Here it is at last; the conclusion to what was originally supposed to be just a lowly oneshot. Instead, it blossomed into a full-blown Heather fic. Strange how these things happen… Well, hope you guys will enjoy reading this as much as I will writing it! BTW, I'm using some canon finale dialogue, but then delve into my own writing soon after. Also, I didn't describe most of the challenge because the story is about Heather, so I kinda skipped the main bulk of it; and yet, I don't think the ending centered around her as I planned.
It was the last day at Playa de Losers; tomorrow, the finalists- Owen and Gwen- would be competing in the final challenge of total Drama Island. Then, the 22 teenagers that had been tricked into a crappy reality show with a sadistic host and psychotic chef on a deserted island with old, dirty cabins, smelly communal washrooms, disgusting food, and torturous contests… would finally go home: Home, to their families, friends, and pretty much anybody except Chris and Chef, which they were thankful for.
And yet, while many of the voted off campers were ecstatic about this, one wasn't quite as happy…
"Heather!"
The changed girl snapped up, looking to see who had called her name. It was Trent, holding a drink in one hand. He was frowning at her, worry in his eyes.
"Hey Trent," she greeted, putting on a fake smile. The musician continued to stare in concern at her.
"This is a party," he pointed out, referring to the blaring music, junk food/ soda table, and… well, partying teens. Heather looked out on the dance floor to see what was going on: Geoff was tearing up the dance floor, singing along with the music while Bridgette struggled to keep up with him; Duncan, Harold, and Izzy seemed to have started a mosh pit near Courtney, Leshawna, Katie, and Sadie, much to their chagrin; Eva was standing off to the side, glaring at everyone. Noah was next to her, and the two were talking to each other, likely poking fun at everything they could; Tyler was trying to dance with Lindsay, but he kept stepping on either her feet or his own; Cody, Beth, Justin, and DJ were all hanging out by the concession table; and Ezekiel was just standing off by himself, not used to the party scene.
She chuckled as the prairie boy winced while most the teens chorused out "YOU… shook me ALL NIGHT LONG!" with the singer. He's so cute when he's like that, she thought to herself. Remembering Trent, who was still right in front of her, the changed girl glanced back at his face.
"So I see," she finally answered. Trent sighed, and shook his head.
"Look, we've been talking…"
"We?"
Trent blinked. "Your friends," he clarified. "Anyway, we're really worried about you; you've just seemed… different since Izzy was eliminated and all that's been going around is talk of the finale and finally going home. Don't tell me you're upset to be leaving this show?"
"Oh, no, no no no!" Heather insisted, shaking her head. "If I could go back in time, I'd never have… scratch that, then I wouldn't have changed or met Zeke; but I just want to get away from Chris Maclean, ya know?"
Trent nodded. "Amen to that!" the musician declared, raising his drink before finishing it off. That anxiety came back to his eyes, and Heather felt a tinge of guilt; she didn't want to say what was on her mind, even if it mostly involved her own friends.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Trent persisted. Heather sighed.
"I told you, I'm fine! Okay? Just… go back to enjoying yourself, please."
With an apprehensive stare, the musician let out a sigh, and headed back onto the party scene. Heather watched him go, and felt another pit in the bottom of her stomach. They were becoming common, as more and more people were growing worried about her state. She was glad that people cared, sure… but she just couldn't bring herself to open up and admit what was wrong. Perhaps a small bit of her old queen bee self was still there, holding her back in that way.
Getting progressively annoyed with herself, Heather stood up and decided to get some fresh air. She exited the ballroom, heading out into the small maze that was Playa de Losers. Luckily, there was a balcony just up the stairs and across the hall. Opening the window, and taking a breath of the outside air made her self-pity dwindle down some.
Little did she know, a concerned party of friends had noted her absence rather quickly. Ezekiel was the first to see Heather just get up and leave after waving off Trent. He felt compelled to follow her… but was a little afraid to confront her alone. She started to look a little ticked off before she headed off; maybe Trent had said something bad?
"Wotever it is, I have to make sure she's oo'kay, eh!" he told himself. The prairie boy looked around, looking for a few recruits in case he needed back-up. He spotted DJ and Beth: they were on good terms with Heather now. Then, there was Lindsay, who he'd just have to steal from Tyler for a little bit. Trent might have been a bad idea in case he caused Heather's anger, but Ezekiel felt his mellow mood was needed. Harold was in some sort of crazy dance thing with Izzy and Duncan, but Ezekiel knew he and Heather were still good friends.
He easily brought in DJ, Beth, and Trent. Tyler agreed to hand off Lindsay for a while, and Ezekiel definitely had the hardest time trying to get into the mosh pit for Harold. Izzy had grabbed him by the tuque and started dancing alongside him, throwing the prairie boy all around in kind of crazy dance, ending only when he crashed into Harold and knocked them both out of the mosh pit.
"Ya know, if you wanted my attention, you coulda just asked," Harold grumbled, picking up his glasses. "Gosh!"
--
Heather leaned on the railing, head in her hands. She wasn't sure why, but staring at the pool area of Playa de Losers seemed to calm her down ever since she arrived; granted, she wasn't angry much these days anymore… but it continued to amaze her. Something about seeing it from up here just makes me feel… higher in spirits, or something, she mused.
"Heather?"
For the second time, Heather snapped awake from her mind, and turned around. There stood basically all her friends: Ezekiel, Lindsay, Beth, Trent, DJ, and Harold. All bared the same look of concern that Trent wore just moments ago.
"Umm… hey guys," she greeted, finding it hard not to feel that feeling of self-pity and anger at herself welling up.
"I don't need your help."
"Heather, we're trying to help you out here!" Trent insisted, not even trying to make this subtle in the least. Next to the musician, DJ nodded.
"But, you gotta tell us what's wrong first!" he explained.
"I won't!"
"We're your friends Heather; we just want you to be happy!" Harold told her.
"You think I don't know that; what don't you understand about leave me alone?!?!"
"Tell uth how we can help you!" Beth pleaded.
"I don't need your help!!!"
"Please?" Lindsay added. Ezekiel stepped forward.
"We're noo't doo'ing this to hurt or make foo'n oo'f you, eh! I proo'mise, all we want is fir you to be happy a'geen!" he finished off.
"JUST GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE… ALL OF YOU!!!"
There was a collective gasp, while Heather covered her mouth. She had meant for that to stay a thought at the back of her conscience; the last shred of the girl she used to be. And yet, it escaped her lips, and she sounded like her old self for that brief moment. Before any words could be said, Heather barreled past her cluster of friends, not sure where she was going; she just had to get away.
No one made any move to follow her, still stuck on how that dreaded tone of voice sounded again. Right now, thoughts of the old Heather were running through their minds, and fear that she was slowly turning back into the queen bitch was omnipresent all around.
--
(That night)
"Urgh."
Heather continued to toss and turn in her bed, unable to get comfortable. It was rather odd too, she had hidden in her room all day, avoiding her friends in light of… it. She wasn't even sure what it was, it was just… it. So, deciding that she wasn't going to get some sleep anytime soon, Heather threw off her blankets and sheets.
"Maybe a little snack'll do the trick," she muttered, climbing out of the soft bed, and sliding her feet into her dark red slippers. In only a yellow tank top and purple panties, Heather entered the quiet halls of the Playa, racking her brain to remember the way to the kitchen; although it seemed her legs were already guiding her there.
Two staircases later, Heather arrived in the lobby, and headed for the nearby kitchen. Rubbing her eyes a little, Heather noticed the light was on; somebody else would be in there! The changed girl prayed that it wasn't one of her friends. A bit shakily, Heather pushed open the door and peered inside…
… And saw Noah sitting in a chair near the fridge, in only a T-shirt and boxers, eating ice cream right out of the vat. The bookworm immediately noticed the girl peeking in on him, and waved her over.
"Come on in," he assured her, reaching behind him into the fridge and pulling out another ice cream vat. Heather nodded, and walked over. She sat down in a chair across from Noah, and was handed her comfort food and spoon.
"Thanks," she mumbled, ripping the lid off.
"Sure thing," the usually sarcastic teen replied. He took a big bite out of his snack, and sighed.
"What are you doing up Noah?" Heather asked before taking her first bite of the cold and delicious treat. The bookworm swallowed, and looked up.
"Izzy's waiting for me back in my room," he explained. "Wants to capture me to take to Cody's room, the crazy witch."
Heather raised an eyebrow. "Well, you could at least try to-"
"No."
That simple little word shut both parties up, leaving them to gorge themselves with ice cream. After a short silence, Noah spoke up.
"What brings you down here?" he asked. Heather winced. She was really hoping to avoid that question. And yet, she wondered if telling someone was the best thing. Noah was by no means a friend of hers… acquaintance, perhaps. Letting out a long sigh, and filling her mouth with more ice cream, Heather decided that she could trust Noah.
"It has to do with the season ending tomorrow, and us all going home," she began. Noah nodded.
"Okay."
Heather dropped her spoon into the vat, putting her head in her hands. With her elbows resting on her knees, she felt that same restraint from earlier holding her back; that last piece of the queen bee she once was. Only this time, something seemed to drive it off; Heather smiled to herself as she imagined Fred fighting that little queen bee inside her.
"Hello? Anybody in there?" Noah blurted out, waving his hand in front of Heather's face. The changed girl snapped out of it, and blushed.
"Sorry," she quickly apologized. "Anyway, I'm just… afraid."
"Afraid of what?" the cynic questioned, surprising Heather a bit. Wouldn't he usually have made a smartass comment by now? She shook it off, and continued on her train of thought.
"That I'll never see the friends I made here after the show; they're the only real friends I've ever had," Heather admitted, shoveling in some more ice cream to counter her shame in admitting such a thing. Noah nodded, swallowing a taste of his own treat.
"Well, I can't say I know what that's like," he mused. "But I'll offer you some advice."
Heather snapped up, staring hard at Noah, and making sure to burn this into her brain. Noah let out a sigh, and stared back at her.
"Get their phone numbers and addresses, and spend the time you have left with them; just stay in touch with them, and you'll probably end up seeing each other again someday."
Heather nodded, taking another spoonful of ice cream. In every sense of the word, it was so simple; Heather was surprised she never considered it before. Feeling satisfied, Heather tossed her spoon into the nearby sink, and returned the ice cream to the fridge.
"Thanks Noah; that really helped me out," she spoke, trying to express all her gratitude into that once sentence. The bookworm nodded.
"Sure thing," he replied, continuing to eat. The changed girl stood up to leave. She just reached the door, when a sudden thought popped into her mind. She turned to look at Noah again.
"Hey!"
Noah looked up, eyebrow raised.
"Why are you helping me?"
Noah smirked, holding a spoonful of his snack near his mouth.
"Think of it as my goodbye present to this stupid show… and an effort to make a change like you did," he answered, and there wasn't a hint of sarcasm or cynicism in any of his words. With a final glance, Heather turned around, and left the kitchen, and its lonely resident. When she reached her bed, Heather easily fell asleep, dreaming peaceful dreams.
--
(Day of the Finale)
"Now, it's time to welcome the 20 campers that did not make it to the Finals!"
That was the cue for each of the voted off contestants to appear on-screen, as they walked in front of the two bleachers that were set up.
"Hey guys, heh heh heh!" Owen greeted, throwing his arms up. "Good to see ya!"
"Would everyone who's walked the dock of Shame and left camp on the Boat of Losers kindly take a seat in the Peanut Gallery of Failure?" Chris taunted, grinning widely. "The side you choose should represent who you would like to cheer onto victory in today's final competition!"
On Owen's side were Noah, Beth, Harold, Tyler, Geoff, Izzy, Courtney, and Ezekiel. That left Katie and Sadie, Eva, DJ, Lindsay, Justin, Bridgette, Cody, Leshawna, Heather, and Trent on Gwen's side.
"Gwen, Owen," Chris called attention to the two finalists. "Now would be the time to tell the Peanut Gallery of Failure what you would do if you won the money, and why you deserve it."
Gwen spoke first. "Well, I guess I'm pretty proud of getting this far," the goth mused. "I mean, maybe if I can survive here, the rest of high school won't be so bad. Other than that, I guess I'd use it to get into this art university I'm interested in."
"Cool," Trent called out.
"You go girl!" Leshawna yelled out, making Gwen blush a little.
"Wow… boring," Chris noted, and then faced Owen. "How about you big guy?"
Owen put his finger to his chin, and thought about it for a minute.
"I would throw the biggest, bestest, most awesome party ever! And invite everyone here!" he declared. Everyone on Owen's side stood up and cheered. On Gwen's side, DJ, Justin, Bridgette, Katie, and Sadie decided to walk over to join them in cheering. Gwen scowled at them, and rolled her eyes.
"At least not all of you are total sell-outs," she muttered to the people that stayed.
"Oh, oh! And I forgot, it'll be on a yacht!" Owen added. Lindsay slowly walked over, and joined Owen's side, prompting Gwen to facepalm angrily.
"Time for the final challenge!" Chris declared. "The Rejected Olympic Relay Race!"
Chris explained the rules of the challenge, which left plenty of the contestants worried about the safety of the two teens actually running it. Oh well; better those two than them! Finally, Chris decided he had explained everything.
"Okay! Are we ready?" Chris shouted. A loud chorus of "YEAH!" rang out, and the host chuckled.
"Then on your mark… get set… GO!"
--
(The Final Stretch)
After crossing the wooden beams, Gwen was in the lead, with Owen panting some ways behind.
"So… tired…" the chubby teen breathed, struggling to keep his vision clear. "Must… have… condition!"
Up ahead, Trent was jogging alongside Gwen, who was still freaked out from the last part of the challenge. As such, she too was running out of breath.
"Come on Gwen! You can win this!" Trent cheered. "Look! I see the finish line up ahead!"
Gwen looked where Trent was pointing and let out a sigh of relief; it was finally almost over.
"Thank god," she muttered. Looking behind her, Gwen smiled as she saw Owen trying to keep going, but he was slowing down by quite a bit.
"I'm gonna win," she told herself. "I'm gonna win!" the goth girl exclaimed, louder this time, pumping her fists up.
"She's gonna win!" Lindsay screeched at the finish line, biting her nails; Izzy was supposed to be ready with their last effort plan to help Owen win, but where was she?
"Yoohoo! Owen; lookie here!" a sudden crazy voice rang out, showing off a late of delicious-looking brownies. The chubby teen sniffed the air, and saw a treasure waiting for him: Izzy, holding a plate of brownies. It was a dream come true!
"Sweet mother of mirth!" he exclaimed, speeding up considerably. "Come to daddy!" Owen sped past Gwen and Trent, rushing to reach his precious treats. He tackled Izzy, grabbing the snack plate from her hands.
"Owen!" Geoff yelled, grabbing hi head. "You forgot to cross the-"
"We have a winner!"
"… finish line."
Chris Maclean walked over to the winner. She likely hated the camp more than anyone else, she was skilled and independent, and she was wearing a chicken hat: Gwen had won the 100 grand.
"Everybody, I present the winner of Total Drama Island… Gwen!"
Cody, Leshawna, and Heather let out loud cheers and high-fived each other. Eva let out a cheer of her own, pulling the three of them into a big hug, much unlike herself. Trent, in the meantime, pulled the tired gothic girl into a tight hug, lifting and spinning her in celebration; they were both laughing and yelling in victory. Nearby, Owen let out applause of his own, hugging the couple.
"Dude, you just lost 100 grand; aren't you at least disappointed?" Trent asked. Owen released them, and smiled.
"Naw; I had way too much fun! This place was…"
"Awesome?" Gwen filled in for him. Owen pointed at her, grinning from ear-to-ear.
"Totally!" he agreed, giving her one last bone-crushing hug. "I'm actually a little upset that there won't be a party… but this still rocks!"
After she could breath again, Gwen smiled. "Ya know what? Maybe a party wouldn't be such a bad idea." She decided. Owen's eyes widened, like Christmas and his birthday had just come early.
"You… you… you mean…?" he stuttered. Gwen nodded.
"Sure; I guess the least I could do is go through with that wicked party idea you came up with… but no yacht!"
Owen grinned again, and let out a loud cheer. "GWEN'S THROWING A PAR-TAY! WHOO!" Watching the rest of the campers cheer for Gwen, she laughed, and rolled her eyes. Chris walked up the winner.
"You gonna invite everybody like the big guy was?" he asked. Gwen frowned, and sighed.
"No cameras, no exploitations, keep Chef away from the kitchen, nothing of that nature… and you and Chef can come; I'm even hiring a guy to make sure you guys don't pull anything," she warned threateningly. The host let out a cheer.
"Yes! Party!" he yelled, running off to tell Chef. Gwen just blew her bangs out of her eyes, and frowned. She turned to face Trent, who held out his hand.
"Shall we face your losers together?" he asked, pointing to the waiting crowd of teens. Gwen smirked.
"You're one of 'em, ya know," she pointed out. Trent chuckled.
"Okay, I'll just let them spray you with the soda Tyler brought along."
Gwen cuddled up to the musician.
"Now, you wouldn't do that to me, if you knew what's good for you," she warned, walking hand-in-hand to the midst of the big celebration.
--
(The Day after the Party)
Chris Maclean and Chef Hatchet stood one last time in front of the 22 teens they had tortured most of the summer. It was a strange thing for them to try saying goodbye to them, and wishing them luck in life, especially with what they had done… but that darn C.I.T, Courtney, found a clause that forced them to do so.
"Well, this is goodbye," Chris began. "According to the contracts, I have to apologize for all physical, mental, and or emotional distress, hurt, or just plain being a huge pain in the butt."
"And," Chef growled. "I have to say sorry for feeding you guys crappy food when I'm actually a five star chef."
"Yeah right," Duncan called out. Chef frowned, and waved a ladle as threateningly as one could.
"Watch it punk; I just might be seeing you in jail soon!"
"Anyway," Chris dismissed. "Thanks for making such an awesome show, best of luck to you all, and I highly doubt we'll ever see you again. So… see ya, suckers!"
With that, the two adults raced onto the yacht they were provided, waving goodbye to the teens mockingly. That left 22 teens, waiting for a boat to show up that held whoever would pick them up. The first one came sailing into view. Off stepped a gym teacher/drill instructor looking man, with a mustache.
"Eva!" he barked. "Let's go!" The fitness buff nodded, and got on the boat without acknowledging any of the others. That was just fine by them; Eva still wasn't on the best of terms with anybody.
"So that's where Eva got her feminine charm, huh?" Noah spoke out loud, earning a couple chuckles from the others. On the next boat, two overweight, yet cheerful parents were waiting.
"Moommy! Daddy!" Owen cheered, running up to hug them both.
"My baby!" Owen's mom cooed, pulling him into a tight hug. His dad just patted his head.
"My boy," he muttered.
"My god," Gwen breathed, staring at how skinny Owen seemed compared to his parents. The chubby teen ran back down, holding his arms out.
"Group hug!" he declared. Everyone happily obliged for the tub of joy. Izzy snatched a kiss from her beau, and waved him off.
"I'll see ya soon, Owen!" she promised, as the boat pulled out. Owen stood on deck, waving to everyone vigorously, and they waved back.
Next, Katie and Sadie left, which everyone was actually kind of glad about; although, when both the girls and their mothers squealed, Noah was sure that the sound barrier had been shattered. Tyler's dad arrived next, and the jock said goodbye to Lindsay before going with him.
The next boat surprised some people. Awaiting the next camper was what looked like an average joe, surrounded by three insanely hot teenaged girls.
"Dad?" Cody questioned. "Who are they?"
The father chuckled. "Just some of the girls that have been demanding to break into our house and take some of your stuff ever since… well, you became famous!" he answered. The three girls clung to Cody, practically drooling over him. The tech geek looked at the others, and winked. The guys flashed a thumbs-up, while the girls just shook their heads.
Next was your stereotypical accountant, and what a young woman that could've passed as Gwen's mother.
"Hey son," the man greeted. Trent walked up, and smiled. Gwen just gaped as his mother walked down, and held out her fist.
"It's nice to finally see you in person," she commented, her voice sounded even mellower than Trent's. The gothic girl bumped fists with the lady, and grinned.
"No wonder Trent went after me; I remind him of his mother," she mused. Trent blushed, and disappeared further onto the boat. The two parents laughed.
"I expect to see you over for dinner soon," Trent's mom told her, which Gwen nodded to. The boat left, and soon one came for Courtney. There, stood the strictest looking people the teens had ever seen. Without a word, they made a notion for Courtney to get up there now, and then glared fiercely at Duncan. The delinquent frowned.
"I can't wait to come over!" he yelled out as they turned around.
"NO!" the parents shouted, telling the boat driver to hurry up. Duncan shook his head, and sighed. Geoff's parents were next, as anyone could tell from their loud "WHOO!" they greeted everyone with.
"Mom! Dad!" Geoff greeted, running up, and pulling them both into a hug. Bridgette waved goodbye to them, answering their shouts of coming over for dinner and parties, among other things. Next was a man in a suit, holding a clipboard and pair of handcuffs.
"Hey Will!" Duncan greeted, high-fiving him.
"Is that your parole officer?" DJ asked. Duncan nodded.
"He's one of the rare cool ones… although he doesn't let me get away with anything," the delinquent added. Will shrugged, and led Duncan into the boat. Justin left next, with only his mother to greet him; neither said anything.
"Momma!" DJ shouted before the boat even stopped. The gentle giant hugged his mother, who smiled.
"You've done good son!" DJ's Momma told him. DJ nodded, and waved good-bye to the others.
There were plenty more happy reunions: Bridgette with her mom, Beth with her parents, Leshawna with her cousin, Lindsay with her daddy, Izzy with her therapist, Harold with his big brother… Noah had ten people waiting for him, and yet none of them made him any happier. Next were Ezekiel's parents.
"Soo'n," his father began. "I'm soo'ry a'boot misleading you when it coo'mes to girls; it goo't you kicked off first, and I-"
"It's fine, eh; I had a good time at Playa de Losers, eh!" Ezekiel assured them, leading both onto the boat. He began to explain some things he had learned about the real world. Gwen tried not to show her excitement of being reunited with her mom and little brother in front of the others, even if it was only Heather left.
Finally, her mom was visible on the horizon. When it pulled in, Heather got on the boat, and hugged her mother tightly. As the boat started to sail, the mother and daughter faced each other.
"I am so proud of you," Heather's mom told her, pulling her into another tight hug. The changed girl smiled, sneaking a glance back at Camp Wawanakwa one last time; good memories and bad, she knew that that place would always be important to her.
THE END
Yeah, I kinda just implied that Heather did get the phone numbers without tear-jerking moments, and what could've been a comical party scene… but this was getting far longer than I intended it to; you're welcome to imagine the kinds of party antics and heartfelt discussions in as many different ways as you like. Plus, the ending just felt a bit weak… aw well!
Hope you all enjoyed this story, and always remember the important lesson shown here… when your subconscious starts talking to you and showing you things, and it has a name… you're really messed up and need to change yourself.
gamestomper