Chapter 18: We Meet Again
Author's Note: Wow. 17 chapters and over 200 reviews. Thank you guys so much. 200 reviews is the craziest thing. I read every review and they're all so great. I would respond to them all individually, but I think you want me to just get to the story xP. But by the way, thank you brown-eyed-blondie, I actually didn't know about the iStart a Fanwar thing until you said it in my revew. This year in school I've had so much homework, that lately I barely get any time to watch TV, so I didn't see that promo on TV. I looked it up on YouTube, and I'm so excited ! For those of you that don't know, in November there's going to be an iCarly move about Seddie vs. Creddie. I have a feeling that it'll end up on the Seddie side, but I'm just glad that this definitely means that there will be a LOT of Seddie in the episode. Nathan Kress also said there will be a lot of Creddie and Seddie. So I can't wait!
Okay, I'll shut up. I talk too much. Review!
P.S. (Sorry. :p) I wrote this chapter before iSam's Mom came out, (I wrote chapters when my computer was broken), except for the part where I describe what her mom looks like. So just imagine Jane Lynch as the mom xP. This is a long chapter, so have fun! :D
"That's your mom?" Freddie whisper-exclaimed.
I nodded. "What do I do?" I whispered.
"Let's just... both go talk to her. I mean, you talk to her, but I'll be there if you want." He gave a small supportive smile.
I hesitated, but then I nodded. "Okay."
I swallowed hard, pushing my side bangs away from my right eye. I unzipped the tent and climbed out, Freddie right behind me.
I stood before the tall woman I call my mother. Her short blonde hair... a straight, short version of mine. Her blue eyes, identical to mine. I sometimes wish that she really wasn't my mother and they had a mix-up in the hospital, but unfortunately she looks too much like me. She looked the same, but there was a different look in her eyes.
"Sammy," Mom said smiling.
I immediately knew what was going to happen. My mom wanted me back. I swallowed and stayed strong. "Never call me that," I spat, anger filling me. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard that you and your friends ran away," she said, giving Freddie a quick glance. He stood behind me, a little to my right side. "I was looking for you."
"Why?" I asked slowly.
"What do you mean 'why?' I'm your mom," she said, smiling.
I folded my arms. "I don't think of you as my mother anymore, Pam. And how'd you find me?"
"A big tent in the middle of the park. Amazing hiding place," she said sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes, barely able to look at her.
"Come on Sam, what did I do that was so bad? We had a fight. You're a teenager, Sammy. It happens. And you know it's hard for me to have a good relationship with you. I just needed a little time away from you. But don't worry! I forgive you."
"Yes!" I said in an over-sarcastically excited way, throwing my fists in the air. "You forgive me! My prayers have been answered!"
"Oh, and I'm sure that living in a tent with this kid is much better," my mom said, referring to Freddie. "And the last time I checked, didn't you hate him?"
Freddie still stood behind me, a serious look on his face with his arms crossed.
"You never paid attention," I said. "And anyway, who I do and do not despise is none of your business. I'm not going home."
My mom found this... amusing? She chuckled. "Sam, you're living in a cold tent in a park pretending to be camping with this loser after running away from whatever rathole you were staying in. Wouldn't you rather be in a warm, cozy house with your loving mother?"
What she just said pierced me in the heart. "Warm? Cozy? Loving? Mom, you're lucky that I didn't wanna leave my friends and move to a group home, 'cause if I did, you'd be locked up for life." I quited down, frowning. "You hurt me, mom."
"You were annoying and obnoxious," Mom said. "I gave you a slight little hit like... once a year. It's normal."
"Okay, first of all, no, mom. It's not normal. And also, a slight hit once a year? Yeah, right. Mom, whenever you were drunk, which was every night, your hits were hard enough that normal people would've gone to the hospital from them. And the guys you brought home... don't even get me started."
Before she could answer, a guy came over to her. A familiar guy.
"Pam," he said, putting his arm around my mom's waist, "how long is this going to take?"
His voice. That scratchy, horrible voice. This weas Ernie. This tall, round-stomached man. And he was heavy and he smelled really bad. And his short gray beard was the only part of him wasn't sweaty and red.
My mom dated him before, when I was twelve. One of the very few times I was actually happy with my mom was when she broke up with him. He was the absolute worst guy she ever brought home. I won't go into details, but he was rough and tough and creepy. 'Nuff said.
"Sam, it feels like it's been forever!" Ernie exclaimed with a big grin. He spread his rms out wide. Wait... was he trying to hug me?
I backed away from Ernie, only to hit into Freddie. I almost forgot that Freddie was there because I was so freaked out about seeing Ernie.
I was next to Freddie, our shoulders touching. He turned to me and I turned to him. He looked me seriously straight in the eyes. He knew.
I sucked in my lips. I was unable to speak anymore. This was too much. I was lucky if I stayed conscious.
Freddie stepped up to my mom and Ernie. "Look at this girl," Freddie said softly. Ernie and my mom looked at me. Freddie continued, "Look at this deprived, traumatized, terrified sixteen-year-old girl." He turned to me and gave me a sad smile, then looked back at them. "She is stronger than the average grown man, and she's a sixteen-year-old girl just over five feet tall. Maybe she has a natural born talent of strength and fighting, but she wouldn't need to know if she didn't have to defend herself every day. Ms. Puckett, I don't know if you really love Sam and you're just a messed up person, or if you want Sam back for another reason. But either way, she's definitely better off without you. Nothing you ever do or say will ever make up for what you did to your daughter. Don't ever make any contact with Sam again. She will not go home. If you really care about Sam, or at least you're smart enough to get anything I'm saying, you'll walk away now without another word and never talk to her again."
My mom gave me one last look, a look that brought pain to my stomach, then turned and walked away, Ernie at her side.
"What?" I asked loudly to myself after they walked away. I turned to Freddie, who was smiling proudly to himself. "How?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"You got her to leave! And you said something really long! And I actually listened! And my mom actually listened!"
Freddie grinned and shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I can speak well when I'm passionate about something.
I looked at him, slightly smiling. "Passionate?"
Freddie shrugged again. "Let's get back in the tent."
We both went in, zipped the tent, and sat down on the floor of the tent.
"You know, you could say thank you," Freddie smirked.
"Thank you," I groaned like a little kid whose mom forced him to thank their granddad for some weird present.
Freddie smirked and rolled his eyes.
I smiled at him. "Really, that was an awesome thing you said. It was really cool of you."
Freddie smiled back. Suddenly, his cell phone rang. "It's Carly," he said after looking at his phone. He picked up. "What's up?" he said into the phone.
"Put it on speaker!" I said.
After Freddie put the phone on speaker, I said, "Hey Carls! You'll never guess what just happened." I was still in shock.
Carly chuckled. "Hey guys! You can tell me later what happened; sorry, I can't talk too long. I just wanted to tell you guys that I told my dad the lie. It worked. And Spencer backed me up because beforehand I told him the truth. But I called to say that Ms. Benson is having this like horrible panic attack. I swear, she's making herself sick of worry. She'll probably even take Sam back just to get her son back. You guys seriously need to come home."