iTell
It was week two of driver's ed, Monday afternoon, and the class was getting all of last week's graded quizzes passed back so they could see their mistakes and learn from them. Some kids hadn't been able to handle the demanding class structure, so quite a few chairs were empty.
Not Carly, Sam, or Freddie, though. Nope, they were all determined to stick it out and get their driver's licenses. Especially Freddie and Sam, due to their bet. Both kids were equally confident about their chances of winning, but Freddie was hoping to get a leg up on Sam as they received their corrected quizzes.
"Nice job, Freddie," Wendy complimented him as she handed him one of last week's quizzes. The most recent one, it seemed, as it had last Friday's date up in the right-hand corner.
"Thanks, Wendy," he said, noticing the grade at the top: one-hundred percent. Smiling smugly, he turned to Sam, holding his paper up and ready to boast.
"Look what I got on Friday's quiz," he bragged. "A perfect score. Which is probably a lot better than you did."
"Go suck a pickle, whizz pants," Sam replied absently, awaiting her own assessment. She'd gotten all of last week's quizzes back except for Friday's, and wanted to make sure that score was a one-hundred, too, because she really wanted to shut Freddie up, as he'd shoved each paper in her face and gloated about his grades as soon as they'd landed on his desk. It was taking all of her self-control not to reach across Carly's desk, which separated the two, and throttle him to death. From the annoyed look on Carly's face each time Freddie got a paper back, it didn't seem like she'd mind that much, either.
"Good work, Carly," Wendy praised, giving Carly her own quiz.
"Thanks," she said, checking her own grade. Another one-hundred for her, as well. So far, the three of them had all gotten perfect scores on last week's assessments. Now they just needed to see Sam's last quiz to see if that trend kept up.
Finally, Wendy approached Sam's desk, her quiz one of the last in her hand.
"Not bad, Sam," she said, depositing it in front of the girl. Sam immediately snatched it up and checked the grade.
"What?! No way?!" she cried.
"What, what is it?! I wanna see!" Freddie replied, jumping up to check Sam's quiz and nearly knocking Carly out of her seat in the process. "Oh my…yes! A nine out of ten! This is great! Take that, you blonde-headed jerk!"
I guess I was right, Carly thought, reminded of last week when she'd scolded Sam for not studying. She needs to put in at least a little bit of effort.
"Stuff it, nub!" Sam practically snarled, standing up roughly and shoving Freddie out of the way. Not paying attention to the thud and the oof sound he made when he hit the floor, she walked over to his desk and snatched up his paper, comparing their quizzes.
"Owww," Freddie groaned, rolling over to see Sam standing at his desk, holding one of his paper's up. "Hey, what're you-"
"Mr. Calderon!" Sam yelled, cutting Freddie off.
"What's up, Sam?" he asked from his desk at the front of the room.
"I think you messed up when you were grading Friday's quiz," she said.
"Really?" Mr. Calderon asked, standing up. "Let me take a look."
Freddie propped himself up, putting his arms out behind him as he watched Mr. Calderon walk over to Sam and check out the two papers she held in her hand.
"See, you mixed up "odometer" and "speedometer,"" she pointed out. "The speedometer indicates how fast the vehicle is moving, while the odometer measures the total distance the vehicle's driven."
"Hmm," he said, scratching his chin as he looked down at the two papers. "It seems as though you're right, Sam. I did make a mistake. Hey, class!" he called, getting everyone's attention. "If you put 'B' for number six on Friday's quiz, it's actually wrong. The correct answer is 'C.' Please everyone pass that quiz to the front so I can enter in the correct grade."
He looked back down at Sam. "Thanks for catching that, Puckett. I'll be sure to add your extra point into the grade book," he said, then walked back to his desk, quizzes in tow.
Sam turned around slowly, facing Carly and Freddie with a triumphant look on her face.
"Well, well, well, Fredbag. Looks like I was right, and you were wrong. As usual," she boasted.
"Yeah, yeah," Freddie said, sadly standing up. Well, it was an understandable mistake, right? Maybe someone else had made it, too. "Carly, what'd you put for number six?"
"I got…" she said, flipping her paper over. "Um…'B.' Oh. I guess I didn't get a perfect score, either."
Well, that made Freddie feel a little better.
"It's alright," he said. "Here, do you want me to bring your quiz up to him?" he offered.
"Sure," she shrugged. Freddie grabbed her paper and walked off. Carly turned to look at Sam, who still had the same boastful smirk on.
"Oh, wipe that look off your face!" Cary complained. She'd been wrong afterall. Sam really didn't need to prepare for driver's ed classes at all.
"What look?" Sam asked innocently, sitting down next to her girlfriend. "This is just my face."
"Yeah, okay," she replied, shaking her head.
"Seriously, though, Cupcake; are you gonna quit hassling me about studying now?"
Carly sighed in defeat. "Yes," she conceded. It was obvious Sam didn't need to.
"Good," Sam nodded. "Don't worry, I'll still keep you company when you're doing it. I just won't participate."
"Well, good," Carly smiled. "Then I won't be so lonesome."
"Exactly," Sam said, smiling back. Freddie returned then, the class's quizzes had been passed back for re-evaluation, and Mr. Calderon started talking, officially beginning class.
"Okay, everyone; as you know, we started driving this past Friday, and we're already to the 'A' through 'H' kids this week. Just as a reminder, 'H' through 'E' is driving right after class today, and 'D' through 'A' is tomorrow. Now, grab your textbooks and let's review before today's quiz."
Freddie absentmindedly began flipping through his book, too preoccupied with the fact that he would be driving for the first time in his life tomorrow. He was pretty freaked out; despite the confident facade he'd put up around Sam about passing his road test, the young man was actually really anxious about driving. What if he was bad at it? What if he hated it? What if he got into an…accident?
Shuddering at the thought, he tried to push those feelings aside and focus on the page they were supposed to be reading. Besides, Carly and Sam had already driven, and they seemed fine. Even Sam, who he would've sworn would've ran over a dog or something her first time on the road, had returned from Mr. Calderon's white 1983 Renault Alliance. Maybe the two of them could calm his nerves.
Class flew by, and soon Mr. Calderon was dismissing them before heading out to the parking lot with the 'H' through 'E' kids. Freddie almost envied them, in a way. He kinda just wanted to get it out of the way.
Walking out into the hallway with Carly and Sam, he tried to think of a way to broach the subject without seeming insecure or scared. Especially because Sam was there. She always made fun of him over everything, and he was getting sick of it.
Hey, now, be fair, he thought to himself. Sometimes you start conflicts, too. Plus, Sam's been a lot less aggressive since her and Carly started dating, so that's a bonus.
They'd just walked outside and Freddie was about to ask them for driving tips when Sam's phone loudly beeped, causing her to pull away from Carly (they'd been walking with their arms draped over the other's shoulders) to check it.
"What is it?" Carly asked.
"My mom," Sam replied. "She needs me to help her with the thawing party for my Uncle Buzz and Uncle Morris."
"Thawing party?" Freddie asked.
"Y'know, cause they just got out of the cooler," Sam explained.
Carly looked equally as confused as him, and the exchanged puzzled looks.
"Geez, don't you two know anything? They're out of prison! They sprung out of the slammer, they swam from up the river! The cooler is just another word for it. So in my family, when someone gets out of prison, we have a "thawing" party."
"Ohhh," Carly and Freddie said, nodding in understanding.
"Yeah. So I gotta get home to help her with it. I guess I'll see-"
"Wait!" Carly interrupted. "Can I come?"
"Uh, like to the party?" Sam asked.
"Yeah," she nodded. "It sounds fun."
Carly and Sam are a match made in heaven, Freddie thought. She's crazy enough to wanna go! I'd stay as far away from a scene like that as possible.
"Sorry, kid," Sam consoled. "But this is a Puckett-only affair."
"Well, don't I count? I mean, I'm dating one."
"At these things, you're not a Puckett unless it's your last name."
"But it will be one day!" Carly protested.
"Uh, what makes you think that?" Sam asked.
Oh, no. I can feel an argument coming on…Freddie braced himself.
"Wha…what do you mean? You don't think we're-"
"No, not like that," Sam interrupted. "I'm just saying, you're way too nice and sweet for the name 'Puckett.' No offense to you, of course."
"But what about Melanie?"
"Hey! You guys already admitted to me that she wasn't real!" Freddie cut in.
"She's just as sweet and nice as I am, and she's a Puckett!" Carly said, ignoring Freddie.
"Yeah, and she's the black sheep of the family. Why d'you think she goes to a school across the country? She never really fit in," Sam replied, also not paying any mind to him.
"Then why does your mom compare you to her?"
"I never said my mom makes sense! And anyways, like I was saying, what makes you so sure I wouldn't…y'know…take your name…" Sam trailed off bashfully, scuffing her feet on the floor as she looked away.
"Awe, Sam," Carly said, putting her hand to her chest. She was absolutely touched at Sam's words and she reached out to gently place her other hand on Sam's shoulder, making her look up and meet her eyes. "I didn't know that's what you wanted."
"C'mon, Carly, isn't it obvious? I spend, like, ninety percent of my time at your place with you and your brother. Even when we were just friends! I love your family. Spencer might as well be my brother, too, and your dad's also pretty great. Even your grandad is…alright."
"He's definitely been better lately," Carly agreed.
Most people had taken the news of Carly and Sam coupling up really well, except for Grandad Shay. There was some shouting involved, to put it mildly. But, he'd been trying to make up for it, so that was something.
"So you agree then? I'll be Samantha Shay?"
"That does sound nice…but just Sam Shay is weird. Carly Puckett sounds better."
"Isn't it kinda early for you guys to be having this discussion?" Freddie butt in, finally getting his friends' attention as they both turned to look at him. "Well, you're both still sophomores in high school!" he defended himself nervously. "Maybe wait until you're in college to start talking about this."
"The boy does have a point," Sam conceded.
"Yeah, you're right, Freddie," Carly agreed. "We'll have plenty of time to think about this."
"For sure. Now, it's time for me to go. See ya, Cupcake," Sam said, leaning in and giving Carly a quick good-bye kiss on the lips. "Later, fudgeface," she said to Freddie, but in an affectionate sort of way. He said goodbye and Carly smiled and waved, watching her girlfriend walk off.
"Well, should we walk home?" she asked, turning to Freddie.
"Yeah, we still have to do some iCarly planning tonight, anyway," Freddie replied.
"Shoot, that's right. I forgot. Too bad Sam won't be there. I guess I'll just make her contribute double to the next," Carly said, beginning the walk home. Freddie strode alongside her.
"If anyone else tried to do that, they'd end up in a headlock," Freddie said with a laugh. Carly also found the thought amusing.
"Yeah, they would. I'm just special, I guess," she said jokingly.
"Sam sure thinks so," Freddie said. That made Carly smile. Yeah, she does, she thought happily to herself.
The pair made small talk as they walked home together, something they'd done about a thousand times in the past. Carly and Freddie had been friends for awhile now, ever since he moved in across the hall when they were eleven. Of course, back then he'd had some more-than-friendly feelings towards his neighbor, but they'd evaporated pretty much the second he found out that Carly and Sam were together. Which was fine, actually. He realized it was time to move on and pursue a relationship with a girl who actually returned his affections. Now, he just thought of Carly and Sam as his sisters. Sam and him already bickered like siblings, so it made sense in his brain. Plus, being an only child, he'd always wanted siblings. It just felt right thinking of his friends that way.
"Oh, uh, hey…can I ask you something?" Freddie suddenly remembered that he wanted driving advice, figuring now would be the best time to ask, seeing as Sam wasn't around to tease him.
"Yeah, what's up?" Carly asked.
"Um, when you drove this past Saturday…well, how was it?"
"Fine."
"Uh, just 'fine'?"
"Yeah, it was alright."
"Oh. Okay."
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why do you wanna know?"
"Oh, uh, I was just wondering…if you could maybe give me some, like, tips. Or advice. For when I drive tomorrow. Not that I'm, like, scared or nervous or anything, just…you know what they say: proper planning prevents poor performance."
"First of all, I've only ever heard your mom say that."
"Well, she's right!"
"And second…just listen to Mr. Calderon. He's just as nice and patient while driving as he is in the classroom. So follow his instructions and you'll do fine."
"Thanks, Carly."
"No problem. Oh, and when you want to put your foot on either pedal, just remember; do it gradually. Not all at one. Don't stomp on the brakes and don't floor the gas!"
"Got it. Are you saying that from experience?"
"Maybe…"
At this point, the teens had arrived at Bushwell Plaza. Walking into the lobby, they were met with the usual insults from their awful doorman, Lewbert.
"Heyyy, where's yer little friend! Y'know, the blonde one who doesn't actually live here?!"
Carly and Freddie ignored him as they walked past and opted to take the elevator that went directly to the loft, selecting the option for the third floor so they could get right to iCarly business. It was harder to work on the show now that they were so busy with driver's training everyday, but they made it work. Today might be a bit more difficult, though, as Sam wasn't there. Well, she didn't really contribute a whole lot to meetings anyway. But she had been a lot more helpful since her and Carly started going out. Another benefit to everyone from their relationship.
After Carly sent a quick text to Spencer telling him that her and Freddie were up in the studio working on iCarly (to which he said he was at Socko's but would be back later with dinner), they immediately got down to business planning out that Friday's show. Carly wrote out some bits for Sam to go over later, and Freddie planned out the live edits accordingly.
"Hey, did we ever look at the results from last week's poll? The one Sam made you do about us driving?" Carly asked right as they were about to wrap up.
"Uh, no, I don't think we ever did."
"Well, pull 'em up now. I'd like to see," Carly said, standing up from the beanbag she'd been sitting on and walking across the room to Freddie's tech cart to stand next to him. She was pretty eager to see what their fans thought, and wondered if their predictions reflected her own.
Finding it was no trouble for Freddie, as he had already been working on his laptop. Minimizing the editing program he'd been on, he logged onto their website and checked their survey page, searching for the results.
"Check it out," Freddie said, gesturing to the screen. Carly leaned in for a closer look.
"What?! No way!" she replied, her eyes almost bulging out her head in pure shock.
"Uh-huh," Freddie confirmed. "Those are the results. I checked it three times just to make sure."
"That's crazy, though! I mean, what're the odds?!"
On Freddie's laptop screen, the survey results for the question "Which iCarly member is most likely to pass their road test" were displayed, and the results showed that their fans were all equally split on that question; each person had a perfect one-third of the votes!
"I guess the odds are pretty good. Take a pic and send it to Sam. She'll wanna see, too."
Carly nodded and whipped out her PearPhone, immediately snapping a shot and sending to her contact labelled "My Sam." She was curious to know what Sam thought, as well.
Once she'd sent her girlfriend that text, Carly and Freddie headed downstairs for some post-iCarly rehearsal snacks, even if they hadn't technically rehearsed anything. They figured it still counted, though, because they had spent the last hour working on the web show. Grabbing some Peppy Colas and Little Donnie snack cakes, they sat down in the living room and began munching.
"I guess you'll really want to pass and get your license though, huh?" Freddie asked, bringing up their poll again. "Since your Grandad offered to buy you a car and everything." Someone had mentioned that recently, but he couldn't remember who he'd heard that from.
"Oh, yeah. That he did," Carly said absently. Freddie was confused. Shouldn't she be more excited? She'll have her own vehicle for cryin' out loud!
"You don't sound that enthused…" he pointed out cautiously.
"It's just…I think he only said that to make up something."
"Make up for what?" Freddie asked.
"Grandad didn't…he wasn't super happy when I told him about me and Sam," Carly explained.
"Oh," Freddie said, nodding in understandment.
"Yeah. He was pretty freaked out."
"You can tell me about it…if you want to. If you don't, we can talk about something else," he offered, figuring this must be pretty hard for Carly, her grandfather not accepting her relationship and all. Personally, he couldn't understand it. As long as two people loved each other and everything was consensual, why shouldn't they be allowed to be together? It made no sense to him.
"No, it's fine. We can talk about it. It just makes Sam really upset. But she's not here, so it's alright."
Freddie nodded. "So, what happened when you told him?"
"Well, do you remember a few weeks ago, when you heard really loud shouting from here all the way in your apartment?"
"Yeah. I asked you about that and you just told me not to worry."
"Mhm," Carly nodded. "Well, that was my Grandad."
"He came and visited? I didn't notice."
"No, he didn't visit," Carly said, shaking her head. "That was over the phone."
"Woah!" Freddie said, unable to believe that Carly's grandfather could be that loud.
"Yeah. So, anyway, here's what happened there…"
It was a lazy Saturday afternoon at the Shay apartment. Spencer was in his room working on a sculpture while Carly and Sam were laying on the couch together, feet propped up on the coffee table, resting their heads against each other and holding hands while they watched TV. They hadn't been together all that long and were enjoying the close physical affection that comes when dating someone. Not that they hadn't been like that when they were just friends, but it was a lot more frequent with their newly established relationship.
"Y'know, that little girl reminds me of you," Sam said, nudging her head at the TV. They were watching reruns of Drake & Josh, a show that Freddie, Spencer, Gibby, and themselves all liked.
"What? Really?" Carly asked.
"Uh-huh."
"Um, I do not behave like that! All those horrible things she does to her brothers, I'd never in a million years do to Spencer! She's more like you!"
"Maybe personality-wise we're alike, yeah, but that's not what I'm saying here. She looks just like you, Carls. I mean, just like you at that age. Seriously, you don't see it?"
Carly looked at the TV, staring hard at the image in front of her, comparing the girl on screen to her past self before shaking her head.
"Nope," she said. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe you should get your eyes checked out," she suggested to her girlfriend.
"Really, Carly? What, you also don't think that Crazy Steve dude looks like Spencer?"
Before Carly could say no, she saw absolutely no resemblance there, Spencer came out of his room, cell phone pressed to his ear.
"...yeah, I will, Grandad. Okay, yeah. Oh, wow, looks like Carly wants to talk to you!"
Carly's eyes widened up at Spencer and shook her head, mouthing the word 'no' over and over again, but he just walked right over, ignoring his protests.
"...yeah, here she is! Okay, bye!" With that, he practically shoved the phone at Carly. She gave him the dirtiest look she could muster before taking the phone and speaking into it cheerfully. Spencer just mouthed a 'sorry' and walked into the kitchen.
"Hi, Grandad!" she greeted brightly. Beside her, Sam muted the TV. Since she and Carly started dating, she'd become a much more considerate person. To everyone, actually. Not just her girlfriend.
"Hi, Carly! How are you?" Grandad replied.
"Oh, just dandy," she replied, shooting daggers at Spencer from where he stood at the kitchen counter, drinking a glass of Wahoo Punch. He just shrugged his shoulders very exaggeratedly in response.
"Good, that's good. And how's school? Still getting good grades, I assume?"
"Yep, you know it."
"Very well, very well. And what about boys? You got a boyfriend, or are you still beating them off with a stick?"
"Well, Grandad…" she said, looking over at Sam and eyeing her up and down. It was pretty easy to forget that boys even existed now that she was dating Sam. Maybe she should…tell him that? Let him know about her recent relationship. Yeah, that would be good. They'd told so many people already, and all of them had taken it really well. Afterall, Grandad knew how happy Sam made Carly. She was sure he'd be thrilled by the news of them coupling up.
"Well, what? You're dating someone?"
"Actually, yes. I am."
"Aw, really? Who?"
"Sam."
"Sam who? Does he go to your school?"
"No, no, my friend Sam. Well, we're more than friends now. You've met her before, remember? Her and I…we're together now," she said shyly, stealing a look at her love. Sam was smiling just as bashfully back at her. She felt her heart flutter in her chest.
"WHAT?!" Grandad shouted, so loudly Carly had to jerk the phone away from her ear.
"Uh, yeah. I'm dating Sam," she spoke cautiously back into the phone, eyeing Sam nervously, who scooted closer to Carly and also held a serious expression on her face.
"Is this your idea of a joke?! Because it sure as hell isn't funny!" he yelled back.
"No, it's true, Grandad! Sam and I, we love each other and-"
"Are you serious?" he screamed, so loudly that Spencer could hear it all the way across the room. Sam, now feeling extremely concerned, put her arm around Carly as her brother quickly walked over to them.
"This is all Spencer's fault! He has no idea on how to look after a girl your age, letting you indulge in this phase that won't last, mark my-"
"This is my fault?!" Spencer demanded angrily, taking the phone from Carly and speaking to their grandfather directly. She was trying not to cry at this point, and Sam just grabbed her fully, whispering comforting words into Carly's ear while she rubbed her hands up and down Carly's arms soothingly.
Spencer began shouting back into the phone, telling Grandad that no one was at fault here (except for him, of course) because Carly and Sam truly loved each other and had a genuine connection. He then started tearing into him and really ripped him a new one, all while Grandad just berated Spencer, calling him all sorts of names and threatening to tell their dad if this "issue isn't resolved soon."
At that point, Spencer hung up and plopped down on the couch with Carly and Sam, wrapping his arms around both of the girls in a secure hug. Sam had kept her cool during the situation, but on the inside, she was a mix of Carly and Spencer; wanting to cry but also scream at Carly's Grandad, demanding to know what exactly was so wrong with him that he couldn't be happy for his own granddaughter. She was tempted to hitch a ride to Yakima, butter sock in hand, and deal with him that way.
The only thing that stopped her was Carly's disapproval.
"It's okay, it'll be okay," Spencer had muttered to them softly, trying his best to comfort Sam and Carly, who was now full-blown crying, the sight of which broke his heart. Sam's too, for that matter.
"But what about dad?" she'd tearfully asked.
Spencer was at a loss for words there.
The three had just sat on the couch together for the next half hour or so, trying to comfort and soothe each other after the huge blowout that had just happened. Eventually, Carly had stood up and said she needed to take a nap, probably because she was exhausted from crying. Spencer had just nodded, and watched his little sister take Sam's hand and lead her up the stairs. They always looked for comfort in each other when they were upset, so it didn't surprise him that she wanted Sam with her at that moment.
They'd napped for a few hours together, feeling safe wrapped up in each other's arms before waking up and groggily walking downstairs to be greeted by Spencer.
"Hey, kiddos! You know what's for dinner?" he asked, sounding extra-chipper to make up for the bad feelings from earlier.
"What?" Carly tiredly asked, rubbing sleep out of her eye.
"Cheesecake Warehouse! So go get ready; the sooner you're done, the sooner we can eat!"
Before Carly could protest and inform her brother that she didn't feel like leaving the house at all today after what had just happened, Sam instantly perked up and grabbed Carly.
"Cheesecake Warehouse?! You heard the man, Carly, let's get ready! C'mon, I wanna eat!" With that, she grabbed Carly and effortlessly hoisted her up, carrying her like a sack of potatoes back up the stairs.
Carly had at first wanted to object, but then realized it was much nicer getting a lift from Sam than actually walking up the stairs. Plus, it gave her a pretty good view of her girlfriend's rear end, which she always appreciated.
Spencer just smiled at the sight, then sat down on the couch, waiting for them to get ready. He wanted to get out of the house because one, getting dressed and cleaned-up would make Carly feel better, and two, he knew Sam loved Cheesecake Warehouse and would be ecstatic that they were eating there, so he figured that Carly seeing Sam so happy would rub off on her and make her happy in turn. He maybe be an idiot, but Spencer Shay was not stupid. Not stupid all.
Soon Carly and Sam had arrived back downstairs, dressed and ready, and they went to Cheesecake Warehouse. The three had a really nice time there together, joking and laughing while eating huge portions of delicious food. Of course, they had to stay and order dessert, too. (Sam had three different kinds of cheesecake and still claimed she was hungry on the ride home.) They were sad when the check came and it was time to go.
During dinner though, they had managed to discuss what to do about Grandad saying he'd tell the Colonel about Carly and Sam's relationship. The pair hadn't told him yet, not because they were hiding anything, but because he was very hard to reach. Now, though, they needed to break the news to him. Fast. They decided to tell him the next day, Sunday, figuring he'd be pretty easy to reach that day. With that decided, Spencer paid for their meal, and three of them went home.
They were all nervous though, of course. Carly and Spencer had no idea what their father's views on same-sex relationships were. The military was notorious for being extremely bigoted, and they were worried he might feel the same way. His best friend, Roger Morgan, was a black man, but that didn't equate with have a queer child. Not at all.
The next day, Carly, Sam, and Spencer all woke up and dressed early (Sam had spent the night, naturally), planning to call their dad and tell him at around ten a.m., hoping that they'd get to him before their grandfather had.
At nine fifty-eight, they punched in the phone number for the base he was stationed at, pressed the call button at nine fifty-nine, and received an answer at exactly ten.
"Hello, this is-" the bored military personnel's voice began.
"We need to speak to Colonel Steven Shay!" Spencer interrupted.
"Unless this is an emergency-"
"It is an emergency!" Carly cut in.
"Very dire!" Spencer added.
"Super serious!"
"Mhm!"
The poor guy who answered the phone had seemed freaked out, promising them he'd go get the Colonel and they'd be speaking with him shortly. Less than a minute later, Carly and Spencer's dad got on the line, sounding panicked and out of breath.
"Carly! Spencer!" he cried into the phone. "Are you both there?! Is everything alright?! Do I need to come home?!"
"What?" Spencer had asked.
"Please don't tell me you're calling from a hospital!" The Colonel begged. "Is Carly okay? Are you guys-"
"Everything's fine, dad," Carly had interrupted.
"Yeah, we're not in the hospital or anything," Spencer chimed in.
"Then what's the problem?!"
"We just called to say…I needed to tell you…" Carly had taken in a huge breath, preparing herself for the worst. "SamAndIAreInARelationship!" she'd said all in one breath.
Silence.
Carly and Spencer looked at each, worried that the call had dropped or worse, that their dad had hung up, disgusted with Carly's news.
"Uh, dad?" Carly tried timidly.
"So…no one's hurt," he said slowly.
"Yeah?" Spencer responded, confused as to where his dad was going with this.
"Or in any serious legal or financial trouble," he went on.
"That's right," Carly said.
"Okay…then why in the blue blazes did you say this was an emergency?!" he demanded. "I was delivered this message by a frantic worker, telling me it was my kids and it was an 'urgent, pressing matter,' but after running all the way here, I find out that the reason you called was to inform me that Carly's dating Sam. As if that qualifies as a crisis."
The Shay siblings looked at each other, stunned. They couldn't believe their dad was focused on this and not Carly's relationship status.
"Are you not able to handle this, Spencer?" he went on. "Is that why you're calling? I told you, I had faith that you'd make a good judgement call on each person Carly wanted to date, so if you-"
"No, no, no, it's not like that," Spencer interrupted. "I'm absolutely fine with Carly and Sam getting together. And you…?"
"Dammit, of course I am! Have you heard me complain about it once?! I'm a little surprised, but then again, I haven't been around either of you consistently in years, so it's probably something I would've picked up on had I been there more."
"Yeah, but…what about the 'Sam' part? You're okay with her being with Carly?"
"Why wouldn't I be? I've met Sam plenty of times over the years. She might be a little rough, but she's a good kid through it all."
Carly smiled and looked briefly at Sam, who also looked pleased. It was important to her that her father accept any relationship she had, especially with Sam, who was just so good for her.
"Well, that's great to hear, dad," Spencer continued. "Because…Grandad wasn't so thrilled."
"What?! You told Grandad?!"
"Uh, yeah. He called, and Carly wanted to tell him, and I told her it was her choice, but then…"
"He didn't…respond very well," Carly finished sadly, still wincing from the awful reaction her Grandad had had to her news.
"He told us he was going to tell you, so that's why we called," Spencer explained. "We wanted to get to you first."
"Well, I wish you'd told me before him."
"I know, dad," Carly sighed. "I'm sorry, but-"
"No, no, no, there's nothing for you to be sorry about, Snug Bug. He's the one who should be sorry. Sorry that he won't have his son or grandkids in his life anymore."
"What?" Carly asked.
"You mean, like, we quit talking to Grandad?" Spencer asked.
"If he doesn't accept Carly for who she is, and who she loves…then yes. We won't talk to him anymore."
The Shay siblings exchanged wide-eyed glances, surprised at their father's reaction. He was serious about supporting Carly.
"I'll be the one to tell him. And I'll make it clear he is not to contact either of you until he updates his way of thinking. This is the twenty-first century now. He should join us."
Carly smiled. She felt warm inside, knowing her dad still loved and supported her, unconditionally. So many kids didn't have that.
"Thanks, dad," she replied.
"Yeah, thank you dad," Spencer added in.
"No problem, kids. Now, is Sam there?"
"Uh, yeah," Spencer said.
"She's right here," Carly answered.
Sam had been standing off to the side, deciding it was better to be more of a bystander in this conversation than a participant. She'd still wanted to be involved, though, to be able to comfort Carly if it came to it, which is why she was standing in the same room as them, listening in.
"Put her on," the Colonel requested.
A surprised look on her face, Sam accepted the phone from Spencer, curious as to what he would want to say to her.
"Hello?" she said.
"Puckett?" he asked.
"Yes, sir, this is Puckett," she confirmed. She'd always called Carly's dad 'sir' or Colonel. Never Mr. Shay, and definitely not Steven. Sam certainly liked to push the rules with authority figures, but a US Military officer was someone even she didn't wanna mess with. Especially the father of Carly Shay.
"I hear you're dating my daughter," he began.
"Yes, sir, I am," she replied.
"And while this was unforeseen on my part, I want you to know that I sure as hell am not disappointed, mad, or upset. I've known you for a long time, Sam. Long enough to know that you've always been good to Carly. You've consistently looked out for her, comforted her, and been there for her when even I haven't. I thank you for that."
"Of course. I'd do anything for Carly," Sam said evenly, but on the inside, she was freaking out. The Colonel really did approve of her. In ways she'd never even known.
"Which I don't doubt. So I'll spare you the 'look after my daughter' speech and just say this: I trust you, Puckett. Ever since I first met you, I knew with certainty that you'd be a good friend to Carly. Now be a good partner, too. And don't make me regret putting my faith in you."
"I won't, sir. That's a promise."
"Good. And as for this 'sir' business, I think we've known each other long enough that you don't need to call me that."
"In that case, we've probably known each other long enough that you can just call me 'Sam.'"
"You're right, Sam. I'm sorry; in my line of work, you get used to calling everyone by their last name. But I'll try to remember that."
"Thank you."
"Of course. Now, just remember what I said. Nice talking to you, Sam."
"Later, Colonel dad," Sam replied, not trying to be funny or cute. She didn't know what else to say, not that 'sir' was off the table, so she'd defaulted to what Carly had sometimes called her dad when they were little.
"Goodbye," he said, unbothered with the title she had used to address him. Sam handed the phone back to Spencer and Carly, who had been silently listening to Sam's talk with their father.
"Carly, Spencer?" he asked.
"We're here, dad."
"What's up?"
"I need to be leaving soon, so before I go, I just wanted to say I love you guys."
"I love you too, dad."
"Me, too."
"Carly, your mom would be so proud of you," the Colonel said. Carly felt her cheeks go a little bit red, her face beaming from her father's words. Spencer looked down at her approvingly, clearly agreeing with that statement.
"Well, I gotta go, guys. Nice talking to you. Just, next time, please don't freak me out like that."
Carly and Spencer laughed nervously. "We won't," they said.
"Good. Now goodbye, and take care."
The phone was silent, and they knew he was gone.
"Wow," Freddie said. "That's a lot."
"I know," Carly sighed. "Try living it."
"Yeah. But at least your dad was cool." Freddie had met the man once, very briefly, and he'd a stern, no-nonsense attitude. Not the kinda dude you'd wanna mess with. Even Sam was smart enough to sense that.
"Yeah, that was kind of a shock. But I was so relieved. Me and my dad, we've always been close, ever since I was little. Looking back, I feel silly that I was so worried about him knowing, but…anyways, yeah. I'm glad he was so cool with it. Grandad, though…"
"What a chizzy thing to do," Freddie said, shaking his head.
"My thoughts exactly. I guess, after we talked to dad, he called Grandad and laid into him. But he was too scared to call and apologize, so both Sam and I got these huge, handwritten apology letters in the mail. Hers was even addressed to her own house. I guess as a sign of respect."
"Well, that's something, at least," Freddie said.
"Yeah, I guess. I just…wish he'd been accepting in the first place. Him and Spencer have talked a few times since then, but I don't really wanna hear from him unless it's to verbally apologize. I think his offer to buy me a car is just him trying to make it up to me."
"Would you even accept the car, then? When you pass your road test."
"I'm not sure, but I'm leaning more towards yes," Carly replied. As mad as she was at her Grandad, she really couldn't help but want to take him up on his offer. Who wouldn't want a free car?
"Whatever you do, just make sure that's what you really want," Freddie advised. "And it would be cool if you had your own car. I'm not looking forward to constantly asking my mom if I can borrow her Prius."
"Yeah, I wouldn't be either," Carly agreed.
They talked for a bit more, and then Freddie excused himself to go home. They had driver's ed homework, as usual, and a quiz tomorrow that they needed to study for, on top of their regular schoolwork. Carly said goodbye to him and went upstairs to her room, deciding she should get started on those as well.
But now, sitting at her desk, all she could think about was the events she'd just recounted to Freddie. As much as she'd love to accept Grandad's offer, she wasn't sure she should. Mostly on the principle of the matter. He needed to verbally apologize to her and Sam, directly. Preferably in person. She didn't really see that happening anytime soon, though. Maybe she should talk to Sam about this…ask her about what to do. Yeah, that'd be a good start. Then they could figure it out from there, like they usually did.
Happy that she'd resolved her dilemma, at least for now, Carly picked up a textbook, opened it up, and began on her homework.
I've seen stories in the (distant) past do this, so I thought I'd take this once-in-a-lifetime (my lifetime) opportunity to do the same: please make sure to vote in this year's Kids' Choice Awards! Let's get iCarly, Miranda Cosgrove, and Jerry Trainor/Nathan Kress a KCA! That would pretty cool for them to win again after about a decade. Other than that, I hope you liked this chapter, and stay tuned for the next!