Author's Note: Okay, let me start by saying that I am writing this story sort of as a spin-off of iCarly but it's a bit different. It's an action/adventure type of story that follows the tone of an hour-long TV drama (not that it's gonna take an hour to read or anything but it follows that tone.) The first and second chapters will act as the pilot for the series.
I loved iCarly but I wanted to do something fun and different from most iCarly fanfiction that I've read. Something that I hope will make my story stand out a bit by incorporating several different elements to it. One of my inspirations is Spider-Man. I loved the character from his many incarnations and there are a lot of ideas that are borrowed from a few sources as it relates to the "superhero origin story".
If you're reading this and end up saying "Hey, that's like [fill in your certain comic superhero here]", I hope it's a good homage or at least mildly tolerable. The last thing I'd want is to disappoint people.
I hope everyone likes it. Please review and be kind. I hope everyone makes it to the end!
UPDATE: I have made some minor changes to this first episode and will be doing more alterations. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I have a minor learning disability so when I read it over I spotted some grammatical errors I tend to type so fast that I forget words so jokes tend to get lost in translation. I will be revising the other episodes as I continue my slow march to finish this entire season. I will get it done, I promise!
There's also a major cast change with Miss Sinclair. She's one of my favorite actors and it fits Cassie more than the original actor I chose. I hope no one is upset about it but I made a choice.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the originally created characters. These are some of Dan Schneider's toys. I'm just playing with them. I promise to give them back unscathed - well mildly unscathed.
Also, there may be some mild language and adult situations. So basically this story is rated PG-13.
"A hero is no braver than ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
A figure wearing a hooded jacket lay on the floor of a nearly destroyed laboratory. His exposed hands were raw, cut up, and bloody. This individual had been in a brutal fight... a fight for his life.
In the lab, everything that wasn't nailed down was either scattered around the room or was in pieces. Most of the fluorescent lights in the room flicker as one of the lights hangs down from the ceiling, hanging on by the thread but the wire snaps and falls. He manages to roll out of the way with lightning-fast reflexes. He breathes heavily as he tries to get to his feet but falls down on his left knee and catches himself with his right arm to keep from falling down.
The figure slowly got to his feet, his body racked with sheer agony. He grabs his ribs with his left arm and lets out a few deep breaths. He may have cracked some ribs or maybe even collapsed a lung.
So, this is the way I'm going to die. I have to admit, didn't picture it ending this way.
A person in a long dingy lab coat that had more than a few drops of blood on it stood a few feet away from the mysterious figure. The man in the lab coat laughed maniacally in a low-tone in his voice that sounded completely off.
"Are you ready to give up?" The man in the lab coat asked. "Or do you wish to continue this foolish and pointless experiment at chivalry?"
I never could've imagined what has happened to me recently. It's all been like some surreal dream... Or a waking nightmare. Depends on who you ask.
The hooded figure lifted his head high. He was defiantly refusing to give up without uttering a single word. He was someone who no one would've expected to be a hero, not those who thought they knew it. The figure is Freddie Benson, a deep gash on his forehead near his hairline and a trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth.
•••
Two Weeks Ago
Fredward 'Freddie' Benson sat on a plane filled with people, wearing a black long-sleeved button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up at his elbows and dark jeans. The sound of a crying baby a few rows back awoke him from the nap he had taken since the in-flight movie. It was some sappy romantic comedy with some A-list actress whose name escaped him. It made that mock trailer for 'Kelly Cooper: Terrible Movie' look like the award-winning film 'Silver Linings Playbook'.
There he went, thinking about iCarly. The web show made his closest friends Carly Shay and Sam Puckett famous. Now he was thinking about her... again.
After Carly left Seattle to live with her dad in Italy, Sam hopped on her motorcycle and went to Los Angeles. She wasn't coming back and Freddie knew it. A part of him hoped she'd return but knew Sam wasn't one to do what people expected her to, something he always loved about her.
Her fearlessness.
Freddie wanted to be as brave as she is and this was his first step at throwing caution to the wind.
As he was finishing up high school, Freddie won a full scholarship to New York City College of Technology (City Tech for short). He would be attending college in the greatest city in the world.
Something that didn't sit well with his mother. Marissa Benson was quite upset when she learned her only child would be going to college on the other side of the country. She tried extremely hard to get him to attend a school in Seattle and poured on the melodrama by telling him that Freddie was abandoning her as his father did.
After two months of trying, Freddie managed to finally convince her by telling her that it'd be a great opportunity for him and gave her his own guilt trip by saying she was keeping him from being the man who would make her proud. Freddie understood that his mom meant well but he needed to leave the nest to see what kind of man he was... Who he was supposed to be.
All of a sudden, the captain speaks over the intercom. "Folks, we are making our descent into JFK. Welcome to New York City."
Freddie looks out the window of the plane and sees the famous skyline of the Big Apple. The last time he was here, he and his friends were appearing on 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.' The trip wasn't all bad. Except for the part where Gibby exposed himself in front of America. That could've been the one thing that Freddie would like to forget.
Freddie would be living in New York City now. Well, technically Brooklyn which is where City Tech was located and so was student housing - an old hotel that had been converted into lodging for students. He made sure he got a room before occupancy filled up. If he had not gotten a room, Freddie had another backup living arrangement in mind.
One of the conditions his mother had established so she'd allow Freddie to go to City Tech was for his aunt, Cassandra Sinclair to look out for him while he was going to school.
Freddie didn't know that much about Cassandra except that she was his dad's younger sister and that the last time she visited him and Marissa was when he was two. Recently, he had spoken to Cassandra over the phone to make the proper arrangements. She seemed nice. Very down to earth. He wanted to video chat with her but his mom wasn't okay with the fact that he was talking to his dad's sister so he never attempted to do so. Meeting her face-to-face would be a great way for Freddie to get to know someone on his father's side of the family.
•••
Freddie was collecting his two large duffel bags from baggage claim with his laptop bag draped over his shoulder. His mom managed to pack most of his clothes and a few of his belongings to make his living quarters feel more like home. It seems like she had his entire closet because the two bags weighed about as much as he did. The weight wasn't that much of an issue, he used to weight train with Gibby at the gym so he could bench press about 220 pounds but it took him almost four months to pull that off.
Freddie looked around the airport for any sign of his aunt. The last time he saw her, she was a teenager sixteen years ago. All that he knew is that she had blond hair and blue eyes. The blond hair wouldn't be easy to spot but he was gonna try to find her.
"You need a hand there, kiddo?"
Freddie looks around and sees a beautiful thirty-six-year-old woman standing a few feet away from him. This was Cassandra Sinclair. She had long blond hair tied back in a ponytail and deep blue eyes that had the look of someone who has seen quite a bit in her life. She wore a tan-colored leather jacket over a white button-up top with tight black pants and dark brown high-heeled boots. She looked like she could have stepped out of the pages of a comic book - she looked intense. However, the intensity mildly melts away as she smiles brightly at Freddie.
"You must be Cassandra?" Freddie asked with a bit of a grin on his face.
Cassie walks over to Freddie and gives him a strong hug, throwing him off for a second. "How many times do I have to tell you?" She told him. "Call me Cassie. Only my parents called me Cassandra ... them or process servers serving me with a subpoena."
Freddie lets out a chuckle as she begins to take one of his bags. "No, it's fine. You don't have-"
"I insist. Not trying to hurt your male pride or anything, I just wanna help." Cassie said as she strapped the bag over her shoulder.
Freddie sighs, not wanting to argue with his aunt. Something about her reminded him of someone familiar.
"So, how was your flight?" Cassie asked.
Freddie shakes his head, smiling. "Really? That's the first thing you're going to ask me?"
"It's the first thing you have to ask somebody after they get off a plane," she replied. "I think it's required etiquette."
"Well, it wasn't as bad as the last time I flew." Freddie told his aunt. "Least I didn't have someone cuddling up next to me and using my shoulder as a pillow."
"Oh, I'm sure you didn't mind having one of those girls snuggling up next to you," Cassie replied with a mischievous tone.
"Sam and Carly were sitting in the row behind me with Carly's brother Spencer." Freddie told her. "I was actually... sitting next to Gibby."
Cassie snickered a bit at that. "There's seriously something off about that guy."
"You don't know of half of it," Freddie said as Cassie continued laughing.
The two walked out of the airport as Freddie was about to try to motion for a taxi when Cassie grabs his halfway-raised hand and lowers it. "Whoa whoa, you're gonna try to hail a cab at an airport? In the middle of the day? You would have better luck trying to fight a Bengal tiger than arguing with some business exec trying to make a morning meeting." She told him. "At least with the tiger, losing a limb is an expected outcome."
"You have a car?" Freddie asked.
Cassie grins and motions for him to follow her to the parking lot. They continue walking until Cassie stops in front of a fully restored black 1967 four-door Chevy Impala. The paint on the car was shiny and the sun glistened off it. The car was a beautiful piece of machinery. Freddie wasn't a car guy. Not that he didn't know how to drive. Spencer had taught him to do so but his mom didn't allow him to get a license. There were some things he wasn't going to miss about his mom.
"Is this your car?" Freddie asked, awestruck.
"Yep." Cassie said, beaming with pride as she opened the trunk and puts the bag she had been carrying inside the trunk. "I call her Black Beauty."
"You named your car after a horse from a children's book?" he asked as he placed the other bag in the trunk.
"Uh, no. She's named after the Green Hornet's car." Cassie said as she slammed the trunk shut. She looks back at Freddie who appears to be confused. "Before your time."
"I know who the Green Hornet is. I've seen that movie with Seth Rogan." Freddie said as Cassie looked mildly disappointed. Part of him wasn't proud of mentioning that film because he assumed she probably didn't like it. "Besides, isn't that show technically it's before your time too."
"I used to watch reruns of the show when I was growing up. I'd watch them with my dad and-" she stops and changes the subject and goes to unlock the passenger side door. "Um, are you hungry? 'Cause I'm starved-"
"It's okay. You can talk about my dad. I don't mind." He said in a mature-sounding tone.
"Okay. Good." Cassie said as he opens the door and gets inside the car while Cassie goes to the driver's side, unlocks her door, and gets in as well. "You know, I wasn't just asking if you were hungry to change the subject. We can grab some lunch before we head off to my place."
"I am. The only thing I've eaten are those honey-glazed peanuts they give you during the flight," he told Cassie as he buckled his seat belt. "The in-flight meal looked like it wanted to crawl off the tray and try to latch on to my face."
Cassie laughed as she fastened her seatbelt. "I had no idea they were serving Xenomorphs on commercial airlines."
"I could've sworn I ordered chicken, not facehugger" He replied which made Cassie laugh even more.
Cassie managed to stop laughing and said. "I know this great Italian place. Has some of the best pie in all the five Boroughs. It's right across the street from my apartment."
"Vamonos!" Freddie said in one of his well-known outbursts in Spanish, which threw Cassie for a second as she started the car and drove out of the parking lot.
•••
Cassie and Freddie walk into a quaint Italian restaurant called Luzoni's which was busy because it was the lunch rush. Cassie looks around and sees an empty table. "There's a free table." She walks towards it as Freddie watches.
"Are we allowed to seat ourselves?" Freddie asked as he reluctantly followed her.
"At this time of day, it's first come first serve." Cassie said as they sat down. A young waitress walks over to their table. She was an eighteen-year-old Filipino-American girl around Freddie's age. She had long jet-black hair that was tied back in a ponytail and deep brown eyes but she also had a sweet and pleasant demeanor. A happy-go-lucky attitude that was infectious. Her name tag read 'Millie'.
"Hey there, Cass." Millie replied with a smile. "How's it going?"
"Couldn't be better, Mills." Cassie replied with a smile. See, infectious. If good cheer was an airborne virus, Millie would be Patient Zero.
"Who's your friend?" Millie asked as she looked at Freddie and began to stare at him. She knew him from somewhere.
"Oh, this is my nephew Freddie Benson." Cassie said as she introduced him.
Freddie looks up at Millie who stares at him, wide-eyed, as she cups her right hand to her mouth. "Oh my gosh. Do-do you know who you are?" Millie asked nervously.
"I think so." Freddie said sheepishly, playing dumb.
"You're Freddie from iCarly. I used to love that show. I am such a huge fan." Millie said with pure glee but she tried to calm down. "Sorry, I'm starting to sound like some weirdo fan."
"No, believe me. I've seen weirder fans." Freddie replied, remembering his and his friends' experiences with Nora Dershlit and to a lesser extent the fan war the gang accidentally started at Webicon.
"I'm Millicent Flores but everybody calls me Millie." She said with a nervous giggle. "And I should probably take your order."
"Sounds like a plan, Mills." Cassie replied as she tried to make things less awkward. "We'll have one medium Pepperoni pizza and a pitcher of Root Beer."
"Coming right up." Millie said, writing down the order. She looks back at Freddie and beams brightly which causes Freddie to blush.
Cassie stares at Freddie. "She seems to like you."
"Yeah because she's a fan of iCarly. That's all." Freddie said frankly. He lets out a sigh and looks at Cassie. "So..."
Cassie glances at him. "Go ahead. Ask me whatever it is you want to know. I'm an open book."
"All right, what do you do for a living?" he asked.
"Well, I'm a private investigator." She retorts.
"No way!" Freddie stated. "Seriously?"
"It's true. Granted, it isn't as glamorous as they make it out to be in the movies. I basically follow people around to make sure people aren't doing something they shouldn't be doing." She replied. "I'm usually hired by wealthy women to find out if their husbands are having affairs with other women… or men. Nine times out of ten, they are. And they say romance is dead, right?"
Freddie was dumbfounded. "Do you make a lot of money from it?"
"It usually depends on the client but I do make a sizable amount of cash. Enough to live comfortably, especially in this economy." She stated.
Freddie nods as Millie comes back to the table with the pitcher of Root Beer and two glasses. "All right guys, your pizza should be ready shortly. Just let me know if you need anything."
"Thanks again, Millie." Cassie said. "How's your dad doing?"
"He's good. Busy, I mean it makes sense. Being a cop is a thankless job but he's totally devoted to it and I am proud of him for that." Millie replied. She focuses her attention on Freddie. "Um, are you in town just visiting or something? I don't mean to pry but I'm curious."
"I'm going to school in the city." He answered.
"Let me guess... NYU?" Millie guessed, seeming a little disappointed.
"Nope, can't afford that. I'm gonna be attending the New York City College of Technology." Freddie told her.
"Shut the fridge! You're going to City Tech?" Millie said with giddy enthusiasm which caught Freddie off guard but made Cassie laugh. "I'm going to City Tech too."
"Really? What are you studying?" Freddie asked.
"I'm gonna be a part of City Tech's nursing program." Millie told him. "This job is going to help me pay for most of my expenses. Not that I don't like working here. Mr. Luzoni is such an awesome boss and I get to meet interesting new people, like a certain Internet celebrity." Again Freddie was blushing. "Let me go see if your pizza's ready."
Millie walks off and Cassie looks at Freddie. "Oh yeah, she SO wants you."
Freddie shakes his head and takes a drink from his glass of Root Beer. "She's sweet but-"
"Not your type? You don't like nice girls?" She asked.
"I spent most of my adolescence pining after the ultimate nice girl." He said, of course, referring to Carly Shay. "I have to focus on school. I can't have my heart broken again."
"This because of Sam?" Freddie looks up at his aunt. "I'm a private eye, I pay attention to detail. Your bottom lip twitched when Millie mentioned iCarly. You miss it. You miss her."
"I guess it's hard to hide things from you, huh?" He replied as she touched his hand and gave him a sympathetic stare. "Those were the best times of my life but I need to see that there's more to my life than being the technical producer of iCarly. I'm sure it'll probably open some doors for me later on. I want to know if there is more to me than that. What kind of man I'm becoming." He gives Cassie a small smile. "Sounds pretty silly, doesn't it?"
"You sound like me at your age. You're at a crossroads, not sure where to go. Believe me, I've been there. You just have to see moments as opportunities." Cassie said reassuringly. "You know, my parents weren't exactly what most people would call ideal but once in a while they had decent advice and my dad used to say that in life you just have to play the hand you're dealt."
"Sounds like good advice." Freddie retorts as Millie returns to the table with their pizza.
"All righty, if you need anything else don't be shy to ask." Millie said.
"Thanks, Millie." Cassie said as she began to leave but Freddie spoke up.
"Millie, wait up!"
Millie stops and turns around, walking back over to the table.
"I was wondering if you would like to meet on campus and hang out." Freddie said as Millie smiles brightly while Cassie took a slice of pizza and put it on a plate. She watched the exchange with a big smile on her face. "I mean, we're both freshmen. Might be nice to be around a friendly face."
"That'd be awesome!" Millie replied with pure elation. "I'll- uh- meet you in front of the campus bookstore?"
"Sounds like a plan." Freddie answered as Millie walked with a spring in her step.
Freddie looks up at Cassie and sees a bit of a smirk on her face as she chews a bite of pizza. "What?"
"That could not have been more adorable if you were holding a teddy bear and a puppy." Cassie said as she wipes her mouth with a napkin.
Freddie smiles as he takes a pizza while Cassie serves herself more root beer. "Figure I should start living the moment, don't you think?"
Cassie holds up her glass for a toast. "There's no harm in a little bit of Carpe Diem."
Freddie grins as he clinks his glass with hers.
•••
Freddie and Cassie left Luzoni's and began to walk across the street. "You sure you don't mind me crashing at your place? I could check into a motel until I move into my dorm."
"Don't you dare! I want to spend more time with my nephew. We have sixteen years of catching up to do." Cassie insisted as they let a car pass. "Besides, if I were to let you check into a motel, your mom would kill me and that woman terrifies me" Freddie chuckles as Cassie helps him get his bags out of her car. "So one night of you sleeping on my pull-out isn't a big deal."
"Well, I assumed a woman your age would have a life?" Freddie said as she gave him a look. "Not saying you don't have a life. I'm just saying that a person your age would be married with at least one kid."
"I know." Cassie replied as she slammed the trunk. "It's personal and I'm dealing with it."
"Fair enough" Freddie said.
Suddenly, a woman on the street yells "Hey! Help! Somebody stop him! He's got my purse!"
Freddie and Cassie look behind them and see a guy wearing a beanie running with a woman's plum-colored purse in his hands. Cassie grabs one of Freddie's duffel bags and swings it as the purse snatcher runs by and hits the guy with the bag, causing the purse snatcher to fall on his back and drop the purse.
Cassie grabs the purse and tosses it to Freddie who barely catches it. "Hold on to that for me."
A few people gather around while the purse snatcher yells in pain from the ground. "Give that back! That's mine!"
"Really 'cause it SO doesn't match your shoes?" Cassie quips as he gets to his feet. The purse snatcher goes to try to take the purse from Freddie but Cassie pushes him back. He goes on the attack by throwing a few punches that Cassie dodges with ease as she grabs his left arm and pins it behind his back. "That all you got?"
The purse snatcher manages to get his arm free and tries to backhand Cassie but she ducks out of the way. He tries to attack her again only to have Cassie deliver a well-placed right roundhouse kick to his face. This causes the purse snatcher to be knocked for a loop and fall to the ground, stunning the crowd and Freddie.
At that moment, a police officer and the woman who owns the purse break through the crowd of people and see the purse snatcher on the ground, moaning in pain, as Cassie stood over him and Freddie holding the woman's purse.
"I take it this was your handiwork, Sinclair?" The police officer asked Cassie as he lifted the purse snatcher off the ground. Cassie shrugs as he turns the purse snatcher to face the woman. "Is this the man who stole your purse?"
"Yes Officer, that's him." The woman said.
The officer began to handcuff the purse snatcher while reading him his Miranda Rights. Freddie walks over to the woman and gives her back her purse. She smiles at him as Cassie looks at Freddie.
He gives his aunt a look of utter disbelief.
•••
"How did you do that?" Freddie asked while he sat in Cassie's living room on her couch. Cassie's place was a small studio apartment with a small kitchen area and one bedroom. It was clean and tidy but not overly so. A thunderstorm was raging and thunder and lightning were heard from outside.
Freddie had his new Pearbook placed in front of him on her coffee table. Cassie was in her kitchen, pouring herself a cup of hot tea into a white mug with a Wonder Woman symbol on it. "I'm a single woman living in New York, self defense is like a mandate."
"Have you done that before?" He asked as Cassie walked into the living room sitting on a chair next to him. "That cop looked at you like that wasn't the first time you've done that?"
"Well Fredward, let's just say it isn't my first rodeo." She said, drinking her tea.
"Wonder if my mom knew this." Freddie stated with a laugh. "If she did, she might drag me back home faster than I could process."
Cassie sets down her mug. "She knows… Why do you think she let you come here? She thought that you would be safe if I was watching over you."
"Oh. Well, I guess that shouldn't be surprising." Freddie said with a shrug. After a bit of a pause, he asks "How do you know?"
Cassie sighs "I have taken a lot of martial arts training. Let's just say I know how to take care of myself."
Before he could say anything else, Freddie's Pearbook chimes. "What's up?"
"Someone's requesting a video chat." Freddie informed her.
"Who is it?" She asked.
Freddie smiles as he clicks to confirm the chat.
"Gibbehhh!"
It was indeed one of Freddie's close friends - Orenthal Cornelius Hayes Gibson, known to everyone as Gibby.
"Hey Gib, how's it going?" Freddie asked.
"Awesome! Just settling into UDub." Gibby told him.
Freddie was happy that his friend got into the University of Washington a year early. Surprisingly, a lot of colleges wanted Gibby to go to their institution, including Stanford, which surprised everyone. Gibby chose to go to UW to be close to his family.
"You already moved into your dorm?" Freddie asked as Cassie finished her tea and walked back into the kitchen and placed her mug in the sink.
"Yep. Even met my roommate. The guy is such a weirdo." Gibby told him which made Freddie chuckle. "The guy is majoring in astrophysics. I mean, who wants to study Astros, whatever those are?"
"Gib, I think astrophysics has to do with-" Freddie began when Gibby notices Cassie.
"Hey, who's the saucy señorita there with you?" Gibby asked, referring to Cassie.
"Oh- Gibby, this is Cassie Sinclair." Freddie replied as Cassie bends down next to Freddie.
"Hi, Gibby, right?" Cassie said.
"Hey." Gibby said, deepening his voice. "Would it be wrong of me to say you are one foxy lady?"
"It would be since Cassie's my aunt." Freddie replied as Cassie looks embarrassed.
"Yeah right! None of your relatives are THIS attractive!" Gibby told him which made Cassie laugh. "I mean, you've shown me pictures of your cousin Amanda."
Freddie cringes at the thought of his gross relative. "Cassie is my aunt from my dad's side of the family."
"Oh." Gibby replied. "She's still hot though."
"Dude!" Freddie yelled and Cassie laughed again.
"It's alright. It's very nice to meet you, Giblet." She retorts as she walks off.
"What about you, Benson?" Gibby asked. "You start school tomorrow?"
"Orientation is tomorrow. Just staying at Cassie's until I head to my dorm." Freddie stated. "I even met a girl who is also going to City Tech too. Her name is Millie."
"Is she cute?" Gibby asked.
"She is, in the perky fan girl sort of way." Freddie said. "She's kind of a fan of iCarly."
"Who isn't?" Gibby replied.
Freddie sighs, Gibby was always so positive about stuff that it still hadn't hit him that it was over.
"Gibby, the mixer's starting. You coming?" A female voice called him in the background.
"You know it! Be right there!" He called out. "That's Leighton, she lives in the room next to mine. Girl's a tall drink of water. Can't keep her waiting. Talk to ya soon?"
"Sure thing, man." Freddie said as the chat ended.
[Soundtrack Note: 'Dream' by Imagine Dragons plays through the rest of this scene and continues]
Freddie leans back on the couch and exhales a deep breath. He was feeling a little lonely and sad after speaking to a friend he might not see in a while if ever. Cassie notices her nephew's melancholic posture.
"So, that was Gibby?" Cassie said, breaking the silence. "You weren't kidding about him being an oddball."
"Yeah, but he's a good guy. Good friend." Freddie stated with a weak smile then clears his throat. "So.. you told me on the way to the restaurant that there was something you wanted to show me?"
Cassie lets out a deep breath and walks over to a closet and pulls out a cardboard box. She begins to explore the box until she finds a tan-brown leather-bound messenger bag. "Ah, here it is."
"What's that?" He asked as he stared at the bag.
"Uh, this- it belonged to your dad." Cassie told him. Freddie is floored as Cassie walks over and sits down next to him. Freddie gingerly takes the bag from his aunt. "It's been fourteen years since the last time I saw him. He told me to hold on to this and if I ever saw you again, to give it to you."
Freddie stares at the last piece he had of his father. "This is- Wow." He was struggling to find the words.
"I'm not entirely sure what happened between Lenny and Marissa but I want you to know that your dad loved you very much." Cassie told him as Freddie stared at the engraved name on a nameplate that read 'Leonard Sinclair.'
"I want to believe that." Freddie said. "Just want to know what could've happened to make him leave. Maybe I could've done something."
Cassie touches his face and grabs him by the cheek "Hey. Look at me." She said in a strong but maternal tone. "This was never your fault, okay? You were two years old, nothing you did would've made him leave. Lenny had a lot of secrets, stuff he even hid from me. Just remember that whatever reason he had, he did it for you. Okay?"
Freddie smiles and nods. "Got it."
Cassie hugs Freddie tightly to show him her support and he hugs her back.
•••
Freddie lies on the mattress of Cassie's pull-out. He was having trouble falling asleep, not just from the storm outside. It had been quite a day. Cassie wasn't what he expected, she was one of the most amazing people he's ever met. All that had happened was compounded by the gift from his father.
He never asked his mom why his dad left because he didn't want to upset her. She even cut him out of every picture of him she owned and lit them on fire. Freddie wanted to know what kind of man his dad was. He used to wonder why he left but after eighteen years of dealing with his mom's insane overprotectiveness, a part of Freddie understood.
Freddie stares at the bag, too scared to take a look inside. He figured that his dad wouldn't have given him an empty bag. Something had to be in there. He just was petrified to even look inside.
He rolls over and grabs his Pearphone. He clicks at his photos and starts scrolling through them. There were pictures of him with his mom, and with his friends, most of them were the trio (him, Carly, and Sam). However, he stops at a picture.
Of Sam.
Freddie had taken it a week before they broke. He managed to convince her to go to a botanical garden... after he promised to get some fried chicken afterward. He caught her standing next to some white Orchids. As beautiful as the flowers were, they couldn't compare to Sam.
Freddie still didn't know why he still had it on his phone. Maybe he was still in love with her.
His memories go back to the kiss Carly have him the night she left to live in Italy with her dad. It was strange to him in many ways. He had gotten what he had always wanted, a kiss from the girl from his dreams. Thing was that he wasn't sure it was what he wanted anymore. Sure, he raised his arms in triumph only because he had gotten one last kiss from Carly before she left his life forever.
Freddie spent a few months hanging out with Sam like old times, hoping it would spark something between them again. However, Sam struggled without Carly and left for Los Angeles and never came back. She started a babysitting service with some quirky red-haired Hollywood Arts student named Cat Valentine.
The last time he had seen her was when Cat used Sam's phone to call him. She told him that Sam was in a terrible accident and needed to get to LA right away. Freddie didn't hesitate and flew down only to find out it was a ploy from Cat who wanted to steal him from Sam. It was an incredibly awkward set of events that led to him ending up in the hospital after a plunge into a pool filled with Killer Tuna.
Sam did spend some time with him in the hospital until his mom came to take him home. It was nice even though he couldn't speak. Getting to spend time with her was nice.
Thunder boomed which broke Freddie from his memories. He looks towards the window as lightning flashes.
Freddie checked the time on his phone. It was 1:45. He sets up his phone and stares at the ceiling. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day. Tomorrow, things are going to be different.
Freddie shuts his eyes and begins to fall asleep.
[Soundtrack Note: Song Ends]
•••
Early the following morning, Cassie pulls her car in front of the Hotel St George. This place was where City Tech as well as a few other colleges in the area had their student housing. "Here we are." Cassie said and Freddie let out a sigh. Freddie was wearing a dark purple plaid shirt with a black undershirt underneath and blue jeans. Cassie wore a black long-sleeved mini dress paired with matching leggings with her leather jacket and black calf-high boots. She brushes her blond hair away from her face and glances over at him. "Are you nervous?"
Freddie gives her a weak smile. "Kind of. I'll be okay."
Cassie senses something he wasn't saying as she sees him tightly clutching the bag that belonged to his father. "Maybe I shouldn't have given that bag. It's agitated you-"
"Let's just drop it, okay?" Freddie insisted. "Not the best time to pull off that Band-Aid again."
Cassie lifted her arms in defeat. "Fine by me."
The two of them got out of Cassie's car. Freddie looks up at the structure of the hotel while Cassie opens her car's trunk. She begins to take out Freddie's bags as he looks back down at the leather bag. "Wanna give a hand here, kiddo?"
Freddie snaps out of his trance. "Right. Sorry." He said as he grabbed two duffel bags while his laptop bag was strapped over his shoulder while Cassie slammed the trunk shut.
"So, do you know who your roommate is?" Cassie asked as she took one of the bags from him and they headed into the hotel.
"Uh, a guy. Gabe... Something."
"Gabe Something, strange name." Cassie joked as Freddie chuckled as they stepped into the elevator and a trio of girls got out. One of them was a sultry brunette who looked back at Freddie and then at her friends who giggled. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking I'm gonna like college." Freddie said as the elevator doors closed.
•••
Freddie and Cassie walk down a hallway as several students are settling in and socializing with one another. Freddie sees something in front of him and calls Cassie's attention. "Over here!"
Cassie follows Freddie to a door as he looks at a slip of paper. "Room 1804. This is it." He pulls out a key and opens the door. They walk inside and find a pretty blonde girl around the same age. "Oh!"
"Hi!" The blonde greeted them. She wasn't shy about basically wearing nothing but a towel and a smile. "Are you Gabe's roomie?"
"I am. Um, and you are?" Freddie asked anxiously at the practically naked woman in his presence.
"I'm Taylor." She replied then she called out to a figure standing in the bathroom. "Gabe, your roommate is here!"
Out of the bathroom, an eighteen-year-old young man with messy brown hair that was slightly long and a bit unkempt. He wasn't wearing a shirt or shoes but had on pants. His demeanor could be intercepted as a cross between James Dean and a young John F Kennedy, with a devil-may-care attitude in his stance.
Cassie seems amused by the sight of this and Freddie stands in shock. They both knew what had happened here.
"So, that was fun." Taylor told Gabe as she kissed him on the cheek. "Let's do it again sometime."
"Anytime, Tracy." Gabe said. Taylor's eyes narrow as he realizes his mistake. "Tonya? No, wait, Taryn?"
Taylor slaps him hard across the face which causes Freddie to flinch at his pain and Cassie to put her hand over her mouth in amused shock. "It's Taylor!" She grabs her clothes and walks out the door in a huff. "Pig!" She slams the door shut behind her.
Gabe goes to the door, opens it, and calls out to her. "Come back! I'm sorry..." He tried hard to remember her name.
"Taylor!" Freddie and Cassie said in unison.
"I knew that!" Gabe yelled at them then he shrugged, mildly embarrassed by his slip-up. "They need to come with name tags." He sighs as he offers his hand to Freddie for a shake. "I'm Gabriel Morgan, you can call me Gabe."
"Freddie Benson." He said, shaking his hand.
"Wait, you're that dude from that web show, what was it -? Oh, iCarly!" Gabe said.
"Yep, I was the tech producer." Freddie told him, trying to downplay what had happened. He looks over at his aunt. "Oh, this is my aunt Cassie."
Cassie offers her hand to Gabe. "Cassie Sinclair."
Gabe takes her hand and bends down to plant a soft kiss on her hand. "A pleasure to meet you." Gabe replied.
Cassie chuckles as she quickly pulls her hand away. "Sweetie, put the libido away. I am probably old enough to be your older sister and frankly, May/December romances only work out in the movies."
Gabe gulps at her abrasiveness, he realized this wasn't someone he wanted to piss off.
Freddie breaks the tension and looks at Gabe. "Wait, Morgan? I know that name! Aren't you the son of billionaire tech mogul David Morgan?"
"That's me." Gabe said in a slightly sheepish tone.
"Dude, your dad is like an all-out genius in robotics, genetics, and weapons technology." Freddie replied, purely awestruck.
"Yeah, that's my old man." Gabe said, this time with mild annoyance.
"I thought that the kid of a billionaire could go to any school in the country?" Cassie asked, sounding like she might be interrogating him. "Harvard, MIT..."
"Which is why I decided to go here," Gabe replied curtly. "I'm sure it would've been easy for me to go to the top schools. Hell, the old man could've even sweetened the pot for them by donating a couple of million dollars but then I would've spent my entire education career wondering if I earned it or if I was just taking the easy route."
"And you don't want that hanging over your head?" Freddie replied.
"Exactly." Gabe stated.
"That is quite admirable." Cassie replied to the boy she got to know under less-than-ideal circumstances. He isn't who she thought he was.
Cassie turns to face Freddie as Gabe puts on a clean white T-shirt. "I've got some business to take care of on the other side of the Bridge. Call me once Orientation is done."
"I will. Promise." Freddie told her as she hugs him.
"Make sure he doesn't get you into trouble." She said into his ear. Gabe heard that but he just shakes his head and smiles.
Cassie pulls away from her nephew and walks out of the room. Gabe walks over to Freddie and asks "Has anyone ever told you your aunt is smoking hot?"
Freddie turns and faces him, mildly perplexed. "It's been brought up."
Gabe laughs as he goes to put on his shoes. "What time is it?"
Freddie checks his wristwatch. "It's 8:45. Orientation is at 9:15."
Gabe grabs his black leather jacket and puts it on. "Well let's get down there, shall we?"
Freddie grins and they walk out of the room.
•••
It took the boys about fifteen minutes to get to campus. Freddie knew he was late meeting Millie, hoping that she wasn't mad at him.
Freddie and Gabe walk around campus as several groups of girls look at Gabe with lust on their minds. "You certainly got a way with the ladies." Freddie said to his roommate.
Gabe notices that a few girls were giving Freddie similar looks. "Hey you ain't hurting, Benson. You might make an excellent wingman?"
"Wingman?" Freddie questioned.
"Yeah, you could be the guy who works his earnest nice guy attitude on girls and I swoop in and work my charms on them." Gabe explained as Freddie listened. "You can even help me-"
"Remember their names?" Freddie quips.
Gabe gives him a simpering look as Freddie turns and sees Millie walking on campus, holding a few books in her hands. She wore her hair in pigtails and had on a green floral pattern button shirt underneath a denim jacket and light-colored skinny jeans.
"Millie!" Freddie calls out which startles Millie and causes her to drop the books from her hands. Freddie and Gabe rush over and help Millie pick her books off the floor. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine. No biggie." Millie said as she picks up the books while Freddie and Gabe help her. "I waited outside the bookstore for fifteen minutes but I got bored and bought some books."
"Again I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept you waiting." Freddie said apologetically. "Had to get my stuff to my room at the St George."
Freddie picks up one of the titles of the book read 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dating.' He gives her a look as she takes the book from him. "I have no idea how that got there." Millie said nervously.
"Yeah right and I'm the Queen of Sheba." Gabe chuckles as Millie scowls. She recognizes him, as they've met before.
Millie says nothing as the two stares at each other which Freddie notices.
"Oh, I don't think you two have met. Millie, this is my roommate Gabe Morgan. Gabe, this is Millie Flores." Freddie said, making the proper introductions.
Millie had her arms crossed over her chest and Gabe exhaled. Freddie could tell the two of them didn't like each other. It kind of reminded him of how he and Sam were before iCarly.
"We've met." Millie said, sucking in the air. "So… how's your mom? Still having an affair with Jack Daniels?"
"Are we going to do this now, Millicent?" Gabe asked, rubbing his right temple with his finger. "It was years ago. Thought we could put this behind us?
"And you think I'm going, what? Forgive and forget?" Millie retorts. "It may have been years ago to you but to me, it's still pretty fresh to me."
Freddie watches them argue with intense intrigue.
Gabe let in air and said, "What happened to your mom was a terrible accident-"
"Do not talk about my mother, you rich-"
"Okay!" Freddie steps into the middle of them before Millie could finish. "Guys, chill out. It seems like you guys have some deep seeded history and you can tell me all about it later. Let's just get through orientation, maybe we can work this out. Does that sound fair?"
"All right." Gabe replied.
"Fine by me." Millie retorts.
Millie stomps forward as Gabe walks a few steps behind.
Freddie remains where he was for a moment as he mumbles "Now I know how you felt, Carls." After that, he walks after his new friends.
•••
Freddie, Millie, and Gabe along with the other freshmen enter Kirby Hall, where City Tech held live presentations. Freddie sat between Gabe and Millie to prevent any further spats.
Standing in the middle of the room was popular professor, thirty-five-year-old Professor Thomas Bennett who teaches entertainment technology. Everyone calls him Professor Tommy and he was fawned over by the female student body because of his boyish good looks and even temper. He would also be one of Freddie's professors.
"Good morning guys, if you'll find a seat anywhere." Professor Tommy told the freshmen students who did as instructed. "Let me be the first to welcome you to the New York College of Technology but feel free to call it City Tech if you feel that's a bit of a mouthful." Some of the students laugh at this. Freddie stares at him, trying to read him. He has usually been a good judge of character so figured he'd try. "Now I bet you all are thinking I was going to give some boring speech about how higher learning is important. It is but I know all of you are smart enough to know that. So instead, I'm going to conduct a little social experiment. I'll need two volunteers..." He looks around the room and points at Freddie and Millie. "You two, come up here please."
Millie eagerly got up from her seat while Freddie let out a deep sigh and reluctantly followed Millie to where Professor Tommy was standing.
"I don't like where this is going." Freddie whispers as Millie shushes him.
"Okay. Does anyone here know who these two are?" Professor Tommy asked the freshmen. A girl with jet black hair cut in a short bob raised her hand. "Yes?"
"I have no idea who the girl is but he's from that old web show, what's it called? Oh, iCarly!" The jet black haired girl replied, snapping her fingers when it came to her.
Freddie gives a bit of a weak smile as Gabe raises his hand. Professor Tommy acknowledges him by pointing at him.
"His name is Freddie Benson, he's my roommate. He's a pretty cool dude but that's just my personal opinion." Gabe replied, which made Freddie smile.
"And do you know her?" Professor Tommy asked which causes Millie to look down.
"Yeah, her name's Millie Flores. Her- uh- mom used to work for my parents... as a maid." Gabe said as Millie bit her lip. Freddie looks taken aback.
A bleach blonde-haired girl's laughter cut the air of silence. "So… her mom was the help? Makes sense." She said, twirling a strand of her hair.
"What does that mean?" Millie asked, sounding offended.
"No offense but your people tend to either end up working as maids or at nail salons." The girl said callously as Millie glared at her. "So what is she doing now? Cleaning rooms in some fleabag motel in Queens?"
"My mom's dead, you classless skunk-bag!" Millie spat, tears besting up in her eyes.
This statement filled the room with awkward silence.
Gabe speaks up as he looks back at the girl who was rude to Millie. "Hey, Heather! What gives you the right to judge her? At least her dad didn't end up in prison for committing tax fraud!"
The girl, Heather, sat there with her mouth agape as Freddie and Millie looked at each other.
"Freddie, Millie, take your seats please." Professor Tommy told them as Freddie put a comforting hand on Millie's shoulder as she gave him the sign that she was okay. "Could someone tell me what the point of that experiment was?"
"For pointless humiliation?" A tall lanky boy quips.
"No." Professor Tommy said. "I wanted to show that we are all here for different reasons. But we all have a similar goal - to find out what kind of people we are. We could be trying to see if there's more to us than meets the eye. We all want to matter." These words were striking a chord with Freddie. "It's a journey we must travel on but we don't have to necessarily travel alone. Life certainly is not an easy journey. I'm not going to sugarcoat this, things will be tough. There will be pain and sadness, but it is these emotions that will make us appreciate the joy we experience. This isn't a cliché when I say that this is your time. You just have to be ready for it."
Freddie listened to the words closely, something about them hit him close to home.
•••
The freshmen begin to exit from Kirby Hall with Freddie, Millie, and Gabe gathering their belongings. Freddie is still in between his two friends. It was still awkward between Millie and Gabe. "Do you guys want to find a quiet place so we can talk?" Freddie asked. "I think you guys should work things out because I hate to have to be the monkey in the middle."
"Seems fair." Gabe said as he turned to Millie. "Mills, I think we've aired our grievances-"
"Speak for yourself, heir apparent." Millie jokes under her breath.
"Millie, let him finish." Freddie replied.
Millie looks over at Freddie then stares down at her feet. "Sorry, keep going."
Gabe nods and continues speaking to Millie. "Listen, I don't want our past to define the next few years at this school. If it's alright with you, I want to start over. Tabula Rasa."
Millie appears confused. "Huh?"
"It's Latin." Gabe informed her.
Millie blinks, not clearing things up for her.
"Means clean slate." Freddie told her.
"Oh." Millie uttered. "Tell you what, Gabe, I'll cut you SOME slack but don't think I'm just gonna let bygones be bygones. It still hurts. What happened still hurts like hell."
"I know," Gabe replied with sadness in his tone. "I don't expect you to let me off so easy. I just want to be your friend again. Not expecting anything in return but your friendship, okay?"
Millie lets out a deep breath and offers a handshake. We can be friends... On a trial basis."
Freddie smiles as the pair accept each other's olive branch.
The trio goes to leave when suddenly Freddie accidentally bumps into a professor wearing a long lab coat. He was tall, about 6'1", and had short greying black hair and horn-rimmed glasses. His paperwork was scattered all over the floor and Freddie, Millie, and Gabe helped pick them up.
Freddie began to apologize. "I am sorry."
"It's quite alright. No harm done." The professor said, speaking calmly in a German accent.
"Think we should start calling you Demolition Man, Benson." Gabe quips as Millie smacks him on the shoulder. "Ow!"
"You told me not to let you off easy," she replied snidely.
Freddie began to read through some of the paperwork. There were complex equations and drawings of a strange device. His eyes widen, he knows what it is. "Is this a Tesla coil?"
The professor looks stunned as Gabe began to look at the papers as well. "Sweet fancy Moses, these are plans for a Tesla coil!"
The professor shushes them as Millie stares at them with pure confusion. "What's a Tesla coil?"
The professor and the two boys stare at her as if she had sprouted five heads.
"A Tesla coil is an electrical resonant transformer circuit invented by Nikola Tesla. Tesla was a brilliant inventor during the 19th century who was known for his high-voltage, high-frequency power experiments." Freddie explained.
"The guy was a futurist, completely ahead of his time." Gabe retorts. "He's best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current electricity supply system."
"The coil is used to produce high-voltage, low-current, high-frequency alternating-current electricity." Freddie stated. "Tesla coils can produce higher voltages than other artificial sources of high-voltage discharges, electrostatic machines."
"Tesla used these coils to conduct innovative experiments in electrical lighting, phosphorescence, x-ray generation, high frequency alternating current phenomena, electrotherapy, and the transmission of electrical energy without wires." Gabe told her.
Millie smacks her forehead, a bit annoyed. "Sweet Christmas, you two are such nerds."
"This from the girl who quoted Luke Cage." Gabe teased.
Millie rolls her eyes which makes Freddie chuckle.
"I am impressed, boys." The professor replied and shook their hands. "My name is Professor Emil Dahl. I teach electrical engineering here at City Tech."
"I'm Fredward Benson but people just call me Freddie." he told Professor Dahl.
Gabe hands Professor Dahl his papers. "Gabriel Morgan, everyone calls me Gabe and the sweet but slightly clueless young lady over here is Millicent Flores."
"I'd much prefer being called Millie." She said with a snort.
"Professor, are you building the coil?" Freddie asked.
"Baw, building?" Professor Dahl replied to the question with pride in his voice. "It is already built."
"Seriously?" Gabe asked in amazement.
"No way!" Freddie replied with an astonished tone.
"I am planning my first test of it tonight." Professor Dahl told the boys. "If you are not too busy, maybe you two can assist me with the first test."
"Are you serious?" Freddie asked. "That'd be awesome!"
"I'm game." Gabe answered.
"Wait, isn't the student mixer tonight?" Millie informs the boys.
"Oh yeah, that's right!" Gabe remembered.
"If you have other plans, there is always another time." Professor Dahl said.
"No, no, it's not a problem." Freddie replied.
"We'll be there." Gabe told him.
Professor Dahl looks at Millie "And your friend? She doesn't appear to be interested."
Millie smiles and relents "I can pretend to be interested. Besides, someone's got to watch out for these eggheads. Keep 'em out of trouble."
The boys look exasperated at their female companion.
"All right. Meet me on the roof of the Ursula C. Schwerin Library. I'll begin the test at 21:00 hours." The professor said.
"I know this... Nine o'clock, right?" Millie replied, figuring military time.
"Correct." Professor Dahl said. "See you all then."
He takes his papers and walks off down the hall. The professor sees Professor Bennett and another man dressed in a well-tailored suit and hides behind a pillar.
Professor Bennett and the other man leave the area and Professor Dahl walks off quickly.
•••
The trio walks out of Kirby Hall as several students gather in the quad. Millie seemed rather annoyed with the two boys.
"Can't believe we're going to miss the mixer to watch some mad science experiment." Millie complained.
"You don't have to come with us?" Freddie said.
"Yeah, you can go to the party while we chill with Victor Frankenstein." Gabe replied.
"No way. After that incident at Orientation, I got 'freak' tattooed on my forehead. I can't go alone." Millie said. "I need to be around a friendly face... and Gabe."
Freddie shakes his head and said. "What if I told you we can go to the mixer and make it in time to help Professor Dahl with the coil?"
"And how do we manage that?" Millie asked.
"Yeah, Benson, how?" Gabe asked with curiosity. "Got a time machine?"
"No, the mixer starts at 6:30, right?" He said as his friends nod in agreement. "In that case, we go to the mixer, stay and party for about an hour and a half and leave. Making it just in time to help with the Tesla coil. How does that sound?"
Millie smiles and hugs Freddie for being good with time management. "You are brilliant!"
Freddie smiles as Gabe grins. "Now why didn't I think of that."
"Yeah, why didn't you, Prodigy" Millie joked as Gabe glared at her.
The trio hears a commotion headed their way. It was Heather and her friends but also with them was Heather's tall and angry looking boyfriend. He has longish blond hair that was slick back and who looked extremely pissed off.
Heather points at Gabe. "That's him, Ricky! That's the guy that made fun of me!"
Ricky got in his face. "Is that true? You make fun of my girl?"
"She may have left out some important details but yeah, that's the gist of it." Gabe said matter-of-factly.
"Why don't you try making fun of me, rich boy?" Ricky threatened.
"I would but the insults would probably go over your head because my IQ is more than two digits." Gabe jokes which causes Ricky to punch him hard in the gut. Millie and Freddie become concerned as a crowd gathers around them.
"I don't need an IQ to beat the tar out of you!" Ricky yelled as he shoves Gabe to the ground.
"Hey, cut it out!" Freddie yelled to no avail.
Millie gets in Heather's face. "Hey, tell your Neanderthal boyfriend to quit it!" She demanded Heather.
"Well since you asked so politely... No." Heather snidely replies as Ricky grabs Gabe by the leg and starts twisting his ankle.
"Dude, knock it off!" Freddie yelled over the riled-up college crowd.
"You like that, pretty boy?" Ricky asked as Gabe reeled in pain. He pounds on the floor as if to say he's tapping out but Ricky didn't stop. Heather was enjoying Gabe being tortured.
"Let him go... Dick!" Freddie told Ricky, using another name for Richard. This causes some of the crowd to go 'Ooooh' and Ricky lets go of Gabe's leg but focuses on Freddie. Freddie goes to check on his roommate. "Hey-"
Before he could do anything, Ricky shoves Freddie back and punches him hard in the face that causes Freddie to fall to the ground. "Come on, get up, Benson! Get up!" Freddie gets to his feet only to get punched in the abdomen. Freddie fell to the ground and held himself up with his hands and knees. Ricky grins and kicks Freddie hard in the stomach. Freddie ends up flat on his back. "Stay down, Benson!"
Freddie looks like he got the wind knocked out of him and Gabe was grabbing his leg in pain.
A girl with long dark brown hair and a cinnamon complexion steps through the crowd. She is wearing a black top with a white blazer over it, a short mini-skirt, and knee-high boots. She looks at Heather and gives her a look of contempt.
The girl steps up to Ricky. "You gonna hit me too? Go right ahead. Take your best shot."
"I'd like to see that too." Professor Tommy's voice called out as the crowd began to break away Professor Tommy went to confront. "It's the first day, son. Let us not start on the wrong foot."
Ricky stares down at Tommy but he backs away. Heather looks annoyed as Gabe limps to his feet.
"If I hear that this was your idea, Ms. Chase. I don't care how much your trust fund is, I'll see to it that you get thrown out of this school. Clear?" He told Heather. Heather glares at him as she and Ricky walk away with her friends.
The girl who stepped up to Ricky looked back at Freddie who was getting to his feet on his own. She gives him a warm smile and walks off along with the rest of the crowd.
Professor Tommy goes to check on Freddie. "Are you all right?"
"I think so." Freddie breathed, sucking in some air to alleviate the pain in his face. "That was a first."
"First what?" Tommy asked, puzzled.
"First time I took a beating... From a guy." Freddie said still feeling the pain from the blows. Sam never hit this hard. A part of him thought maybe she had been holding back. He looks over at Gabe and Millie. "Still want to go to the mixer?"
Gabe smirks as he rubs his ankle while Millie looks at her two injured friends.
•••
Freddie was standing in front of the bathroom mirror getting ready for the mixer. He was wearing a black T-shirt and dark jeans and he had a grey jacket sitting on the counter. He notices some bruising on the side of his mouth. He touches his mouth which causes him to flinch a bit.
A part of Freddie was a bit proud of himself for taking the beating. He certainly wasn't going to tell his mom that he got into a fight. She could come there and drag him back to Seattle which was the last thing he wanted.
All of a sudden, his Pearphone rings. He sees the number and answers "Cassie?"
"Seeing as you didn't call me right away after Orientation, I take it that things went well." Cassie stated.
Things were quite eventful. Freddie told his aunt in a meek tone.
"Why don't I like the sound of that?" Cassie replied.
"You promise not to wig out?" he asked worriedly.
Cassie sighs "What happened?"
"I sort of got into a fight." Freddie fearfully admitted, unsure how his aunt would react.
"Please tell me that by 'fight' you mean 'a spirited debate'." Cassie hoped.
"No, not really." Freddie replied, rubbing his lip in pain
After a brief pause, she asked "Did you win?"
Freddie smirks, still sore "If by 'win' do you mean that ' I didn't even throw a punch and ended up flat on my back'? If so then yeah, I won."
"Who's the creep who did it so I can find him and break all the bones in his face?" Cassie asked in a livid tone.
"Just some blowhard whose girlfriend Gabe insulted. He was beating up Gabe and I was trying to get him to stop." Freddie explained. "He did but I ended up getting punched and kicked for my troubles."
"How did I know that that guy was going to get you into trouble?" Cassie joked.
"Don't blame him, I'm used to getting beaten up by clods like that." Freddie said with a laugh. "Hey, how long have you known Millie?"
"About four years. She and her dad moved into the apartment complex a few blocks from mine." She replied. "Why do you ask?"
"Do you know about what happened to her mom?" He asked in a serious tone.
Cassie breathes deeply again. "Just what her dad told me. She fell down a flight of marble stairs working at the home of some affluent family."
"Did you know that family was Gabe's?" Freddie replied.
"Are you serious?" Cassie asked in an incredulous tone.
"Yeah." He replied.
"Wow. That must've gone over well when you two met up with her." She said.
"You could say that." Freddie joked. "I did try to help them work something out. They seem to be on good terms or at least on mildly amicable terms where they aren't trying to kill each other."
"Hey, that's something." Cassie replied. "Do you have any plans for the evening?"
"Well, Gabe, Millie, and I are going together to this mixer at school." He told her. "Why, did you want to do something?"
"Fredward, relax, I'm not your mom. It's not like I have some jigsaw puzzles that I need you to help me finish or anything. Just me, some Chinese, and Netflix till I fall asleep so big plans for me. Cassie joked which made Freddie chuckle. "Have fun. You deserve some fun."
"I will." He said.
"Oh and promise me that you won't get into another fight." Cassie said. "I don't want your mother to have a stroke. It's not good for someone her age."
Freddie laughs. "I give you my word I won't get into any fights."
"Well, at least not until you let me teach you a few moves." She quips. "You need to learn how to defend yourself."
"Sam tried that a few times but I'm thinking she just wanted an excuse to hit me." He laughs as a twinge of pain went through him. Mostly emotional.
Cassie laughs. "Listen, I gotta go. Have fun at your party... but not too much fun. I've seen enough movies to know how rowdy those kinds of parties can get."
"All right, fine. Talk to you later." Freddie replied as she hung up.
•••
Cassie was in the hallway close to the door to her apartment. She was holding her Pearphone and a bag of takeout for one. Another eventful evening of sitting home alone and having takeout, watching something stupid on Netflix.
She puts her Pearphone in her jacket pocket and digs through her messenger bag to pull out her keys as she tries to hold on to her takeout. Just as she finds her keys, her Pearphone falls out of her pocket. She tries to catch it, but another person's hand catches it before it hits the floor.
Cassie looks over her shoulder and sees a blond hair man who looks about the same age as her. His hair was short and combed neatly but something wouldn't let it be tamed. He had gorgeous blue eyes that compliment his complexion. His physique was well-sculpted and his demeanor seemed rough and tumble. Cassie couldn't help but stare.
"Miss?" His voice broke Cassie's concentration. He spoke with a slight English accent. "I believe this belongs to you."
Cassie snaps out of it and laughs nervously. "Right. Yeah, it does. Thanks." She took the Pearphone from his hand.
"Glad I could help. These things are way too expensive to have to replace regularly." The man said.
"That is very true." Cassie replied. "Um, do you live here or do you just go around saving people's Pearphones from certain doom? If so, that sounds like the world's lamest superhero."
"Um, yeah. I just moved in down the hall." The man said as he offered his hand. "I'm Pete Sawyer."
Cassie smiles as she takes his hand, accepting the handshake. "Cassie Sinclair. Nice to meet you, Mr. Sawyer."
"Don't, Mr. Sawyer's my father." Pete stated. "My friends call me Pete. Well, they would if I had any. I'm kind of new to the city."
"Really? In that case, I'd be happy to be your gatekeeper, Pete." Cassie retorts, making him smile which causes Cassie to blush. "Um, I have to get inside and have dinner. If you need to - um- borrow some sugar or need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
"I'll keep that in mind." Pete said as he walks back to his apartment. "See you around, Princess."
Cassie watches him leave and when she hears his door open and then close, she lets out a breath. "Jeez it, get a grip, girl." She opens the door to her apartment and walks inside. Once she's fully inside and has closed the door, Cassie lets out an excited yelp that Pete heard through the wall.
•••
The student mixer was happening outside a recreation center and several City Tech students were dancing, chatting, and having a good time.
[Soundtrack Note: 'I Feel Like Dancin' by All Time Low blares through the sound system]
At a billiard table, Gabe, who was wearing a white untucked button-up shirt with a loose black tie and jeans, was taking a shot with two other students that he was playing with. "Eight ball, side pocket." He shoots and makes the shot as the other players groan. "Thanks for playing. Time to pay the piper."
The two guys he was playing with each hand Gabe a wad of cash as Gabe quickly counts the money by flicking the wads. "Hey, you're short twenty."
"Come on, man. A man has to eat." The guy missing money replied.
"Tell you what, I'm feeling generous." Gabe said as he tossed the guy back his money.
"Thanks, man!" He said happily.
"Hey, what about me?" The other guy asked.
Gabe grins like a Cheshire cat. "Squeaky wheel gets the grease, my friend. Maybe you should've said something sooner."
He points at Gabe and then at the table. "Double or nothing!"
"Fine, I'm game." Gabe said. "Rack 'em up."
In another part of the room, Freddie and Millie were sitting on a couch watching some of the people dance. Freddie wore his grey jacket over his outfit and Mille wore a sleeveless cream-colored top with black skinny jeans. Freddie was telling her a story that was making her laugh. "And it exploded." Freddie told her.
"Because he set it on overload?" She asked.
"He's a good guy but no one ever accused Gibby of being a rocket scientist." Freddie joked.
"I'm still trying to understand how you turned a toy phaser from Galaxy Wars into an actual working one." Millie laughed.
"And to be honest, so am I." Freddie said frankly.
"I guess you're just that much of a genius." Millie told him.
"Well I don't like to brag but I did find a cure for bilateral optic stenosis." Freddie said proudly.
Millie gives him a quizzical look "That's a thing?"
[Soundtrack Note: The sound system begins to play the next song, 'Victorious' by Panic! At the Disco]
Freddie laughs then looks around the room then back at Millie and notices she looks like she wanted to dance. "You could go out there."
"Is that an invitation?" She asked him playfully.
"I don't dance." Freddie told her.
"Why? Got two left feet?" Millie asked jokingly.
"You could say that." He replied when the tall lanky guy with glasses from Orientation walks over to the two of them.
"Hi, Millie." He said anxiously. "I w-was w-wondering if you'd like to dance w-with me."
Millie smiles brightly "I don't-"
"She'd love to." Freddie answered. This causes Millie to stare at her friend.
"What are you, her spokesman?" The lanky guy asked.
Freddie grins as Millie gets up from her chair and grabs the lanky guy's hand. "Let's go. So, what's your name?"
"I'm Jeremy, Jeremy Yancy." The lanky guy said.
"All right, Yancy. Let's dance." Millie replied as she pulls Jeremy to the dance floor.
Freddie watches this as Gabe walks over to Millie's empty chair and sat down. "I just managed to hustle 397 dollars from half the guys at this party."
"Isn't that chump change for you, Mr Trust Fund?" Freddie joked.
Gabe chuckles when he looks up and notices something. "You've got an admirer, Benson."
Freddie looks up and sees the girl who stood up to Ricky looking at him but she looks away. "I think she's looking at you." He said, dismissing the comment.
Gabe grins at him. "Ten bucks says you're wrong."
Freddie looks down when the girl begins to make her way toward the boys. She was wearing an army green sleeveless tank top and black leather pants with black high heels. Her jet-black hair bounced as she strode towards them. She stops and looks straight at Freddie.
"Hi! Freddie, right?" The girl spoke as Freddie looked at Gabe and back at the pretty girl talking to him.
Gabe grins mischievously. "I'll accept payment later." Freddie stammers as Gabe looks and sees a couple of girls giving him lust-filled eyes. "I have some fans. I'll let the two of you chat." He got up from the seat and walked over to the girls staring at him as the girls greeted him.
The pretty girl sits down in the abandoned seat. Freddie begins to get a little flustered. He was not used to getting this much attention, especially not from someone as beautiful as this girl.
"How's your face?" She asked Freddie, confusing him. She points at her lip indicating that she was regarding his bruised lip.
"Oh, it-uh- doesn't hurt as bad as it looks." Freddie said, trying to play it cool.
"I thought it was great what you did for your friend." She said as smiled at him, her soft brown eyes glistening. "It was stupid, but it was great."
"Just helping out a friend. No big deal." Freddie replied sheepishly. "Besides, you standing up to that guy took guts too."
"Believe me, I was bluffing the whole time." She said with a nervous giggle. "I'm Jane, by the way. Jane Louis."
"Freddie Benson."
"Good." Jane replied.
"What?" He asked with a perplexed look on his face.
"Nothing, I was just checking for any signs of concussion." Jane replied. "Signs of confusion like say, forgetting your name."
"Well, you'll be happy to know all my mental faculties are intact." Freddie told her.
"Good to know." Jane said in a flirty manner.
Unexpectedly, Freddie's Pearphone chimes. He pulls in out of his jacket pocket and looks at it. It read the time - as 8:30 PM. Freddie lets out a frustrated groan.
"Aw, dang, no!" He stated.
"What is it?" Jane asked.
"I've gotta go." Freddie said, sounding a tad disappointed. "I promised a professor I'd help him with an experiment at nine o'clock."
"Oh, that's a shame." Jane said, trying to hide her disappointment. "I was hoping we could get to know each other a little more."
"I don't have to go if-"
"No, it's okay. You committed to something and I can't fault you for that." Jane said to him.
"Wow, you are surprisingly chill about this." Freddie said with astonishment.
Jane smiles brightly as she hands him her Pearphone. "Give me your phone." Freddie looks perplexed as they hand each other their phones. He quickly realizes what she was doing and he types something on her phone. "I put my number in your contacts and I'm assuming you're putting your number on mine."
"Yep." He said as they hand each other back their phones. "I'll call you later and let you know how the experiment went."
"Maybe we can even make plans to see each other again." She said as he grins.
"Why wait? How does lunch sound?" He asked.
"Sounds great." She replied.
He walks away as Jane watches him leave. A big smile is permanently on her face.
Freddie looks to find his friends and sees Gabe chatting with a large group of girls. He was telling some story as the girls listened or laughed at what he said. Freddie taps Gabe to get his attention. Gabe turns his head to see his roommate standing behind him.
"We gotta go, man. It's time." Freddie told him.
Gabe nods and turns his attention to the girls. "Sorry ladies, I've gotta go but I promise I'll be seeing all of you later at one point or another." The girls complained and begged him to stay as he began to leave with Freddie. "Where's Millie?"
Freddie looks around and sees Millie still dancing with Jeremy. "There she is."
The two boys walk over and get Millie's attention. "We gotta jet." Gabe replied
"Now?" Millie asked. The two boys nod. "All right, you guys go. I'll stay."
"Aren't you afraid Heather and the other Plastics are going to show?" Gabe asked her and her eyes widened.
Millie turns to Jeremy. "I gotta go."
"But we were having fun. Can't you stay a little while longer?"
"As much as I want to, I can't." She told him. "I've got some extra credit to work on."
"But can I at least get your number?" He asked.
Millie smiles and takes out a pen from his front pocket. She takes his left hand and writes something on it as she kisses him on the cheek. "Here's my number. Call me."
Jeremy grins as Millie leaves with Freddie and Gabe. He looks at his hand to see if she wrote down a number.
•••
On the roof of the Ursula C. Schwerin Library, Professor Dahl was working on a large strange-looking device. He was doing some calculations and running some recalibrations when Freddie, Gabe, and Millie enter through a roof access door.
"We're sorry, are we late?" Freddie asked the professor.
"You are right on time." Professor Dahl told them. "Fredward, Gabriel, if you could evaluate the data I've just gathered? I'll begin to power on the coil."
Freddie and Gabe do so as the professor checks on the coil's equipment. Professor Dahl proceeds to power on the field.
Millie looks up and notices that the sky is being darkened by heavy cloud cover. "Are you sure this is a good idea? It looks like it's gonna rain."
"Those are not rain clouds, Millicent. Those are clouds caused by electromagnetic interference. Nothing to worry about." Professor Dahl told her as thunder boomed through the sky.
"Yeah, that's not very reassuring!" She yelled nervously.
"Don't worry, Millie! I'm sure the professor knows what he's doing." Freddie yelled as lightning flashed, almost lighting up the sky.
"Yeah, we'll be fine." Gabe replied as he jokingly remarked. "You don't have any fillings, do you?"
Millie yells "That isn't funny!"
Gabe chuckles as Millie begins to look through some of Professor Dahl's papers. "So, how'd it go with the mystery girl?" He asked Freddie in a low tone.
Freddie looks up and with a big smile said. "We exchanged numbers. I'm having lunch with her tomorrow." He pulls out a ten-dollar bill and hands it to Gabe.
[Soundtrack Note: Score by Blake Neely titled "The Fastest Man Alive" plays. I know it's from CW's The Flash but it fits]
Gabe grins and takes the money as he studies the numbers on the digital display of an electronic tablet and he looks worried. "This can't be right."
"What is it?" Freddie asked.
"These numbers are abnormally high for a standard Tesla coil." Gabe said as Freddie looked over the numbers as well. He didn't like the look of the numbers either.
"Professor!" Freddie yelled to get Professor Dahl's attention. "Professor Dahl!"
"Yes, yes, what is it?" Professor Dahl said as he watched the progress of the coil. The wind was picking up and blew some of the papers out of Millie's hand which blew out of reach. She looked at Professor Dahl and saw he hadn't even noticed.
The Tesla coil began to flow with electrical energy. Surging and pulsating from the device and swirling around the cloud in blue electrical energy.
"These numbers don't make sense! They're way too high!" Freddie called out to get his attention only to have Dahl shush him. The trio looks up and sees the clouds above them filling up with large amounts of electromagnetic energy.
"We mustn't let anyone know we are performing this experiment!" Dahl said in a hushed but angry tone.
"Wait, I thought we had permission to be doing this?" Freddie asked in horror.
The energy from the coil began to grow bigger and became stronger. The storm became more violent with the passing seconds. Freddie and Gabe realize that they had made a terrible mistake.
"Gentlemen, we can not make a perfect omelet without breaking a few eggs." The professor said as he stared in awe at the supercharged Tesla coil. "Yes, it is working better than I expected."
Freddie and Gabe look at each other with concern for themselves and Millie. "Benson, I think this guy has lost it."
"Yeah, I gathered that." Freddie replied as he started to formulate a plan. "I'll try to get Professor Dahl to calm down. You find a way to shut this thing down!"
Gabe nods as Freddie makes his way over to the professor who was inching closer to the center of the energy field. Millie tries to back away but Professor Dahl grabs her roughly by the arm.
"Where do you think you're going?" Dahl told Millie as she stares back at him.
Gabe rushes towards the control panel for the coil. He tried in vain to shut down the coil but the energy field was becoming incredibly unstable and the control panel began to short-circuit.
An extremely loud boom of thunder is heard which makes Millie scream. Professor Dahl rushes towards her and begins to shake her. "I said to be quiet!" He shoves her hard to the ground. Millie looks completely terrified. "Serves me right for trusting children with MY scientific breakthrough!"
Millie was too scared to move as the professor goes to strike her but fortunately, Freddie tackled Professor Dahl to the ground before he could lay a hand on her. The attack causes the professor to be knocked underneath the center of the energy field.
Professor Dahl screamed in agony as the field's unstable energy began to shred his clothes and flay away pieces of his skin. The control panel for the coil fried and caused a small explosion that knocked Gabe off his feet.
Freddie and Millie watch helplessly as the energy grows too strong for even the coil to contain, spreading onto the large clouds above the machine as the coil powers down. The electromagnetic energy dispersed into the clouds.
Seeing that the professor was incapacitated, Millie goes to check on Gabe who began coming to after surviving the explosion. "Relax. You might have a concussion."
"Is that your expert opinion, Nurse Jackie?" Gabe gasped as he rubs the back of his head.
Millie rolls her eyes "At least your sarcasm is intact."
Freddie looks at Professor Dahl's unmoving form and goes to check on him. He sees the condition Professor Dahl was in. It didn't matter that he had gone insane, he needed help. "I think we need to call an ambulance."
Millie and Gabe look up and a powerful boom is heard.
"Benson, watch out!" Gabe called out to him.
"Freddie!" Millie screamed.
Before he could react, a powerful bolt of pure electromagnetic energy struck Freddie in the chest. His entire body was inundated by a pulse of the incredible electromagnetic lightning that had been absorbed by the clouds. Freddie didn't even have a chance to scream as every ounce of the energy flowed into his body.
Millie and Gabe watched helplessly as the pulsating energy overwhelms their friend.
The pulse dispersed and caused a power outage within a three-mile radius. Once the light show had finished, Freddie stood in place for a moment until he fell to his knees then face down on the floor.
Millie and Gabe rush over to their friend. Millie turns Freddie to face upward as she checks for any sign of life. "He's alive but his pulse is weak. We need to get him to a hospital."
Gabe grabs his Pearphone and begins to dial as Millie tries to rouse Freddie. His eyes look glazed over.
"911, what is your emergency?" The dispatcher's voice is heard.
"Yes, I need an ambulance at the campus of New York City College of Technology. There's been an accident."
"Freddie, can you hear me?" Millie asked. "Answer me! Freddie! Freddie?"
All Freddie could hear was a shrill ringing in his ears that muffled Millie's words. In his eyes, a light could be seen, and an electric blue spark arcs from his eyelids for a split second.
[Soundtrack Note: Track stops at 1:46]
•••
•••
To Be Continued...
•••
Cast
Fredward 'Freddie Benson - Nathan Kress
Cassandra 'Cassie' Sinclair - Sarah Michelle Gellar
Millicent 'Millie' Flores - Ashley Argota
Gabriel 'Gabe' Morgan - Landon Liboiron
Peter 'Pete' Sawyer - Charlie Hunnam
Jane Louis - Vanessa Morgan
•••
•••
All right, I hope you've enjoyed the revised version of this and more slight alterations to come. Hope you enjoy them.