Leg
"Man, this is nice," Spencer said as him, Freddie and Gibby lounged on his couch, watching Galaxy Wars. "Just three dudes bonding over the greatest sci-fi franchise ever created. Glad you're home from MIT, Fred-O; Galaxy Wars just isn't the same without having someone to exchange useless trivia facts with."
"Hey, you could've done that with me," Gibby pointed out.
"Eh…" Spencer shrugged.
"I'm glad to be home too," Freddie chuckled. "Don't get me wrong; I love MIT. But I've also missed you guys too."
"Aw," Spencer grinned. "How-Hey! Hey, what happened to Galaxy Wars?"
The television screen had suddenly froze on an image of a sky naut battle.
"Oh man, you think the DVD is scratched?" Freddie frowned as he rushed over to the DVD player and took out the disc. "Gib, how could you let your copy get scratched like this?"
"It didn't look scratched yesterday when I was washing it," Gibby said.
"Washing it?" Spencer repeated.
"Yeah," Gibby nodded. "The second Monday of each month I wash all of my DVDs."
"Like…with soap?" Freddie frowned.
"Duh," Gibby said, rolling his eyes. "I think I need to switch to a stronger brand, though, because a lot of my movies haven't been working lately…"
"Well, looks like our movie day is off," Freddie sighed.
"No worries," Spencer said. "Celebrities Underwater is on. We can watch that, or-"
Just then his phone began to ring. He looked down at the screen and saw Socko's name flash across the screen.
"Oh, this must be about my walnuts!" Spencer said excitedly, jumping up. "Give me one sec…"
He headed into the kitchen to take the phone call.
"So where are Carly and Sam?" Gibby asked Freddie.
"A few girls from their dorm back at school came down for the day," Freddie said. "So they're showing them around Seattle. They're probably at the Space Needle right now or something. I'm supposed to go have dinner with them all later tonight."
"What about me?" Gibby said. "Aren't I invited?"
"Um…" Freddie said slowly. "Well, see, I think Sam just wants me there so her friends can get to know her boyfriend, and-"
"Oh my God, you guys!" Spencer suddenly exclaimed, coming back into the room. "Guess what?"
"What?" Freddie said.
"Socko just won some big radio contest and got three free tickets for sky diving lessons!" Spencer explained. "But he has jury duty for the rest of the month so he can't use them. He gave the lessons to me!"
"Whoa, so you have free sky diving lessons now?" Freddie said. "That's awesome!"
"Shoosh yeah, it is," Spencer nodded. "Hey, why don't the three of us go?"
"Cool, I love sky diving!" Gibby nodded.
"You mean you've been?" Freddie said.
"Sure, I go all the time," Gibby said. "I know a guy."
"Are you in?" Spencer asked Freddie.
"Well, I guess it sounds fun," Freddie reasoned. "And it's not like we've never been before. Remember how we sky dived into Japan? Hopefully this time though I won't be pushed off the plane. When are the lessons?"
"Tomorrow afternoon," Spencer said.
"Okay, that works," Freddie said. "But hey, just do me a favor, guys, and don't mention this to my mom. She-She probably won't react well to me jumping out of a plane."
"But she jumped out of the plane with you in Japan," Spencer pointed out.
"Yes, and ever since then she's been real strict about any activity requiring me to be more than five feet in the air," Freddie said. "Trust me, if there were any apartments open on a lower floor, we would've moved. So like I said…don't mention the sky diving lessons to her."
"Got it," Spencer nodded. "Man, this is gonna be so great! Just three bros doing the manliest activity imaginable. How cool are we?"
"Very!" Freddie said, high-fiving him. "So what time do we need to-"
Just then the apartment door opened and Marissa Benson let herself in.
"Er, hi Mrs. Benson," Spencer said. "Please, come into my home."
"Freddie, I just finished doing your laundry you brought back from school," Marissa said, ignoring Spencer's comment. "And it looks like you haven't been using your anti-tick detergent like I told you to."
"Mom…" Freddie moaned.
"Just because you're away at college doesn't mean you can throw caution to the wind, young man," Marissa said firmly. "Have you forgotten that Massachusetts is the thirty-eight most tick-infested state?"
"No way!" Gibby gasped. "I thought that was Arkansas."
"Mom, please," Freddie said. "I think you're being a little too paranoid about ticks. I really don't think it's necessary to-"
"Fredward Benson!" Marissa snapped. "I did not raise you to be such a-a-hoodlum! If you can't respect your laundry rules while you're away at school then I'll just have to fly out there every week and do your laundry for you."
"No!" Freddie said at once. "No, um, fine. Fine, I'll use the dang detergent."
"And watch your mouth!" Marissa exclaimed. "Honestly, what has gotten into you lately?"
"Hey, good call not telling her about tomorrow, Freddie," Gibby whispered loudly. "You're right. She would freak out."
"Gibby!" Freddie groaned.
"Tomorrow?" Marissa repeated. "What's going on tomorrow?"
"Oh, Spencer, Freddie and I are going sky diving," Gibby explained. "But Freddie didn't want us to say anything to you because he said you'd freak out and-oh no…oh man…Freddie, um, I-I think I might have just let our plans slip to your mom-"
"You think?" Freddie snapped.
"Sky diving?" Marissa said slowly. "You-You want to go sky diving? You want to jump out of a plane and plummet to your death?"
"Okay, um, mom, please just calm down and let me explain," Freddie said. "Sky diving is really quite safe. I mean there's a ton of safety measures that are taken-"
"You are not jumping out of a plane, young man!" Marissa yelled loudly.
"I've done it before!" Freddie argued. "And so have you!"
"And we almost died!" Marissa exclaimed.
"We did not almost die…" Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "We were perfectly fine and-"
"You will not be doing any sky diving for the rest of your life, Fredward Benson!" Marissa said firmly. "Absolutely not!"
"Mom, with all due respect, I'm an adult now," Freddie said. "I-I really don't need your permission to do these sorts of things anymore."
"Excuse me?" Marissa gasped. "How dare you! I am your mother! You have to listen to me!"
"Mom, look, I'm nineteen now," Freddie said. "I'm old enough to-"
Just then the apartment door opened again and Sam walked in.
"Hey, Fred-O," she said. "Everybody's down at the Groovy Smoothie so you ready or-"
"You!" Marissa hissed, turning and glaring at Sam. "This all your fault!"
"What now?" Sam frowned.
"Mom, don't start on Sam," Freddie said. "She's-"
"You're the reason my only son wants to risk his life!" Marissa yelled. "He would've never had any desire to go sky diving if you hadn't spread your hoodlimism to him!"
"She didn't spread any 'hoodlimism'," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "And going sky diving isn't risking my life. There's going to be trained professionals and-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sam cut him off. "What's all this about sky diving?"
"Oh, Spencer got three tickets for sky diving lessons tomorrow," Freddie explained quickly. "Er, we-we would've invited you, but, um, we kind of wanted it to be a 'bro' thing, and-"
"You want to go sky diving?" Sam repeated slowly. "As in jump out of a plane?"
"That's kind of the essence of it, yes," Freddie nodded. "But mom, like I was-"
"Are you kidding me?" Sam exclaimed.
"Huh?" Freddie frowned, confused.
"You are not going sky diving!" Sam said firmly. "No way!"
"Huh…" Spencer said, watching the scene. "That's a twist nobody expected."
"Um, what do you mean I'm not going sky diving?" Freddie asked.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?" Sam said. "You're like, a gazillion feet up in the air, and all you have to slow your fall is a flimsy parachute! What if that thing is defective, huh? You'll just keep falling and wind up crashing down on the ground. I know I didn't pass physics but I don't think you'd survive that fall, nub."
"Sam, the parachute's not going to be defective," Freddie said.
"Oh how can you know that for sure?" Sam scoffed. "Are you a professional parachute inspector?"
"Well no, but-"
"You're not going," Sam said, crossing her arms.
"Um, baby, I-I appreciate your concern," Freddie said. "But, um, this-this is kind of my decision, and if I want to go sky diving-"
"Oh don't you pull that chiz with me," Sam snapped. "You're not going, and that's final."
"But-But-Come on!" Freddie sputtered. "Have you forgotten that you've pushed me out of an airplane before?"
"Yeah, but I wasn't in love with you when I did that," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "I kind of care if you get hurt now!"
"But I'm not going to get hurt!" Freddie said. "Tons of people go sky diving and-"
"Freddie…" Sam said, giving him a stern look. "No. You're not going."
"But-"
"Nope."
"What if I-"
"Freddie…"
"I-But-Fine!" Freddie finally caved. "I won't go sky diving!"
"Dude!" Gibby exclaimed. "You're really gonna let your girlfriend boss you around?"
"Yes he is," Sam smiled, putting an arm around Freddie. "Good boy."
"Man, now I know why I'm still single," Spencer chuckled. "I like my freedom too much."
"Please, you're single because you have no real job and set everything on fire," Sam said.
"Well!" Spencer gasped, offended.
"Come on," Sam said to Freddie. "We need to get to the Groovy Smoothie."
"Alright," Freddie agreed.
The couple turned to head out the door, but Marissa was standing in their way, looking flabbergasted.
"How-You-You-That was-Oh Samantha!" Marissa said, stepping forward and hugging the blonde tightly. "That was wonderful!"
"Um…dude, your mom's hugging me," Sam whispered to Freddie.
"I know…I'm scared," Freddie said, staring at the sight in awe.
"I've been so worried about what's going to become of Freddie without me in his life," Marissa said. "He's only a boy, after all. He can't make too many decisions on his own."
"Um, I actually-" Freddie started.
"I know," Sam said. "I mean last month I had to talk him out of wasting his money on some dumb fencing sword he found online. The thing cost five hundred bucks and he was all ready to shell out the cash for it. He said it was an 'investment'."
"No!" Marissa gasped.
"It was an investment!" Freddie defended. "It was from the 1800s! I could've cleaned it up and resold it for a fortune!"
"Sure," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "You know how many smoothies you could buy me for five hundred bucks?"
"But-"
"You know," Marissa said approvingly to Sam. "I may have underestimated you, Samantha. Unfortunately since our legal system gives children the right to be labeled as 'adults' the second they turn eighteen, I've lost some of my ability to have a say in what my Freddikins does. But you…you've got a gift in telling Freddie what to do…We'll have to chat over some organic tea some time."
"Eh, that doesn't sound horrible," Sam shrugged. "Well, entirely horrible."
"Fantastic," Marissa beamed. "I'll make arrangements for later this week."
"You-You can't have tea with my mom!" Freddie exclaimed as Marissa turned and left the apartment.
"Why not? You're the one always bugging me to bond with her," Sam reminded him.
"But you're bonding over telling me what to do!" Freddie cried. "I am a grown man, you know. I can make my own decisions!"
"Of course you can, baby," Sam smiled, leaning up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "But seriously, let's get going to the Groovy Smoothie."
"I-I okay," Freddie nodded.
"Wow," Gibby chuckled as Sam and Freddie left the apartment. "Can you believe that?"
"I know," Spencer said. "Good thing we're not pathetic losers whose girlfriends who boss us around."
"Well, you don't even have a girlfriend at all," Gibby pointed out. "So I don't think you can-"
"Gibby!"
