CHAPTER 14

"It is important to our friends to believe that we are unreservedly frank with them, and important to friendship that we are not."

~Mignon McLaughlin

Carly made her way down the stairs, hoping Jason had gone to bed. She couldn't make out any figures on the couch. She walked around to the front and, to her relief, found Sam laying on the couch, a blanket over her. Jason was nowhere to be seen. Sam looked up at Carly, the glow of the TV illuminating the brunette's body.

"Sup, Carls?" Sam yawned. Carly sat on the floor in front of her best friend.

"We have to talk," Carly said, reaching for the remote. She hit the mute button, silencing the appalling sound of studio audience laughter.

"What about?" Sam asked, not moving from her original spot on the couch. Carly groaned, running a hand through her long black hair.

"It's about Jason." Sam stared at her with a blank look. "Freddie and I…"

"Woah, woah, woah why is he involved in this?" Sam interrupted.

"Just let me finish," Carly sighed. "Freddie and I don't think he's being too nice to you." Sam snorted a laugh.

"Freddie's one to talk about boyfriends being nice to their girlfriends," she shot back.

"Sam, this is serious. I saw you guys after your talk with Freddie. Sam…he's abusing you." Sam made a pfft noise.

"Jason just let his jealousy get to him," Sam defended. "You'd do the same thing if the person you loved was around their ex again."

"I wouldn't react how Jason did."

"So he has a problem with his emotions, big deal! As long as I never talk to Freddie again, it's all OK."

"Do you even hear yourself?" Carly exclaimed. "You're willing to give up one of your oldest friends for a guy you've known for less than a year?"

"Look, it's Freddie's fault it's ending anyway," Sam replied. "He's the one who cheated."

"Sam," Carly moaned, annoyance filling her voice, "it's been a year! Why can't you just get over this?"

"Because I loved him!" Sam just about shouted. She backed away slightly, lowering her voice. "He's the first and only person I've ever really felt that way about, and he chose to ruin it." Carly looked away from Sam, something flashing in her eyes. Sam picked up on it right away. "Carls, what's wrong?" Carly fixed her gaze back on Sam, eyes filled with an unidentifiable emotion.

"What if he didn't choose to cheat," Carly finally whispered. Sam's eyebrows furrowed.

"What are you saying?" she asked slowly. Carly shook her head.

"Forget it, it's not important."

"Carly!" Sam demanded, sitting up on the couch and looking down to her best friend. "Tell me." Carly exhaled slowly.

"What if Lizzie didn't show up at Freddie's place by accident? What if…what if she was sent?"

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1 Year Ago

Carly sat on her couch, staring at the TV. A re-run of an old sit com was playing, filling the main room of her apartment with hideous laughing and clapping sounds. Carly stared at the screen, not actually absorbing anything that was happening. The sound of the door slamming caused her to jump and look up. Spencer entered the apartment, Lizzie following him.

"What's up, Carlay?" he asked. Carly shrugged, turning back to the TV. "Carls, you alright?"

"Let me handle this," Lizzie said, walking over to the couch and sitting next to Carly. "Hey kid, you alright?" she asked softly.

"I'm bored," Carly mumbled. "Sam's gonna be over at Freddie's all day. It's their two-year anniversary or something."

"Ah," Lizzie said, "I get you." Carly turned to Lizzie, scrunching her brows together. "You're jealous that Freddie is getting all of Sam's attention."

"She's supposed to be my best friend," Carly said, "not Freddie's."

"She's Freddie's girlfriend. Lucky girl too, I kind of miss that kid."

"Aren't you with Spencer?" Carly asked. Lizzie shook her head.

"We actually just broke up," she said in a low voice. "I just came back to get some of my stuff."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Carly said. Lizzie shrugged.

"It was a mutual thing, no big deal."

"So, you're totally single now?" Carly asked. "Like, you can go out with anyone else?" Lizzie nodded in confusion.

"Where are you going with this?"

"You just said you missed Freddie," Carly said.

"Hun, I said kind of and he's dating Sam."

"I know," Carly replied, turning back to the TV. "I really want my friend back, and the only way that'll happen is if she breaks up with Freddie."

"So you want me to go over there and get them to break up?" Lizze asked. Carly nodded.

"Maybe just kiss him a little or something," Carly said nonchalantly.

"You want me to ruin their relationship?" Carly turned to Lizzie, a sly smile playing on her lips.

"Since when do you not like a little risk?"

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"I always like a little taboo," Lizzie whispered into Freddie's ear. He pushed her away.

"Lizzie," he said sternly, "what we had was great…" his speech was interrupted by a knock at the door. He smiled. "I'm with Sam now," he added, turning towards the door. Lizzie grabbed his hand, pulling him back towards her.

"Why do you need her when you've got me?" Lizzie asked, pushing the hair out of Freddie's eyes. There was another knock on the door, this one more impatient than the last.

"I really have to get that," Freddie said, trying to pull away from Lizzie's grip. She held tighter to his wrist, pulling him towards her and pushing him onto the couch. Her lips landed with his, kissing him hard. Freddie felt his eyes fluttering closed as he was taken hostage by his ex-girlfriend's kissing. Suddenly, his apartment door burst open.

"Benson!" he heard a familiar voice yell. "What is the meaning of…" when her voice broke off in mid-sentence, Freddie knew his life was over.

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Sam stared at the girl on the floor in disbelief. Carly was looking at the ground, tears flooding her vision.

"I didn't think much of it at the time," she said. "I just wanted you to be my best friend again."

"I was still your best friend," Sam said, pushing the blanket off of her feet. "Was," she emphasized, sliding off the couch. "How could you?" her hands were on her hips and her eyes were staring daggers at the meek figure on the floor.

"I wasn't thinking," Carly confessed softly. Sam felt her jaw tense up. She had never felt more anger towards anyone than she felt towards Carly at this very moment.

"I think I should stay at my house for the rest of the summer," she said through clenched teeth. She made her way around Carly and towards the guest room. Carly nodded, tears running down her nose and dripping silently onto the wood floor below.

A/N: I really want your reviews on this chapter! I had an idea for how I wanted to end the story, and this seemed like the only possible way to make it work out. Should I have done it differently, did you like it? I really want to hear your thoughts on this one!

Xoxo~blondgurl