Chapter 48
In this chapter we're going to meet up with not only a few people from Freddie's past but a character from the new show. Did everyone get the couple of references to the new show in the last chapter? Oh, and Freddie's going to have a bit of a panic attack.
It was time for the reunion and the four had met up in Sam and Carly's apartment for the big event. Alex was at home with Marissa and the younger people all figured on an evening of letting their hair down and enjoying themselves.
The doorbell rang and Feddie turned to answer it since he was closest.
"Gibb-beh!" Their old friend stepped inside and announced his presence.
"Dude!" Freddie greeted him with a bro-hug. "How you been, man?"
"Livin' the dream, my friend." He stated. "Damn, you're hanging out with a whole apartment full of hot chicks? When did nerdy Freddie Benson suddenly become Hugh Hefner?"
Carly blushed, Melanie wasn't sure how to react but Sam took the bull by the horns, walked over to him, and prompty punched him in the gut, loosening the cummerbund of his tuxedo.
"Uh, hey Sam." Gibby gasped. "Damn, you still pack a punch."
"Now that that's out of the way." She smirked. "Good to see you."
"What was that for?" He asked.
"For ogling all three of us and thinking Frednuts is even looking at women other than me."
Suddenly, Gibby caught glimpse of Sam's left hand. "Holy crabs! Sam, are you two . . . ? I knew you were going out but that's a heckuva rock."
"You might as well sit down, Gibby. We've got a little time before we have to leave for the reunion." Carly now greeted him, trying to deflect Sam.
"So tell me about this ring deal." He kept pushing Sam.
"I told you the other week when we did video chat, Gibby." Freddie told him.
"Yeah but you didn't say the rock was the size of a golf ball."
"Alright, anyway." Sam said. "Before I have to give you a wedgie in your monkey suit, let's talk abut something else."
"When's the big day or didn't you set a date yet?" Gibby pushed on.
"We, uh, haven't gotten that far." Freddie begged off. This was a source of contention between the two. Since he never had a big, elaborate wedding with Melanie, Freddie wanted to go all out. Sam, however, wanted to keep it simple, much to Carly's dismay who was looking forward to planning a big wedding and had herself convinced she would never have one of her own.
Sam simply glared at Freddie. He had been dragging his feet hoping she'd give in and agree to the whole deal.
Melanie wasted no time in stepping in. "Hey Gibby. How've you been. I haven't seen you since graduation. Is that a new tux? You've really slimmed down."
Sam and Carly just looked at each other. They knew what was going on.
"Oh, uh, yeah." Gibby responded, very nervous that his old friend's ex-wife was obviously flirting with him. "I got chocolate on my old one."
After a little while chatting, it was time for everyone to leave for their event. Sam, Freddie and Carly rode together and Melanie invited Gibby to ride with her. This did not go unnoticed by the others.
"Keep an eye in that mirror, Fredstumps. If that car isn't right behind us, I'm going to worry."
"I'm sure Melanie can find her way to the high school, Sam." He replied.
"Yeah, and if they get lost it's hard to tell what they'll be doing by the time they show up." Carly added from the back seat. "I can't really blame her though. I've got to admit Gibby's looking good."
"Oh my God! Please don't put those thoughts in my head." Sam cracked.
"You guys! Mel and Gibby aren't going to be making out in some gas station parking lot along the way." Freddie scolded.
"Psh, you don't know that. He's a pretty slick operator from what I remember in high school and Mel's gotta be a little backed up. She hasn't even had a date in what, five, six months?"
Carly nodded in agreement, she was having a 'dry spell' herself. Besides, she was more than slightly attracted to Gibby. There was something about a man in a tuxedo.
"I really don't keep track of how many dates my ex goes on, thank you very much." Freddie responded as he pulled into the parking lot of the high school.
The three got out of the vehicle just as Melanie pulled in beside them. "Oh thank God." Sam breathed a sigh of relief.
It was clear that Gibby had no interest in Melanie but Carly soon made it clear she was interested in him. The five found their way to a table and soon were approached by several of their old friends and classmates. Freddie was trying to keep an eye out for several people he wished to avoid. Namely Wendy and her husband as well as Valerie, due to the summer he spent with both of them ten years earlier.
Melanie had no trouble finding people to interact with, and more than one of the guys they went to school with asked her to dance, even guys who were married. Both Carly and Gibby were relieved by this and soon they found themselves off in their own world only occasionally interrupted by former classmates, most of which were asking when they were going to make new iCarly material.
"Well if it isn't the Bensons." Before the evening was out, Wendy managed to sneak up on Sam and Freddie. "Good to see you Blondie."
"Not a crazy Benson yet, Red." Sam told her. "But we're getting there." She displayed the ring on her left hand.
"Hmph, I was sort of joking, but I always figured you two would get back together. Hey, did you want to see a picture of my kids?" She wasted no time in whipping out her phone and showing off pictures to Sam. Soon the two women delved deep into conversation, ignoring their significant others.
Her husband, a man of about 6 foot 5 and no less than 240 pounds, who was not so much of a talker, finally said a few words to Freddie quietly. "She's done that with everybody we've talked to. You can be glad you don't have any kids or yours would be showing them off, too."
"Well, we don't have any together but I have a daughter from before I was together with Sam." He now flashed a picture of him, Alex and the Puckett sisters to this man.
"Oh, you're that Freddie?" The fellow now verified with wide eyes. "Dang, dude. Your reputation precedes you." He smirked with a fake bow.
"It - it does?" He answered quietly, not sure what was meant by this statement.
"Yeah, Wendy told me about you."
Freddie gulped, was this mountain of a man aware Freddie had been in a friends with benefits arrangements with his wife? Did he care? It was years ago after all.
"I admit you don't look like a player but then again look at that Gibby dude. He was a big old marshmallow in high school by the looks of the yearbook but he's apparently got something going on. The chicks have been practically lined up to see him all night. That brunette seems like she has a pretty good grip on him."
"Oh, uh, well you've got to know Carly." Freddie quietly responded with a chuckle. "Say, how'd you and Wendy meet anyway?"
"She was a summer intern at the accounting firm I work for the summer after she got her degree. I understand you and Sam were pretty much an item since ninth grade."
"Not really, not the whole time. So, you're an accountant? Any investment tips?"
"I work for the state now." He shook his head. "I guess we all had those times in college though, right man? Still, gotta give you props for the sister act. Good one, bro. I almost had a threesome with two cheerleaders in college. I was a little drunk and can't remember a thing past the two of them making out."
Again Freddie gulped. "Listen,I don't know what Wendy told you but I really wasn't that kind of guy.
"Heh, yeah right. None us were, right pal?" He nudged Freddie and gave him a playful pat on the back. "You want to get another beer?"
"Come on, Curtis." Wendy was soon pulling on the big man's arm. "Let Freddie and Sam get something to eat. I want to see if Marcia the head cheerleader remembers me. She's the one I hit in the eye with the golf ball that time."
"That was interesting." Freddie said to Sam once they were alone.
"Don't tell me you were all worried about seeing Wendy after your little tryst in college."
"Well, actually I was more worried abut whether she told her husband about it." He fussed. "Did you see the size of that guy?"
"Yeah, he'd probably crush you with one foot." Sam chuckled. "Come on. Let's go get something to eat before the food gets all or someone else stops us."
As they were leaving the buffet area, Sam turned fast and ran right into Valerie. She was aware of the whole story of what happened between her and Freddie. Still, she wasn't completely happy about what Valerie had attempted way back in middle school even though his revenge seemed harsh in the grand scheme of things..
"Valerie." Sam glared at her name tag just as Freddie turned himself and saw the woman he had taken advantage of that time after freshman year of college. "Fredward look, it's Valerie." The blonde said with the fakest of smiles plastered on her face.
"Oh, uh, hey Valerie." Freddie was nervous and still ashamed of himself and had trouble making eye contact.
"Hi, Freddie." Valerie responded, seemingly not upset to the point of attacking him. "It, uh, it's been a while. How's it going?"
"Yeah, um, a while. So, the important question is how've you been?" Sam tried to step in, put on a sociopath's happy face and distract this woman.
"Oh, good. Great actually. I live in Nebraska now, I got a job after college down there. Got engaged then married. I, uh, have 2 kids." For some reason she needed to make this known and showed off a picture, just like everyone was doing. Sam and Freddie looked at the picture on her phone not sure what to say. One was considerably older than the other, probably close the same age as Alex and the other appeared not even old enough for school.
Freddie gulped and Sam flushed. She was well aware of his one night stand with this woman, so it wouldn't come as any shock that he got her pregnant, too. And her demeanor would suggest that she had something to hide around him.
"So, you got a job in Nebraska? What do you do?" Sam asked.
She wasted no time in swiping to another picture on her phone. "Val the weather gal. Channel 43, Plains Nebraska." She proudly announced. "I do the weekend forecast and any time the regular weather guy is on vacation I get the main broadcast at 6 and 11. Been at the station for almost 3 years now."
"Good for you." Sam replied as Freddie just stood there. "Well, Fredward here works for Zaplook, he's one of the app development heads and I work at the car dealership down on 32nd street."
"Wow, so you two are both still in Seatle? Nice. I'm guessing you're together. Any kids?" Valerie asked, now talking directly to Sam.
Without disclosing anything too much, Sam showed off a picture of herself, Freddie and Alex taken the day he proposed.
"Aw, such a cute family. Wow, your kid looks just like you, Sam. What's her name?"
'Why wouldn't she? She's my twin's kid.' Sam thought to herself, but chose not to correct the brunette.
"Alex." Sam proudly said. "She just turned nine. She is such an angel."
"Aww, that's how old my Devon is." Val said. "His birthday was just last month."
Now Freddie got tunnel vision.
"That's when Alex's birthday is. What a coincidence." Sam replied with her goody two shoes tone that Freddie knew was as fake as Valerie's.
"I really didn't know you and Freddie had gotten together that long ago. I mean, he was dating your sister when we graduated."
"Eh, you know me and Fredlove here, we've been on again, off again since about ninth grade but this time, it's permanent, right baby?" She showed off her engagement ring and took his hand with the other to find it cold and clammy.
He quickly snapped out of his thoughts. "Yep." He nodded to Sam's question. "Seddie forever."
"Hey, been nice talking to you, Valerie. We need to go find Carly and Gibby and make sure they're staying out of trouble." Sam interjected and pulled his hand.
"I saw them dancing a bit ago." He said.
"That's the kind of trouble we're trying to avoid." Sam cracked. "Come on, Fredward."
"Right. Um, bye Valerie." He said as they walked away.
"Geez, you're welcome for taking the heat and saving you, Mr. Awkwardness." Sam cracked. "Too bad you couldn't act normal around any of these girls you had flings with in college."
"Her-her kid."
"Yeah, she has two. Just like Wendy and Brad do and Jessica and Taureen and even that weird Kevin dude who was in your train club." Sam suddenly thought of something else. "But I guess we'll never say that, will we."
He sensed the sudden shift to sadness in her tone and took her hand. "Sam, you OK?"
"Yeah, but the question is are you?"
"With your issue, you know I am. I told you that from long before we even started dating again."
"Not with that. With Valerie? With her kid." She asked.
He just looked awestruck. So Sam caught this fact, too.
"Oh, come on. Her kid is the exact same age as Alex. That means she got knocked up the exact same time you gave it to Mel. Which, if you told me the truth, was like days after you screwed Valerie. So unless she had other boyfriends, and again, if you told me the truth and she told you the truth, you were her first, that kid . . . "
So, is Sam onto something or is she just getting Freddie all whipped up for nothing?
