Hey guys! While I continue to work on iSlay a Dragon, I thought I would treat you guys to an intriguing one-shot. I hope you enjoy it, and again, if you have any ideas for a good story, feel free to share!
Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly. Obviously. Although I had a feeling a cliff hanger was coming….
(T-Bo's POV)
I've seen a lot of people come through the glass doors of my workplace. Old people, young people, crazy people; just all kinds of people, coming in and out all day, drinking their smoothies and carrying on. So when my friend Spencer asked me to write a little something about the people I see and how I see them, I told him not to worry, I had plenty of stories to tell.
But he just wanted to hear about three of those people.
For years now, even before they had a popular web show, Carly Shay, Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson have often visited the Groovy Smoothie. And by often I mean basically every day. I might as well call the store "iCarly's Catering Service". Oh well. It's nice to see them; they can be an entertaining bunch.
Here's the way I see it: Carly has always been the mother hen of the group. Maybe it's because she's had to take care of Spencer as much as he's taken care of her. Maybe it's just her personality. I don't know. It's just that she always plays the part of protector, peace-maker and miss sticks-her-nose-into-everyone's-business, with all due respect.
She sometimes reminds me of my mom – she always has to know what's going on, and even if you don't wanna tell her, she gets it out of you. But it all works out in the end because somehow she says the right things, does just what you need to feel better. She's always looking out for her friends.
And boy, do they need it.
I'll skip past Sam for a second and focus on Freddie. This boy has been after Carly since they started coming here. (And probably before – I don't know, I didn't know them then. Just an assumption.) At first it was pitiful the way he hounded her, always (sometimes literally) begging on his knees for her affection. But it just wasn't there. She never saw him as any more than a good friend.
Oh sure, that's come close to changing. They've shared a dance right here in the Groovy Smoothie. They even dated for a bit. But after all is said and done, they go right back to that same relationship, a bond that rivals that of most siblings, a sort of brother-sister thing. At least that's the vibe I get from it. They trust each other; love each other even, but as family, not romantics.
And then there's Sam. Fiery, vicious, sometimes terrifying but always lovable Sam. She's always been the rough one of the group, tamed only by Carly's friendship (well, more tame than she could be. Now there's a scary thought.). Now, while Sam and Carly have somehow managed to become the best of friends, Sam and Freddie's relationship has always been more… confusing.
Hardly a day went by without hearing some stinging insult being flung Freddie's way courtesy of Samantha Puckett. She said things to him that made me shudder. I don't know how he could stand to hang out with her.
As time passed, the insults became less and less frequent. I noticed something then; usually the three of them would come in together, sometimes individually, sometimes just Carly and Sam, and sometimes just Freddie and Sam. That's right, Freddie and Sam. No Carly. No Spencer. Just the bickering duo, coming in to darken my day.
Except they didn't. For some reason, it seemed like Sam pulled her punches when Carly wasn't around. Her and Freddie were actually friendly, borderline nice to each other. The first time this happened I thought for sure we were about to get washed away by a thousand foot wave because the end was near. But they just sat there, talking, hanging out, being, well, normal. Spooky, right.
Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is this – there is something more to Sam and Freddie's relationship than what most people see. Where others see two people constantly at each other's throats, I see two young people afraid of their feelings.
Carly is there to look after her best friends and keep them from killing each other.
Sam is the tough one, afraid to show her emotions and quick to hide them behind insults and fists.
Freddie is the poor boy caught between his old crush and his new feelings.
That's how I see it -three friends, very dynamic relationships but also very strong ones. But what do I know? I just sell smoothies.