A/N: Ok, from now on the chapters will be in the present, so I won't specify the time period anymore. And to answer alphonzo92's question: no, Melanie will not be making an appearance. Sorry :-(.

CHAPTER 10

"Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up."

~James A. Baldwin

"For what it's worth," she said, her voice barely audible, "I've never stopped loving you either." Those words continued to ring through Freddie's head long after Sam had left his appartment. He lay in his bed, staring up at the pattern on his ceiling. After everything he'd put her through, she still loved him. Freddie couldn't wrap his mind around it. However, he could understand why she'd go back to Jason. He had cheated on her, after all, even if it wasn't totally his fault. Regardless, he didn't deserve someone as great as her. He sighed, turning onto his side roughly. His fingers gingerly brushed the part of his bed were Sam had been lying less than an hour ago. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine her still lying there, wrapped in his arms. If he tried hard enough, he could still smell traces of her shampoo on the pillow.

"Sam," he breathed almost slilently. He groaned in annoyance and sat up in his bed, running his fingers through his hair angrily. "What am I doing?" he asked himself. "Why am I letting her go again?" When no answer came, he flopped back down on his back, staring at the ceiling again. Warm tears flooded his vision, blurring the pattern on the ceiling. Everything in his mind told him to go back to Carly's appartment and try to sweep Sam off her feet. His common sense told him that would be the worst idea in the world. He knew she went back to Jason for a reason, and that reason certainly wasn't to break up with him. Freddie turned to his other side towards a nightstand that sat next to his bed. He reached over to it and pulled the small drawer off its tracks. He sat up and placed the drawer on his lap, sorting through its contents as best he could in the dark room. He uncovered old pictures of him and Sam, a few notes she had written him in school, and a colorful keychain made out of embroidery floss Sam had made him for his birthday. Finally, he uncovered the item he was looking for-a small brown package shoved to the very back of the drawer. He took it out and emptied its contents into his hand. The small ring felt too heavy against his hand. He closed his hand around it tightly, inhaling deeply to prevent tears from spilling over his eyes.

"This was supposed to be her's," he mumbled, the diamond starting to cut into his hand slightly. "This was supposed to be the symbol of our being together forever." He opened his eyes again and un-wrapped his hand to look down at the small trinket. He sighed sadly and let it slide between his fingers back into the drawer. He slid the drawer back into his night stand. As he laid back down on his pillow, the tears finally spilled down the side of his face. "I guess it was never meant to be."

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Sam lay in the guest bed next to Jason, looking at his sleeping figure. His eyes were shut peacefully, as if his life couldn't be better. Sam sighed, brushing loose strands of his golden hair away from his eyes. She traced the outline of his face with her finger, trying to memorize every crevice and curve. She cupped his face with her hand gently and noticed how much it felt like Freddie's. She retracted her hand quickly as if it was burning, cursing the thought. Jason was nothing like Freddie; Jason was better. He would never hurt her, never treat her unkindly, never cheat on her…

That thought made her realize how unworthy of his love she was. She sighed deeply, sadly, wishing she could take this whole night back. What really prompted her to go over Freddie's, anyway? What was she really expecting would happen? Did she really think she'd go over there, bitch him out, and come back to Jason, really having accomplished nothing? Sam turned back to Jason, and for a brief second, she saw Freddie's face in his. Sam shook her head violently, trying to clear the picture. She placed her hand back on his cheek, running her thumb over his lips. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. He looked at her, confused.

"Sam?" he mumbled sleepily. "Why are you here?" Sam shrugged and remained silent. Jason blinked a few times before sitting up. He looked down at his girlfriend. "Is everything alright?" he asked worridly.

"I just…" Sam started, her voice trailing off. Jason raised an eyebrow. Sam took a deep breath and sat up, taking Jason's hands in her's. "It's just really hard being around Freddie again, I guess. I heard him and Carly talking a little bit ago, and she asked him out. He said no but…I don't know. It's just the thought of it, you know? I don't love him anymore, but still! She's my best friend, she knows what he did to me, and it's the first day I've really been around him since the break up, and it's probably really stupid…" Jason put a finger to her lips, silencing her.

"Babe," he whispered softly, "it's alright. It's not stupid at all. You were with this kid for over twice as long as we've been together. I can understand how you'd get a little jealous of Carly asking him out." Sam made a pfft sound.

"I'm not jealous," she said and little too abrasively. Jason slipped a blonde curl behind her ear. He nodded, though he didn't believe a word of that sentence. "I love you," Sam added, hoping that it sounded more genuine than her previous statement.

"I love you too," Jason replied. He leaned forward, kissing her softly on the lips. Before he could pull away, Sam grabbed the back of his head, kissing him forcefully. She pulled away and looked deeply into his hazel eyes, secretly thanking God that he didn't have the same color eyes as Freddie.

"What was that for?" Jason asked, a goofy grin spread across his face. Sam shrugged.

"Is it a crime to want to kiss my boyfriend?" she asked innocently. He smiled.

"No, not really." Sam took a deep breath.

"Look, I want you to know that there's nothing between me and Freddie anymore, ok? The past is the past, and I don't even want to talk to the kid anymore let alone be with him." Sam hoped she sounded convincing. Jason nodded.

"You don't have to break off your friendship for me," he said, though Sam could tell he was only saying that to be nice.

"I'm doing it to be sure we can stay together, and that Freddie doesn't get some idea that I want to be with him again," she assured. Her words sounded convincing enough, but inside, she was breaking apart. She knew she loved Freddie more than she could ever love Jason; however, she also knew her heart couldn't stand to be shattered anymore. With a heavy heart, she forced out the final part of her speech: "In fact, I'll stop talking to him for the rest of the summer, just for you."

A/N: So…a bit of a filler chapter, but I needed it for where I want to go with this story. Hope you guys didn't get too bored of it! R&R if you'd like. Love you all!

Xoxo~blondgurl