Disclaimer: I am neither Nick nor Dan. I have no rights to the characters, plot similarities, concepts, etc. related to iCarly. I am just a fan writing it in little relation to the actual events occurring within the actual show. Thank You :)
Note: I also mentioned this on my HP fanfic that I am writing but since I don't think any of you are reading that one, I am also putting it here. I have found out I got an internship at a law office I have been speaking with over the past month. It starts in mid-late October and will last until Christmas. The work days will be close to 9 hours every week day. I'm making it my goal with this particular fanfiction to update every other week. I hope to get one every week, but I cannot promise that. I know it will be slow coming but since they are longer chapters I think it is understandable. If you have any questions, comments, or even suggestions go ahead and put in the reviews or PM me. Thank you and I'll stop blabbing so you can read the fanfic, beginning…..NOW:
Carly was upstairs when Freddie finally got back to the apartments. He trudged up the stairs trying to prolong the time before he would have to look at Sam's face and confront that fact that she would not take him as her boyfriend. He would have to accept that her feelings did not matter, that his feelings did not matter, but only Carly's. He did not want it to end there but on his ride back he understood that it was probably going to have to stop at that. There's no point trying to convince someone who's already made their decision.
But then again, Freddie has never been particularly lazy. He pursued Carly when he knew she did not like him. He maintained hope that she would change her mind. And Freddie couldn't deny there was still a small part of his heart that throbbed with possibility and hope.
In contrast, Spencer was cooking spaghetti tacos and Sam was eating the extra taco shells at the kitchen table. It looked to Freddie that she might be stuffing it with the extra sauce as well. It was so cute to see her to obsessed with food. He was so very hooked to her that it amazed him that he managed to not fall for her sooner. There was so much more to like about Sam than Carly.
Freddie trotted into the apartment finding himself desiring to be closer to her but he stopped when she saw his phone sitting on the counter right by the desktop computer. Sam must have slid it there so that it didn't look suspicious that somehow his phone ended up in Carly's apartment after Sam arrived but before Freddie had shown up. She was significantly smarter than anyone had given her credit for.
"Hello, Freddie! Did you see Gibby on your way up? Carly said he was coming over but that was an hour ago and now he's not here. And I need someone to help me get this kink out of my neck." Spencer jerked and flailed around when he spoke and Freddie had grown very used to it. Spencer was a lot like a kid, very much the same teenage boy he was awhile back. He was even a dork, as Sam would call him, and Freddie was able to 'geek out' with him often. Instead of raising a brow, as he usually would, he took a place at the table across exactly from Sam.
"I didn't see Gibby, sorry man." Freddie tried his best to keep his eyes on Spencer but they kept wandering back and forth until they fell upon Sam, who was staring directly down at her food. Luckily, Freddie thought, it was almost gone and eventually she would have to get up and face him. She would have to look at him sooner or later.
"Will you go get Carly and let her know dinner is ready?" Freddie nodded waiting for Spencer to turn his back before he swiped his Pear Phone. He turned it off so that when Carly might ask why he didn't respond to her texts he can say his phone was off. He was thankful that Sam brought it back. He just might send her a card or flowers or bacon. She'd probably like bacon the best.
Freddie took the stairs because it would prolong the walk and the time he had to make sure he had a logical alibi prepared. Carly had probably already been to his apartment and asked where Freddy was, and his mother would say she didn't know, and Carly would have said he said he was doing something for her, and she would panic. Then Carly probably covered up for him saying that he had an emergency club meeting, blah blah blah. He prepared himself for the worst.
"Freddie, how great of you to show up late. I was beginning to think you were a good friend." Carly's harsh words somehow came as a surprise to him. She had been mean before but it was never actually directed at him. He frowned and waved her off for a second.
"I am late once and suddenly I'm a 'bad friend.' However, Sam is late all the time and you never complain about that. That's double edged a bit, isn't it?" He raised his brow and started running a quick checks on the computer. There was a message from Gibby's phone sent to Carly's inbox. Apparently he had to pick Guppy up from his tee ball practice while his mom went to yoga. So he wasn't even going to show up. Freddie bet everything Carly wasn't mad at him either.
"I expected more from you. I'm just one girl and this web show takes a lot of work. I rely on you to be on my side and to be here on time and to get the technical stuff ready and to make sure everything that Sam is supposed to do but doesn't gets done and all that other stuff that we do for the show! I can only do so much! And I live with Spencer! How much am I supposed to do?" She was starting to panic just slightly, which seemed reasonable considering the truth in her words. There was so much to do for the show and with Brad missing, probably a family emergency of some sort, the extra bits that he usually covers have to be done by Carly, Sam, and him. Gibby, naturally, is almost never any help. He saw something in Carly's words.
"I'm sorry, Carly. It's not been the best day." Freddie ran his fingers back through his hair which rousled it up more than it already was. He then tugged his shirt down and looked up at Carly who was now walking towards him. It made him tense up. He didn't like her being so close to him, but once she was next to him she put one hand on his shoulder.
"Falling in love with Sam isn't the best day for anyone. Let's just hope this silliness just passes without damage." Carly didn't even know if dinner was done but she sped away and walked downstairs. Freddie had a slow reaction to what Carly said to him. Let's just hope this silliness just passes…. Who did she think she was? Freddie stormed out of the room and started bounce-running down the steps. He wasn't going to act like Carly wasn't being terrible. She was trying to bully the predicament away. Freddie wouldn't let her control what he felt inside. It was not her place!
He jumped off the last step and raised his hand to point at Carly, his voice preparing to boom at Carly. They were all sitting at the table silent, beginning to crunch spaghetti tacos and sip apple cider. Spencer was unsuspecting, Sam was detached, and Carly was sitting there pleasantly pleased that she thought Freddie wouldn't like Sam forever.
"Carly Shay, you have no right to talk to me like that. You are supposed to be my friend and you are supposed to support whatever decisions I make. You should not be degrading me for things that I decided to feel or people that I like." Spencer's mouth full of food opened and spilled onto his plate. He was so confused about what was happening and it had barely even begun yet. Sam didn't stop eating and might not have even cared. This was Freddie undoing in her mind most likely. She was probably still thinking she was going to pick Carly's friendship no matter what.
"Freddie, I want you to leave. Not that it matters, but I think you're a bad influence on Sam. You make her mean and make her miserable. She doesn't want anything to do with you and she's told me so. I think we might be replacing you on as technical producer. It's just not working out anymore." She was emotionless when she spoke and made no facial expressions as she declared how she 'felt.' Freddie only paid attention to this thing that was most important to him, even if it all hurt.
"Sam wants everything to do with me! She would have invited me into her house if she didn't! She wouldn't have kissed me if she didn't! She wants to be my girlfriend no matter what she says! Sam just wants to be friends with you because you've convinced her that you aren't a condescending hob knocker! I love her enough to accept that but I won't dare stand here and let you convince yourself that Sam is a mindless zombie doing as you will! It's time you see the truth, Carly, because it's not going to change!" His arms rest at his side and his jaw settled into a clenched and shut expression. Spencer was wiping his shirt off wondering if he should defend Carly or not. He wasn't involved in her personal life and he didn't know the complexities between the three of them now. That was when he looked at the door. He tried to welcome the person but nobody cared as Carly finally started talking.
"You're just mad at Sam because she knows you're just a geek. She deserves better than you. She's beautiful and sweet yet still independent. You couldn't handle her, Freddie." Carly was complimenting Sam after what she had said earlier about her not being able to get into college. She spoke down about Sam and now she was talking her up. Freddie was disgusting with her.
"I quit iCarly. I don't want anything to do you with you, Carly. This is just ridiculous. It's funny how a kiss could change what I thought was a good friendship into an absolute disaster. I love you, Sam, and I'll respect whatever choice you make. Thank you for the greatest moments of my life these past few days. It was all nice while it lasted." Freddie went from addressing Carly to addressing Sam, who had finally stopped eating and was paying attention. Carly stood up and slid her plate across the table but Freddie made sure to leave before she could throw it in her face.
Freddie had been watching hit feet until he got to the door where his mother stood gawking at her son. She had just witnessed a monster, or so it appeared to be that way, and had nothing to say for the first time in her life. Sure he wasn't acting like himself but he had no reason to. He had fallen in love with someone who had been bullying him for years. His best friend turned out to be a selfish bully, and he quit the only thing he had to be proud of in his life. Everything was backwards, it made no sense. It simply made no sense.
He found himself walking away slowly and effortlessly. His breathing came easily and the silence of the hallways welcomed him kindly. Freddie was pleased with his decision. It had only been over the course of 12 hours that things went from normal to screwy but it needed to happen. If it didn't happen today it would have tomorrow, or the day after, or the dafter that. It was inevitable. Someone was going to say something and it was never going to be pretty.
He reached the lobby where a few other kids in the building were playing jacks on the floor. Lewbert was snoring in his seat. Freddie wouldn't put it past them to have given him a sleeping pill. Nobody liked the door attendant. He smiled briefly but carried on casually through the front doors. The fresh air immediately cleared his mind. He couldn't decide what he wanted to do so he started towards the movie theatre. When in doubt, go to a movie.
There weren't any good films so he chose to just play games in the arcade at the theatre instead. For once Freddie didn't feel as if anything really mattered and he could just do as he pleased. He tried not to linger on the idea that he wouldn't have to face Sam and Carly every day with different issues and realizations as they all grown up, or dedications to iCarly. He wouldn't have to listen to his mother complain that he doesn't spend enough time at home or that he doesn't have more guy friends who like to sit at home and read and eat popcorn like 'normal boys should.' He somehow managed to smile and even laugh at the fighting game he was playing. An hour had passed and he felt free.
Two more hours passed and Freddie was starting to wind down his playtime on the games. He was getting to the end of his self-allotted allowance from the mediocre earnings they made his old job. He would have to spend more cautiously. It didn't matter, really, because his mother would give him money if he needed things. Freddie felt like a normal teenager.
He was heading back to his apartment in the dark hours of the evening. Street lights were shining and the streets were bustling with all the people who didn't want to cook dinner after a long Monday. Teenagers were disappearing into homes and apartment buildings and shops were beginning to close, such as book stores and clothing outlets. It was very nice to be another face in the crowd and experience Seattle at night. It wasn't something he got to do often but it always was glorious when he could.
Suddenly Freddie remembered his phone was turned off. He wasn't sure why it crossed his mind but he knew it would have to be turned back on eventually. He chose now to turn it back on and start deleting the messages and calls from earlier, and any he may have received since. The screen of his Pear Phone lit up with a bright green pear in the center of a white screen. The screen faded into dark sky wallpaper where one by one in quick succession everything he missed came across the screen.
3 calls. 15 messages. 1 voicemail. 1 email.
Calls: Carly. Mom. Mom.
Texts: Sam. Sam. Sam. Sam. Sam. Sam…all of the texts were from Sam.
Voicemail: Mom.
Email: Sam.
Freddie opened up the messages from Sam which appeared in an IM format and started reading each of them. It didn't take a lot of effort on Freddie's part because each of them read "I am sorry." 3pm: I am sorry. 330pm: I am sorry. 4pm: I am sorry. She repeated this every thirty minutes until the last message came through only 5 minutes prior at 10:32 p.m. "Please come back." Freddie knew she wasn't referring to Carly's apartment. Sam meant for him to come back to her house. It was nighttime so her mother was most definitely off with another guy on another freaky one-night-stand gig. Freddie couldn't deny her mother was a bad influence with a severe lack of morals.
Freddie then opened his email on his phone as he redirected towards Sam's place. He was aware it might disrupt his state of mind returning to her. It would bring back the drama but he loved Sam. He took his eyes off his phone long enough to cross the street but stopped dead in his tracks when he read the email from Sam.
I am sorry that I didn't say anything at Carly's. I should have. I am so sorry.
Freddie remained standing still in the street. Her place was still five to ten minutes away. She was sorry, which was very clear. He almost couldn't think for a second. So much was going on in one day and all over one kiss. It was moving so quickly and he didn't know what to do. They were still just kids, teenage kids but still kids, and they had so much to learn yet.
Then he recognized that they had so much to learn about everything they had come to know since the Lock-In. Freddie knew he loved Sam. Freddie knew he would have to grow up and make hard choices. Sam knew that she would have to stop pretending and be herself. Carly knew she would have to stop putting on a mask. The three of them knew this was a new stage in their life where not everyone would get the same amount of time with everyone else. Freddie saw now that they could be building off that newfound knowledge instead.
For the third time that day Freddie's feet carried him quickly where he belonged. This time would be different because this time they knew. They knew without a doubt in their minds.
I know that everyone was a little out of character in this, but I think its important to have a little of that. When drama drops in on your life...well nothing seems to be quite right. Even yourself :) I hope you liked it! I gave this a little more definite of an ending than the other ones. What do you think? Stop or keep going?