THE AFTERMATH OF iCARLY

Sam: someone with their own agenda

The rain stopped about half an hour ago. What? She hadn't been counting the exact minutes, seconds and... oh whatever came after seconds. It didn't matter in the scheme of things. Really. Time was just... it was just one of those things that went on without any help from outside sources. Time had its own agenda. Remind you of someone else with their own agenda?

Anyway. Time passed. Rain stopped. Had they been talking and kissing for that whole time? She wasn't sure.

Sam looked at the boy who was now sleeping on her bed. He looked so cute when he was asleep. Carly was definitely right. As he slept, the girl resisted touching his soft looking hair and stroking his peaceful looking face.

What just HAPPENED?

She loves him, for sure. Although he had hurt her, and she wasn't going to forget that fact. He also admitted to kissing Angela. That hurt too, despite her not saying so. But she'd kissed Brad and it was nice. Nothing compared to how Freddie had just kissed her. And also she wasn't ready to commit to marriage though. And they were NOW hypothetically engaged. Whaaat?

HYPOTHETICALLY ENGAGED. Like, who does that? Who does that?

They, apparently, do that. Among other backwards things... or things you and I supposedly consider to be "backwards".

Get "hypothetically engaged". They fight. They kiss each other. They go and kiss other people. They come back and apologise. They forgive. They fight again. They kiss, again. They are unusual. Everyone who knows them think it's normal for them. Everyone else - such as the viewers who "shipped" them together as a couple... Known as 'Seddie'. Hey! It's a great name!

Seddie, she had to laugh. Well, when they had found out that they had a "couple name" she punched Freddie in the nose and then ran out of the Shay apartment. It wasn't until Carly had found her and talked to her that she calmed down enough to speak to him again.

So yes, "Seddie" was now hypothetically engaged. Aside from that, he asked her out on a date. A DATE! She was screaming for joy! On the inside, of course.

But then there was the wedding she had to attend with Brad. And that was tomorrow. Tomorrow! She glanced at her little clock and read the time. 11:06 PM and thank goodness she had bought a digital one. Analogue clocks with their "minute hand" and "hour hand" and the numbers all in a circle? What up with that chiz? Ain't nobody got time fo' dat!

"Fredward," she hissed.

"Mmmpfff," mumbled Freddie.

"Freddie..." the girl nuzzles his neck, trying to wake him up.

"Sam? Wha-"

"Wake up. It's 11:07."

Sam squealed as Freddie grabbed her waist, and tackled her beneath him, and settled back down to sleep. She sighed and decided to let him stay here.

It wasn't often she gave into anything, really. But tiredness of all the sleepless nights caught up to her and she felt weakened. So sleeping here, with Freddie, was the best option. Plus she couldn't expect him to walk home at this time of night. It's when all the weird hobos come out and ask for pie. She wasn't THAT heartless.

Dare she think this for fear of sounding girly, sweet and prissy - but it was the best sleep she'd gotten in a while.

The next morning came way too quickly. Sam woke up with a start, Freddie's arm was laying over her, somewhat protectively. She remembered what had happened last night. She also remembered that Brad was going to pick her up for their "date" - well, his sister's wedding, anyway. She slipped out of Freddie's arms who was still dead to the world and over to the bathroom, closing the door quickly.

While she showered, her mind began to wander...

What if Freddie and her got married? What if they put aside everything that had happened, and actually... got engaged, for real. Not just hypothetically. Not for a joke or whatever. What if they had children? What if they lived in a house together, all happily married, with their children... and just being perfect?

"What if you're just a crazy person?" She told herself, out loud.

There was no way that THAT could ever happen. It was staying hypothetical, if she could help it. Maybe she couldn't help it. Maybe she wanted it to be real.

She finished up in the shower and dried herself, still lost in her own thoughts. Freddie was still lying on her bed, and hadn't even moved one single inch. So it was that a boy was in her bed, but she had to leave - with another boy. Sam growled and scolded herself for melting in Brad's presence. It was only that ... he was so NICE. But NICE didn't get you far. She knew that well and truly by now. All the years of being mean, bitter and rude to Freddie Benson had taught her that. Yet he came back. He keeps coming back to her, despite everything.

Freddie still looked so... peaceful.

"WAAAAAKE UUUUP FREEEEDDIIIIIEEEE!" Sam hollered, at the top of her voice.

"Whaaaa! Ooof!" That was the boy hitting the floor, tangled up in Sam's sheets. She laughed at him. "Uncalled for."

"Quit your grumbling. You gotsta go, Benson."

Still half asleep, she noticed that he wasn't sure where he was, or even what was going on. For all he knew, Sam had snuck in through his window and spent the night in his room. She laughed at his dazed expression and went to her closet to find the dress she bought - with Brad's money, at Angela's store - just two days ago.

"Sam, what exactly-" Freddie starts to question.

"There's no time, dork. I have less than twenty minutes before-"

Her phone buzzed, cutting off her sentence. Freddie picked it up and Sam snatched it from him, before he got a chance to glimpse the flashing screen.

"Oh. My. God."

The girl was close to freaking out. It was Brad's text message, and he was planning to get to her place earlier than one would have hoped. She ignored Freddie's pestering questions and ran to the bathroom, slamming the door. Why was she so freaked out? It wasn't a DATE. She is "A" date for Brad... but that's all it was. She was getting all worked up about nothing.

"Sam, what's happening?" Freddie's voice shouts, through the door.

What IS happening, she asks her reflection, who has no answer for her. She shrugs and quickly opens the door, to which a nerd falls to the floor, as though he'd been leaning on it this whole time while she was in there.

"Dress... Brad... Wedding... you and I... last night... Ugggh!"

There's a hand on her arm, stopping her from moving. Which is a total load of chiz, because you and I both know Sam can tip a milk truck if she really tried to - that happened once. Freddie witnessed it and needless to say was kind of impressed.

"Is Brad's sister's wedding today?"

No! Sam thought, sarcastically. For a smart nerd, he sure was dumb. Seriously. Hadn't he been paying attention these past couple of days? The mall? The dress shop? She shook her head and scowled at him, before he let her go and she resumed being all stressed out. This hardly happened. And she could see that Freddie wasn't about to say anything else that was stupid like: "Calm down" - because as we know... 'never, and I mean NEVER tell a girl to calm down'.

"You look... nice."

Ha ha, real smooth, Fredward. We give him points for trying.

"Quit being all chivalrous." Sam gave herself a mental pat on the back for remembering such a fancy word.

"Fancy word," he notes.

"Yeah, I know right? Now, I need shoes."

"Got it."

While he begins the shoe hunt process, Sam rushes back into the bathroom, and attempts some light covering of make-up and wished that Carly could be here to witness the "daffodilling" process. She finishes up and notices Freddie holding up some strangely perfect matching shoes that will go with her dress.

He laughs at the weirded out look on her face.

"Don't look at me like that," he says. "You forget, mom taught me everything about everything."

"Including women's shoes? Okay, freak-boy."

Sam smirked in spite of her angst. There was limited time now, because Brad was surely on his way to pick her up. She turned to Freddie, he smiled at her. She melted.

Damn it, she thought. Now's not the time to be a puddle!

"Thanks for your help," she says, under her breath.

"I'm sorry? What was that? Puckett just THANKED me for something?"

"Don't let it get to your head. It may explode from the swelling of my erm... compliment."

"Well I'd like to-"

"Leave. Now."

"Fine."

Sam pushes him out of her bedroom and towards the front door. Freddie stops, turns around and kisses her lips quickly. Whilst he does that, she opens the door and shoves him outside. He almost falls down the stairs, but luckily for him, she was nice enough to catch him by the shirt.

"Close call," she says.

"Yeah. I know. Thanks Sam."

The pit of her stomach does a little flip as he gives her a final kiss (for this chapter, anyway) and then backs away, with a goofy grin on his face. She tries to hide a similar goofy grin but feels herself losing that control, fast. He waves to her and she quickly goes back into her house and slams the front door, grinning from ear to ear. Damn you, Fredward!

"You are in SO much trouble, Samantha Joy Puckett." She tells herself, out loud.