"So how is San Francisco?"

"It's nice," Sam answered truthfully. Then she added, "But it would be more fun if you were here, babe."

"Aww…" Carly gushed, "I miss you too. It's only 7 more months, though."

"6 months, 28 days." Sam countered, and Carly realized that her slacker girlfriend was keeping track in her head. It only served to endear Sam to her even more.

It was Friday afternoon for Carly, and she'd just gotten home from school. It was a nice surprise to see Sam's face on her phone when it rang. Carly was so burned out from her schedule – mostly advanced placement classes, at her father's insistence – that she couldn't even do the math to figure out what time it was for Sam.

"So how did Spencer do in the Black Hole final?" Carly asked, citing the reason her girlfriend, brother, and Freddie were in the city by the bay.

Carly could hear the excitement in Sam's voice as she spoke. It was exactly the same tone she'd used years before to describe a Shelby Marx fight. "Dude, it was awesome. 6 players duking it out. Spencer quickly racked up 2 kills, and some girl called 'Prodigy' racked up 3."

Carly interrupted, "There was a girl in the finals?" Online first-person shooters didn't seem like a girl thing to her. Of course, judging by Sam's excitement, she might want to reconsider.

"Yeah, she was runner up last year. Funny thing is she looked almost exactly like Melanie."

"Oh, she was cute, then," Carly asked with a flirty lilt to her voice.

"Carly Shay!" Sam admonished, "You got a thing for my sister?"

Carly was confused, "Sam, you and Melanie are identic…" She shook her head, only Sam… "Nevermind. Back to Spencer. What happened?"

Sam was back to the story like a sports announcer calling the shots, "Last year's champion got taken out early, so it came down to Spencer and Prodigy. She started to do her signature move, which involved her jumping on his back. Just then, Spencer's glove mysteriously caught fire and he started flailing around like a mad… like Spencer. He caught her in mid jump and knocked her right into an active volcano. It was the coolest thing ever."

"So he won," Carly asked, excitement building in her voice.

"Two point one million dollars baby," Sam responded, enunciating every word carefully.

"Oh my God!" Carly screamed excitedly. She was still sitting in the living room. If it was like any other Friday night, her dad wouldn't be home for at least another 4 hours. Carly had been doing "research" for the last few weeks, and she had a plan. "This calls for a celebration," she suggested.

"What'd you have in mind, Cupcake?" Sam was curious.

"Well, it starts with me kissing you, and shoving my tongue deep in your mouth," Carly started seductively. "Can you taste the mint?"

Sam wasn't sure where Carly was going with this, but she liked the way it sounded. "Uh-huh," she prodded.

"My hands are running down your sides, and I pull your t-shirt up and over your head."

"Feisty," Sam replied.

Carly continued, while slipping her free hand under her skirt and pushing her panties aside, "Now I'm kissing the side of your neck and down your chest. You're wearing the yellow bra I bought you for your birthday last year. You know, the one with the front clasp. Oops, now it's gone too."

Sam's hand had slipped down her own jeans, and she was getting more excited by the moment. "Do you know what you're doing to me, Cupcake? What I'm doing to myself right now?"

"Probably the same thing I am, Mama," Carly answered. "Are you as wet as I am? I'd like to bury my face between your legs and taste your sweet…"

"CARLY SHAY! WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

Carly nearly jumped off the couch. She pulled her hand out from between her legs and tried to act casual. "I'll talk to you later, Sam," she mumbled into the phone. She stood up, assuming a posture like one of her dad's men at attention. "Dad, it wasn't…"

"Sam?" Colonel Shay asked. "I come home early to surprise you and find you having…" he paused, fumbling for words, "…phone sex with another girl? Oh my God. Is this how I raised you?"

"Dad, you're making it sound worse than it is," Carly pleaded.

"Worse than it is? Worse than it is?" Steven screamed. "I always knew in the back of my mind that Sam was a bad influence on you, but I never dreamed she'd turn you into… THIS!"

"Dad, she didn't…"

Steven cut her off, "Well, we're going to put an end to this right now. Give me that phone," he said, grabbing for it.

Carly wouldn't let go of the phone, it was the only lifeline to her old life and to Sam. She used her free hand to try to push her father away. The Colonel's reflexes, honed by years of training, kicked in. His hand shot out, delivering a solid backhand to Carly's cheek. She let go of the phone and ran to her bedroom, locking the door behind her.

"Carly, wait! I didn't mean to…" Steven called from the living room.

Carly sank to the bed. Her life was in a shambles.