A/N: I don't own iCarly

Chapter 2

Senior Year Rushes By

Senior year had gone by in a flash for Carly, Sam and Freddie. It seemed like their first day had been a few weeks ago, not months ago, and suddenly, it was May of their senior year. The three friends had their college plans all sorted out. Well, almost. Carly was headed to NYU with the hopes of landing a news anchor job after graduation. If iCarly had taught her anything, she knew that she was comfortable in front of a camera. She didn't feel that she was cut out for acting, but hosting a webshow couldn't be that much different then reading the news, could it? Sam, true to form still had yet to pick where she was going. Freddie had helped her fill out her applications, after she threatened to beat him up. Sam had decided that she wanted to become a chef, because with the amount of food she ate, and her extreme love of ham, she knew that at the very least she wouldn't be bored as a chef. She had gotten into four schools, probably because of the essays Freddie had written for her. Two were in New York, where Carly was headed, and two were in California. If she chose California, she would be closer to Freddie, who had recieved a full ride to Stanford. Mrs. Benson had been so proud of her son the day the letter came, that she had forgotten about his tick bath. He had to take two the next day, but for that one blissful day, he was free. Freddie had decided that he wanted to go into Broadcasting, but behind the camera, as he had been for so long on iCarly. He had gotten into Yale and Harvard too, but Mrs. Benson would never survive with him on the other side of the country, so Stanford it was.

Over the course of senior year, Carly had gotten a boyfriend, which of course had saddened Freddie. His name was Chris, and he had moved to Seattle from Connecticut. Within a month, he had become the star basketball player, and captain of the team. He had a very preppy style of dress, which was very similar to Freddie's, but he could never be described as a nub, or any of the other hated nicknames Sam had used on Freddie over the years. After Carly and Chris had been dating for a month, Freddie had gotten really upset about the whole situation. Chris had been playing the guitar, similar to when Jake Crandle had during one of their first webshows, and Freddie saw the way Carly looked at Chris. He knew that Carly would never look at him that way, and he had put his camera down, and walked out of the studio. He had gone to the fire escape, where he went whenever he was upset, or mad, or needed to think about something. He wasn't sure what had happened after he left, but all he knew was that something had changed that night.

Flashback

Freddie had been sitting in the chair he kept on the fire escape, and he had been crying, despite the fact he knew it wasn't manly. He was so sick of being second best. He never got the girl. He was constantly on the receiving end of Sam's endless torture. He had been on the fire escape for a few minutes, when he heard a noise behind him. He turned around and saw the last person he thought would ever come to find him. Sam was standing in the open window, holding a blanket, and she had given him a look when she saw the tears in his eyes. It wasn't the look that Freddie would have expected from her, because he was expecting one of disgust, or for her to laugh in his face. Instead, she looked almost compassionate.

"Hey, Fredamame..." She spoke softly, for one of the first times, and she gave him a small smile, but he couldn't return it. "Can I come out?"

"It's a free country, do what you want." Freddie knew he shouldn't be angry with Sam, but he just wasn't in the mood for games.

She boosted herself through the window, and sat on the other chair Freddie kept on the fire escape, pulling it towards him so that they were facing each other. She kicked her feet up so they were resting on his thighs, and spread the blanket out over both their legs.

"You know, the last time I was out here, was when..." Sam trailed off, but they both know what she was about to say. Since their kiss, so many years ago.

"Why are you here Sam? If you came to harrass me, or physically assault me, or anything like that, I'm really not in the mood." Freddie squeezed his eyes shut, willing the tears to disappear, but they slid down his cheeks anyways, leaving small lines along his smooth cheeks. He was shaking, from a mix of anger, sadness, and from being overwhelmed about everything going on in his life.

"Look, I didn't come here to do anything to hurt you. Regardless of what you may think of me, Freddie, I do have a heart. You were my friend before Carly was, and I can see what her being with Chris is doing to you. Sure I think it's kinda nubbish that you're crying, but I only like seeing you cry if it's something I've done to you." Her words got Freddie's attention, and the corner of his mouth turned up, though just for a second.

"You do have a knack for making me emotional."

"I aim to please Fredward. Do you wanna talk about it? Or did I drag myself across the hall for nothing?"

"I don't know, Sam. I'm never gonna be good enough for her. She's always going to want someone else. I should have started listening to you a long time ago. You were right. Carly will never love me." Freddie looked down at his hands, and Sam's face dropped. What he had said made her feel guilty, and she leaned across their legs, and grabbed his hand.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I know it must be hard seeing someone you love with someone else. I know how I felt when Jonah tried to kiss Carly, and I didn't even love him. It must be really hard, and I want you to know that I don't mean it when I say Carly will never love you. I just do it because I know it makes you mad, but I'll stop saying it." She squeezed his hand as reassurance, and he looked up from his hands, and into her eyes.

"Thanks, Puckett. I know that must have been hard for you to say."

Sam let go of his hand, and the two of them stayed facing each other, with her legs on top of his for another couple of hours. They talked about random things, actually acting like civilized friends, instead of being at each others throats.

End Flashback

Ever since that night on the fire escape, Freddie and Sam's fights had been less severe, and more joking, and they had definitely become closer. Carly was still dating Chris, but once Sam and Freddie had talked, Freddie had come to realize that maybe he didn't have to love Carly anymore. Maybe there was a reason she never saw him as anything else but the nerdy tech boy next door. He had to believe that it was fate, or something equally as mystical that had made Carly never return his feelings. He was going to survive, and move on. He just had to find the right girl.