Against All Odds

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 32 (Breaking Point)

"Spencer! Take a deep breath man!" Socko's voice wracked him, silencing his ongoing rant. He was sitting on his best friend's couch, still carrying on about everything that was boiling together. He was not in a good position, not at all. He looked to his friend in the kitchen and saw him walking back, two beers in his hands. "Here man, have a beer." Appreciating the gesture, he took one of the beers from him, it was Dos Equis, a good import. Socko sat next to him and brought his own bottle to his lips, taking a quick swig and sighing afterwards. "So your lady's pregnant, and I can't say I'm surprised."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Socko smirked knowingly at him. He sighed, defeated, and took a swig of his own beer. He wasn't surprised either, to be honest. They were going at it like mad after the proposal, never stopped. "Okay so I can't be surprised either, I'd be lying if I said we didn't have sex."

"And as your best friend, I would know better." Spencer chuckled at that and turned his eyes down to his beer. He really wasn't much of a drinker, but whenever he was hanging out with his good friend, he thought it was okay to have a beer. Usually he kept the limit at one or two. Socko leaned his head back onto his couch and breathed out a sigh. "So what are you going to do, man? Still think you can take on this world alone?" Alone? He hadn't been alone, he had Sasha and Carly. Or was Socko referring to what he'd been telling him all along, that he needed to suck up his pride and ask for help? "You have no money, your landlord's bosses are assholes who will probably raise the rent again."

"In all honesty, Lewbert was a better landlord…"

"I can agree to that." Spencer huffed for a moment and took yet another swig of his beer. He let the refreshing liquid wash down some of those shot nerves, giving him enough capability to simply focus on the conversation and to relax. "You got this brat trying to force out money that you don't have, you haven't managed to get a job yet, your life is quickly falling to shambles and you're even closer to having a heart attack than you were five months ago." Spencer laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. Screw heart attack, he was sure an aneurysm would form at this rate.

"And now Sasha's pregnant with my second child. I've been struggling to take care of my family, to do what's best for them…"

"Your old man kicked you to the curb, now do I have to force Lenny to give you an eviction notice for you to start seeing what's been in front of you this entire time?" Spencer frowned and looked to his friend, he met Socko's eyes and gently tapped his beer bottle on his leg. "Forgive me for the language I'm about to use, my friend, but…Pride is a nasty bitch who likes to fuck people, send them away riddled with a disease that slowly drains them of their energy and kills them. Right now, pride has you by throat, and is squeezing everything last drop of life from you, and you don't realize it! You still think that you have to prove you can take care of your family, well you did. That woman is not leaving your side, your sister is more loyal to you than she could be, so no matter what, you don't have to prove yourself to them! Just take care of them."

"So what are you saying? A real man would suck up his pride and do what's right for his family?" Socko smirked at him and quickly smacked him upside the head. He flinched and stared at his friend with annoyance. "What the hell?"

"Oh I've wanted to do that for a while now. You're finally getting it…I think. Tell me, has your mom or uncle offered you any more help?" He took another sip of his beer and turned his gaze to the window. It seemed every time he talked to them, they asked him if he needed any help. No matter how many times he turned them down, they still offered. He honestly thought his mom wanted him to move to Florida, that woman would probably try to do anything she could to get him to go down there. Socko stared at him for a minute, then took another drink. "Well man? You know you don't have to use their money if you don't want to, but they're still family and they're willing to help any way they can. If they offer the money to help, you could take it, you don't have to rely on it like you did with your dad, and I think that's the difference." His eyes went skyward for the moment and a pleasant feeling started to grow in his chest. He was imagining himself sitting beside Uncle Ken while Sasha talked with his mom and grandma, who was playing with her great grandchild. Then Carly, playing chess with her grandfather, a game he always said he wanted to teach her to play. God, he would love to give that gift to them.

"Maybe you're right, maybe that is the difference…and yes, they offer their help every time I talk to them."

"Christmas is coming up, isn't it? What gift is greater than the gift of family?" He lowered his gaze to the bottle and smacked his lips. It couldn't be done.

"It's impossible, I think Dad may already know something's going on. He knows I changed my number and cell phone a while back." Sock raised an eyebrow. Spencer took a pause and carefully lifted the bottle to his lips. After a few seconds of holding the beer on his tongue, he swallowed it and closed his eyes. "Dad's still sending emails, he's been trying to figure out what my new number is and why he's unable to trace my phone."

"He used to have that phone of yours bugged? Jesus man…how the fuck does your dad know what you're up to anyway?"

"My computer's bugged, and he can trace where that thing goes too based off of the IP address. Therefore, if I were to take it to Florida, he would know, and there'd be only one reason I'd go there…and that's my family."

"So then…fear of your dad is keeping you from…" Socko took a deep breath and slowly set his drink on the floor beside Spencer's leg. "You're exhausting me here. You have all your important files on a flash drive, right?"

"Yeah…" He took a drink and leaned his head back against the couch. Was he really that stupid? He wanted to do what was right for his family. He knew it would be better to accept his mom's help, and as Socko was saying, not rely on their money, but to take their help.

"The only way your dad knows what you're up to is that computer?"

"Yep." Where was Socko going with this? Was he detecting a hint of aggravation in his friend's voice? "I use the computer to keep track of my bank account and some other stuff."

"Can you change your password through your phone, making it so your dad can't see that?"

"Yeah man, I already did that."

"Okay…and you usually take your computer with you when you go to apply for jobs, right?"

"Sometimes, it's in my car right now…"

"Oh, okay. And there's nothing important on that computer right now?"

"Nothing. Everything is on my flash drive." He felt the couch shift and opened his eyes to see Socko making his way towards the front door. He raised an eyebrow and slowly sat up. "Dude? What are you doing?"

"Something I should have done a long ass time ago. Now stay right there Spencer…" He watched the door close and stared out the window, eyeing Socko as he opened the door of the sedan and grabbed the computer off the passenger seat. Within seconds, Socko was back inside, grinning ear to ear.

"Socko?"

"Now as your best friend, I'm staging an intervention."

"What are you doing?" Then in one foul swoop his best friend lifted the laptop into the air and slammed it hard into the ground. Panic, anger, and shock ran through his veins as the computer smashed. Next, Socko started stomping onto the computer, breaking it further. "Socko! Stop! Are you nuts?" He rose from the couch, rushing towards Socko, who merely pushed him back and pointed an angry finger at him.

"You fucking know what you have to do, Spencer! I've had it!" Socko's words shook him, rattled him like a cage. He fell back to the ground and looked up as Socko shook his finger at him. "I've been sitting here, watching my best friend fuck his own life up because he was too afraid of his own goddamn father! Your father should be the last damn thing on your mind! If you can't bother to get away from that bastard to take your mother's help and take care your family, then what is that really saying about you? Huh? You're better than that, Spencer! I know you are! Sasha, Blake, Carly, they all deserve to be happy and not living in some bottom of the barrel lifestyle because you're too fucking proud to take the help of the only family you got left that gives a shit about you! Now Sasha's pregnant again, and because you're too afraid to do what you know is the right thing to do, that baby might be born in poverty! Is that what you want for them, Spencer? Is it?"

As Socko stood there, huffing and puffing, looking ready to blow a gasket, Spencer eyed his busted computer. Knowing Socko, he would probably have taken a bat to that thing if he had to. He was frozen, unable to talk. Socko's words hurt worse than the beating he suffered from Nevel's two thugs. Maybe those were the words he needed to hear, maybe this was exactly what he needed. If he didn't do something, they'd be out of money faster than he could say 'Where'd it go?' Then they'd be homeless, and probably all alone. Not to mention, Nevel was still bothering with them.

Tears stung his eyes as he looked to his best friend. His chest heaved and his heart was racing too quickly for him to even think properly. He knew Socko was right, everything he said was right. He didn't want to be that person, he wanted to be the person that did the right thing for his family. Screw his father, he wanted to take care of his children, his fiancé, his sister. He was fooling himself into thinking he didn't need any help, and the most important people in his life were suffering because of it. Socko was correct, they did deserve better.

Socko slowly knelt beside him and put his hand to his shoulder, looking into his eyes. "Listen man, I'm sorry. You know you're my brother, but I had to do something, I can't stand to see you throwing your life away, no, your family's life away. You need to wake up, you're smarter than this…"

"No…you're right…I've been selfish, haven't I?"

"Do you need me to break something else of value?"

"No!" He leaned forward, his eyes wide and frantic. Socko smirked and folded his arms over. "Dear god no…"

"You know, I remember when we were younger. The old Spencer would have tackled and pummeled the shit out of me because of that laptop. You've gotten weaker." He flicked his eyes to Socko and glared darkly. He remembered those days, the college days when they used to wrestle each other almost every day.

"I have not…"

"Yeah you have, the Spencer I knew would never have let his dad walk all over him. You've gotten so afraid of his control that you're pussyfooting in the wrong direction."

"I am not." He huffed and turned his eyes away. He felt that old anger rising back up, what was Socko trying to do? Was he seriously so weak that he didn't know how to push away his father's shit?

"Your father wants you to bomb, he wants you to screw up and lose your family, and you're letting him get what he wants right now." Socko closed his eyes and nodded firmly. "Allow me to play the devil himself for you, like the old days, shall we? Remember, the days you said you'd never be anything like your father, the days you said you would never let him control you or keep you from doing what you wanted in life? You got so weak that you only carried half of that deal out, dropped out of law school but were too afraid to tell him…" Socko straightened up and put his hands behind his back, deepening his voice momentarily and shouting, as Robert would do. "Look at you, you're a failure!"

"I am not…" He muttered under his breath and turned his head away from Socko.

"What was that? You look at me when I'm talking to you!"

"Shut up." Spencer growled, but it still came out but a mere whimper. He stared up at Socko, imagining him as his own father.

"I was right, you can't support yourself, much less a family! You can't do shit, can you? My son is a pathetic, whiny bitch."

"I am not! I can take care of myself, I can take care of a family. Even if it means accepting help, that doesn't mean I can't take care of my own family." Socko leaned forward, still smirking deviously. Spencer's anger was still rising, and all the hate he had towards his dear old dad was boiling. He'd been holding it back for so long, when he'd always wanted to give his old man a real earful.

"You don't have what it takes. You're sitting there, a kicked puppy. You couldn't even take care of the daughter of a stripper, much less a whole family." Words his father would definitely have spoken. All that rage in him, it finally clicked. He was done taking orders from his father, done being controlled by the bastard.

"Fuck you!" He lunged for Socko and tackled him to the ground, still imagining him as the one man he truly loathed. He grabbed his shirt collar and slammed him against the floor. "You asshole! I will do everything I can to take care of them, and that's more than you can say! More than you can ever say for yourself! I'm done with you! Hear me old man? I'm done with you!"

"What are you talking about? You're nothing! You can't even depend on yourself, you have to rely on my money!"

"Fuck you! I don't need your goddamn money! I just need a job!"

"Which you can't get. You're a hopeless piece of shit, I'm sorry that I even gave birth to you!"

"Screw you!" He started to punch, but stopped just before his fist connected with its target. He slowly lowered his hand and gripped Socko's collar. He felt his friend's hands on his wrists and opened his eyes. Sweat was dripping from his hair, and his breathes were coming out in rapid, angry huffs. His best friend was looking up at him, proud.

"Now there's my determined friend, it's been way too damn long. Why'd you stop?" Spencer blinked, trying to still his trembling body. All the anger and hate that he had been holding in, it was gone. In place was relief. Calmness, and peace.

"You're not dad, for one thing…"

"Right…So what are you going to do now?" He breathed in and exhaled, trying to think. His phone started blaring, his Uncle's ringtone. The men looked over and Spencer's heart jumped to his throat. "Well? I think you know what to do."

"Yeah…accepting their help, it doesn't mean relying on their money, it just means I'm accepting their help." They didn't even have to give him any money. They would likely let Spencer and the others stay with them until they could afford to live on their own, or at least, until he got a job.

"Right. Now get off me, I don't exactly feel comfortable right now dude. Seriously, you almost just punched me in the face." Spencer smirked and smacked him upside the head. Socko winced and quickly rubbed the sore spot. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"You could have fought back if you wanted to. Oh, and I've wanted to do that for some time now, that was an expensive laptop! I could have sold that damn thing!" Socko laughed as he reached over and grabbed his phone from the floor, it had fallen from his pocket during the struggle. The two men rose up and moved to the couch, grabbing their beers from the floor.

He clicked the answer button and put the phone to his ear. "Uncle Ken? You called?"

Go Socko! "Bout time someone kicked some sense into him.