Author's Note: Hello all! So it's been a while and I have no business starting a new story with two unfinished ones, but I couldn't help it. This fic was literally screaming to get out of me! This is my first attempt at an iCarly one-shot, and my second one-shot overall, so if it overly sucks call it a learning experience. ;)
Disclaimer: Insert clever way to say I don't own iCarly here….
Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.
-Joshua J. Marine-
She is the undefeated champion.
Sam watched on amused as Patrick her current competitor's eyes watered only seconds after downing the brown spice. She could tell this would be a quick one because his form was completely wrong. She might have time to squeeze in Casey after all. For starters he shook the powder slowly into his open mouth, strike number one. She always found it better to take it straight. He sucked his cheeks in leaving him looking dumber than usual, at the same time committing strike number two. He now had no chances of any liquid as an aid. Lastly, he challenged her, bringing him to strike number three and he's out. In 5,4,3… quickly a cloud of brown smoke filled the air spraying from both his nose and mouth as he struggled to breath. The small crowd of students surrounding them exploded in laughter as he desperately chugged from his water bottle.
"What was that like five seconds? Dude you suck! My little sister lasted longer and she's only fourteen." Ben the benefactor of the event laughed. Patrick could only glare as he continued to down his water wiping at his still tearing eyes.
"Show'em how it's done Extinguisher!" Another face called out from the crowd.
To say she didn't know what drew her into what some called a ridiculous and dangerous waste of your life, and by some she meant Carly, would be a lie. While she wasn't one to be known by the purity of her statements, she has come to terms with this particular indiscretion. Well for one, these idiots paid out like fifty bucks a pop to challenge her. Math had never been her strong point, but making fifty bucks in under a minute easily had to beat working in some slum hole for minimum wage. Besides, this dare was more than meets the eye; it was a form of competitive eating. Throw in utterly remarkable fighting skills and you'd have her autobiography. She had always been competitive. It was a joke of the family (and by family she meant her Uncle Carmine and her J'Maw Maw) that when her mother was pregnant with her and Melanie, they had to do an emergency c-section because during their birth she struggled so hard to move down before her sister, she kicked her into a breech position.
Momma Plays to Win
Once in the fourth grade, during the midst of a weeklong dodge ball competition, she had fallen off a chair trying to reach a box of fat cakes her mother had taken from her room. That night she fractured her collar bone…in two places. To say her mother was pissed would be classified as the understatement of the year. At that age Sam didn't know exactly what Pam Puckett did for a living, but she knew whenever she came home to find a sock on the door, it was a sign to be anywhere else but there. What she did learn however was that while her mom's line of work (barely) paid the rent, it came with benefits, but not the kind you need at hospitals at least. They left the E.R with her mother flipping a nurse the bird and muttering how that lady seriously needed a good lay. When they got back home she told her to sit on the couch as she disappeared into her bedroom. Melanie sat next to her trying and failing not to cry while rubbing her back, she was always a softy. Sam waited, holding her arm tightly against her chest as the pain throbbed in her shoulder. It seemed secondary to the hunger she was currently experiencing; she after all never had a chance to eat her pink treat. Her mother walked back into the room carrying a pillow case and a pair of scissors. Noticing the scissors, she shifted away as her mother moved closer.
"What are they for? No way are you cutting my hair again."
"If you think I'm dishing out six hundred bucks for some piece of cloth you've got another thing coming kid." She stated as she ripped the pillow case in two, before cutting it into a smaller square. "I've already got the gas people up my ass, I don't need CPS there too. If you think living here sucks then this dump will seem like the Four Seasons compared to where they stick you." Her mother reached forward tucking Sam's arm in the cloth before tying the material behind her neck. "Now you're going to wear this thing rain or shine, and I don't want to hear any back lip. If anyone asks, you went to the doctor and you have to wear it for a couple of weeks, got it?" Sam nodded, shifting her arm into a more comfortable position. "Good, now go take a bath, you smell." With that, Pam walked away slamming her room door. Arriving at school the next day to say the least sucked. Not only was she in some makeshift sling, it was day three of the dodge ball tournament and Noah Parks was talking smack all day. By the third class of the day she had made up her mind, Parks was going to taste rubber. Before gym she slipped away to the girl's bathroom, wincing as she slowly slid off her sling, before hanging it in the last stall. Lowering her arm, she winced slightly trying to roll her shoulder. She did it a few more times, training herself not to wince and preparing her body for the war. Walking into gym, she took her place as team captain at the half court line and met Noah's eye.
"I hope you're not too fond of your face." She whispered shaking his hand.
"What-?" The whistle blocked his reply as she ran for a ball. Grabbing one dead center her reign of terror commenced against the other team. She quickly took out two prissy girls and one jock that made the mistake of turning his back to her. Spotting Noah coming up to the line she took aim at him. He looked up just in time to catch her wink before she landed a hit right between the eyes with a force that knocked the boy, as well as one of his teeth to the floor.
"Puckett you know the rules no head shots you're out."
"Oops." She smiled with a shrug.
"Off the court." The game resumed as Sam watched their Gym teacher asking Noah how many fingers he was holding up. As she headed off the court, Sam looked back at Noah with her smile still plastered on her face. The next moment was one that would go in the Puckett book of bad luck. It was one of those freak accidents that you see happening in almost slow motion, but for some reason you can never mange to look away or stop it. As she made her way to the bleachers, a stray ball rolled under her foot causing her to lose footing and fall back. She hit the ground with a thud and a sickening crack ringing in her ears. Before the pain could set in a face quickly appeared before her own.
"Oh my god, are you okay?" A boy with eyes that reminded her of gravy asked in a panic. She would never forget those eyes. Who knew that they would cause her such torment in the future? They say with a clavicle fracture, surgery is only required in maybe ten percent of cases. She was part of that lucky ten percent. Fifteen hundred dollars, a beyond pissed off Pam Puckett, and a small steel plate later, she was as good as new. She missed the next three dodge ball tournaments, but it was worth it.
"Give me the goods."
"Yea!" The crowd of obnoxious teens cheered. A skinny kid, one of her newly acclaimed followers, who had in a way moved himself up to number one lackey through his persistence to learn and kiss her ass, handed her a small container that read Ground Cinnamon . He then opened his backpack pulling out a wrapped plastic spoon, which he opened and polished before handing it to her.
"Sam?"
Oh chiz. "What's shaking Shay?" Carly looked to Sam, then the crowd, then back to Sam or rather the container in her hand.
"Sam you promised." Carly sighed walking closer to her friend.
"Carls relax, it's no big deal."
"No big deal! Sam are you aware that this little game you are playing could be life threatening?"
"Carly."
"No don't Carly me, you promised that last week was the last time."
"Well that was before."
"Before what?"
"Before this chiz for brains challenged me."
"Sam can't you just walk away?"
She Wished it was that Easy
"If you don't stop this I'm going… I'm going …I'm going to get Freddie." Carly said finally in her warning tone while crossing her arms. Sam scoffed at the ridiculousness of it. After all he was the reason she was in this mess.
Out of all the senses, it's said that smell is the most unique because it holds the strongest line to memory. Just a single inhale of a certain scent can immediately evoke feelings and emotions from when the person first experienced it. She still remembers the first time she smelled him, really smelled him. They had just finished shooting iCarly and were preparing to head back to the Bushwell after grabbing post show smoothies (which were way better than post show lemonade days). Freddie, being Mr. Prepared, had of course watched the news and weather report knowing to bring along an umbrella. Sam being…well Sam, didn't even have a jacket. As the sky parted no drops fell, however buckets of water did; got to love Seattle. Holding his and Carly's smoothie tightly against his chest, Freddie quickly opened his umbrella. Sam looked up already drenched and allowed the water to hit her face.
"Sam what are you doing, are you trying to catch pneumonia?" He questioned while moving to stand next to her. "Here we can share." She felt his breath tickle her neck, which is what cause her to look over. They had never been this close before, well without him screaming in pain and her cheering in triumph. In that moment she felt a small chill flow through her bones as something caught her attention. It was an earthy pungent deep scent that enticed her. Taking another breath she found her chest filling with warm air as she placed the smell as cinnamon mixed with a hint of mint, which then left her with a tingling that reminded her of the icy hot she used to rub on her mother's back, that was a memory she didn't need or want to relive. She coughed, clearing her lungs trying to regain control of her breathing. "Look, it's starting already."He said moving impossibly closer to her. She was quickly pushed into overload as the smell once again filled her nostrils, this time it was joined by an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She didn't know then what was happening but she didn't like it.
"Move Dipthong." She demanded with a hard shove, causing him to stumble, dropping his umbrella and one of the smoothies.
"Sam! That was Carly's"
"Learn to live a little nub." She smiled titling her head back once again allowing the rain to hit her in the face. Taking a deep breath, she welcomed the fresh oxygen into her lungs, successfully (for the moment) ridding her of him. She heard him mumble something about being a crazy unappreciative demon, but chose to ignore it, glad to have her lungs functioning normally again. They soon arrived back at Carly's. Freddie being Freddie gave her his smoothie, while he choked down her "special lemonade". As the night progressed, she didn't have anymore episodes and the light sear from the flames she felt earlier in her chest had subsided. She chalked the earlier events up to not having been properly fed before the show.
If Only.
That was the first of many cinnamon induced trances, or CITs as she liked to call them. It seemed as though once she acknowledged it she couldn't ignore it. Wherever he was she could smell him, sometimes even before she could see him, and worst of all she found that she was… drawn to it. At first it was almost painful, the heat that he induced within her. She at times found it hard to breathe like during rehearsal; if he as much as walked by, he left a slow vicious trail to fill her. It got worse. She often found herself in a fog that left her feeling like she was swimming through a pool of cinnamon flavored jello, which lead her to want to taste it? Watching TV she found her head naturally falling towards him, she began to sit at the island. She tried avoiding him, but it didn't work. He lingered all over the Shay's apartment. It became a science and usually took about thirty seconds for his spell to set in. In the times that he got to close or she felt herself falling too deep, she would hold her breath and take a few steps back, before successfully ridding him with the taste of meat. On few occasions he has caught her completely off guard.
Once she walked into the Shay apartment doing her usual once over and smiled, no Freddie in sight or smell. School was particularly rough that day; they ended up paired together for a Health assignment and her brain and lungs were exhausted. "Bacon beware, Momma's coming!" Hurrying to the fridge, she began scanning the contents, she felt him before she smelt him.
"Ever wonder why they are always so stocked up on eggs?" She jumped, bumping into his chest in the process, standing up right she was assaulted by him. There it was, the aroma of death, and it hit her all at once. He was close…too close. She didn't answer, she was too busy planning her escape. "Sam?" He moved in closer to her, causing every alarm in her head to ring. "You ok?" That's when she saw it, the hint of a smile in his eyes, those beautifully evil brown hues. He knew what he was doing to her and she hated him for it. "Could you hand me a Peppy Cola?"
"Get it yourself, Fredwina." She said back, but they both noticed it didn't have its usual bite.
"Alright." He smiled, taking another step forward he reached around her, giving her nose perfect access to his neck. She closed her eyes biting her lip, preventing her from biting into him. As he leaned back he stopped next to her ear. "See you later princess." He whispered, before he was out the door, and she was gulping air.
She was a Goner.
Over the next year a lot of things between the two of them had changed, the effect of his scent wasn't one of them. He had gotten taller, she was less abrasive, they spent time together without Carly, he filled out (in all the right places), she kissed him, he kissed her, they fell in love, and then it ended. That was about four months ago. About a month after their break up she discovered the challenge. At first she just tried it because hey, dangerous, thoughtless, and spontaneous things were all a part of the Puckett way of life. On her first attempt she spit it out, their break up was still fresh and she was in no way prepared for the surplus of emotions and memories that hit her. A week later in the privacy of her room she did it again, and again the burning created in her throat and chest soothed a worse pain. This became a part of her night ritually. On days when she felt like she just couldn't deal, she did it until she was numb to the world… to him. During these times she hated him. Hated him for how he made her feel,and for being the only person to ever make her feel that way.
Her craft was perfected by the time she caught word of the bets. This gave her an excuse to endure the sweet torture; in the weeks that followed, she picked up a crowd of followers as well as a new nickname, The Extinguisher. While it wouldn't be her first pick, it kind of stuck and she didn't mind being adored, and adored she was enough to be picking up duels close to four times a week. Looking away from Carly she began to shake the cinnamon onto her spoon. The crowd let out another cheer at this, as Carly shook her head and stomped away.
"Let's revisit the rules shall we." Ben said standing in between Sam and Patrick. "You have to swallow the spoonful of cinnamon without the use of water within sixty seconds, ready?"
"Momma was born ready."
"On three, one, two, three." Sam tucked the spoon into her right cheek; she allowed it to collect a little saliva before slowly removing the spoon. Her mouth instantly felt like a desert, yet she saw his face. A little more saliva trickled into her mouth and she made the move to swallow, allowing the spice to head to the back of her throat. With the powder sitting, burning her taste buds, she took a breath through her nose and she was filled with him once more. His smile, she gulped, his eyes, she felt her eyes tearing as the distant sound of counting filled her ears. Her lungs swelled, his lips, she closed her eyes and she could feel them dancing across her skin. Moving her tongue across her teeth she swallowed again, as his hands travel through her hair, and he whispered how she beautiful she is.
"Sixty!" Her eyes snapped open as the crowd cheered, people shaking their heads in awe, others offering their congratulations, while some had their camera phones out recording in disbelief.
"Puckett you're crazy, here have some water."
"No thanks." She wanted to stay wrapped in him as long as she could. "But I will take my winnings." She said holding out a hand expectantly. Ben smiled reaching in to his pocket to pull out his wallet.
"It's always a pleasure." He said placing the bill in her hand. Sam took the money holding it up to the light, she checked that it was authentic before smiling and sticking it into her shirt.
"The pleasure like your money, is all mine." As the crowd began to depart, brown met blue. He stood arms crossed, with his I'm- disappointed -in -you look scrawled across his face.
"How did you get so good at this?" Her lackey asked with admiration flowing from his eyes.
"I've had lots of practice." She said glancing over at Freddie again. The boy nodded as if forming a list in his mind. "Make sure the next gig pays fifty five, I think it's time I upped my price." He nodded adding the request to his mental list. "Go."Waving a dismissive hand, the boy scurried away as she rolled her eyes, picking up her backpack from the floor she made her way over to him.
"Feel better."
More than you'll ever know.
"What?"
"Why do you do this?"
"I'm not in the mood nub."
"You promised Carly."
"I promise a lot of things." She said with a shrug.
"But not to Carly." He said holding out a bottle of Wahoo Punch, which she took.
"It's no big deal, besides I'm good at it." She said taking a sip from the bottle.
"Congratulations Sam. your good at a stupid game capable of harming your lungs, why don't you just take up smoking to help things along."
"Sounds like a great idea, know anyone selling loosies?" She said preparing to walk by him; he didn't get to give her lectures, not anymore.
"Sam…' He sighed catching her arm. "Please stop this."
"Why do you care what I do?"
"Why do I care? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He questioned a little louder than intended, drawing attention to the pair.
"Why wouldn't I care that my…best friend is..."
"Save the Freddie good guy thing, like I said, I'm not in the mood." She said pushing past him holding her breath in the process refusing to be sucked in. "Tell Carls to enjoy her lunch with you and Abby, I'm going to take care of a few things." She didn't wait for him to respond, she had to get out of there away from him, she needed fresh air. Stopping by her locker she threw her backpack in and pulled a pack of beef jerky out. Heading towards the doors of the school she cursed under her breath seeing that it was beginning to rain.
"Sam." She didn't have to look to know it was him. She had two choices, get wet or deal with the dork. Pushing open the door, she ran out into the rain and took off down the street with Freddie close behind. "Sam!" He never could take a hint. Out of breath and annoyed she stopped turning to face him.
"Isn't your girlfriend waiting for you?"
"Why did you ask me if I care?" The rain began to get heavier, his hair flattening under its pelting , she found herself wanting to reach up and…but that wasn't her job anymore, she was just Sam, the sometimes friend and one third of iCarly, she wasn't Sam the girlfriend.
"You better go back, before she gets suspicious."
"Sam I care, I will always care."
"Just go."
"Not without you." He said taking a step toward her, in this moment she was instantly brought back to her first encounter with him.
"I can't do this anymore." She whispered.
"Do what?"
"This." She said gesturing between them. "You want to know why I do it?"
"Kinda." He replied in his high pitch exasperated tone that she hated. It was happening, it was coming out like word vomit and she couldn't stop it. "I do it because of you." As the words left her lips she wished she could swallow them back out of existence and keep them inside herself where they belonged.
"Me?"
"Yes you, you and your damn smell, and don't give me that confused look you know exactly what I'm talking about. As soon as I'm okay it pulls me back in and I'm tired of it."
"Sam…"
"At first I tried to avoid it, I didn't like how it made me feel. I would feel hot and then cold all at once, is that even possible?"
"Sam..." He tried again.
"It was hard to breath. I felt like I couldn't think straight, but I couldn't do it…you…were everywhere infecting my air. Then I just learned to deal. I would hold my breath, keep a good distance, but soon I became accustomed to it. I…I wanted it…then we…" She trailed off looking at her hands.
"Dated." He supplied. So it did happen it wasn't just an elaborated work of her imagination. This was the first time either of them mentioned their relationship and for some reason it made her chest feel heavier rather than lighter.
"Yea, and now I miss it." She chuckled fiddling with her hands gain. "Pretty jank huh?" She asked meeting his eyes. His silence brought her back into reality. It was unnerving and she felt her heart beating in her chest and ears. "I think I'm going to just head home, could you tell Carly I'll call her later?" She made a move to turn around but his voice stopped her.
"Vanilla, brown sugar, and ribs."
"What?" She asked turning back around.
"The smell of your hair." She looked up at him confused as he moved another step towards her. "It drives me insane, during random dancing the way it flies in the air. You have no idea how many times I've come close to dropping the camera. When you would fall asleep during movie night and end up on my shoulder, or when you used to let me brush it." He said reaching a hand up to wipe a plastered strand of hair away from her cheek. "Promise not to laugh." He said moving his hand to his pocket.
"Freddie…"
"Or punch me…with your left hand at least."
"Get to the point Benson."
"I walk around with this in my pocket." He said while pulling out a small vial with the word Sam engraved on the side. "It's a mix I created to remind me of you, but I could never really get it as good as the real thing." He said closing his hand around the bottle before putting it back in his pocket. "If walking around with a vial of your ex's scent isn't jank I don't know what is." It was his turn to laugh.
"I guess we're both pretty messed up in the head…you of course a little more than me."
"Maybe another trip to troubled waters is in order." She paused, she felt it happening, the warm spice filled her…pulling her forward by a force she stopped trying to understand. "I liked…I mean, I thought the outcome of the last visit was pretty amazing."
"You did?"
"I still do." She glanced down at his lips briefly remembering something she heard in science class about how seventy percent of the taste of something is made up from the smell.
She never wanted to taste something so bad.
Well maybe Bolivian bacon, each poison having the same side effect on her.
"And Abby?"
"Isn't you."
"I have to warn you, I'm pretty abnormal."
"You're too awesome for normal."
"I've missed you."She revealed dropping her head again.
"I've missed you more." He said lifting up her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I don't want to miss you anymore." Sam moved forward taking a deep breath, his fragrance propelling her ahead, cupping his right cheek she ran her thumb down the side of his face, he shivered closing his eyes.
"Then don't." Her voice whispered ghosting against his lips. His eyes opened and the restraint he gripped to over the last four months fled his body. He moved forward pulling her into him, their lips met their spice blended, creating a haze of a unique sweet and savory mist around them. Sam grabbed onto his shoulders as his hands instinctively made their way to her waist. The kiss was rough, sloppy, and desperate, both pushing to abolish the hunger for the other. Their teeth clanged together, she bit down of his lip hard enough to draw blood as he pulled her impossibly closer. Both ignored the need for oxygen. She of course had practice at this skill. Finally, he pulled back but was not ready to break contact with her. Leaning forward he rested his forehead against hers, their chests rising and falling heavily, as they inhaled the air around them.
"You really mean that?" She questioned, letting her hands slide down his chest, to the end of his shirt.
"I love you Sam, more than you'll ever let me explain." Her heart fluttered in her chest at his declaration, the words having more authority over her than she wished.
"Come on, we need to get you in some dry clothes before you get sick. I don't need Crazy thinking I'm trying to kill you…. again." She said stepping back from him and taking his hand in hers.
"A clever woman once told me to live a little." He said with a lopsided smile while pulling her back to him so that they were chest to chest, his arms wrapping tightly around her ."And with you I want to live a lot." Sam rolled her eyes shaking her head, hoping that the rain blur his vision enough to hide the blush rising on her cheeks.
"You're such a nub." She said while cupping his face again.
"And you love it."
"I do." She agreed leaning in to recapture his lips.
"Extinguisher!" The loud yell caused both to jump turning sideways towards the voice. They noticed Sam's lackey who Freddie knew as Toby approaching them. She was never really good with names, creating yes, remembering no."You've got to come quick! You know that football player Keith Richards? Well he just called you out in the middle of the cafeteria and I quote, "I will wipe the floor with that poser Samantha Puckett and I have a hundo to back up my claim." He just doubled your usual asking price! Toby said with wide eyes. Sam viably stiffened as she bit her lip trying to calm her nerves. She looked to Freddie then back to Toby before shaking her head.
"Sorry kid I'm retired."
"What…but you're The Extinguisher, the undefeated champion."
"Let's just say I've got the real thing." She smiled meeting Freddie's eyes.
"Did he really call her out by her full name?" Freddie asked looking over to Toby who nodded his head with wide eyes. "Sam you remember all that stuff I was saying about how bad this is for lungs?"
"Yea, yea."
"Well I want you to keep remembering after you kick that jock's ass."
"What?" She asked in disbelief as a grin spread across her features.
"No one gets to call you Samantha without being properly corrected."
"God I love you." She smiled moving forward and pressing her lips against his in a quick kiss. "Now you get my big spoon ready and a towel, things are about to get ugly for Keith." Sam said making her way back in the direction of the school.
"This is going to be so awesome!" Toby exclaimed catching Freddie's eye before scurrying away to carry out his task. Freddie smiled, his heart still beating rapidly from Sam's declaration. Reaching in his pocket he pulled out the small vial. Opening it, he held it under his nose inhaling the scent slowly. Closing it he followed after Sam reaching the entry to the school. He looked at the small bottle before tossing it in the trash. She may be spontaneous, aggressive, unkempt ,and have the manners of a wild boar, but she was his and no way would he lose her again.
The greatest risk is the risk of riskless living.
-Stephen Covey-
….
Important Authors' Note.
In no way was this story supposed to encourage anyone to try the Cinnamon Challenge. I it is not recommended. It's really not good for you, nor is it easy, but I just had fun making Sam a little invincible.
Two, I hope you all enjoyed reading my first ever iCarly One-shot as much as I enjoyed writing it. If so please be kind and rewind…wait that's not right. Okay, how about this one you know what to do review? ….No, ok…I'm out of rhymes, I'll just go with an old fashion please.
~Thanks Keirah~ :)