Chapter 22

Sam was kind of sad after algebra class ended.

She and Freddie had different classes after second period, and she wouldn't see him again until lunch. After a very dull hour of health class, she went into English class with a little better spirit, because she would see Carly in class.

This was the first time she had seen her best friend since before school began, when Danny confronted Sam about David before first period History.

Carly was already in her seat, when Sam came in to take her seat near Carly. Carly looked at her, "Where were you and Freddie at during history this morning?" She asked interestedly.

Sam wrinkled her face, and replied, "Since your boy toy made us really late for class this morning, we decided to ditch class."

Carly smiled dryly, "I see you're already giving Freddie bad ideas."

"Actually," Sam retorted, "it was his idea to blow off class today." She got her homework out of her book bag, and looked through it while she spoke. "We wound up spending a nice forty minutes or so at the park."

"Wow," Carly said thoughtfully, "I never thought I'd see the day that Freddie would be a rebel at school."

"Well, believe it Carls;" Sam said with a smirk, "my man is a bad seed." She was through reviewing her homework, and she looked back up at Carly, "So, what is YOUR man's problem, anyway?"

"I don't know," Carly answered slightly dazed, "I've never seen him act like that before. When I asked him about it after history class this morning, he got all mad with me and everything." She shook her head, "We wound up having our first real fight like ever," she pouted.

Sam looked away from Carly, and rolled her eyes. Oh no, she thought, there's trouble in Wonderland. These two have been dating for nearly three months, and they just now had a real fight? Geez. "I'm sorry to hear about that," Sam consoled slightly, "of course, you know how I feel about the guy."

The bell rang, and class began. Mrs. Payton had them turn in their short book reports. It was the assignment that was given to them over the four day holiday.

Carly whispered over to Sam, "Anyway, I'm going to try to talk to him at lunch. Do you and Freddie want to sit with us?"

Sam gave her friend a weird look, "Are you serious?" She whispered annoyed, "after the way he treated me this morning, I don't want anything to do with him. Freddie and I might go out for lunch or something."

"Okay," Carly nodded disappointedly. She didn't get another word in, because Mrs. Payton was beginning to teach the class the next lesson in their studies.

XxXxXxXxXx

And Sam didn't join her friend for lunch. She grabbed Freddie at his locker, and told him about his conversation with Carly during English class. Sam insisted that they stay in for lunch, and sit at a table with a view of Carly and Danny, but not at a table that was close.

Freddie would have rather spent his lunch talking to his girl, rather than spying on Carly and Danny, but Sam insisted that it was important to watch what was going to happen at Carly's table. So he sat there eating his lunch with Sam without saying a word.

Carly was sitting alone at a table in the lunch room for nearly five minutes before Danny came to the table and joined her. Normally, when he joined his girlfriend, he would surprise her from behind, or give her either a hug or kiss. Today, he just took a seat across from her without saying a word. Clearly, he was still bothered by what happened this morning.

What had upset Danny was not only the fact that his girlfriend didn't back him up earlier, but the fact that she abandoned him so she wouldn't be late for class. As he quietly began to eat his lunch, he wouldn't even look Carly in the face.

Carly was miserable. She was getting the silent treatment from her own boyfriend. She didn't even know what to say to try to get him to talk, without them getting into an argument over what happened earlier in the day. They never really fought before; this was new territory in their relationship. She knew that someday they were going to have a real disagreement or argument, but things had always gone so well in the past, that she really wasn't prepared for a bad day.

Carly stared across the table at her boyfriend. She was getting upset with him for just sitting there eating rather than engaging in a conversation. Finally, she spoke to him, "So, how was your trip to San Francisco?"

Danny knew what she was trying to do, and he didn't want to act like a total jerk; so he answered, "Fine, my family and I had a great Thanksgiving." He still looked down while he spoke.

Carly nodded, though she knew that he didn't see her do so, because he still refused to look at her. "Did you and your family do anything while you were down…?"

"Why don't you ask me what's really on your mind?" Danny interrupted rather curtly, but not angrily.

Carly took a deep breath. "What is it that I did is really upsetting you the most?" She asked somewhat upset herself.

For the first time since he sat down, Danny looked up at Carly. He gave her a strange look, and shook his head slightly. "How about the fact that we had usually stuck by one another in everything that we did together," he said, "but you bailed on me today. I really could have used you backing me up…"

"Backing you up on what?" Carly intervened, "trying to tell my best friends that they were wrong to hook up?"

"No," Danny sighed, "telling Sam that the least she could have done was give David a chance before…"

"She gave him a chance!" Carly exclaimed, "Actually more than one chance; the relationship wasn't working for her."

"Well, why didn't she tell David that she was ending her relationship with him before she started a new one?" Danny snapped.

"Sam and Freddie just sort of happened," she replied, her anger rising as well, "maybe…maybe Sam might have been in the wrong for not calling David to end the relationship, but he should have figured it out when Sam wasn't returning his calls."

"What I'm trying to get at is the fact that what Sam did was rude," Danny grumbled.

Carly gave him a strange look, "Well, what did you think happened when two people end a relationship?" She asked annoyed, "they were always going to break up nicely? 'Hi, David, I'm going to break up with you'. 'No problem Sam, thanks for calling me to tell me know'." Carly was using two different voices to illustrate sarcastically how Danny should think two people would break up.

Danny got up from the table, "I'm outta here," he muttered, as he left the table to walk to the door leading to the school's main hallway.

"Fine then!" Carly concluded as she continued to sit angrily. When her anger subsided, she felt tears forming in her eyes. She put her head down on her arms that she folded on the table, and sobbed softly, hoping no one would notice.

When Carly raised her head to wipe away the tears, she saw that Sam and Freddie had taken the seat across the table where Danny had been moments ago. "Are you okay?" Sam asked her sympathetically.

Carly tried to pull herself together as Sam moved around the table to sit next to Carly. Sam put her arm around Carly and hugged her friend. Freddie moved around the table from the other side, and sat down on Carly's opposite side. He wrapped his arm around Carly from that side, and hugged her.

Carly stretched her arms around the back of both her friends, and hugged back. She was thankful for such good friends. "I'm much better now guys, thanks." She answered gently and warmly.

The three got up from the table, and threw away their trash. Then, they walked out of the lunch room, to the main hallway of the school which was the same path that Danny took a few minutes earlier. The three walked down the hallway side by side, with Sam in the middle flanked by Freddie on her left holding her hand, and Carly walking alongside on her right.

As they were making their way to the girls' lockers, Freddie asked Carly, "Do you think things will be all right between you and Danny?"

"I'm sure we will eventually work things through," Carly answered, but not real confidently.

"I hate to not be supportive Carls," Sam spoke up, "but when it comes to that guy, you're on your own with him. I just can't stand the guy."

"I know you can't stand him," Carly said sadly. She was beginning to feel really alone in all this.

"I think what Sam is trying to say is that we'll be there for you to lean on," Freddie stated, as he looked to his girlfriend to try to show a little more compassion, "it's just the way he acted this morning to Sam, has got us both really thinking he's some kind of egotistic jerk or something."

"All right," Carly replied, clearly getting the picture, "I think I understand what it is you are trying to tell me, but Danny did have a point. You really should have called David back, Sam."

"What?!" Sam cried.

"No, seriously Sam," Carly replied, "all you had to do was call him and end it. I think that's all Danny was trying to say. He was only defending his friend. I'm still not sure why he acted the way he did though."

Sam thought a second as the three of them continued to walk. Then she sighed, "I guess you're right Carls," she said rolling her eyes slightly, "I guess I could have called the jerk and ended it. I could have made it short and sweet, like only I can do."

Carly smiled lightly at her, and Freddie smirked and squeezed Sam's hand. Sam continued, "I know that couldn't have been easy for you to defend us while you were talking to your guy, but I appreciate it."

"Yeah, thanks Carly," Freddie added, "we are sorry if this incident caused a problem with you and Danny today, although I still think he's a jerk."

Carly nodded, "Again, I'm sure Danny and I will work it out."

The three continued to their lockers in silence. When they reached Carly's locker, Sam and Freddie asked Carly if she was going to be all right.

"Guys," Carly said frantically, "you act like I'm so frail, that I can't take a little fight with my boyfriend. Danny and I will talk it out tonight. We'll be fine, okay?"

"If you say so," Sam answered, and Freddie just nodded. "See you in science." Sam called to Carly, as she and Freddie headed to his locker.

Sam had P.E. next, while Freddie had English next. They stopped at his locker so he could get his English stuff. "Sam," Freddie said as he was getting his homework out of his locker, "I hope I never act like that Danny."

"I'd kill you Freddork," she answered tensely, "if you become anything like that loser."

"I don't know if I could have taken him out this morning," Freddie shrugged, "but I sure would have liked to deck him for what he was saying about you. I only held back because you asked me to."

Sam smirked, "Well, what are you going to a gym for, if you're not getting confident enough to defend yourself or your girl?"

Freddie turned pale, "Sam, I thought you…"

She reached over and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "I'm just kidding," she smiled, "I'm glad to see that I'm bringing out some courage in you, boy." She took his hand as Freddie had got his English homework, and shut the locker door.

They began walking to his class, when Sam continued, "Anyway, I have been use to defending myself for as long as I can remember. I will always appreciate you standing up for me, but I'll let you know when I want my big man to step in."

Freddie grinned, and he reached around with his free arm and wrapped it around Sam's waist. They continued to walk like that to the classroom.

"You've made me a better person," Freddie said finally as they reached the door to his class, "you've given me the strength to have confidence in the things that I do. Because of you, I will never be like Carly's guy."

Sam beamed with pride. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and laid a big wet one on her man's lips. "I'm a better person when I'm with you," she said proudly, "and I know you will always treat me with respect…or else."

Freddie smiled and kissed her one last time before he went into the classroom. "See you in an hour," he smirked.

"Yep!" Sam replied back as she sprinted for the gymnasium.

XxXxXxXxXx

Carly continued to have that sad look on her face when Freddie and Sam walked into science class together. Her friends walked over to their seat, and sat down discussing their project assignment.

Carly sighed. She hadn't seen her boyfriend since lunch as it appeared to her that he was trying to avoid her the rest of the day. She was glad her day at school was over soon, and she could go home and crash. She was a little tired still from the weekend, and with the day's events with her boyfriend; she just wanted to go to her home, to lie down on the couch, and take a nap.

Suddenly, as she was watching her friends prepare for class, she groaned. Today was the day that all of them would be given frogs to dissect. The thought of dissecting something made her feel sick. What made matters worse, is that her lab partner was Gibby. He acted like he was excited to do this, and couldn't wait to get started.

She put her head down on the table and waited patiently for the bell to ring. She was hoping that her stomach wouldn't turn as she had to do this project today.

"Carly," hissed a voice from behind Carly. She looked behind her, to see her friends looking at her with concern. Sam continued, "are you gonna make it?"

Carly weakly nodded, and tried to smile faintly. She looked down to the diagram of the frog that her friends had drawn up. She twisted her face and felt sick again, "I really don't want to do this today," she moaned softly.

"Carls, maybe you should call Spencer to come get you," Sam said concerned. Freddie nodded, "We can always have Gibby work with us on his frog if Mr. Skinner lets us."

Carly looked down to her cell phone for a second; then got up from the desk to talk with Mr. Skinner. After a minute up front, she returned to her seat with her cell phone in her hand, "I'm heading home. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Carly said as she gathered her books in one hand, and dialed for Spencer in the other.

"I'll call you later," Sam replied and raised her hand in a wave. Freddie nodded back; then hollered for Gibby to work with him and Sam.

Carly left the classroom just as the bell was ringing to begin sixth period. She went to her locker, and filled her school bag with her homework. She walked down the main hallway to the front doors, and exited the school. She walked to the edge of the sidewalk to wait for Spencer.

The cold December air was sending chills down her, and she couldn't wait for her brother to show up. Her stomach was settling a little, but she still wanted to get home and lie down.

Finally, Spencer pulled up to the school, and Carly walked up to the door and opened the passenger side door, "Thanks for getting me, Spence," she said softly.

"No prob little sis," Spencer replied as he waited for her to get settled in the car before he drove off, "what do you think you are coming down with?"

Hot tears were beginning to form on Carly's eyelids, "A broken heart," she moaned as she sobbed.

He hadn't pulled out yet, so he took his seatbelt off and reached across the seat and embraced his little sister, "I'm sorry," he replied softly.

She hugged her brother back, and wiped her tears onto his jacket. She sat back up straight and told Spencer, "I just want to go home."

"You bet, kiddo," Spencer replied as he replaced his seatbelt, and they drove home in silence.

Author's Note: This was a hard chapter for Carly. I've tried hard not to make Carly look TOO weak, but I think it's more of the shock of what's happened today that's made Carly feel so bad. We know she's a very strong individual. She's not going to let one little fight with her boyfriend get her down forever. Carly is blessed with good friends though. Even though Danny had a right to be mad, maybe I still should have had Freddie get a shot in on Danny, huh?