Summary - What if Freddie hadn't won the School at Sea competition in iReunite with Missy? What would the repercussions have been, and would he and Sam have been able to get rid of Missy with a plan of their own? For the iCarly 'What If' Story Challenge.
Disclaimer - You think I own iCarly? *maniacal laughter* But yeah, I don't... that honour belongs with one Dan Schneider, who is awesome and amazing and such.
A/N - Hello my lovelies! I bet you weren't expecting a new story from me any time soon, huh? Well thanks to the wonderful TheWrterInMe a whole bunch of iCarly writers are taking part in a story challenge, entitled 'What If?' To see who else is taking part, go the TheWrterInMe 's profile and take a look at her current poll, there's loads of amazing writers taking part, so happy reading! I'll admit, I did kind of shirk all of my slightly more important responsibilities to finish this in time, so I'm sorry if parts seem slightly rushed, but I hope you guys still like it! That's all from me, ENJOY!
"You know, maybe Carly is right. Maybe you're just jealous of Missy," Freddie stated angrily as Sam paced in front of him, her steps pounding into the ground more heavily by the second. The pair had been arguing about Missy's true motives towards Sam for the past twenty minutes, and while Freddie had tried to remain neutral on the matter, mainly for fear of angering Sam further, he couldn't stop himself from saying what he truly thought, only to realise three seconds too late that his words had a far harsher impact on the girl before him than he had intended.
With this callous comment, Sam paused and looked up at Freddie, a defeated look on her face as she tried and failed to come up with a more convincing argument. Despite all the proof she had, the wrong address that sent her to a piñata factory filled with empty dreams, her phone being Wahoo punched by Missy's slimy little fingers and the rancid Persian chocolates, Freddie still believed a girl who he'd only known for a few days rather than one who was supposedly his friend. One of his best friends.
"OK just… forget it," Sam began, shrugging her shoulders before turning away, "Don't believe me."
Freddie looked down at the ground as she walked away, before quickly raising his head and shouting, "Tell my one reason why I should believe you," his voice heavy and exasperated.
Sam walked back around the corner and faced Freddie, before speaking in a surprisingly soft tone. "'Cause I came here," she stated, causing Freddie to shrug his shoulders; unsure of what she was trying to say. "Have I come to you for help before? For anything?" she asked, before raising her eyebrows slightly at the thoroughly confused looking boy before her and spinning around to walk back down the hallway.
Freddie sighed, leaning against his front door for a brief moment to try and collect his thoughts before turning around and attempting to enter his apartment, only to realise that he had forgotten to pick up his keys when he answered Sam's attempt to hulk smash his door down and was now locked out of his own home. Kicking the door in frustration, an act he regretted almost immediately after feeling a sudden surge of pain travel up the base of his foot and spread across the rest of his leg, Freddie spun back around and sunk to the ground, his back pressed against the door for support and his knees pulled close to his chest.
Thinking back to the brief yet strangely thought provoking argument he and Sam had just had, Freddie rubbed the nape of his neck anxiously before pulling back his hand and resting it on the floor. Was Sam right about Missy trying to 'get rid' of her, or was she just being paranoid about losing her best friend? Missy texting her the wrong details was a mistake that anyone could have made, but giving Sam chocolate that had expired almost ten years ago seemed too suspicious to brush over. Sure, Missy seemed nice enough, but if he'd learned anything from Sam's 'How to Lie to Someone in 5 Easy Steps' class, a lesson he had acquired second hand from Spencer, it was that some people took to deception like a duck to water, and Missy could very well be one of them.
Having been subject to the many pranks Sam had pulled on him over the years had made Freddie an expert on what he liked to call 'The Lying Game'; being able to tell when Sam was telling him the truth or merely pulling his leg, and seeing the defeated look on her face before she had left only convinced him further that Sam truly believed what she was saying about Missy's less than innocent motives.
Knowing he had made his decision, though he was still unsure if it was the right one or not, Freddie got up from his position on the ground and stretched, before walking over to Carly's apartment in hopes that he could hang out there until his mother returned home from her annual visit to the Rare Diseases and Ways to Cure Them Fair in Chicago. It was decided; he was going to help Sam reveal who Missy truly was to Carly, before Sam's jealousy of the new girl in Carly's life got her into the sort of trouble that couldn't be fixed with a week's detention. Despite Sam's impressive track record for lying to him in the past, he knew that her famous Puckett pride would never have allowed her to ask for his help unless she was serious, and what were friend's for if not helping each other when in need?
Can we please remember we're all friends here, Freddie heard Carly's voice in his head, as he contemplated his decision for the final time and smiled slightly to himself. He remembered denying this teasing comment at the time, stating that he could never be friends with a girl who cut off the sleeves from his shirt and the legs from his pants for fun, but now he had finally accepted what he had known to be true for quite some time. He did care about the crazy blonde headed demon that made his life both a living hell and a hell of a lot more exciting than he could have even imagined, and now it was his time to show everyone just how far he would go to prove it to her and make her happy.
"Hey, Sam, wait up," Freddie called out as he exited his Chemistry classroom and spotted a familiar looking mass of blonde curls walking down the hallway. Ignoring his call, Sam continued to stroll in the direction of her locker, but slowed her pace so that Freddie could catch up to her without too much trouble.
"Benson," she greeted him, her tone so cold that the sound slid over Freddie uncomfortably; he'd often admired Sam's ability to make a person quake in their boots with three syllables or less, except of course when he was on the receiving end of her well practised cold shoulder treatment.
"Sam," he replied, in a slightly warmer tone than hers, before leaning against the locker next to hers as they reached their destination.
Freddie had prepared a whole speech to say to Sam, with a small apology and an obligatory packet of bacon included, but after staring at her tense form and emotionless face, he just couldn't help but blurt out what he had wanted to tell her since he had come to his sense the night before. "I believe you."
Sam froze, her hand hovering over her combination lock for a few seconds before she regained her composure and being dialling the code so she could access her books. Did he really just say what she thought he said?
"You believe what, Benson?" she asked airily, as she rummaged through her locker, pulling out a fat cake triumphantly and opening the wrapper as she looked pointedly in Freddie's direction.
Freddie sighed and looked down at the floor, before gazing back up at Sam in an apologetic manner, "I believe what you said last night, about Missy's attempts to try and replace you as Carly's best friend, and I want to help."
Sam gnawed on her fat cake thoughtfully, hiding the surprised and elated feeling she was experiencing behind a veil of mild disinterest, before gulping down her last mouthful of sugary goodness and asking, "Help with what?"
"I want to help get rid of her," Freddie replied, causing Sam's eyes lit up once again as the smile she had been trying to fight broke free and covered her glowing face, "For good."
"So you finally believe me, huh?" Sam asked, as she slammed her locker shut and leant against it before directing her well practised smirk in Freddie's direction. "Well, it took you long enough, Benson."
"I just had to take in all the facts, Sam," Freddie began to defend himself, only to stop abruptly as he spotted Sam raise her eyes disbelievingly, "but you were right. Something is off about what's been happening to you over the past week, and Missy's presence here can't just be a coincidence."
"That's what I've been trying to tell everyone," Sam protested, though her tone had a joking edge, "but you've all been too blind to see it."
"Well you can understand why people are wary about believing you, Sam," Freddie replied, smiling slightly as he looked up at her daringly.
"Why? Mama doesn't lie," Sam declared confidently, only to sigh and reiterate her comment after spotting Freddie's amused and rather pointed look in her direction, his arms crossed and eyebrows raised, "OK, Mama does lie, but not about the important things."
Freddie chuckled at Sam's altered statement, causing her to roll her eyes at him but smile back as they both leant against their respective lockers. Suddenly, a large group of girls who were squealing loudly walked past, leading Sam to spin around and Freddie to push away from his position to get a better look at what was going on.
"Hi Freddie, Sam," a girl with long mousy brown hair called out at the pair, "Did you guys hear the amazing news?"
"Hey Shelly," Freddie replied warmly, as Sam acknowledged the group's presence with a small head nod, "No, what news?"
"Wendy won the Sea at School competition; she gets to go on a six month cruise!" Shelly shrieked, as Wendy got pushed forward to the edge of the group so that Sam and Freddie could congratulate her properly.
"That's great news Wendy," Freddie said with a sad smile on his face, "I hope you have an amazing time."
"Yeah, awesome," Sam replied uninterestedly, "try and send me some foreign meat when you get the chance. That stuff is out of this world."
"Thanks you guys," Wendy smiled back at them with a look of sheer joy on her face, "I just can't believe I actually won! And of course, I'll try and send you some meat, Sam!"
Before the conversation could advance any further, Shelly poked Wendy in the side and reminded her they had yet to visit the cafeteria with the good news, causing the group to turn and wave at Sam and Freddie before running off down the hall, cheering and laughing in Wendy's honour.
Sam shook her head and grinned at the sight of the screaming girls running into the distance, as she wasn't really one for the traditional high pitched shrieking in times of celebration, but her smile quickly fell as she turned and spotted the mournful look on Freddie's face. Sam knew that Freddie had entered the competition himself, but the forlorn expression on his face made her realise just how much he wanted to win. Normally she would just tease or insult him to try and distract him from the sadness, but after what he had offered to help her with today Sam felt she couldn't just leave Freddie alone be miserable for the foreseeable future.
"I'm sorry about the School at Sea competition, Freddie," Sam mumbled to him quietly, unsure of how to comfort him without him questioning why she suddenly cared so much about his well being, "I knew you wanted to win that thing.
Freddie looked up at her, a surprised expression on his face, before he half smiled and shrugged one shoulder, "It's cool, I probably would have missed home too much anyway." He paused, before grinning at Sam properly, a mischievous spark in his eyes, "And besides, I couldn't just abandon iCarly like that, you guys are so computer illiterate you wouldn't be able to do a single show without me. You need me.
Sam snorted, and shoved Freddie playfully in the side, "Please, a well trained monkey could do your job."
"Hey!" Freddie protested, rubbing his arm in the spot where Sam had hit him with a smile on his face.
"No, you're right," Sam admitted, sighing slightly, "Any old monkey would probably do the trick."
"Thanks Sam," Freddie replied sarcastically, as Sam grinned back at him, "but I know the truth. You might not be able to admit it but you'd miss me too."
Sam pretended to ponder her answer by stroking her chin thoughtfully, before saying, "Miss insulting you, perhaps, but I could probably live without seeing your shining little face each morning."
"Cruise ships do have phones you know," Freddie smirked as he dug his hands into his pockets and rocked backwards on his feet.
"What a relief," Sam mocked, causing Freddie to grin and look down at his feet, before looking back up at her cautiously, "I'll tell you what, next time you win a free six month cruise, you give me their number so I can ring you up and tell you all the insults I would have subjected you to had you not left home."
"It's a deal, Puckett," Freddie murmured, catching Sam's eyes properly for the first time that day as they smiled at each other.
After a few seconds, Sam shook her head and looked away, pulling her backpack up over her shoulder "We're getting distracted, we need to come up with a plan, remember?"
"Yeah, you're right," Freddie agreed, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt before becoming serious once again, "Well, Carly hasn't believed your claims about Missy before, mainly because her ability to always see the best in people can make her pretty bad at noticing their worse traits, so I think the only way to convince her is for her to hear it straight from the horse's mouth."
"No, Missy is too clever to let Carly overhear what she says." Sam replied, before pausing and furrowing her eyebrows slightly, deep in thought. After a while, her eyes lit up cunningly, and she continued, "But there might be another way. You have a tape recorder at home, right? Or we can get an app on our Pear phones that can record sound?"
"Yeah, probably, but why?" Freddie asked, confused, before realisation dawned over him and he exclaimed, "Oh, you want to-"
"-record everything Missy says to me when we're alone, and play it back to Carly, exactly!" Sam completed his sentence, as the pair smiled at each other, excited about their newly formed idea to get rid of Missy once and for all.
"Once Carly hears what a little nut job Missy really is, she'll finally understand what we've been trying to tell her," Sam mused as her idea started sounding better by the minute.
"Sounds like a fool proof plan to me," Freddie praised her, before the bell rang throughout the hallway, signalling the start of the next period.
"All right," Sam began as the pair started walking to their next class, "if you try and find out a way to record Missy tonight, I'll do a bit of research and see when she'll be alone, because that will the best time to execute the plan."
"And then all systems are go?" Freddie asked, halting as they reached the base of the staircase, the point at which they had to separate ways.
Sam smiled and nodded, an excited and devious look in her eyes, "You'd better fire up the Batmobile, Robin, its gonna be a bumpy ride."
A/N - Well, did you like it? What does this new alliance mean? As I'm uploading this in one go, I won't be begging for reviews at the end of each chapter (or bribing you guys with ponies and my first born child like usual!) but I'd really appreciate any comments you might have if you've got some time. Thanks for reading, onwards and upwards friends, chapter 2 is right there, so go ahead and click the button!
~ Mim
