The next day, Sam was as always sitting on the couch of Shay's living room. Carly was baking muffins in the kitchen, talking about the guy she met on the beach. Sam was half-asleep; she could care less about some blonde hunk and was tired from the night before.
After her fight with Freddie, Sam walked back to Carly who looked at her friend with a distinctively disapproving look, but remained silent. They gathered all their things, Carly going as far as folding Freddie's towel and disposing of his garbage. Finally, they were in the car; Sam had a mischievous grin on her face because she scored herself the front seat. Little did she know that her friend had originally intended to let her have it; Carly thought it'd be better for the two not to sit together on the way back. However, something was stopping them from leaving, and that thing was Freddie. After his quarrel with Sam, he had walked in the opposite direction and has since not appeared. Carly kept voicing her worries about the brown-haired boy, and Sam did all in her ability to pretend she had not cared. Fact was though, Sam was just as worried. She was conflicted as to why she cared about Freddie, but eventually decided that it was because of her quilt concerning the drowning incident. And in any case, Mrs. Benson would murder her, Carly, and Spencer if they came without him. Yes, that was it! Sam only cared because she didn't want trouble from psycho mom.
A couple of minutes went by, and Carly was now trying to convince Sam to come along and help her look for Freddie. Spencer was back at their original spot, just in case Freddie was waiting for them there.
"Come one Sam! You know where you guys fought. It'll be easier to look for him if we have at least some idea of where he might be." Carly was attempting to reason Sam who had her arms crossed across her chest. "He's our friend, for God's sake!" she added.
Sam looked at Carly from behind her scrunched up eyebrows and clicked her tongue.
"Fine!" she said irritably. The two friends were back on sand, speed walking to the crime scene. Carly kept on ranting about how irresponsible it was of Freddie and how much fault Sam should take upon herself for causing this. "If you hadn't said that stuff, we wouldn't have to look for Freddie now."
Sam rolled her eyes many times on their way, but kept quiet. Somewhere deep inside she knew that Carly was right. If Sam just apologized and left, things would have been significantly easier. However, being Sam meant that whatever happened was meant to.
Eventually they passed through the original spot of the quarrel and walked on, turning their heads around like lighthouse beams.
"I feel like we are on an important mission involving important people." Sam said through a yawn.
"We are on a mission!" Carly reminded "And the important person is our friend, Sam. Freddie is our friend!"
"Sure he is." Sam retorted.
Freddie was standing by the car. He leaned on to it for support and yawned a dozen times before he saw three figures approaching. Two of them walked fast ahead, their voices were loud but incoherent. Freddie waited until they came closer.
"Hey guys!" He greeted his friends, raising an eyebrow at their surprised face expressions. "Where were you?" he asked.
"The question is, where were you, nerd?" Sam quickly put out. "I could just strangle you right now!"
"Why'd you do that Freddie?" Carly cut in." We were worried." She said in a fierce but relieved tone.
"I waited for you here for more than an hour!" Freddie confessed, confused from the verbal attacks.
"So you just stood here when Carly and I had to go searching for you?" Sam bellowed. "You are a bigger jerk than I knew you were."
"Sam, Freddie, break it up!" Spencer said, unlocking the car. "What matters is that we're all safe and ready to get movin' outta here!"
Carly agreed to stop there, but Sam thought that Freddie has not been tormented enough for his "escape".
"I can't believe I walked all that way just to find a dumb loser like you. I should have left you to be eaten by the crabs at night."
"Sorry Sam, for being such a dumb loser. Why don't you find someone smarter to pick on?" Freddie retorted "Afraid that they'd outsmart your?"
"Not in the least!" Sam yelled back "I just happen to enjoy making your life miserable."
"Guys, this is enough. I am sick of your constant arguing! What happened to the peaceful moments at the beach, before you both went berserk?" Carly interrupted, hoping that both Sam and Freddie would some day get along.
The drive home was ridiculously long. Sam kept on mumbling to herself, obviously annoyed at not being able to verbally (and maybe physically) attack Freddie. Freddie listened to music and pretended not to care about Sam's insults, but the more she did it, the more it hurt. He looked over to Carly whose face was turned to the window. She hadn't said anything since they've been in the car. Maybe she was angry with him for "running away". Freddie was almost impressed when Sam came to apologize, but of course he couldn't show it. It was upsetting to know that she wasn't acting upon her own will. Freddie wondered what to say to Carly as an apology. Only a year ago he would be convinced that this was the end of his hopes to attract Carly, but now he just wanted to make sure that they were both on good, friendly terms.
By the time Freddie was home, it was already 7:00 pm. His mother was standing over him as he washed his face, and then behind the door as he changed from his trunks into house clothing. She continued the lecture from the morning, something about Sam being a delinquent and his friendship with her ending badly. For once, he wanted to agree with his mother. Sam had given him the hopes that she could be something other than a big, painful splinter in the ass, but that was only because she was sick. And now that she was back to normal, all the time she missed out on tormenting Freddie was to be caught up on.
Sam ended up stuck at the Shay's 'till morning and Carly had made a slumber party out of their get together.
"Don't you need to call your mother?" Carly asked, carrying a large bowl of popcorn from the kitchen.
"Since when?" Sam laughed, stuffing a handful of it in her mouth. "You burned it a little." She added, cringing.
"Whatever Sam, it'll have to do." Carly said, plopping herself down beside her blonde friend. "So what movie is it going to be? He's just not that into you or P.S. I love you?"
"Let me think…" Sam said sarcastically. "How about Saw? There's meat in it, and you know how much I love meat!"
"It's not meat, Sam" Carly cringed "It's human flesh."
"Same thing." Sam reasoned.
"He's just not that into you it is!" Carly chirped, pretending not to be bothered by Sam's strange opinions. The DVD was inserted and the movie soon started, causing Sam to fall asleep about four times until it was over. When that happy moment arrived, Sam conquered the couch and was already sleeping, even before Carly had made up her sleeping bag on the floor below it.
"Sam?" She whispered ten minutes into their sleep time. "Did you drown on purpose?"
"What?" Sam exclaimed, obviously disturbed "Why would I do that?"
Carly breathed out loudly "I don't know. I just thought that you, well- uh, forget it." She mumbled.
"You thought that I what?" Sam pressured.
"Well, it just looked like something girls do when they want attention from the person they like." Carly blurted out "You know, to see whether they'd save them"
Sam snorted. "You watch way too many chick flicks, my good friend. I'd rather burn in hell than get attention from Freddie!" She added, chuckling. "He's a nub!"
"Yea, but why were you drowning? You can swim." Carly insisted, rising from the floor just enough to see Sam's face.
"I had a stomach cramp, obviously." Sam answered airily. "That's what meat for breakfast does to you!" She joked.
"Oh...Alright." Carly said, disappointed. "Good night!"
"Good night yourself and never bring up this subject again" Sam warned "I might just make you watch Saw, along with its six sequels."
Freddie was lying in his bed by 10:00 pm, but couldn't fall asleep. He tried counting various objects in his head, like fancy electronics and tuna fish, but after giving up on it due to the lack of success, Freddie moved on to thinking of other things. Primarily of a girl he met while running away from the she-devil herself. Her name was Cora. She had pretty tanned skin, eyes that almost mimicked his own and short light brown hair that was barely held up in the ponytail. She had bumped into him while collecting seashells and smiled the largest smile he has ever seen. It was hard to believe that it was directed at him, a dorky kid with no experience with girls. Maybe it was just what Sam had made him think. And there she was again, Sam. Even in his mind, she fiddled with his thoughts, making sure that he wasn't distracted by anything else too much. There was no hiding from Sam Puckett. He wished that one day, he could forget all about her, but the blue of her eyes still lingered in his mind before he fell asleep.
When the morning arrived, Sam couldn't be less ecstatic. She groaned at Carly who ran around with dishes and various ingredients for the muffins while humming a tune. She couldn't wait until Freddie stepped foot into the Shay apartment. Sam was throbbing for a good argument. When this happened, it looked exactly like what Sam imagined, and not at all like what Freddie imagined. He had woken up in the morning, his ribs and legs still sore, and after his daily routine, he decided to visit Carly. He had expected her to be alone, a perfect opportunity for him to apologize for the day before, but should been less surprised to see Sam stretched out on the couch like it was no one's business. He greeted both his friends, and left it to Sam to find a witty response.
"My day would have been better if you didn't show up, Fredork!" She said, apparently satisfied with Freddie's unimpressed expression.
"I am sure it would!" He said casually, watching Carly make muffins.
"Its bad luck to have dorks watching you bake Carly. The muffins might come out looking like testicles." Sam said matter-of-factly. "And if that happens, I am stuffing them down your very own throat, nub!"
"Yumm" Freddie replied sarcastically. "Make sure to wear gloves when you do it. I don't want your greasy, dirty hands soiling my throat."
"I'll make sure they are extra dirty then."
"Please spare my throat, oh Big Dirty Queen of Dirt!" Freddie yelled out and walked out of view.