After the elevator doors close and Evan is gone, I turn to the door. I pray it's unlocked since I don't have my key, and of course, it is. I always used to yell at Spencer for leaving the door unlocked all the time, especially at night when someone is more likely to break in. Some things never change.

I open the door slowly and cautiously, just in case Spencer is sitting right there on the couch. I peek inside and scope out the room. No one is around, but I can hear Spencer rifling through something in his room.

As open the door all the way and drag my things inside, I'm a little surprised to find the apartment almost exactly the same as I left it—give or take a few new sculptures. I guess I was expecting some big changes since a year is such a long time when you think about it, but so far the only thing that's different here is Evan, the assistant to the doorman.

I decide that instead of calling Spencer's name, I'll just make a bunch of noise so he'll be really confused and maybe even scared. That'll teach him to leave the door unlocked. So I start stomping my feet on the floor, jumping up and down, grabbing things and hitting them against the counter so it makes noise. I hear Spencer stop doing whatever he's doing, and a moment later he comes running out holding a wooden spoon defensively in his hand. He looks the same as he did when I left, except he cut his hair short again.

"Yeah, 'cuz a wooden spoon is going to stop the intruders," I retort sarcastically.

It takes a second for Spencer's brain to adjust before he throws the wooden spoon aside and yells "CARLY!" running toward me and picking me up, spinning me around in typical Spencer fashion. He is hugging me so hard I can barely breathe, and I start to get dizzy after he keeps spinning me around. "Oh my gosh, what are you doing here, kiddo?!" he exclaims, more excited that I've ever seen him before.

"If you release me from your death grip I can answer you," I whisper with whatever breath I have left.

"Oh, my bad," he says as he quickly puts me down and lets me catch my breath. He can't get that goofy smile off of his face, and neither can I.

"I wanted to surprise you. I miss you, and Dad let me come home to go to school here!"

"Seriously? That's incredible!" He shouts as he pulls me into a hug again. I laugh and hug him back, cherishing this happy moment with my big brother who I've missed so much. "I missed you too, kiddo."

We finally pull apart and I have no clue what to inquire about next. "I don't know where to start…how are you? What have you been up to? How's Freddie and Sam and Gibby? Evan the assistant to the doorman said you have a girlfriend? What is he talking about?" I talk super fast and my mind can't stop racing with questions, but I notice Spencer freeze up when I ask about his girlfriend.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Questions later. I'm still trying to comprehend that you're actually here. You look so grown up," he replies as he look at me disbelievingly, even though I haven't really changed a bit. "Oh, and I have loads of questions for you about Italy. That's got to be way more interesting than boring old Seattle," he chuckles, with a hint of nervousness.

"Haha, okay. Well I should go put my bags upstairs…"

"No!" Spencer cuts me off and grabs my hand as I turn toward the bags. He then laughs a little and says, "Don't worry about that now. I can take your bags up for you later. Why don't you go see if Freddie is home? I'll go with you," he adds quickly.

"Alright, good idea," I say a little suspiciously. For some reason, Spencer seems a little off. I put the thought out of my head and rush out of the apartment to Freddie's door. Spencer follows me, and I knock rapidly, the excitement of seeing Freddie again filling me. I missed that nerd.

Mrs. Benson answers the door. She actually looks pleased to see me. "Hi, Mrs. Benson!"

"Carly, you're back!" She declares as she gives me a hug. "How was Italy?"

"It was awesome! I'm glad to be home, though. Is Freddie home? I'd like to surprise him."

"He's in his bedroom. I'll lead you there…Spencer, you're coming in, too?"

"Yep," he tells Mrs. Benson.

We follow Mrs. Benson to Freddie's room, and I'm surprised to see that you no longer need a password to enter. Mrs. Benson knocks on the door. "Freddie, someone's here to see you!"

We hear him get up, probably from his desk, and he opens the door. "Hey, stranger!" I say as I put my arms out for a big hug.

"Carly!" he screams as he runs to me and we hug each other. "What are you doing in Seattle?"

"I decided it was time to come home. I miss it here like crazy! It's so great to see you!" I exclaim as I hug him again. It felt so good to see my friend after so long. I made friends in Italy, but they were nothing like what Freddie and Sam are to me.

After we're done hugging, the three of us move into the living room to chat while Mrs. Benson cooks tuna casserole in the kitchen. I need to get out of here before it's ready to eat. Freddie asks me about my trip and I ask him about what he is up to. He says he's still at Seattle Tech, studying media technology. He wants to film TV shows one day and discover new advances. I tell him he would be good at that. I also ask him if T-Bo still lives with them. Freddie says yes, but he's working right now. Of course, at the Groovy Smoothie.

We talk for awhile longer about his life here and my life in Italy. "Have you seen Sam yet?" Freddie asks, looking at Spencer and me. I notice Spencer has been pretty quiet.

"No, so far just you and Spencer," Mrs. Benson coughs loudly from the kitchen, "And Mrs. Benson," I add. "I'm trying to figure out a way to surprise Sam."

"Hmm…maybe you should text her and have her meet you at the Groovy Smoothie. That way you can see T-Bo, too," Freddie suggests.

"Or you could just wait it out a little. What's the rush in seeing Sam right now? We're having a good time here," Spencer says to me, although he is looking at Freddie.

"I kind of want to surprise her now," I say to Spencer, "And that's not a bad idea, Freddie, but if I text her she'll know I'm home."

"Use one of our phones. She'll think she's meeting me or Spencer."

"Yeah, that'll work! Whose phone should I use?"

"Use Spencer's. She'd be more likely to meet him. I haven't really hung out with her in awhile." Freddie says.

"Really? Why not?" I ask Freddie.

"We had a bit of a…disagreement."

"Oh. Sounds serious."

"It is a pretty serious situation," he says to me, then turns to Spencer, "Let her use your phone, Spence."

He hesitates, then pulls his Pear phone out of his pocket. "What do you want me to say?" he asks me.

"Just be like, 'hey, meet me at the Groovy Smoothie in ten?' and see what she says. If Sam hasn't changed she's always down for smoothies."

"Oh, she's changed…" Freddie mutters under his breath.

"What'd you say?" I ask curiously.

"Oh, nothing…"

"Okay, I sent it," Spencer tells us.

We sit around for a few minutes and Mrs. Benson comes over and tells me what she has been up to over the past year, which includes lots of knitting, baking, and finding new ways to ensure Freddie's safety while simultaneously annoying him.

Spencer's phone beeps, indicating that Sam has replied. "Okay, she'll meet you there," he says seriously.

"And she thinks it's you coming, right?" I ask.

"Yup, you're gonna knock her socks off, kiddo."

I laugh even though he doesn't really say it in a funny way. But I'm excited to see my best friend nonetheless.

I say goodbye to Mrs. Benson and Freddie and tell him that he should come over when I get back. He says sure thing, and Spencer and I go into the hallway. "Hey, Spence. Has something happened between you and Freddie?"

"No. Why do you think that?" He asks innocently.

"Well you were just so happy to see me, but when we went over there your mood changed. You seemed irritated or nervous or something."

"Carly, everything is fine. I promise," he says with a small but reassuring smile, "Things are just a little different than they were a year ago. We have some stuff to talk about, but for now go see Sam."

"Okay…see you later," I say as I walk away, wondering what he means when he says that things are different. I don't want some big dramatic problem changing the dynamic of my relationships with my friends and my brother. We all used to hang out, and I want that to stay the same.

The Groovy Smoothie is right across the street from Bushwell, so I'm approaching the entrance within minutes. I open the door and see Sam's back facing me. She is sitting at our old table, nervously twiddling her thumbs. I sneak up to the table and tap her on the shoulder. She spins her stool around, smiles and hugs me. She's not as surprised or excited as I thought she would be.

"Carls! I've missed you so much!" she says, speaking into my hair. It feels so good to have my best friend again.

"I've missed you too, so much!" I say, rapidly swaying her back and forth in excitement. I hug her tighter, and she feels bigger than she used to. We pull apart and I look at her. She looks nervous. I adjust my eyes to her stomach, and see a bump. I stand in shock for a moment. "Are you pregnant?" I ask her.

Sam nods her head. "Yeah…surprise…." She says quietly with a nervous smile as she waves her hands around. Next, she takes a deep breath and says, "Sit down, let's talk about it."

Dun dun dunnnnnn. Did you see it coming? Probably. But oh well. More surprises await. REVIEW please!

Another note: I'm really not sure if Seattle Tech is a school. If it's not, I made it up.

Bye for now!