Chapter One; Delinquent and Goth

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Weeks; they'd spent weeks fighting over the hundred thousand dollars. And then, just as Owen had accepted the money and the promise of a party was apparent, Chris dangles a million dollars in front of the oaf. So, in some vague attempt at the money once more, the teens had split up and fought for the money – only to be left with the promise of a whole new series to compete for the money. To Gwen, it all seemed a huge farce. It seemed like no one had won anything, and that all she'd gained was a sour look on life – and a boyfriend who had dazzling green eyes, black hair and an amazing ability to play guitar. She flushed a little as the sun began to dip down in the sky. She didn't have long till she was expected to run around for the entertainment of thousands once more… She would use her time wisely, effectively. With this thought in mind, Gwen slipped out of the mess hall and headed off toward the Dock of Shame – mostly to think about the challenges she would face in accepting a boyfriend and coming to terms with the competition at hand.

Gwen settled down on the edge of the dock; oddly enough, the camp enforced little in the way of rules. There was no chaperone, and there was no proper curfew. And, outside of the expected challenges they had to undertake, they could do whatever they wanted. The only unfortunate thing was there was nothing to do around camp anyway, unless you counted socialising. Her dyed blue locks fell in front of her eyes as she sniffed the air around her. She regretted this instantly as the familiar stench of swamp water and fake pine trees caused her nose to buckle into a wrinkled mess. 'Stupid camp… only a few more days… gonna get outta here…' she whispered under her breath, her eyes now focused on an approaching silhouette along the boardwalk.

'Yes?' Gwen mumbled, her arms laced around her knees. Her face was turned up to the figure before she registered the green eyes and tousled black hair. 'Trent! Ah, h-he-hi, Trent…'

'That's me,' Trent coughed back a laugh – he couldn't believe he still manage to catch Gwen in such a way… to leave her mumbling and befuddled for a few unguarded seconds.. He didn't wait for an invitation before sitting down next to Gwen, his hands settled behind him. 'So, looking forward to…' he trailed off, noticing Gwen stand up.

'We're cool, but I just don't feel like talking right now. Trying to sit and think. Alone,' Gwen explained as she walked off toward camp once more. Trent, as she predicted, stood up and aptly stepped in front of her – this always seemed to happen. 'Trent?' she sighed, her arms hanging loosely by her side.

'I just thought we could hang out and stuff,' he pointed out with a gentle touch of her shoulder.

The phrase 'and stuff' rung through her head a few times as she examined Trent; in a decisive second Gwen scoffed up at the taller boy, 'Fine, look… is this because of Bridgette and Geoff?' The two had been all over one another ever since their reunion… this left Gwen and Trent surrounded by the looks of others… as if they were expecting the tenuously bound relationship to flourish into some inferno of passionate make-outs. 'Just - forget I said that,' Gwen said with a small laugh; one thing the two were not was simple-minded jocks. She was friends with Geoff and Bridgette after all, but… she and Trent were sensitive art types.

'Because of – ah, no.' Trent shrugged his guitar up his shoulder. Without much of a thought, the two began to head off towards the dorms. 'I just like talking to you… is that a bad thing? Just because you act like it is…' Trent added with a small laugh.

'You're just saying that,' Gwen countered, her smile hidden behind a hand. Trent placed a gentle kiss to her temple, a hand wrapped around her shoulder. The moment didn't last long with two girls rushing past, it was Beth and Lindsey of all people... With a shared smirk, Gwen and Trent watched the girls disappear. 'Uhm. Do we wanna find out what they're up to?'

Trent met this question with a shrug and a smile, 'Do you even care?'

'Not really…' Gwen agreed coyly, a stupid blush filling her pale cheeks. Guarding herself from Trent, she crossed her across her chest. 'Where is everyone?'

'Good question,' Duncan cawed from the branches above the two. He seemed to be whittling something into a point, but held a broad smirk firmly across his face. He had probably witnessed the exchange between Trent and Gwen with amusement and interest, 'Don't stop cooing on my account – I was barely listening.'

'Perv,' Gwen said with a small quip to her lips – she didn't mean it, but her voice sounded a little off-put.

'Hey you wandered under my tree…'

'Duncan,' the two said in unison, sharing a look of promise – they'd talk later. Trent waved a hand as Gwen turned to look up at Duncan once more. 'Is this because of Courtney not making it to season two?' Gwen asked, her hands settling on her hips. Bracing herself for impact, Duncan landed a foot away from her with a dull smirk.

'After she tried to leave me behind with a twisted ankle? Ditching me for some money? Ah… no, doesn't bother me,' Duncan shrugged, his hands in his pockets and his shoulders raised. 'Why, does it bother you, you don't have competition anymore?'

'She was never competition,' Gwen scoffed with a raised eyebrow. Courtney was – nice and all, but they never really had a great time together. The preppy upstart was the type that Pixiecorpse and Reaper would've made obvious fun of. The two exchanged a look before Gwen decided Duncan had nothing else to say.

Of course, in this camp guys had no idea of etiquette. Duncan took a step around her, standing between Gwen and the rest of the camp. 'Competition for me, I'm worth more than a hundred thousand dollars, really.'

'Really,' Gwen muttered through clenched teeth. 'I just want to go sit and think… and act aloof. Is that so hard for you people to understand?'

'I understand perfectly sweetheart,' Duncan countered, his hand absently scratching at his chin, 'I mean, I'm the scary ol' delinquent punk kid. I'm all about the aloof façade… And you're the goth babe that tries to act aloof,' Duncan smirked as Gwen pushed past him once more. Watching her disappear off into her cabin, he sighed through his nose. Was it odd he felt he should follow her and try to comfort her? That sounded weird to Duncan on so many levels. Ignoring the thought, averted his eyes to where Beth and Lindsey had gone… if that was their names – he never cared to remember. They acted as competition, and in Lindsey's case, something to look at when he got bored. He mightn't be interested in her, but he could appreciate the curves the girl sported.

Gwen watched as Duncan sped off into the forest – she could only assume everyone else had head off in the same general direction, leaving her to her journal. Peeking around to make sure the coast was clear, Gwen tugged a book from under her pillow and began fervently writing out her thoughts, feelings and ideas of the day. It was all along the lines of how cute Trent was, how thankful she was that Trent was willing to date her and how interesting she'd found Duncan – though she'd never admit any of this to another person. Without much thought for her time at camp, Gwen slipped the book back under her pillow and nestled into the thin blankets. She'd take a small nap, just a few minutes… it'd been a long day, and she was owed a few moments of piece.

With this, Gwen slept through the night without stirring till the expected wake-up call Chris always issued.

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