Choice

"What do you mean they don't have low fat dressing here?" Gibby exclaimed.

"It's a sports grill, Gibby," Brad explained. "As in a guys place."

"So? Guys can't be concerned about their figures?"

"This is a pretty cool place," Freddie commented, looking around.

"Yeah, I imagine hanging around with two girls all the time doesn't leave much time to do things like this," Brad grinned.

Freddie managed a chuckle. Truthfully, even if he didn't hang out with Carly and Sam all the time, he doubted that he'd prefer this place, with all sorts of sports jerseys and paraphernalia plastered all over the walls, to the Groovy Smoothie.

"Do you think they have diet lemonade here?" Gibby asked, still looking over the menu.

Brad looked at Freddie, who shook his head. "Just get root beer. You like root beer."

"Fine," Gibby said. "But this means I'm going to have to do fifteen more minutes of Cardio with Glenda on my workout DVD tonight." He stood up.

"Where are you going?" Brad asked.

"To the bathroom. Or are you going to tell me they don't have that either?"

"He's…" Brad started as Gibby headed to the back towards the restrooms.

"Strange," Freddie finished.

"Right," he nodded, taking a sip of his soda. "Hey, so I've been meaning to ask you about something I've heard around school."

"Sure, what's up?" Freddie asked.

"Well I heard from a kid in my history class that back in the tenth grade you dated Carly for a little bit. Is that true?"

"Oh, yeah," Freddie nodded. "For about a week. And it's actually a long story, turned out she only thought she had 'those feelings' for me because I saved her from a taco truck."

"Er, okay," Brad said. "So she broke up with you when she realized it wasn't true?"

"Well, it was a sort of mutual break up," Freddie explained. "I told her that she may just be in love with me because I saved her life, and she kind of agreed after that."

"Oh," Brad said. There was a pause, and then he said, "So you've dated Carly and Sam, right?"

Freddie shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"Wow, two good looking girls," Brad grinned. "Way to break the techy-geek stereotype. I give you major props."

Freddie laughed.

"So can I ask you something?" Brad asked.

"Um, sure?"

"If you had a choice, which girl would you rather get back together with?"

Freddie frowned as he sipped his iced tea.

"Sorry, did I cross over some boundary?" Brad said quickly. "I didn't mean to. I mean, Sam and Carly are both great girls. You don't have to answer."

"It's fine," Freddie said.

It's not like he hadn't thought about it before. He was around those girls every day. Even though Brad was another guy who was into technology and Galaxy Wars like him, he still considered his best friends to be Carly and Sam.

He had kissed both of them. Held both of their hands. Told each one of them they looked nice. Been each of their boyfriends.

Carly was his first crush. She was the first person who talked to him in middle school, since he was new and didn't know too many people.

Sam, on the other hand, was mean to him the second she met him, and though she had tamed a bit since their middle school days, she still had to deliver a hurtful blow to him now and then. But she was also his first kiss. And while he was dating her, he remembered thinking how lucky he was, even during that first week where they always seemed to be fighting.

When he was dating Carly, though, he wasn't exactly unhappy, but having her constantly kissing him and coo over him was sort of…awkward. It was almost like dating your sister. In fact, ever since they had broken up, that's how he had thought about Carly.

In the four months since he had broken up with Sam, however, he didn't feel the same type of closure he had felt with Carly. Even though the breakup was mutual (despite what Sam had told everyone), he still felt a slight pang in his chest when they were alone together.

When he held her hand, he felt like he was finally complete. When he kissed her, he saw the proverbial fireworks. And when they stopped, it didn't feel natural, like it was supposed to happen. It felt as if something vital had been taken away from him; as if a part of him had walked out too.

And then suddenly it was clear. He loved both girls, but there was only one who he truly loved in a romantic sense. Only one who he couldn't get out of his mind; only one who he still wanted desperately to be with. Only one blonde-haired demon…

"Freddie? Freddie?"

"Huh?" Freddie said, snapping out of it. "Oh sorry. I was just thinking about-"

"Hey, they have heated toilet seats in there!" Gibby said, running back to the table.

"Dude, are you serious?" Brad said. "I've got to see those!"

He ran off, leaving Freddie with Gibby.

"So what'd you guys talk about while I was gone?" Gibby asked.

"Um, nothing," Freddie said. "Um, I'm gonna go check out those toilet seats…"