Ridgeway High School, Seattle
It was Monday morning, and Ted Franklin was walking the halls of Ridgeway School as he'd done practically every morning for the last 7 years that'd he'd been principal. Unlike some of his rather obsessive staff, he didn't walk the halls just waiting for students to misbehave. Rather, as the leader of the school, he liked to know "his" kids, and he wanted them to know him as well. For some of his students, he was a strict disciplinarian, for some a friend and mentor. He knew how to tell the truly good kids from the truly bad ones. Kids like "Rip Off" Rodney Goober or Billy Boots were incorrigible and required strict discipline, while others like Wendy Miller, were simply misguided and needed a friend to show them the right path once in a while.
As Ted turned the corner, he came upon a student who, by all rights, should have been at the top of the first list. She was rude, obnoxious, and she bullied kids weaker than her. She'd been in his office so many times he'd half-considered adding her name below his on the door. Despite all that, however, he knew that Sam Puckett was not a bad kid at heart. Her home life was a mess, for sure, and she'd been pretty much left to run wild in her pre-teen years, so she was lacking in self-control. Ted liked to believe that he cared about "his kids" equally, but in truth, he had favorites. He had taken it upon himself to mentor Sam Puckett if not into an upstanding citizen, at least a decent one.
What little self-control Sam had manifested itself in the form of a skinny brunette girl who was also one of Ted Franklin's favorites. Three weeks ago, he'd gotten an email from Central Administration saying that Carly Shay was transferring to a school in Italy. His first reaction was shock, as it was unlike Carly to leave the school without even saying goodbye (He'd later learned from Freddie Benson that her departure was sudden and unplanned). After getting over the initial shock and sadness, his next reaction was fear that Sam would go off the deep end, and he'd be forced to expel her. To his astonishment, it had been just the opposite. Sam Puckett, while still not a model student, was actually behaving better than she had for years. Her grades and attendance were up and she hadn't had detention in three weeks. He assumed it was just grief over her best friend's transfer, and that there was an orgy of destruction coming. He resolved to enjoy the calm while it lasted.
Sam was standing at her locker getting books, and for a moment, Ted thought he saw Carly next to her. Then he realized what it was. The picture of Drake Bell that had adorned Sam's locker for the last five years was gone. In its place was a photo of Carly, wearing her father's Air Force hat, hand raised in mock salute, laughing. It was clearly taken with a PearPhone camera, as it had a slightly purple tint (Freddie had explained it as something about the new lenses in the PearPhone 6). He knew Carly had texted it to Sam. What surprised him was the red heart around Carly's face, and the "XXX wink – Carly" at the bottom of the picture. It looked like a picture a girl would send to her boyfriend. Wheels started turning in Franklin's head. The pieces started to fall into place. Ted knew who he needed to talk to.
Sam Puckett was called to the Principal's office. In her overall career at Ridgeway, this was certainly nothing new. This time was different, though. She hadn't done anything detention-worthy in weeks. She'd actually been trying to pay attention and stay out of trouble. When Carly graduated high school, she planned to come back to Seattle for college. Sam was determined to join her. She had just over a year to get her grades up enough to make it happen.
As she approached the office, she racked her brain trying to think of some reason she'd been summoned. Maybe Ted had found out about the… No, that was months ago, and if he hadn't figured it out by now, he never would. Even if he did, she could claim statute of limitations or something.
The secretary motioned her into the principal's office, and she walked in. Ted didn't look up from his desk, he just said, "Close the door please." Confused, Sam complied. He then reached over and conspicuously turned off the intercom on his phone. Sam tensed. This looked like one of Uncle Carmine's setups, and she subconsciously assumed a defensive posture. No witnesses. Now Ted looked up at her and smiled. "Relax, Sam. You're not in any trouble. Just the opposite, in fact. You've been a model student lately, well, at least for you. Some of your teachers even caught you paying attention in classs." He chuckled slightly and paused a moment. "This is about something completely different. Please, sit down," he motioned to the chair.
As anyone who knew her, and the answer was unanimous. Sam Puckett was not a timid girl. However, anyone standing in that office would have been fooled by the slow way she sat, fidgeting. "So what is this about, then, Ted? I mean, 'Principal Franklin'?"
Ted smiled a fatherly smile. "Sam," he began, "did you know I went to Ridgeway myself? I graduated from here in 1984."
Sam looked at him questioningly, "What does that have to do with…"
Ignoring her question, Ted continued talking, "I was a bit of a nerd back then. I was in the AV Club and I did the sound and lighting for the Drama Club. That's where I met her, Candace. She was tall and thin and beautiful. We became great friends. I used to help her run lines. Even though I had the biggest crush on her, we were never more than just friends"
"Okay," Sam ventured.
"Her dad was in the Navy, and at the beginning of our junior year, he was restationed in Norfolk. The night before she left for Virginia, she stopped over my house to say goodbye. Right there in my front hallway, she gave me the most passionate kiss I'd ever had. Then she said she should have done that years ago. I realized then that she loved me as much as I loved her. Then she ran off crying because she was leaving the next morning.
"We wrote letters back and forth every week, and got a job just so I could pay the long distance charges to call her once in a while. I begged my dad to take us to Virginia Beach for vacation, and when he did, Candace and I spent every waking moment together that week. The next year, I applied to Virginia Tech, since I knew that's where she wanted to go."
Sam looked at him questioningly. "Your degree says to you went to the University of Washington," she said, looking over at the wall where it hung.
"As a matter of fact, I applied too late and didn't get in. I was devastated. I knew she'd find someone in college and we'd be done. I stopped writing or calling her, trying to make a clean break of it," he finished, sadly.
Everyone thought Sam didn't pay attention, but the truth was that she didn't find most schoolwork something she'd need in the near future. Anything she could use against people was filed away for easy access, and Sam remembered something that changed this entire conversation. "Isn't your wife named Candace?" she asked suspiciously.
"Can't put anything over on you," he replied with a smile. "When I got to Washington that fall, which I'd already been accepted to, I walked into my first class and Candace was there, saving a seat for me. She'd come cross-country just to be with me. We've been together ever since."
"That's a nice story, Ted," Sam replied, "but what does that have to do with me?"
"You miss Carly, don't you, Sam?"
"Of course I do!" she answered, then she realized with the principal was really asking. She didn't want their relationship to become common knowledge among the faculty. Mr. Howard was already an enough of an asshole, she didn't need homophobic comments from him, too. "Wait a minute! Carls and me are just friends," she protested.
Franklin raised an eyebrow, reminding Sam of the alien science officer from Galaxy Wars, as he asked, "Really? You know everything you say to me here is in the strictest confidence. I'm asking you as a friend, Sam. Trust me. Either way, if there's anything you need, just ask."
Sam didn't trust easy, but this man was part of her inner circle. He'd been on iCarly, and they'd helped him get his job back after that. He was cool enough to let them keep Gibby's open, maybe he was cool enough to be trusted with this. "Can I level with you, Ted?"