Disclaimer: Don't own Total Drama Island
This fanfic does not belong to me, it belongs to an awesome writer, WillowWitch on Fanfiction.net
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Noah sat in his room, staring at the wall for what seemed like CENTURIES. He couldn't understand…
What had he done?
What did he do to deserve the deceit?
How could those two do that to him…?
Was there something wrong with him? OTHER than the fact that he was gay! They didn't seem to have a problem with it, and neither did he, but… it was a couple of GIRLS they were both with last night…Courtney was Duncan's ex-girlfriend, and Beth actually had a CRUSH on Cody for a while… Not that he knew if it had ended or not. Urgh, these thoughts were going to be the end of him.
Why would they do this? Why would Duncan do this? Of course. He knew the answer, what was the point of asking! He was just trying to get back at Courtney! He said so himself last night! He should've seen it coming… It IS Duncan after all…
The one he couldn't understand or make any predictions about was Cody… Cody was always so sweet, kind, gentle, caring… What would bring him to cuddle with brace-face when he was currently fighting with Duncan and Cody over him…?
…Had Beth confessed to Cody that she liked him? Had Cody accepted? Was THAT what was going on? Cody wouldn't do that… No… He probably could. It's nothing against morals of anything!
Noah felt his soul crumble. Cody. The guy he'd liked for, like, EVER, had been lost to BETH! They talked SO much in the past few days! They actually got along better than most of the campers! Hell, Cody got along with him more than his own friends at HOME!
… Why did it hurt so much…?
To be thought of as a prize… Many would find that to be a compliment… Well, people like Lindsay anyway, and he was definitely NOT Lindsay. Why would he want to be flaunted around instead of cared for? Didn't Duncan say he understood what it was like to be unnoticed? Did he think showing Noah off would make people notice him? Great. That's just great. He was just thinking too positively lately… What happened to his negative attitude? What changed it? It was always easier going through life when he was a cynical, sarcastic jerk!
He held his head in his hands. Not crying a tear. He had been crying all night in his room after Justin walked him there…
Justin… The guy he'd been talking to last night in the pool. It was highly suspicious that he told Noah to check on the other two, only to find them doing what they were doing… Noah looked at himself in the mirror. Could Justin have had anything to do with it? No… Maybe it was just wishful thinking…
What made it worse was that somehow, even though he knew something HAD to have been wrong here, he couldn't help but think that maybe they really were just playing him. Just leading him on, only to laugh at him later… The very thought made his insides boil, and he couldn't help but feel hateful. Not just towards those two, but towards everything. Being on the show. Being friends with others. He. Hated. Everything. Nothing could make him feel better. Nothing.
There was no way he could forgive them for letting him believe something like that. Letting him believe that they actually loved him… Just as much as he did them… He couldn't believe he actually thought he had to CHOOSE between them… No. He was tired of believing. He was just tired… All of this had started with a simple fight. A fight that was nothing but a game to everyone. Even those who weren't even involved.
Well, it was time to end this game.
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Justin had looked himself over in the mirror, smiling to himself. However, others would have found it to be a smirk. A smirk of victory. There was no way Noah wasn't his now. His plan had worked perfectly. He won. The other two were totally dead in Noah's mind, now, and all little Noah could do the night before was cry in Justin's shoulder! HA! Too perfect! It couldn't have turned out better!
Finally thinking he was beautiful enough to impress his new boyfriend, Justin blew a kiss to his reflection and strutted out of his room. There was NO way he was missing the looks that Cody and Duncan would have on their faces when Noah chose Justin today.
Yup. Life was good when things went his way.
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The day was starting out great for the pyromaniac juvenile delinquent. Although he had a terrible talk with his ex-girlfriend, Courtney, about the whole crush on Noah thing, it was all good. Yet, he kinda found it odd that the girl had only chosen to approach him about the matter that late at night. He shrugged it off. He was still pretty ticked with her, but couldn't help thinking…
…Those fights with her were still fun…
He couldn't help but think about the good times they had when they had still been in the competition… The shock he felt when she was kicked off the island… The never-ending thoughts of wanting to leave the island just so he could find her and get back with her again… He'd never admit it in front of anyone else, but…
…He sorta did miss her…
It was fun getting under her skin, mocking her, scaring her, and anything else along those lines… While he actually did like Noah, he also liked Courtney. They were kinda alike in many ways, except he wasn't exactly sure that Courtney had a family background like Noah did. Not that he thought there WAS another person in the world with a background like Noah…
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling of joy when the girl had come to his room the night before to explain her feelings… He was angered by how she explained them, but the thought of her being jealous over Noah getting so much attention from Duncan brought a light feeling in his stomach… Of course, she had denied such information, but he knew. He always knew things when it came to her. Yet somehow, he couldn't get over this feeling he had for Noah…
He held his head in his hands as he sat up and leaned forward on the pool chair he'd been sitting on. He was caught between two good people… And he didn't know which to choose. No matter how annoying she got, Courtney was always important to Duncan, and Noah was just as important. Someone to understand him. Someone to see him. That's all he'd ever wanted… No one had tried to understand him before…
…Well, except Courtney…
Somehow, he felt a little sorry for Noah. He now understood what he, Justin, and Cody were putting him through… And he, although this was very rare for him, felt terrible about it… He kinda regretted putting the boy through such a mental exercise…
…He'd just have to see what happens…
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Cody was definitely confident today. Come on, Noah and him had been friends WAY before this whole competition even STARTED! And he already had the support of many of the other contestants here! Specifically Trent, LeShawna, Eva (surprisingly), Ezekiel, and Bridgette. There was NO way that he was gonna lose with all his friends (some of them being friends) backing him up! He walked out of his room and headed towards the elevator.
He took a deep breath, and although he had been confident in his room, he started to sweat a little. He was going to tell Noah how he FELT! This wasn't exactly going to be easy… No matter how many times he practiced in the mirror last night after Beth left.
He checked his breath. It was good! He sighed. He couldn't believe it. He was going to confess to NOAH today! In fact, he was a little jumpy! He was excited! There was a little worry on his mind, but come on…
…What could go wrong…?
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Everyone at the Playa had been waiting patiently. Why? No one knew, but they all had to agree that something important was going to happen today. How do they know? It was just a feeling in their guts. Something that NO one wanted to miss was going to happen today, and they all were getting ready for it to start. They all felt a sudden tension as Noah walked outside, but not because of a feeling in their gut. There was something about Noah today that didn't seem normal… There had been a look on his face that brought gasps out of Lindsay and LeShawna…
Noah looked like death.
He eyes were bloodshot, and it looked as though he were crying. Not that anyone would know why, except for the scheming beauty standing near the refreshment bar, where he knew Noah always went. He walked over to Noah, wrapping an arm around the smaller boy's shoulders…
…Or tried to anyway…
Noah had completely ignored the taller beauty and walked straight to the refreshment bar, taking a seat and sighing heavily. Obviously confused, Justin looked at Courtney and Beth, who looked just as confused and prepared to walk over to the know-it-all, before he noticed that Cody walked over quickly to him, a look of worry on his face. This made Justin stop and smirk. He couldn't wait to see this scene unfold.
And apparently, neither could everyone else, as they watched closely, shushing each other to listen to everything the two boys were saying.
"Noah! Hey, are you okay!"
Noah turned to his right to look at the tech-geek standing next to him and glowered darkly, although he tried NOT to show it. He turned towards the boy, resisting a VERY annoying urge to punch him right then and there. Cody continued when he got no answer.
"Um… I wanted to talk to you, man…"
He waited for it. Noah had been waiting for the rejection.
"I wanted to say… um, you know this whole fight thing? Well…"
Go on. Go on and tell him you hate him. Noah was still waiting for it… Cody was breathing heavily, trying NOT to notice the anticipated looks in everyone's eyes as they waited for him to finally confess his feelings. LeShawna and Trent were grinning widely, Bridgette held her hand out to Geoff, gesturing for the chocolate bar he had anted to bet on Duncan getting Noah, and everyone else was just plain waiting for the suspenseful pause to stop.
"I… wanted to just get this out…"
URGH! HURRY UP ALREADY! Everyone was thinking this, but didn't want to ruin the moment! Izzy was practically GAGGING herself to assure that she wouldn't scream at the tech-geek to hurry up.
"We've been friends... for a while now, Noah, and... lately, I've been thinking... I... I think we should... be more than that... Sure, we've talked about videogames... and we've had a lot of fun together... And I just can't get enough... Noah, I..."
Everyone gasped.
"I…"
Cody took a deep breath…
"… I love you, Noah…"
Everyone had sighed and cheered for the two boys. Everyone except for Duncan and Justin, of course. Duncan had looked upset, but yet, didn't feel as bad as he thought he would… Justin, however, felt his smirk grow wider as he watched Noah's head bend down to hide his face with his hair. Duncan, however, had noticed this smirk and narrowed his eyes. What was he smiling about?
SMACK!
SPLASH!
Suddenly, everyone had stopped cheering and had refused to move an inch. Duncan looked around to see everyone's faces filled with shock, and turned to see the two boys by the refreshment bar to see Cody floating in the pool water, holding his cheek with Noah's head still bent and his arm raised up… Duncan's eyes widened with shock at the realization.
"Noah… hit Cody…?"
He suddenly looked back at Justin, who was still smiling… And Duncan's eyes narrowed again. So he DID have something to do with it…
"N…Noah…?" stuttered Cody, shocked, hurt, and confused at the same time.
"…How dare you…" he muttered darkly.
Cody couldn't see his face, but saw something drip from Noah's face and cause a ripple in the pool water. Looking up again, he saw Noah's face filled with tears, and he had been shaking furiously. Cody, along with everyone else at the Playa had been completely confused. Except Justin of course. Stopping for a moment and looking around, he noticed everyone looking at him, and froze. He never could handle people staring at him for a long period of time, and stood from his place and walked away from the refreshment bar, heading towards the building…
However, finally snapping out of the shock, Duncan had rose from his seat on the pool chair and ran to Noah, grabbing his shoulders getting the boy to look at him. Nearly falling apart at the face he saw when he looked at him.
"Noah! W-What's wrong!"
Noah couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take it. How could they act innocent like this? How can they act as though nothing happened? He struggled out of Duncan's grasp, which had been easy due to Duncan still being in shock. He backed away from the two of them, still crying, barely breathing.
"Noah-" started Duncan, but Noah interrupted.
"Shut up! Just SHUT UP ALREADY!" he screamed, causing Duncan to flinch in shock and confusion.
Everyone around them had stared with wide eyes at the scene. They were completely lost and also completely shocked. Noah had screamed at someone? Noah had screamed at DUNCAN? What was going on! Noah NEVER screamed! He always spoke with a monotone voice, but just now… they heard him scream! …What in the world was going on?
"Noah…"
He turned to see Cody, the one who spoke and had stood from the pool's edge, having gotten out, and stared at Noah worryingly. Noah's heart broke at seeing him like that, since he was STILL feigning the worry even though Noah had slapped him… He wasn't sure how much more he could take before fully breaking down…
"… What's wrong?"
This time, Duncan spoke, and Noah looked at him, breathing heavily. The hate was still in his eyes, but he still couldn't speak. They both took a step towards him, with him stepping back as a result. Why were they doing this to him? Hadn't he suffered enough already? Knowing that the whole fight was just some game to them? A game to EVERYONE?
"Noah, please… Tell us what's wrong. We can help you…"
And he broke.
"…Liars…"
They had all heard it. Noah spoke with such a raspy and hateful voice that they all heard it, and they all flinched from it. Even Courtney and Beth were staring at him in shock. Noah was absolutely furious, but no one had known why…
"You filthy, disgusting LIARS!"
He was shaking. He could contain himself anymore. Words were just flying out of his mouth like they had down with Justin last night… Everyone was watching this in horror, including Courtney and Beth…
"How can you say such things… HOW!" he screamed again.
No one was able to answer. They were too confused.
"I believed in you! BOTH OF YOU! DON'T talk to me as if you've EVER given a damn about me!"
Duncan took another step towards Noah, trying to calm him down. But just as the touched the know-it-all, he was met with a slap to the cheek, just as Cody had gotten only seconds before.
"What're you DOING? What're you talking about!" Duncan shouted.
Noah had just HIT him! He wasn't going to take this sitting down! He cared about the boy, and for him to get hit by him, well, SOMETHING had to be wrong! He watched as Noah fell to his knees.
"I believed in you…" he sobbed. "I believed you actually cared… But you were just TOYING with me all along!"
This had hit Duncan and Cody HARD. Noah was accusing them of something they weren't doing, and they didn't know why. They, along with everyone, were still staring at Noah, confused. Noah laughed bitterly, causing LeShawna and Trent to look at each other with REALLY worried expressions. They knew Noah had been a little weird, but this was just way off the mark. The boy had been completely fine yesterday…
"What're you talking about?" Cody asked.
"What am I talking about… I'm talking about you and your little girlfriend BETH!" shouted Noah, and everyone had gasped and looked at Beth in shock. She looked around, bothered by the sudden attention. Cody, especially, had been completely shocked.
"W-What?" he stuttered.
"I SAW you two CUDDLING in your room last night! You tell me you LOVE me! HA! What a LAUGH!" shouted Noah, laughing. To everyone else, he looked insane, but on the inside he was broken. He just wanted to hide it desperately…
"I-Is that true?" asked Bridgette, to Cody, who'd been just as shocked as she and everyone else was.
"N-NO! That's not true! W-We were just watching TV in my room!"
"And WHAT does rubbing her shoulder and leaning your head against her's got to do with WATCHING TV?" shouted Noah, not satisfied with his answer.
"We weren't CUDDLING, Noah! You have to believe me!" he said.
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" he screamed again, covering his ears. "I've ALWAYS believed in you! ALWAYS! But I can't deny what I saw, Cody, and I SAW you cuddling with her! I didn't want to believe it, but I HAD to! Because THAT'S what I SAW!"
Everyone had been staring at him, not believing their ears. Cody cuddling with Beth? It wasn't unbelievable, but still… they had all known Cody had liked Noah for a while! They all looked at Beth, as if asking her to confirm it. She was shocked, and looked at Justin, who nodded (Which no one caught), and gulped. She bent her head down.
"I… I wasth asthleep… I don't remember…" she answered, and Justin frowned. That wasn't the answer they had worked on, but he shrugged. It still worked.
"No! NO! Noah, I-I didn't!" Cody stuttered, not knowing what to say anymore.
It was no use. Noah hadn't been listening to him anymore. He was holding his head in his hands, resisting the urge to cry anymore. Having a hard time doing so, but trying nonetheless. Duncan glared at Cody.
"What were you thinking!" he asked. Noah glared at him.
"Oh, and what're YOU talking about!" shouted Noah, standing up again. "You were the one telling Courtney last night how this was a game! And that YOU'D win and that I'D be your PRIZE! You know, something to just wave around, DUNCAN! You just wanted to beat Justin and Cody at this GAME, DIDN'T YOU?"
Duncan stared back at him in shock, while others had stopped staring at Cody with disgusted looks. Those looks had once again turned into shock as they were now directed at Duncan.
"Dude, WHAT?" asked DJ, who couldn't believe what he'd heard.
"W-Wha? I-I didn't say-" started Duncan, but stopped as he recalled his words from last night.
"Look, this is just like any other challenge we've had on that stupid island! And like those challenges, I'm gonna win! And Noah will be in my arms by the end of this game, you'll see it! I'll beat Cody and Justin, and laugh it up in YOUR face when I win Noah as my prize!"
He looked at Justin, hatefully. He walked over to Justin, grabbing his collar furiously and shook him.
"What… did you DO!" he shouted.
Justin, while wanting so badly to smirk and laugh in his face, feigned shock and fear, trying to struggle out of Duncan's grasp.
"W-What're you talking about!" he asked.
"I'm talking about me and Cody!" he shouted. "WHAT DID YOU DO!"
"I didn't do any-"
"LIAR!"
Duncan looked about ready to kill the pretty boy that was in his grasp, but with quick instincts, DJ, Geoff, and Tyler had run up to the boy and held him back from behind. They weren't sure as to what was going on, but they couldn't just let Duncan kill someone without knowing anything. Then another thing had crossed Duncan's mind as his eyes caught a certain CIT.
"What did he make you do! Tell me, Courtney!" he shouted.
Courtney had flinched, and Bridgette walked over to comfort the CIT. She hadn't been sure of what had happened, but knew that she couldn't let someone stand in the spotlight alone.
However, Courtney felt like breaking down, seeing the one she cared about so dearly getting blamed for something he TECHNICALLY did, but wouldn't have done without her assistance. He didn't even call her 'Princess', like he usually did… Which had hurt her a lot, but she looked at Noah and felt the worse sinking feeling she could've ever mustered…
Noah must've cared about Duncan, otherwise he wouldn't be getting so worked up about what he said. She looked at Beth, who had probably been thinking the same thing, and the sinking feeling grew worse then ever.
…They both made a BIG mistake…
"TELL ME THE TRUTH, COURTNEY!" he shouted, looking as though he were on the verge of tears, which was rare for someone like Duncan.
He couldn't believe it. He knew she had to have had a hand in the fight they had yesterday and why Noah was acting like this, but only she could confirm it, and he knew it. He was backstabbed and betrayed. He had actually thought that he liked her… and she did this to him… He couldn't believe it… Suddenly, he felt Noah's pain, and looked at the ground, feeling horrible…
Courtney didn't know what to do anymore… The guy she'd cared so much about was in tears on the ground, and she couldn't even speak. Noah had been glaring at both Cody and Duncan, not believing their denials for a second. She knew that she had hurt Duncan, Noah, AND Cody by going through with this plan that Justin plotted, but…
What she hadn't known that by doing this, she had hurt herself and possibly Beth as well… The guilt was too much… She felt like she was dying on the inside knowing that she had a hand in all of this. She was standing with Bridgette next to the hot tub, and she looked into the water… Seeing herself for the first time…
She wanted to cry… She couldn't believe how low she'd gone… All she wanted was for Duncan to be with her again, but all she did was hurt him, and many others… She wanted him to tease her again, to call her 'Princess', and constantly flirt with her again…
She looked at everyone around her. From Duncan, to Noah, to Cody, to Justin, to everyone else who'd been watching… She looked at Beth, who shared the same expression she did… Then saw Justin, who had been staring intensely at her, as if knowing what she was going to do…
She then looked at everyone else, who was staring at both Duncan and Cody with the most hateful, disgusted, and disapproving looks she's ever seen… Normally, she had never felt so terrible about getting everyone else kicked off of the competition or things like that… But she knew she'd hurt them. Cody had looked like crying, too!… Not that she knew NOAH would be hurt, but… that didn't change the fact that he was hurt…
She took a deep breath, looked at Beth, and nodded.
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Confession Cam (A Little Early This Time)
Courtney: "I really wasn't sure what to do… I didn't really expect Noah to be hurt by this… And Duncan…" *Sigh* "I couldn't do it. I couldn't lie to him anymore than I already have… I'd be on the same level as Heather, and Duncan's always been straight with people… And he's nice… I had to come clean"
Beth: "I wasth really sthocked… I didn't know Noah liked Cody stho much… I felt really bad, and I knew I had to do sthomething! Courtney mustht've been thinking the sthame thing, too"
LeShawna: "What the heck was going on! Cody and Beth?"
Trent: "Dude… I couldn't believe it. I really thought Cody had a thing with Noah for a while! Why would he go for Beth when Noah was practically his!"
Izzy: "Okay, I am, like, SO confused! I REALLY DID MISS SOMETHING! URGH! … But at least I'm getting this whole scene on my video camera!… Where'd I get the camera you're wondering…? Um… LOOK! A MONKEY!"
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"Everyone…"
With the sudden voice, everyone had looked at Courtney, who had stood prouder and taller than she's ever had this entire scene… They all watched as she glared at Justin, who returned the glare, and spoke.
"… I'm sorry…"
They all looked at her, and some had raised an eyebrow, not understanding what was going on. They noticed Beth walking over to her side, with the same regretful, yet proud look on her face as Courtney did. Duncan looked up from the ground, watching the girl with dislike, yet, had to wonder if she was actually gonna do what he thought she was gonna do…
"Duncan is right. I did have something to do with what's going on"
Bridgette's jaw dropped, along with Katie and Sadie's. Everyone had looked at her with disbelief. Justin's face had darkened. She was really gonna blather.
"I had helped Justin set up the whole thing" said Courtney.
Everyone looked at Justin, who stayed silent. Katie and Sadie had especially been shocked, as they had once adored this guy… And now this is what they find out about him… Everyone had been shocked, but LeShawna, Trent, and Izzy were looking at the two of them disapprovingly.
"Stho did I…" admitted Beth, sending Cody an apologetic look. "I'm sthorry, Cody… Noah…"
"We were the ones to visit Duncan and Cody last night…" Courtney explained. "I had seemed like a jealous girl who was trying to get Duncan to stop his participation in the fight over Noah, and I had eventually gotten him to say what we needed him to say…"
By this time, Noah's eyes had widened and looked towards Duncan, who stared back at him apologetically. Yet, the dislike in Noah's gaze was still there, and everyone could see it. Even Courtney.
"Noah"
He looked at her…
"He didn't mean any of those things… I had gotten him to say it… Truth is, he really, REALLY… cares about you…" Courtney said, hesitating, knowing that this would possibly cost her the chance of getting back with Duncan. Yet, she hadn't cared anymore.
"And Cody'sth innocent, too…" said Beth, and Noah looked at her. "I sthaid I'd watch TV with him, and I feigned falling asthleep… I didn't think he'd actually rub my shoulder and lean his head on mine, but… He told me afterwardsth"
"Cody… Were you leaning your head on mine?" Beth asked, looking at Cody questionably.
"Oh… Well, I…" he blushed. "…Don't tell him this, kay? But… For a second… I was imagining that you were Noah…"
As Beth listened to him explain, she looked at his eyes and saw them sparkle… They sparkled with an intensity stronger than anything she's ever seen, and she smiled at him. Noah was a really lucky guy…
"When he did that… He wasth thinking about you…" said Beth, looking deeply into Noah's eyes to make sure he got this.
Noah looked around. Everyone was so shocked that they didn't know what to do or say. LeShawna and Trent walked over to Noah and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at them, as if asking what to do, to which they had not known the answer. They all looked at Duncan and Cody… Duncan was staring at Courtney, who looked down in shame. Cody had been staring off into space, as if trying to think things through. Noah couldn't blame them.
Then everyone had looked at Justin, who had been glaring at Courtney, Beth, Cody, and Duncan. Noah had felt so terrible about Duncan and Cody he wasn't even able to be furious with the taller beauty who had plotted against the other two…
Suddenly, a shriek had filled the air, and Izzy had jumped on Justin unexpectedly and started hitting him on the head continuously. Everyone watched with wide eyes as the two had continued to struggle with each other until falling into the pool. Angered that she hadn't done it first, Eva punched her fist into her hand, grinned evilly, and ran into the pool, hoping to get in on some of the action.
As they watched the entire fight, something happened that no one was expecting… Literally… They heard a laugh, and everyone looked around to see who it was…
… It was Noah…
Noah was laughing like a maniac! It wasn't the harsh, bitter laugh that he was using to try and hide his sorrow… It was a true laugh of humor, which was something that not even Cody had heard before… Yet, seeing the boy he loved so much suddenly look happy again… Cody couldn't help but smile… Then something occurred to him…
He had just confessed to Noah his feelings… And then this whole thing happens… They had to talk… And Cody was not looking forward to it…
…He was still competing against Duncan for Noah…
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Confession Cam No.2
Cody: "I couldn't believe Beth would do such a thing! I couldn't believe JUSTIN would do such a thing! Who knew the guy could be totally evil!"
Duncan: "Yeah, I was definitely NOT happy with Courtney… But she DID confess, and she DID defend me… But I'm still placing my hate on JUSTIN! Dude's going DOWN!"
Justin: "I would've HAD him if it weren't for those BIG MOUTHS! And now I've got BRUISES! And my HAIR'S MESSED UP because of that gorilla and that stupid mentally challenged RAT!"
Noah: "I'm… I'm shocked… to know that they really DO care about me… But even if they didn't, that didn't mean I was gonna choose Justin. Sure, the guy was a shoulder to cry on, but even I could tell there was something fishy. I'm not stupid… But now the question is… Duncan…? Or Cody…?"
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This fanfic does not belong to me, it belongs to an awesome writer, WillowWitch on Fanfiction.net
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Noah sat in his room, staring at the wall for what seemed like CENTURIES. He couldn't understand…
What had he done?
What did he do to deserve the deceit?
How could those two do that to him…?
Was there something wrong with him? OTHER than the fact that he was gay! They didn't seem to have a problem with it, and neither did he, but… it was a couple of GIRLS they were both with last night…Courtney was Duncan's ex-girlfriend, and Beth actually had a CRUSH on Cody for a while… Not that he knew if it had ended or not. Urgh, these thoughts were going to be the end of him.
Why would they do this? Why would Duncan do this? Of course. He knew the answer, what was the point of asking! He was just trying to get back at Courtney! He said so himself last night! He should've seen it coming… It IS Duncan after all…
The one he couldn't understand or make any predictions about was Cody… Cody was always so sweet, kind, gentle, caring… What would bring him to cuddle with brace-face when he was currently fighting with Duncan and Cody over him…?
…Had Beth confessed to Cody that she liked him? Had Cody accepted? Was THAT what was going on? Cody wouldn't do that… No… He probably could. It's nothing against morals of anything!
Noah felt his soul crumble. Cody. The guy he'd liked for, like, EVER, had been lost to BETH! They talked SO much in the past few days! They actually got along better than most of the campers! Hell, Cody got along with him more than his own friends at HOME!
… Why did it hurt so much…?
To be thought of as a prize… Many would find that to be a compliment… Well, people like Lindsay anyway, and he was definitely NOT Lindsay. Why would he want to be flaunted around instead of cared for? Didn't Duncan say he understood what it was like to be unnoticed? Did he think showing Noah off would make people notice him? Great. That's just great. He was just thinking too positively lately… What happened to his negative attitude? What changed it? It was always easier going through life when he was a cynical, sarcastic jerk!
He held his head in his hands. Not crying a tear. He had been crying all night in his room after Justin walked him there…
Justin… The guy he'd been talking to last night in the pool. It was highly suspicious that he told Noah to check on the other two, only to find them doing what they were doing… Noah looked at himself in the mirror. Could Justin have had anything to do with it? No… Maybe it was just wishful thinking…
What made it worse was that somehow, even though he knew something HAD to have been wrong here, he couldn't help but think that maybe they really were just playing him. Just leading him on, only to laugh at him later… The very thought made his insides boil, and he couldn't help but feel hateful. Not just towards those two, but towards everything. Being on the show. Being friends with others. He. Hated. Everything. Nothing could make him feel better. Nothing.
There was no way he could forgive them for letting him believe something like that. Letting him believe that they actually loved him… Just as much as he did them… He couldn't believe he actually thought he had to CHOOSE between them… No. He was tired of believing. He was just tired… All of this had started with a simple fight. A fight that was nothing but a game to everyone. Even those who weren't even involved.
Well, it was time to end this game.
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Justin had looked himself over in the mirror, smiling to himself. However, others would have found it to be a smirk. A smirk of victory. There was no way Noah wasn't his now. His plan had worked perfectly. He won. The other two were totally dead in Noah's mind, now, and all little Noah could do the night before was cry in Justin's shoulder! HA! Too perfect! It couldn't have turned out better!
Finally thinking he was beautiful enough to impress his new boyfriend, Justin blew a kiss to his reflection and strutted out of his room. There was NO way he was missing the looks that Cody and Duncan would have on their faces when Noah chose Justin today.
Yup. Life was good when things went his way.
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The day was starting out great for the pyromaniac juvenile delinquent. Although he had a terrible talk with his ex-girlfriend, Courtney, about the whole crush on Noah thing, it was all good. Yet, he kinda found it odd that the girl had only chosen to approach him about the matter that late at night. He shrugged it off. He was still pretty ticked with her, but couldn't help thinking…
…Those fights with her were still fun…
He couldn't help but think about the good times they had when they had still been in the competition… The shock he felt when she was kicked off the island… The never-ending thoughts of wanting to leave the island just so he could find her and get back with her again… He'd never admit it in front of anyone else, but…
…He sorta did miss her…
It was fun getting under her skin, mocking her, scaring her, and anything else along those lines… While he actually did like Noah, he also liked Courtney. They were kinda alike in many ways, except he wasn't exactly sure that Courtney had a family background like Noah did. Not that he thought there WAS another person in the world with a background like Noah…
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling of joy when the girl had come to his room the night before to explain her feelings… He was angered by how she explained them, but the thought of her being jealous over Noah getting so much attention from Duncan brought a light feeling in his stomach… Of course, she had denied such information, but he knew. He always knew things when it came to her. Yet somehow, he couldn't get over this feeling he had for Noah…
He held his head in his hands as he sat up and leaned forward on the pool chair he'd been sitting on. He was caught between two good people… And he didn't know which to choose. No matter how annoying she got, Courtney was always important to Duncan, and Noah was just as important. Someone to understand him. Someone to see him. That's all he'd ever wanted… No one had tried to understand him before…
…Well, except Courtney…
Somehow, he felt a little sorry for Noah. He now understood what he, Justin, and Cody were putting him through… And he, although this was very rare for him, felt terrible about it… He kinda regretted putting the boy through such a mental exercise…
…He'd just have to see what happens…
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Cody was definitely confident today. Come on, Noah and him had been friends WAY before this whole competition even STARTED! And he already had the support of many of the other contestants here! Specifically Trent, LeShawna, Eva (surprisingly), Ezekiel, and Bridgette. There was NO way that he was gonna lose with all his friends (some of them being friends) backing him up! He walked out of his room and headed towards the elevator.
He took a deep breath, and although he had been confident in his room, he started to sweat a little. He was going to tell Noah how he FELT! This wasn't exactly going to be easy… No matter how many times he practiced in the mirror last night after Beth left.
He checked his breath. It was good! He sighed. He couldn't believe it. He was going to confess to NOAH today! In fact, he was a little jumpy! He was excited! There was a little worry on his mind, but come on…
…What could go wrong…?
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Everyone at the Playa had been waiting patiently. Why? No one knew, but they all had to agree that something important was going to happen today. How do they know? It was just a feeling in their guts. Something that NO one wanted to miss was going to happen today, and they all were getting ready for it to start. They all felt a sudden tension as Noah walked outside, but not because of a feeling in their gut. There was something about Noah today that didn't seem normal… There had been a look on his face that brought gasps out of Lindsay and LeShawna…
Noah looked like death.
He eyes were bloodshot, and it looked as though he were crying. Not that anyone would know why, except for the scheming beauty standing near the refreshment bar, where he knew Noah always went. He walked over to Noah, wrapping an arm around the smaller boy's shoulders…
…Or tried to anyway…
Noah had completely ignored the taller beauty and walked straight to the refreshment bar, taking a seat and sighing heavily. Obviously confused, Justin looked at Courtney and Beth, who looked just as confused and prepared to walk over to the know-it-all, before he noticed that Cody walked over quickly to him, a look of worry on his face. This made Justin stop and smirk. He couldn't wait to see this scene unfold.
And apparently, neither could everyone else, as they watched closely, shushing each other to listen to everything the two boys were saying.
"Noah! Hey, are you okay!"
Noah turned to his right to look at the tech-geek standing next to him and glowered darkly, although he tried NOT to show it. He turned towards the boy, resisting a VERY annoying urge to punch him right then and there. Cody continued when he got no answer.
"Um… I wanted to talk to you, man…"
He waited for it. Noah had been waiting for the rejection.
"I wanted to say… um, you know this whole fight thing? Well…"
Go on. Go on and tell him you hate him. Noah was still waiting for it… Cody was breathing heavily, trying NOT to notice the anticipated looks in everyone's eyes as they waited for him to finally confess his feelings. LeShawna and Trent were grinning widely, Bridgette held her hand out to Geoff, gesturing for the chocolate bar he had anted to bet on Duncan getting Noah, and everyone else was just plain waiting for the suspenseful pause to stop.
"I… wanted to just get this out…"
URGH! HURRY UP ALREADY! Everyone was thinking this, but didn't want to ruin the moment! Izzy was practically GAGGING herself to assure that she wouldn't scream at the tech-geek to hurry up.
"We've been friends... for a while now, Noah, and... lately, I've been thinking... I... I think we should... be more than that... Sure, we've talked about videogames... and we've had a lot of fun together... And I just can't get enough... Noah, I..."
Everyone gasped.
"I…"
Cody took a deep breath…
"… I love you, Noah…"
Everyone had sighed and cheered for the two boys. Everyone except for Duncan and Justin, of course. Duncan had looked upset, but yet, didn't feel as bad as he thought he would… Justin, however, felt his smirk grow wider as he watched Noah's head bend down to hide his face with his hair. Duncan, however, had noticed this smirk and narrowed his eyes. What was he smiling about?
SMACK!
SPLASH!
Suddenly, everyone had stopped cheering and had refused to move an inch. Duncan looked around to see everyone's faces filled with shock, and turned to see the two boys by the refreshment bar to see Cody floating in the pool water, holding his cheek with Noah's head still bent and his arm raised up… Duncan's eyes widened with shock at the realization.
"Noah… hit Cody…?"
He suddenly looked back at Justin, who was still smiling… And Duncan's eyes narrowed again. So he DID have something to do with it…
"N…Noah…?" stuttered Cody, shocked, hurt, and confused at the same time.
"…How dare you…" he muttered darkly.
Cody couldn't see his face, but saw something drip from Noah's face and cause a ripple in the pool water. Looking up again, he saw Noah's face filled with tears, and he had been shaking furiously. Cody, along with everyone else at the Playa had been completely confused. Except Justin of course. Stopping for a moment and looking around, he noticed everyone looking at him, and froze. He never could handle people staring at him for a long period of time, and stood from his place and walked away from the refreshment bar, heading towards the building…
However, finally snapping out of the shock, Duncan had rose from his seat on the pool chair and ran to Noah, grabbing his shoulders getting the boy to look at him. Nearly falling apart at the face he saw when he looked at him.
"Noah! W-What's wrong!"
Noah couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take it. How could they act innocent like this? How can they act as though nothing happened? He struggled out of Duncan's grasp, which had been easy due to Duncan still being in shock. He backed away from the two of them, still crying, barely breathing.
"Noah-" started Duncan, but Noah interrupted.
"Shut up! Just SHUT UP ALREADY!" he screamed, causing Duncan to flinch in shock and confusion.
Everyone around them had stared with wide eyes at the scene. They were completely lost and also completely shocked. Noah had screamed at someone? Noah had screamed at DUNCAN? What was going on! Noah NEVER screamed! He always spoke with a monotone voice, but just now… they heard him scream! …What in the world was going on?
"Noah…"
He turned to see Cody, the one who spoke and had stood from the pool's edge, having gotten out, and stared at Noah worryingly. Noah's heart broke at seeing him like that, since he was STILL feigning the worry even though Noah had slapped him… He wasn't sure how much more he could take before fully breaking down…
"… What's wrong?"
This time, Duncan spoke, and Noah looked at him, breathing heavily. The hate was still in his eyes, but he still couldn't speak. They both took a step towards him, with him stepping back as a result. Why were they doing this to him? Hadn't he suffered enough already? Knowing that the whole fight was just some game to them? A game to EVERYONE?
"Noah, please… Tell us what's wrong. We can help you…"
And he broke.
"…Liars…"
They had all heard it. Noah spoke with such a raspy and hateful voice that they all heard it, and they all flinched from it. Even Courtney and Beth were staring at him in shock. Noah was absolutely furious, but no one had known why…
"You filthy, disgusting LIARS!"
He was shaking. He could contain himself anymore. Words were just flying out of his mouth like they had down with Justin last night… Everyone was watching this in horror, including Courtney and Beth…
"How can you say such things… HOW!" he screamed again.
No one was able to answer. They were too confused.
"I believed in you! BOTH OF YOU! DON'T talk to me as if you've EVER given a damn about me!"
Duncan took another step towards Noah, trying to calm him down. But just as the touched the know-it-all, he was met with a slap to the cheek, just as Cody had gotten only seconds before.
"What're you DOING? What're you talking about!" Duncan shouted.
Noah had just HIT him! He wasn't going to take this sitting down! He cared about the boy, and for him to get hit by him, well, SOMETHING had to be wrong! He watched as Noah fell to his knees.
"I believed in you…" he sobbed. "I believed you actually cared… But you were just TOYING with me all along!"
This had hit Duncan and Cody HARD. Noah was accusing them of something they weren't doing, and they didn't know why. They, along with everyone, were still staring at Noah, confused. Noah laughed bitterly, causing LeShawna and Trent to look at each other with REALLY worried expressions. They knew Noah had been a little weird, but this was just way off the mark. The boy had been completely fine yesterday…
"What're you talking about?" Cody asked.
"What am I talking about… I'm talking about you and your little girlfriend BETH!" shouted Noah, and everyone had gasped and looked at Beth in shock. She looked around, bothered by the sudden attention. Cody, especially, had been completely shocked.
"W-What?" he stuttered.
"I SAW you two CUDDLING in your room last night! You tell me you LOVE me! HA! What a LAUGH!" shouted Noah, laughing. To everyone else, he looked insane, but on the inside he was broken. He just wanted to hide it desperately…
"I-Is that true?" asked Bridgette, to Cody, who'd been just as shocked as she and everyone else was.
"N-NO! That's not true! W-We were just watching TV in my room!"
"And WHAT does rubbing her shoulder and leaning your head against her's got to do with WATCHING TV?" shouted Noah, not satisfied with his answer.
"We weren't CUDDLING, Noah! You have to believe me!" he said.
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" he screamed again, covering his ears. "I've ALWAYS believed in you! ALWAYS! But I can't deny what I saw, Cody, and I SAW you cuddling with her! I didn't want to believe it, but I HAD to! Because THAT'S what I SAW!"
Everyone had been staring at him, not believing their ears. Cody cuddling with Beth? It wasn't unbelievable, but still… they had all known Cody had liked Noah for a while! They all looked at Beth, as if asking her to confirm it. She was shocked, and looked at Justin, who nodded (Which no one caught), and gulped. She bent her head down.
"I… I wasth asthleep… I don't remember…" she answered, and Justin frowned. That wasn't the answer they had worked on, but he shrugged. It still worked.
"No! NO! Noah, I-I didn't!" Cody stuttered, not knowing what to say anymore.
It was no use. Noah hadn't been listening to him anymore. He was holding his head in his hands, resisting the urge to cry anymore. Having a hard time doing so, but trying nonetheless. Duncan glared at Cody.
"What were you thinking!" he asked. Noah glared at him.
"Oh, and what're YOU talking about!" shouted Noah, standing up again. "You were the one telling Courtney last night how this was a game! And that YOU'D win and that I'D be your PRIZE! You know, something to just wave around, DUNCAN! You just wanted to beat Justin and Cody at this GAME, DIDN'T YOU?"
Duncan stared back at him in shock, while others had stopped staring at Cody with disgusted looks. Those looks had once again turned into shock as they were now directed at Duncan.
"Dude, WHAT?" asked DJ, who couldn't believe what he'd heard.
"W-Wha? I-I didn't say-" started Duncan, but stopped as he recalled his words from last night.
"Look, this is just like any other challenge we've had on that stupid island! And like those challenges, I'm gonna win! And Noah will be in my arms by the end of this game, you'll see it! I'll beat Cody and Justin, and laugh it up in YOUR face when I win Noah as my prize!"
He looked at Justin, hatefully. He walked over to Justin, grabbing his collar furiously and shook him.
"What… did you DO!" he shouted.
Justin, while wanting so badly to smirk and laugh in his face, feigned shock and fear, trying to struggle out of Duncan's grasp.
"W-What're you talking about!" he asked.
"I'm talking about me and Cody!" he shouted. "WHAT DID YOU DO!"
"I didn't do any-"
"LIAR!"
Duncan looked about ready to kill the pretty boy that was in his grasp, but with quick instincts, DJ, Geoff, and Tyler had run up to the boy and held him back from behind. They weren't sure as to what was going on, but they couldn't just let Duncan kill someone without knowing anything. Then another thing had crossed Duncan's mind as his eyes caught a certain CIT.
"What did he make you do! Tell me, Courtney!" he shouted.
Courtney had flinched, and Bridgette walked over to comfort the CIT. She hadn't been sure of what had happened, but knew that she couldn't let someone stand in the spotlight alone.
However, Courtney felt like breaking down, seeing the one she cared about so dearly getting blamed for something he TECHNICALLY did, but wouldn't have done without her assistance. He didn't even call her 'Princess', like he usually did… Which had hurt her a lot, but she looked at Noah and felt the worse sinking feeling she could've ever mustered…
Noah must've cared about Duncan, otherwise he wouldn't be getting so worked up about what he said. She looked at Beth, who had probably been thinking the same thing, and the sinking feeling grew worse then ever.
…They both made a BIG mistake…
"TELL ME THE TRUTH, COURTNEY!" he shouted, looking as though he were on the verge of tears, which was rare for someone like Duncan.
He couldn't believe it. He knew she had to have had a hand in the fight they had yesterday and why Noah was acting like this, but only she could confirm it, and he knew it. He was backstabbed and betrayed. He had actually thought that he liked her… and she did this to him… He couldn't believe it… Suddenly, he felt Noah's pain, and looked at the ground, feeling horrible…
Courtney didn't know what to do anymore… The guy she'd cared so much about was in tears on the ground, and she couldn't even speak. Noah had been glaring at both Cody and Duncan, not believing their denials for a second. She knew that she had hurt Duncan, Noah, AND Cody by going through with this plan that Justin plotted, but…
What she hadn't known that by doing this, she had hurt herself and possibly Beth as well… The guilt was too much… She felt like she was dying on the inside knowing that she had a hand in all of this. She was standing with Bridgette next to the hot tub, and she looked into the water… Seeing herself for the first time…
She wanted to cry… She couldn't believe how low she'd gone… All she wanted was for Duncan to be with her again, but all she did was hurt him, and many others… She wanted him to tease her again, to call her 'Princess', and constantly flirt with her again…
She looked at everyone around her. From Duncan, to Noah, to Cody, to Justin, to everyone else who'd been watching… She looked at Beth, who shared the same expression she did… Then saw Justin, who had been staring intensely at her, as if knowing what she was going to do…
She then looked at everyone else, who was staring at both Duncan and Cody with the most hateful, disgusted, and disapproving looks she's ever seen… Normally, she had never felt so terrible about getting everyone else kicked off of the competition or things like that… But she knew she'd hurt them. Cody had looked like crying, too!… Not that she knew NOAH would be hurt, but… that didn't change the fact that he was hurt…
She took a deep breath, looked at Beth, and nodded.
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Confession Cam (A Little Early This Time)
Courtney: "I really wasn't sure what to do… I didn't really expect Noah to be hurt by this… And Duncan…" *Sigh* "I couldn't do it. I couldn't lie to him anymore than I already have… I'd be on the same level as Heather, and Duncan's always been straight with people… And he's nice… I had to come clean"
Beth: "I wasth really sthocked… I didn't know Noah liked Cody stho much… I felt really bad, and I knew I had to do sthomething! Courtney mustht've been thinking the sthame thing, too"
LeShawna: "What the heck was going on! Cody and Beth?"
Trent: "Dude… I couldn't believe it. I really thought Cody had a thing with Noah for a while! Why would he go for Beth when Noah was practically his!"
Izzy: "Okay, I am, like, SO confused! I REALLY DID MISS SOMETHING! URGH! … But at least I'm getting this whole scene on my video camera!… Where'd I get the camera you're wondering…? Um… LOOK! A MONKEY!"
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"Everyone…"
With the sudden voice, everyone had looked at Courtney, who had stood prouder and taller than she's ever had this entire scene… They all watched as she glared at Justin, who returned the glare, and spoke.
"… I'm sorry…"
They all looked at her, and some had raised an eyebrow, not understanding what was going on. They noticed Beth walking over to her side, with the same regretful, yet proud look on her face as Courtney did. Duncan looked up from the ground, watching the girl with dislike, yet, had to wonder if she was actually gonna do what he thought she was gonna do…
"Duncan is right. I did have something to do with what's going on"
Bridgette's jaw dropped, along with Katie and Sadie's. Everyone had looked at her with disbelief. Justin's face had darkened. She was really gonna blather.
"I had helped Justin set up the whole thing" said Courtney.
Everyone looked at Justin, who stayed silent. Katie and Sadie had especially been shocked, as they had once adored this guy… And now this is what they find out about him… Everyone had been shocked, but LeShawna, Trent, and Izzy were looking at the two of them disapprovingly.
"Stho did I…" admitted Beth, sending Cody an apologetic look. "I'm sthorry, Cody… Noah…"
"We were the ones to visit Duncan and Cody last night…" Courtney explained. "I had seemed like a jealous girl who was trying to get Duncan to stop his participation in the fight over Noah, and I had eventually gotten him to say what we needed him to say…"
By this time, Noah's eyes had widened and looked towards Duncan, who stared back at him apologetically. Yet, the dislike in Noah's gaze was still there, and everyone could see it. Even Courtney.
"Noah"
He looked at her…
"He didn't mean any of those things… I had gotten him to say it… Truth is, he really, REALLY… cares about you…" Courtney said, hesitating, knowing that this would possibly cost her the chance of getting back with Duncan. Yet, she hadn't cared anymore.
"And Cody'sth innocent, too…" said Beth, and Noah looked at her. "I sthaid I'd watch TV with him, and I feigned falling asthleep… I didn't think he'd actually rub my shoulder and lean his head on mine, but… He told me afterwardsth"
"Cody… Were you leaning your head on mine?" Beth asked, looking at Cody questionably.
"Oh… Well, I…" he blushed. "…Don't tell him this, kay? But… For a second… I was imagining that you were Noah…"
As Beth listened to him explain, she looked at his eyes and saw them sparkle… They sparkled with an intensity stronger than anything she's ever seen, and she smiled at him. Noah was a really lucky guy…
"When he did that… He wasth thinking about you…" said Beth, looking deeply into Noah's eyes to make sure he got this.
Noah looked around. Everyone was so shocked that they didn't know what to do or say. LeShawna and Trent walked over to Noah and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at them, as if asking what to do, to which they had not known the answer. They all looked at Duncan and Cody… Duncan was staring at Courtney, who looked down in shame. Cody had been staring off into space, as if trying to think things through. Noah couldn't blame them.
Then everyone had looked at Justin, who had been glaring at Courtney, Beth, Cody, and Duncan. Noah had felt so terrible about Duncan and Cody he wasn't even able to be furious with the taller beauty who had plotted against the other two…
Suddenly, a shriek had filled the air, and Izzy had jumped on Justin unexpectedly and started hitting him on the head continuously. Everyone watched with wide eyes as the two had continued to struggle with each other until falling into the pool. Angered that she hadn't done it first, Eva punched her fist into her hand, grinned evilly, and ran into the pool, hoping to get in on some of the action.
As they watched the entire fight, something happened that no one was expecting… Literally… They heard a laugh, and everyone looked around to see who it was…
… It was Noah…
Noah was laughing like a maniac! It wasn't the harsh, bitter laugh that he was using to try and hide his sorrow… It was a true laugh of humor, which was something that not even Cody had heard before… Yet, seeing the boy he loved so much suddenly look happy again… Cody couldn't help but smile… Then something occurred to him…
He had just confessed to Noah his feelings… And then this whole thing happens… They had to talk… And Cody was not looking forward to it…
…He was still competing against Duncan for Noah…
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Confession Cam No.2
Cody: "I couldn't believe Beth would do such a thing! I couldn't believe JUSTIN would do such a thing! Who knew the guy could be totally evil!"
Duncan: "Yeah, I was definitely NOT happy with Courtney… But she DID confess, and she DID defend me… But I'm still placing my hate on JUSTIN! Dude's going DOWN!"
Justin: "I would've HAD him if it weren't for those BIG MOUTHS! And now I've got BRUISES! And my HAIR'S MESSED UP because of that gorilla and that stupid mentally challenged RAT!"
Noah: "I'm… I'm shocked… to know that they really DO care about me… But even if they didn't, that didn't mean I was gonna choose Justin. Sure, the guy was a shoulder to cry on, but even I could tell there was something fishy. I'm not stupid… But now the question is… Duncan…? Or Cody…?"
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