"I wonder who first thought of decorating pumpkins," Carly said as she sat in the middle of her and Spencer's kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the pumpkin she was painting. "I mean it's kind of wasteful, if you think about it. Who's going to eat a pumpkin after somebody's painted a cat face on it?"
"Is that what you painted?" Freddie smirked. "I thought it was a deranged clown."
"Can you not see the whiskers?" Carly defended.
"No…" Freddie said, finishing up his own pumpkin. "But what do you think of mine? I turned it into NugNug's face!"
"Really? I thought it was a deranged bear," Carly said playfully.
"Funny," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.
Just then the front door of the apartment opened and Sam walked in.
"Hey, Sam!" Carly greeted her best friend. "Want to come paint a pumpkin? Spencer wants to start decorating the apartment for Halloween."
"Um, no I'm good," Sam said, sitting down at the table.
"What? Come on, you've got to decorate a pumpkin," Carly said. "You can make it look like a zombie or something gross and disgusting; you're favorite!"
"Eh, don't waste your breath, Carls," Freddie said. "You know she's too lazy to do any activity that doesn't involve sleeping or eating."
Sam glanced at him but didn't reply.
"Well, if you don't want to decorate a pumpkin, I guess we can go upstairs and start rehearsing for iCarly tomorrow night," Carly suggested, getting up and washing her hands. "Sam, did you remember to pick up the paper bags from Hey Foods for the movie usher skit?"
"Huh? Oh…no, um, I-I forgot," Sam mumbled, somewhat distracted.
"Surprise, surprise," Freddie sighed.
"Sam! I texted you twice this morning to remind you," Carly groaned.
"Sorry," Sam said. "It, um, just slipped my mind I guess."
"Hey Carly, next time you need props picked up, just text me, okay?" Freddie said. "You know, a responsible person."
Sam said nothing.
"Be nice," Carly told him. "It's no big deal; I can just run out and get the bags myself. It will give me an excuse to check out the cute new bag boy in lane eight! Wait a minute…Sam, you know I have a major crush on that guy; did you forget the bags on purpose so I'd get to see him again?"
"Um…alright," Sam nodded. "Go with that."
"You're the best!" Carly grinned, hugging the blonde as she grabbed her purse. "I'll be back in a little bit. Well, unless things go really good, then who knows!"
"There goes rehearsal then, I guess," Freddie said as Carly ran out of the apartment. "Oh well. But now I can at least start on my history paper. I'd suggest you do the same, Sam, but we both know that you're just gonna wind up ripping pages out of your textbook and handing them in with your name written across the top in magic marker."
He looked over at Sam, expecting some sort of rebuttal, but instead she didn't react at all. She looked like she was deep in thought.
"Um…Sam?" Freddie said. "You there?"
"What?" Sam said softly, snapping out her daze. "Oh…yeah, okay."
"Er, alright then," Freddie said, confused. "Oh, and before I forget, don't you touch the leftover pizza in the fridge, Sam! It's mine and-"
"I need to talk to you," Sam suddenly blurted out.
Freddie gave her a strange look. "Why? You want to try some new insults out or something?"
"No," Sam said. "It-It's serious, okay?"
Freddie frowned. Something was up. He hadn't seen Sam look so…vulnerable since they had broken up almost two months ago.
"What?" Freddie said hesitantly.
Sam looked down at her lap. "You, um, you remember the night we, um, we broke up?"
Freddie's eyes widened. He had not been expecting her to bring that night up…
…..
Freddie and Sam sat out on his fire escape, both kissing the other with more passion than the ever had before, which was of course ironic, considering the fact that in less than one hour, they would officially be broken up.
As Freddie continued to kiss Sam, he took a moment to try and imprint in his memory the way he felt right then, with Sam's lips pressed against his as she sat in his lap, her arms wrapped tightly around him. He wanted to hang onto the feeling forever, because as soon as midnight hit, he'd never get to experience it again.
Maybe breaking up isn't the right thing for us, Freddie thought to himself. So we fought a lot...we still had good times together.
Suddenly Sam pulled apart from him and looked down into his eyes.
"One hour left," she said, looking at her phone.
"Yup…" Freddie said heavily.
Sam bit the corner of her lip, and Freddie had to restrain himself from letting out a low moan.
"Hey, so, um, you remember a few nights ago when, um, we were making out in your living room while your mom was at work?" Sam began slowly. "And things were getting pretty heated..."
"Yeah," Freddie said softly. "I remember. We were making out and then, suddenly, we were going further than we've ever gone…"
How could I not remember that night? Freddie thought to himself, thinking back to how his hands had roamed under Sam's shirt for the first time…how she had touched him in spots she never had before….
"Right," Sam said. "But, um, we never actually…got there."
"We almost did," Freddie commented, almost sadly. "But we decided to wait…we-we didn't want to rush it."
"We said we'd wait until our three-month anniversary," Sam said, giving him a small smile. "To make it special…We had it all planned out. We'd somehow book a nice hotel room, make sure your mom was safely out of the city..."
"I know," Freddie said. "But…well it looks like that three-month anniversary isn't going to come, is it?"
"No," Sam agreed. "I guess not. But…we're not officially broken up for another hour, right?"
"Right," Freddie nodded, wondering where she was going with this.
"What if…What if we just…did it?" Sam asked, her face flushing. "I mean we both wanted to that night. The only reason we didn't was because we thought we'd have more time. But since we're about to break up in exactly…fifty-six minutes now, it-it's really now or never, isn't it?"
Freddie thought about this for a moment.
She's right, he realized. This is my last chance to show Sam how much I love her…
"You-You want to?" Freddie asked.
"Do you want to?" Sam echoed.
Freddie took a deep breath and slowly nodded. "I do."
"So do I," Sam whispered. She leaned down and kissed him again before gently hopping off his lap and taking his hand.
"Come on," she smiled seductively, leading him back into this bedroom. "Let's make these last few minutes count."
….
Freddie still thought about that night nearly every day. It was incredible; everything he had imagined it to be. But even though it had been the best experience of his life, afterwards, when midnight finally came around, it had been that much harder to watch Sam silently roll out of his bed, quickly dress, and walk out.
"Freddie?" Sam said, bringing him back to reality.
"Oh, um…yeah," Freddie said quickly. "Yeah, I-I remember that night. But why are you bringing that up for? Why-Oh! Oh very mature, Sam. What? Are you going to make fun of my performance?"
"What? No!" Sam said. "Of course I'm-"
"Because that's low, Sam," Freddie said. "Even for you. And that's saying a lot. Look, there's no point in bringing any of that up again so-"
"Freddie, I-I'm not making fun of you about that night, I swear!" Sam said firmly.
"Well then why are you bringing it up at all?" Freddie demanded. How was he supposed to be getting over the break-up if she did stuff like this? How was he supposed to get back to supposedly hating her guts if she brought up the moment when he realized that he'd forever be in love with-
"I've been sick every morning for the past two weeks," Sam said, her voice beginning to shake. "My back's been hurting, my feet are sore…"
Freddie gave her a strange look. "And?"
"And?" Sam said, looking up at him, and Freddie was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "And? And, I'm late, okay? You know…late."
"Um, okay," Freddie said. "I still don't know what you're getting at here."
"Come on!" Sam said loudly. "Think, will you?"
"Think about-"
"I think I'm pregnant, okay?" Sam snapped.
Freddie nearly fell out of his seat. He had have misheard that. "W-What?"
"I think I'm pregnant," Sam whispered, tears rolling down her face. "You know, from when we…broke up."
"Oh my God…" Freddie said in disbelief. "Oh my-Are you-Oh my God…"
"I just…I just figured you should know," Sam sniffed. "But um, hey…don't worry. I-I know you've got a lot of stuff going on. Colleges and internships and all that, so, if you don't want to be involved, I get it. I just…I just wanted you to know."
"Wait…what?" Freddie said.
"Yeah, I just wanted you to know that I don't expect you to give up your whole life if-if I am pregnant," Sam mumbled. "Especially since we're not together anymore."
Freddie stared at her, still in shock.
"I mean…I'm the one who suggested we do it," she mumbled, looking back down at her lap. "It's my fault, really. You shouldn't have to give up your life too."
"Wait, Sam, you-you think I'm just going to abandon you?" Freddie said slowly, moving to sit down right next to her.
"I wouldn't blame you," she said again.
"But…Sam, I-Why would I do that?" Freddie said softly.
"Because," Sam mumbled. "We're broken up. We're still in high school. You're all set to go have some amazing future. The list goes on and on…"
She hugged her arms close to her body. "I-I'm sorry to just spring this all on you, okay? But I didn't know how else to tell you. I just…I don't know."
She let out a soft sob, and Freddie suddenly realized this was the first time he had seen Sam cry. He carefully reached over and wrapped an arm around her.
She looked up at him, surprised.
"Sam…I'm not-I'm not going to make you go through this alone," he told her.
"What?" Sam said.
"I wouldn't just leave you…" Freddie said, his voice still shaking from the shock of everything. "Sam…that night…that night I wanted to do it just as much as you. It wasn't your fault."
"I-No," Sam said. "No, Freddie…This would ruin your whole life plan. Going to MIT, becoming one of the younger developers at the Pear Company…"
"I-Sam, that's not important," Freddie said seriously.
Sam didn't reply.
"I know we're not together anymore," Freddie said, taking a deep breath. "I know we broke up. And I know things between us lately have been kind of…weird. But I-I really did mean it when I told you I loved you that night."
Sam glanced back up at him.
"If you're pregnant, I-I'm going to be there for you, okay?" Freddie said firmly. "You-You won't have to go through anything alone, I promise."
"You really mean that?" Sam finally said.
Freddie nodded. "I do."
He reached over to the counter and handed Sam a box of tissues.
The two sat in silence for several moments.
"So," Freddie said at last. "How-How sure are you that you're pregnant?"
"I-I haven't taken the test yet," Sam sighed. "I've been too freaked out."
"Right," Freddie nodded. "Well…I guess that's where we start then."
"Okay," Sam agreed, making to stand. "Um, I'll just run to the drugstore and-"
"Hey, it's okay," Freddie said quickly. "I'll go. You stay here, alright? I know you're probably not in the mood to go out."
Sam didn't argue.
"I'll be back in a few," Freddie told her.
"Thanks," Sam whispered.
…..
Freddie returned to the apartment twenty minutes later carrying a small paper bag.
"Okay, I got it," Freddie said to Sam. "Well, I got two. You know, to be sure…And, um, I looked at what you're supposed to do, and apparently you're gonna have to, um, go on them, so I picked this up too."
He handed her a large bottle of iced tea. Sam silently opened the cap and began to drink.
Freddie sat down on the couch, trying as hard as he could to appear calm for Sam's sake.
"Well…that's thirty-six ounces downed," Sam said, holding up the empty bottle. "Shouldn't be long now…"
"Good," Freddie said, gripping his hands together.
The two were silent again.
"I'm going to have to drop out of school, aren't I?" Sam said softly.
"What? No," Freddie said at once. "You don't have to-"
"Well I know there's no rule that says I'd have to, but, come on, I'm barely passing now as it is," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "There's no way being pregnant would help my grades."
"Um, maybe you can-"
"And I probably can't do iCarly anymore," Sam continued sadly. "I mean kids watch our show. The second the parents found out, they'd make sure our site got shut down in a heartbeat."
"You don't have to-"
"And everybody's gonna talk about me," Sam whispered. "Probably not to my face because they know I'd pound them, but they-they're still gonna talk, aren't they?"
Freddie reached over and squeezed her hand. "You don't have to drop out of school, Sam. I'll help you with your work as much as you need me to. And you don't have to quit iCarly either; if people are allowed to saw off their own toes and post it, parents can deal with you being pregnant on the show. And…And yeah, people might talk, but like I said, I'll-I'll be right there by your side the whole time. I'll make sure that you never-"
Sam suddenly jumped up to her feet. "Hand me the tests. I-I've got to go."
"Oh, right," Freddie said, pulling the tests out of the bag and giving them to Sam. "Well…go ahead then."
Sam hurried off into the bathroom, leaving Freddie to wait anxiously on the couch. A few minutes later Sam returned, holding the two tests in her hand.
"Well?" Freddie said at once. "What do they say?"
"They need a few minutes," Sam said, setting the tests down on the coffee table as she sat down next to him.
"Oh, yeah," Freddie nodded.
"Um…hey listen," Sam said, clearing her throat somewhat awkwardly. "Thanks."
"Huh? Oh no problem," Freddie said. "It's not like it was a long walk to the drugstore. It's literally right across the street and-"
"No, um, not for that," Sam said. "Well, for that too, I guess, but…thanks for-for not freaking out on me and for-for not just leaving me all alone."
Freddie squeezed her hand again. "I would never do that."
Sam gave him a small smile.
"So, um, how much longer till the test is finished?" Freddie asked.
"It takes five minutes," Sam said, looking at the timer on her Pearphone. "So we've still got about another forty-five seconds before they're-"
Just then the front door of the apartment opened up and Carly walked in.
Sam and Freddie both quickly jumped up, Sam stashing the tests in her jeans pocket.
"Well, unfortunately the cute bag boy did not ask me out," Carly sighed, hanging up her jacket and setting down her bag. "I talked with him for a solid half-hour, and nothing! I used all my best stuff too; I reapplied my lip-gloss, I did a gazillion hair flips, I laughed at his dumb tomato joke…he was totally clueless! Hey, what are you two doing?"
"Um, nothing," Sam said. "We were, um, just…watching a movie."
"The T.V.'s not on," Carly frowned, looking at the blank screen.
"It just ended," Freddie said lamely. "Just now…as you came in."
"Okay…" Carly said, giving them both a strange look. "Well, I've got the iCarly props. Are you guys ready to rehearse?"
"Um, yeah, but-but Lewbert was just here looking for you!" Sam said. "Yeah, he said you have a package down at the front desk that you have to sign for."
"Really? I don't remember ordering anything," Carly said.
"I think he said it was from that shoe website that you love-"
"Shoe-Topia?" Carly gasped excitedly. "That must be my free gift! They send you one if you buy at least ten pairs of shoes a month. I'll be right back, you guys. Can you start getting set up in the studio?"
"Sure thing," Freddie said, grabbing the bag of props.
"I wonder what my gift is," Carly grinned. "Oh! I bet it's a pair of those red heels they've been advertising!"
"Smart thinking," Freddie said once Carly was safely out of the apartment.
"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Let's just hurry up and go upstairs before she gets back."
The two ran up to the studio. Once inside Freddie tossed the bag down carelessly as he turned to Sam.
"Alright," he said, taking a deep breath as Sam pulled the tests out of her pocket. "Just remember…you're not in this alone, Sam. I'm going to be there for you through all of this, no matter how hard it is. I swear, it's going to be-"
"They're negative!" Sam exclaimed, showing him the tests. "Oh my God! They're negative! I'm not pregnant! I'm not pregnant!"
"Are you serious?" Freddie gasped.
"Yes!" Sam cheered. "We're in the clear!"
"Oh thank God," Freddie said, collapsing into the nearby beanbag chair, letting out a long sigh of relief.
"That," Sam said, sinking into the beanbag chair next to him. "Was the scariest experience of my life."
"I'll say," Freddie nodded.
The two teens were silent.
"Seriously," Sam said softly. "Thank you. You were…You were amazing. I mean even though this turned out to be a false alarm, you-you really kind of stepped up."
"Well, um, like I said," Freddie said. "I love you, which means I care about you, whether we're broken up or not."
"I love you too," Sam replied. "Broken up or not."
Freddie smiled. "Listen, Sam…I know lately things have been…kind of-kind of weird between us, and, well, as panic-inducing as all of this was, maybe it was sort of a good thing. It reminded us about how we really feel about each other."
"Yeah, I guess it did," Sam agreed.
"Kind of makes you think…" Freddie said slowly. "That maybe…That maybe we should-"
"There was no package waiting for me at the front desk!" Carly said indignantly, storming into the studio. "I went down there all excited about my shoes, and all I got was sprayed in the face with a suspicious liquid from Lewbert!"
"Oh…my bad," Sam said. "Sorry, Carls."
"Whatever," Carly said. "Let's just start rehearsal. You two ready?"
"Um, yeah," Freddie said, him and Sam exchanging one last glance. "We're ready."
