"It's challenge time!" Chris declares, a twinkle in his beady brown eyes. "Last person on the platform wins the challenge for their team. This is gonna be fun."

You take your place on the mat across from Noah. Alejandro is facing off against Cody; Sierra with Leshawna, and Heather against Owen.

You eye Noah warily. He's scrawny, like Cody, but he probably has some hidden skills.

"Hiyah!" You throw a karate chop at Noah, but the blow falls short of his actual body. Noah lazily kicks at you. He's not invested in the dance, you can see the disinterest in the crease of his brow.

You try again, this time aiming for his shoulder. Bam! You whack Noah, and he stumbles off center.

"Ack!" he whimpers as an electric shock courses through his body.

You wince, but keep throwing shots. You need to win this for Team Victory.

"Boo yah!" You kick at him again. This time, you nail Noah in the shin. He screams like a baby and crumples to the ground before sliding off the mat and onto the snow below.

"Do I win?!" You ask excitedly. Lindsay and DJ cheer for you on the sidelines.

"I'm so proud of you!" Lindsay hollers.

You hop off to join Team Victory spectating. Sierra and Leshawna are going at it. They're both pro dancers. Sierra is doing some sort of ballet, but Leshawna deflects all her attacks with some sharp hip hop.

Cody and Alejandro are another story. Alejandro is calm, cool, and collected. Cody nervously throws a punch. Alejandro knocks Cody's legs right out from under him. Cody is thrown into the snow.

"Cody!" you yell.

"Cody!" Sierra shrieks. She drop kicks Leshawna in the stomach. Leshawna falls with a loud oof. For a moment, you consider helping her up, since she is your teammate. But Cody takes precedence in your heart.

You hurry over to Cody, who is lying in a snowbank. His right leg, once so cute and alluring, is bent and twitching.

Sierra gets to Cody first. She's foaming over him like a rabid animal.

"Speak to me!" she howls.

"Get away from him!" you push Sierra aside.

"Why you little-" Sierra makes a swipe at you, hissing.

Gwen and Courtney restrain Sierra. Courtney says, "Calm down!"

"Whahtbfb?" Cody gurgles. You rest your hand on Cody's cheek and gaze into his eyes. They are usually bright blue, but now they are dulled with pain.

You say, "Are you alright?" to which Cody nods. He places his own hand over yours; it is now in a sandwich of Cody's flesh. Cheek, hand, hand. Briefly you wish you and Cody were alone, not sitting in a snowbank with ten other people looking on.

The moment is ruined with Owen faints off his platform, rendering Heather victorious.

"Yes!" she yells. You turn and glare at her.

"No time for heartfelt mush!" Chris snaps. "Onto the next round!"

You help Cody up. He sits down next to Gwen and Courtney; Sierra is also with Team Amazon. You purse your lips, but when Cody flashes you a toothy grin and a thumbs up, your heart melts and you smile at him.

"She's on the other team!" Courtney snaps.

"Onto the mats!" Chris screams. "The matchups this round will be [Y/N] vs Sierra and Heather vs Alejandro!"

"You got this, Alejandro!" Leshawna swoons.

"Yay, [Y/N]!" Lindsay cheers.

Your legs wobble as the dance mat raises into the air; Sierra's eyes bore into yours.

"I will destroy you, Cody-stealer!" she shrieks.

"Cody was never yours!" you yell back.

Both you and Sierra unleash a flurry of punches upon each other. Her fist slams into your bicep, but you maintain your balance. You land a kick to her shin, but Sierra is only enraged further.

Seconds tick by, and you realize you can't win against a lunatic.

If I lose, will my teammates vote me off? you wonder.

"I'm sorry Cody!" the words slip out of your mouth.

In an instant, Sierra yelps and is tossed into the snow. You pause.

What? You didn't even hit her!

Chris is clapping. "Real shady, Cody. Real shady."

You turn. Cody's eyes are trained on where Sierra had just been standing. There's a snowball in his hand.

"Cody!" You hop off and hug him. "You saved my butt!"

"Anything for you, sweetheart." Cody blushes.

"Ahem!" Chris coughs. "As you can see, Heather has bested Alejandro."

You turn and see Alejandro lying in the snow. Heather stands above him, a bemused expression on her face.

"Team Amazon wins!" Courtney and Gwen cheer.

"Not so fast!" Chris yells. Everyone stares at him. "Cody shot his own teammate off the stand. Very underhanded, very diabolical. So, Team Amazon will not be getting first class. That honor will go to Team Victory, since [Y/N] was left standing."

"Aah!" Leshawna screams joyfully. "We finally aren't getting voted out!" Lindsay and DJ jump around with her, and you giggle. You've won! Meanwhile, Courtney, Gwen, and Heather are glaring daggers at Cody, who withers under their gaze.

Chris says, "That means Team Chris Is Really Really Really Hot will be on the chopping block tonight. Good luck." He sniggers.

Noah glares at Alejandro, but the Spaniard brushes himself off. "Mi amigo, let's talk strategy."

~~~

Back on the jumbo jet, you relax in first class with Leshawna, DJ, and Lindsay. The girls are getting facials, while a masseuse pampers DJ. You sit at the plane bar, sipping a virgin pina colada.

"[Y/N], our luck is turning around! I'm sure of it!" A cucumber-eyed Leshawna says.

"I'm happy to help," you say. You don't say anything else.

~~~

Confessional:

"I'm not gonna say anything about Alejandro to Leshawna," you say. "If we keep winning, then it won't be a problem. And if we don't... it could cause Leshawna to go home instead of me."

~~~

"Excuse me, can I have a hot chocolate?" you request. The flight stewardess complies, and you sneak off to second class.

Cody meets you in the hallway; his face lights up when he sees you.

"[Y/N]!"

"I brought you some warm cocoa," you say gently. He blushes and takes the cup from you. You ask, "How are things in second class?"

"Heather, Gwen, and Courtney are pissed," he says. "Sierra is M.I.A. I'm a bit concerned, honestly. She could be watching from the vents."

You shudder at the thought. There was no telling how she'd get her revenge.

"Oh, and Tyler got eliminated," Cody says casually. "I left right after Noah's team got back."

"Aw, poor Lindsay." You frown. "Hey, you know Alejandro is bad news, right?"

Cody shoots you a look. "Really? He seems fine to me. Very suave."

You half smile. "I watched a bunch of aired episodes before Chef kidnapped me. Trust me, babe, don't make any deals with him."

"I'll be on my guard," Cody promises. "Wait, you just called me babe!"

You blush and kiss him on the forehead. You and Cody talk for a few more minutes, then you return to your cabins.

If one thing's for sure, you need to stay on the show as long as Cody does, if only to see his cute little smile every day.