THE AFTERMATH OF iCARLY

Sam: appearance of an old friend

Sam was a girl who didn't usually get upset very easily. She wasn't one of those hopelessly romantic girls that drew her name and her crush's name in a heart in the back of her notebooks, she also didn't take compliments very well for fear that they weren't genuine. The other thing was she didn't give out compliments to other people because it felt awkward and wrong to her. It was cliché to say but, she didn't cry over petty things like boys or sad/sappy movies. She considered anyone who did, to be quite pathetic. Except for her best friend, that is.

But today, the girl was zoning in and out of reality. Last night, the longest night of her life or so it seemed, Freddie Benson had called her to apologise for being a jerk. But it's not like she was ready to forgive his bluntness at the restaurant. It was a kind of a weird phone-call, since Freddie went all quiet on the other end and for the life of her, she couldn't remember hanging up after their conversation.

Now though, she was waiting for him at the Groovy Smoothie.

"I have just what you need," announces a crazy man by the name of T-Bo. "Stuffed Bell Peppers on a stick."

"Not now, T-Bo," she replies.

"Well I'm offended," and he goes to try and tempt some other customers into the delicious snack.

The place was crowded as usual with kids that went to Ridgeway High school, or at least who had graduated from there, just like her and Freddie. It wasn't long before the boy showed up with a paper bag filled with something that I'm sure she was about to find out about. It turned out to be a present for her. She liked presents.

"This is an 'I'm sorry for being a jerk' present," he says, as he sat down. "I think you'll like it."

Sam peered into the paper bag and her eyes lit up straightaway - just about ready to forgive him and his stupidity of yesterday. It was chocolate covered bacon (don't mock it till you try it) and it was her all-time favourite snack. He knew this, and she felt like lunging across the table and kissing the dork. Instead she nodded slowly.

"Thank you, Freddie." Inside though, she was passionately kissing him in front of everyone.

They sat and talked about everything and anything random, including memories from when Carly was still with them. Sam thought about her best friend a lot and hoped she wasn't forgetting her amongst all the gigolos and spaghetti. Then she looked at Freddie sitting across from her.

"So how's Abigail," she asks. "You two going on a second date, or what?"

"It's Angela," he corrects her.

"Abigail, Angela, they're all the same to me." Sam shrugs her shoulders. Freddie stares at her for a little while.

"As for the second date, I'm not sure."

The girl stares at him, wondering what was going on inside his head. Although she'd probably be a little bit scared to know what he was thinking about. Possibly that Angela chick and whether she'd go out with him again. The problem with it all was, she was pretty, she looked smart and she was all neat and tidy and had better manners than Sam did.

"You know what Carly would say if she were here."

"Yeah, I do. She'd say 'follow your heart, Freddie'," he replies, imitating her voice.

"... so?"

The silence settled around them.

"So what?"

"So what does your heart say?"

Sam wasn't going to take her eyes off of him just yet until he gave her a definite answer. Despite the fact that this conversation was turning to the more girly and sappy side of things. She took a mental note to slap herself later. But right now, his answer would determine everything. Feelings aside.

"Why are you so interested?" Freddie questions suddenly.

"I uhh..." she doesn't exactly have a response ready to give him.

"Well?"

A tallish, good-looking and familiar looking boy comes over to their table, all happy. Sam knows who he is straight away and gives him a huge grin. Freddie looks at him, nods his greeting but then focuses on Sam. It's like he's not going to let his question go unanswered so easily.

"Oh my God! Freddie and Sam! I haven't seen you guys in forever!" It was Brad, the fudge guy who was iCarly's intern/assistant.

"Hey Brad," says Sam, relieved that there was a momentary distraction. Freddie doesn't take his eyes off of her, and she can feel the intensity of his staring.

"Did I interrupt something here?" Brad asks, looking from Freddie to Sam.

"No, not at all!" Sam says, all excited. "Please sit with us."

"Well actually, I can't stay. I was just grabbing a smoothie before heading to my Grandma's house."

"That's a shame." Really, couldn't he stay a little while longer, she thought. Not that she was desperate or anything. Okay, maybe a little.

"How's Carly doing? I heard she was still in Italy."

"Yep, well. She sent me an email last week, telling me that she loves it over there."

"Cool," he replies. "Well, good to see you two. We should hang out sometime."

"Yes, yes we should. Right Freddie?"

"Huh? Oh, right." The girl smiles at him, and then stands up to hug Brad.

"Catch you later," says Brad, hugging Sam and then leaves.

The moment Sam sits back down, she immediately slurps her smoothie noisily, whilst Freddie has a bewildered look spreading across his boyish-cute face. She tries not to look at him but fails as he pounces on her with a question.

"What the heck was that?"

"What the heck was what?"

Freddie pretends to flip his imaginary long blonde curly hair, in attempt to mock Sam. She glares at him whilst he does so.

"Oh, hi Brad," he giggles, very un-Sam like. "Gee, Brad, we should totally hang out. I am so in love with you!"

"Stop it or I slap you," she says, in a tone that makes him stop. "It's not like that. He's just a cool guy."

That is the end of that. Sam remains quiet. Freddie doesn't say a word, and leans back to study her as she finishes up her smoothie. Sam becomes more and more nervous as the time passes. They both know she hasn't answered his previous question because Brad was just so conveniently there at the right (or wrong) time.

They sit there in awkward silence.

Until Sam's phone buzzes with a message on it. She wants to ignore it, but Freddie asks if she's going to check who it was that sent her the message. She gives in and looks at the screen. It was weird, but she still had Brad's phone number programmed into her pear phone - Carly...? Yes, she was sure that her best friend hijacked her phone and put the fudge dude's number in there "for... future reference", Carly would be saying to her, right about now.

"Well...?" Freddie asks.

"It's uhmm... a friend." Sam replies, quickly typing a message back and stowing her phone away. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Right."

Yet another silence consumes the remainder of their time together at the Groovy Smoothie. This was starting to get quite annoying. If only she could summon up the courage and just tell him how she really felt. But that was kind of redundant, since he was with Abigail... Angela.

"I should go now," she says, finally.

"Okay," replies Freddie. "I'll walk you home."

Sam wasn't about to decline his offer. So the two of them thanked T-Bo, and he told them to come again soon. They'd be back, since it was their favourite place to hang out, even without Carly there. At least one place still felt semi-normal to them. She stepped out of the door, being held by Freddie, and they both walked down the street in the direction of her house.

"Sam, I'm sorry again for blowing you off," says Freddie, as they walk. "It's just that... well... I wanted to see if I had a chance with Angela."

"Do you think she likes you?" Sam asks, blurting it out. Freddie looks at her curiously.

"I don't know. Would it matter to you if she does?"

"No." It was a little too quick of a response, and she bit her lip trying to not give away anything else. Way to go, stupid, she thought.

"Are you sure?"

Sam had never been so unsure in all her life. There he was, her best friend - one of them, and he was literally asking her if she liked him, in a sort of roundabout way that could have been confusing for anyone else. They always did this. They talked around things, not fully getting to the point.

She decided to not answer, and the rest of the walk was a silent one. Until they came to the front of her house.

"Thanks again for the present," she says, holding up the paper bag.

"Anytime," he replies, turning to go.

"Freddie, wait."

He stops in his tracks but doesn't turn around. Sam fiddles with the bag in her hands whilst thinking of what to say to put his mind at ease of the whole Angela thing.

"I'm interested because..." she starts, and he slowly begins turning around. "Don't turn around!"

"Sorry! Please continue."

"I'm interested because," Sam pauses and takes a deep breath in. "I just... don't want to see you getting hurt."

Freddie stays very still. Sam unlocks her door and quickly steps inside, slamming the door behind her.

She can feel her heart pounding against her ribs, almost like she confessed her true feelings. But really, she didn't. She just reiterated how nice of a person she was slowly turning into, much to her disgust. The girl leans against the closed door and sighs. Sam knew deep down, there will eventually come a day when she will have to tell him the truth. Just not today.