"Say that again?" Carly shouted. "I can't hear you!"

Freddie opened his mouth, but then mouthed, "I'll tell you later!"

Carly nodded. She liked loud music as much as the next girl, but even she thought that this club took it a little far

.

When they grew tired of dancing, Carly and Freddie seated themselves at a table and ordered sodas.

"So..." Carly said, running her finger along the edge of her glass.

"So?" Freddie replied. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, fine," she said, taking a sip of her soda. "Did I hear Sam say she liked your shirt earlier?"

"Uh, yeah," Freddie said. "Why?"

Carly shrugged "Just asking. When we were younger I always thought there was kind of some chemistry between you guys. Just wondering if it was coming back."

Freddie's heart hit his stomach. The chemistry. Of course there had been chemistry. Why else would they have...

"Wait... You were gonna say that we should kiss?"

Freddie grimaced, then said, "You're gonna break my arm now, aren't you?"

"...No."

...

"Well. Lean."

Chemistry. They were baking soda and vingegar, however you chose to look at it. Sam with her bacon-and-strawberry scented hair, and Freddie with his tech-geek-nubbiness... They were the classic classroom experiment, the perfect pair.

Freddie looked up at Carly. "Well, there may have been some chemistry when we were younger-"

"Chemistry doesn't go away, Freddie."

He was silent.

"Freddie, we aren't going to be happy together with your relationship with Sam getting in the way."

His head shot up. "So you want me to stop talking to and hanging out with Sam? Is that what you're saying?" No. Never in a thousand years, no.

"I didn't say that! But do you think we have more chemistry than you and Sam do?"

Freddie bit his lip, then forced himself to look her in the eye. "No, Carly... I don't think we do."

Carly stirred her drink. "Well. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"I kind of forced you into this. You're a little too nice for your own good, I guess," Carly said, smiling down at her drink. "Ready to head home?"

Freddie picked up his jacket. "Yeah. What should I do about Sam?"

"What do YOU want to do about Sam?"

Push her up against a wall and kiss her senseless. "I want all three of us to be happy. I don't know what that will mean."

"You'll think of something," Carly said, picking up the keys.


Sam POV:

"You've been dating for three weeks, and you've broken up already?" I asked. "What happeed? What did he do? Should I break his arm?"

"Sit down, Sam," Carly said, taking bobby pins out of her hair. "It was a mutual decision."

"Carly Shay, that is the biggest cliche in the world! There is no such thing as a mutual breakup! SOMEBODY always wants to stay. Who brought it up in the first place?"

Carly frowned at her reflection, then began removing her eye makeup. "I'm not sure. We just started talking and ended up broken up."

"Talking about what?" I demanded. This was getting all together too confusing. Too confusing and dangerous. Freddie was single again? Not dating my best friend? No. Friends do not date friend's ex-boyfriends.

"Don't worry about it. I'm going to bed," Carly replied. "Are you staying the night?"

"Nah." I said. I needed some fresh air. "See ya tomorrow."

But it wasn't to the trailer park where I lived that my feet carried me. They took me up a flight of stairs and out a window onto the ledge. The fire escape. Coming from a corner of the platform was the blueish glow of a laptop screen.

"Hey."

Freddie closed his laptop. "Hey."

"Sorry about you and Carly," I offered lamely. This scene was way too familiar. A couple of heys. An apology.

"It's okay," he said. "You wanna sit down?"

I mutely plopped down on the ground beside him. "Carly won't tell me why you guys broke up."

He was quiet for a minute, then said, "You remember the last time we were out here?"

Like it was five minutes ago, I thought, but said only, "Yeah."

"That's why," he said, turning his face towards mine. In the faint light coming through the window I could tell he wasn't joking. I jumped to my feet.

"But we swore never to speak of it! You spoke of it! Are you crazy?" I demanded.

Swifter that I knew he could be, Freddie jumped up and pulled me close. His lips found mine, and I knew that that weird feeling in my stomach had nothing to do with brown fudge. Just the brown eyes of a certain tech geek I had come to love.

He pulled away for a moment and whispered, "Crazy about you."

I blinked. "Then I guess we're both crazy."

A sneeze came from inside the building. Freddie and I looked at each other, then inside.

"And... goodnight," I said to the camera in Carly's hands, reaching for the power button.


Author's note:

I hate to say it, but this concludes Girl Talk. :'( I had planned on making it longer, but then it ended up writing itself, somehow, and I ended up here. Also, Carly and Freddie refused to fight like I wanted them to. Siiiigh. Oh well, I was happier with it ending with them all friends.

I hope you all enjoyed my story! I probably won't write another one for a while, just due to being crazy-busy when school starts, but maybe look for another one from me around November! Thank you all for all of your kind reviews, I appreciated each and every one of them. :)

~Evelyn