As the snow falls, the mercury drops, and the stores sell, Carly and Freddie are heating up. 25 Days of Creddie... ends December 25th!

Quick thank you to a non-registered reader named Addie. You rock.

December 10th - Rumor Mill (THAT'S AN EPISODE OF LIFE WITH DEREK!)

(Carly POV)

This morning was kind of rough. When I stepped out of bed, I was immediately dizzy. Thanks to my little fight in the snow, I was now full of snot. Stupid colds! Too bad I have 3 tests today... ugh, I just had to go to school.

As I walked into school, the Gossip Queens were pointing at Freddie and I. Ignoring them, we said our goodbyes and I headed to 1st period. When I continued getting looks, I decided to approach someone.

"Uhm, can I ask you why I keep getting stared at like an alien?"

The blonde rolled her eyes as if it were obvious. "Hel-LO, you're like, a total slut! You were with the nerd all along, but since he's such a nub, you went for Trevor. And when he turned you down, Freddie took you back like it was nothing. And now you're going to get David Patterson's girlfriend to dump him so you can take him? Freddie's like, totally obsessed with you. If you're gonna be a bitch to him, at least dump him while you're at it." (AN: I watched Mean Girls today. Can you tell?)

"WHAT? That stuff isn't true! Freddie and I aren't dating! David Patterson is disgusting! I didn't even know he HAS a girlfriend!" Getting all whipped up while I'm fighting a cold wasn't the best idea. I began coughing.

"Maybe you're diseased from getting with so many guys." She flipped her hair back and began examining her perfectly manicured nails. What the chiz is up with these rumors?

Later on, in my first class with Freddie, I decided to ask him if he'd heard any of these lies. Instead of bringing it up out loud, note passing seemed like a safer alternative.

'Heard anything about me 2day?'

He looked at me with a confused expression.

'Uh.. we're still goin out.. but ur cheatin on me w/ some guy.. or guys.. idk'

'good 2 know.' I felt my face heat up, the first sign that I'm being upset.

He looked at me again.

'u ok?'

I sniffled and wiped my eyes.

'just a cold.'

He patted my hand.

'let me know if i can do anything'

The rest of the day passed by with nothing new happening. I heard a few more comments, but tried to keep my mind on school work. Why do they even care? Oh right, because it's high school.

As soon as the final bell rang, I rushed to my locker and packed my bag as fast as possible. Sam was waiting for me, but she left after a minute. I had to stay after school for a few minutes because Spencer was going to be late picking me up. I sat on the bench outside and tried to block all thoughts from entering my mind.

"Carly, you need to talk to me." Freddie was standing there, bold and confident. There were still plenty of people standing around, but he didn't seem to mind.

"I don't know where people are getting these rumors from, but you know they aren't true, and that's all that matters. Maybe just.. stick with Sam and I for a while. Like old times. Forget about other guys until you drop the "slut" nickname." I flinced when he said the word.

"I'm sorry." He grabbed my hand, pulled me hug, and embraced me. I felt so safe and right when I was hugging him. After pulling away, Freddie kissed my forehead, and Spencer's horn tooted. I grabbed my bag and walked away.

After a few feet, though, I trotted right back to him. I hugged him again quickly and brokenly said, "Thank you." Then I ran to Spencer's car, hopped in, and drove away.

My head was spinning from all these rumors, but more importantly, the hug. Why did the hugs between Freddie and I seem so.. intimate... lately?

You guys... I've got a goal... 100 reviews on this story by Christmas Eve. A little crazy, I know. But if you're reading this, you have no reason to not review. So please do it, and make this my first story to get 100 reviews! It'll be worth it when you read the last chapter on Christmas ;)

I hope you enjoyed Day 10 of 25 Days of Creddie! Please review, even if you hated it, and subscribe if you liked it! Sorry for getting behind.