Disclaimer: Just saw my dream car drive by...and sadly I don't own it. Just like I don't own iCarly.
A/N: I was going to post this chapter last night, but then Army of Darkness came on. I don't care that it's corny, it's funny.
Anyhow...this is a filler chapter, mostly dialogue, and no Cam... As for the reference from the last chapter, if you've seen Miranda Cosgrove in The Good Wife, she played a character by the name of Sloan Burchfield. But I shortened it to Burch because it's a single syllable and if you haven't noticed, it rolls off of a certain Puckett's tongue.
Chapter 9
Burch and I separate from Carly and Benson with a small goodbye, Carly kissing my cheek again and giving Burch a dirty look, and I sigh, leading Burch toward the closest store. I buy an entire carton of cigarettes because my best friend has caused us enough stress today. My friend raises her brow but says nothing and we continue in silence to my apartment, each of us smoking a cigarette on the way. Mercy still isn't outside of the building and I wonder if it's just timing that I've missed her twice today, but I don't worry about it. I toss my cigarette butt in the ashtray outside of the lobby and enter the barely air-conditioned room, turning left for the elevators. Burch gives me a look once we're in and the doors close, but I'm not in the mood for the smirk that etches itself on my face.
Mom's out at another party, so we'll have the apartment to ourselves for a few hours. Burch sits next to me in the middle of the couch, shoulder to shoulder, and she takes a long drink. I glance at her. "I'm sorry about Carly. I just don't know what's up with her lately. It's like she's jealous or something, and we're just friends. I mean, she kissed me, but we haven't gone anywhere with it, much less even discussed it." I shake my head and look at my lap. "I really don't understand anymore." Burch nods and finishes her root beer.
"Carly seems like a nice girl, Puckett. I've only been here for a few hours and already I can tell that she's definitely your best friend. Like you told me, she didn't get any of your letters to even know that you were incarcerated, so it would make sense that she'd be jealous that you found a friend elsewhere, whether by your choice or not. Until you tell her you were locked up, she's not going to understand, Sam." She set the empty bottle on the coffee table and sighed. "Look, a best friend is one of the best things you can ever have, especially one as great as Carly Shay. Whatever she does, it's because she loves you, as a friend or more." She smirked. "My best friend…I'm still mad at her for what she did, but her second move…that's what won back my friendship." She pauses. "You said she kissed you? What brought that on?"
I shrug. "Her grandfather passed away and I traveled a few hours to be there for her. When I was comforting her, she kissed me and thanked me for being there, but I don't know why. As I said before, we haven't talked about it at all, and that was a month and a half ago." My eyes meet her dark ones. "What I said in prison, about not feeling that way about Carly, I'm not saying that I do, but I'm not so sure I don't completely." I sigh. "I should just forget it. Carly is definitely…maybe straight. I don't know anymore."
"Just give yourselves both some time to figure anything out that might need to be figured out. If you end up liking her more than as a friend, then that's how you're meant to feel and you'll be as happy as if you're not meant to. Don't push yourselves into something you don't feel or you're not ready for. Believe me, I've been there." She crosses her arms. "By the way, switching off topic, but do you mind if I stay here for a while? My family might have disowned me for going to prison and whatnot." I nod and finish my root beer, picking up her empty bottle and dropping both into the recycle bin in the kitchen. She follows me to Melanie's room and I notice that everything of my twin's is gone. I guess she really did move out.
"This was my twin's room, but she left while I was gone. You can stay here as long as you need. I know my mom won't mind." She gives me a look. "Yes, I live with my mother, just until I get a job and I can afford my own place." I roll my eyes and lead her down the hall to the door next to mine. "This is our bathroom. My mom has her own so you can put whatever you want in there, as long as you don't mess with any of my stuff." I smirk. "Of course, we won't have a problem with that." I point at the closed door. "That, my friend, is my room. It's off-limits unless I say otherwise." I glance at the bathroom again. "Oh, word of advice. Something Melanie and I learned is that it's best if one of us takes a shower at night and the other showers in the morning. I take mine at night." She laughs and I smile, taking her into the kitchen. "This is obviously the kitchen, where food is cooked. My mom's been 'trying harder' with me, so if the food is horrible don't say anything. Snacks are in the pantry, but please don't touch the fat cakes. Those are mine." Guiding her back into the living room, I point at another closed door. "That's a total off-limits room, my mom's bedroom. There's never a time to go in there, especially when my mom has a 'friend' over. Fortunately she's been easing up on bringing guys home." Burch nods in understanding and I point to the sliding glass doors next to the TV. "We have a balcony, and if you're going to smoke do it there. Carly's an asthmatic so I'd rather it be clean air in the apartment whenever she comes over."
She nods for probably the hundredth time and slides the door open, stepping out onto the balcony. We have a pretty good view of Seattle, at least what isn't polluted traffic. I grab a cigarette and light up before sitting down in my chair. "Thanks for the tour and everything, Puckett. Are you sure your mom would be okay with me staying here and everything?" I shrug and she shakes her head. "Maybe you should call Carly, talk to her about me staying here and stuff." I shake my head vigorously. If Carly knew this, she'd probably be over way too much for my liking, not that I dislike her company. Burch chuckles, as if she knows what I'm thinking. "She's your best friend, Sam. It would be better for her to hear from you now instead of two months down the road if she comes over."
I sigh and put out the cigarette, going inside to my room. Closing my door, I remove my phone from my pocket and shoot Carly a text, telling her that Sloan's going to be living with me for a while until she can get on her feet again. My best friend replies almost immediately, saying she's sorry about what happened at the Groovy Smoothie. I don't care about that anymore. All I do want is for both my best friend and my new roommate to get along, especially since they're both close to me. And I really screwed up with the appearance thing. I mean, was it some joke that someone else walks into my life looking almost like Carly and I didn't even notice? I must have gotten hit really hard in the fight. I tell Carly I'll call her later and take a deep breath before leaving my room. Burch is still sitting on the patio, house phone to her ear, and I can hear her muffled laughter. Going to the kitchen, I grab a fat cake and scarf it down, giving myself something to give her some privacy.
The glass door slides open and I look up over the bar to see Burch slipping back into the living room. She held up the house phone and sets it back in its base. "I called my parents, but they wanted nothing to do with me. So I ended up calling my sister-in-law. I hope you don't mind." I shake my head and toss her a fat cake. She gives me a look and I shrug. "I thought I wasn't allowed to touch your precious fat cakes." Oh how I would like to push her out of a moving vehicle right now. I'm kidding, totally kidding. She opens the plastic wrapping and devours it like I usually do, and I smirk at her. It's a change from what I'm used to with Carly, who will barely touch a fat cake unless I'm eating one too and then she savors it. And I mean savors it. I could finish twelve before she even finishes her first. "So did you tell Carly? Or did you chicken out like you've been doing?"
I shoot her a look. "I have not been chickening out." She shrugs and rolls her eyes. "I told her you were staying here until you can go your own way and she apologized for the Groovy Smoothie interrogation." I hop up onto the counter and cross my arms. "I'll tell her eventually, Burch. I just…you don't know Carly when it comes to me getting in trouble like that. She tends to hold things over my head sometimes and I don't want this to be one of them. Disappointment is Carly's signature emotion." Looking at her, I take a deep breath. "I have every letter I wrote her. When Benson told me he and Spencer had been intercepting them, sure I was angry at first, but then he asked me if I really wanted her to know, and he's right. They probably saved our friendship by not letting Carly find the letters."
Burch leans against the opposite counter, but before she can say anything the apartment door opens and Mom walks in, bag of groceries in her hand. She looks from Burch to me and raises her brow, emptying the bag one item at a time into the fridge. She tosses me a bottle of root beer and another one to Burch and crosses her arms. "Who's your friend?" she asks me, eyeing the brunette girl.
"Mom, this is Sloan Burch, my cellmate for the past six years. Burch, this is my mother. Now, Mom, can I talk to you for a minute?" The older version of me nods and follows me out onto the balcony, pack of cigarettes in her hand. I sit down in my chair and look out over Seattle. "Is it alright if Burch stays here for a while? She got out earlier and I told her it would be okay, since her family pretty much disowned her and she has nowhere else to go." She sets her lighter on the table between us and looks at me.
"If you already told her it would be okay, why are you asking?" She smirks. "Did you give her Melanie's room and a tour?" I nod and she shrugs. "Then yeah, I guess. Does she smoke?" I give her a look. "No smoking in the apartment, don't get completely drunk, no other drugs. I have no problem with her staying here, Sam. Just follow the rules." She knows the rules are unnecessary, especially since I'm almost twenty-five, but she's on her way to become a better mother, so twenty years later is better than never.
I sit outside with her until she finishes her smoke and follow her inside. Burch is sitting on the couch, hands in her lap, watching Girly Cow with a look on her face that tells me she's either never seen it or because it's different than years ago. She glances up at us and I give her a thumb up before sitting next to her on the couch. "So she gave the okay. There are just the ground rules, but nothing you shouldn't know by now." We turn back to the show and I realize just how horrible it's become. My mind wanders to Carly and I know I need to tell her soon before she finds out some other way. Sending a text to Melanie, I tell her a friend has moved into her old room. I think my timing's bad because she says she'll be in Seattle tomorrow for our late celebration. I guess that means I'm bunking with someone.
A/N: Carly just does not like Burch...Melanie and some Cam-goodness will be in the next chapter.
