Disclaimer: I do not own any of the rights to iCarly

Chapter 1

"So Carls, what exactly are we planning to do on iCarly this week?" asked Sam, as she bent down to enjoy her smoothie.

Sam was sitting in a back corner booth of Groovie Smoothies slurping on a huge 64oz blueberry smoothie. Seated next to her in the booth was her best friend. And sitting across from her best friend was Sam's frenemy Freddie.

Carly had been staring outside the shop's back window. The skies were overcast on this Tuesday afternoon in early September. It looked as though it might rain at any time. Carly turned away from the window to look at her friend.

Surprised by her question, Carly replied, "Did you just say we?" Her face began to light up. "So you're actually gonna help me with ideas this week?

Sam, raising her head back up from the smoothie, frowned. "Nah, I was just wandering what we were doing." And with that, she went back to her smoothie.

Carly just sighed. Had she really expected anything more from her somewhat lazy friend? But Sam was indeed "her" lazy friend, and she didn't expect anything less.

Freddie just rolled his eyes. Sam will never change. He thought. Just like she'll never quit picking on me. Some things will never happen. She's nice to me at times, but it's usually a set-up for some huge prank. It would be nice if she was nice to me all the time, like Carly. He smiled at this thought.

Sam had just enjoyed another long slurp from her smoothie, when she noticed Freddie was smiling right across from her. "What are you smiling at, nerd?" She snarled.

Usually, Freddie would get a pale look on his face when Sam snarled at him, but he couldn't help but keep smiling. "Some things will never change."

Sam narrowed his eyes at him, and hissed, "What's that suppose to mean?"

Freddie quit smiling, but replied plainly, "I'm just saying that over the past year, nothing about ourselves has changed. You still pretty much just kind of sit back, and let Carly do pretty much all the work for the show. You still can't be nice to me for any length of time, no matter how hard you try…"

"I'm not that mean to you!" Sam shot back. "I don't give you daily wedgies, or push you in a locker, or flush your head down a toilet."

"You guys--" Carly stammered, looking around the restaurant to see if her friends were drawing attention to their table.

"Hang on, I'm not finished." Continued Freddie. "You rarely do your homework, and then you still need to copy mine and Carly's. You eat almost anything that isn't tied down. You have no respect for anybody's property; and you don't really care about anybody's feelings."

Sam sat back, with her arms folded, glaring at Freddie as he was rambling on about her. When he finished, she sat back up and said to him, "Are you through, Freddork?"

Freddie was a little out of breath from his speech, but he simply replied, "Yeah, I guess so."

Sam stared at Freddie for a few seconds, and her facial expression softened. "Well-," she began speaking softly, "you're right, some things don't change."

The soften tone of her voice was starting to send shivers through Freddie. Oh no, what did I just start? He thought.

Carly was sitting still, looking nervously at her friends. Oh no, what did Freddie start? She thought. I can see that this conversation is not going to end well. Frustrated with this banter, Carly propped her elbows by on the table, and dropped her chin in her hands.

Sam looked at Freddie methodically; then she continued, "I guess if we are going to be honest with each other about these "things" that bother us so, I'm going to put my two cents worth." Sam lightened up her face and said sharply, "I only have two observations to give you, but I'm only going to tell you one of them now."

Carly and Freddie both took a deep breath as Sam continued.

"Why is it, that when it's time for me and Carly to come up with plans for the show, that you're always tagging along with us? After all, this webcast has me and Carly doing all the action and you stand back like our faithful nerd and film us…"

"There she goes again," Freddie interrupted, "treating me like I'm not important to the show…"

"…I mean really, Freddie," Sam dismissing Freddie's interruption, "Don't you have any guy friends that you can hang around with, instead of being like a third wheel to two girls, neither of which are your girlfriends?"

"Sam!" Carly hissed.

"Well, yeah, I have guy friends." Freddie answered rather disturbingly. "I don't always have to be around you guys that much. I guess I just didn't realize…"

And with that, Freddie stood up from his seat, and grabbed his empty cup. "I probably should get going anyway; my mom is expecting me soon."

"Freddie, you don't have to leave now." Carly replied upsettingly.

Freddie grinned at her and responded, "it's okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay then, bye." Carly called out, and Sam raised her head up from her smoothie and nodded to Freddie as he dropped his empty cup in the garbage can by the shop doors, then quietly walked out.

Carly was stunned by the events that just took place, and sighed in disgust. Then, shaking her head, she stood up from where she was seated next to Sam, and proceeded around the table to occupy the seat that Freddie has just moments ago. When she got seated, she turned her head to face Sam, and she stared at her.

Sam was busy wrapping up those final few slurps of that big 64oz drink and was aware that Carly moved seats and was staring at her. Oh man, she thought, Now I'm gonna have to hear one of them lectures about why I'm so mean to Freddie, and why I can't try to be nice to the little boy.

Sam continued to look down in her drink, hoping Carly would just get on with it, but Carly just continued to stare at her. Finally, Sam raised her head up and snapped, "What, mom?"

Carly glared at her, "Was that really necessary what you told Freddie?"

"Hey-y-y, I'm just giving our friend something he can put in his blog." Sam answered smugly, very amused with herself.

Carly narrowed her gaze, not amused, "I don't mind having Freddie around, he is our friend, and…" her voice was starting to get louder, "…I want his input for the show, because he has a lot of good ideas."

Sam threw her head back to look at the ceiling and moaned, "Aw, c'mon Carls, he's a nerd with boring, techy ideas. I can almost fall asleep at this table right now just thinking about it."

Carly reached across the table and grabbed her friend's head and gently brought it down to face her again. "And," Carly finished, "why do you have to hate on Freddie so?"

"Oh!" Sam said with a start, and suddenly sprung from her seat, "I forgot to tell Fredward the other change that I would like to see him make!"

"Wait, Sam." Carly said as she stands up as well, "Where are you going?"

"To catch Freddie before he goes into his apartment," answers a streaking Sam, as she begins to run out of the shop.

"Sam!"

"I promise I'll be nice!" screams Sam to Carly through the window as she sprints for Carly and Freddie's apartment complex.

Carly sighs, then proceeds to pick up hers and Sam's cups and walks over to the garbage can and dumps them. Then rather quietly, she walks out into a cool afternoon day, on her way to meet up with whatever is happening at her home.