Total Drama High

Chapter Two

The Following Day...

Today was a good day, a fresh start, or at least that's what everyone is thinking. Courtney had a good night's sleep last night and an entertaining phone call with Duncan's parole officer. There were no meetings and she got all her homework done in detention.
    Bridgette, the only person who genuinely likes Courtney stands nervously next to her friend out of fear. Last night before Courtney left to go home, she left another note in the confession locker. "Bridgette, are you okay? Did you forget homework or is Geoff in trouble?" her friend's strange attitude was throwing her off due to the fact that today is going great.
    Bridgette laughs nervously as an attempt to keep her cool, "Haha, yeah I mean sure it's all good. Except for, well... Okay, you clearly don't know or you'd be freaking out. You know the confession locker where you drop a note in and that's it and nothing happens, you just vent and how it's been a tradition for so long and all? Well, last night this blog went viral! Someone took the notes and published them, revealing names! They figured everything out and right now your note and Duncan's notes are what's most popular... No one knows who did it,"
    All Courtney could do was stare at the rambling blond as she processed what she heard, "What. What sick joke is this! This is so embarrassing, I didn't even sign my name! I am totally mortified. Oh my god, do you think Duncan saw it... he probably did, oh just great!" Bridgette wraps her arms around her hysterical friend in an effort to calm her down.

Courtney's note from last night

    "Okay, maybe I was wrong. Maybe Duncan isn't a complete ogre. He can be a pretty cool guy. He always looks out for his friend and yeah, he also does some disgusting things, but what boy doesn't? Sometimes the people you think are worst off, surprise you the most, except for Heather."

    Oh, Courtney, we all knew you had a thing for Duncan, everyone except for you ;) Nice try though.

Counting...

    Duncan did see it last night along with everyone else, and he was shocked. Never, in a million years, did he think Courtney of all people, would defend him. He goes out of his way to make her life miserable. He drives her up the walls for fun, but in his defense, it doesn't take much. Great, now people might think he's a softie. If Harold tries to start shit with this he'll be a dead man for sure. Gwen, had snide remarks about Courtney on the bus that morning, "Seriously what happened to Courtney in detention? Did they replace her with a less horrible version, or what?"
    Gwen and Duncan had been neighbors since they were kids. They grew up together and are close friends, despite rumors idle gossip. Gwen was dating a tortured poet, Trent. he plays his guitar at local coffee shops. Duncan likes to make fun of him, much to Gwen's disdain.
    Duncan was not awake enough to deal with school or much of anything right now, "I don't know. She's not that bad when she's not under pressure or stressed out. She can be cool." He shrugs lazily and yawns.
    Gwen hands him her coffee and rolls her eyes. He mutters a form of thank you and that's all they say before the bus pulls into the school. Gwen leaves to find her boyfriend and Duncan is in search of his princess. He doesn't even stop to push Harold down. He spots Courtney at her locker, Geoff's girlfriend, Bridgette consoles her while she smashes her head into a locker. He can feel people staring at him.
    Finishing the cup of coffee, he throws the empty paper cup at the Harold and proceeds to Courtney. The cup hit him in the back of his head, but he keeps walking. Bridgette gives him a look, but he ignores her, "Move it Blondie." Courtney tilts her head, seeing Duncan she returns to hitting her head into her locker but much faster.
When he frowns at the two girls, Bridgette backs away to class. Duncan grabs Courtney's arm and she looks up at him. Her dark eyes are puffy, and light tears roll down her tanned cheeks.

"Okay stop before you give yourself brain damage. We need to talk. Now," nodding is the only response he gets so he gently drags her to a place no student ever goes near. The lower level boys lavatory (Owen stunk it up two years ago and now it's his private bathroom).
    "What do you want to talk about," Courtney mumbles softly, trying her best to keep calm as she pretends she isn't crying.
    "Are you crying from pain or embarrassment?"
    Looking at her feet in shame, "Both."
    "You have no reason to be embarrassed, like the blog said everyone but you knows that you like me. Now everyone is going to think I'm some nice guy or something," Duncan huffed. He has a reputation to save.
    Now, Courtney was mad, "Excuse me? One, I do not like you! I said you were okay. That's all. Two, you are a nice guy when you want to be and I mean really nice, however, you can be a complete total neanderthal with a frozen brain! Thirdly, I don't know, but who cares, I really don't care if people think I like you, maybe I do who cares! I thought I left this shit behind in middle school."
    "Did you just swear?"
    "Oh my god, Duncan. Grow up!"
    "Okay, fine whatever. I didn't know princesses could swear. Also, you just admitted that you like me. Another thing, I care. I don't want people to talk to me they are annoying. When I scare them, they leave me alone and now they are looking at us and being weird and I hate it," Duncan calmly rebuild
    Courtney groans loudly, "Just glare at them it'll make most anyone but you leave them alone. It's not such a bad thing to be nice."
    "You are so into me, you're not even denying it anymore," she really wasn't.
    "And why do you care so much if I do? Is it because you, like me?" she really didn't care what her classmates thought, just what he thought, and her parents.
Now, he's stumped, "Uh I mean, you are superficial, bossy, utterly insane, but you also are really smart, and kind of funny? Like what the hell. You are so bratty it makes me crazy."
    "So that's a no?" she hung her head, she totally liked him.
    "Uh hello. Sweetheart, did you just hear anything I just said? That's a yes," Her head snaps up to look at him, the bell starts to ring, but they stand in place staring at each other.
Wrapping her arms around him, they kiss for a hot, steamy, long five or so seconds. The awkwardness thickens in the air and you can feel it within a ten-mile radius. "Well...class," is all that is uttered before they briskly walk in their separate directions.
    Courtney tries to hide a smile as she sneaks in late, the teacher doesn't heckle her because she's a good student. Bridgette locks eyes with her and bites her lip. Courtney takes her seat next to her friend. "What did he want?" the beach blond inquired of her starry-eyed friend.
    "Oh, I'll tell you later,"