Wow! It's been up for less than a day, and Seddie/Creddie shippers are already staking their claims on the pairings. Hahaha. I don't know what to tell any of you. Rest assured, just like a good episode of iCarly, hopefully I can provide all of you with a bit of your favorite pairing. But, that's enough blathering on my part. More of it can be found on the bottom of the chapter.
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Chapter 1: iGuess I Should Start From the Beginning
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Freddie sighed once again, as he listened to his PearPod. Where had all of this started? It had been Sunday, he knew. It felt like so long ago. So much had happened to him. Maybe if he went through and tried to remember everything... maybe he'd get his answer.
It was a better idea than his pie-camera, anyway.
"Sunday.... yep, I guess that's where this started..." Freddie said, as things came rushing back to him.
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Sunday, Day 1 of The Mess
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"Sunday..." I sighed, waking up on my stomach, head shoved in the pillows. With a grunt, I rolled over and got out of bed. It was 7:03 AM, looking a the alarm clock.
Great. That means Carly won't be awake for another couple of hours. She always sleeps through half the day on Sundays. Is it sad that I pretty much know her schedule by heart? I mean, really... I guess that was kinda creepy to her, which explains a lot.
With a chuckle, I started stretching. Ever since I started fencing, I'd gotten a bit more athletic. Where playing tennis had kept me in shape, fencing had gotten me ripped, at least compared to how I was when I started filming iCarly.
I still couldn't overpower Sam, though. Oh well...
Once I started feeling limber, I went onto my workout. It was mostly a bit of cardio and a strength training regimen that focused on my arms. When I was done with that, I grabbed my foil... you know, my fencing sword? Getting into my opening position, I began fencing. I usually imagined myself fighting someone skilled, dodging and weaving imaginary blows, but not getting any in of my own.
This is what I do everyday, when I wake up and when I go to sleep.I generally go on for an hour, two hours if I'm angry or feeling energetic.
Today's workout was only an hour and a half, which was good enough for me. I grabbed my special ham tshirt, a pair of blue jeans, socks, boxers, and went to my bathroom to shower. It's strangely quiet this morning, but I don't pay it any mind. My mom's a Nurse Practitioner, and she's probably at work. She's really good at it. Heck, even some of the doctors come to her for medical advice when they can't figure it 's what makes her so paranoid. You see, she's done a lot of work in NICU and Pediatrics. I've seen her come home absolutely torn up because they lost a patient. She says that she doesn't want anything to happen to me, which is why I'm subjected to tick baths (one baby had gotten a tick on her and got a viral infection that killed her) and the anti-bacterial underwear. Well, she's eased off on a lot of things... she only makes me take a tick bath once a month instead of once a week now. And I don't have to sign a contract to show her I shampoo'd twice anymore. As I shower, I listen to the water running, hitting my body and the walls of the shower. It gets me relaxed, and then I start thinking. The iCarly Awards were over, and the party we had, which was really just a trip down to the Groovy Smoothie with the winners, Spencer, the photographer, and the models was quite fun. T-Bo was there, running the counter with the new guy. I think his name is Jack. They didn't care when 12 European Swimsuit models showed up wearing just their swimsuits.
That's the cool thing about T-Bo. As long as it's him in charge, he's pretty chill. Especially during the late hours. His only problem was that he had very... odd tastes in food combinations.
I'd like to say things weren't awkward between me and Carly. It kinda confused me, because she was the one that pulled herself closer to me when we were dancing, but last night she made me stay... half a foot away from her? Something like that. Well, things weren't awkward for her. They were for me.
Sam just seemed distant the entire time. I couldn't even get her started up in a fight. I asked Carly about it, and she didn't even know what was going on. She said something about Sam's "Aunt Flo" probably making a visit, and I nodded my head in understanding. If that was the case, then I'd best leave her alone. I've seen her do terrible things during her monthly visits.
With a chuckle, I remembered what she did to Rueben once. She gave him a wedgie so fierce, it ripped his underwear. She had almost stretched the garment over his head, too. Personally, I thought it a new record for her. I was just relieved that it was him, and not me, hitting a higher octave as he spoke.
Wait a minute...
Sam wasn't fighting with anyone, or making anyone's life miserable...The only time I had seen her with the expression she had at the party was when Missy was trying to replace her, when she came to me that night, came to me and me alone.
She wasn't on her period. She was depressed. I guess she really hadn't gotten over the speed date crap, and I felt a pang of guilt. I guess it was partly my fault, that she didn't have a date. My train of thought was interrupted by the water suddenly getting colder. I had been so deep in thought, the hot water had run out.
"Darn it... I hate washing my hair in cold water..."
I did, though, and got out and dried off. I dress myself, style my hair, and brush my teeth. My toothbrush is awesome. My mom had an orthodontist custom make it to fit my hand perfectly and to reach in all the parts of my mouth. It was electric, and it produced sonic waves that pretty much destroyed all the bad germs in my mouth. Even if she was a bit crazy when it came to my health and hygiene, it was nice to have some of the cooler things that she gave me.
It was still a bit early, so I went on and checked my email. You see, I run another website, where I give tech advice to people. I also offered a repair service, which was how I made enough money to replace all of the things Sam destroyed. Like a pair of shoes I had that probably had cost more than every piece of clothing on her. Except maybe her bra. She and Carly shop at Build-A-Bra, which I think is kinda expensive. I understood why they went there instead of a less...specialized store. Build-A-Bra was expensive because they were the best. The bras there were made to fit perfectly and they last a long time. The only reason I knew that was because, let's face it, my only real guy-pals were Spencer and Gibby. Well, there used to be Shane, but he kept his distance from me now, after what Carly and Sam did to him.
I don't blame him. Sometimes, I wish it were that easy for me to get away from them. Don't get me wrong. I loved the girls to death, but I'd had quite a fair bit of trouble in my life because of my friendship with them. Like the grade changing incident, or when I went to detention for the first time.
I frowned. There wasn't much on my site that I hadn't taken care of already, and my email showed no job offers. The quiet of my house was unsettling, especially after the loud night I had before. And without my mom there, I had nothing to really do and no one to talk to, except myself. I grabbed my pearpod and my headphones, then headed over to Carly's.
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Saturday, Day 7 of The Mess
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Freddie shook his head.
"Man, I should've just stayed home. I wouldn't be having this problem..." he said.
After all, how was he supposed to know that Spencer was gone that morning? The technology-gifted teen sighed heavily, when Papa Roach's Forever started playing. Freddie facepalmed out of reaction, and more memories flooded back to him.
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Sunday, Day 1 of The Mess
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It was now about 9 o'clock. If Carly wasn't awake, she would be soon, and it wouldn't be the first time Carly had come down the stairs to see me sitting on the couch, watching tv, playing on my laptop, listening to music, or a various combination of the three.
I walked in the door, finding it strangely unlocked. It was only unlocked when they were gone, but I could have sworn I heard the sounds of tv.
"Hey Carly! Spencer! Let me in, oops, already did that myself."
Carly was sitting on the couch, dressed for the day and everything. She looked at me and then rolled her eyes, smiling.
"Spencer woke me up earlier today. Said something about Harry Joiner being back in Seattle and a sculpture of a banjo made from banjos. So he made me breakfast and left," she explained, seeing the surprised look on my face. I guess she knew that I knew her usual schedule on Sundays.
"Ah. That would explain it."
I sat down on the opposite end of the couch. Like I've said a dozen times before, I've given up being all pushy and dramatic when it comes to getting Carly to notice me. I think she appreciates it.
The tv is on a commercial,but it's easy to recognize the channel. It's the Dingo Channel. I look at Carly, wh's watching the commercial intently. I don't particularly care. It's another one of those Serena Cortez commercials where she talks about her music and stuff. I don't particularly enjoy her music. It's too much like the last four hundred Dingo Channel Stars. She's got a great voice though, and she's really pretty. I could be wrong. She might actually make a name for herself, unlike a certain redheaded girl they produced.
Well, she made a name for herself, but not the kind I'm talking about.
I stared at Serena, toning out her voice.
"She's not the only pretty girl that can sing well," I thought, looking back at Carly.
She and I had gotten a few of our classmates together and helped her come up with a few songs. I recorded the songs, our band played, and she sang. She sang, and it was like hearing an angel. A few of the songs were posted on iCarly. We'd even made music videos to them. Not crappy ones, either, but top notch stuff, like we did for that... that bloody hobknocker!
Which, by the way, is both disgusting and illegal.
I chuckled a bit, causing Carly to look at me.
"What's so funny?"
I crack a smile. I can't help it.
"I was just thinking about Wade Collins and his weird hobknocking ways."
Carly laughed, and I joined her. After a couple of minutes, she looked back at me.
"What for?" she asked. I guess it was odd, coming out of nowhere with that. I wasn't sure how to explain it without sounding like a fanboy for Carly. I did my best to tiptoe around doing that, letting her know that I was still interested without coming on to her so strongly. I decide on honesty, though, and say what I feel.
"I was just thinking that Serena isn't the only person in the world to sing. You're really good yourself, you know? I was just letting my mind wander, thinking about your songs, and then your music videos that we made, which led me to Wade," I said.
Carly raised an eyebrow at me, and shrugged. We both turned to the tv. It was a marathon of a show called Sunny With A Chance. It was about the guy named Chance from Kansas who won a contest or something to appear in a tv show. It was kinda funny. The twins on there were hilarious, if a bit lame, and the little girl reminded me a little of Sam. Chance had a love triangle going on between his brunette co-star and the leading blond actress from a teen soap opera that filmed next to their stdio. It was kinda obvious that he was going more towards the brunette, but he had a lot more chemistry with the blond. They fought a lot with each other, but you could tell what they really felt.
I kinda felt a little dorky. I mean, I was analyzing tv show characters and their love lives. I didn't say anything, but it was like Carly read my mind.
"Poor Chance. Caitlyn likes him a lot, but that soap opera woman just takes away from their relationship."
I thought a moment. It wasn't random, but a debate was still a debate. I had to prepare myself.
"Yeah, but Sara and Chance are a lot of fun to watch. They've got a lot more chemistry. I do see your point though. Even though Caitlyn rejected him most of the first and second season, now that she's realized how great he is to her... still she did reject him a lot. That kinda makes a guy uneasy. And he and Sara have been growing closer since the second episode. I never saw their kiss coming, though. I mean, they weren't even arguing, but talking like human beings!"
Carly nodded her head.
"Still, I think this episode's kinda cute. Chance and Caitlyn have a really close moment together. I mean, they both get bad dates to that movie premiere, and when they both head down to Cold Rock to get ice cream, they're the only ones there and they both start dancing with each other."
I blinked.
Holy cheese.
Thinking about it, Dingo seemed to be stealing from us again. Because that was almost a complete copy of my life. As I got deeper in my thoughts, I didn't notice Carly scooting closer to me. I did notice, however, when she put her head on my shoulder.
"Thanks, Freddie."
My heart was beating fast. I kept my calm, though.
"For?"
"For dancing with me the other night. It meant a lot. You're always there for me when I need you to be, no matter what."
I smiled, and forced my heartbeat to slow.
"Like I said, you deserved a dance with someone you didn't want to kill."
I couldn't see her face that well, but as I looked down, I saw what looked like the corners of a smile.
"You deserved a dance with someone who was glad to have you there with her."
I wanted to shrug, to say that it's what any friend would have done. Things felt weird. I kinda wanted to get up, but another part of me told me to stay put.
"It wasn't a big deal. It was a girl's choice night, and that meant it was your night. You needed something happy to happen," I said modestly. See? I hardly ever take credit where it's due. I like to help my friends, and I don't like all the gratitude and stuff. I didn't do it for the gratitude or an owed favor, I helped because it was what was right to do. Giving up a cruise to save iCarly, to see Sam smile again? I'd give up a hundred cruises. Give up over two hundred hours of my personal time just to program a website and make programs and film a webshow? I'd do a thousand more hours if that meant Carly could be happy.
This was a side of Carly I had rarely seen. She complimented me often, as she was thankful for my hard work, but this was downright flattery.
It was nice.
"You're a nice guy, Freddie."
I know. I always have been. Well, not always... there's a darker side of my personality, but even my dark side is strangely nice.
"I guess."
She turned her head and looked at me. I looked at her brown eyes, and for some strange reason, they were getting closer. I felt my head tilt and lean in as well. We both met each other's eyes... we were both hesitating.
Our lips touched, our eyes closed, and seven or eight seconds felt like seven or eight lifetimes.
She pulled away, or maybe I did. I wasn't sure. I blinked a couple times, and cleared my throat.
Carly just put her head back on my shoulder, without a word.
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Saturday, Day 7 of The Mess
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Freddie touched his lips as Papa Roach's Forever went off.
"I still can't believe she did that. That I did that."
The tech wizard leaned back in his chair.
"Of course, I can't believe what Sam and I did later, either..."
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Well, proud Seddie warriors and whatever you Creddie fans call yourselves... that was chapter one! Now, I know this seems like a Creddie story right now, but I do hope that the Seddiers will read the next chapter just because I tried to leave a cliff hanger to entice ya'll.
Give this story a chance. No matter what pairing you people defend, be it Seddie or Creddie, you'll find something in this story. You'll see plenty of both. Freddie calls it "The Mess" because that's what he's in right now. He's growing up, feeling things that are new to him, and he's handling them in the levelheaded way he tries to handle everything, even if he sometimes fails. At this point of the story, Carly's had to deal with the fact that her relationships have been few and they haven't been great. And when she and Freddie are by themselves at the Groovy Smoothie, when they're just being friends, and Freddie starts being sweet, she starts realizing how nice he's been and she starts liking him.
The kiss in this chapter may seem out of nowhere, but Carly's been known to be someone to act quickly when attracted to someone, to get things going between them. Best example of that is Griffin.
Anyways, review and wait patiently for the next chapter. Next time, I'll give you some of my insight on what's going on in Sam's mind during this point in time.