Chapter Name: Stuck In The Middle With You

Notes: Thanks to my reviewers, all 3 of you :D Perennial Killjoy, KeyLimePie14, Drag0nL0rd, thank you all.

Just a quick point on this chapter, it contains some internal debate, so keep that in mind, with the characters "talking" to their 'conscience' (note the 'single' and "double quotes" being used).


'You shouldn't have done what you did Freddie.' Freddie's conscience gnawed at him like a mouse with cheese.

"I didn't do anything Benson, so quit bugging me, you're just my sub-conscience, I'm telling you to go away." This was now an internal battle, the angel and the demon, the ying and yang, the duality of ego and super-ego, the part of the mind which interrogates, stops, clarifies and challenges a person's actions and thoughts, manifesting physically in the manner of guilt.

'Don't lie to yourself, Freddie, you manipulated her.'

"If what I did was manipulation, then sue me Benson. Spencer didn't have to mention it to Carly, and Carly didn't have to sign up for it. We still have a bunch of other classes we both ended up being in together. All I said to Spencer was that I was thinking of taking a language class, to broaden my horizons. I didn't even mention what language I was going to pick."

'So Freddie, you just randomly decided to ask Spencer if you could make Tacos, Burritos and Nachos for everyone on the day you brought the forms back?'

"Sam liked it. Spencer liked it. Carly liked it. I only want to spend time with her. That's not a crime. I haven't hurt her. If this is what it takes to spend more time with her, then so be it. The more time we spend together, the better chance I have that something might happen."

'Keep telling yourself that Freddie.'

Freddie snapped. At himself, which would be quite odd to some people, "You cannot tell me you don't appreciate how we feel when we spend time around her? That first crush has grown into something bigger, more intense, more real. The more time we spend together, the more it grows in me. I feel it grow."

He continued justifying himself to his conscience, "I haven't made her feel uncomfortable in months, I just like spending time with her. I didn't get jealous when she had that new boyfriend. I didn't try to take advantage when they broke up, I let her talk, and I listened. All I can do is wait, and try to increase the amount of time we would spend together. This is the path I have taken. I can't say anything. I will wait for her. I don't want to push her away by saying something stupid."

'How long are you willing to wait Freddie?'

"I want to spend time with her. I love being in the same classes as her. I love waiting at the locker alone with her until Sam finally gets there. I love practicing together before we have a test. I love her smile, her eyes, her hair, her laugh, her everything. I'll wait forever, even if nothing ever happens, I want to be with her forever, and if that means just being friends, then I'll take it."

He sat there, with nothing to say to himself, until he remembered he needed to update some of the software he used for the web-show. He made a mental reminder, and his thoughts became concerned with codecs rather than Carly.

He only snapped out when both girls started staring at him. "Earth to Planet Fredhead, this is the mothership calling. Earth to dork, come in please..." Sam snapped his fingers in front of his head twice. "Nothing." Sam internally debated if her wake up call should be physical, or mental. Physical might be more fun for her, but decided that mental would be more fun for her to watch.

Carly was watching this decision being made, and was about to take action to prevent him being whacked on the head by a chicken bone, having a cupful of ice being shoved down his shirt or being poked in the face with a fork, when Sam leaned over, and said "Carly said she loves you."

"Huh. What? Really?" He didn't expect it to be true, and he managed to keep his face in a quizzical puzzled look rather than anything that might look even remotely like hope.

Carly blushed slightly. "Don't wake him like that."

"Never mind. Carly, it's okay." Freddie looked down. He couldn't stop himself from looking dejected. He thought to himself that he really should've gotten used to it by now. Maybe he would never be good enough for Carly. Maybe he would be doomed to wait an eternity for something that would never happened.

"Have you finished pigging out on my dime yet Puckett?" He snapped back at the blonde girl across the table.

"So says Mr Porky." Sam shot back.

"I'm not Mr Porky." He flailed the response back to Sam, he was never any good at this game. He was worse when he had other things on his mind.

"Great comeback," rolling her eyes with disdain, Sam sarcastically commented back. "Yeah, those huge biceps must get all the girls."

"Well, if I'm Mr Porky, we all know how much you love ham, maybe you want to be Mrs Porky?" It was probably as good as he'd give in this particular argument, but Sam had already tasted 'Mr Porky', about a year and a half ago or something like that, and it didn't excite either party more than a happy, fun footnote in either of their lives.

It was Carly's turn to let their discussion fade from her mind, they wouldn't get too out of hand, not after Sam just finished eating, her rambunctiousness usually died down for oh.. 20 minutes after she filled her stomach.

'If only he knew', Carly thought to herself. Even though he had nothing to do with them ending up in quite a few of the same classes, at least as far as she knew, they had spent much time together, without Sam, and without Spencer.

'He's gotten over the crush on you Carly.'

"Thank you Shay, I had figured that one out myself."

'Well duh, I am your subconscious. Does he look different to you as well?'

"Freddie is different now, he didn't get all defensive and jealous when I got our new boyfriend. He was there when we broke up as well."

'You cried on his shoulder, don't forget that.'

"I trusted him. He didn't try to take advantage, he didn't think it was something it wasn't, he was there for me. When I'm with him, I feel safe. I feel protected. I feel right."

'Carly, do you think he loves you?'

"I think he might. He got over his little crush. He stopped saying he loved me all the time. He told me he didn't know what love was then. He doesn't need to say it anymore. I can see it in his eyes."

'Carly, do you love him?'

"I....... don't want to ruin our friendship."

'Carly, we can't keep waiting. He won't wait forever. Do you want to risk losing his love?' Carly always knew deep down she risked his moving on, and as cruel as it seemed, Carly had to keep him interested, she felt terrible, but knew that there would come a time when he either gave up, or Carly knew definitively about him and could sort that out for good.

"No."

'Do you want to be with him?'

"Yes, but I don't want to risk losing his friendship either, I know I just said I didn't want to risk losing him, stop confusing me, but if something bad happened to us after we got together, it could break us apart for good." This had been her big problem, it had been a major stumbling block when they were younger, but he had shown Carly that he could still do something romantic, and remain friends with the girl if they didn't work out, and it wasn't just his kiss with Sam either. Wendy had asked him out, and they went out for a few months, before they mutually broke it off, they just didn't fit right, but Freddie was still always there to help Wendy or talk to her if she wanted.

'You know as well as I do that you sometimes need to risk everything, or you might lose something even bigger. Don't you trust Freddie to love you?'

"No! I trust him completely." Freddie had shown in so many ways recently that she could trust him implicitly, with anything from school work, to dealing with Sam, or Spencer, or even helping her in romantic pursuits.

'Carly, would Freddie trust you?'

"Yes.. you know he would. He thinks I'm perfect, or very near to it."

'What more do you need? You trust him, he trusts you, you know in your heart he loves you, Carly, do you love Freddie in your heart?'

"I.. er. um.."

An ice cube flew across the table, impacted just above Carly's right eye, and completely wrecked her train of thought. "Now look what you did Puckett, are you okay Carly?" Freddie grabbed a napkin and wiped the ice off her brow. Even that indirect contact caused Carly to shudder slightly inside.

"I'm fine guys."

"Sorry Carly, it slipped. I was obviously aiming for the dork sitting next to you." Sam threw another, which Freddie was smart enough to deflect back onto the table.

"You're still arguing? We need to get back soon" Carly raised her voice slightly, it quickly ended the trouble on the table, and they all started cleaning up, before getting up, shoving it all into the bin and left for school again.

"Ugh, history. Hate it."

"You hate everything Sam." Freddie then added "We have science together, then I have music."

"I like cooking," Sam objected. "Anyway, I'll know to keep away from the music rooms so I don't have to hear you attempting to play anything."

"Groovy Smoothie after school." It was a statement, rather than a question, said before running down the hall way and out of the building. Cooking was one of the only classes Sam wanted to be early, or even just on time for, as it meant she could grab all the best ingredients.

"Sure. Fine." Carly and Freddie said as they walked together to their next class.

"I'm not paying for her this time."

"Just make sure you don't get her angry before then."

They both laughed before entering the class.

to be concluded.



Chapter 3 teaser: 'Why am I such a coward?'