Intellect
"-And then maybe we can do a bit where we bring in weird fruits and see if Gibby can identify them if we blindfold him and have him taste them," Carly said thoughtfully. "You know, like dragon fruit or star fruit or cumquats?"
"That could be fun," Freddie agreed
"I like the concept," Sam said slowly. "But how about this? Instead of using fruits, we use different types of hot sauces, and pour some on Gibby's tongue and-"
"Must you turn every iCarly idea into some form of torture?" Freddie said, rolling his eyes.
"It's what the kids want to see!" Sam defended, swatting his shoulder.
"No it's not!" Freddie argued. "Not every kid is twisted like you were!"
"Hey, watch it, Benson!" Sam snapped. "Or I'm gonna-"
"Guys!" Carly said loudly, breaking up the fight before it got too far. "Man, I don't know which was more annoying. The two of you arguing all the time or you not being able to go six seconds without making out with each other!"
At the mention of their past relationship, Sam and Freddie both quickly looked away from one another, both blushing slightly.
"Anyway, I think that's enough iCarly planning for today," Carly said, closing her notebook.
"But we've only been at it an hour," Freddie said.
"Yeah, well I've got a boy coming over here in five hours so I've got to prep!" Carly grinned.
"Ohhh," Sam smirked. "Who is it? That Alex kid from anatomy?"
"No," Carly replied. "It's Jacob Eitten. He's in my economics class and we got partnered together to work on our project!"
Sam's smile dropped at once. "Jacob Eitten?" she repeated slowly.
"Yeah," Carly nodded happily. "You know him, don't you? Isn't he in your trig class?"
"Um, yeah," Sam said, looking down at her lap. "Yeah, he-he is."
Freddie knew at once why Sam's expression had suddenly become so glum.
He knew that she liked Jacob, even though she had never said anything to anybody.
It had been six months since they had been a couple, but Freddie instantly recognized the sparkle that would appear in Sam's eye when Jacob would sit down at his desk next to hers in trig, and the way her face would light up when he'd say hello to her.
It was the same way she looked at him back when they were dating, and seeing her seem so happy for some other guy that wasn't him; it crushed him.
But not as much as seeing the hurt look on Sam's face crushed him now.
He knew that this was Sam's biggest insecurity; she had lived almost her whole life being passed over for Carly, and here it was happening again. He wished he could do something to comfort Sam, but what could he do now?
"And I think he might like me," Carly continued, oblivious to Sam's change in demeanor. "We always have these little flirty chats before class starts. If I can play it cool when he comes over to work on the project tonight, I might be able to make this work! I need to get this exactly right, though. I'll need to curl my hair, order some dinner, maybe get some fancy crackers…oh, and I need the perfect outfit! Sam? Do you want to come with me to Glitter Gloss to try to find something that would make Jacob fall in love with me?"
"Um, actually, I-I've got to go," Sam mumbled, getting to her feet. "I-I forgot I have to do something…See you later."
"Aw man," Carly moaned as Sam headed out of the studio. "I need someone to shop with!"
She looked at Freddie. "Freddie…"
"No way," Freddie said at once. "I'm not spending two hours in Glitter Gloss."
"Come on," Carly begged. "Please? For me?"
"Sorry, Carls," Freddie said.
"Great," Carly sighed. "Now I'm gonna have to shop alone. I can't believe Sam just ditched me like that! I know she's not the biggest shopper in the world, but this is really important and I was counting on my best friend to help me out."
"Um…Carly?" Freddie started slowly, the image of Sam's face still fresh in his mind. "I-I don't think Sam left because she didn't want to go shopping."
"Well then why else would she have gone?" Carly asked. "She never has anything on Thursdays. Well, except for Extreme Cheerleading Accidents, but that's not on till ten."
"Do you really not see it?" Freddie asked softly.
"See what?" Carly asked, confused. "Does she not like Jacob or something? That's crazy! Jacob's a great guy! He's one of those cute, intellectual types who-"
"That's just it, Carly," Freddie said. "She does like Jacob. She likes him."
Carly blinked. "She likes Jacob?"
Freddie nodded.
"But-But she never told me!" Carly said, suddenly feeling very guilty. "How-How was I supposed to know? I-I wouldn't have planned on making a move on him tonight if I knew! Do you think she's mad at me?"
"I don't think she's exactly mad at you," Freddie said. "I think she's just…over it."
"Over it?" Carly frowned. "What do you mean?"
Freddie took a deep breath. "I mean this happens to her all the time. Don't you see that? You know Sam's not really comfortable with flirting or dealing with guys unless she's shoving them into a locker. And then you, her best friend, always comes along and bats her eyelashes a the guy she likes and you swoop them up before she even works up the nerve to say hi to the guy!"
Carly didn't respond.
"I mean it takes a toll on her," Freddie said. "Constantly being overshadowed by your best friend? It's not fun. I know Sam acts like it doesn't bother her, but it does; it makes her feel like she's just second best, even though that couldn't be further from the truth."
"Why did she never tell me this?" Carly asked quietly.
"Because it's Sam," Freddie said simply. "She thinks she can just keep everything bottled up inside her and it will go away."
"I-I just feel terrible now," Carly sighed. "I feel like I've been horrible to my best friend."
"You didn't mean to," Freddie said quickly. "You're still Sam's best friend."
"I just wish I had known this earlier," Carly mumbled. She looked up at Freddie. "How did you know how Sam feels anyway?"
"We used to stay up late sometimes," Freddie admitted. "Back-Back when we were dating. We'd just talk about anything. Sometimes it got pretty deep. It's one of the things that I always liked about Sam. She can seem so tough on the outside, but deep down she's got this whole other side."
"Wow," Carly said, giving him a small smile. "That's really sweet; that you know Sam that well."
Freddie shrugged. "I guess. Um, don't-don't tell her I told you this, though. Please?"
"Don't worry," Carly assured him. "So, um, do you think I should go talk to Sam? I want to try and fix this."
"I think that's a good idea," Freddie told her.
"Okay," Carly said. "I'm gonna go find her then. Thanks for your help, Freddie."
"Anytime," Freddie said. "Anytime…"
He watched Carly hurry out of the studio.
At least he had helped someone repair their relationship with Sam.
If only he could work up the nerve to do the same.
