"…And we're clear." Freddie said as Carly and Sam finished up their latest iCarly. "Great show tonight, guys." He said with a smile as he sat down his camera.
"Well, duh, Freddork! We're always great," Sam said as she made her way out of the studio, no doubt looking for ham in the Shay's fridge.
"Don't listen to her, Freddie." Carly said with a smile. "Thank you."
Freddie couldn't help but smile back at his best friend. He had been in love with her since the sixth grade. At least, back then he thought it was love. But over time, as they hung out more and got to know each other better, he was sure that it was love that he felt for Carly.
"You want to hang out and watch a movie or something?" She asked him. Freddie felt his heart soar; she wanted to spend time with him!
"Yeah, sounds great," he replied with an easy smile.
"Cool. I'll see if Sam wants to stay, too." She said. Freddie's smile fell when he realized that she meant if he wanted to stay and watch a movie as friends. Sure, he was used to constantly being reminded of their friendship and nothing more, but some days, he couldn't help but hope.
"Great," he said with less enthusiasm than before. "Well, I'm ready when you are."
Carly, oblivious to the inner turmoil occurring within the boy next to her, smiled and headed out of the iCarly studio. Freddie sighed heavily and made his way out of the studio after her.
"Sam?" Carly called out to her apartment. "We're gonna watch a movie! You in?"
A muffled reply came from the kitchen, and Carly couldn't help but chuckle. She knew that Sam's mouth would be stuffed with food when she rounded the corner.
Sure enough, Sam was standing at the counter, almost half of her sandwich stuffed inside her mouth. Carly laughed once more, and when Freddie came down the stairs and saw Sam with her mouth full of sandwich, he joined in on the laughter.
Sam swallowed the half of the sandwich and repeated her question to Carly. "What'd you say, Carls? I couldn't hear you over the sound of my chewing." She admitted.
"I said we're going to watch a movie. You in or what?" Carly replied with a laugh.
"Oh, I can't. My mom said she needed help with Frothy's –"
"I don't want to know." Carly said before Sam could finish. She turned to Freddie. "Are you still in, or did you want to bail?"
"What? No, I'll stay." Freddie said, ignoring Sam as she mocked him.
"Cool. Want to pick out the movie, or can you handle my choice?" Carly teased.
"He'll watch whatever you want, won't you Fredward?" Sam asked in a condescending tone. Freddie made a face at her, but then turned to Carly and agreed.
"I don't mind, honest. I just want to hang out, is all." Freddie said, choosing to not even look at Sam, knowing that she was mocking him yet again.
"Alright, well it looks like all we have is Homeward Bound. Is that okay with you?" Carly asked Freddie. He smiled and nodded.
"Alright, well I'm gonna go help my mom," Sam said before grabbing her sandwich. She punched Freddie in the shoulder and shouted a 'bye' to Carly before she slammed the door shut. Freddie rubbed his shoulder where Sam hit him.
"Are you okay?" Carly asked with a slight laugh.
"What? No, I'm good. I'm good." Freddie said, trying to shrug it off.
"Okay…" Carly said, not fully believing him. She smiled anyway and put the movie in. She went to sit on the couch, and Freddie followed suit.
Carly sat directly in the middle of the couch, and Freddie took the spot to her right. They started the movie, and neither talked for the duration of the film. Once it got to the spot where Shadow fell in the hole, Carly felt her tears fall down her cheeks. It always happened to her when she watched this movie, but it was one of her favorites, regardless.
Later, when Chance and Sassy were running across the field, Carly felt this overwhelming feeling of loneliness settling over her. She had just recently ended a relationship, and had been feeling sort of down anyway. This movie wasn't really helping, she decided. It seemed, to Carly at least, that she would never end up with that one person who made her truly happy. She always ended up hurt in the end.
She turned her attention to Freddie. He had always loved her, but she had never returned his feelings. She wondered if she was experiencing what Freddie had been dealing with for the past five years – loneliness.
Freddie was so absorbed in the movie, that he didn't notice that Carly had been watching him. She was thinking about all of the times he had tried to convince her that they were meant to be, all of the times that he had comforted her when she broke up with a boyfriend, all of the times that he was just…there for her. She felt her heart break for Freddie. He had been loyal and kind and loving and…Freddie to her for all these years, and had nothing to show for it.
Maybe Freddie's the guy I've been looking for. God knows he loves me. But do I love him? Do I even like him as more than a friend? Maybe this would be easier if we went on a date or two…
Carly had been thinking so intently about the boy sitting next to her, that she didn't notice when the movie had ended. Freddie turned to her, only to find that she was already staring at him.
"…Carly?" He asked, hesitantly.
"Whoa! Sorry, Freddie. I must have zoned out or something." Carly said.
Yeah, zoned out at my face. Freddie thought to himself with a small smile.
"Alright…are you sure you're okay? Do you need anything? Water, food?"
"Freddie, I'm fine!" Carly said with a laugh. She briefly thought about what she had just been pondering. Why not? She asked herself. It's not like I've got anything to lose.
"Hey, Freddie?" Carly asked. Freddie noticed the change of her tone, and focused all of his attention on her.
"Yeah, Carly. What's up?"
"Do you want to go get a smoothie or something?" She asked.
"Uhh…sure! Do you want to text Sam, or you want me to?" He asked.
"Actually, I was thinking maybe just you and me could go." Carly said in a small voice. Freddie felt his eyes widen, but he could do nothing to control them at the moment.
"Are you saying that you, Carly Shay, want to go out for smoothies with just me, Freddie Benson?" Freddie asked, slowly.
Carly laughed. "Yes." She said with a smile.
"Oh! Well, uhh…yeah. Let's go then." Freddie said as they stood up and put on their shoes and coats.
Carly smiled to herself. This could be fun.
The walk to the Groovy Smoothie was fun. Carly felt like it had been forever since her and Freddie got to hang out, alone.
"Is it just me, or does it feel like we haven't hung out in forever?" She asked, voicing her thoughts.
"What are you talking about? We hang out all the time!" Freddie said with a confused look on his face.
"No," Carly laughed. "I mean just you and me. I feel like it's been forever since we've been alone." She smiled.
"Oh." Freddie said. "Yeah, it does feel like that, huh?"
They got to the Groovy Smoothie and picked out a table.
"Strawberry Splat?" Freddie asked as he headed towards the counter.
"Yes please," Carly said with a smile. She watched Freddie as he headed up to the counter, but her view of him was soon cut off by a chest. She looked up, and met the gaze of a boy who looked to be around her age.
"Oh…can I help you?" She asked.
"Yeah, uhh…I was wondering if…I could maybe…have your number?" The boy stuttered out. Carly felt her face heat up. As she floundered for an excuse, she caught sight of Freddie's head.
"Oh, sorry. I'm here with my boyfriend." She blurted out. His face fell, and he nodded glumly.
"Right. Sorry for bothering you." He said before turning and walking back to his table of friends. They patted him on the back, and Carly could hear them shelling out 'better luck next time's and 'it's kind of obvious that she's taken's. She felt bad about rejecting him, but she was the one who invited Freddie. It would have been rude to give out her number to another guy.
The guys at the table kept staring at her, so she did her best to avoid their stares. When Freddie got back to the table, he gave Carly her smoothie, and then started to walk to the other side of the table.
"Freddie, wait!" She half yelled, half whispered.
"What?" He asked her.
"Sit next to me." She said. She smiled when his face lit up, and watched happily as he took the seat next to her. "Some guy came over here and asked me for my number," She explained. "I told him I was with my boyfriend." She admitted somewhat sheepishly.
"You told some random guy that I was your boyfriend?" Freddie asked, a smile on his face.
"Yes," Carly said. "And they wont stop looking over here, so act like you're my boyfriend. Please?" Carly asked. "I'll make it up to you, promise."
Freddie smiled. "Alright, I'll do it. If you agree to go out on an actual date with me."
"Okay," Carly said with a smile. She reached over across the table and took Freddie's hand in her own. "Do you want some of my smoothie, boyfriend?" She asked sweetly.
"Oh, why thank you girlfriend. I would love some of your smoothie." He said with a smile. Carly held her cup up to his face, and watched as he gulped down some of her Strawberry Splat. She smiled at him.
"Come on, let's get out of here." Freddie said suddenly. Carly gave him a curious look, be he just smiled at her and stood up. Using their joined hands, he pulled her up and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Where are we going?" She asked as they passed the table full of guys.
"To our favorite park, of course." Freddie said with another smile.
Once they were outside, Carly half expected Freddie to drop the boyfriend act, but wasn't all that surprised when he left his arm around her waist. She decided that tonight was all about having fun, and leaned into his embrace while wrapping her own arm around his waist.
Freddie smiled down at the girl next to him. He had expected her to pull away and thank him for faking with her, but she didn't. He couldn't keep the smile off of his face.
They spent the rest of the night playing on the playgrounds at the park, drinking their smoothies, and watching the stars. It wasn't until Freddie's mother had called for the fifth time that they decided they should head home. Freddie, acting boldly, reached over and grabbed Carly's hand on the walk home. He once again expected her to pull away, but was pleased when she didn't.
When they reached the lobby to the Bushwell, they threw away their empty smoothie cups, ignoring Lewbert's yelling. Freddie smiled when he realized that Carly still hadn't let go of his hand. They laughed and joked all the way up to the eighth floor, before they finally came to apartments C and D.
"Well, I guess this is goodnight." Freddie said.
"I guess it is," Carly agreed. "Thanks for coming out with me tonight, Freddie. I really had fun." She said with a smile.
"Anytime, Carly. And don't forget, we still have our date." Freddie said. His smile reached both of his ears.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Carly replied. She gave Freddie a quick hug, before saying goodnight one more time, and heading inside her own apartment.
Once she was inside, she let out a happy sigh, and got herself ready for bed.
When she came back from the bathroom, Carly noticed that she had one new text from Sam.
OMG just found out there's a new kid at school. Supposed to be a hottie. See you tomorrow! -S :)
Carly smiled at her friend's text. She wasn't as interested in this new kid as she thought she would be.
Still smiling, Carly went to bed, reliving her night with Freddie in her dreams.
The next day at school, all the girls wouldn't stop talking about the new kid. Sam had first period with him, and all she could talk about was 'how insanely hot he is.'
Carly smiled, and continued to get out her books for the class she had right after lunch. She heard someone walk up, and turned around, assuming it was Freddie.
"Oh…Smoothie Girl. Hey." The new kid, who was the guy who had asked for her number last night, awkwardly said to Carly. She felt her face freeze, and didn't say anything until she felt Sam's elbow in her side.
"Oh! Hey…" Carly trailed off as she realized she didn't know his name.
"Oh, uhh…Josh." He said with a shy smile.
"Right. Hey, Josh." Carly said. Just then, Freddie walked up.
Josh turned to Freddie and his smile vanished. "Smoothie Girl's boyfriend…this day just gets better and better."
Freddie looked confused for a minute, but when he felt Carly slip her hand into his, he recognized Josh from the Groovy Smoothie from the night before.
"Yeah. Freddie," Freddie said as he stuck his other hand out.
"Josh," Josh said as he shook Freddie's hand. "…And I still don't know your girlfriend's name." He said as he turned to Carly.
"Oh! Right. I'm Carly." She said with a small smile.
"Right. Well, I guess it was nice to officially meet you, boyfr– ...I mean…Freddie. I'll uhh…I'll see you later. Bye Sam!" Josh said as he awkwardly left.
Sam waved to Josh as he left and then turned to Carly and Freddie, who were still holding hands and exchanging a look.
"Boyfriend? Girlfriend? What's going on?" Sam asked.
As Carly explained the situation that happened at the Smoothie the night before, Sam started laughing.
"So what you're saying is…you and Frednub went on an almost date last night, and are going to go on another?"
"Pretty much." Carly said. Sam kept laughing, so Carly just patted her on the shoulder. "We'll see you in the cafeteria." She said as she walked away with Freddie.
They turned the corner and Freddie stopped them. "Carly, it's okay if you want to…I don't know, 'break up with me' so you can go out with Josh. I don't mind. It's not fair for you to have to keep lying to the whole school just because of what you said last night."
Carly sighed. "Freddie, that's really sweet of you. But I don't want to go out with Josh. That's why I told him you were my boyfriend last night." She avoided using the word lied, because she knew that that would make Freddie feel worse. "So what if the school thinks we're dating? Let them." She said with a small smile. Freddie's grin made her smile even more.
"Great. Well then, I'm glad we settled this. Lunch?" He said, as they started walking to the cafeteria, hand in hand.
"Of course," Carly said with a smile.
They walked into the cafeteria, and awkwardly ran into Josh again. After a few muttered words, they decided it would be best to leave. They headed to the main staircase and sat down.
"So, Carly…" Freddie began. "About our…you know…date."
"Freddie," Carly laughed. "It's okay to talk about our date. You don't have to feel awkward about it." She said with a smile.
Freddie relaxed and tried again. "Well, and don't laugh, but I've had our first date planned out for a while…and I kind of took you on it last night." Freddie said, looking down.
"Freddie, you don't need to feel bad. Last night was really fun." Carly said with a smile. "It was probably the best first date I've ever been on."
Freddie looked up, smiling. "You considered that a date?"
Carly started to say no, but then she realized that she did, in a way, consider it a date. "Well, yeah. I mean…you bought me a smoothie, and then we hung out afterwards having fun. And I had a lot of fun." She said.
"Does this mean that I don't get to take you out again?" Freddie asked.
"Well, you don't have to. But I'd like it if you did." Carly said softly. Freddie smiled at her.
"Great! It's a second date, then."
"And then we should finish with a 'Messin' with Lewbert'." Sam said.
"Sounds good to me," Carly said. "Freddie?"
"I like it. This will be a good episode, guys." He agreed.
"Yeah, yeah. No one cares what you think, Frednub. Now onto the really important stuff. Are you guys dating?" Sam asked in a rush.
Freddie and Carly fumbled around for an answer, not knowing what to say. After a while, Carly spoke up.
"Well…we decided that last night was a date. And we're going out again sometime." She said. Freddie nodded.
"Well, Carls. I gotta hand it to you. I never thought Fredweird over here would find someone to go out twice with him, but…if he had to find someone, I'm glad it's you. You have my blessing to date the dork." Sam said.
"Don't be rude, Sam." Carly said. "And thanks, I guess." She finished, awkwardly.
Freddie smiled. "Thanks, Sam. That sort of means something." He said.
Sam rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You got any ham, Carls?" She asked her best friend.
"Yeah, Spencer just bought some." Carly said with a laugh.
"Coolio. Mama's out." Sam said, before rushing out the door to eat the ham in the Shay's fridge.
Freddie smiled at their friend before turning to Carly. "So…what did you want to do for our next date?" He asked with a smile.
"Aren't guys supposed to figure that stuff out?" She retorted. Freddie shrugged at her and she laughed. "We could…huh. I don't know. This is hard." She said with a frustrated look on her face. This time it was Freddie's turn to laugh.
"How about we just go out, and we'll think of things to do once we're actually out." Freddie suggested.
"I like that." Carly said. "It could be our thing." She said with a laugh. Freddie only smiled.
"So should we go stop Sam from stealing your ham?" Freddie asked.
"I think Spencer bought this one just for Sam," Carly said. But she stood up to leave anyway. Freddie stood up after her, and looked down at her hand. He didn't know if it was okay to hold her hand yet, or if it was only acceptable while on dates.
Carly answered his silent question and held out her hand to him. "Are you coming?" She asked, sweetly. Freddie smiled and took her hand in his. They walked downstairs together, and when Sam saw them she made a disgusted face.
"Ew! No public displays of affection! My eyes! They burn!" She yelled, while dramatically falling over the back of the couch. Carly and Freddie laughed at her, but kept their hands together.
"I thought you gave us your blessing," Carly said.
"To date, not to make me want to barf!" Sam said, face down on the couch. Just then, her phone beeped. She jolted up off the couch and read the text. "Oh my God! Josh wants to go out with me!" She yelled, excited. Then she looked at Carly, her face torn. "Are you okay with that, Carls?"
"Sam, of course! I told him no –"
"Cool! Thanks! Bye!" Sam said in a rush, cutting off Carly. She grabbed some more ham and raced out the door. Carly and Freddie just looked at each other and shrugged.
"So, do you want to go out now?" Freddie asked.
"Sure," Carly said with a light laugh and a smile. "Just let me get my coat." Freddie let go of her hand as she got out her coat. He smiled, thinking of how yesterday at this time, he was still longing for Carly from afar. But today, he was going out on his second date with her.
"You ready?" Carly asked. Freddie nodded and took her hand again. They headed out the door and went to the elevator.
"So…what should we do?" Carly asked.
"I don't know," Freddie replied. "What is there to do that's fun?"
"Movies, parks, ice cream, long walks on the beach…" She trailed off, cracking a smile. Freddie smiled with her.
"Well, we went to the park yesterday, and we walked all the way there, and we had smoothies, and we watched a movie before all that. So…your list is out." He said with a wink.
"Alright, Mr. Flirt, what's your list then?"
"Well, I don't actually have a list…but isn't there a street fair going on today?"
"You're right!" Carly said with a gasp. "And I wanted to go to that!" She said with a smile. "Can we?"
Freddie chuckled. "Of course, Carly. Anything for you." He smiled down at her, and she beamed back up at him.
The street fair was more like a carnival. There were rides to go on, game booths set up, even vendors with food.
"This place rocks!" Carly exclaimed once they arrived. She couldn't keep the smile off of her face.
"Seriously!" Freddie agreed. It made him feel like a kid again.
"What should we do first?" Carly asked. "Food?"
Freddie shrugged. "Whatever you want to do first is fine with me." He said with a smile. "As long as we don't do roller coasters. I can't handle those."
Carly let out a laugh. "I can deal with that," She said with a smile. Freddie smiled back at her, and they made their way to the nearest vendor.
Freddie started to pull out his wallet, but Carly protested. "No, you paid last night. Let me pay tonight." She said.
"If you're sure…" Freddie trailed off. She nodded. "Alright." He smiled at her.
"I'll just have a hotdog and a small soda," Carly told the vendor. She turned to Freddie.
"I'll have the same." He said. The vendor nodded and gave them their food. Carly paid for it and they left to find a table.
Once they sat down, they ate their food and talked. Carly had to admit; going on dates with Freddie was fun. She had never gone on dates like this with her other boyfriends.
Freddie was just happy to be out with Carly. On a date. He smiled whenever he thought about it.
When they finished their food, Freddie suggested they go on a ride.
"How about…the swings!" Carly yelled. Freddie smiled and they pushed their way through the crowd to get to the swings. There was no one there, so Carly and Freddie got on right away.
The worker in charge of the swings explained that since no one else had been interested in the ride yet, he was just going to let them run until Carly and Freddie asked to be let off. They smiled and thanked the employee.
The swings started up and Carly reached out for Freddie's hand. They laughed and just enjoyed being up in the air, going around in circles. Freddie wished that there were swings for couples, but he decided that holding Carly's hand was as good as it was going to get.
They ended up staying on for five cycles before deciding to try another ride. They wondered aimlessly through the fair until they found a merry-go-round. Freddie asked if Carly wanted to ride a horse or sit on a bench.
"Let's sit on a bench." She said. Freddie smiled and led her to the nearest available bench. They sat down and Freddie pulled Carly next to him, tucking her under his arm. She snuggled in closer and lay her head down on his chest.
"I'm having a really great time tonight, Freddie." Carly said. He smiled.
"Me too, Carly. Me too."
They stayed like that for the rest of the ride, quietly talking to each other. When the ride was over, Freddie spotted the Ferris wheel.
"Hey, Carly? Want to do one more ride?" He asked.
"Sure," She said as she grabbed his hand. Freddie led them to the Ferris wheel and they were let on right away. They sat next to each other like they did on the merry-go-round. Every so often, the ride would stop to let on new people. After about five minutes, Carly and Freddie ended up stopped at the very top.
"Look at this view," Carly said. "It's beautiful."
"It is," Freddie agreed. "But not as beautiful as you." He instantly wanted to smack himself; that was really cheesy.
Carly blushed. "Thank you," She said sincerely. "That was really sweet."
Freddie grinned; glad that she didn't think it was as cheesy as it was.
He knew that this was probably going to be the most romantic part of the night, and he had wanted to do two things. First, he wanted to ask Carly to be his official girlfriend. Second, he wanted to kiss her. He decided that the latter could wait…for now.
"Umm…Carly? I wanted to ask you something…" Freddie trailed off.
"What is it? Are you feeling okay?" She asked, concerned.
"Oh, I'm fine. I just…will you…be my girlfriend?" He asked. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the rejection in her eyes.
"Do you really mean that, Freddie?" She asked, her voice almost a whisper.
Freddie's eyes opened and he looked at Carly. "Well…yeah." Was all he could manage to get out.
"I'd really like that," She said with a smile.
Freddie knew that he was grinning like an idiot, but he didn't care. He reached over and pulled Carly in for the biggest hug he had ever given her. She hugged him back, smiling just as much as he was.
When they got off the Ferris wheel, they decided that it would be best if they headed back to the Bushwell. On their walk home, they laughed and talked about anything and everything.
Then they found themselves between apartments 8C and 8D once again.
"Freddie?" Carly asked, suddenly.
"Yeah?"
"We go on the best dates." She said.
Freddie smiled. "We do, don't we?"
"Well…I guess this is goodnight. Again." Carly said.
"Yeah…I guess so." Freddie said sadly. "But I wanted to give you something first."
"Oh? Well now I feel bad. I didn't get you –"
She was cut off when Freddie bent down and kissed her softly. When he pulled back, she opened her eyes and looked up at him happily. She leaned in and kissed him one more time.
"Goodnight, Freddie."
When she woke up the next morning, Carly was glad that it was a Saturday. She stayed in her pajamas, brushed her hair and her teeth, and sent a text to Freddie telling him to come over in his pajamas.
Freddie was a little confused when he read the text, but didn't change. He brushed his teeth and ran his fingers through his hair before heading over to the Shay's apartment. He was met at the door with a kiss and a bowl of cereal. He gladly accepted both.
"So what are we doing that means I have to stay in my pajamas?" Freddie asked between bites of his cereal.
Carly couldn't hold in her excitement as she yelled out "Saturday morning cartoons!"
Freddie couldn't help but smile at her. He leaned in to give her a kiss, but then Spencer came running out of his room.
"Did someone say Saturday morning cartoons? …Oh, Freddie's here. Morning Freddo!"
Carly smacked her forehead lightly with her palm; she should have known to not yell out about cartoons. Spencer loves cartoons. She sighed and mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Freddie, who just smiled.
Spencer joined them on the couch; not noticing how close Carly was sitting next to Freddie. He didn't notice when Freddie put his arm around Carly's shoulder, or when Carly leaned into Freddie's side. They figured that since he hadn't been noticing them, maybe they could have one 'good morning' kiss.
Just before their lips touched, Spencer spoke.
"Not while I'm in the same room." He didn't even look away from the TV; didn't stop eating his cereal.
Carly and Freddie knew that if he saw them about to kiss, he must have seen everything else, too. But if he didn't protest, they were just going to take it that he didn't mind them dating.
Once the cartoons were over, Carly noticed a text from Sam.
You and the nub want to double for lunch? –S
She looked over at Freddie and showed him the text. He frowned when Sam called him a nub, but shrugged at the suggestion to double date. Carly replied with a 'yes' and then told Spencer where they would be.
They got up and Carly walked Freddie to the door.
"I'll be done in twenty minutes," She told him. "Meet me in the studio?"
"I'll be there." Freddie said with a smile. Before he could remember that Spencer was in the room, he bent down and gave Carly a quick kiss. She sighed happily and went upstairs to get dressed.
Spencer smiled at her little sister and Freddie. He assumed that they were dating, but didn't want to be pushy. He knew Carly had made some mistakes with boyfriends in the past, but this was Freddie. He had nothing to worry about.
Twenty minutes later, Freddie came back, not even bothering to knock.
"Hey, Spence. I'll be in the studio. Later!" Freddie shouted as he made his way up the stairs. Spencer chuckled, knowing exactly what Freddie and Carly would be doing up in the studio.
About ten minutes later, they came downstairs and said a quick goodbye to Spencer.
Once they were out in the hallway, Freddie gave Carly another quick kiss before they made their way downstairs. They were going to meet Sam and Josh at the Groovy Smoothie for lunch.
Freddie couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Josh, even if he was dating Sam. And the reason that he and Carly were together. He just didn't like him.
Once they got to the Smoothie, Freddie went to the counter to order drinks for him and Carly. Carly found Sam and Josh and went over to say hello.
"Hey, guys." Carly said as she sat down.
"Hey, Carls." Sam said with a smile. Josh nodded and avoided eye contact with Carly. She still felt bad about rejecting him, but he looked happy with Sam. Freddie came back with their smoothies and said his hellos. Josh, again, avoided eye contact.
"I'll be right back," Sam said, before getting up to go to the bathroom. She looked over at Carly.
"Oh, I'll go with you, Sam." Carly said. She gave Freddie a quick kiss on the cheek before following Sam into the bathroom. As soon as they were gone, Josh turned and glared at Freddie.
"Okay, listen up dork. Carly can do way better than you, and by that, I mean me. So you should break things off with her now, before she ends it with you later. Get what I'm saying?"
Freddie could hardly believe what he was hearing.
"Are you kidding me? First off, I've been in love with Carly for five years. When she agreed to go out with me, I knew I was never going to let her go. Secondly, aren't you dating Sam?" Freddie asked, making sure to keep up the pretense that he had already been dating Carly since before the incident two nights earlier.
"Who cares about your stupid love? She's hot! And as for Sam, well I could really care less about her. I'm just using her to get closer to Carly." Josh said. Suddenly, his glare disappeared. "Really? You'll help me out on the math assignment? Thanks dude!" Josh said, with a sickeningly sweet falseness.
"Oh, I thought…we were gonna work on that…" Carly said, as she and Sam approached the table.
"We are. I have no clue what he's talking about." Freddie said, taking Carly's hand in his own. He didn't miss Josh's glare.
"Okay…" She said, trailing off. "So, Josh. How are you liking Ridgeway so far?" She asked, turning towards the new kid.
"Oh, it's great! There's definitely some perks to this school that my old school didn't have," He said, looking at Sam. She blushed and smiled at him.
Freddie thought he was the only one who saw Josh's eyes turn to Carly.
"Umm…what are you looking at?" Carly asked him.
"Yeah, Josh. What are you looking at?" Freddie asked, smug.
As Josh fumbled around for an answer, he kept looking at Carly, and barely glanced at Sam, who caught on quickly.
"You're trying to get with Carly, aren't you?" She said angrily.
"What? No! Babe, I swear! Right, Freddie?" He said, turning to Freddie.
Big mistake. "Well that's not what you told me while the girls were in the bathroom." Freddie said innocently.
"Dude! Not cool!" Josh yelled.
"You seriously expected me to just stand by and let you try to get with my girlfriend? You're crazy, you know that?" Freddie said, angry.
"Get out of here, skunk bag!" Carly yelled at him. He looked around, not knowing what to do. But when Sam yelled at him next, he reacted quicker.
"OUT!" She yelled, right in his ear. Josh jumped out of his seat and all but sprinted out of the store.
"Sam, are you okay?" Carly asked, turning her attention to her friend.
Sam sighed. "Yeah. I kinda guessed that he was no good. You okay, Carls? …Nub?" She asked.
"We're fine." Carly said. Freddie nodded.
"Okay, well I'm gonna head home then. Maybe go to Josh's with Frothy." Sam said wickedly.
"You do that." Carly said with a smile.
When Sam was gone, Carly turned to Freddie. "What now?"
"We could go to lunch? There's a Chile's just around the block…" Freddie suggested.
"I'd like that." Carly said. They finished their smoothies and threw away the empty cups.
When they got to Chile's, Freddie went to go to the bathroom.
"Why don't you get us a table," He said. "I'll meet you there."
Carly nodded and gave him a quick kiss. Then she walked up to the podium.
"Table for one?" The hostess asked.
Carly smiled and shook her head. "Actually," She began. "I'm here with my boyfriend."