Hey guys. This is sort of a collection of random one-shot song fics, all inspired by little pieces of songs instead of the whole thing. I have no idea how many of these there will be, I'll just have to see if and when inspiration strikes. Ah well, enough babbling. Enjoy, review, you know the drill.

Just by the way, I love reviews. They make me really happy :)

I'm surprised that you've never been told before

That you're lovely and you're perfect and that somebody wants you

I walked into school listening to my PearPod, stopping in my tracks as I turned the corner. Across the hall I could see Carly leaning against the lockers and chatting to some guy who was obviously head over heels for her. I could tell that Carly was flirting back – all the signs were there. She was twirling her hair around her index finger and looking shyly down at the floor before peeking up at the guy through her eyelashes and smiling coyly. I watched, tensing a bit as she threw her head back and laughed, putting her hand on the guys arm in a "oh-stop-it!" kind of way. I wasn't jealous – I had long gotten over my crush on Carly, but I had become fiercely protective of her, and I tended to behave almost like her older brother when it came to Carly's many suitors. I reacted much the same way that Spencer did when I saw Carly flirting with a new guy, or I saw a guy trying to impress her.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of blonde, and I stepped forward slightly so I could see around a row of lockers. I saw Sam hiding behind them and peeking out, watching Carly and the guy with the most forlorn and wistful expression I had ever seen on her face. She gazed at them with a look of unbearable sadness, and as I watched her, I could have sworn I saw a tear roll down her cheek. I nearly recoiled in shock – Sam Puckett doesn't cry. Suddenly, Sam looked up and saw me looking at her. She held my gaze for a panicked moment, like a deer in the headlights, then turned on her heel and bolted down the corridor. I ran after her, silently thanking God that puberty had finally hit, bringing with it long legs that allowed me to catch up to her. I followed her path through the school, and we were outside before I finally caught up to her.

"Sam!" I panted, grabbing her shoulder. "Sam, stop!"

She tried desperately to wriggle free, but puberty had also given me strength to match Sam's, and she couldn't escape.

"Go away, Fredward" she spat. "Leave me alone"

"No" I said, catching my breath. "Not until you tell me what's wrong"

"What are you talking about, nub?" Sam demanded.

"Oh quit pretending. I saw you in the hallway"

"LET ME GO!"

"Not until you tell me what's wrong"

"Fine" she conceded with a gusty sigh. I let go of her arm and took her wrist in case she tried to run away again, and she dropped onto the grass, leaning against the wall. I sat next to her and looked at her expectantly.

"It's just…" she began, sounding as though she was having trouble finding the right words. "Carly's had boys following her around like lovesick puppies since we were about eleven, yourself included"

"I'm over that and you know it" I interrupted.

"Who cares, you still spent a good chunk of time following her around and obeying her every command" she retorted. "As I was saying, she always has guys falling madly in love with her and I… I just… nobody does that for me" she whispered.

I sat in silence, not sure what to say to that. If I told Sam what I wanted to tell her, that I had been falling hard and fast for her ever since we kissed, I would end up in the emergency ward.

"Carly always has a million guys at her beck and call, and I have none" she whispered, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "I know I'm mean, but am I really that bad?"

"Of course not, Sam" I said softly.

"Then how come everyone loves Carly, and no one loves me?" she asked sadly.

"Sam" I began, letting go of her wrist and taking her hand. Surprisingly, she didn't pull away. "I'll tell you a little secret. I am astonished that you've never been told before how awesome you are. If the dumbasses at this school can't see that, then that's their loss. Carly, I love her and all, but she's sort of…vacant. What you see – the happy, giggly, squealy, girly girl – is what you get. With you, it's different. You have all these layers, Sam, and the outer layers are a little…abrasive, yes, but once you get past them there's this whole other side of you that nobody ever takes the time to see. And it kills me. It kills me that these guys are too wimpy to even try to get past the tough Sam and see the amazing person that I see. But you know what? When you do get a guy who treats you the way all those guys treat Carly, you'll know he really likes you, because he's taking the effort to battle past the bully Sam everyone else sees, and get to know the Sam underneath. And trust me Sam – when he does, he'll love what he finds. Just like I do"

I squeezed her hand gently and sat back, realizing how much I had just said. Sam was sitting perfectly still, clearly digesting everything I had just said, and I was mentally kicking myself for blurting out my feelings like that. Way to go, idiot I thought angrily. I had just essentially told her that I love her, which was a very unwise thing to do.

"Hey Freddie?" she finally said.

"Yeah?"

With that, she leaned over and gently kissed my cheek. She pulled back slightly and I turned my head to look at her. She was mere inches away from my face, and as she gazed into my eyes, I saw a tenderness that I had never seen before. She ran her fingertips lightly along my jawbone and down my neck, playing with the hair at the nape of my neck. I took her face in my hand, placing my hand on her neck and running my thumb across the smooth skin of her cheek. Slowly, Sam closed the distance between us and kissed me gently. One soft, sweet kiss. She pulled back and smiled at me, twining our fingers together.

"You're really good at this pep talk thing"