Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly.

A/N: This is for a prompt challenge at the lj comm 5_4_3_2. You had to pick an image given and use it in the story, or whatever medium you were planning to work in. This story has hints of Creddie and hints of Seddie but no real pairing. Little something for both sides.

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The Last Bell

It was mid-day, lunch. The warmth filling the air was faultless -- not too thick or humid. Just the right temperature to play against his face and the skin on his forearms, warming his bones and generating a cozy feeling, tricking him into a laze. Freddie sat on the steps, one of the middle ones, leading up towards the school's entrance in a very unlike Freddie Benson manner. He was practically lounging there, legs stretched out as he leaned back using his elbows to prop himself up. There was an half eaten sandwich laying forgotten at his side, resting on a brown paper bag next to a can of root beer and a green apple. His face was tilted towards the sky with his eyes closed, letting the heat flush down upon him. He looked like he didn't have a care in the world, a look and mindset not accustomed to the brunette boy.

It was the first day of school, leading him into his junior year. It was a day he had been looking forward to since school was let out little more than two months ago. Another beginning; another chance at gathering all the facts, and dates, and names he could and just let the knowledge seep into his brain and stew there. It was a new year to push himself as hard as he could and excel past his mom's expectations but moreso the expectations he had for himself. Every morning when he would get up, he would look into the bathroom mirror and say 'There is always room for improvement.' Well, he didn't say it out loud or anything but in his head, that's where the sentiment was expressed. It was a tradition and a superstition.

He had actually been gone for the last week, took a trip with his mom to the east coast to see some extended family. There was a wedding and it involved a bunch of disconcerting memories better burned from his temporal lobe. The less disturbing moments including a long boring ceremony and awkward dancing with what might have been a second cousin at the reception. The seventeen year old shook away the thoughts with a slight shudder, holding steady to his positioning. Anyway, Carly and Sam had been acting kind of weird since he got back like a day ago. He only had a chance to see his best friends for basically an hour yesterday, and not even ten minutes today but the two of them were definitely acting strange, like something was up. The notion to put Gibby on the case caused a rasp chuckle to escape him.

"Wanna let me in on the joke?"

Freddie opened his eyes when her words hit the air (accompanied by a shadow shading his face) to see Carly standing on the steps above him, leaning over in the slightest and peering down with what he wanted to describe as a coy grin but the logic filling his brain refused to let him. She looked nothing short of that beautiful standard he use to apply to her back in the days of his infatuation, when he would put her up on a pedestal. Flowing brunette locks, porcelain skin and faint pink lips. Deep and soulful brown eyes that could explore into your very being at any time if she felt like it. Time had been very good to Carly Shay, maturing her into a young woman.

He offered a friendly smile back up to her, his voice light. "Just the random internal rambling of a nerdy tech producer. Nothing you'd care to really know."

"Sometimes I think you don't want to tell me your thoughts because you don't think I'd understand them."

"That's not it. You are totally smart enough to get `em, Carls but if I let you into all the inner workings of my head than you'll realize how crazy and neurotic I really am." He paused before continuing on with a mock disheartened nod. "And of course after that, you'd start avoiding me because of how weirded out you were and I'm just not ready for that. I figure I can milk another two years out of this friendship."

She laughed and it was music in the air, floating away in the subtle breeze. He watched her with interest as she moved down a step and lowered herself next to him. Her legs folded to one side, both knees pointing at him while she rested her messenger bag in her lap. There was a weird flop in his stomach when she finally met his gaze and spoke in earnest and something else that alluded him. "I would never ditch you, Freddie. I hope you know that."

"Of course I do, it was joke. You guys never get my jokes." He contemplated for a second. "Maybe that's fate hinting that I should stop telling them. Ya` think?"

"You get laughs from Sam." She tried to offer helpfully.

He shook his head. "Sam laughs when I get physically or emotionally scarred, not at my jokes. There is a difference between laughs at and laughs with."

Carly just nods and he had to break the gaze, looking away because there is something in her eyes that he just can't place and it's making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. She was doing it right now, that acting strange thing. It was like something major had occurred in his brief vacation, something big and it somehow affected the three of them but no one was letting him in on the secret. Though if Freddie was honest with himself, it might be safer staying in the dark. Sudden change was a thing he never coped well with because it had unpredictable results. He didn't like not knowing what was coming next.

She broke him out of his reserve. "How was the wedding? You didn't really say, yesterday."

"For good reason. You're better off not knowing."

"See!" She exclaimed, poking him in the shoulder. "You never tell me anything. Come on, how was it?"

Freddie seemed to think it over for a moment, seemed being the keyword.

"Nope, sorry. That trip is being locked in the memory vault and never seeing the light of day again."

"We'll see about that!"

That's when the tiny brunette girl launched a tickling attack at him, her fingers wiggling at his sides. His defenses were down so he was caught off-guard which was surprising considering how the years with Sam had taught him to always be ready for an ambush. She managed to keep the upper hand only briefly before he overpowered her assault, blocking her arms and then unloading one of his own right back at her. He barely had to put any real effort into it because Carly had to of been one of the most ticklish people to ever walk the planet; past, present and probably future.

It was hardly even ten seconds before the girl was short of breath, gasping out through cute laughter, trying to fight him off. "Fredd- Freddie, stop. Please… stop… peo-people are staring."

He showed no intentions of stopping, mirth shining in the layers of his voice. "Let `em stare, should have thought about that before you started something you couldn't finish."

"Please.. you win. You… win-I give!"

Freddie finally relented, his fingers coming to rest like static against her sides as he looked down, meeting her eyes. Her face was flushed red, lips parted and taking deep breaths of air. And there it was again, sneaking up on him and enveloping the moment. It would have been more frustrating if he wasn't so caught up in the intense staring contest he had going on with his best friend. One that might have lasted forever if it wasn't for the bell ringing out through the loud speakers and breaking the concentration of both the participates.

Slowly, he got to his feet and helped up Carly. A light grin tugged at the corners of his mouth in attempts to defuse the new and tense situation while he picked up his trash, and book bag.

"Guess I should head to study hall."

"Yeah, I have math next. Other side of the school.."

He nodded. "Alright, well I'll see ya` later, Carls."

"Bye." When he moved to turn, she continued all of a sudden. "Wait, Freddie."

He looked at her with a brow arched in question as she stared at the cement steps beneath them, almost shyly. "Yeah?"

"Can you meet me after the last bell? I have to talk to you about something."

He nodded despite another flop in his stomach. Those had to stop, they were just getting plain annoying at this point. Freddie stood in place as he watched Carly smile and move up the steps and then inside of the building. His brain had kicked into overdrive based on instinct alone, trying to figure out the brunette girl's behavior and what she might want to talk to him about after school. When he couldn't come up with anything logical enough to satisfy himself, he just swallowed a sigh and started off towards the library, figuring the chance to lose himself in literature might clear up the mess in his head enough so he could gain some perspective.

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The Ridgeway library acted as if it were a cathedral. People came and went as they chose and an ominous feeling moved through the huge building and through the stacks themselves. Words were spoken like whispers of reverence, brief and to the point and it seemed like no one ever made any eye contact. Freddie sat on a plush couch near the back of the building, legs kicked up haphazardly on the wooden table in front of him while he held a battered copy of Lord of the Flies in his hands, one of the required reading books for the year. It was never too early to over compensate, he was hoping to have the whole list done before they were met with the end of the month.

He was turning a page when he felt two soft hands come down on the top of his head, fingers shifting through the brown locks and sticking them up in the air. Freddie didn't even have to turn around to know that it was Sam standing behind him with what was probably a daunting smirk and hip checked out. His free hand lifted and patted down his hair as best as he could while his eyes lifted slowly from the page, looking just over the edge of the book to the blonde beauty when she moved around the couch and stopped in front of him. At first glance, she seemed normal but if he met her gaze and held it just a second longer than he normally would, he could see that unreadable look (akin to the one Carly had at lunch) drifting in the sharp blue hues.

"Figures I'd find you here, Fredward."

His eyes returned to the book while he bit back a grin. "I'm surprised you even know where the library is."

"I came in here on accident, I thought it was the second cafeteria."

He laughed and she smirked and everything felt natural in the moment. Her movements were sluggish when she took the steps around the table and dropped down, sinking into the couch and into his side. Oddly enough, their close proximity wasn't apart of the new strangeness. That aspect of their friendship had evolved over the years and just stood as fact. Now when she placed her hand gently over one of his, the one holding the book to turn the cover over towards her and her thumb grazed a half circle over his skin… well that was apart of the new strangeness for sure.

"I'm almost certain you don't have study hall this period." He stated, keeping his voice even.

Sam let out a chuckle, dropping her hand from his. "Yeah know it all, I don't. I'm skipping American History and figured this would be the last place anyone would come looking for me."

"Skipping, Sam?" He looked over at her with disappointment. "The first day isn't even over yet."

"I know but it's never too early right?"

Freddie shook his head, sighing. How Sam had made it this far in her school career was just beyond him. He was about to go back to reading before an idea occurred and he leaned forward all of a sudden. The brunette male shifted through the contents of his book bag for a few seconds before pulling out a book with a tiny ah ha! and returned back to the warmth of the couch and the girl beside him. He looked over at Sam as he handed her the book, watching as her brows knitted together.

"The Great Gatsby?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's required reading. I figured you could at least do something educational while skipping."

"I don't think you get the point of skipping, Benson." She noted with humor.

"Give it a chance. Who knows, maybe you'll like it."

The blonde watched him intently, apparently contemplating something before shrugging and opening up the book, focusing her attention on the contents. He felt a smile threaten his lips but held it back, not wanting to scare her off from reading the book. Freddie returned to the literature in his hand and the two of them stayed like that for the next twenty minutes or so. He was pretty engrossed in the book but was broken out of it when he felt something weigh down on his shoulder. Turning to look over, his view was met with a tons of blonde curls and a sleeping Sam. Apparently her true nature overtook his suggestion in the end.

He watched her sleep, breathing labored; her face relaxed and smooth. Time had been kind to her as well, refining the features her tomboy ways just couldn't hide anymore. She was a beautiful girl, whether she wanted to be or not. Long blonde curls, milky complexion and blues eyes you could fall into if you weren't careful. You could drown in them if given the chance. She still dressed pretty much the same but less cargo pants and long sleeve shirts and more ripped jeans and band tee shirts.

Another flop in his stomach this time pursued by a tightening of his chest. Whatever had happened to his best friends was starting to get to him and it hadn't even been a day. The looks they kept sending him was causing all this internal conflict because he just couldn't understand. Did they decide this would be a funny way to mess with him because it really wasn't. If this was just some disturbing joke, he hoped they'd get on with it and hit him with the punch line because Freddie had grown comfortable in the way their trio worked and whatever was happening was sure to be bad. He didn't know what it was, but it had to be bad.

The bell rang and bright blue eyes met his russet ones when her eyelids slowly fluttered open. She lifted her head, looking around in confusion before things started to fall into place.

He laughed a bit grabbing his book bag and standing up. "Guess Gatsby was just a little too exciting for you."

"Yeah, apparently." Grinning, her voice was heavy with sleep.

"I got Gym next, yay." He waved his hands in sarcasm. "What about you?"

"Art." She stretched out along the length of the couch and he sent her a look. She just grinned, staring at him. "What? Don't get your panties in a bunch, I'm going. I don't mind drawing pictures."

"Okay, okay. I'll talk to you later." He turned to leave.

"Wait, Freddie."

His heart lifted into his throat, standing there in an eerie sense of déjà vu. Slowly, Freddie turned back to the blonde on the couch. "Yeah?"

"Ya` mind meeting me after the last bell? Want to run something by you."

He nodded, it was the only thing he could do. Words couldn't be trusted to leave his mouth so he kept them safe behind his teeth while turning away and moving towards the library exit. He had never been so excited to go to Gym class in his whole entire life.

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Freddie moved without enthusiasm through the hallway and stopped in front of his locker, setting his book bag down on the ground before pulling the metal door open. The last bell had just rang and now Carly and Sam would be looking for him to unleash whatever secret they had been keeping. Somehow he just didn't think it was going to be something fun like a surprise party or that they wanted to work on early college acceptance essays. He shook his head dismissively at the thought trail, and started to pull some stuff out of his locker.

"Freddie."

The brunette boy looked around in confusion, unsure of who just said his name.

"Freddie."

This time, listening closely for the sound, he narrowed it down to the locker next to his. Leaning over, he looked through the vents.

"Gibby, is that you?"

"Yeah."

"Gibby. What are you doing in your locker?"

The locker door opened and the shirtless boy stuck his head out, and looked around. "I accidentally made a move on the football captain's girlfriend and he's super pissed."

"So you are going to hide in your locker like a coward?"

"Yeah, until he leaves. That's the plan."

Freddie shook his head, about to say something but before he could, he caught sight of Carly coming around the corner, eyes searching for him. Stomach flop. He turned his gaze to the other hallway and of course, there was Sam turning that corner. Stomach flop. It would be only a matter of seconds before they both found him in the crowd and made their way over, intent to talk about something totally super bad and life changing. The brunette made a split decision right then and there and followed the example of his short friend by jumping into his locker and closing the door.

He watched safely in the tight confines of his locker as his two best friends looked around for him through the sea of bodies. A sigh of relief escaped him when they couldn't find him and moved on to probably the front of the school or the student parking lot.

"Freddie."

He made a move to turn to his side but remembered where he was so instead just answered back. "Yeah, Gibby?"

"You in your locker too?"

Freddie sighed again. "Yeah."

"Sometimes it's okay being a coward."

"Yeah." Freddie paused. "Hey, when it's safe to come out, you wanna go get a burger?"

The end.