'AND THAT IS THE QUESTION'
Chapter Ten: Playing "Favorites"
'In love' didn't mean 'stop arguing'.
Those two had proven that fact more than enough times. Anyway, Sam and Freddie knew by now, that their game hadn't come to an end. You know the 'I hate you' game they'd been playing since sixth grade. But knowing full well they didn't quite hate each other as much as they told everyone else.
"You're such a girl Fredweiner." Sam commented, carelessly.
"What? Just because I have feelings?" Freddie retorts back.
"Yes. Exactly."
"Does that mean you're not a girl?"
"No. It doesn't. It means you're more of a girl than me."
Then. Their best friend, Carly Shay appears in the living room for a second. The look on her face, as she listened into their previous conversation, was priceless. It was one of concern, amusement and confusion.
"Well. If you two are done arguing. I need you to install those cables for the new iCarly thing Freddie."
"Okay," Freddie replies, about to stand up.
"No, we're not done. I still need to tell Freddie something important."
After hearing Sam speak, Carly knew that she should leave the two in private. Not that she trusted them together while alone. But ever since the whole 'lock-down' with Mrs Benson, Freddie and Sam had become less… harsh. I guess.
She shrugged and left them anyway. The worst thing would be Freddie walking away with something broken. They had '911' on speed dial anyway. Part of Spencer's "responsible adult" recommendations.
"What?" Freddie questioned the girl beside him.
"It's something that you'll need to know in case you die suddenly." Sam replied, a serious look on her face.
"How will I die suddenly?"
"Nothing you can prove."
Freddie rolled his eyes, and sighed. Sam just smirked.
"Sam. What do I so desperately need to know?"
"You. Are. A. Girl. You may go now."
"All that, just to insult my masculinity?"
"What masculinity?" she laughed, patting his back.
"Ha ha. Very funny." he said with a sarcastic tone and getting up to leave. "Talk to me when you've grown up."
"Later girl dork." replies the blonde girl, smirking.
When he was gone, Sam got up and sang a little to herself. Wandering over to the fridge and looking for some ham, or cold but cooked bacon. No such luck though. Still singing softly, she found the place where the marshmallows were hidden. Stealing the packet, she ripped it open with her teeth and started eating them. One by one.
The brunette girl snuck into the kitchen.
"Aww," cooed Carly, suddenly.
"Argh! Carly!" Sam replied, and consequently had dropped the whole bag onto the floor. "So not cool."
"Someone's in luurrve with their boyfriend."
"Yeah. You didn't have to give me a heart attack to point it out."
"Sorry."
Just then, the boy comes back into the apartment, and greets both girls. Smiles at Carly and kisses Sam's cheek lightly, then steals one of the marshmallows and throws it in his mouth.
Sam grins, and lets him take it.
"See you in a minute. I'm taking a nap." Sam comments, and flops down on Spencer's couch.
"Of course." Freddie responds, with another roll of his eyes.
"iCarly starts in half an hour." Carly reminds her best friend. "Don't be late."
"Sure Carls," yawned the blonde. "I'll make sure I'm late."
"No. NOT late!"
Going upstairs, she makes her way into the studio, on the third floor of their apartment. Spencer had so kindly let them set it up as a 'stage area'. Carly smiles at the room. It wasn't that long ago that the trio had only just begun there journey to fame through their little web show iCarly. Now it was a huge phenomenon. Worldwide viewers, in fact.
Anyway, this was where she usually found Freddie, on a Sunday afternoon. The one time when he could update the iCarly software and install more complicated sounding and looking cables. It always confused Carly. A lot.
"Hey Captain Techno," she greeted him.
"What goes on Carls?" Freddie replies, smiling.
"Nothing much. I'm keeping Spencer from going back to the junkyard. Again."
"So you're busy."
Both the teens laugh loudly. Then Carly stops and puts on her best motherly facial expression, and glances at the boy in front of her. He stops what he's doing and stand up, swiveling his eyes to the doorway.
Knowing exactly what was coming next.
"Listen. I came here to talk about you and Sam." Carly said, looking at her fingers, fiddling a little.
"Ha! I knew it!" Freddie replied, with a kind of satisfaction. "Wait. What about her?"
"I'm not saying, stop dating Sam. But maybe you should, I don't know. Calm down a little?"
Freddie stares at his best friend weirdly before responding.
"Carly? What are you talking about? Calm down?"
"It's just… you and Sam… argue… a LOT. And even now, you're fighting even more than usual."
"But… that's just us. It's how we roll. I care for Sam though and deep down, away from the bitterness, she cares for me in that same way."
The brunette hesitates on her next sentence. It was like she had thought about it very carefully.
They didn't notice a familiar blonde haired female was just about to walk in, but had stopped suddenly, leaning herself just behind the doorframe, so she remained out of sight, listening outside the studio door to the following little conversation.
"I'm just… worried…" Carly says, in a small voice.
"I don't believe this," Freddie replies, with a slight smirk. "You're actually jealous."
"What? No! I'm just-"
"Seriously. You have nothing to worry about Carls. I'll always have time for my favorite girl."
Carly laughed and Freddie hugged her, and she hugged him back. Like friends often do.
Favorite girl. Sam thought, with contempt and disapproval. I'm his favorite girl. He's dating ME!
Needless to say, she was quite taken aback when she over-heard this discussion between her best friend and her boyfriend. Backing away and shaking her head, she made her way down stairs and then continued her way out of the Shay apartment, and out of the Bushwell Plaza. Tears threatened to fall. But she held them back by biting on her bottom lip. She kept on walking. Faster. And faster.
Favorite girl. Sam scoffed inside her own head. This meant one thing and she hated the thought of it.
It was all a lie. And she had fallen for it, which made the girl incredibly hurt and upset with herself, her best friend and most of all... Fredward Benson.