A/N: Hey guys, I'm running out of time, I have a big economy test tomorrow and I absolutely hate economy. It's been a crazy week for me in college with the tests and everything, and I was waiting for my beta, but she didn't PM me back so I decided to update. I just wanted to say thank you for all my amazing reviwers, five more chpaters and this fic will be done, but I'm working on the sequel right now and I have it all planed out! I'm a little busy fangirling about Dair and Klaine, but chapter 57 is almost done!
Seddiexx - you rock! thank you so much, a virtual hug to you!
decipher - your reviwers always makes me happy! And I felt the same way about iQ, but it doesn't matter I still love iCarly! And BTW I have a feeling (or a crazy dream) that something seddie major will happen in iStill Psycho!
jesrod82 - teenagers and their urges! Good thing Carly knows when to cockblock!
Nameless - the Pam scene came from a dream, because a day before I had a conversation about sex with my mother and it was a nightmare! So I was so traumatized that I end up dreaming about it, but with Pam Puckett instead of my mother. Came out funny I guess.
chickenluver319 - I wish I was Dan, if I could run the show it would be called iSeddie by now and there would be a lot of make out and Creddie would never date, in fact Carly and Freddie would be siblings, twins maybe. (I'm crazy)
Everybody I didn't mention, I love you too, your reviwers make me really happy. I was thinking you guys coulf help me reach 1000 reviwers by the end of the story, that would be really great! But anyway, I'll shut up now!
And PLEASE don't be mad at me with this chapter, I have it all carefully planned out, remember that.
…I set fire to the rain, watched it pour as I touched your face, well, it burned while I cried, 'cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name…
(Adele – Set Fire To The Rain)
Freddie's POV
The concert was awesome, no it was more than awesome, it was perfect by all means. To see one of my favorite bands with my girlfriend by my side, it was amazing. Brad's dad has a friend who organizes concerts, so he got us some tickets for the opening of Wonderland's themed park here in Seattle. Wonderland is a huge park, named after Lewis Carroll famous Alice in Wonderland, it only became a theme park when Tim Burton created a whole new universe to this story.
There's three of them in the whole world, one in England, one in Tokyo and now one in Seattle. There's a park in Canada that's called Wonderland, but it has nothing to do with this one. They're all brand new, and tonight was the opening, so they hired a lot of bands to sing. Besides Parachute, Allstars Weekend, The Maine, The Duke Spirit and The Kooks played here too. It was like a little festival, each band sang five songs, and it was beyond awesome. I'm ecstatic, and frankly, cannot shut up about it.
"Freddie, it was awesome, now please, shut up!" Sam whined, when I started to detail all my favorite parts of the show.
We were currently sitting on a table in front of the hot dog place, and although I'm not the biggest fan of this kind of food, I can't deny it was the best I ever ate.
"But… I'm so… it was so…"
"I know dorkhead" she chuckled "and I'm ecstatic too, this place is a wonderland, but I'm not going on and on about it… oh man, look at that" she jumped off her seat.
My eyes followed her gaze over a huge rollercoaster. The park was so big, and because of the concert, we didn't walk around much, this was the first time we were going to this direction. Sam squeezed my hand, abandoning her hot dog, eyes craving a ride on that monstrous thing. Carly and Brad chuckled to themselves, while Gibby finished his fries.
"Come on! Let's go, let's go, let's go!" she tried to drag me out of my chair "come on Fredhead!"
"Babe… I'm not going to ride on that thing"
"Don't be a puss Fredweird, come on dude… look at that…" she grabbed my chin forcing me to look up "how many times in your life you saw a thing that huge"
"Well…" I smirked.
"Oh come on, no penises jokes!" Brad groaned.
"Hey, I didn't say anything, Mr. Dirty mind" I shot back "okay, we'll go, but let me at least finish my food first and give me ten minutes, because I don't wanna puke"
"Yay!" she gave me a sweet eager kiss "you're the best boyfriend ever!"
"Guys, I'm not going into that thing" Carly cringed in Brad's lap "I'm too young to die"
"Don't be a big puss Shay" Sam patted her hair "it's a lifetime experience, and it's not like you're going to do it again anytime soon"
"Sorry, no deal, I'm not going" she shook her head "will you stay with me babe?"
"Well…" I could see it in his eyes that he really wanted to go "sure"
"No, come on Carly, can't you see he really wanna go!" Sam protested.
"You do?" she looked up to him "if you do, you can go, I'll just stay with Gibby"
"I'm going too" said Gibby, eating the last french fry in the bowl "sorry"
"Nah it's fine" she shrugged "Wendy?"
"Not missing this for anything Carly, sorry"
"Man!" she whined like the little brat she is sometimes.
"Come on babe, let's go, it won't be that bad" Brad nuzzled her neck "I'll be with you, the whole time"
"Fine, whatever" she cringed.
"Then, come on, let's wait in the line" I grabbed Sam's hand and paid the bill.
As we waited in the line, I glanced at Sam, and the way her hair looked so smooth around her shoulders. I've always thought her hair seemed smooth, like really smooth, and secretly wished to run my fingers through it over and over again. The first time I did it, I got the chills, she had managed to stick gum in her hair and I offered to help. As soon as I touched her for the first time, I let out a quiet sigh, but quickly shook it off, going back to my denial world. Now I can touch her smooth strands whenever I desire.
Sam was practically chewing her fingers off, grinning once in a while, and I just smiled at it. Her blond curls would bounce whenever she moved, and I couldn't help but to want to run my fingers through her golden silky strands. Her hair cascaded her neck, like a waterfall, a blond waterfall, and the sight of it amazed the hell out of me. I lifted my arm and reached for it, running my fingers through her perfect curls.
"What was that for?" she stopped being excited altogether and gave me an amused grin.
"I love your hair" it was a simple statement, not a confession.
"Thank you?"
"You might not know this, but I wanted to get my hands on your hair again since the gum incident" now, that was a confession.
"Really?"
"Really"
We looked at each other. Just looked, not like we did this morning, with such lust we could eat each other alive, and not like we did yesterday, with longing and hurt. We just looked at each other, Sam and Freddie, two distinct individuals that somehow managed to find each other along the way and now, and can't help but become one. Not that we morphed into Seddie altogether, because we could manage to be ourselves in this relationship, but we became one the moment we loved each other for the first time, and I don't mean physical love. This might seem sappy and too romantic, but I could spend hours looking at her, without touching, just looking, however our eye contact was broken, when the man before us told us it was time to go.
After the ride in the biggest rollercoaster I've ever seen, Carly was vomiting, while Brad held her hair. I glanced at him, my poor friend, always dealing with other people's vomits. Gibby was shaking head to toe and Wendy claimed to be dizzy. I personally felt as normal as before, maybe Sam is rubbing off me. Speaking of Sam, she seemed to be lost into an amazing bliss, always saying how awesome that park was, she seemed to be the only one who truly enjoyed the ride.
"Oh man, you guys are such weakling" she snorted "what about you babe? Not feeling weak in the knee like Gibson over there?"
"Nope, I'm fine" I kissed the side of her head "want me to grab you something to drink?"
"You're such a good boyfriend, dork. Sure, I'm a bit thirsty"
"Okay, I'll be right back"
I went on my mission to buy Sam a peppy cola, but I got distracted and got lost into the awesomeness of that park. And I literally got lost. First thing I looked for was a map of the park, since it was so humongous, took me twenty minutes to find it. She didn't call me, and I figured it was because she was having such an amazing time, she forgot about me altogether. See, other guys would be at least offended, but I knew my girl, it was just her way, she was naturally careless. I bought her a soda can and, with a little help of a map, made my way back to the rollercoaster, but they weren't there anymore. Shit! I grabbed my phone and realized the battery was gone, maybe Sam called me to tell me where they were going, but I couldn't know.
"Great, now I'm lost, in this huge place and don't even know where they are"
Damn gigantic park! I spent nearly an hour looking for them, and nothing. Maybe I should go back to the parking lot, they'll have to leave some time.
"Lost?" Patrice asked from behind me.
"A familiar face! Thank god!" I hugged her briefly, noticing how she seemed to tense up when I wrapped my arms around her "sorry, I'm just excited to find someone that I know"
"No problem. So are you lost?" she cleared her throat, trying to easy the awkwardness that settled between us.
"Yeah. I went to buy Sam a drink, and got lost" I looked around "this park is huge"
"So, you guys are back together now" she stated sadly, but smiled after all "I thought you would be"
"Yeah…" I looked down; avoiding eye contact seemed the best thing to do.
"Freddie, this doesn't need to be awkward between us" she put her hand on my shoulder "we're friends, and I'm happy for you!"
"You are?" I looked up to her, sabotaging my attempt to avoid her big black eyes.
"Yeah" she smiled "I mean, you're my friend, my only friend, and I hated to see you look like shit this week" Patrice shrugged "you look much better now though"
"I'm. We had a conversation, and we're going to work our issues, you know try harder"
"Why did she do it? Why did she broke up with you?" her curiosity wasn't mean or filled with cruel intensions, I could tell.
"Well, it's kinda complicated"
Since I was lost, and not able to find anyone anyway, I sat down on a bench to explain to Patrice what happened. She didn't seem so surprised when I told her what Pam did, but then again she has her fair share of mother issues. She told me they were doing much better after our conversation in the elevator, and that she finally had the guts to let out everything she had buried deep inside her heart for so long. Now Patrice and her mother were working their issues and trying to be better for each other, as a family. I was glad to hear it, it 's good to help your friends and after everything that happened to me this week, I started to see her as a friend. Sure, I grabbed her phone and texted Brad, asking him where they were. He told me they were by the Ferris Wheel, and Sam was crazy looking for me. I told him I would be there in a sec.
"So, I talked to her mom, and seems like everything will be fine from now on, of course we still have to work on our issues, but I think we'll be fine"
"You know Freddie, sometimes mothers do the wrong thing thinking they're helping their kids, it's not fair and complicated, but they're trying to do the best for us. Like when your mother acts over-protective of you, it's because she wants you safe and healthy. Sam's mom did what she did thinking she was saving her daughter from disappointment. Her methods sucked, and her theory was a complete fail, but her intentions were good. Much like my mother, when she did… what she did. But I don't blame her anymore, I used to think it was all her fault, but I knew I made mistakes too, no one forced me to become that person, but I did, because I thought it was who I was suposed to be. I couldn't stop and realize I was being stupidly blind until you told me that"
"I'm glad to know that you and your mom are working your issues Patrice. It's not good to have it all buried deep inside of you" I rubbed her arm "I'm glad you're going back to be you, and not that disgusting person you were trying to be"
"Thank you Freddie. You know, you remind me of my dad" I snorted "seriously, a lot, and I think that's why I like you so much"
"Oh jeez, I thought it was because my fascinating personality" I said playing offended "tell me about him"
"Well, he was smart as hell, just like you. And sweet. He would take me every Sunday afternoon, after I finished my homework, to the park and we would eat ice cream and just talk about our day" she swallowed a lump, trying her best not to get emotional "I miss him, every Sunday"
There was nothing I could say, I didn't know how it was to be loved by a father, I never had that, I didn't miss my dad or cared about him at all. There was nothing I could say to her because that feeling was unknown to me, so I just grabbed her hand and smiled, and she smiled back.
"God, you remind me of him!" she chuckled "so much"
"So that's why you were taking so long"
I turned my head to look at her, she had her hand on her hips, and a scowl on her face. By the look in her eyes, I could see the trouble was just around the corner.
"Sam, let's talk about this okay" I got up and tried to touch her, but she slapped my hand away "you seriously are going to do this right now?"
"Now I know, why it was taking you so long, this bitch was distracting you and you let her Freddie!" she shoved me.
"Okay, let's not get childish here! I bumped into a friend and was having a friendly conversation, there's nothing wrong with that!"
"Nothing? Nothing, Freddie? So now you can walk around with her and expect me to think it's nothing? It's just an innocent friendship, and I'm delusional, right?" she hollered.
"Yes! That's all that is!" I was hollering back at her, trying to explain "like I talk to Carly, or Wendy!"
"Don't you dare compare, they are too different! So that's what you call love, I turn my back and you run off with her?" she hollered.
"That's not fair Sam, you questioning my love for you like that. After everything you put me through this week, you really expect me to sit back and let you question my love for you? You are dead wrong Puckett. I told you before, and I'm going to tell you again, when you mess with my head, it's fine, but when you mess with my heart… there's something else entirely and I'm not gonna sit back and put up with it!"
People around us were staring, but I didn't care, that didn't make me lower my voice, I was so mad with her, once again, and as far as I cared, the rest of the world could blow up.
"Fine, but I don't want you being friends with her" I gaped at her, she couldn't be serious "so, ditch the bitch, and let's go"
"You can't be serious right now. Sam, please, please let's not do this"
"I'm serious, I don't usually tell you who you should be friends with, but sure hell you can't be friends with her" she pointed at Patrice, who looked beyond embarrassed "I don't want you being friends with her, she wants to break us up!"
"Stop with being all paranoid! She's not trying anything! You can't seriously be doing this to me right now, you have to trust me. I love you, but I don't know what else to do to make you see that. I'm going to pretend you didn't say that and we'll talk when we get home"
"So, you just going to ignore my opinion, like it means shit, and be friends with her anyway?"
"No… Sam, you have to trust me, what did we talk about today? You have to trust me, or else…" she cut me off
"Or else what?" she challenged me, shoving me backwards twice "huh Freddie? Or else what?"
"Or else this relationship will go to shit!" I finished.
She didn't say anything, just stared at me. After what it seemed a lifetime, she stormed out. Of course she would expect me to follow her, but I didn't, she had to learn how to trust me and she had no right to doubt my love for her like that.
"Freddie?" Patrice said quietly after a long time speechless "you should go after her"
"No!" I turned to look at her "she has to learn how to trust me how I trust her, because even knowing she is the best liar I've ever met, I trust her every word, without questioning, so I deserve some credit!"
"Maybe its best if we don't talk anymore" she continued speaking ignoring my replies "it's probably for the best, it's okay I'm not mad"
"Patrice, I'll handle things with Sam, just not now, I'm mad and I would probably say something I would regret. She hurts me so much when she acts like that" I ran my hands through my hair "I better go"
"Yeah…"
I waved goodbye and left, heading to the parking lot. Brad and Gibby were there, they told me the girls went home with Wendy and that Sam was beyond pissed. I didn't tell them what happened, I wasn't on the mood for any kind of conversation. We drove home silently, and even after I dropped Gibby home, Brad didn't say anything. We had this unspoken agreement, not to push each other's limits, he respected my wish not to talk, and I appreciated that. I went home and threw myself at my bed, sighing. Sam wasn't there so I figured he would be at Carly's. I had to urge to go after her, and even if I did I wouldn't, because I did nothing wrong and I don't deserve this. She should know me by now, and not matter what she should trust me like I trust her.
Just when you think things are perfect, something happens and proves to you, nothing is perfect.
Sam's POV
I arrived at Carly's pissed out of my mind. He refused to give up her friendship, he refused to listen to me. Why? Why is he doing this to me? Can't he see what she's trying to do? He can't seriously be that blind. I kicked Carly's footstool ignoring her questions, I just wanted to be alone, and not look at his face. I told her everything because I was so mad I couldn't keep it to myself and because I figured she wouldn't stop asking unless I told her.
"Can you believe him? But he'll regret and he'll come back begging for my forgiveness!" I said with conviction.
"Sam, I think you're overreacting. You have to trust him, he's smart and he loves you, if she was up to something he would know by now, he's not oblivious and naive anymore"
"What? Don't you remember how she used to play dirty? He asked me to stay away from Pete that time" I scowled "and now you expect me not to ask him to do the same?"
"Yeah, you have a point, but still, you have to trust him, like he trusted you even though he knew no one could lie better than you"
"I trust him, I do, I don't trust her, she's the one I don't trust"
"Yeah, but you're letting all your anger fall down on him"
"He was the one talking to her, he was the one calling her a friend! She wants him, I know that, why can't he understand that I'm just…"
"Insecure? I thought you guys talked about it, and he loves you Sam, so much he wouldn't ruin what you guys have over some girl"
"No! I'M PISSED Carls! Pissed, that's all!"
I sat on the couch feeling defeated. What else I could think when I saw them together? Did he really expect me to believe they were just friends? He couldn't be that naïve. The knock on the door woke me up from my dreams. I knew it was him, it had to be, he had to say he was sorry so we could go back to being happy. Carly opened the door and her jaw hit the floor, I decided to check out who it was.
"I need to talk to Sam" I couldn't believe Patrice was standing there.
She actually had the guts to come here. I'm going to hurt her really bad right now.
"What are you doing here?" I snapped "if you here to-"
"Shut up Sam!" se hollered, entering the apartment without an invitation "my turn to speak!"
She shoved me, and I fell backwards, sitting on the couch, shocked.
"Me and Freddie are friends. FRIENDS! And nothing more, and you know why? Because he loves you, and he could never feel anything for me, or anyone else for that matter, because you're the only one he wants. You know how many girls want that? Want a guy like you have? Every single heterosexual girl in the face of earth! And yes, I have feelings for him, but not because he's hot and handsome, but because when he looks at me, he sees beyond my flesh. When he looks at me he doesn't judge me for my past, he just… he sees me for who I am. And I don't mean that pushy bitch you know, but the real me, the person who I used to be before everything went to shit in my life!"
She stopped, taking a deep breath, and I didn't know what to say, neither did Carly. Patrice didn't seem or sound like that girl who always tried to steal Freddie away from me, she didn't seem that same girl who used little kids to get close to him, there was something different in her eyes, and the way she spoke, something I wasn't familiar with.
"Freddie became a good friend to me since we got stuck into that elevator. You know Sam, I know a million people, but I don't have one single friend, not a real one. The only person in my life who looked at me with care was him, since my dad died I didn't have anyone to tell me it wasn't my fault, I didn't have anyone to tell me I wasn't the one to blame. No one took the time to tell me what happened wasn't my fault"
What the heck is she talking about?
"When I was fifteen, I bugged my dad the whole day to buy me a new computer. It was a Sunday afternoon, and usually we went to the park to eat ice cream and just talk about our week, but that day I needed the damn computer, and I couldn't wait. So we went to the store and he bought it for me, he knew I wanted that more than anything, so he bought for me. When we were leaving the store, this guy with a gun approached us, he told me to give him the computer, or else he would shoot. I was a spoiled little brat and I didn't hand him that damn computer. He pulled a gun to shoot me, and my dad threw himself at me, sheltering me from the bullet and got shot"
She stopped for a while, tears rolling down her cheek. I didn't know what to think, I didn't know how to act. She was sobbing but seemed determinate to continue her story.
"After he died, my mother got depressed. I knew she blamed me, she never said it, but the way she looked at me… I knew she blamed me, but why wouldn't she? I was the one to blame. I was so lonely, I just wanted someone to tell me that everything would be alright, but my mother was never home and when she was she just locked herself in her bedroom. I had no one, I just needed someone, I just needed to feel loved, but no one… no one would love me, my own mother wouldn't…"
I looked at Carly, who looked heartbroken. I was, taken aback by this, I was… speechless.
"My dad's boss, he was a great man, and they had been friends for years. He was my godfather, and he was the only person who, since the funeral, came to ask me if I was okay. He stopped by everyday to see how I was, he would talk to me and made me company. With him I felt a little closer to my father, I had someone to look up to, and someone who would care about me, when no one else did. My parents didn't have any siblings, my grandparents were long gone, and I didn't have many friends in school. He was the only one… the only one there when I needed someone. My mother started to work late, always trying to avoid me. One night, I had a nightmare with the man who killed my dad, and she wasn't home, so I called Greg, my godfather, twenty minutes later he was there. He held me close, told me he loved me and that he would always take care of me…" she trailed off, and I feared I knew where this was going.
"He kissed me… the rest you can figure out. I didn't want it, but I was afraid, that if I rejected him, he would abandon me and I was going to be left alone for good again. I needed to be cared and loved, that's why every time he would come by and… well, I couldn't say no, or so I thought, I was too scared to be alone. I never stopped him because I thought I needed him, I thought that was love, but it wasn't. My mother was so oblivious to everything, she only find out because… because I…" she started to choke and sob uncontrollably "I got pregnant"
Wow, I couldn't ever imagine this… I guess now I knew why Freddie was so sympathetic towards her, he had this superhero complex where he needed to help everyone all the time.
"She forced me to say who the father was, and when I did she couldn't believe. She went nuts, said I was home wrecker, told me I had no business hooking up with a married man… she confronted him, his wife found out. When everyone found out, I thought he would stay by my side, and tell them it wasn't my fault, but he did quite the opposite, he told everyone I seduced him, that it was my fault. He told everyone I got pregnant to get money out of him and that I was a whore. Even my own mother believed him, but then again he was very convincing. She forced me to get an abortion… you don't know how scared I was, how lonely and broken hearted I felt. My mother could never look at me, I killed her husband and tainted her honor in the same year…" she snorted "oh what a great daughter I was"
I was trying to find my voice, words to say, but nothing came, my jaw was on the floor, and my heart was shattered. No one should go through so much at fifteen. And I thought I had mommy issues. Silly Sam.
"They told me so many times I was a worthless bitch, they looked at me like I was nothing but a home wrecker and I wind up believing them, I wind up becoming the hideous person you knew. But don't think even for I second I don't acknowledge my mistakes, because I do. And I think about it every day. I used to think that the only way I could be loved was if I gave men what they wanted, but then I met Freddie, and he was totally different, the way he told me to back off because he loved you and wouldn't leave you… that did something to me Sam and I never wanted anything so bad in my life…" she smiled sadly "that night we got stuck into the elevator… I was so afraid, feeling suffocated and trapped… I tend to say too much when I'm nervous, so I wind up telling him what happened to me. He listened quietly, and I was bracing myself for what would come next, I could swear he would give me the same look my mother did… but he didn't. He didn't judge me, and he told me it wasn't my fault. He said so many things that made me think about what I was doing with my life Sam, he told me I didn't have to live in the past and that I was only hurting myself by doing it. He told me I didn't have to be that person that just because people think of me that way doesn't mean that's who I really am"
"He said that he knew an amazing girl who had the same problem. She as hiding from the world, hiding her feelings, afraid if the world saw her for what she really was, she would get hurt. She was hiding behind a brick wall she built for herself, but once she broke through it… she saw the light. She lived for the first time. I knew right away he was talking about you" she chuckled "you had to see the smile on his face Sam… I couldn't try to break you guys up anymore, because that would make him unhappy. I've saw him unhappy this week when you left him, and trust me, I did not enjoy it. After the conversation we had, I decided to talk to my mom, tell her everything I've been keeping inside myself for so long, and now we're doing much better. We're going to the therapist to work on our issues, it's weird, but it's for the best. I could never do anything to hurt him, I'm not that mean, he deserves the best, and he does not deserve what you did today. If you want, I'll stop talking to him, and that will suck, because he's my only real friend, but if that's what you want… I'll do it"
I needed a moment to analyze everything I just heard. She went through some pretty bad situations that made her who she is today. Goddamit, she had to watch her father die, got pregnant and got an abortion in the same year, not mentioning the lack of love from her mother, and that I know how it feels like. It must be horrible have someone you love got shot in front of you, for you, and I totally get why she was feeling so guilty.
"I could never imagine Patrice… any of this… I'm so sorry" I was chocked up, and feeling a bit ashamed of myself.
"It's okay, you know. Just go talk to him and tell him you're sorry" she encouraged "he won't give in this time"
"It sound a lot like Freddie, what he said to you, it's just his way… he loves to help everyone like the good boy that he is" I smiled.
"So? You want me to stop talking to him? Because if you do, I would, the last thing I want is to cause any more problems between you guys… I just want to be me again, and I know it's going to be a long way, and I long time till I can find myself again, so I'll be too busy to try to sabotage your relationship" she chuckled and I joined her.
"Oh… man" we cracked up, and Carly looked at us like we were crazy "ah… Patrice, its okay… seems like you need this friendship"
She smiled brightly "maybe we could… you know be friends too?"
"Well, we can be friendly. How about that?" I stood up and offered her my hand.
"That's good for me" she shook my hand "you should probably talk to him right now"
"I will" I looked at her for a while, really looked at her for the first in my life "thank you. For coming here and tell me all this"
"Eh, never mind, just go, talk to him" she gripped my wrist and dragged me out of the apartment "go ahead. I'm going to bed now, maybe read a bit"
"You read?" I asked surprised, and stupidly.
"Don't tell anyone, it's my secret" she winked "bye Sam"
After she left, I leaned against Freddie's door thinking about words to say. I've been stupid, again, and here I was, trying to apologize, again. I have to start to get my shit together and be in this relationship in my two feet. I have to jump, and I have to do it already. Without bothering to knock I walked in, making a beeline to Freddie's room, where I found him laying on the bed, reading The Hungry Games and wearing that pair of nerd glasses I loved so much. I guess I was staring at him like an idiot, because he suddenly sighed and put the book over his stomach.
"Just say whatever is that you wanna say" he said staring at the ceiling.
"I'm sorry, I really am"
"You should be, you overreacted, but that's not entirely your fault, I should respect your feelings, even if they make no sense" he put the book on his night stand and sat up "I'm sorry too"
After a minute or so, I ran over him and threw myself at him, hugging him tightly.
"Sorry Freddie, I'll be a better girlfriend, I swear" he wrapped his arms around me.
"You are the best girlfriend ever, I'm sorry for what I said okay?" he pulled back to kiss me "why we keep being stupid?"
"I don't know… but hey, you were right I have no right to tell you who to be friends with, I was just jealous"
"You totally have a point, I asked you the same thing before with Pete didn't I?" I nodded "but with him was different because you liked him once and I thought you could like him again"
"That's absurd"
"I know that now… Patrice is really just a friend, you may not believe this, but she actually could use some real friends" he said sympathetically.
"I know… she came over and told me… everything" I felt embarrassed again "she told me she wouldn't try to break us up, because of you, she said you couldn't be happy without me"
"That's true" he snickered "she told you? Everything?"
"Everything. I feel so bad for her, and that explains a lot actually… but I also know she has feelings for you, real feelings and that scares me"
"For a brave person you get scared too easily Miss Puckett" he poked my ribs.
"Ha ha!" I flicked his nose "only when it comes to you, I only feel like this with you. And I don't like that, makes me feel like such a girl"
"I'm sorry, and I really am sorry, I wish we could just go back to the way we were before, you know being Sam and Freddie again" I nodded "She's actually nice person when you get to know her. She actually beat my ass in Guitar Hero" he chuckled.
"Guitar Hero?"
"Yeah, she took me to The Arcade when you… well, when we were apart. She didn't bust a move, or tried to make me forget about you, she just wanted to get me out of the house" he shrugged.
"Maybe she could really use your friendship" I admitted "but that's it! Friendship and nothing more!"
"Of course" he laughed "maybe you could be her friend too, this way we could finally have some peace"
"Freddie… I don't know, it's not possible for me to like her overnight, and even though what she told me made me sympathize with her, still… I don't know" I sighed "I just don't know.
"It would be really nice if you could try…" he pouted "let's hang out tomorrow, you me and her, let's go to The Arcade"
"Fine" I gave up "but I make no promises"
"Yay!" he kissed me, and laid back on the bed "thank you honey"
"Whatever…" I kissed his neck "wanna get back to what we were doing before Carly cockblocked us?"
"Not really" I sat up, looking at him in utter shock "I just wanna lay here with you"
His arms went around my waist again, bringing me closer, making me lay my head on his chest. So comfortable, so right, so relaxing. His smell was intoxicating, and made me feel safe and sound… soon my eyes were heavy, everything seemed so far away as I fell asleep. I felt Freddie removing my shoes and jeans, then lay back next to me.
"Night honey" he kissed my forehead.
Freddie's POV
After I called Patrice, she couldn't believe Sam agreed on hanging out with her, but she was pretty eager. I couldn't believe it either, but here we were, standing in front of The Arcade, me and my beautiful girl, holding hands. She was hesitating, and I feared she was going to give up, it meant so much to me they could get along, it meant we would have some peace. Sam took a deep breath and forced a smile, this was hard, I knew it, after everything that happened between them, but now they will be able to see each other in a different light, maybe they'll even become friends. That's what I wished.
"It's okay if you don't want to do this" I told her.
"I want to, I do" she said with little conviction.
"Sam, come on" I squeezed her hand "tell me what you wanna do"
"I want peace Freddie, I want wake up one day and don't have problems between us" she sighed "if she's your friend then maybe I should give her a chance, at least try to be civil around her" she wrapped her arms around my neck "man, this is going to be hard"
"You can do this, but we really have to get inside now, it's raining" that exact moment a thunderstorm started pouring down on us "come on"
I spotted Patrice sitting on a bench, waiting for us. She seemed nervous, tapping her foot on the floor and looking around. This was going to be hard for both of them, Sam had to hang out with a girl who had feelings for her boyfriend, and Patrice had to hang out with the girlfriend of the guy she had feelings for. And I'm in the middle of this mess, but hopefully they'll get along fine and I'll finally have some peace. I knew it wasn't possible for them to become great friends overnight, or anytime soon really, but I'm a beliver, so I won't give up. I also can't force Sam into something she doesn't want to do, I would never do that, I guess she has to want this, otherwise it won't work.
"Hi" said Patrice, standing up and offering Sam her hand.
"Hey" Sam hesitated, but shook her hand anyway.
I smiled at her as a way to say good job.
"So? Are we ready for this?" I asked them.
"Sure. What do you guys wanna do first?" Patrice asked, a little tense.
"I heard you kicked Freddie's butt in Guitar Hero" Sam commented, breaking the tension between them "I'd like to see that"
"Oh, I'll be glad to do it again" she smiled deviously "ready to lose again Freddie?"
"Uh Freddie" Sam poked my ribs.
"Oh my… what to do huh?" I sighed.
Man we had fun, the three of us, hanging around and goofing off, like three kids after school spending their lunch money on games. I even had fun losing to Patrice three times, while Sam laughed her ass off the entire time. They even came up with some new nicknames for me, can you believe it? The whole time, they acted pretty civil around each other, and even teamed up against me to play Assassin… oh well. I knew both of them were trying their best to do this, and I knew it was because of me, so I felt all giddy and flattered. What a luck bastard I am.
I was so proud of Sam for being mature about this, and of Patrice for trying. These two are more alike than they realize, and I think they can be good friends if they try, and that would be pretty cool. Boy I'm so luck, seems like it was only yesterday when I had no girls falling over me, and now I have two? Not that I would ever feel anything other than friendship for Patrice, but still it's pretty flattering. Two smart, funny and hot girls in love with me? Me? Nerd little me? Seems so surreal. Patrice helped me when I was down and I'm proud to know I helped her with her issues, but that's what friends are for after all.
Sam still seemed a little tense and inconspicuously glanced at Patrice sometimes, especially when she was close, or talking to me. Not that she was having a jealous attack, but she was just being careful, and I couldn't condemn her for that. Patrice seemed a bit uncomfortable at first, always afraid of what to say or do next to Sam, but her fears died down a bit and she began to relax more and more. She also seemed a little sad whenever Sam would hug me, or kiss me. Of course we didn't make out in front of her; it was just a light kiss on the lips sometimes or on the cheek. My favorite part of the evening, was banter with Sam again, surprisingly I missed the whole dork vs. demon thing we had going on before. When the girls decided to hunt me down playing Assassin, and I was alone, I had to hide, because shit, those girls were crazy fast.
"Come on man! This is not fair" I whined "great, so I'm supposed to sit around and be a target?" I yelled after Sam almost shot me.
"Great" I chuckled "hey!" I ducked one of Patrice's shots "take it easy girls, I'm only one!"
Man, those girls are going to kill me.
Sam's POV
Of course it was awkward as hell at first, I was suspicious and she was uncomfortable, but then I came up with the idea of playing Assassin against Freddie so we could kill a bit of the tension hanging in the room. It actually worked. Like I said before, it's not like we're going to be best friends by tomorrow, but I was looking forward to some civil relationship with her, one where we could stay in the same room and not kill each other. It helped to know she wasn't going to hit on him whenever she had the chance, and maybe I could accept their friendship. However, that didn't mean I was going to simply trust her with my life or let them hanging around alone for too long. I'm not jealous, honestly, but a girl needs to be careful especially because she tried before.
Freddie has this contagious thing about him, once you get to know him he makes you wanna be better, like his opinion matters, even though I used to deny it. And I can't blame her for feeling that way.
"Did you see it? I almost had him" she whispered.
"Yeah, he's a sneaky little bastard!" I hissed.
"We get him next time" she assured me.
Another thing I'm starting to like about her is that she is pretty bad ass and sneaky, just like me.
"Where is he?" she asked.
"I don't k-" BOOM! "what the heck?"
"Oh my God Sam!" Patrice pointed at a big machine in the end of the room, it exploded, fire spreading everywhere. It was all so fast, and soon everything was burning. The other machines exploded as soon as the fire came in contact with them, making a loud noise.
"Shit!" I heard people screaming and everybody started to run around panicking.
"Come on!" she grabbed my arm, and started to drag me with her "come on!"
"Where's Freddie?" I didn't realize, until now, he wasn't with me "Freddie?"
"Oh my God… I don't know!" she panicked.
"We gotta find him!" I hollered.
There was so many people around, panicking, running, bumping against each other, I never saw such a mess. Two girls bumped on us, sending me to the ground. Patrice helped me stand up, but pushed me away when a metal bar fell two inches away from my head.
"Careful" she gripped my wrist again and we started to run, like everyone else, but to the opposite side of the warehouse.
"Freddie!" please God, let me find him, let me find him safe and sound "Freddie!"
"Freddie, where are you? Freddie?" we kept yelling.
"You girls gotta get out of here" the security guard tried to push us out "get out!"
"No! My boyfriend is there somewhere, I gotta find him" I said desperately.
He kept pushing us, trying to get us out of there, saying things I couldn't hear. My mind was on Freddie, I wasn't going to leave without him. I put up a fight, so did Patrice, but she was weaker, and when a second guy grabbed her arm, she was dragged out of there.
"Let me go! You gotta let me go!" I hollered.
I could hear so many cries for help, so many screams of pain, it was horrible, the smell was horrible and the smoke was suffocating me, but I wouldn't leave without him.
"Your boyfriend is probably outside, miss, you gonna get us both killed!" he wrapped his arms around my legs and threw me over his shoulder, but I kept kicking and screaming.
"Freddie!"
"Sam?" I could hear his voice, mixed with the horrible sounds in the background.
"It's him, he is in there! Freddie!" I squirmed, trying to free myself from the security guard's arms "let me go! Freddie!"
I couldn't hear him anymore, it was too late, I was already out the door, rain pouring down on me. As soon as my feet hit the ground I broke into a run to get back into The Arcade, but Patrice held my forearms.
"No! Patrice, I heard him! He was calling me! He's in there!" I tried to fight her to get free.
"Sam, stop you can't go back in there! You'll get yourself killed!" she hollered.
"I don't care! He's in there!"
"You canno-"
BOOM! A big explosion sent us stumbling backwards.
"NO!"
No! Please God, no! Don't take him away from me, please don't do this.
To be continued…
Remember... trust me, you wont regret!