iTones

Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly

The various tones in which Carly calls Sam by her name

Chapter 8: Sam (shock, apprehensive, cheery, annoyed, frustrated, anger)

'Ethan Wagner,' Carly asked.

'Too short,' Sam replied.

'Marshall Walker?'

'That kid we use to call Marsh-mello? No.'

Sam and Carly were sitting in Carly's room. Carly was on her bed looking through the previous years yearbook and Sam was sitting in a chair twirling about. This had been their conversation for the last few hours. Carly would call out a name and Sam would find an excuse, ANY excuse not to ask them out. Carly felt the pressure increase behind her eyes, the beginning sign of a headache. There were only a few names left.

'Stan Williams? James Williamson? Frank Yates? Daniel Young?'

'Hate him. God no! Why? And ugh,' Sam declared as she ticked off her fingers. 'Why do I need to bring a date anyway? We can go together like we always do.'

'Because I'm not suppose to go with you,' Carly blurted out.

'What does that mean,' Sam asked as she stopped spinning and got up from the chair and made her way over to Carly. 'Nothing. Forget it,' Carly said but Sam was having none of that. She spun Carly's chair around. 'Spill it Shay.' Carly avoided eye contact with her and tried to get up but Sam was much stronger than her. 'Carls?'

Carly made eye contact with Sam and looked pained. Her head was now throbbing and she had to tell her best friend what had been weighing on her mind for nearly a month. 'Fine. Just hear me out and try not to interrupt me.' Carly waited until Sam mumbled in agreement before continuing. 'A few weeks ago I was cutting through the locker room when I heard our names so I went to investigate.'

~Flashback~

Carly was running late to Geometry so she decided to cut through the girls locker room. As she was walking she heard 'iCarly' so she thought she'd investigate. As she was about to round the corner she heard 'lesbians' and froze in her tracks. She recognized the voice, Layla Johnson.

'You're saying that Sam Puckett and Carly Shay are dykes,' someone asked.

'Yes. Minnie says she sees them come out of Carly's apartment building nearly every morning. Have you noticed they don't have boyfriends?' The girls started laughing.

Carly wanted to run around the corner and scream 'It's not true!' but her heart and feet were heavy with the words she had just heard. People thought her and Sam were lesbian lovers. Sure they were best friends and Sam stayed at her house a few nights a week. That didn't mean anything. Did it? She now fully recognized the three distinct voices she heard: Layla, Rihanna, and Minnie. The school gossip bitches.

'Sam dated Freddie for awhile and Carly had a few boyfriends,' Rihanna said.

'Can you say beards,' Layla said and more laughter erupted.

'I bet they go to the dance together', Minnie said. 'And you know they'll be spending the night together.'

Carly could take no more and silently backed out the way she came. She thought about telling but knew the first thing Sam would do is rearrange their faces. Besides it's not like her or Sam were gay anyway. Although Sam did tend to wear alot of boys clothes.

~End Flashback~

'So you see, that's why I think it's best if we got dates other than each other,' Carly said. Sam let go of the chair. She had a look in her eyes that Carly couldn't quite place. Hurt? Anger? Surely Sam knew she couldn't confront the three girls by herself. She began packing her things. Carly slowly got up the whole time watching her not really knowing what to say. Carly broke the silence once Sam finished packing all of her things and was headed towards the door. 'Where are you going?'

'Somewhere I'm wanted.'

'You're wanted here,' Carly pleaded.

'Am I,' Sam shot back turning on her heel to face Carly,'Or are you afraid I'll turn you gay? Isn't that why I hardly slept over this past month? Did Spencer even talk to you like you claim or did your own fear and ignorance decide I couldn't stay as much as I have been?' She saw the answer in her eyes. 'That's great Carls. Let me ask you something: Do you think I'm a gay?'

'Are you?'

'Does it really matter? We've been best friends for almost nine years. Why should it matter if I prefer boys or girls?'

'Because your lifestyle is beginning to affect me and my reputation. People think we're having hot make out sessions or sex and I'm NOT like that,' Carly practically yelled.

'Oh, so we finally get to the truth of what this is about. You. Here I am hurting looking for a friend, my best friend, to comfort me as I sort out some things and you can't even do that because then you'd have to touch me and maybe confront your OWN sexuality. You'd have to come face to face with the fact that you may love me more than a friend. Probably have for a really long time.'

'I do love you, as a FRIEND,' Carly stressed.

Sam laughed bitterly. 'A year ago you wouldn't have felt the need to make that distinction. Hell, a month ago you wouldn't have.'

'Yea, well a month ago I didn't know, you know.'

'No, I don't know.'

'I didn't know you were a lesbian. I don't know if you've been fantasizing about me, ogling me while I slept, or trying to convert me to be like you.'

'You think this is a choice?'

'Yes, it's a choice,' Carly said raising her voice. 'You weren't born this way. Maybe it's the unstable environment you come from and you're looking for a mother figure. This is not the way to do it.'

Sam had heard enough. She gripped Carly tightly by the arms, spun her around and pinned her against the door.

'Sam.'

Any other protests Carly was about to make died on her lips as Sam's lips crashed into hers. Carly's eyes were wide, fearful. She knew this was wrong but in the back of her mind she felt this kiss more than any kiss she had with a guy. She closed her eyes and parted her lips to deepen the kiss when Sam pulled away.

'Sorry. I'm not trying to convert you, just making a point. You don't hate me. You hate yourself because you can't face the truth. Talk to me when you've sorted through your problems.' With that she picked up her bags and left a stunned Carly standing in her room.

It had been roughly ten hours since Sam left Carly stunned in her bedroom. She barely slept last night trying to process everything that had happened. The conversation she overheard, her lies, her actions, and the kiss. Was Sam right? Was she angry because she was trying to cover up her own feelings? She had only thought about this once after overhearing the conversation between Layla and her minions. That's when she realized people could misinterpret her and Sam's relationship. At a glance they did look like a lesbian couple. Sam the strong willed one and Carly the shy one. Opposites attract after all. She began to wonder if residents in the building felt the same way. She couldn't let her reputation be tarnished so she had told Sam that Spencer said she couldn't stay over as often. She also stopped as much physical contact with her as she could without being blatant. She faked having a cold for a few days but she couldn't do that forever. She began making popcorn and placing the bowl on her lap whenever they watched television. Sam was used to laying across Carly's lap so this forced her to sit up. It went on like this varying things in their usual routine so they wouldn't feel like a couple. She was now resting against her locker waiting for Sam to show up having thought out last night's events on the walk to school. She wasn't sure WHAT she was going to say to her. She had thought about everything but she still hadn't confronted what she was feeling for Sam. Just then Sam walked in and went to her locker which was next to Carly's. 'Hey Sam.' Sam acted as if she didn't hear her and opened her locker. Carly got in her line of sight. 'Hiya Sam,' she said again. Sam looked around but didn't acknowledge her. 'Sam.' Sam gathered the books she needed, closed her locker, and walked off. 'Sam.' She just kept walking. 'Sam.' Carly followed Sam down the hall as she just kept walking. 'Samantha.' She hadn't known she'd said it that loud but several people had stopped and was now looking at her and Sam, who was now looking at her.

'What,' Sam replied. She couldn't keep the agitation out of her voice but Carly figured that was from using her full name, at least that's what she hoped it was. Her face however was unreadable.

'I want- can't we talk?'

'So, talk.' Carly wanted to talk. She really did but everyone was staring and she couldn't find the right words. After twenty seconds of waiting Sam spoke up. 'That it? Wow. That was a really compelling speech Carls. Tell you what. I'm going to let the information soak in for awhile and I'll get back to you ok.' With that Sam walked off to class leaving Carly stunned for the second time in two days.

'Looks like trouble in paradise,' Layla said as the crowd began to disperse.

'Screw you Layla,' Carly said as she walked away.

'I'm sure you want to and have probably fantasized about it but no thanks, I prefer guys unlike you,' Layla responded. Rihanna and Minnie just laughed.

Carly left school deciding she couldn't handle anymore today and headed home.

To be continued . . . . .