At Freddie's
"Hey Sam, why are you looking at me like that" asks Freddie noticing that Sam looks nervous
"I like Carly but so does Shelby, I have to let her go" says Sam
"says who" asks Freddie
"I have a criminal record remember, it doesn't matter that it'll likely be expunged when I turn eighteen, I don't deserve her and I never will, besides Shelby has a ton of money from her MMA career and I have nothing, Carly would never choose me anyway" says Sam
"you don't know that Samantha, you can't just not tell her how you feel" says Freddie having floundered on his own date with Carly in the past
"so you're saying that I should become obsessed like you were, no I know how that affected her, I won't make her choose" says Sam
"so what you're going to run away, you're seventeen not five Sam, don't be a child" says Freddie
"my childhood doesn't exist Freddie, as far as anyone cares to care I AM still a child, as sad as it sounds Freddie my childhood started with iCarly, the entirety of my childhood before that was avoiding seeing my mom drunk or naked or both, I'm lucky she is good with money or we'd have been living on the streets" says Sam
"I just want you to think about it before you do anything, running away will only make things harder for Carly and she will feel like you're forcing her hand and removing choice from the equation, besides I don't even know if she knows you like her" says Freddie
"I don't want her to know, that's the whole point of why I'm at your place and not hers having this discussion and I don't want you to tell her behind my back, she has a lot to look forward to in her future, I'd only drag her down" says Sam
"I feel like you're lying, you're afraid of what her father would think, not of what Carly would think if she found out, you by nature are a fighter Sam, it's not like you to be like this" says Freddie
"ok fine, yes I'm afraid of him, he's military or navy or whatever, those people don't play around when it comes to family, I already know he doesn't think I'm a positive influence on Carly, you saw how hard it was to convince her granddad that Spencer, his own grandson was a good influence and a good guardian to Carly and I know for a FACT that he doesn't like me being Carly's friend, I can't take that risk, there's too much at stake, I'd rather she think I went to live with Melanie on the other side of Seattle than her finding out I love her, I like being her friend and I hate that I have feelings for her, it's too complicated… you know what I mean" says Sam
"fine I won't say anything but you have to continue working with us on iCarly" says Freddie
"I'd rather join a biker gang than be around someone I have feelings for, it's just too painful" says Sam
"so what you ruin Carly's dreams of continuing the webshow" asks Freddie
"no you can go on in my place or have Shelby join, I can't risk it Freddie, now I'm just going to go tell the school I'm changing addresses" says Sam as she leaves
"that's interesting, I never took Sam for a girl lover" says Marissa Benson
"mom you promised not to eavesdrop on our conversation" says Freddie
"I was concerned ok, I've never seen her so nervous and I've seen her date you, she was uncomfortable then, but this is worse" says Marissa
"I'll admit she was squeamish when we dated and that this IS worse but only because of who Carly's father is, otherwise this isn't any different, her interpretation that she influences Carly is wrong, Carly influences her, she's also intimidated by Shelby" says Freddie
"honestly Freddie, I am too, why do you think I don't give you tick baths anymore or make you put on lotion, Sam's more bark than bite, Shelby is more bite than bark if I remember correctly" says Marissa
"I just can't see why Sam is afraid of Shelby, it doesn't make a lot of sense" says Freddie
"Shelby used to invite Carly to her bigger MMA MATCHES, as of recently Carly has been getting VIP tickets to every match, think about it Freddie, remember Valerie, she tried to push Carly away from you and Sam by inventing a new webshow, to Sam she probably feels the exact same thing is happening but she's the one being squeezed out of the friendship group this time, you need to talk to Shelby about this" says Marissa
"I can't, I promised Sam I wouldn't tell them" says Freddie
"actually you only promised Sam you wouldn't tell Carly, she never said that you couldn't talk to Shelby about this" says Freddie
"it was Implied mom, Sam doesn't want anyone to know, that's the entire point" says Freddie
"it doesn't feel right not to tell someone, sure she has a criminal record but even then she's only punishing herself, I went down that path long ago, refused to tell my crush I liked him and stopped believing he could possibly like me back, then I met your father and told myself he was the better man, sadly he wasn't, your father made me into the jittery mother you hate, it's not who I am Freddie, not in my heart, it's hard to be the person I was, I don't want Sam to fall for someone who won't treat her right, in my eyes that either means you or Carly" says Marissa
"fine I'll talk to Shelby but you can't be there, if you want to know how it went then I'll tell you but not until after, am I understood mother, no hovering or eavesdropping" says Freddie
"fair enough, I'll go get groceries and stuff, she's at Carly's, she got there just before Sam left" says Marissa
"that's creepy" says Freddie
"says the boy that would come home just to watch Carly arrive for years on end so you could interrupt her and talk to her" says Marissa as she gets her purse and leaves
Meanwhile At Carly's
"I don't know Shelby, we have iCarly tonight, I can't ditch just to watch you beat another girl to the ground in less than a minute" says Carly
"it's a full press event for charity, I promised that iCarly would cover it, it would get you like six million viewers, probably more, was that a bad idea" says Shelby
"you're excluding Sam and Freddie, mostly Sam, she's not taking it well, she thinks you're trying to date me" says Carly
"well objectively speaking, I have thought about it, but getting you VIP match tickets isn't how I'd do it, besides I had three tickets, Freddie said he was too busy and Sam outright asked me to burn her ticket, you're the only one who accepted my VIP ticket offer, I was hoping you'd talk to them about how cool I was so I wouldn't be an outsider and we could bond over something other than your webshow" says Shelby
"so it wasn't an attempt to swoon me" asks Carly
"swoon is such an odd word, while I hoped that maybe you'd catch feelings for me someday, those tickets were not an attempt to do so, I take pride in being able to separate my emotions from my logic, it has the added benefit of keeping my intentions and actions taint free of loaded emotions, though it does add to my anger issues" says Shelby as Freddie walks in
"Shelby, we need to talk" says Freddie
"what, you are you going to ask her out or something" asks Carly in a snarky tone
"you know how I am Carly, that's not what this is about, it's about Sam" says Freddie as Shelby lowers her head, having expected this for some time
"Carly I'll be back in a few minutes" says Shelby as she follows Freddie to his apartment
"Sam likes Carly doesn't she" asks Shelby a few minutes later
"that's one way to put it" says Freddie
"is this about the whole VIP MMA ticket thing because I got all three of you tickets, you both turned them down, Carly was the only one who accepted the tickets" says Shelby
"that is possibly the tipping point for Sam, she has a tendency to be paranoid and suspicious about people's intentions, if you hadn't made it clear that we all had the opportunity to accept the tickets she wouldn't have accepted them, as much as it sounds weird, MMA fights are violent enough for her to enjoy but if she thinks she's being given tickets for a one on one thing she won't accept them, most outings with Sam tend to be group events, from what I can tell, she thinks you've already won the battle to Carly's heart, as such she's not even going to try and fight you for it, she's hinted that she's moving in with her sister on the other side of Seattle and is informing the school that she's no longer living with her mother" says Freddie
"what about iCarly, isn't she integral to it's survival, you and Carly can't prop it up by yourselves" asks Shelby
"that's not how Sam sees it, besides she told me that she can't work with someone she has feelings for, she said it would be too painful, again because she thinks you've already won the battle" says Freddie
"I haven't even started, if it was that easy, you'd have beat us in that race a long time ago" says Shelby
"as far as she sees it, you're everything she isn't and can't be, you have money, you're smarter than her, taller than her and in her eyes many times more pretty and beautiful than she is" says Freddie
"what do you think of me" asks Shelby
"since when do you like me" asks Freddie
"I don't remember saying I did, all I asked was what you thought of me, you of all people should know there is a difference" says Shelby
"you're very pretty, smart and strong" says Freddie
"would you go on a date if I were to ask you out" asks Shelby
"are you asking me out or is this a hypothetical question" asks Freddie, trying to figure out if Shelby is testing the waters or is simply asking a question
"why can't both be true" says Shelby
"wait you're bisexual" asks Freddie shocked
"I'm bi-curious at best, I've never met a guy like you before, most guys are all over me, usually trying to get into my pants, you're different, sure you have an ego but you don't let it define you, most of the guys I know are defined by their ego, you're anything but that" says Shelby
"so you are open to dating someone like me if Carly chooses Sam" says Freddie
"not to be blunt but there is nobody like you in Seattle, at least not my age, you don't know what it's like to be popular, like really popular and to have expectations about one day marrying a rich person" says Shelby
"I have to ask, how did you become a CFC fighter, I checked their regulations, they don't let anyone fight unless they're at least eighteen" says Freddie
"I'm gifted, some would call me a prodigy, honestly Sam should give it a try, if be willing to spar with her, that is unless she has feelings for me too, one of the reasons MMA fighting hasn't worn me out because it's helped me work out me emotions" says Shelby
"I'll talk to her but I can't guarantee she'll take you up on that offer, not unless you talk to her about the truth of your situation with Carly, otherwise she might see it as your chance to gloat" says Freddie
"I don't have a chance in hell of dating Carly, when we watch movies and I don't understand something, she says 'Freddie would have said this' or 'Sam would have laughed at that', trust me if Carly knew how Sam felt, things would change" says Shelby
"are you saying that Carly has feelings for Sam" asks Freddie
"Not that Carly would tell anyone but I've seen her room, she basically has a whole wall dedicated to pictures of them together, Carly doesn't talk about her feelings, not even when I told her I thought Sam was pretty, Carly got all tense and her face got red but she never said anything, the moment I changed the subject she calmed right down" says Shelby
"so you're saying she got jealous that you might like Sam" asks Freddie
"I know what jealousy looks like Freddie, she looked like she wanted to stab me for calling Sam cute, though it probably didn't help that I'd called her Samantha and not Sam" says Shelby
"that is interesting" says Freddie
"is that all, because Carly and I were about to watch a movie, I have a match tonight and you guys have iCarly" says Shelby
"for now, I'll keep you updated" says Freddie
45 minutes later as Freddie calls Sam and Melanie picks up
"what is it Freddie, Sam only just got settled in and she's too depressed to talk about anything let alone iCarly, which I have managed to convince her to continue to participate in, just maybe not until next week" says Melanie
"I talked to Shelby about the situation…." Says Freddie as Melanie cuts him off
"she told you not to tell anyone" says Melanie, frustrated that Freddie seems to be breaking promises
"actually she only said she didn't want me to tell Carly, she never explicitly told me I couldn't talk to Shelby about it, besides I wanted to hear Shelby's side" says Freddie
"fine, what did you find out" says Melanie, seeing the loophole Freddie used, happy that he found some way to investigate
"it turns out that Carly doesn't talk about her feelings, when they watch movies, Shelby doesn't always understand the humor in them and Shelby said that Carly says 'Freddie would have said this' or 'Sam would have laughed at that', apparently Shelby has been trying to get Carly to open up, however the moment she says 'Sam's cute' Shelby says Carly tenses up, her face turns red and Shelby said she felt like Carly was going to stab her for saying Sam was cute, you know as if Carly was jealous" says Freddie
"so Carly is in fact single, do I have that right, what about the MMA tickets" says Melanie
"Carly is at the very least not dating Shelby, that's all I know about that, as for the MMA fight tickets, she got them for all three of us, from what I understand from what Shelby said she felt that telling us as a group about the tickets would seem too bribe like so she felt telling us individually would make it seem like she wasn't pushing her way into the group, unfortunately she didn't take into account how Sam would interpret her actions and the fact that Carly was the only one who accepted the tickets" says Freddie
"Freddie, Sam didn't accept them, not because she wanted to but because she thought they were fake, she didn't want to go to jail for forgery" says Melanie
"fair enough" says Freddie
"I don't think Shelby makes enough to buy three VIP tickets, even if she gets a discount" says Melanie
"true, she definitely doesn't, however I kept my ticket just in case we decided to change the day we do iCarly on, I just took a closer look at it before I called, it says 'iCarly is invited to a year of VIP MMA fights on behalf of Shelby Marx', meaning she probably at least paid partially with her salary, for all we know she might not have any money coming in this year, I've seen how she's arrived lately, she's walked a mile to get here for the last two months, usually she arrives in a car" says Freddie
"so what you think there's some sort of love triangle or something" asks Melanie
"I can't say for certain, however she has been hinting at such, she spends most of her time on Carly's couch, and mine, always with a suitcase labeled 'Sam's house', when we ask her about it, Shelby says 'oh it's just clothes', implying that she wants some of her clothes at Sam's house" says Freddie
"so I assume she has some clothes at your house and Carly's" asks Melanie
"yes, a single suitcase each, the suitcase she leaves at Carly's is mostly her MMA outfit stuff, the suitcase she leaves at my place is mostly skirts and dresses, what is missing is swimsuits, we know she goes to the beach and public pools but no evidence that she has swimwear, Carly and I think that's what's in the suitcase that she wants at Sam's house" says Freddie
"that would imply she prefers girls, her MMA outfits are the closest thing to bikini's the sport allows, having them at Carly's implies she wants to be vulnerable there but not so much at your place, the absence of swimwear in either place and her affinity for pools and beaches basically proves that they have to be in that last suitcase, that is unless she still lives with her grandmother and has somewhere to go change into her swimwear" says Melanie
"her grandmother isn't doing so well, she's been in and out of the hospital, at the beginning of the year Shelby leased an apartment, it was a six month lease meaning it ends next week, the fact that she's not staying in her apartment means negotiations for lease renewal aren't going well, likely because of these tickets, they aren't cheap, meaning that if my theory is correct and she paid for most of them with her yearly income, she probably has little to pay towards a lease" says Freddie
"have you asked Shelby how they were paid for" asks Melanie
"I've tried, she won't answer, she doesn't talk about money at all, other than to say her grandmother's hospital bills are expensive, all she says about her MMA income is that it's only slightly above average for a top fighter and she is currently THE top female fighter on the western seaboard" says Freddie
"I will be talking to Sammy about this, she needs context, is there anything else Sam should know" says Melanie
"Shelby wants to spar with Sam, she seems to think that Sam would be a good fighter, Shelby said that fighting and sparing helps her work through her emotions" says Freddie
"I can understand that, I'll bring it up and see what Sam says, for now, at least until Sam has her emotions under control, I'd suggest that you find a reason to tell your viewers why Sam isn't in the next few shows" says Melissa
"will do Melissa" says Freddie as Melissa hangs up and Shelby suddenly shows up again
"Carly and I had a fight, do you mind if I prepare for my fight here" asks Shelby
"did you bring Sam up again" asks Freddie
"no, she did, she asked if I liked Sam, I told her it was possible I might and she told me to leave, she was very angry, I don't see her inviting me over anymore, Sam doesn't have to worry about Carly liking me, all bets are off, she seems to hate me now, would you mind if I stayed here from now on" says Shelby
"no I don't mind, were you dating Carly" asks Freddie
"not as far as I'm aware, she never asked me out or anything but she has been acting weird lately, very protective and jealous whenever I bring you or Sam up, especially Sam" says Shelby As Marissa walks over
"you can stay here as long as you need Shelby" says Marissa
"you scare me" says Shelby
"and you scare me, I have a spare mattress you can use, I can put it in Freddie's room, if you're staying here long term I don't want you to think I don't care about your health, the couch is good but not good long term for the back, I'd hate to be the reason you lose a fight" says Marissa
"I've already lost twice today against Carly, we had a fight on the phone earlier today about what movie we'd watch then just a few minutes ago when she asked if I liked Sam, I admitted it was possible and we fought, she insisted us watching movies together were dates and I informed her that she never actually asked me out, she got offended, tried to rip my left hand off then demanded that I leave and never walk into this building again" says Shelby
"what about your apartment" asks Marissa
"I got kicked out last month for missing three payments, I didn't know they'd take my pay cheque to pay for those tickets, I'd assured the company I leased from that I would have the money to pay my lease, most of my stuff is in storage, my grandmother isn't home enough for it to be safe to keep it at her house" says Shelby
"I'll talk to Carly tomorrow, mom empty the spare bedroom for her, she's not staying in my room" says Freddie
"but that's a lot of work, can't she at least sleep in your room tonight, I'll have it ready by tomorrow" begs Marissa
"guys, if it's too much trouble I can always find somewhere else to sleep, it's no big deal" says Shelby
"it's not a problem Shelby, my mom is just tired, you go get ready for your fight" says Freddie
"ok, you're not as creepy as I used to think" says Shelby as she heads off to change
"mom, never embarrass me in front of a girl again please, is that too much to ask for" says Freddie
"you like her don't you, what about your crush on Carly" says Marissa
"she showed Shelby her room very few people actually get to see Carly's bedroom, she probably thought that by showing Shelby her room that it would be obvious that she's asking her out" says Freddie
"is that really how Carly does that" asks Marissa
"lately yeah, it's like she's unsure about her emotions and doesn't want to be direct, it's like she has a fear of rejection" says Freddie motioning for Marissa to stop talking as Shelby returns all set up for her fight
"Mrs. Benson, would you mind driving me to the ring, I'm running late thanks to my fight with Carly" says Shelby
"can Freddie take you, I have to prepare your room" asks Marissa as Shelby looks nervous
"mom, I can start working on the guest room, she's already nervous" says Freddie
"actually I'm ok with Freddie taking me, the girl I'm facing tonight I've faced four times before and beat her all four times, after I beat her last time she told me that if I'm single and still beat her the next time we meet then she'd send me to the hospital and I can't afford more medical bills, with a romance with Carly absolutely out of the question now and Sam unlikely to see me as anything but competition, we can use this as a trial run, if I win I'll take you out for ice-cream, hell I might take you out for ice-cream anyway" says Shelby
"ok let's go" says Freddie as they head to his new car