Chapter 10
Freddie sat at a table for two in the mall's food court. The extra large bucket of fried chicken took up most of the table top barely leaving room to eat. He knew he was grasping at straws asking Sam for advice, and had there been any other option he would have gone with that. But this time there was no one else who could help him.
He heard the commotion before he saw her. A group of kids started yelling and over their banter Sam's loud voice could be heard clearly.
"Get outta my way. I'm hungry and I only get a 30 minute break!"
Freddie turned around in his seat as Sam shouldered between a middle-aged couple in the center aisle. He reluctantly raised his hand and waved to get her attention. Letting people know he was with Sam was equivalent to painting a target on his chest. However, today it had to be done.
"Chicken," Sam smiled as she tore into the bucket.
"Hi Sam," Freddie said.
The blonde grunted in response. A large piece of extra crispy skin hung from her lips.
"Carly is still mad at me," he explained to Sam. "I need you to tell me what I said to her the other night."
Sam rolled her eyes as she took another bite of the thick drumstick. When she finished chewing, she tossed the bone to the side and leaned forward, elbows on the table.
"You sure you want to hear this?"
"Yes."
"Ok," Sam licked her fingers. "You asked for it. And remember don't shoot the messenger."
"Fine. Now will you just tell me?"
"Let me set the scene," she began. "You were puking everywhere. Carly took you into the bathroom and tried to get you to heave over a toilet but you refused. You said you weren't going to put your face anywhere near the bowl because it was 'too dirty'. You started arguing with her, telling her she was being bossy, trying to control you…," Sam leaned in closer, "then you said she was just like your mom."
"I did NOT say that," Freddie's jaw dropped.
"Yeah ya did," Sam bit her lip. "I think if you would have shut up then she might not be so mad."
"There's more," Freddie felt the regret burning inside him.
"You started calling her Carissa."
"Oh no.." Freddie winced. He'd been calling Carly that in his head for a long time now. Mostly when she was acting like a super bitch, which let's face it - was pretty often. Even so, he never meant to say it to her face.
"Then I took you back to your room and she stayed in the bathroom rinsing out your clothes. While you were getting dressed you were telling me what it had been like to 'finally fuck Carly.'"
Freddie cringed at Sam's air quotes.
"I'm not sure how much she heard," Sam frowned, "but I know she heard you say that she was a control freak even during sex."
"NO," Freddie shook his head. "There's no way I said that."
Sam shrugged and took another piece of chicken from the bucket.
"Why didn't you stop me? Why didn't you punch me?"
"You were a freaking puke fountain – I wasn't getting close to you."
"Great. So what do I do now?" he looked at Sam.
"How the hell do I know?" she replied while chewing. "I tried to get Carly's side and she won't even talk about what you said. Then when I ask her about the sex, all she says is 'it was nice.' What kind of a lame answer is that?"
"Maybe she thought it was nice," Freddie said defensively.
"Yeah and maybe those awful dinners with her cousins are "nice" too," Sam shot back.
"You made your point," Freddie sighed as what little ego he had was knocked down to nothing.
"Look on the bright side," Sam reached into the bucket and offered him a piece of chicken. "At least we know you're not gay."
Freddie groaned as he bit into his wing. "Could you tell my mom that?"
"Why would I tell Marissa that?" Sam looked at him slightly confused.
Freddie began telling her the story of the underwear, which made Sam laugh so hard she fell off the chair. As she lay on the filthy floor of the Food Court with her arms wrapped around her sides and tears streaming down her cheeks, Freddie finally began to see a slight bit of humor in the whole situation and managed a small smile.
He got out of his seat and offered his hand to Sam to help her up from the floor. She pulled herself up and wrapped her arms around him burying her face into his chest.
Freddie felt her hands rubbing against his back.
"Sam, are you wiping your hands on me?"
"Yep," she pulled away looking up at him with a big grin. "And my face too."
By the time Freddie got home it was almost 6 pm and his mom was getting ready to leave for work.
"Your dinner is on the table," she told him as she gathered her things.
"Thanks," Freddie mumbled as he reached up into the cupboard for a glass.
"I'll be home all day tomorrow if you want to talk," Mrs. Benson told him as she gave him a quick hug.
" 'kay," he replied half hugging her back.
"I love you."
"Love you too," Freddie automatically replied.
Dinner was an underwhelming feast of steamed vegetables on a bed of rice, a far cry from his delicious birthday dinner. As much as people complained about the food at school, what he wouldn't give for a slice of that greasy pepperoni pizza or the make-your-own taco bar.
He sat at the table with his spiral notebook next to him, attempting to compose an appropriate apology to Carly. He began by making an outline of all his offenses.
1. Vomiting on Carly
2. Telling Carly she was just like his mom
3. Calling her Carissa
4. Saying she was a control freak during sex
5. Showing Spencer her underwear
6. Anything else that I can't remember
As he looked at the list he realized that this would require more than an "I'm sorry", this required pure groveling. He took out his phone and dialed Carly's cell.
"What?" she answered on the third ring.
"Can we talk, please?" he asked using his most needy tone.
There was a loud crash.
"Spencer! Are you OK?" Carly yelled loudly.
Freddie heard a groan in the distance.
"Uh, this isn't the best …," Carly began to answer when there was another audible thud. "… time, let me call you back," the she hung up the phone.
Completely discouraged Freddie finished his dinner quickly. He cleaned up after himself then went into his bedroom and began watching Galaxy Wars on his laptop.
The movie was almost at the halfway point, when his phone buzzed. There was a message from Carly.
OK 2 TALK
He practically jumped out of bed and raced through the apartment out into the hallway. Freddie knocked on the door and Carly opened it. She came out into the hall shutting the door behind her.
"Can we talk inside?" Freddie asked looking over her shoulder at the door.
Carly shook her head no, "Spencer," she explained briefly.
"Oh, well, my mom left for work, do you want to come over?" he asked feeling incredibly awkward.
"I guess," Carly replied.
Inside the living room Carly sat on in the corner of the couch, in what can only be described as a defensive stance. Freddie sat opposite her, elbows on his thighs, folding and unfolding his hands as they hung between his knees.
"Carly, I am so sorry for everything that happened the other night," he apologized looking as utterly pathetic as he could (which given his current state wasn't difficult).
"Apologies only count if you know what you're sorry for," the brunette stated flatly.
"I do know," Freddie did his best to make and maintain eye contact as he listed the offending actions.
"So you remember everything," Carly's lips stretched across her face in a thin line.
"No…," he admitted, "Sam told me."
"Humph," Carly flipped her hair back over her shoulder.
"Carly, please give me some leeway. I was completely trashed and had no idea what I was doing or saying. You know I would NEVER say anything like that to anyone – even Sam," Freddie blurted, his frustration evident.
"In vino veritas," Carly crossed her arms over her chest. (Latin for 'In wine there is truth')
"Alright fine, " Freddie snapped. "You want to know the truth – YES I call you Carissa when you're acting like a bitch. And YES, sometimes you do remind me of my mom when you're bossing people around. And yeah, you were a little controlling during…," Freddie trailed off because it was a little weird talking about IT when he was sober.
"You bit me," Carly glared at Freddie not giving him a chance to complete the sentence. "I'm sorry if you think that not letting you use my boob as a chew toy is 'controlling.'"
"I bit you? When?" Freddie thought back to their interlude and made the connection. "No..I… I.. was trying to take your bra off with my teeth…"
Carly sat there looking at him.
"I thought it would be sexy," Freddie explained. "You see guys do it all the time in…um, movies."
"You were trying to be sexy?" Carly's lips started to break into a smile.
"yeah," Freddie sighed. "Didn't work too well, did it?"
"You might want to practice a little more before trying it again," Carly grinned.
"It's not like I get a lot of opportunities to practice," Freddie mumbled under his breath as he leaned back into the couch.
"So why do you think I was controlling?" Carly shifted nervously in her seat.
"You didn't let me do anything," Freddie shrugged.
"I let you be on top," Carly said defensively.
"I know. It wasn't that…," Freddie bounced his knee nervously. "It's just… the guy is supposed to… be more, uh, involved in the ummmm…foreplay part." He knew that wasn't the most articulate way to tell her that he would have liked to undress her and maybe put his mouth somewhere other than her lips.
"Foreplay," Carly's brow furrowed. "We did kinda skip that, or I skipped that," she corrected herself. "Sorry, I was really nervous," she run her palms up and down over the top of her legs.
"I was nervous too," Freddie chuckled softly to himself.
"No, you were drunk," Carly caught on to the lightening mood.
"YOU were drunk," Freddie pointed accusingly. "You walked out of my dorm room in your underwear."
"That's because I really had to pee," Carly laughed as she blushed. "And who WERE those girls in the bathroom?"
"I have no idea, but they seem to think I have no stamina. I'm going to cross them off my "Girls who might have sex with me" list.
Carly laughed and crawled across the couch giving her best friend a warm hug.
"So I'm forgiven?" Freddie asked, tightening his arms around her.
"Yes," Carly replied as her phone buzzed. She let go of Freddie and reached into her pocket checking the display. "Did you eat dinner yet?" she asked.
"Sort of," Freddie told her.
"Do you want to get some cheesecake? One of the servers called out, so Sam is going to cover half her shift."
"Oh God, Sam is waitressing!" Freddie roared with laughter. "This I have to see."
Sam's normal job was quality control, which meant she sat back in a corner of the kitchen and sampled the food. This position required no interaction with customers, because we all know Sam isn't exactly a "people person." Covering for a server meant she would have to talk to people and be nice.
-o-
After a brief wait, Carly and Freddie were seated in a small booth in Sam's section. They twisted and turned in their seats trying to catch a glimpse of her. It was close to ten minutes before they saw her coming out of the kitchen, obviously chewing something.
"Are you shitting me?" Sam laughed as she approached their table. "What are you 'tards doing here?"
"Having cheesecake," Carly replied bobbing her head side to side.
"Alright," Sam squeezed into the booth next to Carly. "I can hook you guys up BUT I can't take your order, you'll have to eat what I bring out."
"That's ok we can pay," Freddie told the blonde because quite frankly he didn't want to take a chance on the food that Sam would deliver to their table.
"Carly?" Sam turned to her friend looking for the final answer on the proposal.
"You heard him," Carly gestured to Freddie. "He's buying!"
"That's not what I said," Freddie looked at Carly and laughed.
"Let me see what I got," Sam winked as she got up and took the menus with her.
"But...," Freddie tried to argue but Sam was already two tables down. "I swear if get food poisoning…," he said to Carly.
"You're not going to get food poisoning," Carly laughed.
A few minutes later Sam returned with six cups of coffee and a small pitcher of cream. Carly and Freddie laughed as she also unloaded 12 packs of crackers from her apron before heading over to one of her other tables.
"Coffee and saltines," Freddie commented. "How appetizing."
They'd finished four of the six cups of coffee when Sam came back with a small side salad and at least seven small cups of dressing which she put in front of Freddie.
"Ok," Carly laughed as Freddie pushed the salad across the table to her.
"She probably spit in it," Freddie explained.
"I'm sure she didn't," Carly shook her head as she picked up her fork and stabbed at the lettuce.
It was awhile before Sam returned again. This time she had a half basket of bread and a few tea bags which she tossed on the table as she hurried back into the kitchen.
"Oh my God, " Freddie watched Sam go down the aisle. "She just took this bread off an empty table and gave it to us."
"So? It's bread," Carly replied breaking a piece and dipping it in her salad dressing.
"You don't know who touched it," Freddie lectured. "What if someone picked their nose and then touched that piece of bread."
Carly stopped chewing and held her napkin up to her face, spitting out the partially chewed bread. Placing her soiled napkin next to her plate she looked across the table at him, "If you were on a date, would you have said that?"
"If I was on a date, I'd be ordering food and not eating what other people leave behind," Freddie gave Carly a trying look.
"And you'd also be paying," Carly returned the look.
"You're impossible," Freddie began pushing the empty cups to the edge of the table.
Just then Sam returned with two huge pieces of cheesecake. She sat them on the table and slid into the seat next to Carly again.
"I need you guys to do me a favor," she whispered. "Chef is working on a new flavor and I need some customer feedback."
"What flavor?" Carly asked as she rotated the plate in front of her.
"It's not named yet, but it's a variation of the chocolate brownie cheesecake with a secret ingredient. I've had it and it's really good."
"Ok," Carly shrugged picking up her fork and breaking off a piece.
"What about you?" Sam looked at Freddie.
"Did you lick it?" Freddie glanced down at the cheesecake looking for any trace of saliva.
"No, Freddork," Sam grabbed his fork and took a big chunk of his serving, shoving it in her mouth. Then she ran her tongue slowly along the prongs of the fork before placing it back on the table.
"I hate you, Sam," Freddie picked up his spoon and dug into the side opposite where she'd taken her piece.
"Hate you too," Sam stood up and ruffled his hair. "I'm off in about thirty minutes. You guys want a ride home?"
"Definitely," Carly nodded. "and this is good." She tapped her fork on the plate.
"I'll let Chef know," Sam smiled. "Oh and here's your check," she put the padded folder down on the table.
"Check?" Freddie picked up the folder and opened it. Inside was a bill for $2.19 with a note from Sam that read – Remember servers have to live on their tips : )
"How much is it?" Carly asked.
"I got it," Freddie dug in his pocket for his wallet. It's not like giving money to Sam was anything new.
30 Minutes Later
Carly and Freddie followed Sam through the parking lot to her car. Freddie noticed that Carly was especially giddy, giggling hysterically for no reason. And that was making him laugh too.
"So how are you guys feeling?" Sam asked as she unlocked the doors of her car.
"Fantabulous," Carly replied. "Which is fabulous and fantastic at the same time."
"I'm feeling spectacular," Freddie announced as he climbed into the back seat.
Sam left out a whooping laugh as she climbed into the driver's seat.
"What's so funny Sam?" Freddie asked as he yanked her hair.
"You two," Sam laughed. "I love it when you guys are high."
"We're not high," Carly told Sam.
"Yeah you are," Sam had a big shit eating grin on her face.
"Oh fuck, Sam what did you do?" Freddie leaned up into the front of the car.
"Let's just say the special ingredient in that cheesecake you ate isn't exactly legal."
"OH MY GOD SAM!" Carly screamed. "You roofied us!"
"Oh please," Sam laughed, "like I'd need to roofie Freddie. He gets an erection on command."
"It's true," Freddie laughed at himself.
"I'm high," Carly stared at her friends before laughing.
"You guys have any money for gas?" Sam asked as she backed out of her parking spot which sent her passengers into another round of laughter.
By the time they got back to the apartment building, Carly had laughed so hard at one of Sam's off color remarks she peed her pants a little which gave Freddie a serious case of hiccups.
Sam followed behind with a box of cheesecake as Carly raced through the lobby to the elevator, afraid someone might see the wet spot on her jeans. When the trio got to their floor, Carly rushed down the hallway to her apartment.
"I'm gonna pee myself," Carly exclaimed as she stood there crossed legged, rummaging through her bag for her keys.
"We could just knock," Freddie banged on the door loudly. "SPENCER!"
The door was thrown open and there was a burst of confetti and balloons as the crowd inside screamed "SURPRISE!"
Freddie stood there stunned. The fight with Carly had been so distracting he completely forgot about the surprise party and …..
Operation Stripper for Freddie.
sorry for the long winded chapter - but for the sake of what little plot this story has it was necessary.
So just one chapter left to go...
and I have to pimp out the story: iwant a girlfriend by BaalRules. If you go to my profile it's in my favorites - Be warned - it's crudely awesome!