Author's Note: Hello my readers. I hope Thursday is treating you well. I have another installment for you. For those readers that watch both shows on a regular basis, you will notice a slight change in how things will play out in a certain episode in Victorious. Enjoy!

Chapter 14

Over the course of the next week and a half, life had been going well for Freddie. He had started his part time job at the PearStore on Mondays (which Sam was even more annoyed about since she had to do a little more work for the show despite Brad and Gibby's assistance) and the pain in his knee lessoned during his fencing lesson on the following Wednesday. Freddie was surprised that Carly asked to join him again at his fencing practice, but didn't mind the company. She even asked questions about the sport this time and realized that some of it she was forcing interest or it was going over her head, but he appreciated the effort and let her know it. It was during that time she would flash that beautiful smile of hers that he had missed seeing.

However, everything was not marching towards a new happy equilibrium for the group. Freddie wasn't blind to the growing friction between the brunette and the blonde friends. Since his first fencing match, Carly and Sam would exchange short, but sour looks at school when Carly didn't think he was looking. Their responses to each other were short with only a hint of irritation from either of them.

Whatever was going on between the two teenage girls, it nearly came to a boil when Carly and he returned from his second fencing lesson. They had come back at around six thirty so that Carly could make it back to get in a real and extended rehearsal. Sam was pushing her passive aggressiveness at the brunette and she returned it in kind. Fortunately, Gibby and he had the same idea and separated the two to work on their half of the skit separately. It seemed to do the trick for the moment as Carly seemed to relax with Freddie and Gibby and Sam was paired off with Brad.

Tonight's iCarly, fortunately, went off without a problem as the two seemed to bury their mutual problem enough to put on a great show and not turn into a disaster like pervious shows when they were on the outs. After the show was a different matter as that friction was just as apparent to him as the trio sat at the Shay kitchen table after the iCarly broadcast and Gibby and Brad already leaving for the evening.

Freddie was sitting at one end and Sam at the other end of the table with Carly sitting on the side. They were sharing a light snack as the girls barely exchanged words. He was naturally curious as to what was the problem between them, but he was going to stay out of it. He usually couldn't help anyway from past experience and a part of him hoped that maybe they could actually deal with problem instead of pretending it wasn't there after a few days.

As Freddie watched the pair, his phone beeped indicating that the e-mail that he had been waiting for had arrived. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pear shaped phone. He opened his e-mail and smiled as he looked to the screen. As he skimmed the screen, he let out a small chuckle.

Carly spoke softly as she asked, "What's so funny?"

Freddie lifted his eyes off of his phone and looked at the brunette. He gave a crooked smile as he realized that they were watching him.

"Really Freddie, can you share the joke?"

Freddie debated for a moment whether he should or not, but decided what was the harm. "It's not a joke… just some pictures that Cat was finally able to send me from her costume design class. They're her dressed up in some of the costumes she made."

Carly forced a smile and pushed down the uneasiness that formed in her stomach. "Can we see?"

"There is Cat as Little Bow Peep," he explained as he held up his PearPhone for the brunette to see the pictures. He thumbed over onto the screen the next picture of Cat in a form fitting black bodysuit with a pink cape and big pink C on her chest. "That's one of her as SuperCat." He thumbed over again to show the next picture. "That's one of her dressed as the teacher Spencer shared the hot tub and there is one as Cat, International Spy," he finished with a smirk on his face and to Carly's ears a sense of pride in his voice.

The brunette replied hesitantly, "She looks cute in the Little Bow Peep outfit."

Freddie turned the phone back to look at the screen and thumb back to that picture. He smiled as he looked to the picture. "She sure does look cute."

He thumbed over to another set of pictures then commented as he saw the first picture, "Oh, here are some pictures of when she met Kesha."

Sam chuckled and shook her head. "She did not meet—"

Freddie held up the phone for Sam to see the picture. Sam grabbed his wrist to steady the phone and get a good look at the picture. "Oh my God, it is Kesha," Sam replied with a dumbfounded look on her face seeing the musician posing with Cat and the other Hollywood Arts students.

Freddie pulled back his arm after the blonde looked at a few more pictures. "Yes, that is Kesha. Tori won some contest to have her perform live at her house."

"Why weren't you invited?" Sam asked in a heavily sarcastic manner. "You seem to be all buddy, buddy with them now."

Freddie smirked and let out a humorous snort. He matched the blonde's eyes and replied calmly. "There wasn't enough lead time to get down there, but I'll be seeing them tomorrow."

Carly swallowed down the nervous lump in her throat. She whispered as nonchalantly as she could, but had to look at the table when speaking, "Oh? You're going to L.A. tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Freddie looked up from his phone and smile hesitantly as he realized that he spoke the last part out loud. He replied after a moment of studying the brunette's eyes, "I'm taking a flight down to L.A. later tonight or first thing in the morning, depending on the weather."

Carly opened her mouth to speak, but Sam was quicker with a snorting sound with a hint of disgust, "Anything special you'll be doing to Red? I mean with Red?"

The brown eye boy bit his tongue for a moment debating whether he wanted to waste the time with a verbal match with the blonde. He decided to let it slide and look to Carly. Her expression was one of curiosity as if she was asking the same question. He took a breath and replied calmly, "Yes, something special has come up. She wants me to go with her to her 'Prome'."

Sam raised an eyebrow and asked in a bewildered tone, "Her prome?"

"That's what they are calling their Prom. It's a last minute thing they are putting together since the school never had one… yet she got upset last time she wasn't asked to the last prom," Freddie answered with a raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "I don't understand it."

Carly swallowed nervously. "So you're going to be her prom date?"

Freddie tilted his head side to side for a moment. "Date, escort, kind of blurry exactly what I am, but I'm going to go with her."

"Oh…" Carly replied hesitantly while Sam rolled her eyes. Carly found a little self confidence to ask, even if she was afraid of the answer, "Were you going to tell us?"

Freddie shrugged a shoulder. "After I got a confirmation that my flight was going to leave tonight, I would have told you. There are some whether delays, so I'll know later tonight if I need to be at the airport tonight or in the morning. No point in bringing it up if I'm not going to go."

Carly nodded to the explanation and accepted his word. She was grateful that he wasn't just going to leave without telling her. The idea of a prom did make her think of the next obvious question for her, so she asked, "Do you have a tux?"

The brown eye boy grinned then replied, "I picked something up. I think it looks good. I don't want to embarrass her."

Carly's mind went to imagining what he would look in a tux. The last time she remembered was when he was dressed up for the Birch wedding. In hindsight, she remembered how good he looked in it despite the color. She couldn't help taking a moment to imagine him in one that truly fit him. However, she was pulled back to reality quickly with Sam snorting out, "Even you couldn't embarrass her from what I've seen of her."

Freddie glared at the blonde and snapped, "You're just jealous."

"Of what? Her?"

In a cold tone, Freddie replied, "Of course, I mean, she's prettier than you, a better singer, a better actress and people actually like being around her, but you should be used to being second best especially having Melanie as a sister."

Sam leapt from her seat and looked as if she was about to jump the table to ring his neck, but Carly pointed to her and shouted, "Sit down!"

The blonde turned her head and glared at the brunette. "He just insulted me!"

Carly glared right back to meet the angry eyes as she countered, "You started it."

"Stop taking his side!"

"Stop trying to pick fights with him and I wouldn't have to!"

The two were outright glaring at one another at that point as Sam was looking down at Carly and the brunette with her head raised high matching the glare.

Freddie lost his annoyance and anger with the blonde and was replaced with a look of bewilderment looking at the girls. Sam's reaction was not surprising, but Carly's response did take him by surprise. "You know what? I'm going to go. You two obviously have something to work out and I know I'm never a help in your two fights."

Before either girl could respond, Freddie was already on his feet and walking past the table.

"Freddie?" Carly asked with a hint of hurt in her voice, but he continued towards the door even as she got up from her seat and followed, reaching the living room.

Freddie turned as he reached the apartment door then called out, "I'll call you before I leave and call you back when I get back from LA." He nodded his farewell and exited the apartment.

Carly blinked for a moment looking at the closed door. In a cold whisper, she spoke to Sam without turning around and looking at her, "I don't want him to go."

Sam had caught up with the brunette in the living room. The irritation that she had felt for her friend turned all towards Freddie even if he wasn't in the room. "That's what all your defending of him gets you: him running back to his little girlfriend in LA."

Carly snapped her head around and glared at her. "Why can't you stopping being mean for just a few seconds? I love you, but you are a nightmare to be around at times! Please! Just STOP!"

Sam took a step back and her eyes widened in shock. She swallowed done a lump forming in her throat and replied, "I'm sorry Carls."

The brunette snorted out in disgust, "When are you ever sorry about anything? You want me to believe you're sorry about anything then stop doing the same thing over and over again and then I'll believe your apology."

Sam's mouth hung open slightly before replying in a soft voice, "You don't believe me?"

Carly took a step forward. "You lie! You're proud that you're such a good liar!"

"I don't lie to you."

"Then mean your apology and stop being mean, especially to Freddie."

The blonde frowned and gave her friend a cold look as she whispered, "I have a better idea: snap out of the funk you've been in since we got back from LA."

"I'm not in a funk. I just realized some truths about life."

"That Freddie's more important to you than me? He's not, so choose Carls: him or me as your best friend."

Carly clenched her jaw tight for a moment and stared back at the blonde's blue eyes. In a cold whisper, she replied, "No."

"What do you mean, 'No'?"

The brunette slightly shook her head and replied in that same determined voice, "No."

"No?"

"That's what I said, no."

Sam let out a breath through her mouth in a surprisingly humorous manner, "You can't just say no."

"Yes I can and I'm saying it now, no. I am not going to chose between the two of you. You're my best friend and I want him to be my best friend for real this time. You and I were miserable when Dave and Fleck broke us up and I was the same way when we left Freddie in LA. If you truly love me like I love you, you wouldn't make me chose because I'm not pushing you out. I'm not replacing you."

Sam's frown returned and asked in a similar dismissive tone that reminded the brunette of when they had their fight about Dave and Fleck, "How do I know you're not lying to me? You did it with Missy."

"Missy was trying to push you out, I never did. The only thing I was guilty of was believing a friend in saying she was trying not to get in our way, but just become more the merrier. I should have learned then that friends can lie to me without a second thought."

Sam shook her head and looked to the floor for a moment. "I got to go Carly." She then started walking past the now perplexed looking Carly.

"But you were going to spend the night."

Sam reached the door, but unlike Freddie, she didn't look back. She turned the door knob and called out, "I changed my mind." She then exited the apartment leaving the brunette to feel almost as lonely as she did in Spencer's SUV on their way back to Seattle almost a month ago.

Carly let out a tired breath as her shoulders slumped then shook her head in a defeated gesture.