Disclaimer: This isn't my sandbox, I'm just playing in it.

So there was this challenge at 5_4_3_2 over on LJ for romantical Carly fics. I tried to write for it, because I'm guilty of ignoring her when I go to write iCarly fic. But apparently, even when I'm not ignoring her, I utterly lack the ability to ship her with anyone at all. So this (which is also over the word limit for the challenge, blah) is what resulted, and I thought it was okay, and I literally wrote it in about a half an hour.

It was pretty much the Day from Hell. Toasters malfunctioned, computers crashed, hair refused to conform to a basic, socially acceptable shape, and Carly was down to one thoroughly abused nerve by the time she stomped into her apartment, all but flinging her bag at the couch.

"Hi," Spencer said warily. He knew that face - it was the one that made his instincts tell him to hide under a table until it went away. But that would probably be rude.

"Hi," Carly snapped back, yanking the fridge open and snatching the milk carton out.

"How was school?"

"Bad. This morning was bad, school was bad, and I'm really glad it's not a show night because I don't think I could stand for that to be bad, too." She slammed the fridge door shut and chugged the glass of milk she'd poured.

"Where's Sam and Freddie?" Carly looked towards the living room and blinked when she found it empty.

"They were right behind me," she said, confused...and then, just like that, the anger flowed back in. "Great, so now my friends have decided to abandon me, too."

"I don't think they - " Spencer started, but Carly cut him off.

"I'm going upstairs," she muttered, pushing past him and taking the stairs two at a time.

"Okay, I hope you feel better," Spencer said to the empty kitchen. He really needed a manual for that girl.

xxxxx

It was hours later when Carly came back down, her previous anger replaced with acceptance that the day had sucked, but at least it was almost over. She flopped on her couch with the intent of watching tv, but was promptly distracted by the coffee table. Or, more precisely, what was on the coffee table that hadn't been before. A box of chocolate and a sheet of printer paper, folded in half. She leaned forward and unfolded the paper, finding a clipart heart and Freddie's handwriting on the inside.

Sorry your day was suckish. This is our attempt to make it better. (Sam paid for the chocolate; that should tell you something.)

Below the heart was Sam's scrawl.

Chocolate makes everything better - and I won't even make you pay me back for it! Feel better. It sucks seeing you sad.

Carly folded the paper back over and looked back at the chocolate box. It was the two-dollar box she always saw at the gas station, the front of it faded and it probably smelled funny, too, but at that moment it was better than anything anyone had ever gotten her. She picked it up and held it to her chest (it did indeed have a funky smell to it), and just sat there on the couch for a moment as Spencer walked behind her.

"Hey, kiddo."

"Hi."

"Sam and Freddie stopped by earlier. I told them you weren't feeling good."

"Thanks." Spencer dropped a kiss on top of his sister's head before going into the kitchen. Carly stayed where she was, looking at the stupid clipart heart and her friends' last-minute gift, and decided that maybe the day still had time to come out okay.