iDiary

Chapter 3: Finders Keepers

A/N: Sorry for the long update wait. I was very, very busy. Now is the time when my teachers start giving out all of these projects- just in time before the quarter ends! And I had the very nerve-wracking experiance of remembering that I was supposed to pick and read a 200 page book for a history book review the day before we write it in class! AHH! But I promise that I will update much more frequently during the summer. (If I don't finish this story by then.) :) I don't own iCarly…

Freddie got to his seat in Briggs on time. When it was time for class to start, Sam wasn't there. Freddie was worried. Something could have happened to her. Or, more likely, she could be skipping class and he would have to suffer the presence of Briggs without her.

"Okay, students…" (With her tone, Ms. Briggs could've just as well said "Okay, prisoners…") "You will work with your partner to research your chosen country. If you have any questions, ask me. But only if you and your partner can't figure it out. I have already given you the hand out for the project. If some of you who are less-organized have lost it and need another, they are on the counter over there. Now-"

Sam chose this moment to come in the classroom, accompanied by Jake.

"Why are you two LATE to my class?" Screeched Ms. Briggs.

"We have a pass." Jake handed her a pass.

"Very well then. Hurry to your seats. As I was saying…" Freddie tuned her out and watched Sam come over and sit in the seat right next to him. She plopped her stuff on the floor, which made Ms. Briggs jump.

"Have respect for your things, Samantha."

"I'm treating them with the same respect you treat your students, Ms. Briggs."

"I'll see you after class Samantha."

Sam mumbled, "No you won't; I'm Sam, not Samantha." The classroom was filled with the noise of desks scraping the floor as the students slid desks together, so they could work with their partners.

"Why were you late?" Freddie asked Sam, after they had scooted their desks.

"Why do you care?"

"I wanna know if you put a booby trap in my locker or something."

"No. Thanks for the idea, though. Actually my backpack ripped. That's why I was carrying all my books."

"Why were you with Jake?"

"Again, why do you care? Jealous?" She asked in a joking tone.

"Of him, not at all. I have to babysit you enough."

"Very funny. FYI, I was picking up my stuff from my backpack and Jake came along. He already had a pass because he had to stay after class and ask his science teacher a question. He said we could go together. Then he forged my name on the pass too."

"Lucky."

"Yeah…"

"So…we've gotta start on our project."

"Do we have to?"

"Yes, I want an "A"."

"Okay. You can do the research."

"Sam! You have to help, too! I'm going to research info on my laptop and you can look in our textbook."

"Reading! Why can't I go on the laptop?"

"Because you'll play games on it." Freddie opened his laptop. It asked him for his username and password. He entered his username, but then realized Sam was watching him.

"Do you mind?"

"Freddie, it just shows up as little dots anyways." Freddie narrowed his eyes into a glare. Knowing she wouldn't turn away, he typed in his password.

"Why is your password Carly159?"

"It's not Carly, it's iCarly! And, why does it matter?"

Sam looked a little embarrassed. She just shrugged her shoulders and said, "It doesn't."

Freddie's laptop had finished loading his settings and the previously used document was on the screen. Unfortunately, this was his iJournal. He hoped Sam didn't see anything. He quickly clicked on the X in the upper right-hand corner. Instead of just closing, a sign came up, asking him if he wanted to save his changes. Freddie clicked yes and then the iJournal went away.

Freddie looked over at Sam, to see if she had seen anything that he had wrote. Hopefully she had not seen his entry. Sam had a confused expression on her face, as if she was having an inner-feelings fight.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you read any of that?"

"What do you mean by that? Your diary?" She asked, now teasing.

"It's not a diary; it's a documentary of my daily events and thoughts."

"And your innermost feelings. AKA, a diary!"

"I do not have a diary!"

"Do too! It's an iDiary!"

"iJournal!'

"iDiary!"

"iJournal!"

"iDiary!"

"Shush!" Sam and Freddie were silenced by Ms. Briggs. Freddie opened an internet explorer window. Then he turned back to Sam; she hadn't given him an answer to what or how much she had seen.

"Hey Sam?"

"What, geek?"

"Don't push it. How much of my iJournal did you see?"

"I only saw a little bit of your iDiary."

Freddie knew he wouldn't get an answer out of her, so he stopped and told Sam to get to work.

She replied, "There's no book in my desk. Can I have yours?" Freddie reached into his desk and grabbed his Social Studies book. He went to hand it to Sam. When she reached for it, her fingers brushed his fingers. He wished he could prolong the touch, but he couldn't do it inconspicuously. He wondered if it was normal to have this nervous pang inside him when they touched.

Sam took the book from Freddie and opened it. She turned to a random page and stared at it. Freddie knew that she wasn't going to be of much help. He continued to research. (Occasionally stopping to stare at Sam.) After finding a really cool site that listed all of the major geographical landmarks, Freddie copy and pasted it into his research page. He would paraphrase later.

He turned around to look at the clock. He had five more minutes before he had to start packing up. He snuck a glance at Jake. Jake was staring back at him. Jake had the same look of dislike etched across his face. Freddie wondered why that could be…Jake was still staring. Freddie took that as a challenge.

Jake ended up winning their staring contest. Freddie hoped that wasn't a sign of what was to come. To come, meaning who would end up with Sam. Just because Jake had helped her today didn't mean they would end up together! (He doesn't sound jealous at all! :D) Even though Freddie had seen them together a little bit more than necessary lately.

Freddie would win Sam's love, not Jake. And it's not really a winning situation; it's more of an earning situation. And he deserved it more than Jake. Besides, he needed Sam.

He had to tell Sam how he felt. But now was not that perfect moment. He didn't feel it- whatever he was supposed to feel. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel when that moment came, but he knew this wasn't that "it".

"What information did you find, Sam?"

"Oh, what? I didn't find any."

"Then what were you doing when I was working?"

"Mustaches."

"Figures."

"So, how much research do we have?"

"A lot, considering you have contributed nothing."

"Good." Freddie turned back to his laptop. It was so hard pretending he felt no different talking to her. He was so nervous. Curse his heartburn! He had to keep fighting with her so she wouldn't expect anything.

Why didn't he want her to suspect anything? Didn't he want to show how much he loved her? But he knew he would be too chicken to tell her. Right now. Not until the moment came. On Tuesday. :)

He minimized his research page and, when Sam wasn't looking, saved his 32nd entry from his documents to his pendrive. (A/N: I call them pendrives, but other people may call them flashdrives/ jumpdrives.)

Sam looked up at Freddie. Freddie clicked on his research page. Sam saw all of the information.

"We have all that research, cool; we're almost done with that part!"

"I have all that research, and, cool; I'm almost done with that part!"

"We."

"I."

"Us."

"Me."

"Our project!"

"Our project that you haven't done any work on!"

"Yeah I did!"

"What did you do?"

"What?"

"What did you research?"

"Uh, exports."

"Let me see."

"Fine. I don't have the export list! But I really was doing something important!"

"How are mustaches important?"

"I wasn't just drawing mustaches!"

"Then what were you doing?"

Ms. Briggs interrupted with, "You may pack up, class. But do not leave." Sam started packing up. She didn't answer Freddie. Freddie saved the research he had found and safely removed his pendrive. Then he shut down his computer.

"Everyone may leave now. Except you, Miss. Puckett." Sam cursed under her breath. Determined to get an answer out of Sam- he needed to know what she was doing that was so important earlier- Freddie made it look like he was leaving, but really waited outside the open classroom door. He put his stuff (except his laptop, which he held in its case) down on the floor and listened.

"Samantha, we need to solve this attitude problem of yours."

"I don't have a problem, it's you."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about, young lady!"

"So you're talking about that you have a problem?"

"You should be glad those days of teachers giving students a good whack when they needed it are gone. I think a couple of afternoons with me will fix this attitude problem. Detention should be nice. Right after school today."

"How will that solve your problem, Ms. Briggs?"

"You need to respect your teachers! And study every once in a while! You have the lowest grade in all of my classes- a 60!

"I brought it up!"

"Samantha, I'm tired of this. I will talk to the principal and find a way to help you."

"Can I leave?"

"Yes, you may." Sam stuck her tongue out at Ms. Briggs when her back was turned.

Sam picked up her backpack and her textbooks came crashing back out onto the floor. She gave a sigh that was on the brink of cursing. Seeing this as a possible hand-touching moment, Freddie walked back in the classroom to help Sam.

"What are you doing here?"

"Helping you." Freddie handed Sam her spiral notebook. Her fingers brushed against his and he experienced the exhilarated feeling once more.

"No, why are you still here? You should be in the cafeteria now."

"I can't help you?"

"No, you can, and I appreciate it, but…" Sam's tone changed from appreciative to accusing. "You were listening on my lecture, weren't you?"

"Shush, I'll explain later."

"That's what they all say." Sam said, figuring Freddie didn't want Ms. Briggs to overhear he had been eavesdropping. Sam picked up her backpack and the books fell out again. "Putting them in horizontally doesn't work. I guess I'll have to carry all these!"

"No, it's okay. I'll carry some."

"Thanks, Freddie." Freddie left his laptop on the classroom carpet, where he had laid it down to help Sam attempt to stuff her books back in her backpack, in order to carry her books.

They exited the classroom. Freddie picked up his backpack, and instead of placing her books in his backpack, he chose the romantic route and carried Sam's books. This did not go unnoticed by Sam, who forgot she was mad at Freddie. They nervously walked in silence…

- - - Time passes. Freddie, Sam, and Carly are now waiting for Spencer to pick them up from school. They are in the "parent-pick-up" area. They are the last three students, and the aide supposed to be supervising them has left.

"Ha! I win!" Sam screamed as she shoved the three of spades in Freddie's face.

"Do you want to play again?" Freddie asked Sam; they were playing BS while Carly watched for Spencer's car.

"Nah, I'm done with this. Besides, we all know you will lose."

"I think I feel raindrops."

"I feel them too."

"So…"

"What?"

"Don't you have an umbrella?"

"Yeah, but it's not pouring, just sprinkling. And we can go over there, it's covered."

"Sam, we have to stay over here. Otherwise we wouldn't see Spencer's car."

"Fine." Sam started looking through her backpack. It started to rain harder. Carly came over to them.

"Do either of you have an umbrella?"

"Yeah, Sam does."

"No I don't."

"What?"

"Yeah, I left it in Briggs when all my stuff fell out. It must have rolled under another desk."

"Okay, then, go inside and get it."

"No."

"Sam! It's gonna pour! Go get your umbrella!" Carly screamed, overreacting, at Sam as the rain came down harder.

"I can't go to Brigg's classroom!"

"Why?"

"Because she's supposed to have a detention." Freddie blurted out.

"Freddie! Why'd you tell Carly?"

"I had to! You weren't obeying the rules!" Freddie had disobeyed so many rules today that he couldn't take any more rule-breaking. Even though it wasn't fair to Sam.

"I'll go and get the stupid umbrella!" Carly ran inside to Ms. Brigg's classroom. She opened the door. Ms. Briggs wasn't in there.

There was writing on the board in purple dry-erase marker that read: Samantha, you will have to take your detention tomorrow because something has unexpectedly come up. I know you probably won't arrive to see this message, but just in case you decide to be responsible, this is your notice.

Carly laughed and walked over to the desks. There was Sam's dark purple umbrella. But what was that, right next to it? Carly put the umbrella on the desk above it and then picked up the other thing. When she picked it up, she realized it was Freddie's laptop container. It wasn't light, so his laptop was in there.

It was unusual for Freddie to be careless with his things, let alone technology. Something must have happened that was significant enough to make him forget his precious laptop. Freddie was always protective of it, and neither her nor Sam were allowed to use it at all, with the exception of iCarly stuff.

Carly really wanted to see what Freddie had on his laptop. She had caught him typing furiously before and when she went to read over his shoulder, he slammed down the lid. That fueled her curiosity, and that was two weeks ago. Now she really wanted to read Freddie's stuff. It would take too long to read Freddie's stuff now; Sam and Freddie were waiting for her.

She knew it was wrong, but she really wanted to read Freddie's stuff. Carly found an empty plastic bag on the counter. She put Freddie's laptop container with his laptop in the bag. She then tied the top handles together. Freddie wouldn't be able to guess what was in the bag.

Carly was about to leave the classroom when she noticed a blue pen on a desk. She distinctly recognized this as Jake's pen. She picked it up and put it in her jean pocket. It couldn't be helped. This would go into her Jake-shrine. Okay, it wasn't really a shrine, but it was a box full of Jake pictures and a couple of his things...

Shaking her head and refocusing on the situation, Carly realized it was pouring outside. She ran out of the classroom, Sam's umbrella open over her head while clutching the bag.

Once outside, she saw Spencer's car. They had been waiting for her; and the umbrella was useless to Freddie and Sam. But the trip was worth it- she had found Freddie's laptop and Jake's pen. She quickly closed the umbrella and got in the back.

"What took you so long?" A very wet Sam asked.

"Nothing."

"Really?" An equally wet Freddie asked.

"Nothing. Well, I found Sam's umbrella." Carly handed Sam her umbrella. Sam gave her one of those thanks-for-nothing smiles.

Spencer told them that the reason he was late was because he sold his special abominable snowman-shaped, paper clip sculpture. The discussion turned to Spencer's next sculpture. Sam and Freddie did not notice the plastic bag that was by Carly's feet. They were too busy trying to make sure their shoulders didn't touch when the car turned…

A/N: Ooh! Carly found the laptop! But how will she crack Freddie's username and password? Will Freddie's special moment come? Find out in the next chapter, where things take an unexpected twist and Mrs. Totters reappears! I will try hard, I have more stupid projects to do, but I will make it a priority to get chapter 4 up by Wed. next week. :) I will also post the first chapter of We See the Future, finally, on Wed. as well. :)

I really want to thank all of you! I have over 20 reviews and almost 900 reviews for just the second chapter!! :D

With all my purple fuzzleness,

the-purple-fuzzle