"Hello?"

"Hey, Freddie, it's Carly."

I smile at the sound of her voice. We haven't talked in a long while. She's attending Seattle University and majoring in journalism. We've hung out during the summers when I returned to Seattle after school finished for the year. Sam didn't come. At least, she didn't come when I was there.

"Hey, Carly. What's up?" I ask.

"Nothing much. School's going pretty good. My professor, Mr. Stiles, told me that my article on the downside of cosmetic testing on animals was one the best he'd ever read. I was really surprised. I wasn't sure my writing was good enough to actually make a career out of it."

"That's great. My tech classes are going... boringly."

"I thought you loved technology."

"I do... except when it's like 24/7. I took on a few teaching classes. At least, then I won't have to deal with anything past the high school level. So, I might be teaching, like, Tech and Society and Computer Programming classes."

"Wow, Mr. Benson, teacher. I didn't bet on that one."

"Always surprising, that's me."

There's a silence then. I shift uncomfortably in my chair. Then Carly says, "So are you seeing anyone? You know, dating?"

"Um... no," I reply. I haven't seen Kayla since the time we made out and got caught by Craig. Which was probably a good thing, since I definitely was not thinking straight at the time. Since then... well, no other opportunities seemed to have presented themselves.

"Have you seen anyone... at all? I mean, since... Since you and Sam broke up." She sounds apologetic about asking. Carly knows how I feel about this topic, but I also detect a hint of curiousity mixed into her tone.

I don't reply to her question. I just bite my lip. She mentioned Sam, of course she did. Carly and Sam are still close, at least, I assume so. I never talk to Sam and I never talk about her with Carly. But their friendship is unbreakable.

"Freddie?" Carly asks after I'm silent for a several seconds.

"No. No, I haven't. I mean, I have so much homework and stuff. It's ridiculous. I'm in all advanced classes. Honestly, I wouldn't have any time for a girl. It's better this way."

"I don't mean to sound cold, but... You have to get over her. It's been almost three years. You're going to find someone else. I promise." How could she promise something like that? She doesn't know what it feels like. At all.

"I know... I will find someone when I find the time. When I meet the right person," I say. I pause and then ask, "So, what about you, Carly Shay? Found a boyfriend at Stanford?"

She giggles, and I'm glad the serious mood is broken. "Well... yes. His name is Kevin Blake, and he's amazing. He's really smart and one of the nicest guys I've ever met. That's not even getting into his flawless biceps. Oh god, they're incredible. And his eyes, they're the most beautiful blue in existence." She sighs longingly.

"Okay, thanks for the insight into the female brain."

"Sorry. For a second, I forgot I was talking to you, Freddie. That's what love does to you, I guess."

"Well, I'm really happy for you, Carly. He sounds great."

"He is. If you know what I mean. I mean, you wouldn't believe—"

"Too much information!"

"Sorry," she says again, laughing. "So, I guess I'll see you soon. You're coming back to Seattle for the summer, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess. My mother would never forgive me if I didn't."

"Okay. Goodbye, Freddie."

"Bye, Carls."

I hang up my Pear Phone and get up from my seat. Craig has class right now so I'm alone. I flop down on my bed. My homework beckons, but I ignore it. Carly is right. I have to forget Sam, or at least move on. So why can't I? I guess I loved her a lot more than I ever thought.

April, Junior Year

I stood by my locker, still feeling distant. It was Monday morning and that Saturday Sam Puckett had kissed me during the school lock-in. I was so shocked that I could barely say anything in reply. For the rest of the night I hid in the boy's bathroom, trying to figure out how exactly I felt about the kiss. It implied... Well, it implied that she was in love with me. Either that or she really wanted to get me to shut up and stop my makeshift motivational speech. On Sunday, I stayed in my apartment all day, pretending I had homework. That's right. I subjected myself to my mother and my mother alone for a full day because I was so confused.

So now Sam was probably furious with me. After all, I had been avoiding her for almost two days. I didn't know what I could say to make it better.

Then, I saw Carly come in through the front doors of the school. She walked towards me and her locker, but she didn't open it. She turned and looked straight at me with a serious expression on her face. "You and Sam kissed," she said, her voice practically emotionless. I had no idea what she was feeling or how to react.

"She told you?" I whispered.

"No, I saw the whole thing. Through the window."

"Are you mad or what? Because she kissed me," I said, defending myself.

"Yeah, I saw that," Carly replied. "And no, I'm not mad. Just kind of shocked. And disappointed in you, Freddie Benson."

"What? Why?"

"You've been avoiding her for almost two days! She put her heart on the line, and you kind of stomped on it!"

"No! I didn't stomp on it. I just... ignored it."

"Like that's any better. You still can't live without your heart, crushed or not. Listen... Sam isn't a sensitive, girly girl, but she still gets hurt. It took her so much to express her feelings to you. You've got to at least give her an honest reply. So, you don't like her back. At least tell her that in person."

"I never said I didn't like her back."

At that, Carly's mouth dropped open. She threw her arms around me. "Well, that's even better! I knew it, I knew you guys were meant to be together!"

"Whoa, we're getting a little ahead of ourselves there!" I said, gently breaking away from her hug.

That's when I heard a tiny sound from behind me. I spun around and looked into the wide eyes of Sam, staring at us. "Guess that's why you didn't kiss back," she said, softly.

"What? No, Sam!" I cried. Great. Just what I needed: a terrible misunderstanding.

She was already at the front door. I wasn't one to skip school or break the rules, but first period was going to have to wait today. Something was a little more important. I raced to the door and pulled it open, running after her. She was fast, but even Sam wouldn't run out into oncoming traffic. She was at the crosswalk when I caught her.

Sam looked at me and made a move to start running again, but I grabbed her by the shoulder and stopped her. "Please, Sam, stop running."

"Listen, Freddie. It's okay. You go be happy with Carly. I don't care."

"If you don't care, then why are you running away from me?"

"I... I just remembered that I forgot to change Frothy's water. It'll just take a second. No big deal." Sam is usually a good liar, but today she's just pathetic. That means she must be really upset and out of it.

"No, this isn't about your cat. This is about you and me."

"There isn't a you and me," she said, and her voice was so sad and serious that she barely seemed like Sam.

"What you saw at the lockers... Carly and I are not together or anything like that. We were talking. She saw us at the lock-in, and she told me that I had to talk to you. That's when I said that I... That I liked you back."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I wasn't sure at the time, and I was really surprised, but underneath all of that... I like you too, Sam. And I'm sorry that I ran away from you."

"And I'm sorry for running away from you too," Sam said, smiling softly. She glanced up at me through her blond bangs, a little shyly. "So... Are you going to kiss me?"

"Maybe," I said, grinning. Then I leaned into her and our lips met softly. This was the first kiss that I felt like I was truly in control. The first I was so nervous and unsure of what to do, and during the second kiss I was so surprised I couldn't even react, but this one felt perfect. A few seconds later, I pulled back and smiled at her. "So, Groovy Smoothie after school?" I asked.

"It's a date," she said.

We started to walk towards school, and I slipped my hand into hers. She looked at it and said, "Not so fast."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think the whole world needs to know. At least, not yet."

"You mean, the whole world doesn't need to know that SAM PUCKETT AND FREDDIE BENSON ARE IN LOVE?" I shouted. I turned a few heads from the people outside the houses we passed. They stopped and stared, but I honestly didn't care.

She hit me on the arm, but more lightly than she ever had before. I think I was liking this change. It would certainly lead to fewer bruises.

Thanks a bunch for reading! So, Freddie's flashback was a bit like an iOMG sequel, although I really doubt that that's what is going to happen. I just thought it was sort of cute. Please write a review if you liked the story. Suggestions and ideas for future chapters are definitely welcome. Thank you!