Oh my butternuggets this chapter is long! I hope you like it—it's basically the climax of the story! Enjoy!
SPECIAL THANKS TO PHENGLEI KAI AND SERENE GIRL FOR THEIR HELP WITH THIS STORY! WITHOUT THEM, IT WOULD NOT EXIST!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own iCarly or its characters. I do own Liz Davidson. I also own her mother and Reg. I do NOT own the song "Behind These Hazel Eyes" by Kelly Clarkson.
Liz
The public pool was crowded with teenagers there for the all-day Fourth of July celebration. Liz smiled at a few kids she recognized from school as she maneuvered through the blob of people with her guitar case. Her loose sundress blew in a very slight breeze.
"Hey!" Liz turned and saw Gibby waving at her. He walked over, leaving his girlfriend Tasha talking to some friends. "Where's Freddie and Sam? Weren't you supposed to come with them?"
Liz bit her lip. "I…um…well, Freddie and I…kinda broke up."
Gibby looked confused and surprised. "What? Why? You have to know that he adores you."
"Yeah, well if he adored me he wouldn't be cheating on me with Sam," Liz snapped. Gibby's eyes widened.
"Wait, what?" Gibby asked, flabbergasted. "He cheated on you with Sam? What makes you think that?"
"I found her half-naked in his room!" Liz exclaimed.
"And Freddie was with her?"
Liz paused. "Well…no, he wasn't even home. But…she was still there!"
Gibby hesitated. "Look, it's not my job to get involved in your relationship, but I don't think Freddie would cheat on you. He talks about you all the time."
"He does?"
"Yeah, sometimes I tell him to shut up," Gibby admitted. "He's crazy about you Liz. He calls you his dream girl and stuff like that."
Liz inhaled deeply. "But Sam-."
"Look, Sam was probably just waiting for Freddie. You've been in his room plenty of times—the air conditioner doesn't work well in there, so it was probably hot, thus explaining the…uh…half-naked thing. Was she really half-naked?"
"Essentially," Liz mumbled. "Look, I get that you think I'm making a mistake, Gibby…everyone thinks so. But I don't know who to believe—my instincts or everyone else's."
Gibby just shrugged. "Like I said…I shouldn't get involved in this. But Freddie's a good guy. He'd never cheat on someone he loved. And he loves you Liz."
"I know," Liz whispered. "Thanks Gibby."
"No problem. Catch you later." With that, Gibby rejoined Tasha and her friends, and Liz was left standing in the middle of the crowd, lost in thought.
Freddie
Freddie took a deep breath as he finally reached the community pool. The loud music and loud conversation of teenagers all around him was distracting—but not distracting enough. He had to find Liz and make her listen. She had to listen.
"Freddie?" Freddie turned to see Gibby standing a few feet away.
"Hey, Gib, I don't really have time to talk-," Freddie began to say as he turned away.
"Are you looking for Liz?" Freddie whirled back around to face Gibby.
"Have you seen her?" Freddie asked frantically. Gibby looked a little nervous, but nodded.
"Yeah, and she…uh, well she told me you cheated on her."
Freddie groaned. "No I didn't," he mumbled. "Look, Gibby, it was all a big misunderstanding."
Gibby nodded. "Oh, I believe you. I tried to tell her that you'd never cheat on her, but I don't know how much effect it had."
"Well, where is she now?" Freddie asked. Gibby looked around and shook his head.
"I don't know, she was right there, like, ten minutes ago."
Freddie started to reply, but an announcement from the stage at one end of the pool cut him off.
"Hey, hey, hey!" The MC of the open mic was some kid from the drama program at Ridgeway that Freddie didn't know, but recognized. "Alright, we're getting this open mic started with a performance from one of the talented students at Ridgeway High School—Liz Davidson!"
While the crowd of onlookers applauded, Freddie pushed through the people to get closer to the stage. He watched Liz take the stage. She looked gorgeous—She was wearing a flow-y pink sundress and her chestnut hair, with its usual waves, was falling loose past her shoulders. Her guitar was in hand, and she started to play.
Liz was good at guitar. She'd told Freddie before that she had been playing since she was nine years old. But she'd never told him that she could sing. But she could.
And she did.
Seems like just yesterday, you were a part of me
I used to stand so tall, I used to be so strong
Your arms around me tight, everything it felt so right
Unbreakable, like nothing could go wrong
Now I can't breathe, no I can't sleep
I'm barely hanging on
Here I am, once again
I'm torn into pieces, can't deny it, can't pretend
Just thought you were the one
Broken up, deep inside
But you won't get to see the tears I cry
Behind these hazel eyes
I told you everything, opened up and let you in
You made me feel alright, for once in my life
Now all that's left of me is what I pretend to be
So together, but so broken up inside
Cause I can't breathe, no I can't sleep
I'm barely hanging on
Here I am, once again
I'm torn into pieces, can't deny it, can't pretend
Just thought you were the one
Broken up, deep inside
But you won't get to see the tears I cry
Behind these hazel eyes
Swallow me, then spit me out
For hating you, I blame myself
Seeing you, it kills me now
No, I don't cry on the outside anymore
Anymore
Here I am, once again
I'm torn into pieces, can't deny it, can't pretend
Just thought you were the one
Broken up, deep inside
But you won't get to see the tears I cry
Behind these hazel eyes
Here I am, once again
I'm torn into pieces, can't deny it, can't pretend
Just thought you were the one
Broken up, deep inside
But you won't get to see the tears I cry
Behind these hazel eyes
The crowd, which had been cheering Liz on loudly through the whole song, exploded into applause as she played the last chord on her guitar and hesitantly smiled. She quickly left the stage as the MC took his place back at the mic.
"Wow, that is some talented girl!" he exclaimed. "Who knew? Next up we have…"
Freddie let the rest of what he was saying fade into the background as he finally moved again—he'd been frozen to one spot during Liz's song. He pushed his way through the crowd, even more determined now to find Liz.
Liz
Liz snapped the guitar case closed and picked it up. She glanced at the crowd around the stage, and decided to go around the pool another, more lightly inhabited way. She quickly walked around the pool, but soon found herself face-to-face with Reg Morrison.
Reg was pretty much a jerk and a creep from Ridgeway High. He'd been in Liz's math class the last year and she'd hoped to never have to talk to him again, but clearly he had other plans.
"Hey," he murmured to Liz, smiling at her in a way that was obviously supposed to be flirtatious. "I heard your song. You're pretty rocking."
"Thank you," Liz mumbled. "Goodbye." She tried to edge around him, but Reg moved in the way of her path.
"It's pretty strange that you sang a song like that whenever you have a boyfriend," Reg commented in a not-so-offhanded way. "Or…did you and Benson split?"
"That's none of your business," Liz snapped, clutching her guitar case tighter.
Reg laughed. "I knew it. I knew you two wouldn't last. You're too good for him." Reg smiled again, and reached up to tuck a strand of Liz's hair behind her ear. "You deserve someone a little bit more manly—like me."
"Don't touch me," Liz ordered, backing away from Reg. She looked around, but everyone was concentrated on the stage or their own conversations. No one even noticed her.
Reg was frowning now. "Come on, Liz," he said scarily. "You know I'm ten times better than that dork, Benson. You know you want me."
"Don't talk about him like that!" Liz hissed. "And leave me alone!" She pushed past him, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, hurting her.
"Hey!" he exclaimed. "I don't take no for an answer!"
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Liz and Reg both looked to see Freddie standing a few feet away. He was glaring daggers at Reg. "Get your hands off of my girl!"
Reg laughed. "You are way too much of a wimp to even deserve a hot body like this."
He was still laughing when Freddie punched him in the face.
The punch threw Reg backwards, flying right into the pool. The lifeguard blew his whistle and a myriad of gasps came from the crowd of people around and in the pool.
Freddie ignored all of this and only paid attention to Liz. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned, as he took the wrist that had been trapped in Reg's grasp and rubbed it lightly.
"I'm…fine," Liz answered, shakily. "He…I…"
"Liz, I love you," Freddie suddenly said. "I never cheated on you, I swear on my life. You're the only girl that I want."
Liz smiled, and took a deep breath. "I was trying to stop history from repeating itself…but I was just ruining my life, wasn't I?"
Freddie smiled too. "I wouldn't say ruining, but…"
"I love you too," Liz breathed, cutting him off. "…I don't know how I could think that you would cheat on me. I'm so sorry."
"I should have been honest with you," Freddie admitted.
"I should have been honest too," Liz replied. "I should have told you about my past…I'm not perfect. I'm the jealous type, I have trust issues, I'm a drama queen, I jump to conclusions…"
"I'm not perfect either," Freddie told her. "Nobody is. And I wouldn't change you for anything in the world. I love you, flaws and all." With that, he wrapped one hand around her waist, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with the other.
Then they kissed.
I think there will be one more (short!) chapter, then the epilogue! Look forward to it!