Here is my first entry to Fanfiction! This is only a song-fic considering I'm still getting used to this website. I've been writing for a while now, but this is the first time I've ever published something online. The song I used in this is called "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman. I prefer the Boyce Avenue version, though. Either way, the song is simply wonderul.
Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly, nor will I ever.
"You got a fast car, I want a ticket to anywhere. Maybe we can make a deal, maybe together we can get somewhere. Anyplace is better, starting from zero, I got nothing to lose. Maybe we'll make something, but me, myself I got nothing to prove."
It all happened so quickly. Two days ago he anxiously confronted me. Yesterday I made my decision. And now I silently wait outside my house with my bags packed and no goodbyes said. Of course I would agree to running away with Freddie. Who else do I have, really? My mom only knows I exist when I pull her into bed after she's had a long night of partying. Carly went to that big, fancy college in Sacramento last fall and very rarely comes to visit. That leaves the tech-nerd. Okay, maybe we have become much better friends over the past couple months, but I can't help but torment him. After his mom was in that terrible car crash five months ago, I laid off with the jokes and pranks for a while. We both knew that my sympathy wouldn't help him heal, though, so I willingly let loose again. I guess that's why he asked me to leave with him. He has nothing in Seattle anymore, and neither do I. What have we got to lose?
"You got a fast car, and I got a plan to get us out of here. I been working at the convenience store, managed to save just a little bit of money. We won't have to drive too far, just across the border and into the city. You and I can both get jobs, and finally see what it means to be living."
After fifteen minutes of waiting, Freddie finally pulled up in my driveway. He very slowly put my bags in the trunk of his brand new sports car, and I could easily tell he was nervous. I don't know why; we have been over the plan a million times. Considering I raise myself, I had to get a small job to get the basic neccessities I need to survive. Freddie has one, too, and we agreed to put our money together while getting to our destination. After that, we planned on getting much better jobs that pay a lot more. How hard can it be for two eighteen-year-olds to find jobs Los Angeles?
"You see my old man's got a problem, he lives with the bottle that's the way it is. He says his body's too old for working, I say his body's too young to look like his. My mama went off and left him, she wanted more from life than he could give. I said somebody's got to take care of him, so I quit school and that's what I did. You got a fast car, but is it fast enough so we can fly away? We gotta make a decision. We leave tonight or live and die this way."
Okay, so maybe my mom, Carly, and Freddie aren't the only people in my life. I take that back. Yes, they are the only people in my life, considering my dad has nothing human-like about him. He has never been able to say a word to me since we reunited four months ago. I guess the effects of alcohol and marijuana make it difficult for a person to speak without slurring their words. Still, I take care of him. Something about Freddie losing his mom made me realize that I wanted my dad back. Knowing that something could happen to him in the blink of an eye gave me a wake up call. I may not have graduated with honors or some type of scholorship, but I had actually planned on going to college. Shocker, huh? Spending most of my summer with my dad, though, got in the way of my planning. While my peers were saying goodbye to each other and going separate ways, I was stuck in my socially awkward father's lame excuse for a house. It won't be hard leaving him now, though, for I sent him off to a rehabilitation center a couple weeks ago. Although I may feel a bit guilty saying it, there was simply nothing more I could do for the guy. My only regret is not putting him in rehab when I first saw him. Now I have no education, decent job, or life. Still, when Freddie came to me with his idea, I didn't hesitate. Starting over would be good for me. The real problem was how to do it.
"See I remember we were driving, driving in your car, the speed so fast I felt like I was drunk. City lights lay out before us, and your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder. And I had a feeling that I belonged. I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone."
So, Freddie and I took off without looking back. We drove for miles, not having a care in the world. We laughed, sang, and even cried until we got to our destination. Somewhere along the way, I finally found the meaning of love. Watching my nub smile in the night air made my heart skip a million beats. For the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged. As Freddie glanced my way, a new spark of hope lit in me, and I knew we were going to make it through.
"You got a fast car, we go cruising entertain ourselves. You still ain't got a job, and I work in the market as a checkout girl. I know things will get better,you'll find work and I'll get promoted. We'll move out of the shelter, buy a bigger house and live in the suburbs. See I remember we were driving, driving in your car, the speed so fast I felt like I was drunk. City lights lay out before us, and your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder. And I had a feeling that I belonged. I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone."
If there was anything I learned during my whole runaway experience, it's that minimum wage in Los Angeles is not much at all. I guess it would've help if Freddie got a job, but who wanted to hire an eighteen-year-old who looks like he belongs in an orphanage? Well, I suppose a shelter is just an orphanage for adults. All the while, the only thing Freddie and I had to our names was the car. Since I made just enough to pay for some gas, we went for a ride in our most prized possession every night. All of our problems seemed to disappear when we were driving. And that spark of hope burned brighter and brighter each time Freddie grabbed the keys.
"You got a fast car, and I got a job that pays all our bills. You stay out drinking late at the bar, see more of your friends than you do of your kids. I'd always hoped for better, thought maybe together you and me'd find it. I got no plans, I ain't going nowhere, so take your fast car and keep on driving."
Now I walk in late from my management job at the market and pay the babysitter that my oh-so-wonderful husband must have hired while I was gone. Considering it's midnight, I give my sleepy baby girls a bath before tucking them in for sleep. I have to say, never in my life did I expect this to happen. Who knew my geeky nub would turn into such a low-life? I barely see him anymore, and neither do my children. He's too busy playing beer pong with his buddies to ever pay attention to the young eigteen-year-old girl he fell in love with. This will not be the way my story ends, though. My children deserve better. I deserve better. That's why tomorrow-with tears in my eyes, I'm sure-I'll ask Freddie to leave for good.
"See I remember when we were driving, driving in your car. The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk. City lights lay out before us, and your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder. And I had a feeling that I belonged. I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone. You got a fast car, but is it fast enough so you can fly away? You gotta make a decision. Leave tonight or live and die this way."
Laying in a half-empty bed, I will cry myself asleep tonight while memories of the past flood through my head. I know this is what's best, though. I don't want my babies' childhoods to be like mine was. I want them to be happy, care-free, peaceful. So, tomorrow, the fast car will no longer be parked in my driveway. The man of my dreams will instead be in my nightmares. And the spark of hope I shared with him for years will finally go out, only to be replaced by a new, much brighter one.