I don't own iCarly

"So I was thinking we could put the giant plastic banana in the corner for the show, but then Spencer had this really weird dream about a giant banana split, so I kind of want to incorporate it into a sketch. What do you think?" Carly explained.

Freddie was standing next to her, both staring at the giant plastic banana in the middle of the living room. One of Socko's friends went to this party where they were... No, you know what? Nevermind. Long story short, Socko ended up with a banana and he gave it to Spencer and Spencer gave it to Carly. Freddie scratched his head, examining what little of the yellow plastic was visible without standing back. Seriously, this thing was enormous. It nearly reached the ceiling.

"Uh, the banana split thing sounds good. We could have you guys sitting on a banana split, or, wait no that's just weird. I don't know. Hold on." Freddie said, pulling his phone out. A picture of Sam flipping him off lit up the screen and he chuckled before pressing talk.

"Greetings, bane of my existence. What's up?" he asked. Carly rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch.

"I need a favor. Are you busy?" Sam asked on the other line. Freddie snorted at her attempt to sound like she actually cared.

"Would it matter?"

"Not at all." Freddie could almost see her smirking on the end of the line.

"What do you need?" he sighed, giving in, as always.

"I'm stuck watching my mom's boyfriend's son. Get your nerdy ass over here and help me." she demanded, expecting no retaliation. And as usual she got none.

"Wait, he has a son?"

"Didn't I just say that?"

"Whatever. Sure, I'll help. Where are you?" he asked, walking over to the door and taking his jacket off the hook.

"My house."

"Okay. Wait, I've never actually been to your house. Where?" he asked.

"Yes you have!"

"Well, yeah, but I was like, six. What's your address?" Freddie clarified.

"Nub. Uh, you know that really old arcade next to the drugstore?"

"I think so?"

"My house is right behind the arcade."

"Lucky. I want to live behind an arcade." he whined, digging in his back pocket to make sure he had his house keys and ignoring Carly's suspicious glances.

"It's not like it's open anymore." Sam replied, clearly not amazed by her backyard.

"Whatever, Princess Puckett. See ya in a few." he said, hanging up the phone and shutting the front door behind him, offering no explanation whatsoever to the brunette on the sofa.

She turned to face the giant banana on her left.

"I guess it's just you and me."

Freddie walked up to the empty building, smiling when he recognized the faded marks where the letters had spelled out 'ARCADE' years ago. The windows were boarded up and dusty cardboard boxes were stacked up in the doorframe, like someone had just left halfway through the moving process. He pushed up the sleeves of his sweatshirt and moved aside enough of the boxes to slip inside, waiting in the doorway a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim light.

Light was filtering through the side windows, struggling to shine bright between the canopy of trees and the drawn blinds. What little light made it through made it easy to see the dust hanging in the air. But Freddie didn't need to see it to know that it was there. There was so much of it that he could reach out and almost feel the grainy texture surrounding him, seeping into his throat.

He took a deep breath, doing his best to block the painful flashbacks of all the times he and Sam had spent here in elementary school. Pac-man and pizza. Before Carly. Before frenemies. Before life hit them both in the face. He swallowed his tears and headed to the back of the room, which seemed so much smaller than it had in second grade. The glowing neon exit sign stood propped up against the wall beside the doorframe, long forgotten, along with the rest of the arcade and the memories it held secret.

He pushed open the rusty back door and walked out into the overgrown side yard that stopped abruptly at a chain-link fence five, feet from the doorstep. Freddie stepped forward and began to climb over the fence, praying to all that was holy that he wouldn't just break down and cry when he finally set foot in a backyard he hadn't seen in seven years.

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