"There's no way this isn't just a crazy fluke Carls, maybe just calm down a bit?"
Sam watched Carly pace the iCarly studio, contemplating if she should go live and announce her news herself, or if she was jumping the shark.
Maybe Nevel didn't know, maybe it was just a fluke and God knew Ruthie needed her, especially with a family like Nevel's. Ruthie seemed gentle and kind and like she wouldn't hurt a bug. Maybe the last name was similar, but there was no relation. But it was odd that she happened to have the same speaking voice and tone as Nevel, as well as her cousin having "a big brain".
"I don't know! She seems nice enough. Maybe I'm being paranoid."
"I don't know, she seems like she could be Nevel's cousin." Freddie agreed with Carly and Sam rolled her eyes. Freddie always seemed to be agreeable with Carly.
"You mean to tell me, that somehow Nevel was able to obtain information about Carly, and coincidentally his cousin got pregnant just to spy on us? Isn't Ruthie ahead of you pregnancy wise anyway, Carls? Like she's a full two months ahead."
"Yeah, she's due in March. I guess it would be crazy. And she didn't even know what iCarly was. Maybe Nevel knows nothing about this and it's just like a weird thing. But Nevel can't know anything about this. Or it could all be an act." Carly pondered suspiciously, and Sam scuffed comedically.
"I don't think it's an act, at least not meeting you. I do think it's a little weird that all of a sudden she's at Ridgeway. I wouldn't say Nevell isn't up to something, because he is Nevel. But I don't think he sent Ruthie to the office for you that day."
"Yeah, maybe Ruthie is a victim to him too." Freddie offered, and Carly sat in the beanbag, feeling calmed but defeated.
"We have to make sure he doesn't figure it out before we tell the viewers. Or maybe we could deny it."
"And what about after the baby comes? Isn't that a little suspicious Carls?" Sam infers.
"What about this isn't suspicious!" She snapped.
"It's just weird. And now all of a sudden Principal Franklin wants me to tutor her?"
"Just to Play Devil's advocate-" Freddie begins and Carly glares, "What if Ruthie found us because she needs our help, not because she's a part of some grand scheme?"
Carly was distracted by her phone buzzing before she could answer, seeing it was Ruthie calling. She was hesitant at first, but Sam encouraged her to answer it. Ruthie could come over, they could play good cop, bad cop. Sam was good enough at that. But what if Ruthie was just innocent and under enough stress? They had to find out and the only way to prove or disprove her innocence was to invite her over.
"Guess we're about to find out." Sam stated facetiously.
"Hello? Ruthie?" Carly's voice broke as she answered, trying not to make it dead obvious of her kindling suspicions. They didn't know for sure she had any relation to Nevel.
But when Carly answered, it wasn't the chipper accent that she had been expecting. In fact, her heart dropped to her stomach, and fought to race back up into her throat. She felt panicked, wondering how fast everything was going to be over.
"Greetings, Carly Shay." Carly could swear he heard his evil smirk.
"What do you want, Nevel?" She snarled.
Sam ran to her side and begged her silently to put it on speaker, while Freddie sat beside her for protection.
"It seems by the twist of fate that you have met my cousin, Ruthie."
"Is she working for you now, Nevel?" Carly interrogated.
"I protect the identities of all my employees." He stubbornly replies.
"You literally just told me that Ruthie was your cousin." Carly deadpanned, "Why do you have her phone?"
"My mother takes her technology while she does her homework. She says school is very important and she can't afford to have any more distractions."
Sam snatched the phone from Carly, watching Carly begin to grow more uneasy and decided to give her a break. They didn't know what was happening. If Nevel was playing them or if Ruthie was actually an accomplice. But knowing Nevel and how easily and foolishly he gave up his cousin's identity, there was no way Ruthie was in on this.
There had to be something more. Nevel was known for blackmailing, but they were still dying to know Ruthie's side. As long as Nevel knew the girls were talking to her, they knew he was probably watching too.
"What's your game?" Sam challenged and he cackled, only fueling her anger.
"No games, only prizes. With the power I hold, I get to control the game, not play it."
"Isn't that the same as playing?" Sam deadpans.
"No, because I'm guaranteed to win this time. iCarly will be no more and I will have my man cave and lots of money."
"I'm not following on what either one has to do with the other." Sam replies, and he sighs.
"Give it up, iCarly, because I'll have my sweet revenge on your show and my cousin. I'm always one step ahead."
"What did Ruthie ever do to you?" Carly began to get defensive over someone she had barely known.
"It doesn't matter because now I have screenshots of your conversations, access to her phone and blackmail on you both. There's nothing you can do about it, so give it up, Carly Shay. I hear everything."
Carly began to feel bad that she had been so upset and stressed out over Ruthie and had felt guilty she hadn't given her the benefit of the doubt. Of course she was related to the guy, but he was evil, and she did not seem weird or bad at all upon first impression. She shouldn't have lumped her in the same category as Nevel, she was under his manipulation too and was now a pawn. Carly cared so much about Ruthie in the short time, but she kind of selfishly regretted meeting her.
What did he have on her? Did she have a criminal record? That wouldn't change anything for Carly because Sam had multiple records and a parole officer that she checked in with. How did she even end up with Nevel and his mom?
"I have all the information that I need and if you reach out to her again, I will exploit you, Carly Shay. I will rue this day."
"Does he mean, he'll Rue-thie it?'' Freddie snickers facetiously and both of the girls whip their heads around, Sam's death glare melting his skin.
Carly hated him. She felt anger towards him, angry that he was so insistent on ruining iCarly, angry that he was blackmailing Ruthie. Someone so sweet as her didn't deserve this either, but it hurt Carly that Ruthie had to live with them too. She seemed like she had it more. But Carly couldn't just stop talking to her. But she also couldn't risk Nevel ruining her life either.
Did this have anything to do with the fact that Ruthie was going to her school, or would she stop going? Is this why Ruthie hadn't wanted to talk about what was happening to the baby after it was born? Was she going to keep it, or was she going to put it up for adoption? Is that why she was able to go back to school so soon?
It all felt like it was clicking, except for the part where Ruthie was going to her school. Was that purely a coincidence and he didn't know, or was it a ploy to spy on them to make sure they didn't talk or what they talked about? Nevel couldn't have had anything to do with her going to Ridgeway, because he didn't want them talking. He was smarter than that. Maybe it was a test to see if they would, or maybe Ruthie was still going to spy on them. Carly just didn't know what the game was.
"We're going to go to the same school, how is that possible?" Carly challenged. "Did you send her here? To spy on us?"
"Don't worry about that; You guys won't be seeing Ruthie for a long, long time. As far as your Principal and my mother are concerned, Ruthie has been expelled for vandalism." Nevel cackled, hanging up the phone and leaving them hanging.
"The vandalism they suspended me for without proof, a few months ago?!" Sam angrily exclaimed, balling her fists tightly.
"Ruthie wasnt even at this school! Principal Franklin would never believe that." Carly challenged.
"An anonymous person has come forward earlier today on behalf of Ruthie and her old school to confess that they did it after losing a tournament to your school."
How did he always seem to have the resources to hurt people? What did or could he possibly have on her? Could Carly even trust Ruthie? That was crazy, of course she could.
She barely knew her but she had the inclination that Ruthie was now just the victim, a pawn. Of course she wasn't working for Nevel, he was trying to get her goat and when he realized that wasn't working, he changed his plan and revealed Ruthie was just a victim too.
She didn't think Ruthie meant to spy, but Carly wasn't completely convinced the whole thing was a coincidence. And if it was, how did Nevel find out, and how much did he know from Ruthie and the information he claimed to have?
"What are we gonna do?" Carly frantically began to pace.
"What do you mean? You heard him, he said Ruthie is gone. There is nothing we can do, it's over." Sam interjected in defeat.
"I know, that's horrible!" Carly exclaimed and Sam's face contorted into a confused frown.
"Five minutes ago you were worried she was spying on us, and now Nevel is telling us to stay away. Clearly Ruthie isn't spying on us or he never would have called to tell us not to meddle with whatever plan he has to clearly destroy her, not us. We're just coincidentally a roadblock in whatever dark chiz is happening in their family."
"You think he's bluffing about destroying us in order for us to leave Ruthie alone?" Carly questions.
"I think he wanted to scare us into not prying with whatever is going on with them. He probably feels threatened that we met her and wants us to be afraid to intervene. But he said so himself not to worry about her because she'd be gone. I think if he was gonna destroy us he wouldn't have called and revealed to us who Ruthie was." Freddie infers.
"Unless he's covering his tracks because he found out Ruthie blew her cover." Sam suggests.
"I don't think so. I don't think Ruthie has anything to do with this. He's moving her so we can't help her, not because she blew the cover. And how would Nevel possibly know I'm pregnant and to send her to the same exact hospital?"
"True. However, I just don't think we're his priority right now. I have a feeling it was about Ruthie until he knew we knew each other. For him, it's two birds with one stone and a huge gain for him. I don't think he knew, but now that he does, he'll do anything to stop us from hanging around each other and destroy us both." Sam agrees.
Freddie stood inquisitively staring at his computer screen, surveying it. Carly didn't know if something had happened or if he was spacing out into his thoughts. She prayed he would answer soon and offer his two cents, because she needed reassurance. Carly finally spoke up in her own defense, trying to convince them that something was still fishy.
"Maybe this is another one of his mind games. He's trying to get us confused in order to trust her less so we don't help her."
"What I wanna know is how he found out about your pregnancy if Ruthie didn't tell him. Could it have been accidental? I mean, she didn't even know what iCarly was, right? So she could have mentioned it to him somehow and it was enough for Nevel to know you met?"
"I don't know." Carly admitted, "But I'd like to think she's just as much a victim as us. I just can't imagine this whole thing being a setup. Like, he just luckily stumbled upon information and now he has blackmail."
"I guess maybe it's a little crazy. Ruthie was pregnant first, so I don't think it's a setup to spy on us. I don't think he knew until Ruthie met you." Sam agreed.
"But when you asked if she was working for him now, it could imply that she wasn't before. Maybe that was to throw us off?" Freddie interjected.
"Yeah, but when we met it wasn't like a usual interaction. She seemed reserved and shut off from the world, and that feeling hasn't changed. She hasn't changed even after hearing about iCarly. She never seemed like she wanted anything, but most people's initial reaction is to ask to be on."
"Maybe she's different." Freddie insisted.
"Or maybe, we're tooting our horn a little too much on iCarly. We're Internet famous, but not "famous" famous. Maybe pump the brakes on our ego a bit. Not everyone is gonna fan girl and not everyone knows what iCarly is."
"Or maybe it's because she already knew." Sam added.
"No, I'm certain she didn't even know what iCarly was, especially if she doesn't have access to technology at home or if she's closely monitored as she is. She seemed confused. And even after she wanted to talk about something else right away. So why would that change all of a sudden?" Carly pondered, trying to reason with the logic.
"What could Nevel possibly have to offer her? Like what is she gaining here because she didn't even seem to care that it was so popular?"
Sam insisted, referring to the parts of the story that Carly had eagerly filled her in on after her initial interaction with Ruthie at the office that day.
"Which loops us back to how he got the information in the first place. Could it just be a 'it's a small world' kind of situation? Like what are the odds of meeting Nevel's cousin and Nevel getting this lucky of having stuff on us both?"
"I don't know. It is strange." Freddie agrees.
"No matter who she is, she's part of Nevels games, whether she means to be or not. I say we proceed with caution." Carly sighs, defeated.
"What do you wanna do? There's really no way of knowing." Sam stated, tired from pacing.
Sam sat up on the hood of the old car, crossing her legs and propping her elbows on her legs, followed by her chin in her hands. Carly joined her, sitting at the very edge and stretching her legs in front of her body.
Her body language seemed thoughtful but nervous, like a detective pacing the floor, images of evidence scattered but no leads. Or in this case, two scenarios, one more likely than the latter. Freddie looked at them both, unsure of what to say before Carly spoke up again.
"Yeah, and if Ruthie doesn't have anything to do with this, I'll feel horrible for ruining her life." Carly confesses after a moment of silent contemplation.
"Maybe Freddie's right, and this was all a cry for help. Maybe Ruthie did transfer on purpose to specifically Ridgeway."
"I mean, we have a large fan base, we could do equally as much damage if we wanted to expose Nevel on the Internet."
Freddie nodded, finally looking up to the girls. Sam was unusually quiet, just sitting beside Carly trying to calm her down by rubbing her shoulder and throwing in a few whispers here and there to reassure her that it was okay. Freddie nervously strokes his arms, unsure of what to say to comfort them. He was at a loss. He was puzzled and stumped how this all panned out.
"It wouldn't be hard, considering what he did to the dude in a wheelchair." Sam agreed.
"He's gonna destroy us either way; I think we should still help her and get one step ahead." Freddie finally spoke and Carly froze.
"You think we should help her?" She stuttered.
"Well yeah. Knowing how Nevel isn't just going to stop trying to ruin us because of his cousin. He's going to come after us too sooner than later if he can. I think meeting her was for a reason beyond our understanding, but not because Nevel sent her. Now that he knows, he's gonna use it to his advantage and exploit us all. We just have to stop him. What he's done to us sucks, but the ball can still be in our court. We can help Ruthie and still save iCarly."
"We just have to prove Ruthie's innocence first. And from what we know, Nevel and his mom sound like they have complete control. No technology, they take her literally everywhere, and they keep moving her around."
"How do we know it's not an alibi?" Sam challenged.
"Ruthie told me that they were embarrassed of her. That's probably why she's not allowed to have social media and such. Not because she's too young or they're protecting her. Because they have an image of their own to protect. None of it is for her but for their own gain, and that's why she's leaving school again is because the word got out again that they have a pregnant teen with them. It's a disgrace in their eyes."
"But if they wanted a good image, why not brag that they're helping a parentless teen mom?" Sam insinuated.
"Because Nevel's mom is a narc and she only wants people to know of the one kid she did raise and is proud of. She is embarrassed for people to know that they're related to this irresponsible teen that didn't come from the same riches. If she was some random foster kid, it'd probably be a different story."
"Interesting conspiracy kid. So what do you wanna do? Take the chance that Nevel and his mom are terrible people and possibly ruin Ruthie's life. Possibly take down iCarly."
Sam seemed like she was a bit skeptical, unsure if the stakes were worth taking a chance on Ruthie's innocence. Either way they could be burned.
Carly didn't say anything, but she knew their eyes were on her. Sam seemed to be on board when it came down to it but the unnerving silence on Carly's end was alarming. She seemed rather content with taking the chance but was nervous to admit it. Was she actually willing to take a chance on something as nothing more than a desultory idea?
"I think we should take the risk on Ruthie and iCarly. I trust her and the fact that she definitely has to want nothing to do with Nevel either. Especially the way it seems they neglect her, what would she have to gain other than maybe a little respect. She told me she wants to leave them."
"Carls?" Sam gasped.
"No, I mean it! Her life could be ruined by whatever Nevel has up his sleeve that he's holding against her. She's already struggling and we can't subject her to whatever danger it is. iCarly is going to end eventually anyway, we might as well be the ones to stop it so that Nevel doesn't get that satisfaction of canceling us. Ruthie needs our help."
"So what is your plan, kiddo?" Sam countered unsurely all of a sudden.
"As far as iCarly, we tell the fans ourselves; We tell them I'm pregnant and that the show is ending because like our audience over the years, we're growing too and sometimes in life we need to let go of things in order to move around and evolve. We're going to be parents, Freddie, our priorities are changing."
"Wow, that's very mature. I guess I knew things were gonna change, and seeing the heartbeat made it real, but this, this confirms our childhood is over."
Freddie nervously strokes the back of his neck, blowing air from his inflated cheeks. He felt hot, but he knew as well as they did, it couldn't go on forever.
"Ruthie might not have the options we do and we should make it our priority to help her because we know exactly what Nevel can do. Let's face it, this is an excuse to end iCarly early. We knew we'd have to eventually, this is just our nudge."
"I agree. Nevel is gonna try to come back and end us, one way or another. Ruthie is just a start. Or a deterrent but if you trust her, so do I." Sam agreed.
"Cautiously." She also added.
Freddie looked sad, but he supported Carly. She was right; He knew first hand how awful and manipulative Nevel could be, and he felt sorry that Ruthie was related to him. They didn't know what went on behind closed doors and the safety of their baby and Ruthie's baby and situation was more important.
They had built the webshow and fanbase over the years but they were going to have to be ready to let go eventually. This was not the senior year they had planned, but they had to come to terms with reality that it was going to come to a close at some point.
Ruthie's life and choices were going to be impacted forever and they would put the webshow on the line for some girl they barely knew. iCarly would end, but Carly seemed to have hope in this one girl she met at the office and Sam and Freddie would just have to trust Carly's intuition and lead.
"I never imagined our senior year like this; I knew iCarly would end, I just didn't wanna believe so soon. This all is screeching to a halt, like hitting a brick wall." Freddie sadly stated and Sam looked like she was going to cry.
"I'm scared." Carly's voice wavered, and she felt sick to her stomach.
"Me too, but we're doing a good thing kiddo." Sam eventually spoke up.
"You believe in Ruthie and her innocence. You always see the good in people, and we're going to follow your lead. I trust you."
"Me too." Freddie chimed.
"I mean, I doubted her the second I heard she was a Papperman. I stereotyped her unfairly like all the other people are doing to Ruthie and I for being teen moms. I'm no better."
Carly felt guilt bubble up in her chest, but Sam hugged her, and Freddie placed his hands over hers. He rubbed the back of her hand gently with his thumb.
"Hey- you're taking a chance on her and choosing to see the good. You didn't immediately write her off, you had suspicions. That's all they're doing too. They are categorizing you off of one thing and one statistic, but that's not what you are. You have the chance to change and break the stigma. And so can Ruthie."
The gang cried together, huddled in a sentimental group hug. They mourned the end of one era, and feared the beginning of a new one. Carly wished it would stop spinning out, she wished for more time to be a kid. She longed for the time when her biggest worry was the change that could be going with her dad to Italy. She wished that was her biggest concern.
"What do you wanna do next?" Freddie eventually broke the huddle.
"For you to use your tech nerdiness to find anything you can on Ruthie; Schools, addresses, numbers, secret social media accounts she may have. How about serial numbers of phones and laptops? Anything that could help us learn more about her and anonymously contact her without Nevel knowing. Can you do that? That way we can reach her."
"She's in foster care, right? Or was? Does she have a social or case worker? A parole officer? A psychologist?" Sam chimed in.
"Wait!" Carly pauses, startling them both.
"She probably doesn't have socials because Nevel's mom never lets her use the laptop for anything but homework. And her phone is probably pretty heavily monitored." Carly remembered in defeat.
"So we'll break into Nevel's mom's stuff instead." Freddie concludes rather quickly.
"You can do that?" The girls challenged curiously.
"No, but I have a buddy I met through Spencer that does tech-y hack-it stuff." Freddie informed them.
"That's perfect. So I guess there's only one thing left to do. Expose Nevel, but not before we go live on last time." Carly proclaims with finality in her voice.
"Let's plan this then." The others respond, sharing the sadness