Chapter Two: iStare You Down

"Carly! We're coming!" Freddie shouted as he and Sam ran toward the car once Sam finally finished eating. They yanked open the door to the backseat and a ball of fur flew out, nearly giving Freddie a heart attack.

"You okay, Carls?" Sam asked. When she heard a small "yes" in response, Sam turned to Freddie and smiled. "See? I told you she was fine."

Freddie's brown eyes narrowed angrily as he stared down the blonde girl and resisted the urge to look away. No! he told himself. I will not look away first! I'm just as tough as she is! I just have to…what is she doing?

He watched in confusion as Sam slowly removed her jacket, revealing the bare tan skin beneath the V-neck tank top she wore. As hard as he tried to keep eye contact with Sam, Freddie felt his eyes travel down to her chest. It was so low-cut Freddie could see actual cleavage…

Sam just smirked, shaking her head. She knew Freddie couldn't resist. It was strange how he was still staring, though. She wasn't Carly. It was disgusting how he loved her and followed her around like a lost puppy.

Scowling, Freddie turned away from Sam and looked at Carly, who was still inside the car. "You sure you're okay?"

Carly groaned and brushed cat hair off her clothes. "Yes," she answered unhappily. She had scratches on her arms that Frothy left when he had pounced on her. "But that thing has to ride with Sam for the rest of the trip."

Freddie sighed. He didn't want Frothy up front near him either. "Is it really that bad? He's just a cat."

"Yeah…a sex-crazed cat!" shouted Carly. "And I turn it on too much. And I am going to return home a virgin!" She crossed her arms and frowned. "Understood?"

Freddie nodded. He was starting to feel like this trip was just a way for the girls to boss him around. He looked around for Frothy, who had disappeared. "Go find him and bring him back," he instructed Sam.

Sam raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't take orders from nubs." But she wanted to find Frothy before he got into any trouble, so she went off to search for her pet.

She found him several minutes later, trying to get to the hot dogs on the stand at Robin's Wieners. He hissed when she picked him up and tried to jump out of her arms but Sam held him tight and carried the squirming cat back to the car. Once they were there, Frothy forgot all about food and curled up in a ball on Sam's lap.

They had been on the road again for ten minutes when the bickering started again. Sam wasn't the kind of person who could handle boredom well. A person could only play the license plate game for so long before she totally lost it. And Frothy wasn't entertaining at all. Of all the times she really needed him to do something interesting, he chose to sleep.

She was so bored, she was actually considering singing lame car songs with Freddie. It had cometo that.

Sam started humming "99 bottles of beer on the wall" just to see what Freddie's reaction would be. She only made it through the first three seconds of the song before he threatened to start talking about tech stuff. She quickly stopped humming and shoved a fat cake in her mouth as a distraction.

"Another fat cake?" Freddie asked in disbelief. How many fat cakes had she brought? "Don't you ever get tired of eating so many?"

"I only get tired of seeing you face."

"Oh yeah? Well…you're a…" Freddie struggled to think of a witty comeback. "You…eat a lot!"

Sam finished chewing and patted Freddie's shoulder, making him tense up nervously. The car swerved wildly to the right. She was touching him! What was she going to do? Rip his arm off? Make confetti with it? Grill it in barbecue sauce and eat it?

"Don't worry, Freddie," Sam said, a smile on her face. "I promise if I ever have to choose between you and the fat cakes, you'll come in a very close second."

"Good to know." Freddie should have been looking at the road, but he was afraid Sam would attack him if he looked away for just a second. She was probably waiting for the perfect moment.

"You're cute when you're scared."

What game is she playing?

Freddie stared suspiciously at her. "Then you must really want to throw yourself on me, because I'm terrified."

Sam shrugged. "Eh. I bet you're still not cute enough to make Carly want you." Her eyes narrowed as she waited to see what Freddie thought. Was he disappointed? Did he wish she would?

"Why does that bother you so much?" Freddie asked suddenly, surprising Sam. She hadn't been expecting that question. "Why does the thought of me and Carly make you want to puke up blood?"

Sam rolled her eyes and stared out the window, avoiding him. "Carly deserves better."

"Are you sure that's why?"

"What other reason is there?"

"I don't know…you tell me."

Sam groaned and punched Freddie hard in the shoulder. "Whatever. I wish you and Carly the very best," she snapped, glaring at him.

Neither one of them knew what to say next, so they didn't say anything.

A/N: Sorry this is kind of short. The next chapter will be longer. This was going to be a two-shot…but I don't want to end the story like this. So maybe a three-shot?

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You have been warned.