Sorry about the wait! Laptop is going crazy right now. lol.


Born For This

After Freddie and I had our talk, we returned to Carly's living room and relaxed on her couch. Freddie wrapped his arm around my shoulders, holding me closer to him, and I didn't mind at all. The sound of his heart beating comforted me almost as much as his warm, guarding arms. Whenever Freddie holds me, I feel so safe from everything. It's almost like, as long as he has his arms around me, nothing can hurt me. Eventually, we'd ended up laying down on the couch, legs and arms intertwined in each other. It was weird that I felt so comfortable with someone this close to me after everything I'd been through, but since it was Freddie, and I did love him like fried chicken, I didn't ponder on it too long.

"Freddie?" I breathed into his neck, "I've been thinking."

He grinned and kissed my forehead, "About?"

"Don't laugh," I smirked, "It's about school."

"Sam Puckett?" He stifled a laugh, "Thinking about school? Are you sure that bullet didn't hit you in your brain?"

I groaned but smiled, "Stop it, Fredward. This is serious chizz."

"Okay, why are you thinking about school?" He asked in a more serious tone, but still in a happy demeanor, "Don't you start back tomorrow?"

"I don't know yet," I sighed, "That's the problem."

He frowned and looked down at me, "Huh?"

"I have a choice…" I bit my lip, "Either I go back to school with you and Carly tomorrow, or I home school for the rest of the semester. Maybe even until we graduate next year. I don't know what I want to do, Freddie."

Freddie sighed, "Well, what do you think would make you happier?"

I shrugged, "I miss giving Gibby wedgies and messing with Mrs. Briggs and Mr. Howard a lot… but… I don't know. Home schooling would be so much easier, you know? I wouldn't have to leave the house and have people talking about me at school and… and…"

"Sam," He sighed, "You're being way too paranoid. Nobody at school has a clue about what really happened to you. Everyone believed the meat factory story pretty easily."

"Yeah," I swallowed hard, "But… what about in gym when I have to change clothes, Freddie? What if people see the scar from the bullet? Or any of the other scars? They'll know we were lying then… they'll all know…"

Freddie sucked in a hard breath before sitting me up to look him directly in the eye, "Stop it, Sam. Look, if anyone wants to question what really happened, I'll take care of it. But no one is going to find out, okay? Besides, I highly doubt Coach Kemp will make you play sports in gym class with your broken arm and messed up shoulder. Not to mention the cracked ribs."

I smiled and batted my eyelashes at him, "You mean Coach Hemp, right?"

"Huh?" He smirked.

"Oh!" I laughed, "You weren't there with Carly and me! We saw Coach Kemp smoking pot behind the school one day while we were looking for Gibby."

Freddie laughed before frowning, "Why were you looking for Gibby?"

I gave him a devious smile, "No reason you can prove."

"Okay…?" He backed off and changed the subject back, "So, will you come back to Ridgeway? Please?"

"You just want me back so you can prove to your AV nerds you got a girlfriend." I smirked, "Wait, lemme rephrase that. You want me back to prove to everyone you date mama." I pointed at my chest proudly.

He looked at the ceiling with a sly grin, "Maybe…"

"Fine," I groaned, "But if anyone starts talking about me, I'm out."

"Yes!" He pumped his fist in a manner I could only describe as 'Spencer-ish'.

I laughed, "Dude, chill."

"But I'm so happy!" Freddie grinned.

"Whatever," I groaned, "Gimme your phone, Fredspaz."

He handed me his spotless PearPhone, "Why do you need it?"

"I gotta call Dr. Warren so she can break the bad news to Ted about me coming back to school," I replied quickly, grabbing it from his outstretched hand.

I ran into the kitchen and ripped the slip of paper from my pocket with Dr. Warren's number on it. Once I had it out, I sat it on the counter and hurriedly typed the number into the phone before holding it up to my ear and waiting for an answer.

"Hello?" Came her tired reply.

I smiled at the sound of her voice, "Hey, Doc. It's Sam."

"Sam!" She sounded happier instantly, "Hey! How have things been so far? I was worried about your transition into living at home again."

I sighed, "I'm fine, Doc. Everyone is taking really good care of me. That's not what I called about though."

"Oh?"

"I wanna… ugh." I swallowed the lump in my throat, "Just tell Ted I'll be at Ridgeway tomorrow. Bright and early, but not prepared or awake."

"You mean Principal Franklin, right?" Dr. Warren laughed, "I'm so happy you're going back to school, Sam!"

"I don't really want to," I muttered in a low voice, "But Freddie thinks it'll be good for me so…"

I could hear the smile in her voice, "Ah, yes. The 'my-boyfriend-is-right-about-everything' phase."

"Watch it, Doc." I groaned, "I know… well, I don't know where you live… but I can find out. I got people."

"Alright," She sighed, "Tell your boo I said hi. And I'll call Principal Franklin in a minute and tell him to keep you enrolled. You'll need to see him in the office in the morning so he can give you a new schedule."

I frowned, "New schedule?"

"Yes," Dr. Warren replied, "You'll need to take a couple of tests and quizzes on the computer to make up for the time you missed for a couple days. But your schedule will go back to normal once you finish all of that."

I groaned, "Fine."

"I'll see you later, Sam." She said, "Remember, Nathan needs a babysitter."

"Goodbye, Doc." I laughed as I hung up the phone.

I walked back into the living room and handed it to Freddie, sitting with him on the couch again and sighing, "I hate you."

"I thought you loved fried chicken!" He whined, putting the phone in his pocket.

I smirked, "Fried chicken is looking kind of bad today. I think I want a meatball sub with extra meat sauce… and maybe a pickle."

"Sam…" He groaned.

"I'm just messing," I giggled, relaxing into his embrace once again, "You know I love fried chicken more than most foods."

"Good," Freddie chuckled, "So, did the phone call go well?"

I nodded, "I'll be at school tomorrow… Ugh."

"What's so 'ugh' about it? School is fun!" He exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes and stifled a laugh, poking him in the stomach playfully, "Honey, only nubs think school is fun…"


"Sammy girl," He whispered in my ear, pulling out of me again, "Just be still, daddy will do the rest."

My bottom lip quivered as I stared up into his icy blue eyes, "N-not again… please? I-It hurts… so much…"

"You should've learnt by now 'please' don't work on me, Sweetie." He laughed, kissing me forcefully on the lips again and groping my breast, "And this shit shouldn't hurt you too bad, Sammy. Sluts don't feel it after awhile."

I gritted my teeth and resisted the urge to cry out, "Why?"

"Why what?" He growled, roughly running his hands down my body.

I whimpered, "W-Why… this?"

He frowned and glared down at me, his eyes less than an inch from mine, "Because I can, Sammy. Why does anyone do anything? Besides, I ain't had a good time like this one in a while. You're good in bed, honey."

I shook my head, shuddering from head to toe. It was so cold in here, and the fact he had me completely naked wasn't helping. My body ached all over, especially in my thighs and lower stomach. I don't want to describe the other place. It'll make this too real. I'm really tired. I wish he'd just stop and let me go to sleep, because then maybe I'd wake up and forget… this. There was blood between my legs. Some of it had dried but a lot of it was still wet and embarrassing. He'd thrust himself into me over and over again for what felt like hours, and it hurt more and more each time. I think he was doing harder each time, at least that's how it felt. If he does it again, I might—

"No!" I cried out in pure agony again, squirming to get away from him and the searing pain in my lower body, "No, no, no! Please stop!"

He pushed into me further, harder and more violent. I sobbed loudly and helplessly, "It hurts! Stop! D-Dadplease!"

When he finally pulled out, I took in a couple of shallow, panicked breaths. The pain slowly began to subside, but I was still really sore down there. I panted and looked up at him fearfully, feeling like some kind of pitiful child. It hurt so much… I can't do that again… Not again

"What did I say 'bout being quiet, Sammy? Huh? What the fuck did I say!" He demanded.

I yelped as his open hand came into contact with my cheek, "Hurt… m-me and m-mom."

"And Melanie," He smirked, "You forgot Melanie you lil slut."

"M-Melanie ain't here," I choked out.

He put his hand around my throat and held it there, "What'd you say, Sammy?"

I swallowed hard, "N-Nothing…"

"Good girl," He smirked, kissing me on the cheek.

"P-Please… n-no more…" I begged him in desperation, my voice wavered.

He laughed, "I decide when we're done, not you."

"Sam?" I was awoken by someone slowly shaking my shoulder, "You alright?"

I looked up at Spencer and realized I was curled in a ball once again, with tears streaming down my cheeks and my hands stuck between my legs. My body was still shaking uncontrollably from my dream. I knew it wasn't a dream however. None of my dreams are actually dreams anymore… just memories. Really bad memories.

"I'm good," I shuddered, wiping my eyes, "Thanks for waking me up…"

He sighed, "Don't put up a front for me, Sam. If you're not okay, say so."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and leaned into him, "I'm… not okay… I'm tired of dreaming about it, Spencer… It's bad enough I think about it all the time."

"I know," Spencer rubbed my back, allowing me to silently cry into his chest, "I know."

"How do I make them stop?" I begged him desperately, "I can't take it anymore, Spencer…"

He breathed slowly, "I don't know… But I'll help you, Sam. I've made your nightmares go away before, remember?"

The memory of accidentally beating up Spencer's internal organs with a kitchen spoon flooded my mind, pushing the bad thoughts away instantly. I smiled up at him, "How could I forget?"

"See," He played with the fingers sticking out of my cast, "You're okay, Sam-I-ham."

A veil of happiness fell upon my face, "Thanks, Spence… I don't know what I'd do without you."

He shrugged with a hard grin, "Be sad, alone, and not have a totally awesome meatball sculpture!"

"Exactly," I laughed, "So, did you cook anything? I'm craving some ham and bacon now."

He gave me an odd look before nodding and leading me into the kitchen, "I one-upped you, kiddo! I've got Canadian bacon!"

I frowned, wanting to figure out that stupid look he gave me, "Okay?"

"It's like bacon, and ham!" He exclaimed, "I went all the way to Canada last week just to get another box of this stuff!"

I nodded and sat in a stool, "Just bring mama the meat."

Spencer chuckled and pulled a few pieces off a big plate and put them on a smaller one for me, "Here ya go, sis."

"Thanks, bro." I smirked, stuffing a couple pieces into my mouth instantly, "This… good."

He smiled, "Thought so."

After I finished chewing on the heavenly bacon-ham from Canada, I gave Spencer a hard stare. He didn't notice at first, but when he did, he stared right back, resisting a smile.

"Spence?" I frowned, looking down at my empty plate again, "Why'd you look at me weird earlier?"

"Weird?" He shrugged his shoulders, piling more Canadian bacon on my plate, "I don't know—"

I groaned, "When I asked if you had food, Spencer. You gave me this… look. Why?"

He sighed, "You want this straight-up?"

"Duh," I nodded.

"Okay, well, to tell you the truth, I'm really not used to seeing you so… vulnerable." Spencer breathed "Before you get mad at me for saying this, it's not a bad thing. If anything, it's healthy. It's nice to see you expressing an emotion besides anger at Freddie or happiness about meat."

I looked at the floor, "I'm vulnerable?"

He shrugged, "More or less. But, Sam, everyone is vulnerable. I'm vulnerable, Carly is, even your little hubby Fredward has his vulnerable moments. It's what makes a person human."

"It's really weird living with you and Carly," I exhaled, "This whole 'heart-to-heart' thing… so not my style."

"What is your style then?" He asked curiously.

I shrugged, answering him more seriously and truthfully than I meant to, "If you ignored me and started smacking me around when I screw up, that would be pretty normal for me. It's what mom used to do. Oh, and you'd have to be pretty wasted too, Spence. Like, totally fucked up all the time."

"Sam…"

I blinked and realized what I'd said, shaking my head nervously, "Don't sweat it, Dude. All of that is in the past now."

Spencer had pain in his eyes, "You never told me your mother hit you… just that she didn't feed you or pay any attention to you."

"Some secrets are better left alone," I sighed, "But, seriously dude, it's no reason to get all sad and stuff. I got school all day to be sad at."

He smiled and saluted me, "Yes, Ma'm."

"That's better!" I exclaimed, "Now, where's Carly? I need to get in her room and find where she put all my clothes."

"I think she's in the shower," He replied, "She ate breakfast while you were sleeping."

The color drained from my face, "She didn't see me having a nightmare… did she?"

"I sent her off when I saw you getting bad," He frowned, "And when you started whispering to yourself."

"What did I say?" I asked curiously.

Spencer bit his lip, "You said 'it hurts' a lot. And 'no'. Was He… you know?"

I nodded and twiddled my thumbs solemnly, "It was the first time… that one was the worst, Spencer. I was so… it just hurt so much."

"It wasn't a dream," He sighed to himself.

I shook my head before getting up from the stool, "I'm gonna go get ready for school now. Save me some more Canadian bacon."

"Okay?" He frowned.

I turned and ran upstairs to Carly's room. After hearing the upstairs shower running, I let myself into her room without hesitation. The bright colors of her room had me drowsily rubbing my eyes. When I scanned the room, I didn't know where to look for my clothes. I decided to check the closet and drawers until I found something of mine. And if I didn't find some of my own clothes, Carly wouldn't mind me wearing hers.

The water in the bathroom shut off, so I knew she'd be on her way in here pretty soon. I hurriedly began checking drawers until I found a pair of my black jeans and a gray tank top. I 'borrowed' one of Carly's Penny-Tee's to wear too. Once I had my clothes balanced on my casted arm, I rushed out of the room before Carly got there. She didn't like people besides Spencer seeing her in her bathrobe. The only times I've seen her not dressed, are the rare times she's woken up late or lost what she was going to wear.

I went back downstairs and decided to get dressed in the bathroom down there. Maybe Spencer could help me put the tee shirt on over my cast. There's no way I'll be allowed to parade around in just a tank top all day at school. Though, if Gibby can be shirtless…

I smiled as I entered the bathroom, putting my clothes on the counter beside the sink and undressing myself quickly, considering I had a broken arm and cracked ribs. Once I was down to my boxers and the bra I'd never taken off last night, I pulled the tank over my head with little difficulty and began to put my jeans on as well. I had to sit on the side of the tub to get those on, which really sucked.

When I had myself dressed, except for the Penny Tee of course, I exited the bathroom and went back to the living room to find a fully dressed Carly Shay plopped down on the couch.

"Morning, Carls." I greeted her, holding up the shirt, "Can you help me with this?"

"Isn't that mine?" She frowned before smiling, "Whatever, come here."

I trudged over to her and handed her the Penny Tee. She stood up and helped me pull the shirt over my head with ease before forcing my arms through the sleeves. We almost ripped one of the sleeves pushing the cast through it.

Carly sighed relief once it was on me, "Looking good, Sam."

I shrugged, "I'm trying."

"Where's your sling?" Carly asked.

I groaned, "I'm not wearing that dumb thing all day at school, Carls."

"Yes you are," Her motherly instincts took over, "Where'd you hide it, Sam?"

I refused to look at her. Carly sighed and walked across the room, "Fridge." She muttered under her breath.

"No!" I shouted quickly, "It's not in—"

"Found it," She interrupted me, "Nice hiding spot, Sam."

"I'm not using it," I repeated, "Nope, nope, nope."

Carly groaned, "Do you ever want to get better?"

"Yeah," I sighed, "But not from wearing that stupid thing."

She frowned, "Come on, Sam. Don't be a baby."

"I'm not being a baby," I whined, "I'm being stubborn. There's a difference."

Carly got a twinkle in her eye, "I'll tell Freddie you won't wear it…"

"So?"

"So," She continued with a smirk, "He'll make you use it. We both know you guys are totally 'in like' right now."

I frowned, "In 'like'? What the fudge, Shay?"

She laughed, "It means you guys probably love each other but you haven't been dating long enough to really be in love. Two people can't love each other after being together for like a week."

"Technically," I smirked, "It's been a couple of weeks. He's been all over be ever since that day he walked with me home from school and packed my stuff for me. I consider that our first 'thing'."

"Whatever," Carly waved me off, "Since you guys are 'in like', it'll be easy for me to get Freddie to convince you to wear the sling."

I pouted in defeat, "Do I gotta wear it all day?"

"No," She smiled, putting the strap around my shoulder, "Just whenever I'm around… or Freddie is."

"If you weren't my best friend…" I muttered as she helped set my casted arm in the sling carefully.

Carly gasped suddenly, "Sam, you know what I forgot?"

"Humor me," I smiled.

"We need to sign your cast!" She exclaimed, running to the kitchen in search of a marker, "Remember when we were little and we always said if one of us broke a bone and got to wear a cast we'd sign it? Remember!"

I laughed, "Yeah, I do."

She ran back into the living room with a black marker, "Got it!"

"Just don't draw a bunny on here," I stifled a laugh, "We don't want to make my arm worse with your 'art' skills."

Carly pouted, "Are you saying I can't draw?"

I smirked, "Come on, Carls… even you said that bunny was awful."

"Okay, okay." She sighed, "I won't draw anything… except some cute little hearts! I can do those!"

"Carly," I groaned, "Don't make my cast look all frilly and girly. That's a warning."

She sighed, "Fine… just a couple…"

"Good girl," I grinned as she began to draw on the blue cast.

She bit her lip in concentration while I smiled up at her, "It's hard drawing on this thing."

"No chizz," I smirked, "Hey, Carls? Where's Freddie? I thought he would have been over here by now."

"Oh," She sighed and moved the marker to a different place on my arm, "He got in trouble with his mom this morning for being out too late last night. She's probably still in there yelling at him. Poor guy."

I frowned, "But he was here, with me."

"Yeah," Carly smiled, "But you know, his mom isn't exactly normal."

"You got that right," I smirked, looking down at the place she was doodling on, "You done yet, Picasso?"

She laughed, "Almost… just let me… there!"

I looked down at my cast and realized she'd drawn all over where my wrist is instead of writing anything. But instead of the hearts and flowers I'd expected, I saw a few doodles of bacon slices and a cartoon pig face. For Carly drawing them, they looked pretty good.

"How long did you practice drawing that?" I giggled.

She shrugged, "Not too long… Spencer is a really good art teacher when he's not acting all crazy and stuff."

The door of the apartment opened suddenly, revealing my brown-haired, brown-eyed boyfriend wearing one of his signature blue polo's and a simple pair of shorts, "Buenos días, chicas!"

"Fredward! We aren't done talking—" He quickly slammed the door and gave us an exasperated look.

"Fun morning?" I smirked.

He walked over to me immediately and embraced me in a soft hug, "You could say that…"

"Aw," Carly cooed, putting the marker on the counter, "You guys are too cute."

"Watch it, Shay." I said to her as I pulled away from Freddie.

She put her hands in the air and walked away, "I am…"

"How'd you sleep?" He asked once Carly was out of earshot.

I shrugged and looked away, "Okay…"

"Sam…" He groaned, holding my shoulders, "We talked about this last night."

"Fine," I sighed staring up into his chocolate eyes, "I had another nightmare… about you-know-who."

Freddie gritted his teeth and I could see the anger boiling up in him, "Was it a nightmare… or one of those flashback-memory type things? Dr. Warren said that's what most of your dreams have been."

I breathed, "That's all my dreams have been."

He nodded and kissed my forehead, an action I unwillingly flinched away from. After last night's dream, I feel like I've been thrown back into two weeks ago when I couldn't be touched at all.

"Sorry," I murmured, "It's just…"

"I understand," Freddie smiled, "Don't be sorry for something you can't control."

My face brightened, "Thank you, Freddie."

Carly re-entered the room and coughed to get our attention. We turned to her to see her grinning like an idiot at our closeness, "I hate to break this adorable moment up, but we're going to be late for school."

"Right," Freddie nodded, "Sam?"

I stepped away from him and ran my fingers through my hair, "Yeah… let's go."

"Don't you need… school stuff?" He asked with a smile.

I playfully smacked his cheek, "Oh, Freddifer. Don't tell me you've forgotten that I don't care about school?"

He gave me a sly smile, "Have you forgotten that I do care?"

"Just because I'm dating a tech-nerd does not mean I'm going to start being all smart and stuff." I explained with a laugh.

"Tech-nerd?" He whined.

I batted my eyelashes, "A cute tech-nerd."

"Can we go now?" Carly groaned, "Watching you guys get lovey-dovey keeps reminding me I'm alone…"

"You should ask Griffin out again," I suggested, holding Freddie's hand at my side lovingly, "Then we can be disgusted at you two all over again. Besides, that Pee-Wee Baby thing was pretty cute. It means he has a sensitive side, Carls."

She grinned and I knew I'd cheered her up, "You're a genius, Sam."

I shrugged, "I try."

"Spencer!" Carly screamed, "We're leaving!"

"I am in the bathtub!" He shouted back from a faraway place.

We laughed as Carly yelled, "I don't care! I'm going to school!"

"Well I don't care either!" Spencer whined back while the three of us continued laughing, "Have fun at your dumb school!"

"Have fun in your dumb bathtub!" Carly screamed back with a giggle.

Freddie and I hustled out of the apartment into the hallway in front of Carly. She locked the door behind us as we left, and pulled her backpack over her shoulder. Freddie did the same with the bag he'd left outside his apartment.

"You ready?" He asked me as we walked down the hall together, Carly and I had our arms linked and I was holding onto Freddie's hand for dear life.

"I guess," I sighed, "You guys better stay with me all day though… or else things might get bad."

Freddie smiled, "Why would we leave you, Sam?"

Carly agreed, "Yeah, you're my sister and Freddie's beautiful girlfriend. Leaving you would be the biggest mistake of our lives."

"You guys rock," I smirked as Freddie punched the button on the elevator.

"We know," They said in unison.

I laughed, "This might not be so bad after all."


"This sucks," I grumbled as we walked into the front doors of Ridgeway High School, "Take me home?"

Carly frowned, "No. You gotta do this, Sam."

"No I don't," I shook my head, eyeing Mr. Howard standing beside the door, "I'll home school..."

"Sam," Freddie whispered before pulling me into a soft hug and giving me a short peck on the lips, making me dizzy with affection, "You'll be fine."

I nodded faintly, "Yeah…"

"Freddie," Carly smiled, "That's so unfair."

"What?" He frowned.

She laughed, "Using Sam being in like with you against her."

"In like?"

I smirked, "Skip it."

"Whatever," He grabbed my hand and began to gently pull inside the school.

Carly walked beside me as well, and as we stepped inside the hallway, the familiar scents of bad lunches and cheap air freshener filled my nostrils. Mr. Howard gave me an angered look, and I felt instantly welcomed back. Teachers hating on me made me feel like old-Sam again. It was the best feeling I'd had in a while, walking into school. I never realized how much my hate for school had caused me to miss it.

"Well?" Carly smiled.

I looked from her to our lockers down the hall, "I missed this…"

"Freddie?" Carly said, "I'll take it from here."

"But she's my girlfriend," He whined.

Carly breathed, "She's my legal sister, so I win."

I frowned and looked at the both of them, "You guys aren't seriously arguing over me, are you?"

"Sorry," They said in unison.

"Come on, Carls." I sighed, grabbing her arm, "I'll see you at lunch, Freddie-boo."

He smiled and kissed me on the cheek, "I guess. Love you."

I smirked, "I love fried chicken."

"Huh?" Carly frowned.

"I'll explain later, Carls." I giggled, pulling her and I away from Freddie.

She grinned, "You guys are adorable."

I shrugged, "I guess so."

Carly and me walked down the hallway to our lockers, ignoring the stares from other students directed at me. I didn't know why they kept looking at me, but I decided to try not care about it.

"You remember your combination?" Carly asked with a smile, blocking me with her body from the looks of the other students.

"Of course," I said, leaning against the locker and sighing, "But I gotta go talk to Ted after the second bell anyways, so I'm just gonna skip getting anything out of my locker."

She nodded, opening her own, "That makes sense."

"Why is everyone looking at me?" I whispered, "It feels… weird."

Carly snorted, pulling a pre-cal book out, "It might have something to do with you and 'Freddie-boo'."

"If I knew dating the nub would be like this…" I breathed, my head resting on the locker, "I would've said no."

"Sam," Carly sighed, shutting her locker, "Don't worry about it. I think everyone is just in shock that your going out with a boy that, less than a couple weeks ago, you were beating the chizz out of daily."

I laughed, "Oh… that's probably it."

"Yeah," She smiled, "So, are you going to Principal Franklin's office yet?"

"No," I snorted, "I got business to attend to. Where's Gibby?"

She frowned, "You're not giving Gibby a wedgie on your first day back at school."

"But that takes out all the fun of coming back!" I whined.

"No," She pointed at my face and started speaking in the 'mom voice'.

I groaned and kicked the locker, "Whatever…"

"Sam!" A voice called out suddenly.

I looked over my shoulder, and the devious grin I'd lost for some time came back instantly, "Gibby!"

"Sam…" Carly muttered but I ignored her.

"Hey, Sam!" He said, immediately wrapping his arms around me and hugging me tightly, my feet leaving the ground.

I gritted my teeth, "Ow, Gib?"

"Sorry," He muttered, setting me back down.

Just as I felt his grip around me soften, my good arm flew though the air until I caught the elastic of Gibby's underwear. As soon as I felt the fabric on my fingers, I pulled with all my might. Considering I was down one arm, it was really hard to do, but I gave him a pretty awesome wedgie regardless. A wedgie old-Sam would have been very proud of.

"Sam!" He screamed, "Let me go!"

After a couple seconds of agonized screams from Gibby and being ordered to stop by Carly, I released him. When I pulled my arm back, Gibby instantly hugged me again, catching me completely off-guard.

"Dude?" I frowned, "Shouldn't you be running away screaming?"

"I missed your wedgies!" Gibby exclaimed, "The ones the jocks gave me while you were gone hurt so much worse!"

I laughed, "You're kidding?"

He let me go and smiled, "Nope. Texas wedgies are Hell."

"Gibby," I giggled, "You're a freak."

At that moment, he pulled his shirt off and began to walk away, "See ya later, Sam!"

Carly was standing in front of the locker with her mouth basically hitting the floor, "That… was by far the weirdest thing I've witnessed in my entire life."

"It was Gibby," I shrugged with a smirk, "What'd you expect, Carls?"

The bell rang, and Carly gave me a quick hug before running off to class. I smiled and watched her leave before turning and going to the principal's office. Sometimes I think of it as my third home, third after Carly's apartment and my old house, but nowadays I guess it's number two. For the first time in so long, I walked inside to find Principal Franklin typing away at his computer. I smiled at the sight of him. In the same way that I always thought of Carly and Spencer as my siblings, Principal Franklin had been my father figure. For a guy who was always handing me detention slips, he always seemed to be ready to give me advice on anything I needed. I guessed that's why he'd felt so guilty about everything that had happened, because I was basically his surrogate-daughter.

"Sup, Ted?" I greeted the man with a smile, running a hand through my long blonde locks.

He looked up from his work and grinned, "Sam?"

"In the flesh," I smirked, looking down at myself.

Principal Franklin stood up and walked over to me, "I'd give you a hug, but that would be unprofessional—"

Before he could finish his sentence, I wrapped my own working arm around him and dug my face into his chest, "Don't worry about it."

"Oh, Sam…" He sighed, wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

I smiled up at him, "It wasn't your fault, Ted. None of what happened was your fault."

He nodded and messed with my hair, "Your doctor told me you said that."

"It's true," I smirked, releasing him.

Principal Franklin chuckled, returning to his desk as I plopped down in my regular seat, "You're doing so much better than the last time I had you in here."

"Thanks for noticing," I sighed, leaning back in the chair as a feeling of happiness and normalcy ran over me, "I'm feeling a whole lot better than I was the last time you saw me, Ted."

He smiled at me and began speaking, but I became so lost in my own thoughts I didn't hear him. It was odd being back at school with a broken arm covered in bacon doodles and a cartoon pig, it was weird staying at Carly's house full-time, and it was definitely abnormal that I was going out with a boy I originally hated. But, somehow, all of these things have happened. Deep down, I knew that I probably had my biological father to thank for all of this. If I had never been raped by him, nothing would have changed, and I would still be old-Sam. I think new-Sam is a lot better than old-Sam. I can still give wedgies, and eat meat like a grown man, but I can also have feelings and talk to people when something is bothering me. But, the best part in all of this, is the fact that the unrequited feelings I'd harbored for Freddie for years had finally been returned.

In the end, I think that's all I've ever wanted: somebody to love me.


:)

One more chapter you guys.

This one was hard to write for some reason... idk. I'm not very happy with it, but I made you guys wait forever so I just went ahead and posted it. Hopefully y'all liked it more than I did.

BTW Thanks for all the reviews! I have 200+ and I'm just all proud and stuffs. lol. For a first story EVER on here, I think that's pretty good. lol.

Next chapter will probably be an epilogue type thingy. lol. It won't be too far into the future, but far enough.

Review? Maybe? Pleez? :D

Not beggin', just askin'!