Sam dreaded doing this, but she knew it had to be done. No matter how hard she wished she understood technology, it all just looked like random numbers and letters to her. She didn't know which websites to use, or what codes to type. She only knew one person who could translate. But she didn't want to call him. After everything they'd been through, she didn't want to put him back into her life. She missed him the most out of everyone, even her best friend. She missed his kisses and their arguments, she missed teasing him and laughing with him. She even missed his dorky 'tech speak' and that face he made when she called him names, the way he glared but fought back a smile at the same time. She missed him. She missed Freddie Benson.
"Hello?" His groggy voice picked up almost immediately after she worked up the nerve to dial the numbers that she'd memorized long ago. It was late, eleven a clock or so, and she felt kind of bad for waking him up.
"Hey, Fredward." She sighed, but couldn't help the smile growing on her face. It was so nice just to hear his voice.
"Sam?" He asked, his voice excited.
"Yup, that's me. Listen I have a job for you." She said, trying to get to the point before his questions started. Like, Why haven't I heard from you in months? Or, Why don't you return any of my calls? But, of course, Freddie had to know.
"Yeah, yeah. Where have you been, Puckett? It's been, like, three months!" And twelve days, he thought to himself. Be he wasn't going to admit that he'd been counting.
"I know, I was just ridin' around. I found a place to settle for a while in LA. Met some cool people. Started a babysitting service!" She sounded like she was trying to make cheap small talk, when she'd known this boy for years.
"Sam, you hate children," he laughed just picturing the idea of her trying to take care of a baby or toddler. Everyone knew Sam had a low tolerance for crying, tantrums, childish games, and well, anything that has to do with little kids.
"I know, I know," She found herself laughing and rolling her eyes, "But I gotta buy myself some food somehow, right? It's n ot so bad when you have a partner."
"Oh, you've made friends?"
"Just the girl I've been living with. Well, her and this guy Dice."
"Dice?" The jealously was etched into Freddie's voice.
"Calm down, Fredweird. He's, like, twelve. It's just me and Cat in this apartment, with him stopping by to sell us random shit and have us help him with his stupid little problems. You've got no competition." She meant it as a joke, but it was the truth. Freddie really didn't have competition anywhere. He was nerdy and dorky and absolutely an idiot when it came to excitement, but he was Freddie. It worked for him. It made him… attractive to be so weird.
"Oh." Came his lame reply. He couldn't help but feel awkward. Was his jealously that obvious?
"So, um, anyways, about my babysitting. There's all these fake reviews on some stupid website. I need them taken down or something. Think you can help?"
"I can try, I guess, but I don't know if I can hack in to delete the comments. I can, however, tell you who posted them."
"Yeah, I'll send you the link now." Sam agreed, quickly typing the address and pressing the send button to deliver all the info to his phone.
"Alright…" Freddie sighed after a brief pause, "It looks like all of the comments were posted from the same IP address. 5677 barfield drive."
"Thanks, Fred-head."
"Wow, you never get tired of the nick names, do you?"
"Nope. Sorry, Freddork."
"Hey, I'm not a dork!"
"Admit it, you're a total dork."
"No."
"Yes."
"I may be a dork but…"
"But?"
"I'm your dork." The words slipped out. The silence on the line could be heard for miles around, tension so thick you would need a chainsaw to slice it rather than a knife. Finally Sam spoke.
"I guess you are, Benson. I guess you are."
Freddie let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in.
"So what are you doing about the reviews? It's pretty hard to deny feeding a child to snakes."
"I didn't feed anyone to a snake!"
"Sure, you didn't."
They laughed for what seemed to be hours and seconds at the same time.
"Remember that time you tried to feed me to the snakes at the zoo?" He asked, in utter hysterics.
"Yeah, and Carls had to lift you out of the snake pit but you got your leg caught on a branch because you were flailing and kicking?"
"And my pants ripped off!"
Their laughter eventually died down as they finished with the story-telling. This was why he missed her so much. She always knew how to cheer him up after a long day, even if she had woken him up at eleven thirty to do her dirty work to do so.
"Thanks for calling, Sam." He said in all seriousness. The mood immediately changed.
"I'm glad I did. I actually wish I did it sooner."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. I miss you."
"I miss you, too." There was a pause.
"It's funny, though. After everything, I miss you the most. I mean we hated each other for so long and then we, um, didn't. Then we were dating, and then we were friends… We hated each other for a little while after that and then right before I left…"
"Right before you left I told you I loved you." he finished for her, "And I asked you if you loved me back. I never got an answer, though."
"Yeah."
"Yeah what?" Freddie's eyebrows furrowed.
"Yeah, I love you back."
"Oh."
"Yeah, 'oh' is right." Sam shrugged.
"Why didn't you tell me that the night I asked you? It would've saved me a lot of worry and doubt."
"It was too hard," She answered honestly, "To tell you that and then leave."
"It's not any easier now that you're gone either. Because I know there's no way I can make you stay. You're already miles away from me." He murmured sadly.
"I didn't want you to make me stay, though. I was afraid you would, that I would stay if you asked me to. I can't be there anymore, Freddie. I hate it there. Carly's gone and your mom hates me, hell even my own mom hates me. Spencer probably would hate me if I stayed because he's all depressed now that his sister left… I'd be some reminder or something. It's too much hate to be evened out by one love."
"So you aren't coming back?" He sounded heartbroken. A part of him knew she wasn't, he just didn't want to admit it to himself.
"What's the point? Next year you'll be going to some crazy smart ivy-league school in another state and I'll be doing the same damned thing I always do and it just doesn't make any sense." She said sadly.
"I guess. I just wish I could see you."
"You and me both."
"Maybe I could visit some time."
"Maybe." Sam laughed.
"Sam, are you happy there? With Cat and everything?"
Sam had to think about this. She wasn't sad. She had fun and did some pretty crazy things. She was still known as 'that blonde one from icarly' but that was to be expected. She wanted to do more webshows, and she missed her old friends but she had a few here, too.
"I think I am. I just miss things. I'm afraid Carly will meet a new gorgeous European best friend and that you'll… well you'll meet some hot tech student who's smart and funny and that you'll love more than me. I don't want you to move on. I don't want Carly to, either."
"But aren't you moving on? Isn't that the point of your trip?"
"It was supposed to be."
"Well, I promise I won't fall in love with some tech girl. I'm more into the badass- blonde type. Especially ones who ride motorcycles and used to host webshows and come up with creative and offensive nicknames."
"wow, you really have a specific type, then." She giggled.
"Samantha Puckett, did you just giggle?"
"No."
"Yes."
"Fine, I giggled. Big deal."
"Freddie!" a nasally voice could be heard from the other end of the line.
"What, mom?"
"What are you doing up!? It's one in the morning for Christ's sake! You have school!"
"I don't care! I'll be off soon!"
"Get off the phone now!"
"You have to go?" Sam asked, disappointed but smirking.
"Ugh. I guess. Call me tomorrow?" He sounded hopeful.
"Of course. Bye, Freddison. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Maybe we can video chat or something." She offered.
"Sure. Oh, and Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you too."
The line went dead, but Sam kept it pressed to her ear, just thinking about him. Freddie Benson. Her boy from Seattle.