AN: Thank you to all who have read and reviewed the story so far. I hope you enjoy this installment
"I'm coming to LA!" declared Carly during our latest video-chat. "I'm going to be there for Thanksgiving – I'm not going to leave you all alone for the holiday."
"That's kind of you Carly," I smiled, "but I'm not going to be alone: my mom's flying down to spend the weekend here with me."
"Freddie, that's even worse than being alone" she argued. I could only laugh at this comment. Carly turned to her ever-present best friend, "What about you Sam? Do you fancy Thanksgiving in Los Angeles?"
"Are you paying my air fare?"
Tori and I laughed again as Carly rolled her eyes. We may be in college now but some things would clearly never change.
It was Wednesday night – Tori had come to campus after school and we'd had a simple dinner and shot some pool before returning to my room. It was about time too, between rehearsals and performances I hadn't seen or spoken to her, even on video chat or a phone call, since Sunday and I was missing her. Not like that (well, not just in that way) but I was used to seeing her and talking to her on a daily basis so it was a strange feeling to go a couple of days without her, especially in light of the weekend we'd shared. I had spent most of Sunday and yesterday burying myself in study, trying to fill the Tori-less nights with something productive. My heart really hadn't been in it too much, particularly yesterday, but I'd managed to get quite a bit of work done. Monday I had worked a shift, I had been able to swap for the shift I should have worked tonight, which was good as if left tonight free to spend with my girlfriend.
With Tori having another show tomorrow (along with school) and the last show on Saturday, it wouldn't be a late night, or a long one, but we took advantage of the opportunity just to enjoy each other's company, catch up on what had happened over the last couple of days in our lives (I was surprised and annoyed at the news of Cat and Robbie's bashing at the hands of Sikowitz) and be together in a relaxed environment.
So it was back to Cooperage for fast food and pool. A couple of the guys from my course were there so we had some company and I was able to talk a little shop while Tori was at the table. Nobody seemed to be as far on with their coursework as me, looks like they party a lot more than I do – or they just leave it all to the last minute. Whatever, if they were partying more I really didn't feel like I was missing out, I'd gone to the start of term one, there were a couple more slated for later in the term that I figured I'd try and get to, but I was happy hanging with my classmates, dormmates and, of course, my girl and her friends. Anyway, around 8 we left and headed to my room for a bit.
When we got there I logged on to my computer to find that Carly was been on-line (Sam too, of course – her being a permanent fixture at the Shay's home was another thing that looked like it would never change) and she quickly requested a video chat, presumably to break the news that she wanted to come and visit me at school over Thanksgiving. I had told her a week or so earlier that the proposed iCarly special would have to wait as I wouldn't be in Seattle for Thanksgiving – I guess she didn't want to wait much longer for it. Tori had slid next to me, squeezing onto my chair, arm curled around my midriff.
"What about Spencer – and your mom, Sam?" I asked. "Are they ok with you flying down for the weekend?"
"Hey my mom doesn't care" replied Sam, she attempted to sound nonchalant but I could detect that there was a hint of hurt in her voice.
"Spencer's going to Yakima to see our granddad" Carly supplied. "They'll be disappointed that I'm not going to be there, but it's been too long since I saw you, Freddie, so I'm coming to LA."
I smiled at her, though I could feel Tori's arm around my waist get just a little tighter at Carly's words. I like the idea of my girl having a possessive streak to her.
"So what are your plans Tori?" Carly asked my girlfriend, both Tori and I noticed the frown appear on Sam's face as Carly brought her into the conversation (Carly, looking at the webcam, was oblivious to the change in her best friend's expression).
"Well" she said, "usually we go to visit family but if you guys are coming down here then I'll talk mom and dad into letting me stay – my first Thanksgiving with Freddie and all that" she smiled and gave me an affectionate squeeze with her arm, causing Carly to smile and simper and Sam to scowl. I can't help but feel that Tori is sending an intentional message and signal to Sam here. "How about we all spend the evening at my place?" she suggested. "Do the iCarly special from there and you guys can all stay – your mom too," she glanced at me, "rather than getting a hotel."
"I'm sure she'll like that" I told her.
"Sounds good" echoed Carly and the plan was set. Tori would sweet-talk her folks and Carly, Sam and I would arrange some more chats over the next few days and weeks get the rest of the special episode planned. We said our goodnights and ended the chat.
"Is she really that bad?" Tori asked me as we stood. It would soon be time for her to head home. "Your mom" she elaborated at my confused look.
"Oh" I said, smiling. "Trust me, she's worse."
"Do I need to be worried?"
"It depends if she leaves her sprays and neuroses at home or not." I took in her slack-jawed expression and continued "I wish I was kidding but I'm really not. She bought stuff from sprayyourchildren dot com – I have no idea what was in the spray but it was painful when she used it, especially as it was while I was stuck in bed recuperating after being hit by the truck."
"So my future mother-in-law is insane?" she asked. "I'm sorry" she said immediately after "she's your mom, I shouldn't say things like that about her."
"No, no, she's more than a little crazy" I assured her. "I have no idea how bad she's going to be having not seen me for four months."
"I can only imagine how she'll react when we both head to my room at the end of the night on Thanksgiving then" she said, a little wide-eyed.
I turned to her with a serious expression on my face and responded
"I don't care what she thinks about it. I love you – that's all that matters to me Tori" and then I wrapped my arms behind her neck, pulled her close and kissed her. She kissed back, arms similarly placed. We enjoyed each other's lips for a few minutes before I reluctantly pulled away. "Much as I'd love to carry on" I told her "if we do then I doubt you'll be at school on time tomorrow."
"I know" she complained. "My parents aren't going away any time soon, you have a roommate. Looks like we've got to keep it PG-13 for a while."
I kissed her again.
"You want to do something Friday night?" I asked her.
"Sure, any idea what?"
"Wok Star?" I suggested.
"We can't – it burnt down" she told me. Ok, maybe not then.
"Anywhere else we could go?"
"Oh I know!" she piped up. "The Gorilla Club!"
"The what?" The WHAT?
How on earth did I let Tori talk me into spending my Friday night in this insane place? All sorts of wild and strange… "games" I suppose you would call them taking place. My eyes lingered on the bunny-shaped rodeo machine and I cast my mind back to the one that Spencer got from the junk yard and restored: the one we then used on Superintendent Gorman to get Ted Franklin his job as Ridgeway school principal back. I scanned the room and saw the bridge with swinging balls suspended above it. A brunette teenage girl was racing back and forth along it, collecting items to the cheers of her friends. Suddenly, though, her luck ran out and she took a ball to the side, sending her headlong onto the floor to heckles and shouts of "loser!"
I winced at the sheer brutality of the place before a roar and a cheer diverted my attention to a cage in a cordoned-off area of the basement room. A guy in his late teens or early twenties, with shoulder-length blond hair, had stepped into the area and began attempting to scale the wall towards a giant banana. He was given a small head-start before the cage opened and a guy in a gorilla costume began chasing him. He swiftly caught the contestant and flung him to the ground – to more cheers and heckles from the watching audience. Tori's arm draped over my shoulder and she leaned in close to ask me
"So, what do you want to try first babe?"
My eyes widened and I took a deep breath.
"Saddle up Vega, it's rodeo time!"
One signed waiver later and I lasted precisely seven seconds – Tori rubbed it in by noting that Cat had managed well over a minute before the club staff ordered her off it to give someone else a go. I fared better on the "Balls of Pain" bridge run, the agility and speed I developed from my fencing helping me to dodge the boulders and complete the challenge within the time limit. A few high-fives from various random strangers and a celebratory kiss from Tori later there was only one thing left for me to say:
"Bring on the Gorilla!" to wild cheers and applause.
"Careful Freddie" Tori whispered, "I was left in a pretty bad way after my tussle with the Gorilla."
I gave her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry baby, I'll be fine" I told her.
I crossed the barrier and began my ascent. My upper body strength was pretty good post-rehab and working out – something, I realised, I needed and wanted to get back into at one of the various campus gyms. I got my hand to the giant banana prize just before I felt a tug on my right leg as the 'gorilla' began to catch me. I tried to shrug him off and move laterally in order to begin my descent but he held firm and pushed off from the wall, transferring all his weight onto me. I quickly tensed my arms and braced my foot to keep my leg steady while the gorilla flayed below.
Suddenly his grip must have slipped as his weight left my leg. I chanced a look down and sure enough he was struggling to stay on the wall a couple of feet below me. I seized the chance and climbed several feet to my left, out of his reach before quickly clambering back down to the ground to take the applause and acclaim of the watching throng.
I lobbed the banana to the gorilla, now also back on terra firma, leapt the barrier into my girlfriend's waiting arms and kissed her again.
"We gotta do this again sometime!" I told her.