Here you go - Chapter Nine! Hope you like it. Thanks so much for all the encouraging reviews and support. Only two chapters left, and this story is complete! Please review if you want more.
Sam :::
Melanie Puckett stood there in the doorway of dorm room 239 gaping at Freddie and me in shock as we cuddled on the bed together after our most recent passionate romp. "You two...? OMG!" Melanie gasped.
"Hi, Sis..." I said softly with feined nonchalance. "Don't you knock?"
Melanie shrugged, still deeply stunned at the sight before her.
I turned my attention onto Freddie, giving him a look of annoyance.
"OF COURSE, Melanie is real. You can see her standing right there, can't you?"
I growled in response to his earlier question.
"But Sam, you told me she WASN'T real. You told me it was YOU all along...
That it was YOU I took on that date... YOU who had kissed me!" Freddie cried out, appearing deeply confused.
I tried everything in my power to keep my countenance expressionless, but something told me I wasn't entirely successful. "I had my reasons," I spoke very softly.
"Why would you lie to me, Sam? I want to know NOW!" Freddie insisted loudly,
his eyes locked to mine. Freddie wasn't going to give up so easily, and I felt myself becoming restless.
I jumped out of bed and got to my feet. I grabbed my clothes and hurriedly began putting the crumpled items back on. Freddie attempted to grab my arm and force me to talk to him, but I jerked away swiftly as though his touch had burned me.
Freddie :::
While Sam had her back to me, getting dressed, I turned to look at Melanie in awe. Twins! It had been true all along. Sam DID have a twin. And Melanie HAD kissed me.
Melanie just stood there, shaking her head as though to clear it.
"Since Sam isn't talking, I'd like to talk to you, Melanie," I spoke with a heavy sigh, once again shooting a look that bordered on disgust toward Sam.
"Sure, Freddie," Melanie responded. "I'll just wait out in the hallway until - until you are both dressed." With that the elder of the Puckett twins went to discreetly stand in the hallway, closing the door quietly behind her.
Once Melanie had gone, I lept out of bed, grasping Sam's arm and spinning her around to confront her. "Sam, you owe me an explanation!" I insisted.
Her blue eyes flashed fire as she was forced to look at me. "Leave me alone,
Frednub!" Sam demanded. "I didn't want you to know then, and I sure the hell don't want you to know now!"
"But Sam, I do know now! And why did you lie to me? You have to tell me!"
"I-I need some air," she said quietly, pulling her penny tee over her head so she was now completely dressed. "I'm ... uhhh... going to the library. You better get dressed, Fredifer, before my twin comes in here and sees you stark naked."
"You? Going to the library? Come on, Sam..." I said, shaking my head in disbelief. I reached for my clothing, quickly putting on my garments. "Don't leave, Sam. You need to talk to me."
"I have nothing to say," answered Sam, sounding strangely defeated. "I'm going now. Have fun with my sister." With that, she fled from the room, closing the door behind her. I was pulling on my jeans as she walked out, confused as hell by all that had just happened.
Sam :::
In the hallway, I stared at my twin for countless moments. "What are you doing here, Mel?" I finally asked.
"I came for a visit. I never thought I'd find you - having sex with Freddie Benson..." was Melanie's quiet reply.
A half-smile came to my face. "Sometimes the unbelievable happens," I responded softly.
"You're telling me. I thought you hated him."
I didn't answer, just stared at my twin. "I gotta go," I finally said, turning on my heel and walking toward the elevator.
"Sam!" Melanie called after me, but I was already gone.
Freddie :::
I peeked my head into the hallway, seeing Melanie standing there and Sam no where in sight. "Come in," I said, motioning Melanie inside with my hand.
A moment later, Melanie stepped into dorm room 239, seeming relieved I was fully dressed. "This is ... ummm ... an awkward situation," she spoke, staring into my eyes.
"You're telling me..." I said, a small smile turning up the corners of my mouth. "Melanie, I- I owe you an apology "
"No ... no, you don't," Melanie replied quickly. "I shouldn't have barged in this way ... interrupting as you and Sam as you were... you were..."
I shook my head. "No, that's not what I meant. I'm not talking about that. I am referring to our date ... how I treated you. I'm sorry, but I really thought you were Sam," I explained, running a hand through my mussed dark hair.
"I know," she replied softly. "I've known for quite some time there was something between you and Sam."
"What are you talking about?" I questioned.
"When I kissed you that night on our date ... you said, `you swore we'd never do that again,'" Melanie reminded. "You and Sam had kissed. There was more between you two besides the constant fighting, name-calling, and supposed hatred."
I nodded, not knowing what to say. At that moment I felt so much confusion. Why had Sam lied, keeping Melanie's existence a secret? Why did Sam let me believe it was her that I had taken to the club that night and with whom I had shared a kiss?
"Did Sam say anything about me?" I asked Melanie hopefully.
"Uhhh no ... she just said ... actually I don't think you'd like to hear what it was she said," Melanie responded.
I threw my arms up in the air with frustration, a growl bursting from my lips. "Your sister is so maddening!"
Melanie walked across the room, taking a seat at the computer desk. "I think she has feelings for you..." she spoke softly.
"Feelings? What sort of feelings?"
Sam :::
I had taken a seat on a ceramic bench right outside the Campus Library, my cell phone pressed to my ear. I had just placed a call to Gibby. After a minute,
Gibby had answered. "Hello," he spoke into the phone. "Gibby here."
"Gibs, I need to talk to you..." I spoke. "About Freddie."
"What about Freddie?"
"Has he told you anything about me?" I wanted to know.
"Uhhh ... like what?" came Gibby's cautious response. He suddenly sounded scared out of his mind.
"Gibby, if you know something you better start talking or I am gonna come over there and break both of your thumbs," I threatened.
Gibby began stuttering unintelligibly. I found it impossible to make out a single word he was saying. "Come on, Gibby. I need to know!" I started yelling. People walking by to and from the library were staring at me as I was screaming into my phone.
"I think you need to talk to Freddie!" Gibby said quickly before hanging up.
"Dammit!" I yelled into the phone, but it was too late. Gibby had gone.
Freddie :::
"Freddie, Sam isn't like other girls," Melanie began.
"You're telling me!"
"What I mean is she's not just going to wear her heart on her sleeve. I think maybe she's fallen for you. Because she -."
"What?" I gasped in disbelief. "Sam Puckett in love with me? That just COULDN'T be possible!"
"Think about it, Freddie. Obviously she was jealous of our date ... and didn't want you to think it was me who had kissed you. She wanted you for herself. And with me in the picture, she feared she'd never have a chance to have you."
I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion from it. "If that's true, then why didn't she tell me?"
"I think you need to talk to Sam," was Melanie's answer.
~*o*~
A couple of hours had passed since Melanie had left, and I was getting worried.
What if Sam didn't come back? What if...?
Suddenly I heard the door knob turning and Sam stepped inside. "Sam, where have you been?" I demanded.
"At the library, you nub," she said none-too-nicely. "I told ya-."
"Sam, you hate the library."
Sam shrugged, avoiding my eyes.
"Where's Melanie?" she suddenly asked.
"She left. She said to tell you she's sorry for what happened and she'll call later," I answered.
"She better be sorry," Sam mumbled under her breath as she went to collapse upon the loveseat.
"Freddie, we need to talk..." Sam started, but at the same time, I was speaking,
too.
"Sam, we gotta talk..." I had also said.
A slow smile came to both of our faces. "You first," she said, waiting to see what I had to say.
"Melanie said something curious today. She said ... She said it's possible that you are in love with me," I finally got the courage to reveal.
"What? Me in love with you?" Sam gasped, a look of horror upon her face. "How could she possibly think I'd love a tech-talking, nerdish nub like you?"
I chose to ignore that heated remark. I had to get to the bottom of this now.
"Because Sam, you let me think it was you I took out on a date, not your twin. You also let me think you had kissed me again, not Melanie. There had to be a reason for that. You were jealous," I said, grinning because I liked the thought of her being jealous over me.
"Sam Puckett, jealous? Because someone kissed YOU? Get real, Benson!" Sam bellowed. "I'd NEVER fall in love with a dork!"
I just shook my head, refusing to be swayed by Sam's denials. "Then why'd you do it, Sam? Why did you lie to me?" I asked.
"Because I- I -" Sam started, not able to finish.
"Tell me, Sam!" I insisted. "No more lies! Just the truth!"
"Because I kissed you first, Freddie. You're my nub, and she can't have you!"
Sam blurted out.
I just stood there staring at Sam as though absorbing the words she had thrown at me. "But I thought we kissed just to get it over with? It was just supposed to be a kiss - just one kiss. And we'd never speak of it again..."
"Yes, that's how it started out, but..."
"But what, Sam?"
"I wanted more," she admitted softly.
"Tell me," I prompted.
"I'm afraid to say..." Her vulnerability was showing, and Sam Puckett did not like feeling vulnerable. She trembled slightly, as though fighting some sort of hidden inner battle.
"You have to tell me, Sam. We just can't run from this anymore ."
"We?" she questioned.
"Yes, we - you and me. Ever since that night on the fire escape, I've been "
I spoke, struggling to find the words. "Lying to myself."
"I told myself it meant nothing, that our kiss meant nothing but that was a lie. It meant everything. You mean everything," I finally admitted. "I've fallen in love with you, Sam."
She stared at me, blue eyes huge, but she didn't say a word. "Say something..." I prompted.
"No," came the small word of denial.
"Yes, I love you."
"No, you can't love me. I'm not right for you. I'm everything wrong," she said, shaking her head. And for one of the first times ever, I saw tears clouding her blue eyes.
"You deserve someone like Carly. Someone good and kind-hearted. Or someone like Melanie. Perfect and sweet. You wanted Carly for soooo long. She was your dream girl."
"WAS, Sam. Carly WAS my dream girl. I was infatuated with her. But she always rejected me. And I got over it," I spoke. "I got over it when I kissed you. I realized that I don't want someone perfect or sweet or any of those other things. Sam Puckett, I want YOU..."
"You're beautiful, unpredictable, funny, and you keep me on my toes. Sometimes you absolutely infuriate me. But believe me when I say, you're everything to me. I do love you, Sam. I want to be with you," I heard myself confessing.
"No! NOOO!" Sam cried out, jumping up and heading toward the door. But I tackled her before she could get away, grabbing her in my arms and holding her down on the bed.
"I love you, Sam," I said, laying half over her and gazing deeply into her eyes.
"This can't be real. You can't really love me..." she said as the tears flowed from misty blue eyes.
"I do," I swore, my voice breaking a little. I brought my lips to hers in a long passionate kiss. After only a moment, Sam wrapped her arms around me in surrender.
After kissing her thoroughly, taking her breath away, I pulled back, gazing into her eyes. My kiss had seemed to have calmed her. She just stared back at me,
appearing slightly dazed. "Your turn now, Sam," I insisted. "You have to tell me how you feel."