Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Not sure what's going on with FF's editing tools in 'Document Manager', I have serious issues with it. Anyway, thank to everyone who reviewed the first 'flashback chapter'. sockstar1 brought up an interesting point about the overt 'UST' (Unrepressed Sexual Tension for anyone who like me didn't know what that meant before this) in the fight scene between Freddie and Carly while they were sword fighting. I didn't even realise that's what it looked like, funny. Before I forget later, I should inform you all of slight changes to canon in my story. 'iSpeedDate' has happened in my story timeline, but not 'iKiss' or 'iSaved Your Life'. Just keep that in mind for future reference, ho-kay? Now onto the second flashback chapter. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or any of Dan Schneider's other wondrous creations (double rats)...
1 November, 2013
She stared around her at the room that she used to call home with a small smile. It seemed strange that after spending two years here, she was finally going home. Her roommate entered the room a minute later to inform her that her cab was waiting downstairs to take her to the airport.
"I still can't believe you're leaving." Her roommate murmured sadly.
"Me either. It feels like it's all been some kind of sick practical joke that my Mom played on me. But in a good way," the young blonde-haired woman answered pensively.
"Okay, not sure what that's supposed to mean. But I'm gonna miss you all the same," her roommate murmured genuinely as she enveloped the blonde-haired girl in a tight embrace.
"I'll miss you too. I'll miss everybody here. You guys have been my closest friends for the past two years." The blonde-haired girl answered truthfully, trying very hard not to get too mushy as she hugged her friend back.
"You have everything you need?" her roommate asked curiously while glancing around the dorm room.
"Yip, I've got my carry-on luggage and some Fat cakes in my backpack. The rest of my stuff has already been forwarded to my new address." The blonde haired girl answered succinctly.
"Okay. Well, take care of yourself. And call me as soon as you land." Her roommate implored with a smile through her tears.
"Will do, take care of yourself."
After one last goodbye, the blonde-haired girl exited her dorm building and made her way down to the cab waiting for her. She glanced back one last time at everything she was leaving behind. Then she shrugged as she got into the cab and they drove away. She felt sad that she wouldn't be completing her degree here. But she was anxious to get home and see the people she loved most in the world. An elated smile curled on her lips at the thought. She took out her cellphone as she reached the airport and left a voice message for a particular number. She hung up the phone promptly and made her way through the terminal marked 'Departures'.
"Happy 'Friendship Day'!" Carly called out exuberantly as she handed the person she had stopped a multi-coloured wrist band.
"Here, you go. Happy 'Friendship Day'!"
"Happy 'Friendship Day!' Here you go!"
Carly had been walking around main campus for the last hour, handing out multi-coloured wrist bands to unsuspecting students in honour of 'Friendship Day'. Carly's sorority had come up with the idea as a way of promoting diversity and racial tolerance between WSU students across the border in light of certain events which had tarnished the university's reputation. Much of the student body (and the faculty) were walking around sporting the multi-coloured wrist bands in honour of the self-declared holiday for that particular Friday. After Carly had handed out her allotted number of wrist bands, she made her way back to the table where some of her sorority sisters sat with a special 'Friendship Day' booth in Wegner Hall.
"Wow, you already handed out all your wrist bands?" Tiffany asked in amazement.
"Uh-huh. The Pharmaceutical students are pretty friendly, especially the male ones." Carly responded sardonically.
"Nice. Any of them cute?" Tiffany asked with fascination.
"Nope, and most of them can't flirt either." Carly answered nonchalantly.
"Can I have some more wrists bands, Tiffany?" Carly asked curiously.
"Sorry, Carly. But we're all out." Tiffany answered slowly.
"All out? But we had like a 100 of them 5 minutes ago." Carly responded in alarm.
"I know, but Freddie took the rest." Tiffany replied simply.
"Freddie took the rest? He's not even in our sorority, Tiffany!" Carly pointed out exasperatedly.
"Yeah, I know, Carly. But you weren't back yet and I was really tired from handing out my wrist bands." Tiffany replied painstakingly.
"Tiffany, you only handed out about 20 wrist bands." Carly pointed out dryly.
"I know, but it just really took it out of me, you know." Tiffany responded dramatically.
"Ooh, I know something, all right." Carly murmured callously in an undertone.
"Anyway, that's when Freddie arrived and offered to do it for me. He's so thoughtful." Tiffany murmured in a dreamy tone.
"Yeah, really thoughtful. Excuse me," Carly announced abruptly with a plastered smile on her face.
The minute she turned away from Tiffany, the smile dropped from Carly's face as she imagined just how 'thoughtful' Freddie was being with the 'Friendship Day' wrist bands. Her suspicions proved to be correct when she turned down one of the corridors and found Freddie chatting up an attractive Veterinary student whom she only knew by sight next to a water fountain. Her eyes narrowed at the stack of multi-coloured wrist bands sticking out of Freddie's back pocket of his jeans. Just as the Vet student turned away to retrieve her cellphone out of her backpack, Carly watched in horror as Freddie handed a passing female student a wrist band with a leering smile on his face which she returned eagerly, then turned to face the attractive Vet student once more.
"Do you know you're the first and only girl that I've given a 'Friendship Day' wrist band to, Sonja?" Freddie murmured tantalisingly in the attractive Vet student's ear.
"Really, Freddie?" Sonja asked eagerly.
Freddie nodded slowly while flashing Sonja his most dazzling smile.
"And why is that?" Sonja asked coyly while wrapping her arms around Freddie's neck.
"Hmm, let's see…" Freddie trailed off demurely while wrapping his arms around Sonja's slender waist as he pondered momentarily on her question.
"It's because you're the nicest and most beautiful girl that I know." Freddie murmured sensually, his lips inches away from Sonja's.
"Oh, Freddie." Sonja gushed softly.
"Oh, Sonja." Freddie murmured, matching her tone.
"Oh my God," Carly mumbled under her breath, standing with her hands on her hips a few paces away.
"Oh, Freddie. That is so sweet. Do you really mean it?" Sonja asked in a husky tone.
In that moment, Freddie managed to slip another girl named Tanya a multi-coloured wrist band in passing, blowing her a subtle kiss over Sonja's shoulder.
"Of course I mean it, Tanya." Freddie replied intimately.
"Tanya? My name's Sonja." Sonja pointed out in disbelief, moving slightly away from Freddie.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Sonja. I got so lost in your eyes that I forgot your name." Freddie replied quickly, recovering remarkably well from his faux pas as he wrapped his arms around her body once more.
"You are so sensitive." Sonja complimented in a saucy whisper.
"I know," Freddie answered confidently.
"Oh, Freddie." Sonja murmured silkily.
"Oh, Sonja." Freddie murmured silkily.
"You've got to be kidding me," Carly muttered nastily, her mouth aghast at the sight before her.
When it looked like Freddie and Sonja had no intention of stopping their 'Yakima' conversation, Carly decided to step in.
"Enough is enough," Carly murmured to herself and stepped forward.
While Freddie was busy embracing Sonja, Carly slipped her hand into Freddie's jeans pocket and deftly removed the wrist bands from their denim confine. She did a quick count of the remaining ones and smirked to herself.
"Oh, Freddie." Carly greeted in a sing-song voice, waving the remaining wrist bands in both Freddie and Sonja's faces.
Freddie's mouth opened in alarm while Sonja's opened in disbelief.
"These fell out," Carly observed with a broad smile on her face.
"Now I don't have a calculator on me. But there were about 100 of these before Freddie got hold of them. And now there are about 80 left. You do the Math." Carly stated malevolently while addressing Sonja.
"You cheat! You liar!"
Freddie barely had time to defend himself when Sonja swung back and slapped him hard across the cheek before storming off. Carly winced at the visible handprint that was now quite visible on his face.
"Oh, come on, wait a minute. Hold on…Tanya. Wait, what's your name again?" Freddie asked stupidly at her retreating figure.
"Sonja." Carly offered with a devious grin.
"Why did you just block like that, Carly?" Freddie demanded irritably of Carly who was standing next to him with a smug smirk on her face.
"Because today is 'Friendship Day', not 'Get Freddie Laid Day'. Make wrist bands for your own cause, don't take mine." Carly scolded matter-of-factly.
"Hey, that's not a bad idea actually." Freddie murmured pensively, which earned him a smack on the head by Carly.
"Man, what is your problem, Carly? You just ruined a perfectly good 10 minutes of fun." Freddie complained wearily while rubbing his smarting cheek and now his head.
"Fun? You call using girls shamelessly fun?" Carly retorted indignantly, her hands on her hips once more as she faced him.
"Well, it was fun for me." Freddie offered with a small smile.
"Sit, Freddie. You and I need to talk." Carly instructed calmly, sitting on the stairwell and patting the empty space next to her.
Freddie rolled his eyes and sat down next to her.
"Freddie, I'm all for you playing the field and dating tons of girls. But do you always have to chase the same kind of girls?" Carly asked exasperatedly.
"What do you mean?" Freddie asked quizzically.
"You know, girls who are only interested in you for your looks and not your brains. Girls who show up to campus on a regular basis looking like they're wearing slutty lingerie. Girls who are more shallow than a kiddie pool. And girls who can't recite the entire alphabet." Carly answered frankly.
"Hey, that was just one girl who couldn't recite the entire alphabet." Freddie protested hurriedly.
"My point is this. Just once, couldn't you date someone with a little bit more…substance?" Carly demanded evenly.
"Carly, I didn't expect this from you." Freddie replied soberly.
"Yeah, well-"
"I mean, all this time and I had no idea. You're in love with me?" Freddie asked teasingly while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, which earned him a smack from Carly on the shoulder.
"Freddie, this is serious! Just once, would it kill you to actually date someone that likes you for you?" Carly demanded impatiently.
"And just who might that be, Carly Bear?" Freddie asked with a playful smirk.
"I don't know, someone who laughs at all your techie-jokes even when she has no idea what she's laughing at; someone you can have an actual conversation with that doesn't involve stiletto heels or her cup size. Someone who understands just how sweet, sensitive, smart and wonderful you really are." Carly answered sincerely.
"Carly, it sounds like you just described yourself." Freddie responded slowly.
"Knock it off, Freddie." Carly retorted, the slightest of smiles playing on her face.
It was true; Freddie had been love with Carly for what seemed like a lifetime ago, beginning when she and Spencer had first moved into Bushwell Plaza back in Seattle all the way through high school. When graduation had approached and Carly knew for certain that both she and Freddie were going to Washington State University, she decided it was time to have a frank discussion with Freddie. She hadn't said in so many words that she and Freddie were never going to happen, but she had made it clear that she just thought of him as a friend and she didn't want him to try so hard to win her over anymore.
Carly had been surprised at Freddie's maturity surrounding their discussion. He reassured her that their friendship meant everything to him and that he would try to move on. When they began their first year off at WSU, Carly's advice to date other people seemed to have paid off. Freddie had reinvented himself and become an overnight sensation with the ladies. He was still very much the same 'Tech-Nerd' and proud owner of 'Nug-Nug' memorabilia. But he had changed for the better, becoming more confident and self-assured as time progressed. Carly and Freddie's friendship had remained platonic and steadfast throughout college so far, with occasional bickering (particularly over fencing and over what to watch on 'Movie Nights'). But if there was one thing that Carly couldn't understand, it was Freddie's erroneous list of 'skunk bags' that he insisted on dating casually.
"Carly, did it ever occur to you that I date lots of girls so that I can eventually find the right girl?" Freddie probed slowly.
"The right girl huh? And just who might that be?" Carly questioned pointedly with a raised eyebrow.
It had taken nearly the entire morning to get to Pullman, Washington, drive to her new place, meet her new roommates and dispatch most of her luggage into her new room. Even though she was tired, she was eager to get her first look at Washington State University. A cab dropped her off right in the middle of Pullman campus. Even though her eyes and her overall body language didn't give her away, her heart was racing from finally being back in her home state and overwhelmed by the changes she had made to her life. With one last inner scolding, she stepped off the pavement and made her way through the bustling crowd of WSU students.
"Well for starters, she's gotta be a looker. Hair colour's not that important," Freddie began nonchalantly while pursing his lips thoughtfully.
Despite the onset of autumn, it was a fairly hot day in Pullman. Her long wavy blonde hair (which blew in wisps across her face) kept her cheeks and forehead relatively cool from the sun beating down on her head. As for her attire, she was sporting her favourite blue and white checkered shirt. The long sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and she had tied the bottom in a knot in the front, which showed off her bellybutton and her toned stomach. She was wearing khaki-coloured hot pants, which showed off her shapely tanned legs and wore black Converse sneakers which sat below her shins. A couple of guys literally stopped in their tracks to check her out from the front and the back. But she swept past them as if they were part of the scenery.
"She's got to have a great smile." Freddie continued on wistfully as he imagined it.
Even though she had only been in Pullman for a few hours, she was already beginning to feel like she was going to like this place. A small smile curled on her lips, which caused her arched cheek bones to rise and made her blue-green eyes sparkle beneath her long eyelashes.
"And I'll throw in that she has to have a brain too just to make you happy, Carly. Ooh, and she's gotta be independent. Those clingy types don't do anything for me." Freddie added, which made Carly roll her eyes as she listened attentively.
It was a good thing that she had thought of printing out a map of WSU before setting foot on campus. She reached into the front pocket on her hot pants and retrieved a crumpled piece of paper. According to the map and the instructions given to her by the administrative officer (which she had scribbled on the map), she was supposed to go to the Fine Arts Center to enrol for her classes since she was registering late. A few guys in the vicinity looked as if they would have gladly helped her out if she had only asked. But she ignored every glance that came her way as she walked steadily through the panoramic campus.
"Okay, it's official: the girl you just described does not exist on this planet, Freddie." Carly joked.
"Laugh all you want, Carly. But she's out there somewhere. And I will find her eventually. And when I do, I'll know that I love her." Freddie promised with a faraway look in his eyes.
"You'll know you love her?" Carly scoffed openly while folding her arms.
"When I meet her, something will happen inside of me and that's how I'll know." Freddie answered reassuredly.
"O-kay. While you search for your 'dream girl', I'm just gonna give the rest of these 'Friendship Day' bracelets back to Tiffany before they fall into the wrong hands again. And next time you wanna make dates with every female that goes to WSU, save it for Valentines Day." Carly reminded with a stern look in Freddie's direction.
"And every other day of the week if necessary," Freddie quipped with a sly smirk at Creddie.
Carly gave Freddie a sardonic grin before sauntering off back down the corridor. Freddie watched her go with a broad smile on his face.
"You're still my number 1 girl, Carly Shay!" Freddie hollered after her silhouette.
Carly grinned in spite of herself at Freddie's words as she walked on. Freddie made sure that Carly had rounded the corner before bending over and reaching into his sneaker to retrieve ten remaining 'Friendship Day' bracelets.
"You may be good at Math, Carly. But I'm better. Oh yes I am," Freddie murmured to himself in a seedy tone as he exited Wegner Hall.
Carly retrieved her cellphone from her jeans pocket as it began vibrating loudly. It was her roommate, Kelly, calling her from their dorm room.
"Hey, Kelly. What's up?" Carly asked curiously as she put her cellphone to her ear.
"Hey, Carly. There's a message on our phone for you." Kelly informed her quickly.
"A message for me? Is it important?" Carly asked nervously.
"I think you should come hear it for yourself," Kelly advised hurriedly.
Carly said goodbye to Kelly and hung up her cellphone sharply, a quizzical expression on her face. She put her cellphone back into her jeans and jogged back to Community Hall.
She got back to her dorm room 10 minutes later where Kelly was waiting for her with a blank expression on her face.
"Okay, who left me a message?" Carly asked expectantly.
"Why don't you hear for yourself?" Kelly asked with a wide grin on her face.
Carly raised an eyebrow at Kelly's elated expression and pressed the 'play' button on their answering machine:
"Hey, Carls, it's me. I know this is pretty unexpected, but I finally made my decision…"
Carly's face changed from confusion to excitement the longer she listened to the phone message. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Yet at the same time, she'd never been happier.
"Oh my God, this is so great! I've gotta tell Freddie!" Carly exclaimed exuberantly as she grabbed her cellphone and dialled Freddie's number.
After finding out that Freddie was now in the Fine Arts Center and telling him that she had some exciting news, Carly hung up her cellphone.
"I gotta go meet Freddie again. Thanks, Kelly. I'll talk to you later." Carly greeted hurriedly before sprinting out the door.
Kelly stuck her head out of the door and watched Carly's progress down the fire escape. She shook her head and chuckled while she shut the door.
Freddie was strolling around the Fine Arts Center when Carly called him on his cellphone with the strangest message. He shrugged it off, thinking her big news probably had something to do with 'Girly Cow' airing for another season. He had been passing out more 'Friendship Day' wrist bands in the meanwhile, justifying it as his search for the 'right girl'. He had one more left and he wanted to make it count. He decided to head back to the 'Admissions Office' in the building where he reckoned there might be more female students walking about.
Just as Freddie turned around, he collided sharply with another female student. His arm flew out and caught her before she fell to the ground as he battled to right himself. Just as he was about to murmur an apology, Freddie's breath caught in his throat at the sight of the young woman in front of him. There was no word with which to describe her except for appealing. Her blue-green orbs stared up at him in confusion and what looked like surprise to him. Her attire (checkered shirt, hot pants and sneakers) were very tom-boyish. But she still managed to carry it off in a sexy way that was still decidedly feminine. Freddie subtly licked his lips as his eyes wandered over the rest of her body, from her toned stomach to her flowing blonde hair that he suddenly ached to run his hands through.
"I think I love you," Freddie murmured dumbly.
"Excuse me?" the young blonde woman asked sharply, her hands on her hips.
"Don't be, I think I love you." Freddie repeated in more of a suave tone, giving her the once-over.
"What?" she asked quizzically.
Just then, Carly rounded the bend and came to a skidding halt alongside them.
"Freddie, there you are! I've got the most incredible news-"
"Carly, not now. Mommy and Daddy are trying to have a conversation here." Freddie remarked facetiously, his eyes never leaving the young woman in front of him.
"Carly?" the young blonde woman asked in surprise as she turned to face the black-haired girl for the first time.
At the mention of her name, Carly turned to face the young blonde-haired girl simultaneously. Their faces registered confusion, then shock and finally excitement in the space of about three seconds.
"Oh my God, Sam!" Carly exclaimed in astonishment as her own eyes raked over her friend's body.
"Um hello, I'm Freddie. Please don't mention that accursed name around here, Carly." Freddie interjected disdainfully, having missed the non-verbal greeting between his two best friends.
"No, Freddie. You don't under-" Carly attempted nervously before Sam jumped in.
"Accursed name?" Sam demanded in a hostile tone, rounding on Freddie, who didn't seem to notice.
"Yeah, accursed name. The name of this girl I knew back home in Seattle, Sam Puckett. She is the rudest, most abrasive, insulting, mean-spirited, awful, unhygienic girl ever. We were sort've friends, but she mostly liked to use me as a punching bag. So I'm begging you, Carly. Don't say that name while I'm talking to beautiful girls, especially one as beautiful as you." Freddie explained smoothly before turning to face Sam again.
"Oh crap," Carly murmured anxiously while watching Sam's expression, which had morphed into a demonic smile.
"Rude? Insulting? Unhygienic?" Sam asked pleasantly while folding her arms.
"Yeah, pretty much. Nothing like you, I assume." Freddie responded silkily.
"Well, save for the 'unhygienic' part, the rest still applies." Sam remarked cleverly with a smirk on her face.
"I'm not following-"
"Freddie, you nub! That's what I've been trying to tell you! You're not hitting on some random girl, you're hitting on Sam! Our friend, Sam Puckett: co-host of 'iCarly'. Our 'rude', 'abrasive', 'insulting', 'mean-spirited', 'awful', 'unhygienic' friend, Sam. No offence," Carly added in an undertone after her rapid explanation.
"None taken, Carly." Sam answered swiftly, her eyes boring into Freddie's.
Just as Freddie was about to refute Carly's explanation, he glanced back at Sam and finally looked intently at her face. The style and length of her hair, the eyes, the nose.
The evil smile playing on the edges of her mouth while she stared back at him.
Sam.
Oh shit.
"S-s-s-s-s…" Freddie stammered blankly, looking like he was about to go into cardiac arrest.
"Freddie," Carly began worriedly, but was stopped by Sam.
"Hold on a second. Give him time to formulate syllables." Sam suggested teasingly with a wide grin on her face.
Freddie then began glancing wildly around him, from Carly to Sam, then from Sam to Carly.
"Sam." Freddie finally managed, but in a hoarse voice.
"That's my name, don't wear it out." Sam greeted cheerily.
"Wow, this is awkward. I was coming down to tell you that Sam was in town and you were hitting on her. Wow." Carly murmured haphazardly, a huge grin plastered on her face.
"Yeah, Freddie. What's up with that?" Sam questioned pleasantly, a smirk playing on her lips.
"N-n-nothing. What? I wasn't hitting on you, Sam! I was, uh…it's 'Friendship Day' all over campus! I was just being friendly!" Freddie spluttered defensively.
"Whatever you say, Fredweird." Sam muttered dryly.
"I still can't believe you're here." Carly stated exuberantly while glancing at her best friend.
"Neither can I. Why are you here?" Freddie demanded flippantly, having regained his confidence.
"I go here now." Sam explained simply.
"You go where now?" Freddie asked hysterically, his eyes bulging in their sockets.
"Geez, Freddie. Do you ever pay any attention during our conversations? I told you weeks ago that Sam was thinking of finishing her last year of school here at WSU. Isn't that great?" Carly asked brightly.
"But why here?! I mean, the Rhode Island School of Design is such a great school. And it's so close to…other specific islands. And you had one more year left. Why leave before finishing your degree while you're still far away?!" Freddie blustered helplessly.
"Isn't it obvious, you nub? I wanted to spend my last year of college with you and Carly. And you call yourself 'smart'." Sam scoffed.
"I never called myself 'smart'." Freddie shot back irritably.
"Well don't start now," Sam remarked callously.
"This is so great!" Carly interjected happily, which stopped her friends from bickering further.
"It's the three of us together again, just like old times. Isn't this amazing, Freddie?" Carly asked pointedly of Freddie with one raised eyebrow.
"Yeah it is. So amazing that I don't know what I've done to deserve it." Freddie responded with a wide smile while trying to mask his sarcasm.
"Well, this has been real. But I gotta go," Sam announced blandly.
"What, already? But you just got here!" Carly exclaimed in alarm.
"Not out of State, Carly, to the admissions office. I've gotta still fill out some paperwork before officially becoming part of WSU's student body."
"Take your time," Freddie advised sardonically.
"Do you need any help with filling out forms?" Carly asked curiously.
"Nah, I'll be okay." Sam responded reassuringly.
"Okay. Well, text me when you're finished. The three of us can hang out or something." Carly suggested quickly.
"Sounds like a plan. I'll talk to you guys later." Sam greeted casually.
"Oh, and Freddie…" Sam trailed off just as she turned back to face him and Carly.
"What?" Freddie asked tersely, readying himself for a fight.
"Next time you hit on a girl, be sure to practise on your blow-up doll first." Sam joked maliciously.
Carly rolled her eyes at her two best friends, readying herself for Freddie's come-back retort. But she glanced at him quizzically when he said nothing, but grinned devilishly back at Sam.
"What are you smiling about, Benson?" Sam questioned suspiciously while narrowing her eyes.
"I forgot to give you this," Freddie answered and handed her a multi-coloured wrist band.
"What the hell is this?" Sam asked suspiciously.
"It's a 'friendship bracelet', in celebration of 'Friendship Day' at WSU." Freddie explained casually.
Sam held the wrist band up to the light and chuckled with mirth.
"Don't you think you're getting a little ahead of yourself there, Dorkward?" Sam pressed callously.
"Not really. This is for everything we've been through together. Now you know how exactly how I feel about you." Freddie answered stoically, a devious grin curling on his lips.
Sam shook her head, shooting Freddie a weary look as she walked away from her two best friends.
Carly watched Sam go, then turned around to face Freddie, who was still smiling at Sam's fading silhouette.
"Why did you give Sam a 'friendship bracelet'? She just insulted you." Carly pointed out curiously.
"Exactly. Now she's gonna waste all of her energy trying to figure out what I meant by doing that." Freddie answered mischievously.
"Very sneaky and devious, Freddie." Carly praised with a smirk on her face.
"Thank you, Carly. Now I've gotta go tell Gibby the 'good news'." Freddie teased dryly while using air quotes as he turned to leave.
Carly was left standing by herself in the Fine Arts Center, a moment of surreal amusement coursing through her veins.
"What just happened here?" Carly asked quizzically of no one in particular.
Author's Note: FF and I are going to have a serious falling out over 'Document Manager' today, I can just see it (*clears throat loudly*). Alright, enough about my DM woes, I hope you guys liked this chapter. It was inspired by the actual scene in the film 'Kuch Kuch' itself surrounding 'Friendship Day'. I had fun writing Carly's attempts to block Freddie while he was chatting up Sonja. I think the film version is way funnier though ; ) I really wanted to make older Sam sexy, but still very much Sam at the same time when she appears in Pullman. I hope it worked. What will happen next with our favourite trio? I'm going to work hard to get these flashback chapters finished soon so that we can get back to the present. Thank you to all of you who've shown an interest in this story, I only hope I won't disappoint. I hope you all have a great weekend.
