "Follow me, guys. And, could someone turn off the TV, please? I don't know where the remote went."
"I got it," I replied. I grabbed the remote and eyed the television screen for a moment. For just a quick bout of time, I was distracted by helicopter footage of an earthquake raging in some city here in Canada, as well as some reporter commenting on it.
After turning the TV off, I fell in line with my girlfriend and three friends as we followed Zoey out of her room. In the center of her hallway upstairs, carpeted with a very nice purple carpet all the way to the other couple of rooms and a staircase leading downstairs, I noticed a hatch on the ceiling as soon as Zoey reached for it. After tugging a hatch, she swiftly moved aside as a ladder came down, leading us up into her attic-an attic that I didn't realize she had.
"I wish my place was as cool as yours, Zoey," Shay mentioned.
Her attic wasn't much to speak about, however what she was actually leading us to was the real treasure.
There was another hatch at one side of the ceiling in the attic leading up to her shingled roof, and as I climbed another ladder up there, what I saw in the sky sure was stunning.
Zoey must have been blessed; the place that she and her father lived was in just the right neighborhood to avoid the majority of light pollution that you get in other places. Up above, it was like the constellations of space were so close that you could reach out and grab them. Especially if you're Mike. His stringy, spider-like arms still freak me out sometimes.
The shades of blue and purple with tiny golden specks of galaxies and stars were mind boggling. The sheer gorgeousness of the cosmos above was staggering, and made you feel just like Zoey's house was in the center of the universe. We sat with a childlike wonder that I couldn't even remember feeling since I was that young.
"It's so pretty," Kali murmured.
"I'm into it," Masi added.
"This is the part where Cam would yell, 'Astronomical'," Mike mentioned.
Zoey giggled. "That's not all. Look."
As if that wasn't enough, the town that Zoey lived in was on an elevated stretch of land not too terribly far from Vancouver. Somehow, Zoey's dad had also picked the house that just happened to have a scintillating view of nighttime Vancouver all the way down a decline that spanned for miles in the direction of the city. I could see trees and buildings all lit up in shades of yellow and purple down there; I could feel the city urging me to come explore it once more. The only unfortunate part was that the lighting down there made the constellations above near impossible to make out in that direction.
"Honestly, Zoey, I might have to move in with you," Kali joked.
Zoey chuckled. "I wouldn't mind it. It gets lonely here by myself sometimes. I mean, there's my dad, but he's... well, he's my dad. It's not the same as friends." Now, Zoey cracked a big smile. "I'm so glad I met you guys."
Mike opened his mouth to respond, but halted at the sound of my phone ringing.
"Let me just-" With the others somewhat interested, I pulled my phone out of my pocket.
"Is it your mom again?" Kali asked.
"Probably, she sai- huh, that's weird..."
She came a little closer, eyeing the unrecognized number appearing onscreen. "Hang on, wasn't that the same number that called you back on the slopes?"
"Looks like it."
"Ignore it," Masi urged. "Probably scammers."
"How can he ignore it when my curiosity is so highly piqued?" Shay squeaked.
I shrugged, realizing within myself that I felt the same way as my pastel-gothic friend. "All right." I answered, unsure what to expect, then murmured, "He-"
"Rome? Tell me that's you!"
My heart skipped a beat. The others could see it on my face, as I saw all of them staring at me, mystified.
"What?" Mike wondered.
"Chris?" I uttered, baffled.
Zoey's jaw gaped. "What?"
"No way," Kali added.
"Rome! Dude! Thank god you answered! I don't have long to talk, but you have to find Chef! He's holed up somewhere in Vancouver and he's gonna help you guys exact Operation GCO! GCO! Remember that! The new host of Total Drama is evil! He's an evil scumbag and he-"
"Slow the fuck down, man, all right, what the hell are you talking about? He's evil?"
"What is he saying?" Mike fretted, and I waved a hand to silence him. Hopefully he pardoned my rudeness, but this was uncanny. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I didn't think I'd ever hear Chris McLean's voice again, let alone saying the unbelievable assortment of words that he was forming.
"Rome, dude, please, you don't understand! You have to do this for me! I know you, dude! You help people! It's what you do, what you've done, and what you're gonna keep doing! I've never needed help more in my life than right now!"
"Rome," Kali urged.
"The whole cast that monster's compiled needs your help! Believe me, please! If you thought Axel or Mal were bad then you don't know who that damn Russian is! Find Chef, tell him GCO! GCO! He'll know what it means!" Then I heard Chris' shouting to someone else around him. "Hey, I'm on the phone! No, I've still got time left! No! No! Don't take me back! Rome, please, you have to do-"
Then the line cut out. As I lowered the phone, aided by Kali as my blood ran cold, I felt a ringing in my ears and a thudding in my chest. I was left in overwhelming shock.
"Rome, what on earth was that all about?" Shay urged.
"Was that Chris?" Mike questioned. "Did he say Mal's name?"
"Please, tell us."
Finally returning to the planet, I stammered with everyone's attention glued to me, "I-I-I- I-I-I-I think- it was Chris."
"It wasn't some kind of voice replicator bullshit?" Masi suggested.
"No, that was Chris, and not only that, that was Chris more freaked out than I've ever heard him before. He must've been calling from jail." I met eyes with Kali. "Maybe that's why I couldn't hear him before- the mountain service."
"And why it took him this long to call again," she added.
"Right. He basically said... Jesus... He said the new host of Total Drama is evil. He said that we need to find Chef and tell him 'GCO', that he'd know what that means."
"Where the hell is Chef?"
"And can we even believe this?" Zoey argued. "I mean, Chris has been known to mess with our heads."
"This was no joke... that tone... the desperation in his voice... this has to be real."
Silence filled the air.
"Oh, my god..." Mike uttered.
"To answer your question, babe, he said Chef was in Vancouver somewhere."
"Vancouver's a big city," Shay reminded us. "Finding him is gonna be like finding a needle in a haystack."
"Hang on," Masi intervened. "Guys, come on. Aren't we getting carried away? I'd really like more concrete proof of this situation if we're gonna go on a fucking hero's quest for fuck's sake."
"I don't," Mike stated. "Rome, after all the horrible, horrible things that I've done-"
"That Mal did, baby," Zoey protested.
"Doesn't matter. I can't sit by if the contestants are in danger. I have wrongs to right. I believe that, so I'm in, no questions asked."
"Are you sure, Mike?" I asked.
He only nodded.
"I am, too," Kali affirmed. "What kind of people would we be if we didn't do anything? Assuming this is real."
"I really think it is. Has anyone else been following the clips the show gives of Cody every so often? He doesn't trust Mercutio, and after Noah got stabbed and Mercutio didn't immediately eliminate Stephen... that's..."
"I forgot about that," Masi murmured. "It is incredibly fishy. More so than a salmon flopping around on the deck..."
"Guys," I met eyes with everyone individually, seriousness pervading my tone. "I don't think this is a vacation anymore. I think we have to find Chef. I think this might be bigger than anything we've ever dealt with, and I think we have people that need our help, and... we could well be the only ones who can help them."
Viewer's POV
- Episode 9: Quake -
"Previously on Total Drama Million Dollar Academy!" Jayshawn bellowed. "Ay, I'm tryna do my best impression of a dude screaming down into a cave. Too bad there ain't no echo out here on this campus, 'cept it kinda bounced off the walls a lil' bit-"
"Could we get on with this?" urged the unnamed cameraman. "Once I clock out, I get to go print off my check."
"Ay! Ay, fuck you, man! I will get there right the fuck when I feel like it! Jesus H, dawg. Mercutio's got some dumbass apes on his crew, lemme tell ya. In the last episode," he grumbled, "Shit was tense between Jill and Athena all episode long. That's that boring shit. Jill had barely any time to spend with her new boyfriend, Iko, and when she broke up with him at the end of the episode, he was crushed. Personally, I don't see why he'd give a fuck; if y'all datin' for a single day and then it goes down the shitter, what did you really lose? Mothafuckas, why do I need to school y'all on some kindergarten shit? Anyway, Mercutio assigned us new teams based on our zodiac signs. Cody fucked my team's chances up real good, giving us a hot air balloon in a challenge that needs planes. Of course, we took an L for it, then my team had to compete in an elimination round.
"In that elimination round, I noticed Queen and Holden gunnin' for Jill, so I decided I'd hop on that opportunity, you know?" he murmured, rubbing his palms together. "After all, it don't matter to me who goes home so long as it ain't me! We took home a dub and sent that bitch crashin' and burnin', then she said goodbye to Athena and Iko and got her ass sent right the fuck outta here! I'm happy about it. She was a threat, and now that the Dropouts don't got her no more, it'll be that much easier on us Grads. What's goin' happen in today's episode? Do you care? Well, you better, 'cause imma be involved! Don't go nowhere, 'cause episode nine of Total... Drama... Million Dollar Academy is comin' atcha!"
To start episode nine off, Bowie leaned against the side of one frontal wall of the Million Dollar Academy. The rising morning sun basked Bowie in a glow of light, and he leaned with one leg propped up with his knee sticking out. His heart-shades over his eyes, he enjoyed the feeling of the sun. Not long later, Kobe emerged from the academy's front entrance, not far from Bowie. The two guys stayed still for a moment, glancing over at one another. Bowie lowered his shades and let a smirk show, while a smile began to form on Kobe's face.
Interrupting this was the sight of Damien strutting his way down the front side of campus through the grass ahead of the two guys. A confident smile on his face, he walked with his arms swaying, more smooth than butter gliding against toast. An entire theme played over his walk, whistling and groovy drums and guitar blasting along as he went. [1]
Watching him, Kobe glanced back over at Bowie and lightheartedly wondered, "Why does Damien get his own theme?"
"Wanna come lean with me, fro boy?"
"Thought you looked lonely over there," Kobe responded, his feet carrying him towards Bowie.
Confessional - Damien
"I can't believe I made it through the elimination round last night! I'm in high spirits this morning. Sure, Queen came to rescue me, but I taught myself that I'm capable of survival! I built a plane that took me soaring through the sky! It was amazing! And better yet? I've managed to stay on the team with the member majority all season long! My luck just keeps on goin' up and up. This season's gonna be a Damien sweep! Just wait!"
End of confessional
The next shot opened with footage of the boys' dorm. With Bowie and Kobe each mingling at the front of campus, this just left Iko, Zee, and Stephen in the dorm. Zee leaped down from one of the upper bunk beds while Iko and Stephen each sulked at their respective beds, both across from the other. Notably, Zee hopped on one leg, his prosthetic leg not yet put on for the day.
"Good morning, starshine!" Zee exclaimed, impersonating Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka. "The Earth says 'hello'! Hey, has anyone seen my leg? The one that's got a mustard stain on the calf, not the one with the peanut butter in the creases. You'd never know how important finding the right leg is until you're only down to one."
Confessional - Zee
"Sometimes, I wanna tell people the truth and tell them I was born with a stump. Real truth is though, it's so much more fun to blow people's minds by hitting them with an outrageous story, yo. I once gave an old lady a heart attack by telling her I was taken a hundred feet deep into the ocean, and had to wrestle a giant octopus to get away-only for its beak to take my leg then and there! One of my buddies had painted fake beak marks on my metal leg to scare her with. Yep. That's when Ms. Bombargarten started flopping like a fish. I'll never forget the sound of her taking her final breath."
Realization suddenly hit Zee, his eyes widening.
"Wait a minute, her final breath... She died? Oh, man..."
End of confessional
Zee hobbled around, scouring the dorm for his spare leg, but Iko and Stephen weren't paying attention to him. Iko looked up from the carpet to see Stephen sitting cross-legged, his bangs draped in front of his face.
"Hey," Iko rasped, then cleared his throat.
"Hey," Stephen finally responded, both teens ignoring Zee's continued rambling in the background.
"... which I guess is where cheese comes from..."
"Why are you sad?" Iko asked. "I just... I'm feeling sad right now, and you look about the same."
The emo hesitated. "A better question is how could I ever be happy?"
Even Iko, crestfallen and disappointed as he was, was taken aback by the dismal nature of the guy's response. "Are you... okay?"
"I'll be okay once I'm dead."
Now, Iko was hesitating. "Jeez... Is there anything I can do?"
"Do... do things for you," Stephen muttered. "Don't let other people get in your head. Once they get there, you can't ever get them out."
Somewhat frightened by the cryptic response, Iko ended up awkwardly shifting, getting up, and even more awkwardly nodding to Stephen before throwing on his overcoat and stepping outside.
He sat at the top of the steps to the boys' dorm, then Zee exited, finally reunited with his leg.
"Dude! I should lose my eye and get a peg leg! Oh, why have I never thought of that? Iko, bro, you got a pencil?"
"No, sorry," he murmured.
"Whoa, dude, you okay, man? I've never seen such a harshed buzz. 'S goin' on, brah?"
"There's a worse-harshed buzz right inside the dorm," Iko mumbled.
"Huh?" Zee replied, oblivious.
"I'm just missing Jill is all. We started dating, then we didn't have any time to be a couple together. It just makes me feel a little sad. I was really excited to be dating her. She was probably the prettiest girl I've seen since leaving Indonesia, and now she's gone. She's my 'one that got away'."
Zee hesitated. "Did she, like, break up with you, dude?"
Iko nodded.
"Oh, man. Oh, homes." The likely stoner took a seat beside Iko. "Hey, man," he prodded him. "Chin up, dawg. There's lots of great girls out there. You always think you've seen the most beautiful one, but then, you get down to tie your shoe or something, and the next thing you know, you stand up and Aubrey Plaza's standing right there, asking for directions to the pet relief station. I forgot to mention you're in an airport and she has a chihuahua in this hypothetical situation."
"I don't think there is a girl more beautiful than Jill," Iko replied.
"Listen, bruv, I'm about to drop a truth bomb on you harder than the last time I dropped the bass in McDonald's. We've only been on this show for a little over a week, dawg. You're not familiar with dating, I take it?"
"No, not really."
"Well, vro, your brain was pumping all sorts of crazy hormones into your brain. There was no chance for there to be any kind of, like, stability to form. It was all new, which means that infatuation was gonna cloud yo' judgement, homes. Of course Jill seemed like the perfect woman, because you never left the honeymoon phase!"
Iko faced him. "'Honeymoon phase'? What's that?"
"That's when you first get with someone, and you see them as completely perfect. They're a pot of gold, a jar filled to the brim with dabs, a day where your parents stop hounding you about a haircut. But it isn't true, dawg. Jill's just a girl. She goes to the bathroom and she probably threw up one time too. You see what I mean, dude? No one's perfect, which in a way, makes us all perfect. That's why I love people, dawg. We're all so peculiar, and that's what I see as beautiful. This planet is filled with wonderful women, Iko. You're gonna find one that's right for you. Trust."
"Hey, that... that really helps actually. Thanks, Zee."
Zee held a hand up for Iko to dap him up. "Church, my brother from another mother of another ethnicity."
Confessional - Zee
"An accident with a railroad spike cleaving my leg clean off taught me a therapist cap is much more fitting than a construction worker cap." Zee leaned in, snickering, and set a hand by his face to whisper, "Psst. I'm just kidding-I'm gaslighting you!"
End of confessional
Meanwhile, in the girls' dorm, Brook slept in her bed, nuzzled closely to her pillow with her blankets over her as she dreamed. In her mind, she flew through the skies, though this time there was no assistance from wings. She herself could fly at command, and she felt the wind in her face, the orange sky once again around her as she fluttered like a leaf on the wind, minus any steel harpoons. Ripping her from this magical dream was Athena.
"Hey, Brook? Hey!"
Brook opened up her eyes, her silver hair strewn all about as Athena loomed over her, her piercing orange eyes glued to her. She smiled a creepy smile and uttered another, "Hey."
Brook shrieked, then Athena crouched and shushed her, placing a finger over the former intern's lips.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, easy. It's okay, sweetie. You okay?"
"Y-yes."
"Good morning. I brought you a little something if you wanted it." Athena reached into her bra underneath her dress and handed the girl a couple of mandarins. "The rest of Tracy's food didn't look so good to me, so I snagged these. Want one?"
"No, thank you."
She shrugged and smiled. "Your loss I suppose! I-"
The door to the girls' dorm busted open to Matcha. The girl was fiery, with her eyes chips of ice. Fuming, she stomped towards where Athena crouched by Brook, still in bed and unwelcoming to any of this.
"Athena!" Matcha snapped.
"Hi, Match! Can I call you that? Hey, I snagged these mandarins! Would you like one?" She held one up, only for Matcha to smack it aside. "Oops. How about this one?"
Matcha did the same to the next mandarin. Brook ducked as it nearly came at her. "Forget the mandarins!"
"You seem a widdle angy," Athena mentioned.
"I am a little angry, yes. Athena, do you realize what you risked yesterday? You chased me down, launching cans of soda at me!"
"Well, I had to do that. It was part of the challenge, you see."
"Why are you talking so funny? Is this some kind of joke to you? Was nearly killing me something to laugh at?"
"Easy, Match, I didn't mean-"
"I will not take it easy! You listen to me. You come at one of your teammates that aggressively again, you're gonna have a real problem-a bigger one."
"We-"
"I don't give a damn what team Mercutio put you on for the challenge; it was temporary. Your goal was to collect the majority of the rings, not risk everyone's lives. I didn't care for that display. I see anything else like it, you're gone."
"Uh, well, okay," Athena peeped. "Would you mind if I went back to talking to my bestie Brook now?"
Matcha's angry gaze moved to Brook, sending a shiver down her spine, as most things did. "Besties?"
"Isn't that right, Brook?" Athena urged. "Hmm?"
Brook nodded, thinly concealing her nervousness. "Yes. Yes, we're besties."
"Okay, your point has been made, Matcha. Thank you! We'll chat later! Bye bye!"
Matcha scoffed. "What?"
"Huh?"
"Are you trying to shoo me?"
"What? No. I just thought-"
"I know what you thought," Matcha growled.
"Attention, students!" Mercutio boomed over loudspeakers outside, the volume seeping into the dorms. "May I have your attention please?"
"Ah," Athena tapped her fingers against Brook's bed. "Guess I don't actually have time to chat with my bestie after all. But I guess it's a good thing you had the chance to say what you needed to say, important as it was."
"Now what are you implying?" Matcha retorted.
"I'm not implying anything, I'm just glad you had the chance to express how you felt."
"Oh, forget this," she scoffed, leaving the two girls be.
The shot shifted to Jayshawn peeking his head out of the losing team dumpster, a banana peel over his head.
"Ha! You fell for it. Your attention belongs to me now. I would like for all contestants-including Cody, Londyn, and Fish; healing time's over-to report to the front of the Million Dollar Academy for today's first challenge-a challenge that will determine who earns freedom from the second challenge!"
"Ooh, that's a deal a brotha could get behind," Jayshawn grunted, working his way out of the dumpster.
Strutting with confidence emerged Fish from the infirmary, with Londyn following more timidly and softly, watching him with pain in her lovely eyes.
[1] - Referring to the banger Damien theme that played during episode 7 of season 2 of the reboot
Dropouts: Athena, Holden, Iko, Kobe, Matcha, Queen, Brook
Grads: Cody, Bowie, Zee, Fish, Jayshawn, Londyn, Stephen, Damien
Some quick OC descriptions:
Athena: orangey-blonde, orange contacts, black and white dress
Holden: long, scraggly hair, heavyset, short, leather jacket
Iko: slim-fat, short, stylish overcoat and vest
Kobe: tall, big afro
Matcha: brunette, business casual
Queen: purple hair
Fish: typical influencer look
Jayshawn: fit, muscular, dreads, gym tank/shorts
Londyn: brunette, face tattoos, gorgeous features
Stephen: early 2000s emo look
Mercutio: chiseled face, suit, wide-framed
Tracy: slim, suspenders/bowler hat
Brook: silver hair, oversized cardigan