Chapter 4: A Holly Jolly Christmas?

Carly gave Spencer the silent treatment on the ride home from the dance. Never had she been more embarrassed in her whole life. Like who else's older brother would get up on a stage and call out her boyfriend? As they got back to the loft. Carly furiously opened the door with Spencer following behind her closing the door.

"Hey kids, how was the dance?" Granddad casually asked sitting on the couch watching some TV.

"Spencer ruined everything!" Carly spat "He ruined my relationship and my life!"

"I was not trying to ruin anything for you! I was trying to look out for you! He's cheating on you again, Carls!" Spencer fought back.

"Oh, you're just saying that because you don't like Jake! You're just sad that Leah's not here and you want to make everyone sad with you!"

Spencer was taken aback by Carly's statement. It was absolutely untrue. And bringing up how much he missed Leah? It wasn't fair. It unleashed a fury of words from the siblings. Yelling back and forth with each other, it was something everyone who knew Carly and Spencer could witness and tell that they were not perfect. The still argued like brothers and sisters would eventually do.

Granddad watched as his two grandchildren were about to verbally rip each other's heads off, he decided to step in and play referee "Hey" he said. The arguing didn't stop. "Hey!" he said once more. Nope, the bickering still lived on.

"HEY!" he raised his voice causing Carly and Spencer to stop and look at him. "Will you two calm down? I already got Noah to sleep and here come the two of you yelling and screaming like it's a gosh darn parade! Now, if you could each just sit down. Tell me each side of the story and maybe we could settle this more quietly?"

Carly glared at Spencer "I'm going to my room" she said as she left the living room and trailed up the stairs.

"Carly Anne Shay, you get back down here!" Spencer yelled but only heard the door slam. He then sighed and sat down next to Granddad.

"What am I doing wrong?" he asked "I'm only trying to protect her from getting her heart broken again. I knew guys like Jake in high school. I don't want my little sister to ever be a victim of jerks like him."

"She's a teenage girl, Spence. She wants to think that everything she's doing is right. Even if it isn't." Granddad replied.

"How was your night with Noah? Thanks for watching him. I hope he wasn't a handful"

"It was fine. I couldn't get the kid to sleep till Leah called. She sang 'You are my sunshine' to him and that's what knocked him out"

"Yeah, it calms him down. Doesn't like it when I sing it, though." Spencer stood up "Well, I'm gonna get to bed. Hopefully, we can come to an understanding tomorrow. Night, Granddad. You need some extra blankets? Pillows?"

"I'm fine. You have a good night."

And with that, Spencer headed towards his room still thinking about Carly. She had to understand. She just had to.

On Monday, it was the beginning of Christmas break. The kids had no school till the end of the year. Sam headed on over to Carly's place and knocked on the door.

"Hey" Carly said answering the door.

"You ready to go shopping?" Sam asked. Both of the girls were feeling quite down.

"Yeah, lemme get my purse" Carly turned and went towards the couch where she snatched her purse from the arm rest. As she was leaving, Spencer came out from his room "Hey kiddo, you going somewhere?" he asked trying to start conversation with her.

"I'm going to the mall with Sam. Is that okay or are you going to go on a stage and tell me I can't?"

Spencer sighed. She wasn't going to let Spencer forget about that "Carls, its fine. You can go. You need a ride?"

"No." she replied and bolted out the door.

The girls walked out of the building and out where Sam's Mom was waiting for them. They got into the car and were dropped off at the mall. "So how are you and Freddie?" Carly asked as they were at Glitter Gloss.

"Uh…not so good" Sam replied looking at a t-shirt with pink skulls all over it.

"Why? What happened?"

"Well, at the dance, after that thing with you, Spencer, and Jake…I tried to dance with him but the nub started yelling at me."

"Well, what did he say?"

"He started going off on how I'm not a very good girlfriend and that I should be acting like one and blah, blah, blah…"

"Sam, you know he's only saying that because he loves you right?"

"I know. But ugh…I didn't even know being a good girlfriend required work. I thought all you had to do was just stand there with him so that people know you're a couple…"

"Maybe you should talk to him. Tell him you're sorry."

Hours later, the girls came back to the Bushwell. Carly and Sam stood at Carly's doorway when Sam turned and looked at Freddie's door. "Why don't you go talk to him now?" Carly suggested as she was opening her door.

"Do I have to?"

"Just do it" Carly got the door open and went inside. As Carly's door closed, Sam stood out there still looking at Freddie's door contemplating on what to say to him. She took a deep breath and then knocked on his door.

"Oh, hi Sam." Marissa Benson greeted as she opened the door.

"Hey Mrs. Benson, is Freddie home?" She asked nervously.

"No, he went out with some friends."

"Oh." Sam was surprised "Well, okay. Could you tell him I dropped by?"

"Sure." Mrs. Benson smiled.

"Marissa! Get back here, kitten!" a voice called.

Out of Sam's numerous visits to detention, she pretty much knew who that voice was "Is that Mr. Howard in there?" she asked.

"Um…yes. We were just having a little meeting. Alright, good bye" she closed the door.

Sam turned around and scuffed her foot on the floor. Some friends? What did that mean? Knowing Freddie, his only friends were her, Carly, Gibby, and three AV geeks. If he had more friends, how come Sam didn't know? Or maybe "some friends" could mean…a new girlfriend? Sam knocked on Carly's door.

"Sam?" Carly answered the door and found Sam on the verge of tears.

"He's out with someone else…" Sam broke down in Carly's arms "I should have been a better girlfriend like he wanted me to be" she sobbed.

"Aww, Sam. Is that exactly what happened?"

"Well, Mrs. Benson told me that he was out with some friends…and Freddie doesn't have much friends. That could mean he's out with someone else!"

"I'm sure you could be thinking ahead of yourself."

"No! He doesn't want me anymore…"

This was the second time Carly had seen Sam so vulnerable. A couple of hours after Sam left, Carly opened her door to find Freddie coming in to his place "Hey Freddie" she said.

"Hey Carls" Freddie replied nonchalantly

"So…where did you go today?"

"Uh…I was out with friends"

"Friends, huh? Are you sure it wasn't just a friend? A female friend?"

"Did Sam put you up to something?"

"Sam wanted to talk to you earlier. But your Mom told her that you were out with some friends. She was crying cause she thinks that you're going out with someone else."

"Hah, so my plan worked."

"Plan?" Carly gave him a perplexed stare "So you were planning to make Sam cry? Where were you then?"

"I was at the Groovy Smoothie with Gibby and Rueben."

"So wait a minute, so you planned to make Sam think you're with someone else?"

"Yeah. It'll show her that she really loves me and that she'll start acting the way she's supposed to be. But don't tell her, though."

"I won't. It's a little mean. But I won't." Carly went back inside her place and sat on the couch when Spencer and Noah came up the elevator back from grocery shopping.

"Hey kiddo, you mind giving me a hand with these bags?" he asked as Noah came running towards the couch to sit down. Carly didn't move. She just sat there staring at the TV.

Spencer sighed. "Carly, I know you're not talking to me but could you please give me a hand with the groceries? You eat this food, too…"

"Ugh" Carly got up and grabbed one of the bags from Spencer's arms and went towards the kitchen. She settled the bag on the table and then we back to the living room. Disappointed, Spencer went to her and turned off the TV.

"Hey! We were watching that!" Carly said.

"You can watch when you're done helping me put the stuff away."

"I helped you take in the groceries. Isn't that enough?"

"Carly, I don't normally punish you but I think its time I should. I want you to go to your room."

"That's not fair! You're the one who embarrassed me! I should be punishing you! I hate you!"

Spencer's jaw dropped "Carly, you don't mean that…"

"I'm out of here. I'm going to stay with Sam" Carly got up and left the loft.

Spencer sighed again. He had been sighing a lot lately since Carly was still mad at him. He could take her holding a grudge against him but leaving? When Carly slammed the door, he felt as if a piece of his heart had fell out of him.

"Where did Auntie Carly go, Daddy?" Noah asked oblivious to the problem.

"She wants to be alone right now" Spencer replied as he sat next to his son.

(Chapter 4 coming soon)