Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly.
The next day proved to be just as busy as Carly had suspected it would be. After awaking at 9:15 in the morning, she quickly showered and dressed, then met Freddie and Gibby in the clubhouse. Almost immediately, Gibby whisked them away to a local breakfast diner, where she was treated to the most amazing pancakes she had ever tasted. After breakfast, Gibby showed them some of the local sites of Omaha. First, they toured the University of Nebraska campus, which was surprisingly busy for the summer.
"Finals are this week," Gibby explained. "I don't have any finals until Wednesday, and all I practically have to do is show up!"
"Must be nice," Freddie joked. Carly really enjoyed touring the campus. She always thought University of Washington's campus was pretty, but there was something refreshing about this campus. Between the beautiful landscaping, the perfectly warm weather, and the historical-looking buildings, the different elements of the campus really came together to create a picturesque scene.
"You can snap a picture at any point and, no matter what, you'd have a perfect cover for a university pamphlet," Carly marveled as she took in the scenery.
"For now," Gibby added with a tone of warning. "Come back and visit during Rush Week. Whole different story, my friends, let me tell you."
After touring campus for about an hour, he took them to Old Market, where they saw some of the town's preserved buildings and trendy shops. There were little craft stands along the cobbled road, which kind of reminded Carly of the street fair she and Freddie went to back in Seattle, but on a slightly smaller, more laid-back scale.
"These people set up these stands everyday except for Sundays and holidays," Gibby explained as they strolled down the street. "You can find really cool stuff here if you take the time to look. I found a light that you mount to the wall that's shaped like a huge Budweiser bottle. It's back at the club house and hanging over the bar! Best contribution I've made to the house yet!"
Both Carly and Freddie laughed as they continued down the cobbled road. The three continued to wander casually around Old Market for a while until Gibby chose to stop at a barber shop for a quick trim before the party that night. The other two were encouraged to continue looking while he got his haircut. Carly thought briefly about following Gibby into the shop and asking him to explain what he meant the previous night. Why should she feel flattered by Freddie's choice in a girlfriend? Does he think she's hideous? "Doubtful," she thought. "Even I can admit she's hot, even if she can be a little annoying." She made a point to talk to him during the party, when it was much busier and Freddie was distracted.
Carly stopped briefly at a stand that sold sunglasses, where Freddie convinced her to buy a chic pair of pink shades. In return, Carly tried her best to talk Freddie into purchasing a pair of dark brown cowboy boots from a charismatic shoemaker, a short, overly tan man with sandy brown hair and a receding hairline.
"C'mon! You have to!" Carly pleaded, holding the boots up to her chin. "I've never seen you wear boots and they'd look awesome on you!"
"Well, you've never seen me wear boots because we live in Washington," Freddie emphasized, "and while I don't doubt that I would look smoking hot in these bad boys, where the hell would I wear them?" He took the boots from Carly so that he could examine them. They were simple and the cool leather felt baby soft in his hands. It was definitely a well-crafted shoe (not to mention that it aroused certain childhood fantasies of being a tough, pistol-toting cowboy), but there really weren't many opportunities to wear country attire in a place like Tacoma.
"If you get them, I promise to take you to that country bar across from campus on your 21st birthday," she promised in a sing-song voice. "Free drinks and line-dancing. How can you even resist?"
"You should listen to the pretty lady!" said the shoemaker, who had a thick Italian accent. "You won't find another boot like this in the entire state! They can be yours for thirty dollars."
"Such a good deal! Freddie, come on!" Carly gushed. Freddie laughed at her persistence, took one last look at the boots, then reached into his back pocket for his wallet. Carly clapped as Freddie paid the shoemaker, who quickly took his money and wrapped the boots carefully in white tissue paper before boxing them and handing them to Freddie.
"The things I let you talk me into," he mused, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry," Carly said loudly, pretending to have difficulty hearing him. " I can't hear you over the awesomeness of your new, hot boots!"
The dares that the gang had chosen turned out to be much more entertaining than they had hoped. They taped the first dare close to campus, where Gibby donned a dog costume, covered in dirt, and Carly begged random passersby to give him a bath in a kiddy pool filled with sudsy soap water. After many people declined, two people did attempt to scrub Gibby, who would bark loudly and try to run around the pool whenever they got close. The first person ended up throwing the scrub brush at Gibby in frustration and walking away. The second person actually chased Gibby around the pool before climbing into the pool herself and wrestling him to the ground, pinning him down and scrubbing him mercilessly. After she finished, she smiled triumphantly and pulled out a scrap piece of paper and an eyeliner pencil, with which she scribbled her phone number and handed it to Gibby. Then she blew him a kiss before walking away. Gibby stood still, shocked.
"Yeeeeaaaah," Gibby slowly exhaled, "that was weird, she was freakishly strong, and I'm not going to call her." He tore up the number as Carly and Freddie laughed hysterically. He got out of the costume and dressed in his regular clothes for the second dare, which took place in a smoothie shop that Gibby frequented. One of the iCarly fans dared Gibby to recreate a segment he did where recited vocabulary words while brushing his teeth with mustard, only this time, he had to drink a smoothie made of beets, brussel sprouts, and peas. The teen behind the counter was so amused by the stunt that he agreed to help them out by taking the vegetables from Carly and blending them to perfection. He poured the contents in a clear glass and handed it to Gibby. The mixture was a putrid brown color and smelled so awful that Carly gagged a little, but Gibby bravely sipped the concoction while reciting words, such as "evocative," "perfunctory," and "tenacity." When finished, all Gibby did was shrug and say, "Hey, it tastes like one of my protein shakes! Besides, if you had to see some of the stuff I had to drink just to become a Beta Ep, you'd die on the spot."
After a successful day of taping, Freddie, Carly, and Gibby had an early dinner at a pizzeria and chatted idly. Before leaving, they made a quick phone call to Sam so that Gibby could say hello and catch up with her. They made there way back to the fraternity's house just before 7:00 p.m., where Freddie and Carly met some of Gibby's fraternity brothers, Oinker (the man passed out on the pool table when they arrived the day before. Ironically, quite skinny for someone named "Oinker"), Tanner, a surfer type with shoulder length blonde hair, and D.J., a husky man with glasses and spiky black hair. They were very welcoming to the visitors, especially Tanner, who was overtly flirtatious with Carly. Carly giggled nervously at the attention, though she didn't find Tanner to be her type at all. She thought she caught a glimpse of Freddie rolling his eyes, and she wondered if that was a reaction to Tanner's flirting. She shook away the thought just as the three gentlemen departed to pick up the liquor for the party that night.
"You guys should get some rest before the party," Gibby suggested to his two friends. "It's going to get pretty wild pretty quickly and you definitely don't want to fall asleep around these guys."
"That's a great idea, Gibby," Carly agreed, yawning almost on cue. "I didn't realize how tired I was until just now."
"Same," Freddie stated simply. "We'll head back here around ten. Cool?"
"Yeah, that'll be perfect," Gibby nodded. "I'll be in here cleaning up if you guys need anything."
"Thanks, Gibby!" Carly said as her and Freddie departed from the clubhouse and headed back to their host apartment.
"So do you think tonight's going to be an eventful one?" Freddie asked as they walked the short distance to their place.
"I hope not too eventful," Carly answered, "especially if we have to get on the road early tomorrow."
"I agree. Let's just try to have a good enough time to blend in. Then we'll make it back here by one in the morning. That should give us enough time to pack, get a little sleep, and head on the road around 9-ish."
"Sounds good enough to me," Carly acquiesced, her voice dripping with fatigue as she unlocked the apartment door with the key Gibby gave her. Upon entering, Freddie flopped on the couch while Carly made a beeline for the air mattress, which she immediately began to re-inflate. Before throwing herself onto the mattress and drifting off, she set an alarm on her phone for 9:30. "Maybe the party will be low key," Carly thought optimistically. With that thought, her exhaustion finally claimed her as she drifted off into a deep sleep.
After what felt like only seconds after she closed her eyes, Carly's phone's sounded, her alarm effectively jarring her from her slumber. Though tempted to hit the snooze button, she reminded herself that she needed to get ready for the party that evening. She had only been to one other frat party in her life, but she had gone as somebody's date and it was a costume party. This party was simply a birthday celebration and she had a feeling that the vibe would be low key. She grabbed her flat iron from her suitcase and went to the bathroom in the hallway. Upon reaching the door she nearly bumped into Freddie. The sight before her all but knocked her over: a freshly showered, clean shaven Freddie stepped out of the bathroom, hair and skin damp and glistening with a fluffy orange towel wrapped tightly around his waist. Carly's eyes were immediately drawn to his lean and muscular chest, then subconsciously traveled down to his toned stomach.
"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod," she panicked inwardly, once she realized she was staring, and she tore her eyes away in haste. Freddie tightened the towel around his waist.
"Sorry, Carly, I thought I would be finished by the time you woke up," he rushed to explain.
"No, it's completely fine," Carly said in a casual tone, trying her best to sound unaffected and not to add anymore awkwardness to the situation.
"Well, the bathroom's all yours now, Carls. Wanna head over there in thirty minutes?" he shouted over his shoulder as he reached his bags next to the couch.
"Yeah, that's cool," she squeaked in reply and quickly shut the door. Back against the door, Carly slumped to the ground and exhaled loudly. "You're in trouble, Carly," she moaned to herself. "You are definitely in trouble."
Gibby had done an such an incredible job cleaning up the clubhouse that it was barely recognizable. The floor was spotless, the sheets previously draping the furniture were nowhere to be seen, the place smelled like bleach, and the rusty keg had been replaced with a shiny new one and was sitting and a large metal tub filled with ice in the kitchen. Some of the fraternity brothers were setting up multiple liquor bottles on the large, heavy duty bar. Carly noticed that the pool table had been replaced with a large ping pong table, which she assumed would be used beer pong later in the evening. There was a small group of girls exiting the kitchen, each carrying a bunch of empty fruit juice cartons as they left the clubhouse. The petite, busty redhead tailing the group caught sight of Freddie and made no effort to hide the fact that she was staring at him. Freddie returned her stare with one of his own, which reflected a mixture of confusion and amusement. Carly was overcome with the desire to pluck the redhead's eyes from their sockets and toss them into the fireplace.
"Guys! You're awake!" Gibby hailed from the kitchen entrance. He was holding an empty liquor handle and a full trash bag. "We're just setting up the finishing touches before the party starts. Feel free to grab a drink and make yourselves comfortable. Enjoy the calm now because this place is going to be in full swing before you know it!" He exited the clubhouse, leaving Carly and Freddie to help themselves.
Carly took a look around at her beverage options. She wasn't a fan of hard liquor and she hated beer even more. She didn't spot any non-alcoholic options right away and she was beginning to wonder if there were any safe options available.
"Looking for something a little less grisly?" asked a husky voice from behind. She turned around to find Tanner, who had a smirk on his face.
"Yeah, I kind of was," she replied. "Know where I can find some water or a diet soda?"
"Well," he said, grimacing, "I can get you something from the fridge if that's what you guys want, but c'mon, this is supposed to be a party. Besides, I think they just made a fresh batch of Zeus Juice in the kitchen, in honor of the birthday boy. I can grab you cup, if you'd like. Trust me, it's awesome."
"Well, it does sound interesting…" Carly said shyly.
"We'd both like a cup, Tanner, thanks," Freddie interjected abrasively. Carly looked back at him and saw him smiling politely, but could immediately tell by the look in his eyes that he was not a fan of Tanner. She found it a little perplexing, as he had been nothing but accommodating to the both of them since they met him.
"Cool, I'll be right back," Tanner replied, though he kept his eyes on Carly. Once he disappeared in the kitchen, Carly rounded on Freddie.
"What's the matter with you?" she asked in a hushed tone.
"I don't like the guy, Carly!"
"How can that be? Have you even had a conversation with him?"
"Don't need to," Freddie replied stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You're ridiculous," Carly said laughingly, completely confused by Freddie's behavior. Before she could ponder it any further, Tanner came back with three cups filled with ice and a small pitcher full of red liquid. He handed Carly and Freddie their cups, reserved one for himself, and poured a drink for each of them from the pitcher.
"So this is called Zeus Juice because….?" Carly inquired, looking into her cup.
"Oh, it something that our brother, Zeus, whipped up. It's actually his birthday that we're celebrating tonight," Tanner answered, setting the pitcher down on the table. "Careful, though. It tastes incredible, but it'll bite you in the ass if you don't pace yourself. Cheers!"
Tanner rose his cup to Carly and Freddie, who mimicked the gesture, and the three of them took a sip. Carly was pleasantly surprised by the sweet taste that enveloped her taste buds, especially since she expected something much more toxic. The concoction went down her throat so smoothly that she began to question whether it actually contained any alcohol until she felt the telltale cool sensation in her chest, which was followed by a slight burn… a good burn. She took another dragging sip of the icy, saccharine beverage and reveled in the prolonged sensation in her chest. Within minutes, Gibby returned with the group of girls from earlier (including the curious redhead), along with a large group of new party-goers.
"Alright, let's get this party started!" Gibby shouted at the clubhouse occupants, who cheered in response. One of the brothers standing by the entertainment center pushed a button on the stereo and music blasted from the surround sound and permeated through the entire clubhouse. Carly turned around to say something to Freddie, but the redhead wasted no time cornering him into conversation. She couldn't hear what the girl was saying, but the shocked look on Freddie's face gave her the impression that the redhead was speaking very boldly.
She suddenly felt upset with Freddie, but she couldn't name a specific reason. Maybe she didn't like the fact that he didn't immediately push the girl away in order to keep her company. It could have been the fact that he had the gall to make a snap judgment about Tanner, yet he somehow couldn't recognize a slut when he saw one. She wasn't sure why she was mad at him, but all she knew was that Freddie Benson wasn't the only one that could find a little conversation. She took another long sip from her cup and looked around the room. Another group of party guests entered the house and the music pumped a little louder in her ear.
Carly looked around for a familiar face (preferably Gibby's) when she heard Tanner calling her name from the newly set-up beer pong table. She made her way through the ever-growing crowd to the table surrounded by a number of fraternity members and a handful of their female followers.
"Do you want to play a little beer pong?" Tanner asked, gesturing towards the table.
"Oh, no thanks, Tanner, I don't really like the game that much. I'll watch you play, though."
"Well, that's not as fun, but whatever," he laughed. Carly shrugged and took another sip of her drink only to find that that particular sip drained her cup. Surprised, she looked around for the pitcher that Tanner brought from the kitchen, which she found on fireplace mantle, and filled her cup before returning to the beer pong table. The song in the background changed to an old My Chemical Romance song. Though the song wouldn't stand out to her on a normal day, the pulsating beat merged so well with the current environment that it became her favorite song in that moment. She was sure that she could feel the music in her veins as her body swayed in time to the music involuntarily, but she didn't mind because, right this moment, Carly felt great.
As the night progressed, Freddie continued to nurse the cup of Zeus Juice that he received at the start of the party. He had plenty of experience with alcoholic drinks with deceiving tastes to know that the ones that tasted the sweetest usually intoxicated you the quickest and, for some reason, he felt like this wasn't the venue in which to get sloppy drunk. He quickly realized that he was alone in this sentiment, however, when he noticed that mostly everyone around was well past drunk. He wondered briefly if any of these people had final exams the next day, though he figured that at this point these people were well past caring one way or the other. Just as Gibby had promised, the party had filled up pretty quickly and the noise level had escalated to fever pitch. He looked around for Carly or Gibby, but the sea of faces made it difficult to find anyone familiar.
Freddie decided to walk around and try to find Carly, even though he feared running into Annette, the talkative, highly flirtatious redhead that introduced herself at the beginning of the night. Freddie never handled aggressive attention well, so when she made a point to tell him how hot she thought he was, he immediately thanked her than politely informed her that he had a girlfriend. She automatically assumed that he was referring to Carly and for the sake of getting her to leave him alone, he didn't bother to correct her. He made a mental note to clue Carly in on the ruse once he ran into her.
"If you ever run into her," he thought as he battled the crowed of drunken partiers. "If this crowd hasn't swallow her whole!"
Between all the noise, the wall-to-wall bodies, and the overpowering stench of beer, Freddie was beginning to wish he had sat the party out and just watched a movie with Carly in their guest apartment. The thought made him desperate to find her and convince her to leave the party a little early. He just wanted to mellow out and have a peaceful evening before they had to drive the distance tomorrow morning. He wondered what time it was, though he guessed that it was only 11:30. When he couldn't find a clock, he pulled out his phone. Instead of the digital clock display, the screen informed him that he had another missed call. He clicked the "view" button and confirmed a third missed call from Esther. He closed his eyes and exhaled anxiously. He had not spoken to his girlfriend since him and Carly stayed at that hotel in Montana. He had sent her a quick text to let her know that he was alright just before they arrived to Omaha, but that was about it. He just didn't feel like fielding a ton of questions about his trip, or how much he missed her, or why he couldn't bring her in the first place, or when he was coming back to Tacoma. He just wanted to enjoy the trip and live in the moment, not spend most of it on the phone with someone who would ultimately try to make him feel guilty for leaving her behind.
"And I really don't feel like being called 'Freddiekins,'" he thought. "Seriously, mom isn't even that brutal."
He continued to look around for Carly, with very little luck, and found himself standing next to the entertainment system. He was beginning to get very worried. What if she was lead to one of the fraternity member's apartments? Carly was certainly not the type of girl to just go home with a random stranger, but with the amount of liquor flowing at this party, he couldn't be too careful. He was contemplating leaving the clubhouse and looking for her when the music changed.
Baby, Baby
Right where I wanna be
Baby, Baby
Don't let love make a fool of me
Yeah
I want it and I need it
Oh, my body just won't lie
And, oh yeah, I feel it when you try and kill it
Oh, but it just won't die
Just then, the crowd near the bar let out a cheer. He turned towards the commotion to find Carly had climbed on top of the bar, along with two other very intoxicated girls, and started dancing seductively to the music. Freddie's eyes grew to the size of saucers. Freddie could tell that Carly was beyond drunk; that could be the only possible reason for her behavior. Sure, he had wanted her to let loose on this trip, but this is not what he had in mind. The ogling group of men below, including Tanner (which came as no surprise to Freddie), were encouraging the girls to let go of their inhibitions. Carly swung her hair and gyrated her hips with a drunken abandon, which Freddie assumed was her best attempt to be sexy, but just came across as uncoordinated, spastic jerking. This didn't deter the crowd of boozy men from eyeballing her, though, as their own beer goggles made them believe that this was the sexiest performance they had ever witnessed.
Who knew that one to the head and then one more to the heart could make you feel alright
Oh, won't you come set me free take me out of my misery and make me feel alright
LOVE GUN
Oh, you shot me baby
Love gun
Oh, you got me baby
At the encouragement of the crowd, one of the girls thought she would up the ante by removing her top, leaving her in a lacy blue bra and a pair of tight jeans. The crowd cheered uproariously as she swung her blouse over her head and flung it into the crowd. Freddie suddenly feared that Drunk Carly would take this is a challenge and would soon follow suit. He immediately sprung into action and started to push his way through the crowd, towards the bar. He heard someone yell, "Hey!" far behind him and quickly turned around. Gibby had appeared at the entrance of the clubhouse and looked just as panicked to find Carly on top of the bar as he was. He started to push his way through the crowd as well, but he was too far back to get to her in a reasonable amount of time. Freddie continued to plow through the crowd until he got to the bar, just at Carly's feet.
"Carly!" he shouted over the noise. "Get down from there!"
"Yooouuu are not father, Fredwaaard Benshun!" she pointed and slurred. Her hands flew to the hem of her top and she began to lift it, slowly revealing her stomach. Freddie reacted immediately, wrapping his arms around her midsection and lifting her off the bar, throwing her unceremoniously over his shoulder. The boozy crowd of men booed and hissed at the sudden interruption of their entertainment.
"Hey, put her down!"
"She's having a good time, jackass!"
"Who are you, the police?"
Freddie could feel the rage coursing through his blood, along with a kicking and struggling Carly. He tightened his grip to prevent himself from dropping her, then he spotted Gibby making his way a little closers.
"Gibby, call off the dogs or else it's about to get really ugly!" Freddie shouted commandingly.
"Already on it, brother!" Gibby replied, recognizing that Freddie meant business. He cleared a path for Freddie and simultaneously shouted at his fraternity brothers to calm down. Freddie carried Carly through the path and out the door with Gibby close behind.
"Wherrre you takin' me, Freddie?" Carly asked, still trying to wiggle her way out of Freddie's grip.
"To bed," he answered shortly.
"Oooooh, Freddie, I'm not that kind of girl!" Carly purred. "But I jus' may change my tune tonight if I can get a peek of that nice butt of yours!" She lift herself just slightly so that she could smack Freddie's bottom, just to emphasize her point. Her sudden physicality made Freddie jump.
"Carly!" he cried as he picked up the pace. If this had been any other time, he would have been flattered beyond belief, but he knew that this was mainly fueled by the alcohol. He could hear Gibby snickering behind him. When he turned around to glare disapprovingly at him, Gibby immediately stopped.
"Sorry, man," he apologized, "I've just never seen her this drunk before. Here, toss me the keys and I'll run ahead and unlock the door."
Freddie quickly dug in his front pocket and tossed Gibby the key. As promised, he ran in front to unlock their door while Freddie continued down the path the apartment.
"C'mon, take me back to the party, I wanna daaaaance," Carly whined, trying to kick a little more.
"Party's over, Carls," Freddie replied. "We need to get you to bed."
"No!" Carly shouted, though some of the fight was leaving her body. They reached the door, which Gibby was holding open for them, and Freddie began to take her to her room.
"Freeeeeediiieeee," Carly moaned, then released a small burp. "Bathroom?"
Freddie immediately got the gist and rushed her to a bathroom. Once inside, he placed her gently on the floor and lifted the toilet seat. She immediately knelt down and hovered her head above the porcelain bowl. Freddie collected her hair and gently pulled it back from her face just in time for her to heave and vomit most of the contents of her stomach. He briefly flashed back to a time during freshman year when they were in this exact position after Carly's first brush with rum. He had been there for her then, just as he was for her now. Though he hated to see her this way (and he definitely hated to see anyone vomit, as it made him very queasy), he was glad that he was able to be here for her once again, and he was even more thankful to have gotten her away from that party in time to save her from any real embarrassment.
After Carly successfully emptied her stomach, she coughed and spat one final time.
"Icky," she stated simply. Despite the gruesome scene, Freddie couldn't help but find her adorable in this moment. "Still beautiful," he thought. With a small smile, he helped her to her feet so that she could rinse out her mouth and wash her hands and face. Gibby appeared at the door of the bathroom.
"Hey, I put a few bottles of water near her mattress and cleared a space on it for her to lay down."
"Thanks, man," Freddie exhaled as he gently rubbed Carly's back while she cleaned up. "Hey, go back to your party man. We'll be fine here."
"Are you sure?" Gibby asked with caution. "Because I can stay here-"
"-No, it's cool. Just go, before they tear your clubhouse apart."
"Oh, the place is indestructible, but alright, I'll head back," Gibby relented. "But I'll have my phone on me. Call me if you need anything, alright?"
"Sure, Gib, thanks a lot," Freddie said as Carly shut off the faucet. Gibby left as Carly tried to make her way out of the bathroom. When she swayed so much that she nearly fell on her face, Freddie caught her before she hit the ground, then placed an arm behind her knees and lifted her into his arms. He carried her to her room and placed her on her mattress. He removed her shoes and her earrings in an effort to make her just a little more comfortable.
"Freeeeddie, are you mad at meee?" Carly asked in a small voice.
Freddie smirked. "No, sweetie, I'm not mad. I just want you to get some rest. You're in for a difficult morning."
"Freddie, will y'stay with me?" Carly asked as she rolled over, her eyes tightly shut.
"Carls, I don't know if that's such a good idea," Freddie answered cautiously. Truthfully, he wanted nothing more than to remain by her side and stroke her hair until she fell asleep, but he instantly felt guilty for even entertaining the thought.
"Oh, yeaaahh," Carly breathed, "I get it. Esther prob'ly wouldn't like that too much, huh?" Carly said knowingly. Freddie didn't respond; he simply allowed his head to drop. Carly rolled on her back and opened her eyes just enough to spot Freddie.
"Freddie c'mere, I'm gonna tell you a secret," she slurred, beckoning him to come closer.
Though hesitant, Freddie's curiosity convinced him to obey. He came to Carly's bedside, kneeling beside her.
"What is it, Carly?"
She rolled a little closer to Freddie so that she could whisper to him, though they were the only ones in the room and Carly's ability to whisper softly was a altered by the intoxication.
"Esther," she began, "is the wooooooorsssst."
Freddie was surprised by Carly's drunken admission. As far as he knew, she didn't have a problem with her. Aside from Esther's minor insecurities with his and Carly's friendship, Esther didn't have a real problem with Carly, either. Their interaction with each other was limited, so he really couldn't pinpoint where Carly's disapproval was coming from. Freddie was so confused that he didn't know how to respond.
"I mean it!" Carly said, a little louder. "She's not good enough for you, Freddie. Not even close."
"Carly, you've had a lot to drink," Freddie reasoned with her. "You don't know what you're saying, just go to bed."
"Suuuuuuuure, Fredwarrrrrd, blaaame it on the alcohol, but you know I'm not lying," she said in a sing song voice. "She's not the right one for you. She [hiccup] doesn't get you, Freddie!"
"Oh, really?" Freddie said, unable to stop himself from finding amusement in this revelation. Yes, she was drunk, but she seemed to have so much to say.
"Yes, really [hiccup]," she answered, trying to mock him, then she pointed at him. "I get you, Freddie. I get you soooo much," she said, patting her chest. "I've always understood you. Esther doesn't get you, Freddie. I get you, I do, I reaalllly do…"
Freddie stopped breathing for a second. She couldn't possibly mean what he thought she meant, could she? He dreamed of her saying something like that for a long time. Admittedly, he still fantasized about her wanting to be with him at times, but there's no way that she could have meant anything along those lines. She was drunk and at the end of the day, they were just best friends, right? He shook away the thought. There was no point in reading too much into anything that she said tonight. She was too far gone and couldn't be taken seriously.
"Carly, sweetie, try to get some rest," he encouraged her.
"Please stay with me, Freddie," she begged. "I don't want to be by myself. You don't have t'sleep on the bed with me. Just stay in the room with me, please?"
He thought about it for a minute, then he got up and went out to the living room and grabbed the sofa cushions, pillows and blanket. He took the items back to Carly's room and fashioned a makeshift bed next to the mattress. He agreed that sleeping on the mattress would not be appropriate, but he didn't want to leave her alone in her time of need.
"I'm right here, Carly. I'm not going anywhere. Just try to get some rest, okay?"
"'kay, Freddie. Thank you, I love you," she said, already drifting off to sleep.
"Love you, too, I'll see you in the morning."
"I get you, Freddie," Carly muttered, unable to fight the liquor and exhaustion much longer. "Not Esther, me. You…me…we get each other." The room finally became silent as sleep claimed Carly. Freddie stared at her with forlorn eyes, unable to discard her alcohol-induced confessions from his brain. He sighed, then whispered to her unconscious form.
"I know, Carly. We get each other. We always have."
A/N: Song credit - "Love Gun" by Cee-lo Green featuring Lauren Bennett.
OVER 100 REVIEWS! You guys, that's amazing! Thank you so much for the support, as well as those who have added this story to their alerts and favorites! It honestly means the world to me! Even if you're just reading along and keeping silent, thank you for spending some of your time to read the story. I appreciate it all the same!
This is a long chapter. Some might like that, others might not. I just wanted to get as much in as possible, because I wanted Omaha to be a significant stop on this road trip. I hope you all liked it, because I enjoyed writing it!
I hope you all have an amazing day! Continue to read and review!
Hollaatchyagirl,
Phunky