Chapter 3

"So what subject did you want to start with first?" Freddie asked Carly as they both started to spread their schoolwork on the coffee table in the living room area.

Carly was still trying to let her food settle from supper that she, Sam and Spencer had. Sam had just gone home a few minutes before Freddie arrived for his and Carly's study date. Normally, she would have spent the night, but she felt she better stay a night at her home for a change. Besides, there was only so much Freddie she could take in one day. Spencer was in the kitchen finishing up the dishes.

"It looks like we're in for a long boring year of early nineteenth century history, so we better start with that so we can get it out of the way." Carly answered, finally all ready to get down and do some studying.

Freddie stared at Carly. Sam is so wrong, he thought. The fact that she entrusts me as a study partner is only one of the many things that she and I have in common. We're both smart, and we both want to do well in school. We'll graduate at the top of our class, go to the same college, and have very successful careers. His imagination was sending him on a high cloud, we'll have lots of money, have a nice house in a great neighborhood, be married, have kids-.

"Freddie, are you ready to start Chapter 2?" Carly asked him breaking his train of thought. "Are you okay?"

"Oh...yeah, sure...fine." Freddie answered, and quickly opened his history book to chapter 2. "The Louisiana Purchase…"

"This is so going to be a boring year." Carly groaned.

Freddie turned to stare at Carly again. Beautiful eyes, long flowing hair, sweet ruby lips, kind and thoughtful voice, he was thinking as he was starting to space out. I hope she'll want me to be hers. "Freddie." I love when she calls my name. "Freddie." I hope she feels the same way about me.

"Freddie!" Carly hollered at Freddie to break the trance he was in.

Freddie snapped his head back. "Sorry, Carly," he apologized.

"Okay Freddie, spill it." Carly said impatiently, "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing," Freddie replied trying not to make eye contact with her.

"C'mon Freddie," she implied as she moved herself around so that she could look him in the eye.

Freddie sighed nervously and took a deep breath. "Is there any chance that you'll ever want to go out with me?" He asked as he looked up to face her.

"Oh Freddie," she sighed shaking her head, "please, not this again. Freddie, I've been telling you for so long that I won't think of you that way. You and I are buds."

"But will there ever be a time you think that we could happen?" Freddie asked hopingly.

Carly looked at him with a sad expression. "No Freddie, it just won't."

"What if we were the last two people on earth?" Freddie asked trying to get his hopes up.

Carly looked at him for a few seconds sadly; then replied, "No. And I only say that because I don't want you to try to grasp on something that will never happen like us being the last two people on earth. Freddie, you're a great guy, and you're gonna make someone really happy someday."

"Well then, why is it that you don't want it to happen?" He asked getting frustrated. "You and I are so perfect for each other."

"And that is exactly why you and I will never work," she replied grabbing his hand and giving it a quick squeeze, "a relationship for you and me would bore me, I want somebody that's different than I am. I want somebody with totally different interests and hobbies. I want somebody with a different personality than I can butt heads with." Carly was hoping that this was sinking into Freddie.

"Freddie, you are like my best friend outside of Sam. I hope that we can always be great friends. I enjoy having you in my life" Carly said as she was hoping to wrap this up, "but I will only LIKE you as a friend. That's all you and I can ever be."

Freddie's eyes were burning from holding back tears. He had been softly nodding his head at Carly while she was speaking to him.

"Okay," Freddie said softly, "I understand."

Carly saw how much Freddie was hurting, and now she was trying to fight back tears as well. "Maybe we can do a study date another night," she said gently as she closed her history book, "it's still early in the school year, and we have plenty of time to study together. We have a long freshman year ahead of us." She tried to smile as she said this to Freddie hoping to clear the air a bit.

Freddie rubbed his face quickly; then picked up his schoolbooks. "Yeah, we can wait until the weekend or something," he nodded gently.

Carly gathered her schoolbooks as well, and was getting ready to take them into the kitchen. "That sounds great," she said, "I guess I'll see ya tomorrow then?"

"Sure, I'll see you then." Freddie answered softly. Then he put up his hand in a short wave, and went out the front door. For the first time probably ever, he was glad to leave Carly's apartment.

Spencer stood at the entrance of the kitchen with a dish towel around his arm. "Gonna be okay, sis?"

Carly let the tears flow from her eyes. "I didn't want to hurt him, Spencer," she cried, "but I couldn't live with myself if I kept dragging him along with the hope that he and I were going to happen someday."

Spencer opened his arms out for her. "Come here," he said sympathetically. And Carly went to hug her brother. "You are a better friend than you realize," he continued, "Freddie is one tough dude, he'll get through this."

Carly nodded, then speaking through tears, said, "I just wonder what will happen with our friendship…"

XxXxXxXxXx

A 14 year old girl was sitting at her computer looking at her computer screen. The image being displayed was the Shay's living room where a lot of drama unfolded just a few moments ago. When the living room was empty, the girl quietly shut down her computer, and climbed into bed and laid there staring at the ceiling.

"Aw Freddie," she spoke to herself, "I told you that she was never going to love you."

She just remembered something, and she got back out of the bed and wrote a note to herself. Must turn off web camera, and put back in studio.

Then she resumed her position on the bed. "It'll be okay my little dork friend, I can't believe I'm saying this, but there are girls that will want to be you someday." Sam said to herself quietly; then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Authors Note: Another short chapter in this story. These chapters will be getting longer soon. If you believe the story is starting slow, just hang in there. Again, thanks to all who've reviewed.