Thank you for your comments! This is chapter ten. I hope you enjoy it!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own iCarly or its characters. I do own Liz Davidson.

Monday morning took forever to arrive. Freddie didn't sleep at all after Liz effectively broke up with him out on the roof. And as he stared out his bedroom window at the sun rising, Freddie couldn't help but chastise himself for just how badly he had screwed things up—with everyone. He had hurt Liz. He had hurt Carly. He had hurt Sam. He hated hurting people and wanted it to stop.

All that he could do was get up, get dressed, go to school, and hope that maybe they would forgive him.

The day started out badly. He took too long in the shower and made himself miss the bus, forcing him to walk to school and miss homeroom. Actually…maybe that was a good thing, since he sat next to Liz in homeroom. And then, after missing homeroom, he decided it wouldn't be too horrible to skip first period math class, and instead went into the boys' bathroom.

He leaned up against the wall and slid down to the ground, dropping his backpack next to him. His life had gotten so severely screwed up in just a week. Why? What had he done to deserve this?

The door to the bathroom opened and Freddie looked up, sure it was going to be a teacher or the principal there to bust him for skipping class. Instead, it was Gibby. "Hey Gib," Freddie said glumly.

Gibby looked slightly surprised to see Freddie. "Hey," he replied. "Why are you sitting in the boys' bathroom?"

Freddie threw his hands up in the air. "Because my life is crumbling to bits and pieces around me," was his explanation. Gibby accepted that. Nodding, he sat down next to Freddie.

"Does it have something to do with that new girl, Liz?" he asked. "She's in my class right now—asked me if I'd seen you today."

"Really?" Freddie asked anxiously. "She asked about me? What else did she say?"

"Just that," Gibby told him. "Carly was looking for you too."

"Oh no," Freddie groaned. "Gibby, do you ever have problems with girls?"

Gibby gave a confident pfft. "Hey, all the ladies want a crack at the Gibster," he explained. "But I've been with Tasha for three years now. I only look at the girl that I love." He shrugged.

Freddie pondered these words. They made sense, but how did he know which one he loved? Furthermore, Freddie definitely couldn't deal with seeing these girls during classes today. He couldn't stay here. Quickly getting up and grabbing his backpack, Freddie saluted Gibby. "Thank you, my friend, for you are wise beyond your years," he told him with a sad smile. Gibby returned the salute, a bit of a weirded out look on his face. Freddie left the bathroom and left the school.

Freddie only considered the fact that he was technically skipping school for a minute. Besides, his mom would be home later today and if he just barely coughed, she'd have an excuse for school out in a second. All he had to do was say he'd woken up feeling sick and no more problem. So Freddie headed back to his apartment to think through the issue.

However, one look at the closed, cluttered mess of his bedroom and instead, after dropping his school bag, went to the roof.

Standing up on the roof in the cool air wasn't as freeing as it usually was. It was instead making him think about how he had stood there last night while Liz had walked out on him, hurt and betrayed. Freddie sat down in the middle of the roof, right where they had sat last night. It was still a good place to think.

First there was Liz. She was beautiful—svelte, dark haired, gorgeous eyes, glittering smile. She had a face that reminded him of a model, with her sculpted cheekbones and tan complexion. She was also funny, sweet, wild, free…she was a unique person and challenged herself and, in doing so, she challenged Freddie. He wanted to be more like her, to be as brave as her. She was fun and unpredictable.

There was also Carly. Carly, Carly, Carly. Ever since Freddie had first laid eyes on her, he had sworn that she would be his. Her eyes and smile enchanted him every day. She was fun too, maybe not as big on taking risks as Liz was, but still fun in her own ways. She was definitely funny, and he had yet to meet someone who truly disliked her. Carly was so caring and so trusting. But she had always rejected him. What if she suddenly decided that she didn't want him anymore? How could he handle the rejection again?

And finally, Sam. Samantha Puckett, the girl who he hated all through middle school and somehow became sort-of friends with in high school. She frequently caused him both physical and emotional pain, but lately had proved that she could be more than just a bully. They had shared their first kiss together and at that moment had both realized how much chemistry the pair of them had. Sam was beautiful too—her blonde hair was different than the brunettes Freddie usually went for (Carly, Liz, Shelby Marx, Valerie…), but that didn't matter. She was still gorgeous. And she was funny. She may be a vicious individual, but he knew that Sam was just guarded, and he wanted to be the one to break down her walls and see who she was inside of her tough exterior.

Of course…choosing any one of these girls would mean he would be hurting the two that he didn't pick. As he hated hurting people, that immediately made him think of a fourth option…what if he chose none of them?

He tried to dismiss that idea, thinking it would never work out, but it was a very tempting concept. This way, no one would be hurt and the girls wouldn't have any resentment towards each other. He couldn't possibly be the one to ruin their friendships.

He groaned, and ran both hands through his hair. This was too hard of a decision to make! Whatever choice he made, it would hurt someone. Wasn't there an option where hurting someone wasn't possible.

No, his mind whispered. And you've known that all along. But you also know what you want to do. You just have to stop over thinking for once in your life and listen to your heart.

For once, his brain was telling him to listen to his heart. Freddie closed his eyes and breathed deeply, concentrating on what he really wanted.

It wasn't hard really. As his conscious had told him, he knew all along what he wanted. He had made his decision long ago.

He decided...

CLIFFHANGER! Of course! Did you think you would find out in this chapter? Nah, I'm not that nice. Now remember, the first place winner of the poll (of course, my vote counts twice since I wrote it…) will be the real ending, and there will be not one, not two, but THREE ALTERNATE ENDINGS, in which Freddie makes different choices : ). So hurry and cast your vote, because the finale will be posted tomorrow or the next day!