A/N: N/A

Knocking on Wood

Carly could vividly remember the brief encounter she experienced that night.

She didn't really want to—almost didn't—but she managed to make herself do it.

The day after her worst, she thought even more were to come. If it weren't for Sam to scare them away, she would've been buried in a sea of people wringing her for the details, trying to be a friend of hers. Some even gained courage from Freddie's humiliation, thinking that they could do better, and randomly asking Carly during breaks if they could have a word with her alone.

And Freddie was nowhere in sight.

Well, not that she was looking for him… okay, yes, she was looking frantically for him, wrenching her head about in the crowd. It was difficult to notice that he wasn't present; people were still talking about him too, and now saying that he was too chicken to come to school that day.

Or the next day.

Or the next day.

So when the third day came around, Carly finally gathered the urge to visit him and find out where the hell he was. She had never seen him exit the apartment, so when she stood there in front of the door, jittery and hesitant, picking up her arm to knock and then setting it down again, she didn't know what to expect.

But when she finally started knocking, feeble at first, then more insistent, Mrs. Benson opened it, and her high-chinned look of suspicion lowered only slightly when she saw it was Carly at the doorstep.

Finally finding her voice, Carly asked, "H-How is Freddie, ma'am?"

"Freddie!" Mrs. Benson cried out dramatically, clutching at her chest. "My boy! Well, he is in bed, in a cast!" She wiped away invisible tears in her eyes.

Upon hearing this Carly's mouth dropped open thinking the worst: Was he beaten up? But she immediately closed it as Mrs. Benson continued. "Has a broken ankle because of some hooligan throwing glass Coke bottles about, the poor dear. A-a crack in the bone. I got it cemented just yesterday, and Freddie insists that he feels better, but he is denying himself, and I won't stop at the highest quality technology I can provide for my son!"

"I… I see," Carly said, not knowing what to say. She rocked backward and forward on her feet, hands behind her back.

Mrs. Benson fixed her with an eagle-eyed gaze. "I'm surprised you didn't know," she said in a different tone. "In fact, you haven't been as concerned with my Fredward as you used to be."

"Well, we're growing up… I guess," Carly muttered awkwardly, shrugging once. Then, looking up, she asked, "So can I… visit him?"

Without a word, Mrs. Benson left her in the doorway and went to check with her son. A few seconds later, she came trudging back. "My Fredward does not want to see you," she said in a highly distinguished voice.

All forms of speech left Carly.

"You'll get to see him when he's better, dear, I suppose," Mrs. Benson said. And then, without waiting for another word, shut the door.

Freddie was unable to come back to school until next week came around. When he did come back, he wasn't as hungry as before for Carly… in fact, he completely ignored her.

The mockery died down fairly quickly when word went round that he had broken his ankle because of it, and some exaggerated rumors stayed in the air as well. So, two weeks later when the month ended, even if there were still people who remembered what happened, particularly those involved in it, Freddie was once again one in a million invisible faces in a crowd.

But of course, things weren't back to normal. And this was killing Carly, though she hardly realized it.

"Weeell, looks like he really did let you off."

"Y-yeah." Carly rummaged with the notebooks under her arm and randomly organized the contents of her locker.

A second or two passed, and finally Sam, who had been surveying the blank-faced brunette, said, "You've been weird."

"So have you."

"How so?"

"Well," with a small frown on her face, Carly turned to face her best friend. "You've been evasive. And whenever we talk about this you speak as if you're dropping hints or something, like you want me to know something I should but you don't want to say it. Sometimes you give me these looks—and that's only when you're not avoiding my eyes!"

Sam looked at her. "You know, I could say quite a few of those things about you, too." She then turned away and leaned with one foot up against the locker beside Carly's, lifting a flake on her thumbnail.

"Huh? What are you trying to say…?"

The young blonde hesitated, then blew some air out of her puffed cheeks and shrugged. It wasn't really a sigh. "Well, about Freddie…"

Carly tilted her head.

"Well… the kid's learned a few death glares, hasn't he?"

"Huh?" The look Freddie gave her that horrible day flashed briefly through Carly's head and then it was gone.

"Well… he's been giving me some really dark looks lately. You know, whenever we meet." Sam shrugged. "I don't what it is about them, but it's pretty scary, you know. I've been laying off him. Not that I haven't been since what-happened-to-him happened to him." She smiled a forced grin, and it passed away quickly.

Carly felt as if Sam was trying to say something in her last sentence. "What… what did you mean by that?"

Sam's brows furrowed briefly and she shrugged. "Mmm…" she paused for two seconds as the three periods sank in. "…I'm not really sure…" She shrugged as she said this.

"There! You did it again!" Carly's face twisted slightly, and she rounded on her best friend, fists clenched.

"Huh?"

"Come on." Carly frowned a bit more. "First, tell me, the day that he, you know, got… rejected, what was with the reaction you gave me? That was when you started acting weird whenever we talk about this."

Sam looked at her, put her foot down, and faced her best friend. "Alright, okay?" She blew out some more air, glanced at her foot, and looked up again, hands in pockets. "I guess what I wanted to say was what you did was… kinda harsh."

Carly's mouth dropped open in shock. Seriously? Sam, her own best friend? "Ohmigawd, Sam, not you, too!" she groaned. "Please don't do this to me."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Do what to you?"

"Blame me. Come on, I've had enough of this."

Sam planted her feet firmer on the ground and looked Carly dead in the eye. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "Who else is blaming you?"

And to that, Carly had nothing to say.

It was weird watching Freddie from afar as he went on about daily life like a regular person. From what she's witnessed, he never really particularly hung out with people, but usually spoke to the peers he spoke with to before, such as those who shared his interest from other tech clubs, and sometimes had conversations Gibby as well, who had faded away from Carly and Sam even before he did.

And then, all too soon, Sam came jogging up to the locker of Carly, who was rummaging with her books whilst waiting for Sam.

"Carls," she said, stepping in front of her.

"Hey, Sam," Carly slammed her locker door shut and hooked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Ready for lunch? You look worn out, who've you been running from?"

Sam shook her head. "It was just Howard again," she replied. "But, Carls, you've got to hear this."

"What?"

"Benson's hooked up with Elaine Berger."

"Oh. My. God." Carly and Sam were leaning sidewards from the corner, peering at Freddie next to Elaine. "She looks like Katy Perry! O_O"

"Yeah, I know," Sam snickered. "I wonder if she knows what she's gotten herself into."

"W-well, who knows?" Carly said, straightening. "She's Rona's* cousin, isn't she? Maybe…"

Sam knew what she was thinking. "I doubt she got with him for those kinds of reasons," she said thoughtfully. "They seem to treat each other pretty well."

Carly hated to admit she was right.

The fact that Freddie Benson was with the hot Elaine Berger didn't take too long to spread. However, this did not make things any worse for Freddie. In fact, many of those who ridiculed him spoke to one another, taking back all they had said and feeling guilty about it.

They had mocked him for thinking he even had a chance with Carly, who was merely the pretty Internet celebrity. Here now, he was together with one of the hottest girls in school who people didn't hate, and it actually seemed as if they genuinely liked each other.

On top of that, the rumor that Elaine was the one who had asked Freddie out spread even faster—but this time, it was quieter.

The rumors never reached the couple, or if it did, it never corrupted them.

Carly, meanwhile, began to nurture resentment against a girl she had never met.

Annoying A/N: I'm sorry for suddenly dragging in Katy Perry, especially for people who don't like her, but I was watching the Startstrukk music video (my four year old brother loves that song). If you watch it, maybe you won't blame me . :)

*Rona Berger is a snotty, spoilt rich girl who I watched appear in iChristmas.