A/N: Sorry, I know I haven't updated in a while. This was actually supposed tobe up like a week or 2 ago. So this chapter is for z shadow619, cruailsama, Hotcutii3, and Thief-Trickster. Enjoy!

iThought They Cared

3

Spencer was on the couch listening to his current favorite song on his iPod, "Make Damn Sure" by Taking Back Sunday. "I just wanna break you down so badly. In the worst way." he sang to himself. Everything was going good for little sister was getting straight A's again, he got his sculpture finished, and best of all his and Sam's secret was still in the closet. He knew she wouldn't tell. Sam looked hard on the outside, but in the inside she as soft as her stuff bear, Jesse. Sam had told Spencer about Jesse a few years back but little did she know, he used it to crack open that hard shell of hers.

"Hey, Spencer, have you talked to Sam lately? I've called her back to back for like 3 days. She won't answer or call me back."

"Sorry, I haven't talked to her. Whats up? Her Freddie have an argument or something?" he asked.

"No. They rarely ever do that anymore. Where have you been?" she said irritatedly.

"Gosh, just trying to help."

"Sorry, Spence. I just want see what's up with her." Carly walked over to the couch and sat next to Spencer.

"Here, try mine. Maybe she'll pick up." Spencer handed Carly his cell phone.

"Alright."

Carly grabbed the phone and dialed Sam's number and awaited her voice in her ear. She walked upstairs into her room.

Sam had locked herself in her room. She was getting away from all the fake ass apologies that her dad was tossing out. She couldn't believe that her mom had let him back in the house after all he had done to her. "No wonder she didn't graduate high school," Sam thought, "the bitch is stupid." And there was one thing that Sam couldn't help but wonder. What would happen to her mom's boyfriend, Johnny. Even though he was all her mom paid attention to lately, Sam wished he was there instead of her dad right now. Considering he was one of the only guys that was actually nice to her, along with Freddie and Spen—wait, no, not Spencer.

Sam picks up her phone and reads the caller ID. 'Spencer'. She hesitated to answer but did after the fifth ring. She let out a quiet sigh of slight relief when she heard Carly's voice and not His.

"Hello, Sam?"

"Uh, hey Carls it's me. What's up?"

"Nothing besides you not taking my calls for three days. What's up with you? Where have you been?" Carly asked.

"Home." Sam simply said with those thoughts rushing back into her head.

"That's it? You're not going to tell me what's been going on?"

"There's nothing going on, Carly."

"Sam, come on. I know your dads there. Did he hit you?"

"No, Carly." Sam answered in a quivering voice fighting back tears and the urge to tell Carly what her 'precious' big brother had done to her.

"I can hear it in your voice. Sam tell me what happened. I won't get mad. Just tell me." Carly pleaded.

"I can't."

"Sam you're scaring me a little. Why can't you tell me."

"Nothing. You won't believe me." She finally let a tear fall. She prepared herself for what was about to slip out of her mouth.

"Sam what happened?!"

"I was raped." Sam said so quietly Carly didn't hear her.

"What?"

"I was raped, Carly." she said a bit louder.

"Oh, my gosh! Why didn't you tell me? Who did this to you?"

"..." Sam held in her answer knowing the consequence of her telling.

"Sam tell m—," Carly got cut off by Sam's answer.

"Spencer! Okay! Spencer did it!" Sam shouted hesitantly.

"Sam, I can't believe this."

"Carly I told him to stop but—"

"No, I mean I can't believe you."

"Carly."

"No, Sam stop. Spencer wouldn't do anything like that to anyone! Especially, you! You're practically his little sister!"

"Just..listen to me!" Sam told Carly through sobs.

"What is it, are you jealous of me and Sean?" Carly stood raising her arms as if Sam was actually in front of her.

"Ca—" Carly wouldn't let her get a word out.

"Maybe if you stop acting like a guy they would consider asking you out once in a while!" Carly's choice of words stung Sam's heart right to the core. Sam couldn't reply to her harsh comment. What Carly had just said hurt badly but Sam knew it was true. They both did.

"I knew you could lie, Sam but I didn't think you'd go this far." Carly said before hanging up leaving a dial tone to Sam ear. Like the way the hospital monitor beeps when someone dies on the bed. 'BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPP!!!'

"Mom, I'm fifteen years old! I learn about this stuff in school!" Freddie shouted while slamming and locking his bedroom door, blocking his mom and her urge to have 'The Talk' with him.

He tossed himself on the bed and somehow his thoughts about 'The Talk' lead to his thoughts about Sam. "Where is she? Why haven't we talked since that day on the steps? What was she crying for?"Freddie stared at the picture of him and Sam on his dresser. They were at the Groovy Smoothie. Carly wasn't there because she just had to hang out with Sean that day. Sam had ordered the Blueberry Blizzard and wasted half of it on Freddie's Timberland boots accidentally, but he immediately forgave her. See, that is the kind of stuff that got to him. He remembered the most simplest things that Sam would do and make them seem so important.

A couple years ago he would've been thinking this way about Carly. But things change and people change more. It's like as they got older Sam and Carly slowly switched personalities. Sam wasn't the school bully anymore and Carly well, she wasn't either but she could certainly lay two hand fulls of something hateful to say on the table every once and a while. And although Sam still had her extremely tomboyish ways she pummeled Carly in the beauty department—inside and out. Even the guys that were still a little afraid of her would agree. But they wouldn't say that to Carly's face, they were too afraid. Or were they afraid of Sean?

Freddie tried calling her again. No answer. But, this time he didn't just leave at that. He gathered his slightly stained boots, his jacket and this thoguts and quietly creept out of his room in hopes that his mother was in her room watching Lifetime or something. Freddie quickly made his way out of his frontdoor and headed towards Sam's.

When he got to Sam's house notice something different. There wasn't a banged up truck sitting in front of the house. It was a nice new Chrysler 300. A pearl color, Sam's favorite of all the "fancies," she'd call the more exquisite colors and, well, her birthday was in June.

He turned around and tapped his knuckles against the door. Someone familiar answered the door. Sam's dad, he looked the same only sober. "Hey, I know you. Frances, right? One of Sam's little friends?" Freddie looked him over for a moment before answering his question trying to seem as un-pissed off as possible.

"Uh, it's Freddie and yes, best friend actually." He hid it well.

"I thought her best friend was a girl. Christie or something like that."

"Carly. She was her best friend." Freddie said as he pushed pass Sam's dad and went into the house. "This guy sure has on the first letters. Bastard needs to catch up." Freddie thought to himself as he approached Mrs. Puckett.

"Hi, Mrs. Puckett, how have you been?" he asked not really concerned.

"I've been just fine since Lawrence got here. Did you see the Chrysler outside? Lawrence bought it for me. It's pearl, Sam's favorite color."

"Yeah, I know." he said through a fake smile. Actually Sam's favorite color was red. It was one of the regular colors like the ones you find in an eight pack box of Crayola Crayons or on a Skittles package. Pearl was of the "fancies." But neither Mrs. Puckett or Lawrence would know that. They're too careless.

There was an awkward silence in the room the room but Lawrence spoke up. "Uh, Sam's in her room."

Almost immediately Freddie turned and walked quick-paced to Sam's bedroom door. When he turned the knob it was locked. So he knocked.

"Sam, it's me Freddie, open the door." Once again, no answer. He walked to the bathroom but she wasn't in there so he walked back to her door and knocked again but this time harder.

"Sam, I know you're in there. Open up."

"No!"

"You know I can pick the lock, right? You might as well o—" The door sung open. Sam's eyes were red and watery. She had obviously been crying for a while.

Sam looked down and stepped to the side and let Freddie in. She smiled slightly at the sight of the shoes he had chosen to wear, but he didn't notice. He slowly came in and asked her "What's wrong?" with his innocent little eyes. She didn't answer him.

They both lay on her bed silently for an hour. Sam at the top and Freddie at the bottom. No sound, no movement. Until Sam rose and crawled down the bed to lie next to Freddie. He turned his head in her direction as she lay her head on his chest and hand on his incoming abs. They had never been this close.

Sam's eyes never met Freddie's. But her tears certainly met his shirt. By now, of coarse he knew she was crying because this time he was crying with her. They were quiet though. No talking in between loud sobs. Soon enough there were no loud sobs to talk through. Only tears and for another hour they lay in that position. Sam in his arms.

Freddie hated seeing Sam so hurt but he loved this moment and he loved her. He thought out loud. "I love you, Sam." She quickly lifted herself off of him and scooted back to the other end of the bed with terror in her eyes. She immediately remembered that those were the words that Spencer used right before and after he raped her.

Freddie looked confused again. Sam didn't move from her spot with the covers pulled over her body excluding her head as if she was protecting herself from something or someone. He tried moving toward her and she clenched the covers tighter with her fingers. Avoiding another awkward silence, Freddie slowly put his jacket and boots on and exited the house without saying bye to any of the Pucketts.

"What did I do wrong?!" he thougt to himself.

Damn, he seemed to be doing alot of that lately. Thinking.