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Freddie's POV
What's that noise? I opened my eyes blearily and yawned, looking around. Ah, my phone. I had set the alarm last night. I grabbed it and turned off the alarm, rubbing my eyes and yawning again.
"Sam" I said, my voice groggy. "Sam, wake up"
I turned to look at Sam, who was curled up in her bed, still sleeping. I got out of bed, stretched, and was about to wake her up when I stopped. She looked so peaceful. I smiled and grabbed my towel off the chair, deciding to let her sleep while I had a shower. I showered quickly, brushed my teeth and got dressed before padding back into the room. Sam was still curled up on her side, frowning slightly in her sleep. I walked over to her and gently shook her shoulder.
"Sam, wake up"
She opened one eye and looked at me.
"Morning" I said cheerfully.
She groaned and rolled over, pulling the covers over her head.
"Sam get up, we need to get going. Besides, breakfast finishes in…an hour" I said, looking at my watch. At the sound of the word 'breakfast' Sam sat straight up. Her eyes were bleary and her curls were everywhere and there was a deep crease in her cheek from the sheet where she had been lying.
"Go shower" I instructed. She got out of bed and stretched before grabbing her towel off the floor and some clothes out of her bag and shuffling into the bathroom. While she was showering I gathered the few possessions that had scattered across the room and packed them away. When Sam came out of the bathroom showered and dressed, I had everything ready and we left the horrible pink room. We put our stuff in the truck and then came back for breakfast. It was mediocre, but it was free, and we both ate enthusiastically. Fed and caffeinated, we walked back to the truck and began another long day of driving. I put on my seatbelt, goaded Sam into doing the same, and texted my mom before we set off. We encountered little traffic until we reached the highway, and even then the traffic was fairly light. We drove with the windows down, letting the breeze into the truck. Sam sat with her feet propped on the dashboard and her head against the door, facing the open window. The sun shone on her face and the wind whipped her curls around haphazardly. She closed her eyes and gave a little hum of contentment, smiling slightly. We drove in silence for a while until Sam turned to face me.
"Antibacterial underpants or tick bath?" she said with a smirk. This was a game we played often, and I considered the question.
"Antibacterial underpants. Less embarrassing" I decided. "Ham or bacon?"
"Ooh, tough one, Fredward" she furrowed her brow. "Ham. I could always shove it in a pan and pretend its bacon. Eating shaving cream or sitting in a tub full of sour milk?"
"Sitting in a tub full of sour milk. Smelly, but not poisonous. Kissing Nevel or licking Gibby's back?"
"Kissing Nevel. You never said where, so I'd kiss his finger or something"
"Clever"
"I know. Eating Carly's toenail clipping or letting a camel pee on your chest?"
We continued in this fashion for a while, bantering back and forth. It was always more fun to play this game with Sam than with Carly, because Carly would just wrinkle her nose and exclaim "Ew! Neither!" whenever you gave her a gross choice. Sam, however, had no such qualms, and I found myself giving such revolting ultimatums that I had to wonder where I was getting these ideas from. We drove and drove, the traffic light, until I realized that I needed gas. I turned off the highway to the nearest gas station, and while I was filling up, Sam went into the gas station to buy herself food. I finished filling up the truck and waited for Sam to return. Soon enough, she came back with a plastic bag full of food. She got into the truck and immediately began rummaging around inside the bag, pulling out a package of Fat Cakes and a bottle of root beer. I pulled out of the gas station and drove back to the highway as Sam chowed down on her unhealthy mid-morning snack. To my utter astonishment, she reached into the bag and pulled out a two litre bottle of water.
"I figured we'd get thirsty along the way" she said, putting the bottle between us. I was surprised not only that she had thought so far ahead, but that she actually bought water and not something sugary and fizzy. She finished her snack and pulled my PearPod out of her pocket, putting the ear buds into her ears and settling into her seat. She stared out the window as she listened to music, leaving me to my own thoughts. I drove and drove, the view from my window a blur as I passed cars and buildings and trees. It was almost one thirty when Sam pulled the ear buds out of her ears.
"I'm hungry" she announced. I turned into the nearest restaurant, a small café with a few tables outside. We went in and bought lunch, deciding to take advantage of the air-conditioning and sit inside. We were both hungry, so we bolted down our food without much conversation. We finished and Sam leaned back in her chair, sighing happily and burping loudly. We were done eating, but neither of us particularly wanted to get back in the truck and drive some more, so we lingered as long as we could. Eventually the waitress began giving us the evil eye, and I shepherded Sam out before they got into a fight. We got back into the car and kept driving. Sam once again put in the earphones, and soon enough she fell asleep. I kept driving, trying to ignore the cramps in my legs from sitting down for so long. The hours melted together into one endless blur of scenery and cars flashing past my window. Sam eventually woke up, and although I was desperate to talk to someone, even if it was Sam, I knew that she took a while to wake up fully, so I kept my mouth shut. I saw a road sign directing us to the next stop, and I turned off the highway. The sun was slowly beginning to go down, and the light was no longer the bright light of afternoon, but the dusky light of early evening. I saw a sign that read 'Welcome to Hunter's Ridge- Population 2,642'
"Why do you keep picking the tiniest little hick towns to stay in?" Sam complained.
"Cause they're cheaper" I explained, looking for somewhere to stay. I caught sight of a motel and turned in. I parked the truck and Sam and I got out, unloading our bags again and heading into the lobby. We checked in and took the elevator up to our room. We found the room and paused outside the door.
"Let's hope this room is better than the last one" I said, shuddering at the memory of all that pink.
"Anything would be better than that one" Sam said, unlocking the door. She pushed it open, and we both gave a sigh of relief. The room was small, but decorated in navy and white. Much more tolerable than the last room. We dropped our bags in the middle of the floor and surveyed the room.
"Dinner?" I suggested.
"You know it" Sam answered, bounding to the door. I followed her and shut the door behind me, Sam bouncing impatiently as I locked it. We left the motel and walked down the street. The sun had almost completely set, but the sky wasn't black yet, but instead a deep blue. We wandered down the street, looking for somewhere to eat. Suddenly Sam stopped in her tracks, sniffing.
"Do you smell that?"
I stopped, sniffing the air.
"No" I said, confused. "What is it?"
"Meat" answered Sam. She sniffed again. "This way"
I followed her, and after a few feet I began to smell the faintest hints of barbecue. Sam followed her nose, and the smell grew stronger, making my mouth water. Soon enough we stumbled upon a small outdoor barbecue restaurant, just a shack with a few tables and a grill outside.
"Impressive" I told Sam. "You're like a bloodhound or something"
"Mama knows her meat"
We ate dinner, stuffing ourselves until we both had to loosen our belts. We paid and made our way back to the motel, both of us getting tired. We arrive at our room and I called the shower first.
"Whatever nub" came Sam's reply. I gathered my stuff and went into the bathroom. I was showering when I heard a knock on the bathroom door.
"Freddie?"
"Yeah?"
"I need to pee"
"Can't you wait?"
"Not unless you want my bladder to explode. Shut the curtain, I'm coming in"
"Sam-" I began to protest, but she had already opened the door. I stuck my head around the curtain.
"Sam, what are you doing?"
She looked at me.
"I need to pee, so stay on the other side of that curtain unless you want to wake up tomorrow with no eyebrows"
I brought my head back into the shower, inwardly marvelling at Sam's boldness. Even over the running water I could hear Sam peeing, and then I heard the toilet flush. I heard the bathroom door open, and I stuck my head around the curtain again.
"Sam!"
She paused, halfway out the door.
"What?"
"Wash your hands!"
She rolled her eyes at me, but came back into the bathroom and washed her hands.
"Happy?" she asked, drying them on a towel.
"Yes" I said, mimicking her sarcastic tone. She rolled her eyes again before leaving the bathroom, closing the door behind her. I finished showering and put on my pajamas before walking back into the bedroom. Sam was sitting on the bed with my laptop. She looked up when she heard me open the door.
"Finally" she said, hopping up. "You take so long to shower, nub. You're like a girl"
I ignored that jibe and took Sam's spot on the bed in front of the laptop. She had been checking her mail, and her inbox was still open. I was about to close it and check my own mail when something caught my eye. The email that Sam had been reading when she got up was still open, and I saw that it was from Carly. I hadn't spoken to her since she left for her program, and I was wondering how it was going. Looking to make sure that Sam was in the shower, and feeling incredibly guilty, I began to read.
From: Carly Shay
To: Sam Puckett
Subject: hey
Hey Sam
I don't have much time, but I thought I would send you a quick email between activities. The program is amazing, I have met so many awesome people and I am having so much fun and learning a lot. I miss you though! Life just isn't the same without my crazy bestie ;) How are you doing? Have you killed Freddie yet? Please at least try to be nice. I know you don't like him, but give him a break. Damn, I have to go now, I have a lecture on the other side of campus in five minutes.
I love you!
Carly xx
From: Sam Puckett
To: Carly Shay
Subject: Re: hey
hey carls, how goes it? i'm glad you're having fun, even if you did abandon me with only my sister and the nub for company. thanks for that. in response to your question, no, I haven't killed freddie. yet. then again, it is only the beginning of summer, so give it some time. don't be surprised if you return home to find a fredward cadaver ;) nah, i'm kidding. i won't kill him. i have no desire to spend my summer in juvie. whats the point of doing time if you don't even get to miss any school? ugh, melanie just got home. that means that I will be going now. I miss you lots, cupcake.
sam
From: Carly Shay
To: Sam Puckett
Subject: Re:Re:hey
Oh, Sam, don't make me feel even worse than I already do. Because believe me, I feel terrible for leaving you and Freddie home all summer and for making us stop iCarly for the summer. Especially the iCarly part. It feels weird to not do iCarly every week, doesn't it? Sam. Promise me you'll at least make an effort to be nice to Freddie this summer. Well, I know what not insulting Freddie does to you, but at least try to lay off the physical violence? And maybe ease up on the emotional attacks? Freddie has never done anything to you (except chain you to Gibby, and we all know how that ended) so I really don't understand why you have to pick on him like you do. As for Melanie, give her a break. She's really sweet (although I know that sickens you haha) and two months with her won't kill you. I have to run again, I swear I barely have time to breathe.
I miss you, and I have so much to tell you. Especially about Jackson ;)
Carly xx
From: Sam Puckett
To: Carly Shay
Subject: Re:Re:Re:hey
sorry carls, i didn't mean to make you feel bad. summer so far hasn't actually been all that bad, despite the fact that i have been spending almost every day with freddie. It was either freddie or melanie, and i have decided that freddie is less infuriating than melanie. also, i can hit freddie if he really starts to piss me off :D nah, i'm kidding, it hasn't actually been as painful as i was expecting. dont tell anyone i said this, but maybe freddie isn't so . what's wrong with me? i think spending every day with the dork is turning my brain to mush.
i cant wait until you come home! i miss you
sam
p.s. who's jackson? is he a babe? whoever he is, he's gotta be better than your last boyfriend ;)
I sat there staring at the screen, rereading the emails. I fluctuated between offended and touched as I read through the exchange. Offended at Sam's remarks about me, and touched that Carly cared enough to try and get her to stop. Touched at Sam's admission that I'm 'not so bad' and offended at the comment that this Jackson person has to be better than Carly's last boyfriend (me). I heard the bathroom door open and I quickly exited Sam's inbox and began checking my own email. Sam emerged from the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel.
"Off my bed, dork" she commanded.
"One sec" I said. I finished checking my mail and got off her bed. I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth, not really paying attention to what I was doing. I finished brushing my teeth and walked back into the bedroom, flicking off the bathroom light. Sam turned on the lamp between our beds and I turned off the bedroom light before grabbing my book out of my bag and getting into bed. I tried to read, but I kept covertly glancing at Sam, who was on the computer again. Did she know that I had read her emails? What did her emails even mean? She finished what she was doing on the computer and turned it off, leaning over the side of the bed and putting it on the floor. She unwrapped her hair from the towel, letting her damp curls tumble over her shoulders. She pulled her hair back and deftly French plaited it, pulling a hair tie off her wrist with her teeth to secure it at the ends. Once she was finished she slid down under the covers. I put my book down, not able to really focus on what I was reading, and turned off the light.
"Night Sam"
"Night dork"
I tried to go to sleep, but my mind was churning. Soon enough Sam's breathing became steady, telling me that she was asleep. I eventually managed to drift off into a restless sleep, filled with weird dreams.
