Chapter 14

Groovy Smoothie
Friday, February 17, 2012

The blonde pair entered the popular hang out with smiles on their faces. Sam had to admit that Brad could be kind of funny. It certainly helped her to get over his little bit of a nerd persona; he didn't rub her the wrong way like the nub use to rub her.

Brad opted for them to take one of the tall tables with the stools beside the windows. Sam didn't comment on the fact that it was a just a little more private than taking a table in the center of the place.

After Sam got comfortable on the stool, she spoke, "Remember: I eat a lot and I expect you to pay for mama."

Brad chuckled and nodded his head. "I understand."

One of the servers approached and quickly took their order and without too much surprise, Sam did order a healthy amount of food. Brad grinned and shook his head. "So, how does it feel seeing…" he looked around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation, "them going to… you know."

Sam wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips. "Doesn't really matter to me."

Brad tilted his head to the side. "Your best friend is getting married to your… other friend that has to mean something to you."

She snorted out, "Maybe it does and I don't want to talk about it with you."

He lifted a hand up. "Sorry, didn't realize it was so sensitive to you."

"What do you mean by that?"

Brad let out a small laugh as he replied, "When you don't want to talk about such a huge thing going on with your friends, it means it's a sensitive thing."

She narrowed her eyes on him. "What do I care if she marries the nub?"

"Because it isn't just them being a couple or them moving in together, they are… you know. That's a big deal and you're—"

She growled out, "And what? I'm the outsider now?"

Brad looked down at the table and let out a breath. "We're all outsiders when we see two people together. That's just the way it is, but hopefully there's that one person out there that makes it where everyone else is the outsider when they look at you and that other person."

She blinked at him and was about to speak when the server came up with their order. The blonde haired she-demon looked at her meal and realized that they had gotten her cheeseburger wrong and the rest of her food except for her smoothie. She glared at the young male server not much older than she and Brad. "I didn't order this! You messed up my cheeseburger you stupid scuzz. I've been ordering the same thing for years. Now go get it right!"

The teenager scurried off to fix their order.

Brad looked down and shook his head. "Sam? Did you really have to do that?"

"He got our order wrong," she replied defensively looking at him as if something was wrong with him.

With a raised eyebrow and shocked expression, he asked, "So you just had to go off on him?"

"Yes, I can't stand stupid people. We're the ones that are supposed to take advantage of stupid people. They're not supposed to do that to us."

Brad let out a breath and ever so slightly shook his head. "They just got the order wrong. It happens and that doesn't make them stupid."

Sam looked down at her tray of fries and the wrongly prepared cheeseburger and felt she lost her appetite for a moment. In a dry and soft tone, she asked, "What would you have done?"

"Well, I would have been a little nicer to him—"

"I can't stand nice," she replied with a half snare of her mouth then looked back at the tabletop.

"Then why do you hang out with Carly?"

"It took me years to get use to her and… she puts up with me," she finished quietly.

He grinned as he asked, "Is it going to take years to get use to me?"

"Why? You going to stick around that long?"

He smiled softly, "I don't know. What college are you going to?"

She took a sip from her smoothie as she contemplated the answer to his question. The dirty blonde felt her cheeks warm for some reason. She whispered out, "Maybe U-Dub."

"Oh? I'm thinking about going there after graduation. What's your major going to be?"

"Haven't decided," she gave a little nod to the side with her head and took another sip from the smoothie.

"I'm sure you'll find something out that suits you," he assured her with a smile.

She swallowed and looked back down at the table, picking at a fry.

A moment or so later, the server came back with her order and this time correct. She took a bite into her cheeseburger, savoring the taste, but noticed Brad's disapproving look. "What?" she choked out with food still in her mouth.

He looked to the server that stood there kind of nervously then back to Sam. "You could thank him."

Sam rolled her eyes and finished swallowing her food. She looked to the server and mumbled out, "Thanks."

He nodded his head and quickly walked away before letting the teenager change her mind in thanking him.

"That wasn't hard was it?" Brad asked with a soft chuckle.

"That was painful," she spoke in a manner that sounded like a pout to Brad, but he knew he must have just been hearing things.

"You get use to it; you've done it before with Carly," he retorted and started laughing louder.

"Yeah, whatever," the shorter teenager replied before sinking her teeth back into the burger.

Brad shook his head and started digging into his own meal.

They chatted for about a half an hour or so between bites, well, he talked and she mostly listened because talking took time away from eating. Some of his jokes fell flat, but others got her to laugh and one to the point of almost spitting up a slurp of her smoothie. She gave him a particularly harsh glare at that one, but at least she didn't throw the rest of the drink in his face.

He of course paid for the meal, but he didn't mind because it was an interesting date, but he didn't use the word as they were exiting the Groovy Smoothie. "Let me drive you home?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

Sam looked to the sidewalk and shrugged a shoulder. "Mama wouldn't mind a ride."

A few minutes later, he pulled his car up to the curb in front of her house. "Well, this is the place," she barely got out as she undid her seatbelt and hopped out of the car. He apparently surprised her when he turned off the ignition and got out of the car just as quickly.

"What are you doing?" she asked with a raise eyebrow as he walked in front of the car and in front of her.

"I'm at least walking you to your door," he explained with a confident smile.

"As long as you don't get any funny ideas," she replied with a narrow look at him.

He laughed in response, "I save my funny ideas for the show."

The corner of her mouth rose up, "Still making jokes?"

It was his turn to shrug a shoulder and smiled back. She shook her head and turned to walk to her front door with him on her left and slightly behind. She pulled out her keys and undid the lock.

Sam turned around quickly and kissed him on the cheek. She looked to him with a reserved look as she spoke, "There, you have your kiss back." She quickly turned into her house and shut the door before he could say a word.

He snorted out a breath and shook his head. You knew it wasn't going to be easy.

Ridgeway High School
Monday, February 20, 2012

Carly was trying to stop herself from grinning ear to ear as she walked down the hall towards her locker. She had her engagement ring hanging around her neck and under her shirt collar. Every so often she would reach up and pat just below her neck to make sure it was still there and maybe to make sure this was still really happening to her. She would always continue up and thumb her butterfly pendant to not attract unwanted attention and remind her of one of the first steps that got her to this point.

She reached her locker and was switching out some books for her next few classes as she thought on know how she was going to get through the day without shouting for joy. She took a calming breath knowing that she just had to get through these five days then she could shout for the world to hear that she had married Freddie. She was still debating on how to handle a last name for after the wedding.

The brunette was so deep in thought that she failed to notice Wendy walking up to her with big smile on her face. "How's the skit going?" Wendy asked with a hint good natured deviousness.

"Skit?" Carly asked as she blinked in surprise at seeing the redhead.

"The one where Idiot Farm Girl and Fredward Cullen get married?"

"Oh, sorry, my mind was someplace else," the brunette apologized with a shake of her head as she closed her locker. "We're still working it out on how he pops the question then them getting married."

"You could always have her ask. She wouldn't know any better that it's the guy that is suppose to ask," Wendy laughed at her own idea.

Carly lost her friendly smile for a moment at the unintentional insult. In a colder tone than she wanted, the web-hostess replied, "It could work; maybe she's just smart enough not to let a good thing get away from her and doesn't see the point in waiting."

Wendy grinned and shook her head. "Maybe, but I doubt it; so did you get a dress yet?"

Carly took another breath and put on the best acting smile she could and answered, "We're still looking for something that would suit the character. Sam and I are going to go look later this week then have it ready for not this Friday's show, but the next one."

"Okay, I'm really looking forward to it, because you know, Freddie is dreamy as Cullen, but I don't have to tell you that," she spoke then laughed.

Carly gave her a nervous laugh. "Right, he's dreamy." The brunette cleared her throat and continued, "You promised not to tell anyone."

Wendy held up a hand and replied, "I remember; my lips are sealed. I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone."

"Thanks," she nodded with her response.

"Well, later Carls, I need to get to class before Briggs starts yelling," she spoke before walking past Carly.

"Later Wendy," she replied friendlier than she expected as the sting of the backhanded insult still coursed through her.

She passed Sam as the blonde was approaching her locker and the girls exchanged friendly nods.

"Hey," Sam greeted her friend with a big smile.

"Hey," Carly replied in a deflated tone.

"What's wrong?" she picked up the tone and the slender girl's change in posture.

She shook her head. "Nothing, just something Wendy said."

Sam narrowed her eyes and asked in a none too pleased tone, "What did she say?"

"She brought up the Idiot Farm Girl and Cullen skit about them getting married—"

"The one you made up when she overheard you and Freddie?"

"Right, I was just making stuff up to placate her and that Idiot Farm Girl could ask Cullen to marry her, but Wendy thought that could work because she wouldn't have sense enough to know that the guy is the one that is supposed to ask."

"Ouch… do you think she knows?"

Carly shook her head. "I don't think so, it just—"

"Hurt a little?"

The brunette gave a slight nod. "Yeah… is that how it's going to be after, you know?"

"I don't know kiddo, but does it matter?" Sam asked hopefully.

Carly blinked at the question. She just thought for a moment and the answer become just as clear when she realized that she knew she couldn't not have him in her life and that she loved him. "No, it doesn't matter as long as we're together."

"Good, I'm glad you've settled that. We have enough drama as it is," she commented with a shake of her head.

Carly giggled, feeling better from her friend's successful attempt of setting everything back into perspective. "So, what about your love life?"

"What love life?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow as she finally decided to switch out some books she really had no intention of using.

"You left with Brad on Friday and you have been avoiding the subject of him for the last two days. I want to know what happened. Did you leave together?"

Sam sighed heavily, "Yes, we went to get something to eat at the Groovy Smoothie then he took me home."

"You two went out together? I need some deets," she prodded happily at her blonde friend.

"It wasn't a date and there aren't much deets to give: we ate, some of his jokes were funny, others weren't, then he took me home."

"Oh, are you going to go with him on another 'not' date?"

She tilted her head to the side and shrugged a shoulder as she shut her locker. "I don't know. He…"

"What?"

"He seemed to… put up with my abrasiveness," she commented bashfully.

"That's a start," Carly commented hopefully.

"Yeah, whatever… so, you and Freddie still going this afternoon?"

"Yep, have to leave school as fast as we can so we can get it filed today, so it can happen on Friday. Sorry we can't give you a ride," she spoke truly apologetically at being caught between time and having her friend fend for herself.

She waved off her brunette friend. "It's fine."

"You could get Brad to give you a lift?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"Don't push it Shay," Sam pointed back with a smirk.

Carly just laughed and shook her head. She looped her arm around Sam and dragged her on to their next class.

King County Administration Building
500 Fourth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
Monday, February 20, 2012

Carly and Freddie stepped off the elevator onto the third floor and immediately set out to find the Marriage Licensing, Room 311. If getting a license wasn't enough for the pair to be nervousness, it was the possibility of someone recognizing the pair. They really didn't have an excuse they could make if someone recognized them. They both knew that it would quickly get on-line if video of them was captured. The best they hoped for that their minimalist disguises worked.

Carly had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and out the backside of an old US Air Force baseball cap that sat on top of her head. She wore a pair of sunglasses as well in the hopes of further obscuring her look on the off chance someone would recognize her. Freddie dressed in a T-shirt that he had borrowed from Spencer that really wasn't his style and some shades for his eyes. He even brushed his hair forward to fall over his forehead.

The brunette pair reached the room and fortunately there were only a handful of people and all of them were just as eager to get their respective licenses to pay much attention to the two teenagers. The young couple only had to wait a few minutes before a teller was available.

They approached the clerk and Carly smiled at the pretty twenty-something African-American woman as she lifted up the sunglasses to rest just above her forehead. "Hi, I'm Carlotta and my fiancé are here to get our marriage license."

She smiled back at Carly. "Hi Carlotta, I'm Lindsay; you're a young couple aren't you? High school sweethearts?"

Carly grinned and looked to Freddie for a moment before looking back to Lindsay. "Yes we are… actually we're still in high school."

She raised an eyebrow in concern. "Oh? Are you both eighteen?"

Freddie raised his hand, "I am."

Carly then spoke up, "I'm seventeen, but my father sent a consent form to you. He's in DC; he's in the Air Force."

Lindsay raised a finger. "Give me a moment to check. Your full name?"

"Carlotta Taylor Shay," she whispered hoping only Lindsay and Freddie could hear her.

"Okay, give me one moment to check," she replied and turned to go into the back and check for the consent form.

Carly let out a nervous breath as they waited for her to return. Freddie wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her right arm up and down in the hopes to comfort her. A few more moments later Lindsay returned with a manila folder in her hands. She laid the folder out on the counter.

"Yes, I have it right here," she showed the notarized consent statement.

Carly let out a relieved breath seeing that the office hadn't lost or misplaced the form.

Lindsay laughed softly. "It's okay, we have everything you need. Now, you will just have to fill out this application," she instructed as she pulled out and handed a one-sheet application and a pen to Carly. The brunette took the application and was surprised out how short it was for her and Freddie. After she and Freddie filled out their sections of the form, they handed it back to the young woman.

"Okay, and it is a sixty-four dollar fee and you're done."

Freddie nodded and pulled out his wallet. He handed her a few bills and she took a few moments to write him out a receipt.

After handing him the receipt, she instructed them, "I'm going to personally make sure this is filed and on the books before the end of the day. Remember, you have to wait at least three days before it becomes valid."

"Thank you," Carly replied with a thankful smile.

She nodded back and replied, "Good luck Creddie."

They both blinked at the comment and chill went down Carly realizing someone had figured out their identities.

Lindsay grinned. "Your secret is safe with me. I promise and I'll make sure that this is on file for today."

The pair nodded their thanks and turned to head out of the room. They thought they were free and clear as they past a middle age couple entering, but Carly bumped into a younger teenager as she was following the couple. The girl was not older than fourteen at most the brunette guessed.

"Oh, excuse me," Carly apologized as she made sure the girl didn't fall. Another girl, maybe her younger sister followed her and stopped.

Carly hadn't pulled her shades back down and apparently the girl recognized who she bumped into as she entered the room, because the first girl beamed at the brunette. She spoke, "Hey, aren't you—"

"Yes, I'm Miranda Cosgrove," she rattled off quickly. Carly knew that was a lame cover but—

"I knew it!" the younger teenager shouted with joy. She turned and looked to the other girl with a joyful grin, "I told you I was right."

The brunette looked to her fiancé with a raised eyebrow and he responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

She then looked to Freddie and spoke, "And you're—"

"Yes, I'm him," Freddie replied, not sure who he was suppose to be at the moment.

"So you're going to get married?" the second girl asked hopefully.

Freddie raised a finger to his lips. "Shh, we're trying to keep it a secret."

"Oh, okay… could we get an autograph?" she asked hopefully.

She looked back to the little girl and smiled. "Of course you can."

The girl handed her a little notepad and a pen. The brunette took the pin and quickly signed Miranda Cosgrove. A twinge of pain hit her chest after signing the pad and having to be dishonest with the girl. The girl took the pad back and held it to Freddie. He swallowed nervously as he didn't know what name to sign. He took the pad and thought for a moment on who he could sign as then asked, "Any special message?"

The girls looked to each other for a moment before looking back at him. The older girl responded, "To our biggest Mathan fans, Nathan."

He nodded and gave a nervous smile, "Okay, not a problem." He quickly signed and handed the pad back.

Carly leaned down a little and whispered to the girls, "Now please don't tell anyone."

"We won't," the both replied simultaneously. The girls happily turned and walked over to join the couple at the counter window.

Freddie blinked and turned to his fiancé with a shocked look on his face. He mouthed to her, "Miranda Cosgrove?"

She shrugged her shoulders and bit her lip from embarrassment.

Before anything else could happen, he took her hand and led them back to the elevator.

As they buckled up in their seats in the Tech-Producer's car and he started his car, he spoke with a disbelieving tone, "I can't believe they bought that you were Miranda Cosgrove."

"Why?"

"Because… you're prettier than her," he whispered back with a grin.

Carly blinked and tried to speak, but Freddie kissed her on the cheek then pulled them out of the parking spot.

Benson Residence
Monday, February 20, 2012

It was approaching dinner time when Freddie entered his apartment. He had changed back into his own shirt and combed his hear off his forehead. Surprisingly, he had found his mother in the kitchen preparing dinner instead of heading off for another night shift at the hospital.

"Hey," he greeted hesitantly as he walked to the kitchen counter that separated their living room and kitchen.

Mrs. Benson lifted her head from paying attention to the stove where she was preparing some soup. "Freddie," she greeted him whether formally.

Freddie let out a breath and shook his head. "Are we going to talk about this or are you going to continue to avoid me?"

The Benson matriarch stirred the soup as she replied, "What's there to say? You're getting married and you won't reconsider it."

He looked to his mother with a determined expression. "There is nothing to reconsider… we're getting married this Friday. Carly and I just got back from the courthouse to get are marriage license."

She turned sharply to look at him. She blinked and tried to form syllables, but nothing would come out of her mouth. After a few more attempts, she spoke, "So, Steven said yes?"

Freddie nodded, "Yes, the General said yes. He sent his permission without any problems."

Mrs. Benson let out a tired breath and shook her head. "I will never understand that man."

Freddie shrugged his shoulders. "He's a complex man… just like his daughter."

His mother then turned off the stove burner and took the pot off the burner over to a cold burner. She turned back and looked at her son. "You don't know the half of it."

Freddie let out a relieved laugh, "Probably not, but he seems to understand that this is real between me and Carly."

Marissa let out a disdained laugh as she replied, "Of course, he can't exactly tell you that it's a mistake. He'd have to admit him getting married and having Spencer was a mistake."

Freddie lost his brief good humor look and replied in a slightly defensive tone, "Only if he regretted he said; he told me if he had to do it again, he'd do the same thing."

She with a hint of irritation in her voice, spoke, "That man has never given any ground as long as I've known him. He's one stubborn man."

He countered calmly, "He's a man of his convictions I would say. Even when I thought he wronged me for a moment after walking away from Carly, he didn't back down or thought he was wrong or dare offer any kind of apology… he cared about both of us, even if what he did… what he set in motion hurt us for a while."

The nurse looked down at the kitchen counter as she thought about what her son said. "So, you have a marriage license?"

Freddie paused for a moment in the change of subject, but quickly found his footing and spoke up, "And a ring and we've picked out a chapel. She just has to get her dress on Wednesday."

Mrs. Benson let her jaw drop for a moment before asking, "You got her a ring?"

"Yes. She may have asked me, but I still needed to get her an engagement ring. She is my fiancée."

"It looks like you have everything set."

A smile played on his lips as he replied, "Yes we do; we're making sure everything is right before the ceremony."

"So you're really going through with this?"

"Yes and I already told you why," he spoke in a determined tone.

Mrs. Benson walked around the counter and took a seat on their couch in the living room. He turned walked over and took a seat beside her on the couch.

She smiled half-heartedly and continued, "I'm just having a hard time believing you really understand what you told me."

"Because I'm just eighteen?" he asked finding it hard to believe that he was hearing the same argument again.

"Yes and because you're my baby."

Freddie closed his eyes and took a breath. He opened them and looked to his mother sympathetically. "Mom, you can be happy for me or not, but I'm not a child anymore. I'm getting married and Carly is going to be my wife and your daughter-in-law."

She replied sarcastically, "You think it's so easy. 'Let's get married, it will solve everything'."

"No it won't," he replied back surprising her. "It's going to be hard and rough at times. I have no illusions otherwise, but I already told you that I'm going to stick to it for the good times and bad."

Marissa shook her head realizing that they were just going to go in circles. "Where are you two going to live? Do you expect me to let her live here?"

"I'm moving in with Carly and Spencer. Mister Shay suggested it and gave his permission. I don't know if it is until college or we'll continue living there through college since we're probably going to UW in Seattle."

"You're moving out? Again?" she asked with evident shock.

He nodded. "Yes, right after we get married, I'll start packing my stuff to move over there and this time for good."

Mrs. Benson took a slow deep breath before releasing it. She had a look of defeatism on her face. She couldn't bully him into doing anything ever since he moved out the first time.

"Mom, I love you, but… Carly will come first now. I have to put my wife first. I'm just going to be across the hall if you need me."

She smiled softly as she looked past Freddie as she spoke, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh… I just don't know if I can be at the wedding. I just think it's too soon for you."

He returned the smile as he replied, "I understand, I'll miss you at the wedding, but I won't hold it up for you. I still love you mom and I don't hold any resentment if you're not there, because I know you love me."

Marissa blinked in surprise at her son's statement and his warm smile. She nodded her head and motioned with her head back towards the kitchen. "I need to eat before I go to work."

Freddie laughed and smiled. This was as far as they could go in this conversation, but at least it cleared the air with them somewhat and he was happy for at least that much at the moment. He replied, "Okay mom."