Hey. Sorry for the slight delay on getting this out. If you're also reading my NBB fanfic, All's Fair in Love and Game Shows, then you already know that my delay was because of my latest obsession, the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. Such good books. Plus, I've had a bad case of writer's block for that story and this story, but at least I finally got them both out. Yay. Okay, so, as I usually say, enjoy.

Chapter Two: Twice

The next day before school…

"You were awesome last night. You're like the fencing king," Carly praised Freddie.

"I didn't even do that great," said Freddie. They both sat down on the bench in the hallway, next to the row of lockers.

"Well if that was 'not that great,' then you must be really, really good."

Freddie smiled then tried to look modest. "Well…"

Sam walked through the schools double doors and approached Carly and Freddie. "Hey, people."

"Hi," Carly greeted her.

Freddie studied what was in Sam's hand. "Uh, what is that?" He looked afraid to hear her answer.

"Leftovers from dinner," Sam said nonchalantly.

"But what is it?"

"What? You don't recognize a stick of pepperoni when you see one?" Sam shook the half eaten piece of meat in front of his face.

After being best friends with Sam for so long, Carly immediately picked up on Sam's mood. She turned to Freddie. "Don't you have some club meeting this morning?" She smiled at him while her eyes did the necessary talking, letting him know that no matter what, his answer would be "yes."

Picking up on it a few seconds later than it would take a female to, Freddie nodded, gave Carly a peck on the cheek, and disappeared around the corner. He had never been too good with subtle body language and gentle hints since his mother was so blunt and straightforward about everything. But, he was improving, now that he was hanging around Carly so much.

Carly looked up at Sam in time to see her take a snarling bite of her usual comfort food. For some reason, eating a stick of spicy pepperoni was incredibly appealing to Sam when something was bothering her.

Carly gestured to the empty spot next to her on the bench. Sam reluctantly sat down on the padded wood bench and swung her legs back and forth slowly.

"What's wrong?" Carly tried the indirect approach in hopes of her friend taking on her usual abrasive, in-your-face-telling-you-the-truth-whether-it's-easy-to-hear-or-not way. She was starting to miss it.

"What's makes you think something's wrong?" Sam took another bite of the quickly diminishing stick of spicy, red pepperoni and then looked Carly in the eye.

Carly pointed one finger at Sam's dinner leftovers/breakfast and smoothed her silky brown hair down with her other hand. "You always eat pizza toppings when you're upset." Suddenly, Carly's eyes lit up like someone had turned the dimmer switch up brighter behind her eyes. "Wait, that was all you had for dinner, or did you have a whole pizza to go with it?"

Sam lifted the pepperoni slightly in the air and spoke with nonchalance. "Just this. My mom wasn't expecting to have me home for dinner." Sam threw in a tone of subtle guilt.

As much as Sam seemed like she was ready and willing to confront someone at the slightest funny look thrown her way and jump someone who even slightly got on her nerves, if there was one person in the world who she felt bad about having to confront it was Carly. Not to say, of course, that if it was for her own good, Sam wouldn't hesitate. But seeing as how this whole balance-dating-life-with-friendship-life thing was totally new to Carly, and Sam had done the same thing when she was dating Jonah, she decided to also take the indirect approach.

Carly shifted uncomfortably on the bench realizing that the blue padding on the bench did nothing to make it any more comfortable and wished that she had simply stood up to talk to Sam. Then another expression crossed her face, this one full of guilt. "I blew you off for dinner again, didn't I?"

"Yup," Sam said shortly staring down at the odd tile pattern of gray, light green, blue, and red tiles covering the school's halls almost like a mosaic tile pattern.

Carly studied Sam's half hidden face for a few seconds before coming to another conclusion. "I'm spending too much time with just Freddie," she stated. "I'm breaking my promises to you, and I'm not spending enough time with you."

Sam continued staring at the floor. She hated being made into the victim of a situation, even if she really was a victim in a roundabout way.

"I am," Carly stated, with more conviction then before. She scooted herself closer to the edge of the seat and leaned her head down to try and make eye contact with Sam. "C'mon… Say something. Please. Anything. Something accusing, rude, and abrasive… C'mon, I'm dying over here." She cracked a small smile.

Sam turned her head slightly to hide her eye roll. Great… Just what I needed. She's going to put all the blame on herself, and put herself down so harshly and so many times that it would drive the cruelest of sadistic people crazy. Okay, I'll just have to deny everything.

"I've been fine," Sam said innocently looking Carly in the eye and using all of her best lying tricks.

Carly rolled her eyes. "Cut the lying garbage, Sam. I know you better than that."

Dang it! Sam kept her face composed while she thought of every colorful word she'd ever heard from her mom and said them all, angrily, in her head.

"Look, we need to do something together right away," Carly said, crossing her ankles, delicately.

"You mean…" Sam looked up and down the halls and finally looked back at Carly. "… ditch?"

Carly made a face. "No. I meant tonight… Oh, shoot!"

"Let me guess, you and Freddie have another date tonight, right?"

Carly's eyes lit up. "Nope. You, Freddie, and I have a date tonight, and tomorrow, we're going to hit every girly store in the mall that Freddie hates."

"No, I don't want to be a third wheel," Sam protested, groaning.

"You won't be," Carly assured her. "We were just going to go bowling, and now you can come with us."

Sam looked back down at the floor, trying to figure out the odds of Carly just dropping the subject.

Carly nudged Sam's arm with her pinky finger. "It'll be fun. There'll be food there, and you can kick Freddie's butt at bowling. C'mon, it's all of your favorite things wrapped in one."

Sam finally looked back at her best friend. When she saw the kind but determined I'll-get-her-to-come-with-us-if-I-have-to-drag-her-there look, she sighed loudly. "Fine, I'll come."

"Perfect. You can come home with me again like old times, and then we'll all go together."

"Sure." What could go wrong? Sam couldn't help smiling at Carly's joyful expression.

Several famous last words later…

"Freddie, don't worry, they already called your mom," Carly said taking his one good hand in her own.

"Great," he moaned sarcastically. "Just what I need. My mom'll never let me bowl there again."

"Who would want to bowl there after what happened anyway?" Sam asked gruffly, shifting her body around on the crowded bench in the ambulance.

Carly turned to Sam who was squished next to her. "Seriously, who lets an incompetent clown juggle bowling balls anyway?"

Sam chuckled under her breath. "A desperate, idiotic manager."

"I just can't believe he actually hit you," Carly said to her beat up boyfriend.

Freddie held up two fingers. "Twice."

"This kind of stuff can only happen to you, Fredward," Sam said, in a surprisingly nice, joking voice.

"Tell me about it," Freddie said.

"What did you break again?"

"Wrist and leg," Carly responded immediately for him.

The only sound that came after that were the medics talking in low voices about some football game, and the piercing sound of the siren outside while Carly, Sam, and Freddie just waited in silence.

Well… there goes our day at the mall, tomorrow… Sam leaned her head against the side of the ambulance and waited for it all to stop.

And there you have it. I'm not totally sure yet, but I think that this next chapter might be the last chapter for the iCarly story. There may be two chapters, but it depends on how many words it takes to write out what I've got planned. If it's too long, I'll just divide it up into two chapters. Or maybe I won't. I don't know. Anyway, please, please, please review! I seriously need as much encouragement as absolutely possible. Even a simple acknowledgement that you're reading it and you like/hate/love it. Either one. I love the feedback! Keep reading and reviewing! I'll be back!