A/N:
I know you guys hate reading a bunch of author's notes, but this one is important. I hope that my amazing readers understand why I did what I did in this chapter. Trust me, it was the most difficult to write out of all them so far. Please note that this a Brad/Sam story, so there will not be any Seddie in it. However, there is another couple in here, which might cause some drama with readers. Remember, I DO NOT ship the couple that you will later read about in the chapter. I literally debated weeks on whether I wanted to write about them or not, and ultimately, I chose to. It seemed to fit better with the way the story was going. Keep in mind that Sam is honestly moving on (if you haven't already noticed), and as hard as she might try to deny it, she really likes Brad. So, the outcome of everything will be good. There just has to be a rocky middle first. If you leave a review, please don't flame me. That's all I ask.
Disclaimer:
Nope, I don't iCarly because it's Dan Schneider's property. If I did, there would be a million more seasons, which would mean that it wouldn't be ending in November.
BZZZZ! BZZZZ!
My eyes flashed open at the sound. Groaning, I reached over to the bed side table to grab my phone.
"Hello?" I answered groggily, sitting up.
"Sam! Where have you been? I texted and called you all yesterday. How come you didn't pick up?" the voice asked, worry laced in their tone.
"Good morning to you, too, Carly," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Oh, sorry. I woke you up, didn't I?"
"Yeah. But that's okay." I shifted my gaze over to the alarm clock, whose bright green numbers blinked the time. "It's already 11, so I might as well be up anyway."
"Okay. Still, I apologize. I know you're not a morning person," she laughed.
"Yup. So what's up?"
"I wanted to see how you were. Like I said, I tried to get a hold of you yesterday to see if you were coming over to hang out. I mean, you kind of freaked both Freddie and I out after your quick exit on Friday. Then, you didn't communicate with us. The bigger question is: what's up with you?"
"I was with…Brad. We spent the day together," I sighed, cringing a bit. I wasn't exactly keen on sharing that with Carly. She knew that Brad and I were close, but the reason behind it all would surely scare her if she were to find out.
"You were with Brad? Oh my God, why hasn't he been around lately? I miss him!" she practically screeched.
"Calm down, Carls. He's just really busy with school and stuff. The Academy keeps him on a tight leash," I lied smoothly.
I wasn't about to tell her the real reason why he chose not hang around Freddie and her. It wasn't like Brad hated them, but he didn't want to put himself in a situation where things could get awkward or tense. Given all of my Freddie drama recently, I wouldn't be surprised if Brad went ballistic on him. Despite the fact that I loved seeing people fight, that was a battle I did not want to watch.
Luckily, she bought the excuse. "Oh. Well, you need to tell him to come and see us again. Both Freddie and I miss him a ton, and it'd be nice to have another friend around, you know?"
"Yeah, I get it. Anyway, I left my phone at home while I was with Brad, which is why I never got back to you. Sorry about that."
"It's not a big deal. As long as you're fine, then everything is alright. So do you have plans today?"
"No. The only thing I have to do today is finish my homework, which can be done later tonight because the load isn't that big."
"Sam Puckett is actually going to work on something school related? I'm impressed," she teased, with what I assumed was a smirk on her lips.
"Watch it, Shay," I said lightly, feeling my mouth curve into a smile.
"Okay, okay," she giggled. "Do you want to come to the Crownridge Mall with me? I've got to get some new clothes and makeup, and I'd like my best friend to help me pick things out."
"Sure. But don't you already have a mass of clothes?"
"Yes, but I need to get a new outfit for a special occasion." She sounded shy, which made me immediately curious.
"Carls, what's the outfit for?" I prodded.
"I'll tell you later. It's a surprise."
Grunting, I flopped back down on my bed. "You know I hate surprises."
"Of course I do. Look, it will be way easier if I tell you in person. Just trust me on this one."
"Fine. Only because you're my best friend, though."
"Well, thank you," she chuckled.
"What time are we leaving, and how much should I bring with me?"
"You can come over to the apartment in about an hour, and we can head over there. Wait. Since when do you have money?"
I shrugged. "I don't have a load of cash, but I've got some. I know it's hard to believe, but I do have family members who aren't sleeze balls. Some are decent, and send me money occasionally. One of my uncles makes a pretty nice living, in fact."
"Is his profession illegal?" she asked warily.
"No! My mom's side of the family is into all of that chizz. My dad's side is a little bit more normal, however. Dad's brother, Mark, works as a forensic scientist. His paychecks are quite appealing, or so he claims."
"It figures that you'd have a relative who dealt with dead bodies."
"Did you expect anything else?"
"Nope. So are you up for some shopping? Because if you are, then bring about $100 with you. We're going to be gone for awhile, so that amount should be good."
"I'm up for it. And okay. Is it just going to be us today?"
"Yes. Wendy and her aunt went to Tacoma to have a spa weekend, so she's gone. As for Freddie, he's planning on re-updating the site, and then catching a movie with Gibby at the Omniplex. I think they're seeing the new Galaxy Wars or something."
My stomach clenched at the mention of the boy's name. The way she had said it so softly this time seemed kind of odd, like she was caressing it. But I was probably imaging it, so I dropped the subject from my mind.
"Ah, so they're being nubs. Gotcha."
"Oh, Sam," she sighed. "Well, I'm gonna let you go then, so you can get ready. I'll see you in later."
"Alright, bye," I replied, pulling my phone away to end the call.
Tossing the device to the side, I glanced up at the ceiling. I had no idea what Carly wanted to tell me, but she sure was keeping it on the down low. Usually, she'd just blurt out whatever it was, but today was different. Deep in my gut, I knew that I wasn't going to like this news. I didn't have a clue as to why, but there was a nagging feeling that wouldn't go away.
"Eh, it can't be that bad," I reasoned with myself out loud. "It's not like she'd do anything behind my back, so I shouldn't worry."
Letting out a sigh, I sat up once more. As I got out of bed to shower, that feeling kept tightening in my body, making it difficult to even move. Taking a shaky breath, I ran my hand through my tousled curls. There was only one thing that could make me behave this way, but I knew it was impossible to consider. Carly wouldn't do that to me, right?
"Carly, that's the fifteenth dress you've tried on! They all look good on you, so I don't see why you have to continue running through them," I said, crossing my arms over my chest, as she stepped out of the dressing room in another gown.
"But, Sam! I have to find the perfect dress, and I haven't seen it yet. If you're bored, come on and try on a few yourself. I saw an aqua one that would be great on you." She smiled, crinkling her eyes in the way that said, Please For Me?
"Ugh! I won't try on anything, but I will stop complaining. I've already got enough stuff." I gestured to my filled shopping bags from Glitter Gloss, Build A Bra, and Maurices. "Look, how about I go and get you some more dresses to sample? There were some cool ones near the front of the store."
"Alright," she sighed. "Don't take too long. I only have one more in here to put on, and I'm going to need some new choices."
I laughed, saluting to her. "I got it, Captain."
Spinning on my heel, I swiftly made my way towards a large rack of dresses sitting close to the shop window. When I reached it, my hand shot out to touch some of the material. A few sparkled in the light with sequins or gems. A couple were extremely soft in texture, and I assumed they were made of velvet or silk. However, a particular dress caught my eye. I took it off of the rack, bringing it close to my face.
It was a knee-length, strapless gown in ivory. The bodice had a turquoise silk belt around it, embedded with silver gems. The bottom flared out a bit, but it wasn't too poofy. It absolutely took my breath away.
Immediately, I knew this was the dress for Carly. She would undoubtedly dazzle in it. I could see her long brown hair strewn out in loose curls, while her brown eyes dancing with happiness. A soft smile would grace her lips. Whoever got to see her wearing it would drop dead because of her beauty.
Sighing, I started to walk back to the dressing room with it in my hands. My heart ached at the thought of her showing off her radiance once more, while I stood on the sidelines. When was I ever going to stop being second place? Even though she was my best friend, she still would never understand what it was like to be me. But I had to stop thinking so negatively. Today was supposed to be a good day, and if I kept having negative thoughts, then it would surely go downhill.
Once I got to her, she had yet another dress on. It looked amazing, but its loveliness couldn't match the one I had chosen. I hid it behind my back to surprise her, and cleared my throat to get her attention. She abruptly turned away from the mirror to fix her eyes on me.
"What do you think of this one?" she asked, twirling around in a forest green number that brought out the brown in her eyes.
I shrugged. "It's pretty. But I have something better for you." I whipped out the dress, flinging it in her open arms.
She gasped loudly. "Sam, this is gorgeous! Where did you find it?"
"Over there by the front." I jerked my thumb in the general direction. "I think it's your dress, Carls. Go try it on," I ordered, pushing her into the stall so she could change.
I sat back down on in a chair. A couple of minutes later, Carly came out. My breath caught in my throat at the sight. She was unbelievably beautiful in the gown. It flattered her thin frame, accentuating it so there were actual curves present. The ivory and turquoise made her chocolate brown hair and eyes appear rich and iridescent.
I couldn't help but feel the flare of jealousy rip through my body. My hands clenched the sides of the chair, as I exhaled slowly.
"Does it look as good on me as it did on the rack?" Carly said timidly, spinning around in a small circle.
"Carls, you look incredible. It's the dress, I promise," I answered honestly.
She squealed and ran over to me. Throwing her arms around my shoulders, she pulled me in for a tight hug.
"Thank you so much, Sam! When I saw myself in the mirror, I knew it was the perfect one. I'm totally getting it now."
She released her hold and stepped back. "I'm going to put on my regular clothes, okay? Then, we can go hit the food court."
"Yes! Now you're talking my language!" I laughed, feeling my mouth slip into a large grin.
"Same old Sam," she giggled before disappearing into the stall.
When she finished, she walked in the direction of the cash register with the dress draped over her left arm, while her right held onto the things she had bought earlier. I followed behind with my shopping bags in hand.
"Do you have enough for that, Carly? I have an extra $20, if you need it."
She waved her hand. "No, it's okay. I have enough because Granddad just sent some cash. No worries. Keep your money for something else. I'll buy you lunch, too." She smiled, linking her arm with mine.
"Aw, thanks!"
"You're welcome."
Once she paid for her dress (which cost her $300—ouch!), we headed towards my version of heaven (the food court!). I quickly ordered a double ham sandwich from the deli, while Carly grabbed some sushi from the Japanese stand. We sat down at one of the tables, shopping bags surrounding our feet.
I began to feast on my food, in hopes of appearing normal for my best friend. Like I said earlier, if I was around Carly or anyone else who wasn't Gibby, Wendy, or Brad, I acted totally fine. I ate regularly, cleaned myself, and engaged in conversation. I acted like the ordinary Sam Puckett. Of course, it was all far from the truth.
Honestly, I wasn't very hungry. It was a shocker, but there wasn't much appetite in me anymore. The only time where I could eat normally was when I was around Brad. Somehow, he was able to make food seem appealing to me again. It was one these reasons why he would never cease to amaze me with the things he could do.
I watched as Carly ate her meal bit by bit, almost as if she was hesitating. Rather than looking at me, she focused her gaze downwards. Raising an eyebrow, I cleared my throat, trying to get her attention.
"Is there a reason why you're picking at your sushi? Usually, you go crazy over that stuff," I said, motioning my hand towards her plate.
"I'm not that hungry, Sam," she replied, tilting her head up so her eyes met mine.
From the way she was staring at me, I could tell that she was nervous. Her brown orbs contained a worried look, while her leg bounced up and down underneath the table. Also, her right hand shook just a little, as she popped another piece of sushi in her mouth.
"Don't lie to me, Carls. I know something's up. You've hardly touched your food, and you look scared. Can you tell me what's wrong?" I moved my hand to gently nudge hers.
She set her chop sticks down, and blew out an unsteady breath. "We're best friends, right?"
I frowned, feeling confused. "Yeah, of course. Where are going with this?"
"And we can tell each other anything, right?"
"Yes! Cut to the chase, Carly. What's got you all twisted up?"
It took her awhile to be able to form words. I waited silently for her to say something, while I polished off my sandwich and Peppy Cola.
She pushed her plate away to signal that she had completed her lunch. Then, she squeaked out in a voice so low that I could barely catch it, "I'm going on a date."
"You're what?" I asked, cupping my hand around my ear to encourage her to speak up.
"I'm going on a date tonight," she announced in a louder voice.
"Carly! That's great! Why didn't you tell me before?" I beamed at her, giving a genuine smile.
"Well, I didn't know how you'd react to it. I've liked him for quite some time, and he and I are actually going public now." She grinned back shyly.
"Wait, how long have you been seeing this guy?"
"A couple of weeks. But that's it." She shrugged nonchalantly, oblivious to the fact that I was basically squirming in my seat.
"CARLY! You've been with him for two weeks, and now you're telling me! I thought we were best friends," I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest.
"Aw, please don't be mad at me. I wanted to tell you sooner, but it seems like we've had other things going on. Today's been the first time we've really spent together since he and I started our relationship."
I sighed. "Look, I'm not mad. I'm just a little disappointed you didn't tell me earlier. I mean, how come you didn't tell me during one of our iCarly rehearsals, or when we have our sleepovers? There have been a ton of opportunities."
"I know. I've also been nervous to tell you because it's kind of hard for me to talk about. There really hasn't been a guy I've seriously liked since Kyle. And he turned out to be royal jerk, since he only cared about intelligence. The guy I'm seeing is so different than any other guys I've met before. Truthfully, I don't think I could have found anyone more perfect," she said softly, as her face melted into a dreamy expression.
"Wow. I'm happy for you, Carls. So…who is this lucky fellow?" I winked at her, trying to stifle a giggle.
"You'll find out tonight. He's taking me out to dinner first, and then we're going somewhere secret. He won't tell me the second location because it's a surprise." She rolled her brown eyes, curling her lips into a faint smile.
"So that's why we took a trip to the mall. You want to look good for your man," I teased.
"Right," she laughed and reached for her cell phone to glance at the time. "Shoot! We better get going. I need to start getting ready, and you can come over and help me."
I groaned. "But you take forever to prepare for anything! I'll be sitting around for, like, six hours! I know we're best friends, but do I really have to put myself through that?"
"Sam, please? I want to get your opinion on what I should do with my hair and makeup. Normally, I'd be fine, but I'm anxious about this. Please for me?" She pouted, giving me her puppy dog look.
Face-palming, I moaned in agreement. "Fine. I still don't see why you need me, though. You're perfectly capable of handling everything on your own."
Truth be told, I wasn't really in the mood to see Carly dress up for her date. It would just bring out more of the green-eyed monster, which I didn't want her to notice. Plus, I kind of wanted to go for walk, and grab a smoothie with Wendy and Gibby.
"But you're my best friend. Best friends help each other out with that kind of thing. Look, I just need assistance on how I should style my hair and makeup. I can handle everything else on my own."
"Alright, alright. I'll go," I laughed, rising from my seat to dump our trash in the trash can nearby.
"Yay! You're the best," she said, leaping from her seat to tackle me in a hug.
"And don't you forget it, Shay." I smiled, picking up my shopping bags.
Together, we walked towards Carly's car. As I slid in, that stupid feeling of dread filled my stomach. Something told me that this date had a horrible twist to it. Leaning back against the seat, I closed my eyes. I let out a sigh, hoping that maybe, just maybe, I was wrong.
As soon as we entered the apartment, Carly dashed off to go shower. To pass the time, I chose to go hang out in the studio. I climbed the stair, but when I got the door, my hand froze on the knob. A tall figure stood inside with his back was to me, typing furiously on his laptop.
Suddenly, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I hadn't seen him since the nightmare, and now there he was, standing a few feet away from me. Images from two nights ago flashed through my mind, and my grip tightened on the knob. My legs began to wobble, while my head spun.
But I knew I couldn't stay there forever. Shaking my head, I muttered under my breath, "Stop being ridiculous, Sam. You deal with him practically every day. A dumb nightmare shouldn't change anything."
Once I managed to calm myself down, I turned the doorknob and stepped through the threshold. At the sound, Freddie turned around.
"Hey, Sam," he said, waving.
"Freddie," I answered curtly, nodding. I tried to ignore the loud pounding in my chest, but it was no use. He could probably even hear it, since it was so noisy.
"So what are you up to?" he asked, using one his hands to close the computer.
He gently leaned against the cart, crossing his arms. His lips curved into his signature smirk, which made me internally sigh. Even though we weren't together anymore, everything he did still got to me.
I shrugged, positioning my body so it lay against the wall. I had to be careful not to get too close to him, or else I'd regret it terribly. He was no longer mine, so I couldn't just fling myself in his arms. All I could do was stay a safe distance away, and hope for a tiny bit of contact.
"I just got back from shopping with Carly. She spent a fortune to get the "perfect outfit" for tonight. At any rate, she's getting ready for her big date. I came along because apparently she needed help." I rolled my eyes, smiling slightly.
"Ah, I see," he chuckled. "That girl does like to shop. Did she say anything about the date?" He sounded curious, which made me raise an eyebrow.
"Carly said that she's really excited, but she didn't tell me about the guy. The only thing she said was that she's been seeing him for a couple of weeks. I mean, I'm happy for the kid, you know? She hasn't seriously liked since Kyle, and she deserves a good guy. It's great that she's found him."
A shy grin spread across Freddie's mouth. "Yeah, I'm glad that she found him, too."
"Wait, you're not jealous of him?" I blurted out unconsciously. I mean, if he was head over heels for the girl, why would be glad that she met a new boy?
He laughed, uncrossing his arms to run a hand through his thick brown hair. "Nope. Why would I be?"
Looking away, I shook my head. "Oh, no reason. I was only wondering."
An uncomfortable silence stretched between us, as I continued to stare off into space, while he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. After what seemed like ten minutes of awkwardly not saying anything, Freddie cleared his throat.
"So how've you been, Sam? You left pretty quickly on Friday after the show. Is everything alright?"
His eyes were guarded, while he took one step closer to me. My palms began to sweat, while my heartbeat thundered in my ears. Pressing myself farther into the wall, I tried to appear nonchalant. However, I was sure I looked pretty freaked out.
"I'm okay. And everything's fine. Jeez, Freddork. You know, I am allowed to spend my time doing other things with other people," I said lightly, reaching out to gently punch his arm.
I felt a shock at the contact, but if I didn't act semi normal, he would suspect something. Teasing him was the only way I could pretend to be myself.
Rolling his eyes, he snorted. "Glad to see that you're acting like the usual Sam Puckett. Anyway, whose presence have you been gracing lately?"
"It's none of your nubby business," I snapped involuntarily.
"Oh, c'mon. You can tell me." He flashed that crooked smile of his, which got me to do anything he wanted when we dated.
Growling, I spat out, "If you must know, I usually spend time with Brad. Either him, or Wendy and Gibby. I may hang around you and Carly a ton, but I do have other friends."
"Okay, okay." He held his hands in defense. "Don't need to get touchy. I saw Gibby today because we went to a movie, but how's Brad? I miss having him be a part of iCarly."
Sincerity rang in his voice, which made me sick. If only he actually meant half the things he said.
"He's good. Apparently, school keeps him busy, which is why he hasn't kept in contact." Again, I had to lie. And to think that I was getting better at this.
"Yet he has the time to spend with you?" He furrowed his eyebrows in puzzlement.
"Yeah. I can't help that I'm awesome." I fake grinned, as I gestured to myself.
"Okay, whatever," he responded with heavy sarcasm.
Suddenly, a piercing shrill cry sounded. "SAM! I need you now!"
"Well, I guess that's my cue to leave. See you later, Freddnub."
I spun around to grab the door handle, but before I could, Freddie took a hold of my arm.
"Hey, are you sure you're alright?" he asked softly.
I wretched myself from his grip, feeling my body tremble. No, I thought. How can I be alright with you standing near me, pretending to be nice, when you're just a monster who fakes every emotion in the book, except for your love for Carly?
Of course, I couldn't honestly say those things. So I settled for, "Yes. You can stop worrying, nub."
"I just wanted to make sure. At any rate, I have to get moving, too. I've got plans tonight." A huge grin lit up his face, and he winked.
"Nice. Have fun with that," I said.
I dashed out of there as soon as I could, not bothering look back at him. That awful, stomach-clenching feeling returned with a full force. What the hell was going on?
Several hours later, a beautifully dressed Carly stood in front of me. Her hair was freshly curled, her eye lids sparkled with a pale sandy gold color, her cheeks were dusted with a pale pink blush, and her lips gleamed with a peach lip gloss. Her gown clung to her body, causing her to look like a supermodel. Undoubtedly, she was drop dead gorgeous.
"How do I look?" she asked quietly, wringing her hands behind her back.
"Carls, you're amazing. Any guy would drool a river if they saw you right now."
I had to stop the bile from coming up my throat at the sight. More than anything, I wished I didn't have to see her stunning appearance. I hoped my eyes didn't blaze red from the jealousy that shot straight through me. I had to sit on my hands, so I didn't reach out and rip the dress off of her, along with her white rhinestone heels.
"Really? You mean that?"
"Completely."
"Thanks so much, Sam. You know I love you." She smiled, coming over to hug me once more.
"I do know that. And I love you, too," I responded automatically, stretching my lips into a faux grin.
She released her hold on me to glance at the clock on the desk. "Oh! He's going to be here any minute. Come down stairs with me. I want you to see him!"
Carly snatched my arm and began dragging me down the stairs. I didn't have time to complain before I got to the bottom. Still hanging to me, she pushed me towards the couch. We simultaneously sat down, while I caught my breath.
"Jeez! You sure are excited!" I rasped out.
"Sorry," she murmured sheepishly. "I've been waiting for this for awhile, so that's why I'm all jumpy. We haven't had any real dates before. I see him a lot, but today we wanted to make it official and go out together."
"Oh, I get it. By the way, what did you mean by me seeing him? Don't you want me to meet him?"
She giggled uneasily. "Um, well. You've already met him."
"What? Who is he—"
A sharp knock interrupted me. Tilting my head to the side, I waved my hand at the door. "Don't you want to get that?"
"Actually, could you answer it? I'll wait here."
"Um, okay?" I was pretty confused, but followed my orders.
Springing up in my seat, I sauntered towards the door. I flung it open, revealing an extremely well-dressed person. My jaw basically hit the floor at the sight. But the most shocking part was the person staring back at me.
Freddie Benson stood in black dress pants, a dark gray button down, and shiny black shoes. His hair was in its regular spiked style, but it definitely had gone through a nice washing and cleaning.
He looked so unbelievable at the moment, that I couldn't utter a word out. I was way too speechless to even move. I remained motionless in my spot, gaping at the boy in front of me.
"Sam? Earth to, Sam!" Freddie said, waving his hand in front of my face.
Shaking my head, I tried to snap back to the present. "What are you doing here? Carly's date should be arriving soon, and you're blocking the entrance."
Suddenly, he cast his gaze downwards. In a voice so muffled that I felt like I needed the aid of a frequency monitor to hear him, he mumbled, "I'm Carly's date."
"What?" I gasped, stumbling backwards like I had been slapped.
He lifted his head up to meet my eyes. "I'm Carly's date," he repeated a bit louder.
"What?" I had to grip onto the door to make sure I didn't fall over. My knees started to feel incredibly weak.
"Sam, I'm the guy that Carly's been talking about. I'm her new boyfriend." He gave me a sympathetic smile, taking a step into the apartment.
Everything became disorienting in a matter of seconds. Nothing seemed to makes sense anymore. Fumbling my way back to the couch, I plopped down. I uttered the only word I could from at the moment, "What?"
A hand touched my shoulder. Turning my head, I found Carly watching me. "Sam, please let us explain."
"O-kay. G-go a-a-head," I stammered.
Freddie moved to come and sit next to me, causing me to be squished between the two of them. More than anything, I wanted to escape. This all seemed too surreal to be true.
"Do you want the whole story?" Freddie wondered.
I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything coherent.
Carly took a deep breath and started. "About two weeks ago, we finished up another iCarly rehearsal. Freddie and I had thought that a trip to the Groovy Smoothie sounded nice, but you told us you had other plans. We assumed you were with Brad at the time because of how close you guys have gotten in the past few months. Anyway, we were kind of bored, so we decided to just stay here and watch stupid Splashface videos. We stumbled across a couple that were interesting, and one caught our attention in particular." She paused, and motioned for Freddie to continue.
"This specific video was of us together, showing a bunch of random clips. It was obviously made by a Creddie shipper because there was so much speculation behind it. The music timed with the clips was 'Could It Be' by Christy Carlson Romano. Normally, we would just shut it off, but this one was very well done. We kept watching it, and by the time it finished, we turned to each other. I asked Carly if it was possible for her and I to be together, even though we broke up." He pointed to him and me.
Carly chose to jump back into the conversation. "And I said that it wasn't possible because I wouldn't do that to you, Sam. I know how much you liked Freddie when you dated him. You're my best friend, and I couldn't hurt you anymore than you already were by the break up. So I said no. But Freddie kept saying that it wouldn't bother you because you had already moved on. He brought up the whole Brad issue, which made sense. I mean, you guys are practically together because you're with him all of the time. After listening to him, I relented a bit. Then, he kissed me out of nowhere. I was too shocked to return it, but eventually, I did. Once we stopped, he told me what you asked him at the restaurant. The whole crush thing, that is. He was scared to answer before, but he knew deep in his heart that it wasn't a crush. He genuinely liked me again." She shifted her attention to him, and her expression instantly softened.
He took that as his sign to finish. "So we admitted our feelings to each other out loud, and became boyfriend and girlfriend. We wanted to keep it a secret until tonight because we had to make sure you'd be all right with this. The more time you had to get used to the break up, the easier it would be for us to tell you. And now that your relationship with Brad is fairly stable, it takes the pressure off, you know? At any rate, we hope you understand. We seriously didn't mean to hurt you in any way, Sam. We just couldn't help but have these feelings for one another." His eyes flickered to Carly, giving her an equally soft look.
Once he was done talking, I felt myself stand up. Wandering over to the kitchen area, I began to pace back and forth. The motion of walking calmed me a little, but my head and body still felt like it was on fire. I finally stopped, and clutched the counter with my hands.
"You guys are really dating?" I asked in a hushed tone.
Carly nodded, and made her way over to me. Freddie hung back, with his hands in pockets, rocking back on forth on his heels.
When she got to me, she said, "Yes, we are. We're so sorry we didn't tell you sooner. We figured that waiting was better than jumping the gun."
I sighed heavily, letting a sad smile grace my lips. "I honestly don't know what to say."
Actually, I did. It was somewhere along the lines of: How could you fucking do this to me? I thought we were best friends! You knew that I never got over him, yet you go ahead and sink your claws into him. How could you?
Stretching her arms over the counter, she took a hold of my hands in hers. "Sam, please understand. We really didn't mean to hurt you. Hopefully, you can see that this wasn't planned. We swear that we never thought we'd end up together. It just kind of happened."
I removed my hands of hers, but kept eye contact. With the way I had been acting lately, a pool of tears would have leaked from my eyes by now. But all I felt was hollowness in me. It seemed as if my heart had been completely scooped out of my chest, and that I was only alive by some miracle.
"You really like him," I whispered to her.
"Yes. With all of my heart."
"Well, I can't argue with it then, if you honestly feel that way. Just take care of him, Carls. Please?"
I literally wanted to stab myself for saying that. Why wasn't I preventing her from doing this?
She gazed at me with the most earnest, truthful look I had ever received from her. "Sam, I promise you that I will. No matter what happens with us in the future, I promise that he will be good in hands. Does this mean that you're okay with everything?"
I decided to speak up, so that both of them could hear me. "Yeah. If you two honestly like each other, then don't think I'm going to stand in your way. I'm fine, really," I lied through my teeth, giving them a complete and utter fake smile.
That was enough for Carly and Freddie to run up to me, and wrapping me in a bone crushing bear-hug. I hugged them back loosely, trying to avoid contact. A few seconds later, I let go.
"You guys should get going on your date. I have a feeling that it's going to be the best first date ever," I said with forced enthusiasm.
"Okay," they answered in unison.
My head felt like exploding, knowing that I would never be able to be in sync with Freddie again. He and Carly would now finish each other's sentences and say things together, instead of him and me.
"Hey, I'm going to get the car. Meet me outside?" Freddie directed his question towards Carly.
"Sure. I'll see you out there." She leaned in to peck his cheek.
I internally grimaced, feeling my whole body practically shut down. I struggled to even think straight right now. Everything was basically on auto-pilot.
He began walking to the door, but before he officially left, he spun around to say, "Bye, Sam! I'll talk to you later."
When he vanished from sight, Carly changed her focus, so it was back on me. "Sam, tell me the truth. Are you all right with this? I know you can get away with feeding him a lie, but I'm not going to accept it." Her voice became a tad harsh, tinged slightly with urgency.
"Carly," I barked in response. "I'm not lying. I really am fine with the two of you going out. It doesn't bother me in the least. It's been months since he and I broke up. There are no hard feelings between us, whatsoever. Please believe me. If you are happy with him, then I say go for it. You deserve a nice boyfriend."
Of course, it was all bull shit coming out of my mouth. I didn't mean any of it, except for the fact that she deserved a nice boyfriend. She did, but I just wished it wasn't my ex. Out of all the rest of the guys in the world, she had to choose him?
At my words, she let out a humorless laugh. "It's hard to imagine that I gave you the same advice first, isn't it? At the lock-in?"
I nodded. "Yeah, it is. Anyway, do you get what I'm saying?"
"I think so. You're saying that you're cool with Freddie and me as a couple then, correct?"
"Yup. Now, go! You're going to be late for your date, if you don't hurry up. And you can't keep him waiting, even if he is a nub," I joked, rolling my eyes.
"Thank you for understanding, Sam. You're the best friend a person can ever have!"
"Don't you forget it, Shay. Oh, and one more thing."
"What is it?"
"Brad and I have nothing going on. I know you and Freddie keep thinking that we do, but we don't. We're only friends."
A loud laugh escaped her mouth. "When are you going to see it? You are totally in love with that boy. I mean, you spend more time with him than with me these days! He makes you happy, and I can obviously see that. Trust me, a best friend knows about this stuff. I can imagine that you make him feel pretty out of this world, too. Look, this time you need to make a move. He's not going to stick around forever, you know. There's so much chemistry between you guys that you need to take advantage of it. Face it, Sam. You've moved on and fallen for Bradley Haverford."
My blood boiled underneath my skin when she completed her speech. She was dead wrong. There was no way in hell that I had fallen for him.
"You're wrong. He and I are nothing more than good friends, and nothing less than good friends." I tried to keep my voice light, but there was a hard edge to it.
Still, she couldn't pick up on my distress. "Alright, fine. Go ahead and keep denying it, but I've got to get going. Are you going follow me out, or you going to stay here?"
"I'm gonna head out, too. But you go first. Have fun tonight, Carls," I said, forcing another smile.
"Thanks, I will. I'll call you later, okay? And pick up this time!"
Chuckling, I agreed. By the time, Carly left the apartment, I already had my phone out. Dialing the number I knew by heart, I heard it ring a couple of times before someone picked up.
"Hello?"
"Brad? It's Sam," I answered, opening the door to step out. I closed it behind me, and picked up the emergency key underneath the doormat to lock it.
"Oh, hey there. What's up?" he asked casually.
I started to walk towards the elevator, but then changed direction. No way was I ever taking that machine again. Choosing the stairs instead, my feet took the descent down to the first floor.
"Are you free? Because if you are, can I come over?"
"Yeah, you can. I don't have much going on at the moment. Just working on some homework, but that's all. Is something wrong?" Concern instantly laced his tone.
"There is, as a matter of fact. I'll explain it when I get there." I reached the lobby and pushed open the heavy front door, ignoring Lewbert's evil screams of protest.
"Okay. I'm here, Sam. So you can stop by whenever."
"I'll be at your place in a few minutes. Thanks, Brad."
"Any time. You know that. I'll see you later then."
As soon as we hung up, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I needed to see him, and make this pain go away. He was the only one that could fully do it. But as I continued along the path to his house, Carly's words echoed in my mind.
Face it, Sam. You've moved on and fallen for Bradley Haverford.
Review, please? And no flames, if you will.