I Care
"Hey Carls" I greet as I walk into her apartment. I stopped home after the Groovy Smoothie, I half wanted my mother to be there, but there is never any point of wanting her around…. She never is. I just grabbed some new clothes and made my way to Carly's.
"Hey Sam", she responded. I make my way to the kitchen, tossing my bags on the couch. I glance at Carly on the computer. She just looks at me with a goofy grin on her face.
"What?" I say. What's gotten into you, Carls…. I don't think I'm going to like where this is going.
"Soooooo….." she says all exaggerated and giddy, "…. Aaron Peters?" oh god…..
"What about him" I say. I have no interest even talking about the kid.
"What do you mean, 'what about him'?" Carly says like I just insulted her or something. I can't help but smile at her over dramatic tone. "You hung out with him after school! How? I heard he hardly talks to anyone. He has been here a week and he still hardly has friends." That's weird… he did not seem anti-social to me.
"Uh, he was just bored in the principal's office, I guess." I mean he did just start talking to me and running into me today so I don't really know the guy.
"Do you know who many girls would kill to be you with him?" Carly says. I can see her regret the word choice. "I mean… They…" she struggles to find the words. I just laugh.
"Nice, Carls" I say, jokingly.
"Oh shut it" she jokes back. "So what happened when you two hung out?" Well, he practically scared me to death when I walked out of a closet.
"I really do not want to talk about Aaron. He bores me." I say. It's true, I have no interest in having a full out discussion about him.
"Well fine…. He's cute though" She adds as she sits on the couch.
"Dude, if you are into him, just talk to him. It's not that hard Carly." I say and join her on the couch.
"Uh, I just don't know what to say… besides I think he has his eyes on you" she says. What? Me? That's ridiculous, the guy has spoken to me like twice in his whole life.
"Yeah, whatever" I say and roll my eyes at the thought.
"I'm serious. The guy as hardly talked to anyone for a week and now suddenly he keeps conversations with you and texts you and he talked to me and Freddie at the Groovy Smoothie when he returned your notebook. The kid is just asking for your attention," she says. Crap, she's right. Why is it that she is always right? Well, this guy will lose interest soon enough. With everything that has happened, I really don't need crazy boy drama.
"Well whatever it is, he will get over it. I have no interest for him. We aren't really even friends. I mean we JUST met." I say. It's like everyone just meets and decides to date for the heck of it. There is no point. "Now enough of this. I'm already sick of him."
"Okay, okay" Carly says.
"Why don't you finish telling me about… you know?" I suggest.
"Freddie's not here" Carly says. I just give her an annoyed look.
"He does not always have to be here. It's his loss anyway. If he is interested we can fill him in later. Pleaseeee, oh pleaseeee" I playfully begged her. Carly just laughed.
"Fine, calm down crazy" she says. "I mean there really is nothing left. I was locked in the building on the shipment dock. I remember not knowing how long I was there. I hated that part the most. Sometimes it felt like hours, the other days. I felt so trapped… I thought about Spencer, how much I love him, how much I appreciate everything he has ever done for me, for being the best brother ever, and if I never saw him again, how much I just wished he knew that and that he could move on and not blame himself…" Carly started to choke on her words. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Hey, it's okay" I say and bring her into a hug. She softly smiles at me.
"And I thought about my dad, and Gibby, and Freddie, just everyone," she says. "And I thought about you" I can already feel words getting caught in my throat. Oh, Carls. "I thought about how much I'll miss you and all your annoying habits" I let out a little laugh here. "And how much you mean to me, and that you are the best friend in the world, no matter what anyone says. And how much I did not want to leave you alone, how much I would hate never being able to protect you whenever you got upset, how much I did not want you to lose your best friend because I know that would ruin you. And how much I'd miss everything about you…." God, she should have stopped there. It's already taking every nerve in my body to keep me from crying my eyes out. I know it's gonna happen, I can feel the tears start to form in my eyes. "….. but most of all I just wanted you know that none of this was your fault and I never blamed you for a second. And you are the best sister anyone could ever have." That did it. Calling us sisters, did it. The tears started to fall down my cheeks. They weren't sad tears though. I was just overwhelmed and so grateful to have Carly back. I wipe away the falling tears and I see Carly doing the same. We both chuckle.
"Look at us" she says, smiling.
"I know, we're a mess, Carly Shay. What are we going to do with ourselves." I say.
"I just never thought this….."
"Yeah, I know" I say. We sit there in silence for a few moments, trying to regain ourselves.
"So anyway, when you showed up outside the window, I honestly thought I was going crazy." She laughs. "I mean I was in shock. You came right in that window like it was nothing. Totally Sam like. I don't think I even really grasped the whole situation until we were out of the building. It was surreal. And then you told me to leave you and run. Looking back I really wished I hadn't, I should have been there with you because waiting to find you after was the scariest time of my life. I honestly thought I wouldn't ever…. I'd never see you again." Carly says. She looks at me, her eyes so sweet and caring. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost her. If she never became my best friend years ago.
"I'm glad you did not follow me," I say to her. "Don't feel bad, I was so glad when I saw you run the other way when I told you to, I knew you were safe. And hey, I'm still here." I say and smile, "You can't get rid of me that easily" She can't help but to laugh.
"You're the best" she says, "And not to mention, Freddie" Huh, Freddie?
"What about Freddie?" I ask.
"Well it's a miracle that you two traveled together without killing one another" she jokes. Oh Carly, you don't even know the half of it.
"Did something happen between you two?" She asks. I snap out of my thoughts. Can she like read minds? Did Freddie say something? I just keep it cool.
"What do you mean?" I say.
"Well I mean when I found him and the police at the dock. He seemed more interested as to where you were. He did run off to find you before I even said two words" She says. I did not know that. It's a good thing he did, he saved my life. I owe him. Sam Puckett owes Freddie Benson, who would have thought it.
"Nothing happened" I say simply. It seems like that was not the response Carly was hoping for. It was the truth though. I mean nothing as changed. Carly was about to say something when there was a knock on the door and speaking of the nerd, Freddie walks through the door.
"Hey Carly, Hey Sam." He says.
"Hey" "Sup?" Carly and I both say.
"Nothing really. What are you two up too?" He asks, sitting down at the counter.
"Just talking." I respond.
"Well I was just asking Sam how you two managed to not kill each other when you were looking for me." Carly says. Why'd she have to tell him that?
"Oh she tried" Freddie jokes. I just look at him and he smiles at me. I can't even think of a good come back anymore. Gosh, Benson what the hell have you done to me.
"If I had tried, you'd be dead right now, Benson" I joke back.
"Oh really? Is that so, Puckett?" He mocks back. Oh he is going down….
"Urrrgghhh, I honestly don't even know why I try with you two" Carly says interrupting us. There was silence until Carly's phone started to ring. Freddie tossed her the phone.
"Hey Spence" Carly says into the phone. She gets up and walks away to talk to Spencer for a moment. "Spencer needs help down with some art supplies. I'm going to meet up with Socko and then we are going to go help Spencer. It shouldn't take long." Carly grabs her coat and purse.
"I'm comin too" I say. Hey, it's better than being left here all bored till she comes back. I start to get up.
"No no no" Carly prattles out at me, "The doctors said you need to rest. You had a long day today with school, I don't want you tiring yourself out. Just stay here and watch TV until I get back." See what I mean? She is a total mother. I can't complain though, she is just looking out for me. I know there is no point in trying to reason my way to go with her, so I just sigh and sit back down. "I'll text you when I'm on my way back. Bye guys." She says and walks out the door.
"Hey, get me a root beer." I ask, well it really wasn't a question, I more like told him.
"What, no. Get it yourself" Freddie responds.
"You heard Carly, I need to rest" I emphasize on the word rest, "I should just lay here all night" Freddie rolls his eyes and walks to the fridge. Success. He comes back and hands me a root beer.
"Anything else?" He asks, mockingly.
"You can lose the attitude" I tease.
"So how was school?" He asks. I just look at him like, did you really just ask me how school was?
"I mean you're first day back… did you hurt at all? Was it okay seeing everyone again? Not overwhelming or…."
"Geeezzz, okay okay, Benson, enough." I interrupt his rant of questions, "It was fine, school is school."
"Pain?" He asks.
"Na-duh" I say. It was mostly the truth, I hardly felt any pain, there was just a few times, but it was minor.
"So what were you really doing after school?" He asks. I look at him, kinda confused to why he asked that. I mean Aaron showed up, the story about showing him around school I thought was decent at the time.
"What do you mean?" I ask, trying to avoid the question.
"Well you are hardly one to want to spend more time in school, if you don't have too and you are also not the type of person that would just choose to give the new student a tour." He says. He thinks he knows me so well. I could want to show someone around….. Oh who am I kidding that's the last thing I would ever want to do.
"Aaron asked me and the kid seems cool, so I thought why not?" I say, trying to keep to what Aaron told them at the Groovy Smoothie.
"Alright," he says, "then why did you lie and have to tell Carly and I you had detention? I mean telling us you were showing Aaron around would have been fine."
"Cause then Carly would freak out, you know she should… and apparently you would be acting like this!" I say to him. I'm so sick of his questions, who cares where I was. I stand up and go to the kitchen, to toss my empty bottle of root beer away and find a snack.
"I'm not acting like anything, you're just lying!" He says, not exactly yelling, but close.
"You can believe whatever you want!" I snap back from the fridge.
"Principal Franklin spent the whole day showing Aaron around, so it's not like the kid was going to get lost without you!" He shouts all frustrated.
"Dude, who cares? Get over it!" I say. Why does he have to get all huffy over this? I begin to walk passed him, out of the kitchen.
"Because you're lying!" He shouts. I graze pass him as he says this, he ended up grabbing my arm when he yelled, to turn me to him. Now I normally would not be hurt by this, but my arms are deeply bruised and Freddie is squeezing a little too tight.
"Owww!" I whine out. Realizing what he did, he quickly let go.
"Oh Sam, I'm sorry… I didn't…. I just…" He says to me, all his anger is gone. I can see it in his face that he is ashamed for grabbing me, he really did not mean it…. But that does not change the fact that he did.
"What's the matter with you?" I cry at him.
"Sam, I didn't…" He whispers to me.
"Just go" I quietly say back. "It's fine, just go" Freddie looks really upset. He walks to the door.
"Freddie wait" I say. Turns back and faces me, "Carly told me when you didn't see me with her at the docks, that you took off, in like two seconds to come find me…why?" He shifts a bit and then looks at me.
"Because I care about you" He says almost whispering. I watch him as he turns and walks out the door. Yeah, this was a great day back alright.
Well I thought that was a lovely chapter. I know it was a little out of character, but hey it's a fan fiction and I'm not Dan =)
I hope you enjoyed