She knew it was coming. She knew that she couldn't avoid it any longer. The sexual tension between them was becoming too much. He'd finally realized that she wasn't going to make the first move, so he was going to take matters into his own hands.
But that's not what she wants.
She doesn't want this 'Love' crap in her life. Everything about her and around her is already messed up enough. She doesn't want to add 'heartbreak' to the list of things that tear her down.
She can't handle it. She doesn't want to take the chance because she knows that she'll get hurt.
She always does.
He has her heart. He's had it for a while. And no matter how many boys she tries to distract herself with, she'll never be able to ignore the fact. He has her. All of her. And that scares her to death. She doesn't want to give anyone her heart. She can't get hurt if she doesn't allow anyone to get to her. She can protect her heart; she doesn't trust anyone else to handle it.
That's a lie. She's tried to convince herself (and everyone else) otherwise, but there's no denying that he is one of her best friends. She trusts him. And she hates herself for that.
Somehow, while she was focusing all of her energy on hating him, she had done the opposite. She had allowed him to creep his way into her heart and now he just won't leave.
She might not want to, though.
Somewhere between the stupid arguments and the daily fights, the bickering and the teasing, he had taken a piece of her. A big piece. A piece that she's sure, if he leaves, she may never get back.
So, she doesn't want this. She doesn't want to admit that there are feelings other than hatred, that she has for him.
She just doesn't know if it's worth it.
.
.
.
"Hey Sam, can I talk to you?" Freddie asked, once they were done with the night's iCarly. Carly heard him and smiled excitedly, looking at Sam expectantly.
She tried to keep her cool, "Can't Freddork, gotta get home and save Frothy from the wrath of my mother." She picked up her bag.
"It'll only take a min-"
"I gotta go." And then she walked (faster than usual) to the stairs. A quicker escape than the elevator.
"What's her deal?" Freddie asked Carly, who now looked deflated and frustrated.
"I don't know, Freddie. We all know that she likes you. But you know her, she doesn't 'do' feelings and love and all that..." Carly looks thoughtful.
"So does that mean she has to avoid any and all conversation with me?" He asked, now starting to get frustrated.
"For her, yes."
Crap! Freddie thought, I should have known she would make this difficult. That's okay though, I can play too. She will be mine.
.
.
.
He won't mess this up like he did with Carly.
Though, now he knows that he and Carly just weren't meant to be.
He felt something during his first kiss, the kiss with Sam. He had ignored it though, telling himself that was how all kisses felt. But then he had kissed Carly, his dream girl, and he didn't feel the same thing. It just felt like... like two lips connecting. It didn't feel like kissing.
Maybe that was when he realized that what he had with Sam, is something. That sure was when he realized that what went on between him and Carly, that was nothing compared to what it's like to be with Sam.
He didn't think she felt the same as he did at the time. So he had ignored it and continued on with the 'I love Carly' facade.
Th sexual tension between them became thicker and thicker until it filled a room and anyone in it could feel it, taste it, see it.
That was when he knew she felt the same. She just didn't know it yet. And she sure as hell wasn't going to make the first move and see.
So he decided he would make the first move.
She would be his.
.
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.
.
"Hey Sam, I brought you something," Freddie walked over to Sam as she stood at her locker at school.
Plan B.
Sam turned around and looked at him warily. He smiled at her and pulled a ziploc bag out of his backpack. Her face lit up.
"Is that...?" She asked, looking at the bag dreamily.
He nodded, "Hot wings. Here." He tossed the bag into her waiting hands. She sat her bag down and tore the ziploc bag open, attacking the wings immediately.
This was his chance. The hallway was empty, they were both late for class.
"So... I want to talk to you about something..." He said, looking at her as she got sauce all over her face.
Her face snapped up and her eyes widened. She avoided his eyes and then stood up, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, holding the ziploc bag in her other hand.
"I'm... late for class," She said and began walking (fast) away.
"Wait!" He yelled after her but she practically ran to her class.
"Mr. Benson!" Freddie slowly turned around to see Mr. Howard frowning at him, "Why aren't you in class?"
"I was...uh,"
"To the principals office!" Mr. Howard pointed and Freddie slowly made his way to Principal Franklin's office.
.
.
"Fredward Benson?" A secretary called out and Freddie looked up at her, "Principal Franklin will see you now."
Freddie walked into the office and sat down.
"Freddie Benson?" Principal Franklin asked, looking at Freddie with a confused expression, "What are you doing here? Did Sam do something?"
"No, Well... I was trying to talk to Sam, but she won't talk to me. I want to tell her how I feel," Freddie admitted, his cheeks getting warm. "But every time I try to talk to her, she runs away. Today, I brought her some hot wings and tried to talk to her, hence the being late to class, but she ran off."
Principal Franklin nodded, narrowing his eyes, "I see."
"Yeah. I'm sorry I was late to class."
"So you finally figured it out huh?"
Freddie looked at him, confused, "Figured what out?"
Principal Franklin chuckled, "You and Sam. We've been waiting for you two to figure out for quite a long time."
"We? Who is we?"
"Everyone! The only people who don't know you two belong together... are you two! Well I guess it's just Sam now... Anyway, you really should get to class. I'll let it slide this time. I'll write you a pass, just tell your teacher you were waiting for me." Principal Franklin handed Freddie a pass and shooed him out of the office.
Everyone?
.
.
.
She knew they belonged together. She knew it from the moment she heard that they had shared their first kiss. Their 'I hate you' facade didn't fool her. She knew that they both were just trying to convince themselves that the other didn't like them.
As their sexual tension built up to a very awkward high, she had watched and she had hoped.
When Freddie had realized, she was relieved. Especially since he realized it wasn't her he liked, it was Sam. She knew that Freddie would fight to make her his and she had been ecstatic that her two best friends would finally be together.
The only thing that had been stopping them was themselves.
But now, the only thing stopping them is Sam.
And Carly made it her goal to bring them together.
.
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.
When Carly had heard about Plan B's failure, she developed a plan herself. And she filled Freddie in on the details of it during the one class they had together without Sam. By the time lunch rolled around, Freddie's confidence was at an all time high and he felt very confident with this plan.
.
.
.
After school, Carly Sam and Freddie went to the Shay apartment. As usual. Carly suggested they watch a movie in the iCarly studio, and Sam and Freddie agreed. Carly set up the bean bag chairs, and Freddie started the movie, while Sam was downstairs getting snacks.
"You think it's gonna work?" Freddie asked Carly, suddenly needing the reassurance.
"Definitely. Once she gets up here and we start the movie, Spencer's going to cut the elevator off and I'll just take the stairs. It's fool proof." Carly said confidently, smiling as she sat on the bean bag on the right. Freddie sat on the one on the left, leaving Sam with the one in the middle.
When Sam entered, arms full of food, they started the movie.
Halfway through, Carly announced she had to go to the bathroom and demanded Freddie pause the movie until she got back. She had placed a chair out in the hallway and she had put a curtain over the door to give them privacy. She quietly closed the studio door and quickly placed the chair under the nob. She smiled to herself before going down the stairs. She walked straight over to the computer, where she could see Sam and Freddie sitting on the bean bags. When Freddie wasn't looking, she had placed a camera in perfect view of half of the studio so she could watch and record for the iCarly fans.
Perfect.
.
.
"We're alone..." Freddie trailed off, looking at Sam, who was popping piece after piece of popcorn in her mouth.
"Naw dip, Sherlock." She replied, focusing her gaze on the paused movie.
"You don't have anything to do. Nowhere to go. So, let's talk."
She looked at him with wide eyes and then glanced over at the elevator and the door. She quickly stood up and ran over to the door, tugging, but it didn't open. She pushed and pulled, but it wouldn't open. She looked over and he was still sitting, watching her. She walked to the elevator and pushed the button. He stood up and began walking toward her.
"Fooey. What's wrong with this freakin elevator," She mumbled to herself. The door still hadn't opened.
"It's no use," He said calmly, "It's turned off. The door, blocked. Why can't you talk to me?"
"Because I... I can't."
"Why not?" He urged, now standing right in front of her, very closely.
"I..." She thought, searching her mind for a good enough lie. But for once, she didn't have one, "I don't like you!" She blurted.
"Liar," He retaliated, his brown eyes piercing into her blue ones. She glared at him for a moment, not saying anything.
"Talk to me, Sam. Please. Or at least listen to what I have to say."
She crossed her arms, glaring at him with all of the stubbornness she could muster, "Fine."
"Okay. I'm not too great with words but I'll give it my best shot. Sorry if it sounds a little cliché. So..."
He put his hands together and took a step back, looking at her and trying to find a way to say what he needs to say.
He steps back in front of her, "You say you don't like me," He points out and she raises an eyebrow, "But I like you. A lot."
"I thought you liked Carly." Sam states, that being her main argument and the one she would stick with.
He gives her a look, "Sam, you and I both know that I don't like her anymore. Besides, I only liked her because she was nice. And then I finally dated her, and it was... well, boring. I mean, she's a great girl and all... but it was... she's more like a sister. And I don't want to date my sister." He smiled a little bit.
"How do I know you're serious? How do I know you aren't just trying to get me back or everything I do to you."
He gave her a look, "Sam, you know I mean it."
She bit her lip, she was quickly running out of excuses. They were both quiet for a moment. She could feel his breath on her face and could easily smell him. He smelled like detergent and wood. The scent teased her nostrils and made her want to get closer to him. She could feel the tension building. She knew that soon enough, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from jumping him right there on the spot.
"I can't do this," She said quietly, looking past him and focusing all of her attention on the door.
"Do what?"
"I can't be with you. I just... can't. I can't have feelings for you."
"But you do."
"And that's the bad part..."
"What do you mean?"
"Look, the truth is, I can't allow myself to fall in love with you. You and I are different in every way and it just wouldn't work. It could only end in heart break. I mean, what if you just stop liking me like you did with Carly? Or what if you decide you want her? I can't open myself like that. I can't allow myself to get hurt. I just can't take the chance."
"It took me forever to get over Carly. And now I am completely over her. If you gave us a try... we could work. We will work."
"I just can't."
"It's just a relationship. Just some dates and some kissing and all that. You've been in relationships before."
"We both know this is different. With... those other dudes... with Jonah, I wasn't risking anything. We were just a fling. I knew that if he hurt me it wouldn't be that bad. I didn't have to worry about falling in love with him or growing up with him or developing even stronger feelings for him..."
"And with us it's different," He finished, "But what's wrong with falling in love when you aren't the only one falling? You know how I feel about you. Can't you just give us a chance? Sam, I can make you happy, and we both know it. Besides, it's getting harder and harder to ignore this tension between us and I'm tired of hiding my feelings. Just give it a try."
"But what if it ends badly?"
"It won't, if it ends, we will go right back to the way we were before. If you break up with me, I won't bother you again."
She looked down, "I just don't know."
"I won't hurt you like they did," He said softly, looking down at her blonde curls, falling all around her face.
"I know,"
"Then what are you waiting for?"
"I'm waiting for you to kiss me. Wow, that was cliché..."
He laughed, "This whole conversation was cliché. But I'd rather be a cliché with you than anyone else."
"You are such a nub." She said, smiling up at him.
He laughed and stepped closer. And then he kissed her.
.
.
.
Downstairs, Carly, Spencer, Gibby, Wendy, Principal Franklin, and the rest of the small group that had gathered all awed and cheered at the scene in front of them.
Sam and Freddie were together.
Finally.