Catalogue
"Hey, guess who just got hired to make a fancy sculpture for the new Laundromat across the street?" Spencer said excitedly, coming into his apartment. "That's right, me!"
"Who still uses a Laundromat?" Sam frowned. "Either by your own washing machine or wash your clothes in a lake."
"What sort of sculpture does a Laundromat want?" Freddie asked, looking up from his pearbook.
"I'm making Sudsy, the loveable bubble character," Spencer replied. "And I have such a good idea to really capture the texture of bubbles in the sculpture. See, I'm thinking I-"
"Hey, do you think you could make me some fruit kabobs?" Sam asked cutting him off.
"I can't," Spencer said. "Someone, who may or may not have been me, accidently set the watermelon on fire and had to cut open a cantaloupe and use the juice from that to put it out…so unless you want a fruit kabob with just tangelos on it, I can't help you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go take a very important mid-afternoon nap."
"Yo Fredrat, go make me a sandwich," Sam said, putting her feet up on the coffee table.
"Sure," Freddie said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Okay people, we're now at the eight day mark," Carly said, coming downstairs with her pearpad and a large pile of catalogues.
"Eight day mark for what?" Sam asked.
"For-For what?" Carly exclaimed. "Um, try for the most important night of our teenage lives!"
"It's just prom, Carly," Freddie said.
"Just prom?" Carly repeated, starting towards Freddie. "Prom just so happens to be the night that many girls dream of all their childhoods. The night that dirty, badly dressed seniors finally become shiny and sophisticated in their best formal wear. The night that dreams come true, for crying out loud, Fredward Benson!"
"Um…I'm gonna go eat a tangelo," Freddie said nervously, heading into the kitchen.
"Carls, seriously, you need to calm down," Sam said.
"I will calm down once I finally decided on the right shoes to wear with my dress," Carly said, setting down the catalogues and beginning to flip through one. "And I picked out a few dresses in here I thought you might like, Sam. So just decide on one and then we can go pick it up tomorrow."
"Eh, I don't know," Sam said. "I was thinking last night…Maybe I won't go to prom at all."
Carly nearly choked on the juice she was drinking. "What? Not go to prom? Are you insane? Why? Why would you do that, Sam?"
"You know I hate big, fancy gatherings with tiny little finger food instead of quality wings and ribs," Sam said.
"Oh come on, you can't tell me you're not just a teensy bit excited to wear a pretty dress that makes you feel like a princess," Carly said. "And it's not like you haven't been asked. I mean, a bunch of guys have asked you! Just today you had Lance Hampton from the baseball team put that cute little note in your locker asking you."
"Wow, guess that guy got hit in the head with too many fly balls," Freddie said. Sam chucked the T.V. remote at him, hitting him hard in the stomach.
"Ow!" Freddie cried, clutching his stomach.
"Look, Carly I know prom is a huge deal to you," Sam said, ignoring Freddie's moans of pain. "But to me it's just some lame dance. I don't want to go."
"But Sam, you're my best friend," Carly said. "What am I supposed to do at prom without my best friend?"
"You're going with that Rick guy," Sam reminded her.
"Well yeah, but I still want have you there too," Carly said. She turned to Freddie. "Will you please talk some sense into her."
"I'm with Sam on this one, actually," Freddie said, still clutching his stomach. "I've never really seen the big deal about prom. Sure, I guess it's nice if you're into all that stuff, but otherwise it is just a dance. I was sort of thinking about skipping out on it too."
"I don't believe this," Carly said, crossing her arms as she looked back and forth between her best friends. "You two really don't want to go to the biggest event of our senior year? It's going to be a lot of fun! There's going to be a live band, a really good DJ, dancing, obviously, and-"
"I have a pearpod, Carls," Sam said. "I can listen to music in the comfort of my own bed without having to even put on pants."
Carly sighed. "Well…I say you guys are going to regret it later on if you don't go. Think of all the memories you'd be missing!"
"We have plenty other memories from high school," Freddie said.
"I-Fine," Carly conceded. "Don't go to prom. But just know that I'll be having an awesome time without you. I might not even show you pictures."
"Whatever floats your boat, Carls," Sam said, pulling out her pearphone.
"Oh, you know I'm kidding," Carly said after a moment. "I'll show you pictures."
…
"Wow, look at little sister, all purty looking," Spencer said as Carly walked downstairs wearing a light pink prom dress with her hair up in a fancy bun. "Smile!"
"Spencer, you took about fifty pictures of me upstairs," Carly laughed, but she posed for her brother anyway.
"Looking good, Shay," Sam said, taking a bite of her slice of pizza she was eating. "Real classy."
"Yeah, you look great, Carly," Freddie said. "So where's Rick?"
"He's-" Carly started, but she was cut off by a knock at the door. "Here," she said, hurrying over to the door to let her date in.
"Hi, Carly," Rick said, walking into the apartment. "Wow, you look really nice."
"Thanks, so do you," Carly smiled. "I'll be ready to leave in a sec." She picked up her purse and then turned to Sam and Freddie. "Okay, you guys, I know you both really don't want to go to prom, but, well, if you do change your mind…Sam, I went and picked out a really cute dress for you yesterday, it's laying on my bed, and Freddie, Spencer has his tux hanging in his closet you can borrow."
"Thanks but no thanks, Carls," Sam said. "I think I'm perfectly good right here with this extra-large pizza."
"Yeah, I appreciate it, but I think I'll just stay in tonight," Freddie said.
"Well, okay," Carly sighed. "Have fun then."
"You too, kid," Sam smiled.
"Alright, well, I'd better be off too," Spencer said as Carly and Rick left. "I promised Socko's cousin April I'd help her organize her calendar store. You two alright here?"
"Yeah," Freddie nodded.
"Cool, see you then," Spencer said.
Sam picked up the remote as Spencer closed the door behind him and turned on the T.V. "So," she said, flipping through the channels. "What are your plans for tonight?"
"I thought I'd get a head start on some editing for iCarly," Freddie replied. "What about you?"
"I'm doing this for the rest of the night," Sam said.
"Ah," Freddie nodded.
Suddenly, Sam frowned and clicked off the T.V. "Okay, Benson. Spit it out; why didn't you go to prom?"
"What do you mean?" Freddie said. "I told you, for the same reason you didn't, it's just some school dance."
"Please, you're a nub, you live for this kind of lame chiz," Sam said. "Why didn't you just find a chick and drag her there?"
"You know all the girls pretty much had dates within the first week of prom being announced," Freddie said. "Well, except for Magic Malika, but I wasn't going down that road again."
"Carly didn't," Sam said. "I would've thought you'd jump on this chance to go with Carly to a huge dance."
"Huh?" Freddie frowned. "Why would I want to go with Carly? I mean, sure, if no one had asked her a few days before the dance and she was really upset about it, I probably would've, but going to prom with her…I don't know, it would just be weird."
"Oh," Sam said.
"So why didn't you go?" Freddie asked. "I mean, it's not like you didn't get asked. I heard Shawn Carter in my physics class saying that he asked you, but you told him no."
"I told you, I don't do big fancy dances," Sam said.
"Oh," Freddie said. And then he sighed.
"What?" Sam asked.
"I-Okay, not being that into prom wasn't the reason I didn't go," Freddie admitted. "Or not having a date…I didn't tell you or Carly, but Emily Weston asked me, but I turned her down. The reason I didn't want to go was because…I can't really…dance."
Sam frowned. "What?"
"I mean, sure, when we do Random Dancing on iCarly, I can just jump around and stuff," Freddie said. "But at the prom there's gonna be slow dancing, and I just know I'd make a total fool out of myself. I'd probably step on the poor girl's feet or trip over my own legs.
Sam laughed. "Are you serious? That's the reason you didn't go? That's the reason I didn't want to go!"
"Wait, what?" Freddie said. "You can dance. You did that pageant a couple years ago, plus you could've gone to that fancy dance school in New York if you didn't decide to move to L.A. after graduation."
"Well yeah, I can dance by myself, or with someone for a fast song or something," Sam said. "But I can't slow dance. The one time I tried it when I was twelve at my Aunt Maggie's third wedding I just couldn't get the hang of it."
Freddie chuckled. "Wow…so looks like we're both sitting here on prom night for the same reason."
"Yup," Sam sighed. "Don't tell Carly or I'll break your elbows, but…I sort of wish I'd gone. I just didn't want to be the pathetic girl who can't dance with her date."
Freddie and Sam were silent for a minute, and then Freddie took a deep breath. "Hey, you know what? Why don't we go to prom?"
"Now?" Sam frowned.
"Sure," Freddie nodded. "Carly said she left you a dress and I can wear Spencer's tux…I mean, since we both have the same problem, we could just, you know…go together?"
Sam grinned. "You asking me to prom, Benson?"
"I am," Freddie smiled.
Sam thought about this for a moment. "Okay. I'll go change into my dress and be back down in twenty minutes."
"Sounds like a plan," Freddie nodded.
…
"So I think I just step back when you step forward," Freddie said as him and Sam tried to make some sort of an attempt to dance along with the other couples at the prom later that evening.
"Good, maybe this time you won't trample my feet," Sam said.
"Hey, I've got bruised toes from you too!" Freddie snapped. "Okay, you ready to try this?"
"Fine, let's do it, Fredbug," Sam said. She put her hands on his shoulders and he put his on her waist as they began to step along to the music.
"Hey, we're doing it!" Freddie said.
"Oh my God, you guys came!" Carly said, running over to the two. "I knew you'd change your minds; no one can resist prom! Wait…were you two dancing with each other?"
"Um, well, we-" Sam started.
"Say no more," Carly grinned. "I'll just go back and find Rick while you two dance the night away…together!"
"Well," Freddie said as Carly walked away (not before snapping a few pictures with her pearphone, of course). "I have to admit…this prom's pretty impressive."
"Yeah, they have decent food," Sam nodded.
Freddie laughed. "You know what, Sam? I'm actually having fun here tonight, thanks for coming with me."
"No prob, nub," Sam said. "I guess this does beat watching reruns of Cops all night."
"I guess so," Freddie nodded. "And…you look pretty good in that dress, Sam."
Sam smirked, her cheeks blushing ever so slightly. "And you clean up good too, for a total dork," she replied.
