Scott Favor : Getting away from everything feels good.

Mike Waters : Yeah, it does.

Scott Favor : When I left home, the maid asked me where I was off to. I said "Wherever. Whatever. Have a nice day."

My Own Private Idaho, 1991

She had forgotten it was school day. Getting back to their apartment after a funeral was very different but also kind of similar to any other after school day.

But like, worse. Much worse.

Another difference from any other day was that it wasn't just the three of them on the couch watching TV and discussing what they'd do for the next Icarly. No, everyone, including Mrs. Benson, was lingering in the Shay's living room today.

Nobody ever talks about what to do after a funeral.

"Well, that was-" Freddie started after a couple of minutes of extremely awkward silence. He tried and failed to come up with a decent comment.

Carly couldn't say she blamed him. So, what do you say after a funeral? What do you say after a Puckett's funeral, most importantly?

Sam seemed to notice that as well. Unfortunately for Freddie, she took it the wrong way.

"That, Fredward, was my family. So shut up about it," She hissed.

They did shut up about it. Carly supposed nobody really wanted to talk about that. The funeral was - eventful. She'd rather forget it if she was going to be honest about it.

Carly decided that eventful was a great adjective to describe Sam's family in a positive light. And the family did appear, at least those who were not in jail or boarding schools.

She remembered to pay attention to her friend. Sam was not very emotional during the service but she did talk and reunited with some family.

When they decided to leave, Sam quickly said farewell to her family and returned to their apartment with the Shay's and company.

"Freddie, why don't you go home and get started on your shower?" Mrs. Benson proposed.

Spencer, who had been unusually quiet throughout the ride back home, appeared to awaken in response to Mrs. Benson's suggestion.

"Yeah, Carly, you should do that as well! Take a shower.I mean, not with Freddie though, cause that would be weird. And wrong! I mean, not wrong in the sense of - no scratch that,it'd be wrong-"

Carly knew that Spencer would go forever if she didn't intervene, "What's with you always telling me when to shower now, Spencer?"

"Chillex, Carls. Spencer and the crazy one are just trying to get me alone with them so they can talk about uncomfortable stuff," Sam said while going into the direction of their fridge, "which you know I'll just repeat it all to you later."

She took out a tupperware of some leftover of the many things Spencer had cooked the night before.

"But I'd rather not have an audience for this so you two can, you know, move and stuff."

Carly definitely got the hint. She didn't feel like being alone at that moment though so instead of going upstairs to her bathroom she just followed Freddie out of the apartment.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going? No baths together!" Mrs. Benson yelled before they could even open the door.

"Mom!"

"Mrs. Benson! I'm not going to take a shower with your son. Jesus!"

She waited in Benson's living room while Freddie took a shower because despite screaming at his mother everyday he wasn't immune to the cleaning OCD genes she'd passed on to him.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Carly asked as soon as Freddie walked back into the room.

Freddie frowned. He usually did that when he was trying to find a solution for any problems they'd get with the Icarly's website or the streaming or the audio or whatever it was. Like he was deep in thought, trying to solve something that Carly and Sam wouldn't begin to understand.

This wasn't so difficult. She knew what they were talking about. She just wanted an excuse to talk about it.

"I guess," He began, "Well, I heard my mom talking to Spencer at the funeral."

"And?"

"And, they're probably discussing what's going to happen with Sam now."

She knew that. She didn't need to overhear and Spencer's hushed conversation to know that.

"Well, well I think that's - Well that's good. 'Cause you saw her family today! And Spencer and your mother saw them too. So, there isn't really any discussion, right? Of course Sam should stay with us."

"Carly."

"No Freddie, I - there's no other way! And she practically lives with us anyway, we'll just have to make it official."

"I don't think that's so easy, Carly."

"Well, Spencer can handle that! I guess, I mean - I hope."

"I heard my mother saying she has some good contacts over at social services or whatever."

"Yeah."

"Because she works at the hospital and they're always there."

"Right. Right, so that good, right? I mean, Spencer has friends everywhere too. And it's not like anyone from her family will be dying to have her custody. I mean, you saw them at the funeral."

"Carly"

"What Freddie!"

She was getting a bit desperate.

"It's just that, it's usually not that simple."

"What do you mean?"

She was tired to ask that. Why couldn't him just say what he wanted to say?

"It's just that these things - it takes time, I guess. Bureaucracy or whatever. But that's not really what I'm worried about."

"What do you mean?"

"Sam doesn't really do waiting. She's - I don't know. I'm not saying it's a lost cause, I'm just saying it'll probably take some time? I'm just scared that Sam -

"What Freddie?"

Freddie took a deep breath before continuing,"Don't you think she's too calm about all this? I'm afraid she already has a plan and I don't - I don't trust Sam's plans."

"What do you mean?"

"I - I think she's going to run away."

"Why can't you just adopt her?"

She agreed with Freddie. Sam would not do waiting. She would not do foster care either. She had to do something to help her friend. That's why she waited until Sam had left for Freddie's apartment to "annoy the nerd cause I'm bored" as her friend put it. Now she was free to talk to her brother about important things.

"Carly, it's not that simple."

"Yes, it is! She practically lives here anyways."

"It's not about that."

"And you've seen her family, Spencer! We can't let her stay with them."

"Carly."

"What?", Carly did not understand why Spencer was being such a pain about this. It was so simple. Why did adults love to make everything so complicated?

"It just doesn't work like that, Carls."

"What's going to happen with her, Spencer?"

"We're taking care of it, Carly. Trust me, Sam is not alone in this."

"Does she know that?"

"What?"

"Freddie said Sam will probably flip out and run away soon."

"She knows Carly. We've been keeping her in the loop and she's," Spencer seemed to realize something, - "she's surprisingly very sensible about everything."

"Yeah, well - that's exactly what we're afraid of."

"What do you mean?"

"She's Sam! Don't you think she's taking everything too well?"

"Well, I haven't thought about it this way."

"I just don't understand why she can't just stay here."

"A social worker is coming tomorrow - and yes, Sam knows that. Mrs. Benson has called in some favors and apparently this is a good honest social worker. Everything is going to work out fine, Carls."

She really wanted to believe Spencer but even though she knew her brother was doing everything he could she couldn't seem to shake the feeling that even Spencer himself didn't believe what he was saying.

Even though they had postponed Icarly for the time being Carly caught herself calling Freddie over in the evening to discuss future episodes. Maybe she was out of ideas to talk to Sam. Maybe she just wanted to forget all these super real problems.

Nevertheless, here they were - in their improvised studio where they filmed their show, sitting in the bean bags trying to come up with silly sketches like their friend's life wasn't about to change forever the next day.

"Ok, all these ideas are crap. Especially yours Freddork. Mine are the least crap of them all but they're still crap. I give up," Sam said.

"We can continue tomorrow," Freddie suggested.

"Yeah, sure - as if I'm gonna still be here tomorrow."

Nobody wanted to talk about the elephant in the room and it was Sam who brought it up even though it was harder for her.

"What? Don't pretend y'all haven't thought about it"

"Well - you know. Don't you have like, an uncle or an aunt around?" Freddie asked.

"All my relatives have too many criminal records to get my custody. I mean, mom shouldn't have my custody either but in her defense neither should yours."

"What does my mom have to do with it?"

"Your mom is a psycho, Freddie. Admit it."

"I think in the end every parent is a little fucked up," Carly offered.

"Sure. But some are more fucked up than others."

Wasn't that true?

"I do have an aunt," Sam remembered, "I mean, one who's not in jail or fleeing jail. Aunt Margaret.

"I don't remember this aunt," Carly commented. She didn't know all of Sam's extensive family but she knew of them. Or she thought she knew.

"She lives in Idaho. Sends us gifts every christmas. She used to visit more when we were younger but she hasn't come around for awhile. She's cool, I guess."

"Do you guys get along?"

"Yeah, she's kind of different, you know? From the rest of the family. She just got up and left one day."

Sam seemed to think that was the greatest accomplishment a person could get. Leave and not look back.

"Does she have any children?" Freddie asked.

"No, I don't think so. She's not much of a talker, you know? But she never forgets to send me and Melanie gifts every christmas. She even remembers our birthdays sometimes."

"Why did she go to Idaho though?"

"I don't know. I've heard some things from my family but those guys are not the most reliable source of information. I don't think there was anything specific in Idaho for her. I guess Idaho was just the farthest she could get from all of this mess."

"Is she married? Does she have a family?"

"I don't think so. My mom used to say the only reason she left was because she was a lesbian and she couldn't deal with our family here. But I don't know. She never said anything to me."

"Do you think she'd want to come back? To be with you?"

"Come back here? Nah, never. Look, I don't know much about aunt Margaret but I know one thing: the woman will not live in proximity with our family. But I guess it won't hurt to ask if she'd have me there. I mean, I'm not crazy about Idaho but I can relate to her."

"How come?"

"I've always had dreams of getting as far as I could from my family too."

They eventually gave up on anything Icarly-related and turned to watch Kenan & Kel reruns. Freddie returned to his apartment a few hours later, and she and Sam went to bed early because neither of them felt like doing much else.

Carly wanted to sleep, but she couldn't help but remember what Sam had said earlier. The thought that Sam would meet with a social worker the next day and tell her she wanted to live with some random aunt from Idaho. What if they call her and she says yes?

Even though she never appeared for her sister's funeral she might welcome her now orphan niece.

Before they went to bed, she looked up Boise, Idaho on Google Maps. It was almost eight hours by car from Seattle. Carly had not anticipated this.

What the hell was even in Idaho anyway for Aunt Margaret and Sam?

Or for anyone.