UNEDITED. Ask me to edit it if you feel it needs to be or else I'm probably going to just embrace my lazy side and never do it.
Dedicated to the first reader to comment, CauseWereRoyal.
Listen to 'Sweet As Whole' by Sara Bareilles. It tells the story of my life. Kind of. okay maybe not. But listen to it anyway(:
Sam's POV
45 minutes before the show
"Sam!" Carly calls from upstairs. She lightly bounces down the steps in a bright red dress with black lace and black stitching with a wide skirt ending mid thigh that's perfect for twirling in. A black and red striped headband sits in her hair and her makeup's been done full glamour movie star, with red lips, blush, and black eyeliner and mascara. Black Mary Jane high heels adorn her size 8 feet. My insides turn a little green with envy. I know I'll never be able to look that beautiful. Her hair's curled perfectly and laying on her shoulders, the warm chocolate color shining in the light. My blond mop is untamed and wild, haphazardly laying all around me. I have on my customized black tee that Freddie gave me on my birthday last year, that reads PRINCESS PUCKETT in big white letters, a crown hanging off the P in princess, and cute little details like the last two Ts wearing socks and devil horns on the P in Puckett. I didn't want to admit it, but I love that shirt. It's quirky and was an oddly thoughtful, sweet gift that made me like him even more than before. So I have that on and a pair of white cotton shorts that belong to Carly. As I said, I love the shirt but I look like a hobo other hobos laugh at compared to the brunette princess. Sometimes I wish I let Carly change my style when she tried to a few years ago. Maybe then guys would like me and not just use me to get to her.
I furrow my brow a little. The dress looks familiar for some reason. I wonder if she's worn it before. I don't remember her having a dress like this, but I don't really pay attention to her clothes, so I can't really say.
"You like?" She asks me happily twirling in a circle.
"It's gorgeous, but kind of familiar," I reply, ignoring the green monster swirling around inside me.
"It should be. It's the red version of this" Freddie says, from behind me. I'm lounging on the couch with my feet up on the coffee table, my head craned around to see Carls, but when I hear his voice, I snap my head back around to face him.
In his arms is the beautiful dress from the mall, the one that crazy lady made me try on and the one I specifically told Carly not to buy.
"Didn't I tell you guys not to buy that?" I complain, directing the question at Carly.
"Okay, for one, you said you would never buy it, not that we couldn't, and for two, Freddie bought it, not me. He told me later and I thought that a perfect time to wear it would be on the show for the big reveal of our new segment," she tells me. I can't hear her anymore though. I stopped listening after the 'Freddie bought it' part.
I slowly turn around while Carly stills goes on speaking.
"You bought me a dress?" I ask slowly, confused and unsure.
"Yup," Freddie says cheerfully. He hands it over to me and I take it, feeling the smooth fabric between my fingers.
"You shouldn't have," I say softly, and wrinkle my nose at the cliche phrase.
"I wanted to," he grins at me, saying the cliche response.
I roll my eyes.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure. What guy doesn't just adore buying the girl, who enjoys tormenting him, expensive dresses," I say sarcastically.
"The same kind that buys his "tormentor," he makes the little quotations with his fingers around the word. "A necklace to go with it?"
I stare at him, uncomprehending.
"What?"
He awkwardly scrambles to pull a small box from his pocket and tosses it to me.
I catch it and start to open it, but then pause, seeing the label on the box.
Tiffany's.
"Freddie, you did not buy this at Tiffany's," I say outraged that he'd spent a small fortune on me. I don't deserve this boy.
"Oh, just open it," Carly says, and I jump. I hadn't realized she'd snuck up behind me and was now leaning over the back of the couch.
"I'm afraid to," I say.
"Oh for god's sake, just gimme it!" Carly yells.
She stomps around to us and is about to yank it out of my hands, being the impatient little girl that she is, when I stop her.
"No, I can do it."
I heave a sigh and look at the cover again.
"Sam.." Carly growls.
"For god's sake Carls, he gave it to me, not you! Let me open it at my own pace!" I say, my emotions a mix of annoyance and amusement.
"Okay, okay."
I carefully take the box between my fingers and open it.
I see the thin silver chain and raise my eyebrows when I see the small sapphire jewel in the middle of tiny clearish white jewels that I sincerely hope are not what I think they are.
"It's beautiful,"I whisper, clutching the box. Carly looks over my shoulder and her eyes widen.
Freddie looks relieved. "Oh good, I was hoping you'd like it. I know how picky you are."
"How could I not love it? It's gorgeous. But why would you waste your money on me, of all people?" I ask him, unable to understand why he would do something like this for someone like me.
"Because I wanted to. What's so bad with buying you a present?" he asks.
"Freddie." I say. What are these?" I gesture to the jewels.
He fidgets and looks around the room.
"Wow, is that a new ceiling?" He asks, looking suddenly amazed with the white plaster above our heads.
"Answer me!" I yell at him, grabbing his shirt and pulling him close to the point where our faces are within kissing distance.
Dammit, I have to get my mind out of the gutter. I'm just threatening him, nothing out of the ordinary. There's no reason to feel butterflies with his face so close to mine. He hides a smile and I know he wants to laugh at my aggressiveness. The nub.
"The blue one's a sapphire," he takes my hands off of his collar and holds them in his own, probably to stop me from attacking him again. "And the other tiny little jewels around it are diamonds."
I open my mouth to yell at him for buying me something so expensive but he shushes me.
"I saw it and wanted to buy it for you. If it makes you feel any better, You can just count this as your birthday present if you want." I can tell he's already decided it's mine and nothing will be changing his mind anytime soon.
So that's why I finally just roll my eyes and accept it.
"Okay."
I lift it back out of the box and hand it to him.
I turn around and lift my hair.
"Help me put it on?" I ask him.
He smiles, pleased, and lays it against my collarbone. His warm fingers brush my neck and I shiver.
"Cold?" he asks me, clasping it.
"Not even a little bit," I say under my breath.
"What?" he asks, confused.
"Never mind."
"Sam, come on, we need to get ready for the show," Carly says, tugging me towards the stairs.
"What do I have to do to get ready? Don't we just jump in front of the camera and act hilarious?" I say.
"Not tonight," is the only answer I get.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What? Why? We never dress up for the show!" I exclaim.
"I already explained this to you!" Carly yells back. "I thought it would be cute to wear matching dresses for the segment tonight since technically these dresses," she gestures to the dress Freddie bought me and her own which is a red version of it," were bought for our makeovers!" Oh. So that's what she had been saying when I was zoning out before thinking about how my hot tech nerd bought me a dress.
"Oh." I say. "But I don't wan-"
"And you have to because you have to do whatever I want this week because you can't say no to a bet!"
Groaning, I snatch the dress from her hands and dramatically rip off my shirt to reveal my bubblegum pink bra. It's only Carly here, she doesn't care. Actually, it's her bra. She gave it to me to borrow since mine was covered in barbecue sauce. Don't ask. It's an older one of hers that's too small for her now.
"Fine, I 'll wear the dress," I say irritated that I'm being forced to dress like a girly Carly-type of girl and there's nothing I can do about it.
"Good." Carly rolls her eyes, amused at my odd display of aggressive stripping and I roll my eyes back at her playfully.
And that's when Freddie walks in.
(I was going to stop here but I decided to keep going. You guys deserve it with all your awesomeness:))
I shriek and dive behind Carly but I have a feeling by his huge eyes that he still did see me.
"Didn't your mother teach you to knock? She did everything else but not that? Really?" I exclaim.
"Uhhhh," he says.
"What do you need," Carly asks him, snickering.
"I..have no idea," he replies slowly.
"Then get out!" I yell.
Suddenly his eyes narrow and he smiles funny at me.
"I thought you didn't care?" he asks.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I snap.
"When you "fell asleep" over at my house when we were working on the Wake Up Spencer segment, remember?"
I groan and nod regretfully.
"So why are you hiding now? You were perfectly willing then." He smirks, knowing I'm trapped. He raises an eyebrow and I know he's expecting me to admit I'd been bluffing.
But that would be a submission. I don't do that. So I step out from around Carly and put a hand on my hip, jutting it out. My hair falls over my one shoulder and falls to my hip.
Carly looks between us, bewildered, and I know she has no idea what we're talking about or why I'm willingly showing Freddie my body. I don't have a choice though. He can't know I was bluffing. He'll hold it over my head forever.
"I was surprised. I don't hide." I say firmly. I'm such a liar.
Freddie eyes widen considerably, his eyes dropping down to my exposed skin and I swallow back the uncomfortable feeling.
It's no more revealing than a bikini, I tell myself. There's no reason to feel this nervous.
His eyes rake over my body and I clear my throat. His eyes shoot back up and I smirk at him.
"Like what you see?" I ask sarcastically.
"Um," he gulps nervously and I smile.
"Now that I've proven I'm not hiding and I really don't care," I say nicely. "GET OUT."
I shove him out the door, slam it and turn to Carly. She's staring at me like I've lost my mind and maybe I have.
"So, I'll just get dressed and meet you upstairs, kay?"
I start to push her out the door too, more gently because she's Carly, but she stops and turns around right at the door frame.
"Okay, but you're explaining exactly what you guys were talking about later, got it?" she tells me.
"I hear ya," I say, avoiding her demand.
"Sam," Carly warns.
"Okay, I will, alright? Now get out!"
"I can't. I need to do your makeup first," she tells me smugly.
I groan for what seems to be the eightieth time today.
Finally, she leaves and I can dress in peace. I wouldn't let her do anything to my hair and she reluctantly agreed.
The dress slips easily over my head and hugs my curves perfectly. Staring in the mirror, I wrinkly my nose at the makeup on my face. I know Carly means well but I just can't get used to the heavy feeling of five hundred pounds of make up sitting on my face. So, though I am aware she will kill me when she sees me, I start to wash the foundation off. I'm careful not to smudge the pale pink lipstick or the mascara, though I shouldn't have to worry about that considering it's waterproof. The foundation is the only thing that bothers me.
I pull on a pair of matching 3 inch Mary Jane heels, bringing me to 5'5 feet tall and head up to the studio.
"Hey guys," I say as I enter the room. "What's up?"
Freddie and Carly turn to me and their mouths drop.
"Wow, Puckett, you acually look female tonight," Freddie says smirking.
"Wow, Benson, so do you!" I reply with a smirky grin of my own.
"Oh, shut it, Puckett," Freddie says, making a face at me.
I stick my tongue out at him and he gives me a reproachful look.
"Now, now, you know what happens when you stick that out at me," he warns me grinning mischievously, and I blush.
I notice Carly smile knowingly at us from the corner of my eye. I wonder what's that all about?
"Come on guys, time to start the show!" Carly calls us over.
"Yeah, yeah," Freddie and I speak simultaneously. I smack him in the back of the head and he shoves my arm.
I walk over to Carly and we do our normal pre-show routines.
"5, 4, 3, 2," Freddie counts down.
"Hello People of Earth!"
"I'm Carly."
"I'm Sam!"
"And this is-"
"iCARLY!!
"So, Sam, this isn't a normal show is it?"
"No Carly, unfortunately, thanks to you, it's not." I say irritably.
"Well, anyway, we have decided to do two of the ideas that you've been begging for since the show practically started."
"The first one," I say. "The take off on the hit tv show, What Not to Wear!"
I hit the applause button and cheers ring out.
"The second," Carly starts. "The shipping poll!"
I hit the booing button and Carly gives me a look.
"My finger slipped," I say, smirking.
"Right," Freddie says sarcastically from behind the camera.
"Shut it, nub."
"Shut what?"
He's trying to provoke me.
"You know what."
"I really don't."
"Don't make me come over there Benson."
"Feel free Puckett."
I stick my tongue out at him.
"Ah, ah, ah, you know what that leads to," he says.
My cheeks turn a light pink as Carly rolls her eyes at us.
"Quit it! We're doing a web show here!" Carly whisper yells. "You guys can flirt in your weird twisted way after the show!"
"We are not flirting!" Freddie and I say, once again, at the same time.
I turn to him.
"It's like you like getting smacked."
"How is it my fault we have the same thoughts all the time!"
"It's your fault becau-"
"YOU GUYS!"
"What!" We yell. I give him a withering look that basically says I'll be dealing with him later.
"We're in the middle if an important webshow! Stop screwing around!"
"Freddie started it," I say sulking.
"I did n-" Carly shoots him a look and he's silent.
"Anyway," Carly continues. "First, we'll show you all the different outfits we bought and the behind the scenes footage that we've been shooting. Then we'll get into the good stuff." She grins evilly and Freddie and I look at her weird.
"What?"
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," she says ominously.
Whatever.
Freddie's POV
We planned for the show to be three hours long instead of the normal one hour, so we'd have time to go through all the new clothes and makeup we bought. We tried on all the clothes before and took pictures to put in three slideshows, one for each of us, and show the viewers one the show. Carly also told them that Sam lost a bet(to me for falling asleep before the end of the movie) and is being forced to wear the clothes we bought and that I lost a different bet(the one that Sam and I both lost to Carly for falling asleep during the movie) and am also being forced to wear my new clothes.
First, we'll show Carly's new wardrobe," Sam says grinning. Carly was true to her word when she said she bought clothes "out of her normal style".
She bought punk/goth type clothing. A lot of black and band tees, rebellious sayings and funky jewelry. She even got a piercing. Well, she got a piercing in each of her ears in the cartilage at the top. It looks cute and I was stunned she'd do that.
The first outfit was a pair of black and red striped tights paired with a tight black dress and a red belt around her waist. The dress had random buttons and chains sewed on and looped through openings and altogether was a very interesting outfit.
The next was a simple black tee that said 'DO NOT READ THE NEXT SENTENCE' in huge letters and then under that in significantly smaller letters said 'you little rebel. I like you.'
She wore dark purple jeans with a chain link belt, and gray Vans. It reminded me of something Sam might wear.
The slideshow flipped through the rest of the pictures and then it was my turn.
"Now it's Fredwich's turn," Sam says gesturing to me.
The first picture comes up and I roll my eyes. The girls grin.
"Much improvement." Sam says approvingly and Carly nods appreciatively.
I have on dark worn jeans and an old Led Zeppelin band tee. A hemp necklace lays on my collarbones and a leather watch on my right wrist. The girls messed up my hair and swore that it made me look cooler. I think I look stupid but I have to admit, I do kind of look like the type of guy who used to dump me in the trashcans at lunch in sixth grade; the cool jock/bad boy type. And Carly and Sam love that type of guy. Unfortunately, that's not who I really am, which is why the only two girls I've ever really liked would never like me back. My life sucks.
Another picture comes up. This one, I have a white gag tee that has a realistic picture of a bloody knife on the back and a nondescript black and white design on the front. I have black jeans with patches on them in this one. Fancy high tops complete the outfit.
We go through the rest of the slide show and finally, it's Sam's turn.
"And now, it's miss Samanther's turn," I announce, turning the camera to face me. She glares at me.
"Sam was completely against this entire idea for obvious reasons but we are all extremely pleased she finally gave in," I tell the audience. "You'll see why in a minute."
I smirk and hit play.
Sam groans as the first image appears.
She's smiling very forcefully at the camera in a(pause for dramatic flare)... A flowy black skirt, a tight white top, and white and silver ballet flats. A simple pearl necklace, small gold watch bracelet, dangly silver earrings, and a silver anklet(all of which belong to Carly) add flare to the outfit. She looks adorable. Almost as adorable as this afternoon with her bed head and Princess Puckett t-shirt that I gave her. The short shorts made her legs look a mile long and I was having a hard time looking her in the eyes when I gave her that dress and the necklace. She's just so intimidating.
She groans louder with every new picture that shows up on the screen and Carly and I are doing our best to stay professional and not to laugh out loud.
The last picture fades out and Carly turns to the camera.
"And this is when the real fun begins.."
A/n: Hey guys, I tried posting this yesterday and it somehow got deleted and so I'm now getting rid of the extra chapters that are basically all the same thing. i kept trying to publish the chapter but it wouldn't and kept deleting so I sent in a complaint and now the chapters are back but ALL of them are back and I know I'm rambling but I'm irritated and sick of all the problems. Thank you so much for reading and voting and commenting and all that. You guys rock and I'm figuratively crying of happiness right now at the 3.4 reads this story has so far and also at all the sweet comments you guys left!! Love you all!
~dustin the great~