Greetings everyone. It has been a busy week here in Baron land so I am a little late in getting this out. I know I said that this was going to be the last chapter but there will be one more after this. Would anyone be interested in an alternate ending? Anyway a big thanks to all who have read, reviewed, or added this story to their favorites.

A/N I do not own iCarly but I do own the TV I watch it on.

Sam was lying in her bed talking to her sister "you should have been there, that nub is soooo gullible, first he fell for clown day, then wear your bathing suit to school day, maybe I will make up wear your mothers nightgown to school day. Honestly Mel he believes anything you tell him."

"Tell me Sam how was he feeling; was he in need of some comforting?"

"Oh yeah, he took it so hard he had to have his mommy come and get him boo hoo. "

"Sweet do you think I should call him?"

"Don't be so quick to hop on the taco truck, give him some time. I should be hearing from Carly anytime now. When I hear from her then you can make your move."

Just then she saw on her phone Carly was calling "Gotta go Carlys calling you know what to do."

"Hey Carl's what's up?"

"Sam" she said sobbing "can you come over, I really need someone to talk to, can you come over….please?"

"Okay be there soon."

Sam rubbed her hands together "sweet" she thought "Now I wonder if I could get Carly to go out with that dufuss whose dad runs the meat market?"

Freddie was lying on his bed staring into space; he had just probably thrown away his one chance to be with Carly. Oh well he knew he did the right thing, but it still brought him nothing but sadness. Why did he have to be so noble? He died inside every time he saw Carly go out with some loser who only had one thing on their mind. Carly never heard what the boys said about her in the locker room, she never knew that Griffin had a pool going on how long it would take him to get to second base. Sure he had those kinds of thoughts about her, and about most of the female population of Ridgeway. He respected her too much as a friend, and friends always looked out for one another. Even Sam was looking out for him, in her own strange way she cared. Tomorrow he would treat her to smoothies as a thank you, maybe he should call her. As if on cue his phone rang. He looked to see who was calling, it was Melanie.

"Hello" he answered feebly.

"Hello" a cheerful voice answered "This is Melanie."

"Uh…..hi."

"Hi Freddie, I just wanted to say how cool it is that you and Carly are going out you make a cute couple."

"Thanks Melanie, but…..um….er…..well we aren't going out anymore."

"Oh Freddie I'm so sorry I thought once you two finally got together it would be for life."

"Ah well I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

"Are you doing okay? You sound a bit down."

"I will make it through it, thanks for asking"

"Is there anything I can do for you? You are such a sweet guy any gal would be lucky to have a boyfriend like you."

"Thanks Mel that means a lot, it really does."

Now to set the hook Melanie thought "You know I will be back for a visit in a couple weeks, would you like to get together and do something?"

"I don't know, it's kinda soon."

"I understand, I mean we could go out just as friends to be honest with you I think sometimes Sam would rather have been an only child, I think she resents me, and mom is always gone chasing men. That's why I don't come home too often. You know it would mean a lot to me to have someone nice to hang with when I'm back."

"What about Carly?"

"She's Sam's best friend, and I would be like the third wheel. I like Carly and everything, but were not that close. She seems to be attracted to people who are a little abrasive and kinda treat her like dirt. "

Freddie thought to himself "boy have I been there."

Melanie continued on "So how about it? You would be doing me a favor really you would. To tell you a secret it I am so lonely when I come home, my sister is on the verge of hating me, and my mom has practically has abandoned me." There was a silence and Freddie thought he heard the sound of faint sobbing. "I'm sorry Freddie, I shouldn't of dumped that all on you, it's just you are so easy to talk to. I should just let you go now."

Now he was sure of it, he could hear her crying in the background.

"Wait Mel don't hang up, are you doing ok?

"TTThanks" she stuttered "It's just that I get so lonely I don't have hardly any friends here, and you know how my family is. You don't know what it's like all I want is a friend is that too much to ask? I don't know how much longer I can take it!" She just broke down weeping loudly.

"MEL it's going to be okay, I know exactly what you're talking about, I know what it's like for people to be mean and hurt you, I know what it's like to want to be friends and then be pushed away."

"You do?" Melanie asked. "I thought a good looking popular nice guy like you would have dozens of friends."

Freddie thought for a moment about the friends he did have. Most of them were social misfits, nice guys with a lot to offer, but no one really cared what they had to offer, they were just nerds, braniacs, someone others could pick on to make themselves feel superior. He thought about Sam how mean she was to him both physically and mentally and the more he thought about her the more he came to a realization that she really didn't care about him, she only wanted to spare Carly from getting hurt she really didn't give a rats patootie about him, and then he thought about Carly how she always seem to lead him on, then break his heart by going out with some jerk.

"Yes Mel I do. I may seem like a popular guy but I am so lonely and I am getting tired of chasing people trying to get them to be my friends, I am so tired of being used and abused. Mel we are defiantly getting together when you get back." Freddie felt like he had just met his soul mate.

"Really" she said with some disbelief "Don't say it if you don't mean it."

"I really mean it" Freddie said "I really want to hang out with you; I think we have so much in common. I am so sorry I thought you were Sam pranking me the last time you were back."

"See how mean my sister is we could have been close friends but Sam almost ruined it….just for a joke!"

"Yeah" he added "Her and Carly used reverse psychology on me, and it almost ruined our relationship! I am not going to let them take advantage of me anymore."

"Oh Freddie I feel like a huge weight was just taken off my shoulders. I am so glad I called you are a wonderful person, I wish I was there now."

"Me too, I'll be counting the hours."

"Listen Freddie I need to go now its curfew time here. Thanks for listening Freddie, and again I'm sorry you and Carly didn't work out, but it's her loss. The floor mother is making her rounds I gotta go call me…please!" Then she hung up.

She immediately text Sam "got him hook line and sinker"

Freddie lay back in his bed, "its funny how things work out" he thought. What started as the worst night of his life suddenly turned into something wonderful. Still he wondered how Carly was doing "she was probably with Sam right now telling her who she was going out with next. Man I have got to be the most gullible person in the know universe."

MORE A/N Now don't pretend you don't know how gullible guys can be at times when a girl (especially a pretty one) feeds them a line. Do not lose heart there is more to come.

The Baron