A/N You've all heard of Newton right? And his Law of Motion? "for every action, there is always an equal and opposite reaction." So most of you thought the last chapter was amazing and perfect and beautiful right? And what would be the equal and opposite reaction? Riiiiight. Buckle up. It's about to get bumpy.

Chapter 25

Assumptions

CPOV

Everyone was being so weird. It felt like I'd stepped into an alternate universe. Aside from not wanting to date me, which was by far the weirdest thing to ever happen ever, Freddie was still being all cryptic about who he was dating. And then Sam was just as cryptic and weird at the salon, and now Spencer was totally weirding me out.

He was talking to his new assistant, who was in our living room, and he was acting like a Spencer from bizzaro land, which is what I had renamed this planet I was currently living on.

"C'mon, one little date!" He begged.

She stood in the living room clicking away on her blackberry and huffed, while I sat on our couch and watched the exchange.

"Spencer. I came back here because you told me you had an emergency. I don't want to go on a date with you. I will be your assistant. I will get you coffee, I will make your appointments, I will even SCHEDULE your dates, but I will not DATE you." She said firmly and tossed her gorgeous, long brown hair over her shoulder.

"Ok, fine, it's not a date; I need someone to assist me while I eat tonight." He pestered.

She looked up at him and clucked her tongue.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" She retorted frostily.

Spencer shook his head violently. "No! I just- I really want to spend some time with you." He replied softly.

She rolled her blue eyes and huffed again. "Ya know, you musicians are all the same. You all think that you're some mighty god's gift to women. Oh! Look at me, I'm a badass guitarist!" She mimicked childishly.

"You might think that I'm in this to become an assistant to a "hot rock star", but I couldn't give two shits about any of that! I have goals. I have dreams too! And it's not to become some sleazy guitarist's girlfriend!" She spat.

"Aren't you, though?" Spencer said smoothly, smirking at her. Okay, my Spencer was back.

"Ya know what, buddy?" She pointed at him angrily. "You can call your manager, and tell him that you need a new assistant, because this one quits!" She shouted and stomped toward the door.

"Rachel!" Spencer shouted, running after her. "Rachel, wait!" He yelled as he followed her out of the apartment.

And there goes my Spencer. MY Spencer would never chase down a girl who saw through his antics! He would simply move on to the next bimbo who hung on his every word.

What was with people today? Sam spent the entire time at the spa telling me intermittently about how great her new boyfriend was, and then would do a complete 180 and tell me how much her opinion about Freddie had changed. I mean, was this boyfriend of hers so amazing that he could change Sam's very outlook on the one person that annoyed her more than anyone? I was dying to meet the guy who had so drastically changed Sam in such a short time, I was seriously impressed.

Even Freddie had changed so much in the short time I'd been gone. I had no idea what Freddie was like in a relationship, since I'd never seen him in one the entire time we'd been friends, but it was clear to me now, that he was more confident, more sure of himself, and just all around, more attractive.

I tried my best to stop thinking of him that way, now that I knew he wasn't available to me, but it was hard. It would just be so convenient if he could get over this other girl and be into me again. He was one of my best friends. We could avoid all that awkwardness that occurred with Dylan and I. We could just skip all that "getting to know you" crap, and go right to the good stuff.

I blushed when I remembered what Sam had told me that her boyfriend said to her. It seemed so… dirty, but at the same time, I pictured Freddie saying it to me, saying MY name… I couldn't help the goose bumps that came over me. It was hard to imagine Freddie like that though, I had a feeling he would be shy and sweet. I can't imagine that he'd ever want to say that kind of thing.

After I had taken my shower and watched the matinee showing of "Days of our Assistants" in my living room, I was bored and Sam had already taken off.

I texted Freddie, wondering what he was doing and turned on The Notebook. I'm a sucker for Ryan Gosling, and that love story is just far too epic. After the movie was over, I checked my phone and still had no response from Freddie.

That's weird. I thought, frowning. He always responds to my texts.

I texted Sam, wondering how long she was going to be out, and put in another favorite chick flick, Dirty Dancing. 80's Patrick Swayze? Yes.

After that movie was over, I checked my phone again. Still nothing. I was starting to get a little worried. It wasn't like either of them to just avoid me completely.

I texted Spencer:

Do u know anything about Sam/Freddie? They're not responding to my texts. Do u think they're ok?

A few minutes later he responded.

IDK kiddo. Give them some time. They'll talk when they're ready.

See? Cryptic and Weird. Why would they need time? What the hell was he talking about?

Frustrated, I gave up and decided to go to bed.

*FPOV*

"We need to stop." I breathed, my hair sticking to me and the sweat pouring off my body. It would be kind of gross if I had obtained this state of perspiration any other way. But knowing that I was hot and sweaty because I'd just spent the last 12 hours in various states of pre or post orgasmic bliss made me not care in the least.

Sure, we slept… some. But it seemed like every time one of us would drift off, the other was waking up with desire overwhelming them. Sometimes the touches were soft, sweet and tentative. They were touches of true exploration and discovery. Other times, the touches were urgent, fervent and passionate. All of them were exquisite.

But now that the sun was coming up, I felt like the time in our little bubble was up. We couldn't put it off anymore.

She hummed in agreement and lifted her head to look into my eyes. Her hair was wild and sticking up in all directions. She looked exhausted, and I smiled knowing the cause of her exhaustion.

"You ready?" She whispered.

I kissed her forehead. "As ready as I'll ever be."

*CPOV*

I woke up, still as confused as ever, but a little less frustrated as I was the night before. Until I checked my phone. Still no messages. I was starting to get a little pissed that neither of my best friends thought enough to let me know they were okay.

I went into the kitchen and made myself a bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and started eating it at the bar.

All of a sudden, Sam walked into the apartment. I was about to admonish her for not calling or texting, but Freddie was walking in directly behind her.

That's odd.

"Hey! Um, thanks for the text last night guys! I was really worried about both of you! What were you doing that had you so distracted that you couldn't even return a stupid text!" I shouted.

They both stammered and blushed and I let out a frustrated grunt.

I brushed it off and went to rinse my bowl.

"So, what are you doing here so early, Freddie?" Freddie didn't usually come over until later in the day.

"We need to talk to you." He said firmly.

This was yesterday's Déjà vu all over again.

I tilted my head to the side. "Ooookay."

I sat back down and looked at Sam. She wasn't looking as catatonic as she did yesterday, but she was biting her lip, something she does when she's really nervous.

"What's going on?" I asked, getting nervous myself.

Freddie looked at Sam, and Sam nodded at him infinitesimally. Like they had their own little language. Well, THAT'S weird.

Before I could process the action any further, Freddie blurted out, "Sam and I are seeing each other."

My mind completely emptied of all thoughts. I blinked rapidly at them, and tried to form a coherent thought.

Sam and Freddie. Freddie and Sam. It didn't make sense. They hate each other. They had to be kidding. Yes, that's it. It was a joke. Laugh Carly, laugh.

I began to laugh manically, hysterically. Tears came to my eyes and I looked at them again. They weren't smiling. They weren't laughing. Sam was biting her lip and Freddie was holding her hand.

Freddie was holding her hand?

Seriously? What planet IS this?

Freddie was with Sam? Sam, my best friend, the one girl that I trusted more than anything in the world. The one girl who truly knew how head over heels Freddie was for me. And she went after him anyway.

Freddie. The one guy that Sam thought she probably couldn't get. All the more reason for her to try and get him. To prove to herself that she could. I knew that every boy she'd ever hooked up with had a girlfriend. She didn't want the responsibility of having a boyfriend, but she wanted the attention. This was, no doubt, how she felt about Freddie. She wanted to hook up with Freddie while I took on all of the girlfriend responsibilities. Well, I was not about to let her hurt him like that. It was obvious just from the sweet and tender way he was holding her hand that he was already starting to fall for her.

"How could you?" I glared at Sam, wondering how she could hurt our best friend like she was. Wondering how she could use him like she used every other guy.

Her eyes snapped up to mine, full of tears and regret. She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it again.

I didn't want to look at her anymore. I couldn't believe she'd stooped to this level. And I couldn't believe that Freddie had fallen for it.

"And you! I thought you had better standards than this! You should want more than… her." I said; my voice full of concern. How could he possibly be okay with just being someone's fool around buddy? Freddie was a hopeless romantic. He wasn't the guy who just wanted cheap thrills in the backseat of a car. I was so disappointed that this was the guy he was turning out to be.

"Carly! That's beneath you!" Freddie hissed at me.

I recoiled; shocked that Freddie would defend Sam's behavior. I guess she had gotten her hooks in him deep.

Sam was glaring at me, no longer full of tears, but full of rage.

"What did you expect?" She asked in an even, yet terrifying tone.

I blinked, not understanding the question.

"Did you just expect him to wait around for you? Did you just think you could keep him at your beck and call, giving him hope when there really was none?" She seethed.

I opened my mouth in shock. Sam was blaming ME for this?

Freddie interjected, "Hey! Don't make me into a lovesick puppy." He said to her, though not as angrily as the way he talked to me. "I knew that she didn't feel that way about me. Even when she didn't see me that way, I still wanted to be her friend."

Sam snapped her glare from me towards him. "Fine."

Freddie looked back at me. "This is ridiculous, Carly. We're all friends here."

I shook my head. "No, a FRIEND wouldn't do this." I spat at Sam, hoping to make her see that using Freddie was not something that I'd ever think was okay.

Sam took a step towards me, like she does when she is trying to intimidate someone. I should have been scared. She could probably kill me in one punch.

But I just shook my head. "I'm not scared of you."

She got in my face. "You should be."

I stood my ground. "Well, I'm not."

"We're so done. I can't believe I was ever friends with such a self centered, conceited bitch." She sneered.

I retaliated. "You're right. We are done. I can't believe I was friends with such a manipulative slut."

Sam pulled her fist back to punch me, but Freddie caught her hand.

"Sam, Sam, Sam, don't." He said, and he pulled her into him, holding her tight and whispering in her ear.

I stood, frozen in place, completely unable to move.

Finally, he kissed her head and she looked up at him over her shoulder and she nodded. She gave me one more cold glare and left the apartment. Leaving Freddie and I alone. It seemed I was performing my very own soap opera today.

He looked up at me, his eyes full of hurt.

"Carly, I thought you said you wanted to see me happy." He said, his voice almost breaking.

I sighed. "I do."

"Then you need to understand that I want Sam. Sam makes me happy." As he said this, I could feel how much he meant it.

I nodded, "I believe you." I said, unable to discredit the conviction in his voice.

"Then what is your problem?" He asked, more irritated than before.

"I don't want to see you get hurt." I said my voice full of concern.

He furrowed his brows. "How would I get hurt?"

Poor Freddie. So naïve. I hated that I was the one who had to tell him this. It was going to break his heart.

"Sam… she isn't right for you, Freddie." I started.

"She isn't like you and I. She wants… different things… out of a… relationship." I hedged, not wanting him to feel bad for what had likely already occurred.

Freddie closed his eyes and shook his head. "You don't understand anything, Carly. It's different with me."

This was going to be harder than I thought.

"Freddie, Sam uses guys. She's using you. She knows that you are too hung up on me to really be available to her and she likes it that way." I said harshly.

Freddie shook his head and smiled, letting out a single chuckle. "Wow. I don't even know what to respond to first."

I sat down and waited patiently.

He took in a breath. "First of all, Carly, I'm over you. You need to understand that. Whether or not I'm with Sam, it's irrelevant. Second of all, I can't believe how judgmental you are of your best friend. Especially considering the fact that you have NO IDEA what you're talking about. You're making assumptions, and they're wrong."

I was livid. Was he so blind that he couldn't even see her history; he couldn't even see what she was doing to him?

"I knew it'd be a shock. Hell, it was a shock to me, but I really thought of all people, you'd be happy for us."

I scoffed. "Why on earth did you think I'd be happy for you?" Not understanding in the least, why he would think I was happy he was being used.

He looked up at me. "If you truly feel the way you say you feel for me, then you'd let me go. You'd be happy for me. If you could only see the way she loves me, then maybe you'd understand."

I was awestruck. My mind was blank again.

"We're your best friends, Carly. Don't do this. Don't screw it up."

At this, I was furious.

"No, Freddie. You screwed this up. When you screwed her." I spat.

At that, he turned on his heel and walked out of the apartment, likely off to find his precious Sam. I just hoped he knew I wasn't going to be around to pick up the pieces.

A/N. I know, I know. But I had to give you something to get the lemon taste out of your mouth.

It only goes up from here, okay?

This may be my shortest chapter yet, but I'm okay with that. It was short, but to the point.

I'm actually having a harder time with the A/N than I am with the whole damn chapter. Is iCarlyAngst running out of witty things to say? Nooo….

First things first, as always, Thanks to my P.I.C (partner in crime) Aussiemma, who writes KISS WITH A FIST. (Go find it if you haven't already…or find it again if you have and haven't reviewed, she's over there threatening your sex life).

I have a request for songs on my profile, go check it out and then PM me your suggestions. :)

Also, shout out to my other PIMP Axel100 who just wrote a GREAT one shot! Keep up the FANTASTIC work brotha!

And finally, thanks to The Earl of Sandwich (Greatest Screen Name Ever, BTW), who gave me the one of the best reviews I've ever had and may have psychoanalyzed me to a "T". "You may have the mind of a kinky teenage boy, but you clearly have the heart of an old-fashioned romantic." Wow. Truer words were never spoken. That's poetic.