Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly, never did. LOL.

"So." Samantha Puckett muttered, grasping at straws for a civil conversation with the boy sitting silently next to her on Carly Shay's couch. She hadn't really talked to Freddie much after the...incident, as she liked to call it. She just ran away (a usual thing for her to do after a passionate thing such as that) and when she had finally came face to face with Freddie, she simply punched him in the gut to prove to him that no, she was not in love with him and that no, just because she had a lapse in judgment doesn't mean she was completely insane. She had made sure that the trio had gone back to their usual routine: Sam attacked Freddie, Freddie made some feeble attempt to actually win, Freddie lost, and Carly kept the peace. She had made sure it stayed that way. That Carly Shay was with them at all times.

Carly wasn't here right now.

And she was irritated that she wasn't. Now, as she glanced from the TV to the clock to the robot to her lap, she couldn't just ignore the silence. It bugged her. She was staring at the ceiling now, since Freddie hadn't replied and she wasn't about to go and start up another mind fuck looking for another witty sente-

"...Yes?" Freddie cleared his throat, averting her eyes completely. She rolled hers, annoyed at the lack of eye contact. She shrugged it off and smirked.

"What's up, pretty boy?" she blinked cautiously as she straightened her legs, waiting for a response. She thoroughly enjoyed calling him a pretty boy, and figured it was the last thing she had as a souvenir of what could have been.

Freddie, still somewhat puzzled as to what started this conversation, glanced at Sam and shrugged. He tried to not give away how taken aback he was from being called a pretty boy, as he was used to "nerd" , and "nub" and well...other cruel things Sam said for her entertainment. Well, since she admitted she loved him...he should be used to it, the whole "pretty boy" comments and her suggestive winking and flirting when she wasn't thoroughly irritating the shit out of him. But he's not. And it bothers him. So as casually as he could, he staggered out a cough, and looked away.

"F-Fine, I guess. How about...um, you, Puckett?" he stammered, scratching behind his neck in an awkward way.

Sam smiled gratefully at the return of conversation. "Great. I got a hundred bucks from Gibby. I told him he couldn't run around Abercrombie and Fitch without a shirt without getting kicked out from the store..." Sam had to trail off, because she heard steps. And Carly was coming down. She punched Freddie in the stomach and stood up.

The routine must NOT be broken.

Carly smiled at Sam, rolling her eyes. She ignored the incident, simply passing it off as a figment of her imagination. She silently chuckled to herself. She knew it wasn't. Carly waltzed into the kitchen, grabbed a Peppy Cola, and looked at Freddie.

"Okay Freddie, this day is REALLY important for the show, so I hope you got that HD water camera whatever." Carly recited, checking her chocolate brown locks in the mirror one last time, making sure she looked like absolute perfection (which of course, she did, but of course, Carlotta Shay MUST double check) before she stepped a foot outside.

Freddie nodded absentmindedly, stagnating up to grab a heavy black bag from the kitchen table with one arm. With one arm clutching his tender stomach, (Sam had a mean punch) he grabbed the bag. His biceps rippled. Sam's blue eyes glazed over, until she shook her head and crossed her arms indifferently.

Carly giggled her oh-that-was-so-sexy-let-me-touch giggle, and flipped her hair and batted her eyelashes accordingly. Freddie gave her a simple half-smile back.

"Er...and what are we going to Ian's pool party for, exactly?" he asked, still packing. Sam got up and went to the refrigerator to grab some ham, Carly leaned near Freddie to give him full cleavage view (the brunette had single-handedly become a size B in one summer) and winked while she checked herself in the mirror. Sam, having an idea what was going on behind the refrigerator, scoffed.

"We needed an iCarly Pool Party webisode, to make up for the lack of videos being posted lately. Remember, Freddie? When you said it was...y'know, a good idea..." Carly trailed off and began to trace a finger on Freddie's ear. He blushed as she leaned in a bit closer, and started to move her finger down...

"OKAY..." Sam exclaimed, standing up on the table, glaring holes into Carly's head. "When does it start, at 3? Cause Mama needs some smoothies before we go." she smirked and hopped off the table, slapping Freddie behind his head before going to the elevator. "And yes, Fredly, you're paying. Suck it." she smirked, winked, and hopped into the elevator.

"HEY CARLS?" Sam called, still in the elevator.

Carly, significantly more pissed than she usually was when a romantic move she put on Freddie got ruined by Samantha Puckett, glared at the elevator.

"WHAT?"

"RED OR PURPLE?"

"PURPLE!"

Freddie chuckled. "Purple what?" he asked, moving over to the coffee table, still packing for the pool party.

Carly puckered her lips in the mirror, and looked up at Freddie. "Purple bikini. Sam decided she was going to change her whole appearance, or whatever." She suddenly giggled at the memory of last summer, when they both promised to be the sexiest looking girls in the school – without the whole 'skunk bag' factor. She smiled wholeheartedly at Freddie, and Freddie smiled back with a raised eyebrow. He had noticed this was the first time Carly had actually been acting like her good and peppy self – and he didn't want to ruin that. "The purple bikini makes her look 'sexy' –" Carly put air quotes around the sexy, still giggling a little – "and the red one makes her look like a dying fish. So...I told her to pick that one." Freddie chuckled and nodded, as if he understood the mechanics of girls. Carly rolled her eyes, knowing full well he didn't and looked at the stairs.

"Should I go up and help her?" Carly asked Freddie, biting her cherry red lip.

Freddie shrugged. He knew Sam wasn't a sexy beast – or at least she didn't try to be one, so he was sure Sam was going to put on the red bikini and shuffle downstairs, exclaiming how stupid the purple one made her look. He mentally face palmed.

Carly took this in a bad way – (which she should) and started to go upstairs.

"I'M COMING UP, AND YOU BETTER HAVE THAT PURPLE BIKINI ON! WITH SOME WATERPROOF MAKEUP, YOU HAM LOVER OF HAMMINESS!" Carly shrieked.

Freddie winced, but laughed. He finished packing and hoisted the bag onto his shoulder and plopped on the couch, ignoring the loud yells and curses and shrieks and bangs coming from upstairs.

What? He's having a completely normal day.

…For him, anyway.

First part of my story, and when I'm done with it, I'll put up a prolouge.

Reviews are love, obviously.

For those who just don't understand :

iOMG will be (is) addressed. Flashbacks, conversations, secrets and all, folks.

Carly does have a crush on Freddie.

They're all 17-ish now, and I like coming-of-age stories, so don't judge me.

Next chapter will be up when...IDK.

And PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE old fans of my stories...LET ME KNOW IF I'VE IMPROVED. PWETTY PLEASE? LOL.

Comments/Reviews will be replied to in each chapter. Ones that I throughly enjoy will just be posted at the top of the page, before the story. XD