Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter Six - 2009
July
What was the world coming to?
They had helped Gibby get a date.
Why couldn't the big nub ask out Shannon himself?
But no, he had to get all 'no self-esteem' and call in help.
Seriously, the boys a shirtless potato, what is so hard about asking out a not even particuarly hot girl?
And as predicted Carly's plan took a nose dive into the toilet.
Gibby got a date. Just not with Shannon. Nope, he got one with Carly.
And unfortunately for Freddie he got Shannon.
And Sam? Sam, to her utter disgust ended up with Reuben.
The date was a sure fire disaster.
Carly didn't mind, although Gibby was most definitely one of the weirdest guys she had ever met, she still thought he was pretty adorable.
Gibby, wouldn't deny that he was totally bummed about not getting Shannon, but Carly was awesome so it wasn't all that bad.
Freddie knew Shannon was a future stalker and he really didn't want to be spending anymore time with her than absolutely nescessary.
Shannon thought Freddie was absolutely dreamy. She was couting her blessings for not getting stuck with Gibby.
Reuben was content. Sam was cute. He'd had a crush on her for a little over two months now, and now he finally had a date with her.
Sam was wazzed. She couldn't understand a word of what her 'date' was saying. She couldn't deny that she wasn't enjoying the fact that she got to go to the CheeseCake warehouse, eat and not have to pay.
The dinner had ended with Reuben and Shannon both leaving, Reuben leaving cause Sam had insulted him and Shannon leaving because she was disgusted by Gibby's dancing. Yes, Gibby danced shirtless on a table.
Later that month the iCarly trio dabbled in the art of match-making once again.
And once again they failed.
Though maybe this failure couldn't be pin-pointed on them because Ms Ackerman was a wackjob.
The month just seemed to get crazier when Carly and Sam had a fight over a guy and he almost died.
Yeah, that one was the one that stuck to Sam the most.
Why?
Because of one simple thing.
"Why does your voice sound deeper?"
"I don't know, puberty?"
Yup, Freddie was going through puberty which now meant he was gonna get hotter and more appealing to girls. Which just meant more problems for Sam because she was going to lose her best friend even more.
Why does life do that?
Why does it go and take away from you the things that mean the most.
Sam remembered back when he thought girls had cooties. She didn't love that exactly but it had made their friendship stronger.
7th April 2000
"Hey Freddie," Sam smiled as she walked towards her friend.
"Uhhh... h-hey Sam..." Freddie stammered, he looked everywhere except at her.
"Um... are you okay?" She asked, frowning enough for a line to appear between her eye brows.
"y-yeah, why w-wouldn't I be?"
"Because your stammering. Are you sick?"
"I... um... I gotta go," Freddie said speeding off across the playground towards Gibby.
Sam watched him walk away feeling hurt and hungry. After realising he wasn't coming back she trudged slowly to the girls bathroom to wait for recess to end.
The same thing happened at lunch. Sam had waited at their table for the whole of the lunch period and yet Freddie didn't come.
The week was filled with loneliness and hunger. When Friday rolled around something changed. For you see, on Fridays Sam would spend the night at Freddie's house and they would watch movies like Galazy Wars, but today Sam did not know what was going to happen. If Freddie wasn't talking to her what was the point in hanging out with him tonight?
Marrissa Benson pulled up outside Ridgeway Elementary and saw only Sam stood on the sidewalk waiting, Freddie was no where to be seen.
"Hello Sam, your mom dropped off your bag this afternoon so we can go straight home. Wheres Freddie?" Said as she rolled down the window.
Sam walked up to the drivers window, "I don't know. He was with Gibby and Jonah last time I saw him. I don't think I wanna go to your house to night Mrs Benson."
"Why not sweetie?"
"Because Freddie doesn't like me anymore," Her voice cracked and she sounded like she was about to cry.
"What makes you think that?"
"Because he won't talk to me, and he left me all on my own all week."
"Awww Sam. Get in the car, I'll drive you home. Then I shall be having a few words with my son," Mrs Benson frowned slightly.
"Thanks Mrs Benson," Sam smiled, though she still wanted to cry.
"No problem dear," Mrs Benson said smiling, she looked out the window to see Freddie walking towards the car. "Fredward! Where have you been?"
"I was cleaning my cubby," Freddie said as he got in the car. "Ahhhh!" He screamed, his face full of terror.
"What? What is it?" His mother asked, her voice screeching with panic.
"N-nothing," Freddie said quietly.
Sam knew what it was. He had been shocked to see her. He freaked out anytime she was around now. The only thing she didn't know was why...
"Mom? Why are we going this way? We live that way," Freddie asked confused.
"I'm dropping Samantha home first."
"But... Sam comes to our house on Fridays?"
"Usually yes, but apparently you two have had a fight and Sam doesn't wish to come over tonight. So, I'm taking her home."
"What? We didn't have a fight,"Freddie said even more confused.
"Really Fredward? Because Samantha come out of school today in near tears and she said it was because you didn't like her. Care to explain that?"
Sam shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Mrs Benson had said she was going to talk to Freddie after she took her home, so why was she doing this now?
Freddie turned to Sam, "You thought I didn't like you?"
"You don't! You left me for Gibby and won't speak to me anymore!" Her voice cracked once more, and a frog sized lump sprung up in her throat.
"That's 'cause I can't speak to you!" Freddie argued.
"Why not?"
"Because you have cooties!"
Sam's jaw dropped. Cooties? How could he think she had cooties? Some of the girls in their class had told her she needed to be careful around Freddie or she could get cooties but she'd just ignored them. Her Mom had told her their were no such things as cooties so she had no need to worry. But Freddie had actually believed when he was told she had cooties?
"What?" She asked in diesbelief.
"Gibby and Jonah told me you had cooties, and that if I hung out with you I'd get 'em to."
"Fredward! The correct word it 'them' not ''em'. And you should know there are no such things as cooties. You've been best friends with Samantha for... well, since she was born and you haven't caught cooties yet," Mrs Benson said sternly.
Freddie looked down clearly embarassed by what he had done.
Sam felt sorry for him. Sure she was angry he had believed a bunch of gross boys over her but it wasn't his fault he was gullible. Sam stretched out her hand and took his in her own. She didn't say anything but to Freddie it was worth a thousand words. They both knew what words it meant, it meant 'I forgive you'. Freddie gave her hand a gentle squeeze and Sam knew he meant 'I'm sorry'.
"Mrs Benson?" Sam spoke up.
"Yes dear?"
"Um... I think I've changed my mind. Can I still come to your house tonight, please?" Sam asked polietly.
Mrs Benson smirked, "Of course."
Upon hearing this Freddie's eyes lit up with happiness, as did Sam's. They'd both got their best friend back.
Sam thought about it and decided that she would trade in Freddie becoming a girl magnet and bring back the cootie afraid kid he was before.
That way maybe he'd even be freaked by Carly but he'd stay with her, he knew she didn't have cooties but because he knew she didn't have them he knew they weren't real. Was there anyway of getting the old Freddie back once he'd gone through puberty?
Even though puberty was going to make him more girl obsessed and make her lose him more, Sam couldn't deny that it had it's bonuses.
For example:
* His voice today sounded deeper, and Sam loved the way it sounded.
* He was taller
* Getting taller meant he lost puppy fat and his muscles looked more defined - definite bonus!
And who knows what else...
Maybe puberty would be good for their friendship. Maybe it would mature him and bring him back to her.
Or maybe it would turn him away...
Both Sam and Carly were going through puberty, and she knew Freddie could see that.
They'd learn't all about it in health class and of course Mrs Benson had felt the need to go over it again in the car when she gave Freddie, Sam and Carly a ride bacxk to Bushwell Plaza.
The worst part was that all the good stuff seemed to happen to Carly in the whole puberty thing.
That's why she had put up such a fight with Shane. She was determined to get him because Carly always got the guys because she was hot and she was... not.
They'd faught over Shane the entire week. They realised it had gone to far when Shane almost died... Yeah, it's a good thing he didn't sue.
Sam had hung out with Shane a couple times and one was enough to know he was more interested in Carly, but she was determined to change his mind. Not everyone could like Carly, could they?
She'd tried multiple tricks to get him to kiss her.
The kissing booth had been one, that had been so close to working. Of course, she'd had to spray guys away with a water pistol until Shane finally showed up. Freddie had showed up just before Shane had. He'd offered to help her, but she knew he only wanted to help her so Carly wouldn't get to date Shane.
For half a second she could have sworn Freddie licked his lips and puckered slightly, as if he wanted to kiss her... but she shook the thought out of her head and sprayed him away because she couldn't deal with him at that moment.
She was charging a dollar a kiss, only she had made any money yet since she kept squirting the guys with her water pistol. She could have made at least one dollar if she had got Freddie to hand over his lunch money. Part of her, a teeny tiny, part of her, wanted to kiss Freddie. Only to see what it was like. Sam had never kissed anyone. If Shane had gone through with the kissing booth he would have been her first. But did she really want him to be? She didn't really want to kiss someone who didn't like her which is why she was kinda relieved when Shane hadn't kissed her. When she got her first kiss she wanted it to be with someone who liked her not her best friend, Carly Shay. And she wanted it to be meaningful not at a cost of a dollar.
Sam had told Freddie she wouldn't kiss him for nine billion dollars, and that was true, because if she ever did kiss Freddie she would want it to mean something and for him not to have to pay for it.