iNeed You Too

AN: One shot. No exceptions. Unless I get bored. Which I most likely will. It's a songfic to the new(ish) P!nk song Please Don't Leave Me.

I don't know if I can yell any louder.
How many times have I kicked you outta here?
Or said something insulting?

It's a normal Monday. So I do all of my normal things. I wake up, get dressed, walk into the living room and find my mother yelling to someone over the phone. I walk over to the fridge, open it, and find nothing. The same nothing that's been in this fridge for the past seventeen years. I say good morning to my sort of mom and she waves at me to shut up. I shake my head, giving up on any and all conversation from her. Then I go to the lunch money envelope taped to the cabinet - there's nothing there. I grab my crap for the day off the kitchen table and leave.

"I'm done, Carly!" I can hear a pretty peeved Freddie inside of the Shay apartment, so I decide to stand outside. The nutshell word for it is, I think, eavesdropping.

"Freddie, calm down. It's not that big of a deal."

"I'm sick of it, okay?! She does this everyday! She pranks me and insults me! I'm sick of it!"

"So Sam put a fish in your locker and left you a note about it smelling like you. That's typical Sam."

"Yeah, well, I'm tired of 'typical Sam."


I can be so mean when I wanna be.
I am capable of really anything.
I can cut you into pieces
When my heart is...

Broken.

I take a step away from the door back towards the exit, but I pause. Should I do something? Maybe say something? I mean, he should confront me with this - not Carly. I put the fish there, and I wrote the note. I should get the credit… I mean blame for this. Maybe me being there will only worsen the situation. Maybe he's just letting off some steam. Then again, maybe he should be letting off steam on me.

So many thoughts, why can't they all just get along in my head?

"Sam?" I jump and look over to Carly. "You're here early."

"Yeah. Mom was fighting with one of her boyfriends over the phone again, so I bailed."

"Oh, okay. You wanna come in?"

"Sure." I pause and try to look over her shoulder. "Will Fredward try and kill me?"

"You need to be nice to him right now. He's really, really angry."

"Phhh." I laugh, "How angry can Fredork get?"

"Remember that time you stole that hobo's sandwich?"

I nod.

"He's about that mad, only a lot less hairy."

I sigh and walk closer towards Carly. "Maybe I should talk to him?"

She looks at me skeptically, probably thinking that I'll manage to mess this up somehow.

I give her my best 'I won't kill, Freddie; I promise' smile, and walk past her inside.

"Oh, great. If it isn't Ursula the evil mermaid."

Hmmm. Maybe I shouldn't insult him back. Maybe I should just say something, I don't know, nice or apologetic… some kinda crap like that.

"Freddie, look. I'm sorry I put a fish in your locker, and I'm sorry for the note."

"Sam, I've put up with you for… God, I don't know, almost five years. I know by now that your 'apologies' don't mean crap."

"Yes they do! It's not like me pulling pranks on you is new or anything."

"That's the problem. It isn't new. Well, it wasn't anyway."

"Then why are you freaking out?"

"Because you were getting better, Sam. You were nice to me, we were friends for a year without any of these stupid childish shenanigans of yours."

I chuckle a bit. "Shenanigans?"

"Sam!" Freddie yells, and I jump. "You know what. I quit."

My eyes widen as I watch him walk for the door.

Please don't leave me.
Please don't leave me.
I always say how I don't need you,
But it's always gonna come right back to this
Please, don't leave me.

"Freddie, wait!"

He turns on his heel and glares at me. It's almost scary. "What, Sam?"

"You don't have to quit iCarly! We've been doing this since we were fourteen… plus… we need you."

His glare fades and he's just looking at me. He opens his mouth to say something but closes it.

"Look, Freddie, I'm sorry about the fish, and the letter - you know what, I'm sorry I exist. I'm sorry you don't like me and that we don't get along. I'm sorry your mom threw away your favorite socks and had your name stitched into your boxer briefs. I'm sorry that it's raining outside and that you got a B on your History paper. Okay? Are you happy now?"

I inhale sharply, noting the sting in my throat. I try my best to exhale without letting out a wavering breath. Stupid allergy season. Makes me sound all teary.

"Sam?" I look over at Freddie and cross my arms over my chest. "I… I'm not blaming you for everything that goes bad in my life. Only the bad things in my life that you cause."

I roll my eyes for effect. I think the official name for said effect is 'nonchalance'.

"You existing isn't a bad part of my life. Actually, it's one of my favorites."

I raise an eyebrow at Freddie. "Even with the pranks?"

"Even with the pranks."

How did I become so obnoxious?
What is it with you that makes me act like this?
I've never been this nasty.
Can't you tell that this is all just a contest?
The one that wins will be the one that hits the hardest.
But baby I don't mean it,
I mean it, I promise.

"If it makes you feel better about Ralph and the sticky note, then I'm glad you exist too."

"Who's Ralph?" Freddie asks, smiling and tilting his head.

"The salmon I put in your locker."

"You named him Ralph? Why'd you name him Ralph?"

"I used to have a bus driver named Ralph. He always smelled like fish…" I laugh and that makes him laugh.

"Really? You had a fishy smelling bus driver named Carl?"

"Yep." I plop down in Carly's couch and look up at Freddie. "You look nice today, dweeb. What's the occasion?"

"Nothing big," he says, fidgeting with his shirt and his cheeks turning pink. "It's me and Jessie's anniversary. We've been going out for a year now."

I forgot to say out loud how beautiful you really are to me.
I can't be without you; you're my perfect little punching bag.
And I need you, I'm sorry.

"Oh." I didn't see that coming. I didn't really want to… "Good luck. Hopefully you got her something pretty."

"Yeah. Carly helped me pick it out."

I smile and try to breathe as the same pain from before tickles at my throat again. Remind me to kill the man who invented pollen.

"Well. I better get going," Freddie says, clapping his hands together. "Bye Carly… Sam."

I keep smiling and wave as I watch Freddie disappear into the hallway. Knowing that today he's going to be happy.

Today he's going to be with Jessie, his beautiful girlfriend.

I watch him, realizing now that one of these tomorrows I won't see him again. One of these tomorrows he'll give up on me. I realize now just how much I really need him…

Please don't leave me.
Please don't leave me.

AN: What? Not every story I write has a happy ending… I'm kinda tired of happy endings right now. My mom's making me give this a happy ending. So, there'll be another chapter… Stupid mom. She's my editor and the one that gives me money, so I kinda have to.