Hey everybody! Happy late Merry Christmas and I hope your New Year will be AWESOME! I know this chapter is up late, but I've been at the beach for the last two weeks so I've had no access to Internet for a while. =( I quickly got a connection and decided to update! Next one up in two weeks (maybe sooner if inspiration hits ;)) Keep reading, keep reviewing and I'll keep writing! Luvs you!
Chapter Thirteen
Princess Puckett discovered
"Sam!" Freddie shouted through the open window, driving slowly alongside her as she trudged along the sidewalk, her blonde curls bobbing behind in her haste to get away.
"Leave me alone Benson!"
"Sam, I'm sorry!" Freddie shouted desperately.
"You didn't do anything wrong," she started, "J-Just go away!" Sam shouted back, her sneakers wet from the rain. Stupid Seattle weather.
"What are you upset about then?" he shouted, swerving the car a little to avoid a rubbish bin that had spilled into the road.
"Get lost Benson!"
Sam didn't know how to face him. He had discovered her secret. Nobody but Melanie knew about her secret, and she liked keeping it that way. She didn't want things to change – she wasn't ready yet. She didn't know if she ever would be...
After Webicon she, Carly, Freddie and Spencer had made their customary stop at the Groovy Smoothie before they headed home. As they parked in a vacant spot along the sidewalk the rain started coming down in a light drizzle and Sam had been thankful for the shelter they found in the crowded cafe soon after. Almost as soon as they entered the shop Carly's cell phone rang, and when she answered they were all met with a loud shouting on the other end.
"Carly?" Adam's voice shouted through the line, loud enough for all of them to hear, but it was the shouting in the background that really caught their attention.
"Adam?" Carly responded less loudly, but just as frantically, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine!" Adam shouted back. A loud banging started on his side of the line and they heard a slight scuffling before Adam spoke again.
"I managed to barricade myself in one of the bathrooms," he gasped.
"Which one?" Carly asked.
"Does it matter?" Adam shouted back and they heard him gasp as the banging continued.
"Sorry," Carly said, "What have you barricaded the door with?"
"My body," Adam responded as more scuffling was heard. The shouts got louder for a second and then got muffled once more along with the bang of a door, "But I can't hold them off for long," he continued, "Will you help me get out of here?"
"Of course I will!" Carly said, turning immediately to Spencer, "We have to go back!"
"But we just got here!" Spencer protested, stomping his battle staff on the floor very much like a five year old would stamp their foot.
"Spencer!" Carly argued with him, "We can't just leave him there!"
"You did before!" he reminded her.
"That was different," she said defensively, "He didn't stand a chance then. Now we have a better chance of saving him."
They had left Adam surrounded by their delusional fans about twenty minutes ago as they attacked him. They believed that Adam had torn Carly and Freddie apart and therefore they would do the same to him in more physical terms. Sam had found the entire fact that their fans were obsessed with Freddie and Carly's romantic relationship hilarious at first, but after the hour long brawl that had taken place at Webicon she was now rather annoyed by it all.
"We're coming Adam!" Carly shouted into the phone as they heard the shouts grow louder once more, and she grabbed Spencer by the front of his costume and dragged him out of the door.
"I'll see you guys at home soon, ok?" Carly shouted over her shoulder just before the door slammed shut, leaving Sam and Freddie standing in the middle of the Groovy Smoothie with identical expressions of confusion.
"Guess that's that," Sam said, shrugging.
"Yup," Freddie agreed, popping the "p" as he shoved his hands into his pockets, "Do you want to get a smoothie or do you want to head home before the rain gets worse?"
Sam was tempted by the smoothie offer, but the weather didn't exactly fit the mood.
"Can you make pancakes?" she asked him spontaneously.
"Yes..." Freddie responded reluctantly, confused by her question.
"Then let's head home now," she decided, "And you can make some for me."
"And have some ready for Carly and Spencer when they get back?"
Sam snorted.
"Good luck!" she scoffed, "Momma's hungry!"
Freddie shook his head and grabbed her by the elbow, leading her to the door, "Then let's hurry Princess Puckett."
Sam allowed him to lead her to the door as she marveled at her new nickname. He wasn't one for giving her nicknames, unless they were insulting one's. These he also never managed to get right either, since he found it difficult to insult anyone as well as she did. It was only once she felt the light spray of rain on her cheeks that she snapped herself back to reality. She was blushing.
"P-Princess?" she questioned him, trying to sound patronizing but failing dismally.
He glanced at her and shrugged his shoulders.
"What?" he answered as if giving her a girly nickname was an everyday occurrence.
"What's with the prissy nickname?" she asked, falling into step beside him as they made their way towards the nearest bus station.
"It's not prissy!" Freddie insisted and she raised her eyebrows at him in disagreement. He glanced at her, looking intimidated for only a second before breaking into a smile.
"Okay, okay," he agreed, "Prissy for you. I just thought it fitted nicely."
They carried on walking as she waited for him to say something more. The light rain was refreshing after their trying morning at Webicon, but Sam didn't feel relaxed at all. Her heart was pounding hard in response to his words. It fitted? Fitted her how? When he remained silent she elbowed him roughly in the ribs.
"Hey!" he protested, and she made a gesture with her hand, indicating that he carry on.
"How does the term "Princess" suit me?" she elaborated when she was met by his confused expression.
"Oh," he chuckled, "It's just...no, don't worry about it."
She prodded him hard in the ribs again, trying to force the information out him.
"Ow!" he took a step away from her, massaging his aching ribs, "Alright, no need to get violent!"
"You're actually telling me that?" she responded and he sighed.
"Don't contradict what I wanted to say before I even say it," he answered, and this time she was the confused one.
"Princess fits," he started in order to answer her questioning gaze; "It fits because you look like one of those stereotypical Disney princesses. You know; all long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes."
Freddie stopped short, realizing that he was maybe telling her too much about what he thought of her. She urged him with her eyes to give her more information though, so he continued.
"Your behaviour isn't princess-like at all though," he continued, and an evil grin sprang onto her face, "Except for one thing."
Her grin fell into a small smile that played at her lips in response to his words. She knew he was about to compliment her by comparing her to a princess, but he just wasn't sure she'd accept it as a compliment or an insult to her character.
"The way you walk," he said, gesturing to her entire body with his left hand, "You've got...poise, I guess. Your back is always straight when you walk, which is surprising from all the slouching you do in class and at home. You never used to walk like this...I guess it developed as you got older. But you walk like a princess who's been trained to keep her balance by walking with a stack of books on her head. It's elegant."
Freddie had ranted on longer than he had wanted, and with that said he cleared his throat and proceeded to turn his head the other way, looking in the windows of the other stores and restaurants they were now passing.
Sam felt the blush building on her cheeks as Freddie finished his explanation. He had noticed her walking better - this was a direct result of the dance classes she had been attending over the last two years. He had actually noticed it, and that filled Sam with a joy that she found unbearable to contain. Not only that, but he had likened her to a princess in more ways than one.
"When did you start watching Disney movies?" she scoffed as she tried to hide her red cheeks behind her mess of blonde hair.
"I have a baby cousin, okay?" he replied defensively and Sam laughed.
"So baby Stephanie doesn't hate you that much anymore?" she asked.
"Quite the opposite," Freddie replied, "She loves me because I'm the only one who's patient enough to watch the same Disney movie over and over with her. Sleeping Beauty..."
Sam watched Freddie closely to find that he was now blushing slightly.
"She reminds me of you...so that's where the Princess nickname came from..."
"I like it," Sam said, smiling, and he glanced at her quickly.
"You do?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yeah," Sam said, "But not in front of anyone else! You can call me Princess Puckett if you want...but it's between us, ok?" she warned him.
Freddie smiled widely as they reached the shelter of the little bus stop a block away.
"You got it."
XXXXXXX
Sam was doing her stretches, alone in the small dance studio where she and a few other teenagers were taking lessons. She was humming slightly to herself, her thoughts lingering on the afternoon she had spent with Freddie in Carly's apartment. He was actually quite good at making pancakes – he could even flip them when they were done – and Sam had eaten enough of them to highly compliment his cooking skills.
"Man Freddie, these aren't bad!" she exclaimed after her second pancake. Freddie was busy preparing her third one as another one sizzled on the pan. He sprinkled cinnamon sugar on it, followed by lemon juice and a small dollop of syrup before rolling it up and adding it to her plate.
"Thanks!" he said, turning back to the pan, "Nothing but the best for Princess Puckett!" he teased.
Sam grimaced at him, her mouth full, and quickly returned to her treat.
"They're easy to make though," Freddie said, poking at the pan with a spatula, "I can teach you if you want?"
"Na," Sam said without a second thought, "I'm happy just eating them."
Freddie laughed quietly, shaking his head at her. He proceeded to take the pan by its handle and flip the pancake into the air. It flipped in a perfect circle before landing firmly back in the waiting pan. Sam's mouth fell open in surprise.
"Woah," she remarked, "You can teach me how to do that!"
Freddie grinned at his own accomplishment and beckoned for her to come over. Sam stuffed the last bit of her third pancake into her mouth and hopped off the stool, coming over to him.
"It takes some practice," Freddie said, handing her the pan by its handle and positioning her hands correctly, "But it's all in the wrist. Don't flip it too hard, else you won't be able to catch it again."
Sam nodded and lifted the pan high into the air, level with her face. The pancake sprang into the air, flipping over backwards and landing on the fridge, slipping off and landing on the floor.
"Oops..." Sam muttered, gritting her teeth and smiling awkwardly. Freddie smiled and scooped up the ruined pancake, putting it in the bin.
"Don't worry," he said, taking the pan from her and pouring a spoonful of the pancake mix into the pan, swirling it around, "Like I said – it takes practice. Try again."
Sam nodded, ashamed that she had wasted one of Freddie's delicious pancakes. Her stomach growled for more and she swallowed slightly. She didn't want to ruin another one. They waited for the mixture to cook, the pan sizzling slightly. Freddie flipped it around when he deemed the one side ready and they waited some more. They stood in silence, Sam drumming her fingernails on the counter in impatience and Freddie keeping a keen eye on his creation.
"Ok," he finally said, poking the pan with the spatula once more and loosening the pancake, "It seems ready to flip."
Sam came forward, taking the handle in her hands once more. This time, however, Freddie didn't let go when he handed it to her. Instead he stood behind her, bringing his arms around on either side and holding her hands which were clutching the pan.
"Ok, just relax," he said when he felt her body tense up, "I'm going to help you out with this one."
Sam nodded, feeling hotter all of a sudden. Freddie's body pressed tightly against her, and his arms held her even closer to him as they made contact with hers. She could feel his heartbeat through her back, and it sounded fast, but she wasn't sure if it was hers instead. He leant forward and pressed his cheek against hers, gripping her hands tightly.
"Now," he said softly, his breath tickling her warm skin, "Flip it lightly,"
They flipped it at the same time, and Freddie's strong grip stopped her from throwing the pancake over her head like before. The pancake rose into the air, doing a flip and coming down quickly again. Freddie squeezed her hands and they moved the pan together, the pancake landing perfectly within it.
"Voila!" Freddie exclaimed, and Sam smiled with glee.
"That was so cool!" she half whispered, and Freddie let go of her hands, sliding his arms along hers as he retreated, his hands squeezing her shoulders lightly in agreement. Sam held her breath, his touch almost too much to bear. She felt the sparks between them, like she had felt hundreds of times before, but this time there was a certain amount of tension as well; as if they were both holding themselves back. Once he had moved back she turned around, the pan still clutched in her hands.
"Thanks," she breathed, shyly meeting his eyes. Freddie smiled down at her.
"No problem," he said, clearing his throat slightly, "Should I make you some more then?"
"Yeah," Sam said, snapping out of her daze.
She handed the pan over to Freddie, and he flipped the pancake onto her plate before heading back to the stove.
"At your service Princess," he teased again, and Sam laughed.
Sam smiled to herself as the door to the dance studio opened and the other students began to file in, chatting casually. Carly and Spencer had arrived with a disheveled-looking Adam not long after Sam's pancake flipping lesson, and she and Freddie had promptly excused themselves in order to give them some alone time. Sam also remembered that she had a dance lesson later that evening so she declined Freddie's invitation to hang out at his place. He had looked disappointed at her refusal, but had accepted it nonetheless. So Sam ran through the light rain to the nearest bus stop, catching a ride home and walking to the community centre soon after.
"Hey!" some of the other students greeted her and she smiled back and gave a small wave. Sam was pretty much a loner at dance class, but she preferred it that way. She wasn't there to socialize – she was there to focus on her dancing and this made her top of the class.
"Hey Sam," a tall guy with sandy-coloured hair greeted her, dropping his bag and flopping down next to her.
"Hey Kyle," Sam acknowledged him, ending her stretching and crossing her legs in front of her, "What's up?"
There were about ten students in the class Sam was taking, and Kyle was the only guy stuck between nine good-looking girls. Unlike other guys who might have taken advantage of the attention he was receiving Kyle avoided the girls who were constantly flirting with him. The only girl who wasn't trying to get his attention was Sam, so naturally the two of them had paired up in order to avoid the social trap of the class.
Sam liked Kyle; they always chatted before class and he would walk her home afterwards. During class, however, they both focused solely on the lesson and their dancing, not chatting and fooling around like the other girls would. Sam wished school was as fun as dance class – there was not one lesson at school that held her attention like dance class did.
"Ugh," he groaned in response to Sam's question, "I hung around outside too long...Lauren decided it was a good time to get to know me."
He nodded over at the dark haired beauty of the class who was laughing with her group of friends and Sam followed his gaze.
"Ah," Sam understood, "Did she ask you for "private dance lessons"?" she asked, using air quotes.
"Pretty much," Kyle admitted, "Why can't they get that I'm not here to find a girlfriend. I have to get a scholarship or else I won't be able to go to college next year..."
Sam patted his shoulder reassuringly; Kyle was a senior and he really wanted to go to Juilliard in New York, but it was difficult to get accepted with only a community centre providing him with his dancing knowledge. Kyle was a brilliant hip-hop dancer, but he lacked the basics. Sam was lucky enough to have been taught these when she was younger, and she was still re-discovering them every day. She wasn't worrying about college just yet; she was only a senior next year. Freddie had already been talking about applying for all sorts of colleges and even Carly had mentioned a few that she was interested in.
"You'll get in, don't worry!" Sam assured him, "You'll be hearing from them any day now. You'll get in!"
Kyle smiled at her and squeezed the hand that she had placed on his shoulder, "Thanks Sam," he said whole-heatedly.
Their dance instructor entered the studio at that moment, clapping her hands as she made her way to the front of the class.
"Alright everyone!" she shouted out, "Let's do some warm up stretches before we get started on a new routine!"
Everyone got up off the floor and spread out in front of the mirror that the instructor was now facing. Sam and Kyle followed, Sam pulling Kyle to his feet and leading him right to the front, directly behind the instructor. She smiled at them through the mirror and gave a small wink. Sam smiled back. She generally hated teachers as a rule but this one was difficult not to like.
"'Sup?" she greeted them.
"Hey Luce," Sam greeted her. Her full name was Lucinda, but everybody called her Luce – it was cooler and it suited her better.
The class followed Luce's instructions as they breathed in and out, stretching and relaxing different parts of their body. After a few minutes of this Luce clapped her hands together once more and split them into two horizontal lines of five.
"Let me run through the new routine first," she said, turning her back on the class and facing the mirror again. She took a deep breath, clicked a button on the CD player's remote, and then launched into her routine. Sam followed her movements intently, her body aching to follow her as well. Dance had become as much a part of her as her love for meat had, and she couldn't hold back her urges; she had always been terrible at self-control. Luce ended the routine as the music faded away, and the class clapped appreciatively for her. She then ran through the moves with them a few times without music, and then with music. Sam and Kyle caught on fast, following their instructor's choreography perfectly. Soon the entire class was in sync and they were running through the routine for the final time when the door of the class opened.
Sam was focusing on herself and the rest of the class as she made sure to execute the routine perfectly, so she didn't even notice the door opening and someone coming in. Luce did though, and she smiled at the doorway, stopping midway through the routine.
"Carry on!" she shouted over the loud music, and she left to go greet whoever had entered. Sam glanced hurriedly towards the door, curious as to why Luce had broken her routine. All of a sudden she had stopped in her tracks, routine forgotten as she saw who was staring at her.
"Sam?" Kyle said in concern as he stopped dancing as well. The girl next to Kyle collided into him as she tried to execute a move and Kyle bumped forward into Sam, knocking them both over and landing on top of her.
"Ow!" Sam exclaimed as Kyle's elbow connected with her ribs.
"Sorry, sorry Sam!" Kyle apologized, lifting himself off of her and extending his hand to help her up.
"What's going on here?" Luce asked, coming towards them, the uninvited guest following in concern. Sam allowed Kyle to pull her up, her cheeks red with embarrassment. Her eyes met his for a moment, and with that brief acknowledgement she turned and ran from the studio, snatching her bag from the floor on her way out.
"Sam!" she heard Kyle shout after her, and then another called her name just as forcefully.
"Sam, stop!" Freddie called and he followed her as she ran out into the rain
XXXXXXX
"Sam!" Freddie shouted through the open window, driving slowly alongside her as she trudged along the sidewalk, her blonde curls bobbing behind in her haste to get away.
"Leave me alone Benson!"
"Sam, I'm sorry!" Freddie shouted desperately.
"You didn't do anything wrong," she started, "J-Just go away!" Sam shouted back, her sneakers wet from the rain. Stupid Seattle weather.
"What are you upset about then?" he shouted, swerving the car a little to avoid a rubbish bin that had spilled into the road.
"Get lost Benson!"
Freddie had followed her out of the community centre, losing track of her when he reached the pouring rain outside. He had immediately run for his car, parked only a few meters away on the sidewalk, and headed in the direction of her house. He had found her walking on the sidewalk, hunched over with her backpack clutched to her chest. He had no idea that she had been taking dance lessons; when he had entered the studio he hadn't expected to see her at all. He had given the room a quick scan and had almost missed her if it wasn't for her mess of blonde curls. He had focused intently on the girl who looked so much like Sam, admiring the way she moved and her clear superiority over the others. Just before he turned away the girl glanced over at him, stopping him in his tracks. She did the same, her face going pale as her eyes widened with surprise and fear. He saw her fall as the other dancers knocked into her and he rushed over, following the instructor who was distracted by the noise. She had run from him and he couldn't understand why.
"Sam! Please, just get into the car!" he pleaded. She was soaked, but she continued marching in the direction of her house, not even looking at him.
"Please!" he pleaded once more, and he saw her stop and shiver slightly. He hit the brakes, pulling the car onto the sidewalk. He threw open his door and dove into the rain, running around the car and grabbing Sam by the elbow. "Please Sam," he asked, pulling her gently towards him. She was freezing cold, and she allowed him to pull her gently into his arms as he hugged her close. Their embrace lasted a few seconds before Sam pushed herself away again, looking up at him with an unreadable expression.
"No!" she resisted, backing away from him, "You can't keep doing this to me!"
Freddie stared at her in surprise, his hand still holding onto her elbow as she turned her face away from him.
Everything they had said to each other and every turning point in her and Freddie's relationship was rushing through her mind as she tried to get out of Freddie's grasp. She couldn't do it anymore; she hated him for making her love him so much and not being able to return the feelings. She was exhausted, fed up and she no longer had the strength to fight against her feelings any longer. Every day spent with him brought her closer to telling him of her feelings. Every day she loved him more, but with that love her hate of him increased as well. Her dancing was the only way she was able to express what she truly felt inside – she poured every inch of her soul into it, and now Freddie had discovered it.
"Sam, what-" Freddie started, but she cut him off.
"You can't keep coming to my rescue," she continued, "You can't keep making me feel this way!" she blurted out.
Freddie said nothing. He just stared at her, confused about what she was saying.
"Sam, I..." he started, but fell silent once more. Sam took a deep breath, the shivers running through her body, trying to stop the tears from spilling over.
"You..." she heard Freddie start, "You told me, a long time ago that I was pathetic. You told me you couldn't forgive me for that...I was never sure exactly what you meant by it."
Sam looked up at him in confusion now.
"What are you...?" she inquired.
"You were upset about me running after Carly all the time," Freddie continued, "But it still doesn't explain what you couldn't forgive me for. I want you to tell me Sam."
Sam swallowed, her sopping hair blowing into her face as she tried to come up with an answer. She felt Freddie pull her closer again, and she took relief in the comfort of his still warm body.
"Tell me Sam," Freddie insisted, "This time I'm not letting you go anywhere."
Sam remembered the last time they had stood in the rain like this almost three years ago and how badly it had ended.
"I..." Sam started, "Didn't like how you chased after Carly..." she admitted.
"Yes," Freddie nodded, warming her up, "And?"
"And I was..." she trailed off, unable to say it.
"Jealous?" Freddie offered and Sam almost scoffed as she usually did. She pulled away a little but he only held on tighter.
"Yeah," Sam finally said, "And that's why I couldn't forgive you."
"For liking Carly?" he asked.
"No!" Sam said in irritation, "Well, yes, but no!"
Freddie smiled down at her, "That makes no sense," he muttered.
"Yes it does!" Sam said in irritation, managing to pull away from him.
"Then what is it you can't forgive me for?" he asked forcefully, taking a step towards her as she backed off. She said nothing, but turned around instead, trying to run again.
"No Sam!" Freddie shouted grabbing her arm again, "I'm not letting you get away! What is it? Was it because I called you names? Was it because I liked Carly more than you?"
"Stop it!" she shouted, trying to pull out of his grasp.
"Tell me Sam! What can't you forgive me for?" he shouted.
"For making me love you!" she finally shouted, finally pulling out of his grasp. She stumbled forward and landed on her knees in a puddle on the sidewalk. A clap of thunder sounded above them, accompanied by a flash of lightning.
Freddie walked over to Sam, kneeling down alongside her as she remained in the puddle, her hair falling in curtains over her face.
"Do you...love me Sam?" Freddie asked in disbelief. Sam remained silent, so he leant in closer, lifting a strand of her hair from her face, "Sam?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you Frednub?" she said bitingly, and he recoiled automatically. He took a breath and leant in again so that his mouth was an inch away from her ear.
"It's alright..." he whispered, and he felt her jerk a little as his warmth breath tickled her ear, "Because I love you Sam..."
With that he leant back and stood up, watching for her reaction. She looked up at him slowly, her eyes wide with surprise.
"No chizz?" she mouthed, and he laughed lightly at her.
"No chizz," he assured her, and held his hand out to her, "Now get in the car and let's get you home. We need to talk."
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