My name is Samantha Puckett. I live in Seattle with my mother, though I spend most of my time avoiding the place that I'm supposed to call home. Actually, I spend most of my time with my best friend Carly Shay, and my ex-boyfriend Freddie Benson. You may think that being close with a person that you used to be in a relationship with would be awkward, but it would honestly be more awkward if we were still dating. Things are better this way.
Carly and I stopped filming our webshow iCarly about a year and a half ago. Carly had other responsibilities and opportunities- commercials, small television roles, even smaller movie roles, guest starring on other hit webshows… She simply didn't have the time to really put her best effort into iCarly any longer. While I was disappointed, I was happy for her and all of her success. Sure, it meant we couldn't go to the mall or the all-you-can-eat meat buffet as often, but we did the best that we could. Presently, Carly is appearing in a few episodes of the sitcom Homeless Bonds, a ground-breaking series about the family values exhibited by homeless people living on the same block. Or so it says on the TV guide. Carly plays the role of a homeless man's daughter, who is wealthy and successful but has no idea that her father lives on the side of fifty-second street. She's contracted for four episodes. I go to every single one of her rehearsals and filming days.
Carly is not the only one who has gained success from iCarly. Freddie was invited to work alongside James Cameron while he films his new movie, Blue Aliens on a Sinking Boat Stranded in a Desert. I would explain it, but it's exactly what it sounds like: sheer brilliance. Freddie rambles on and on about it and his man-crush on James Cameron every time we see him, while Carly cuts in with the news about her latest acting jobs. I smile and nod and tell them that I'm proud of them and all of the stuff a good friend should do. And then I go home.
When I open the door to my house (which is smaller than Carly's apartment), I can always either hear my mother belching, snoring, or vomiting. Sometimes it's all three, which could be a million dollar talent if I could get her to leave the couch for once. Unfortunately, the only income we have is the child support my father sends us and whatever I can manage to steal from unsuspecting kids at school. By unsuspecting, of course, I mean unconscious. I have my ways.
It's kind of strange, actually. How you can feel alone being around another person, or several. It doesn't matter who I spend time with, I constantly feel like I'm an outsider. I'm not one to get all mushy or anything, but it would be nice to feel like I was worth something for once. Like people appreciated me, even if I am just the mean friend that likes meat and hitting things.
The one thing that I have going for me is running the iCarly website. Even though we stopped making episodes, I still write a blog on the site every week and answer questions from fans. Mostly they're about Carly, when her new show is premiering, when she's appearing on Letterman, if she's dating anybody; Stuff that I definitely know the answer to… but I like to keep that stuff private- just between Carly and I. After all, she's my best friend, and I wouldn't want her to be stalked by some crazy fans who want to date her or something. I care about her too much for that.
Just as I wrote the last paragraph for this week's blog entry, I heard the front door creak open and slight footsteps in the living room. I quickly grabbed my steel baseball bat and headed out of my room, ready to strike at any moment. Just as I was about to yell, I noticed a familiar blonde head slipping her shoes off. A smile formed on my face at that moment, because I knew that my sister was home from her fancy across-seas private school, and for the next two and a half months I could spend every waking moment with the one person who truly knew me.