THE AFTERMATH OF iCARLY

Sam: it just came out of nowhere

Oh God, thought Sam. Don't panic, Puckett. Just play it cool. What? Are you insane? The boy is going to KISS you! How can you stay calm? Carly would. Oh, forget Carly for one flipping second and focus here! Brad, fudge dude, is about to place his lips upon yours in a passionate kind of kiss thing! Panic. Panic. RETREAT!

"So we should probably leave," she says, quickly standing up. It was an avoidance technique she'd often used. And usually it worked.

"Okay."

The two of them walked out, avoiding the dirty looks of the usher who was waiting for the whole cinema to be empty before cleaning up after everyone. They were the last people in there and hence delayed his work. He was the least bit impressed. They waved nicely anyway, and headed for the front door.

Driving with Brad seemed so nice, it made her stomach queasy. Or maybe the fudge was causing her the trouble.

Brad was nice enough to not mention the fact he had tried to kiss her, or the fact that she had refused to accept his kind gesture. Perhaps, she thought, I'm more messed up than I originally thought. She wondered if that room was still vacant at Troubled Waters Mental Hospital. Pushing this aside, she noticed that the car had stopped.

"Thanks for..." her voice trailed off. What was she meant to say? 'Thank you for not kissing me'? 'Thank you for the distraction'?

"...everything?" Brad offered, with a little smile.

"Yeah, thanks for everything."

Before she got out of the car, Brad placed one hand on her arm, silently telling her to "wait". She obliged, and waited, knowing that really, it was a bad idea. Or a good one, she thought, hopefully.

What was she thinking? She can't be into Brad like that! What about Freddie? What about her kiss with Freddie? What about everything she'd told him? Everything that was running through her mind, causing all this insanity? Brad wasn't supposed to be there, it just so happened that he was nice enough to provide a momentary distraction. If she had feelings for Brad... where did that leave her unresolved feelings for Freddie? She could feel a headache coming on. Her heart twisted.

"Sam, about before-"

"Don't mention it."

He had been doing so well. Sam sighed and leant back on the headrest admiring how damned cute he looked right now, all modest and such. Maybe modest was not the right word. He just looked cute, okay?

The girl felt his hand stroking hers ever so gently.

No, she thought. No, that's not happening! But it was. And she liked it. She was ready to flee. But something made her stay in the car a little longer. There were spots of rain on the windshield of his car. The droplets got heavier and heavier until it poured. Then it just happened. He leant over and kissed her quickly.

"Sorr-" he started to say, but her lips were on his before he could get it out.

Sam's stomach knotted up with guilt, until she pushed it aside completely - almost completely and focused on kissing the boy in front of her. Brad was a nice guy... he had wanted to kiss her. She knew that there was a chance that nothing would happen with Freddie anyway, seeing as he laughed in her face. And that hurt.

The kiss was nice. That's all. Nothing ultra mind-blowingly spectacular. When it ended, she didn't feel anything different towards him. Brad smiled politely.

"Uhh, thanks," she murmured. It was a bit awkward for the both of them now.

"I'm gonna... go."

"Y-yeah. Me too."

Brad opened the door and started getting out. Sam sat there until she realised that she was meant to be hopping out of the car, and not him. He stuck his head back in. She managed some kind of laugh before getting out in the pouring rain. She didn't really care much that it was raining. He said his last 'goodbye' and drove off.

The girl stared after the car and turned to face her house. A very wet, soggy looking nerd stood in front of her gate, holding a bag of something. The water was dripping in his eyes. She walked up to him slowly, regretting everything that happened in the past... fifteen minutes. Was he waiting here this whole time? And what the heck was he doing here anyway? Sam instantly started yelling at him.

"Benson! What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to apologise to you." He yells as well. Maybe the rain is making it harder for clear communication.

"Apologise? For what?" She was feigning ignorance. But she wanted him to admit that he was being a jerk and then they could move on.

"For being a jerk."

There it was. The apology she was expecting. But it couldn't have come at a worse time. Not after she shared a kiss with Brad. Not after overhearing something bizarre on the other side of his door last night. Not after everything he did and said to her. Nope. Sam Puckett couldn't accept his apology.

"I don't accept your apology."

"I know. But I'm hoping that this will help..."

He reaches over through the bucketing rain, and grabs her tightly and smacks his mouth onto hers. It's like he wasn't thinking about what he was doing. He was kissing her. And not in the way he'd kissed her before. Not in the way Brad's kiss felt. Everything, and I mean, everything went into this one huge kiss.

Sam didn't pull away. But she didn't kiss him back. She stood there, and waited until he pulled away for a breath. Then raised her hand ready to slap him across the face.

"Wait!" Freddie shouts, grabbing her hand. "Before you hit me-"

"Why should I listen to you?"

"Because it's important that-"

"I hate you!"

"You don't! Stop lying to yourself! You know that I know that y-"

"No!" Sam yells back. "You hurt me, Freddie Benson! What's more, I confessed how I felt! You told me you loved me and I believed you! I go around to see you only to find you invited Angela to your place! Then you kiss me! And then you laugh at me! What's next?"

"Marry me."

There was nothing but the sound of rain as the two of them caught their breaths from yelling and kissing, their eyes don't leave each others, it's like a never-ending staring competition.

Sam couldn't believe that he just asked her a most ridiculous request. Why on Earth would she even consider something so preposterous? He was insane for thinking otherwise. But then again, the dork had always been insane. Thanks to his mother, of course. The girl glares at the boy in front of her and folds her arms, not even caring that she's soaked to the skin by now from all that pouring rain. She can tell that Freddie's getting cold. Not that she cares.

"Come inside. Your mom will kill me if she finds out I kept you in the rain for so long." She doesn't even know why she's being so nice right now.

She unlocks the door and steps inside, letting him follow her in. She tells him to wait in the living room and then brings out some towels for both of them to dry off. It was just an awkward time between Sam and Freddie. They avoided eye contact, until Freddie broke the silence.

"I didn't get an answer," he says.

"I don't think I owe you one." And she was right, she didn't. Not after all the hurt he'd caused her - and the sleepless nights a plenty. This boy was an idiot.

"Still-"

"Can we just not talk about it?"

Freddie closed his mouth and kept quiet. Sam watched him as he dried himself off and almost forgot about her own wet clothes and such.

Maybe she should get changed. In fact, whilst he was occupied in his own thoughts, she slipped into her room momentarily and threw on the first clothes she could find that were dry and warm. Thoughts of the day rang throughout her mind.

Brad taking her for a smoothie and watching a movie. Brad giving her fudge which was delicious - and she ate too much of it. Brad trying to kiss her. Brad successfully kissing her. Kissing Brad. The guilt. Finding Freddie standing in the rain, waiting for her. Freddie apologising. Freddie asking her to marry him. Where did THAT come from? Was he just so guilty that he was resorting to committing her for a lifetime of marriage? She hoped that it was just guilt.

Sam could have laughed if she wasn't so hurt, confused and guilt-ridden. That was a lot of emotions all wrapped up in one person. The limit was close to being reached. When it was... exploding will most likely occur.

A knock of her bedroom door, as she was drying her hair and staring at her reflection, shook her out of her memory.

"Sam, can I come in?" Freddie's voice says, from the other side of the door.

"Why? Are you going to ask to have children with me too?" Sam spits out, not opening her door. "It wasn't very funny, you know."

"It wasn't a joke. Please? Let me in."

The girl sighed and dropped her tough-girl act long enough to be nice and let him in. Perhaps he would explain what he meant by his proposal. Maybe. Just maybe.

Freddie walks in, sees her drying her hair and goes to sit on her bed, admiring her room. He had been inside it before - many times. A couple those were when they were making out. Once was after a huge fight which seemed worse than usual. Carly had sent him over to apologise. He found her, alone, at her desk, staring at herself in the mirror. Something he'd never seen Sam do before. It was weird back then. Not so weird now. Everything has since changed so dramatically.

Sam continues what she's doing, ignoring the fact that he was sitting on her bed, and that she could be wrapped in his arms, or some romantic crap like that. One thing was for sure, she hated, and I mean HATED romantic crap.