Chapter 18

Several weeks passed, some of the restrictions slowly lifted and Sam eventually found herself a job working at a popular diner only a few blocks from Bushwell. She mostly worked the kitchen, where felt right at home but she helped out in the dining room once in a while and earned some very nice tips when she did.

She and Freddie continued to draw closer, spending most of their free time together. Freddie took a sudden liking to the milkshakes from the diner, if nothing else for an excuse to stop by and visit Sam briefly when he wasn't at his job.

Freddie continued working on computer repairs as he had been doing. His hours slowly increased until he was working nearly 8 hours each day. Instead of the lingerie store, Melanie soon took a different job at a high line department store in the women's clothing department. Carly managed to get a summer job working for T-Bo, making smoothies after he returned to the city and re-opened the shop.

Once people were allowed to venture out, Gibby began making visits to Bushwell to take part in iCarly planning sessions, appear on the show or just hang out with his friends. A planning session one evening when the gang were all home from work was underway when Gibby walked into the studio where everyone was assembled.

"Put your mask on, you potato-head. No one knows where you've been." Sam cracked as soon as he appeared. "And you're breathing like the dude with the purple helmet on Galaxy Wars."

"But you guys aren't wearing any." He tried to beg off. "Come on, I feel like I'm suffocating through that thing and I just walked up eight flights of stairs, the elevator in the building is on the fritz and Lewbert yelled at me for making the stairs dirty."

"We're all around each other almost constantly." The blonde impatiently explained. "Except when we're at work. And three of us live in the same apartment."

Melanie chimed in on Gibby's side. "Plus you two practically sit on top of each other anyway."

"It's fine, Gibbs. Maybe just stay over there by the door." Carly tried to make peace and gave Sam a 'give the dude a break' look.

"At least until you stop breathing so heavy." Freddie added.

Melanie smiled slightly at him from her position near the car hood. "Here, I'll put mine on and sit over there with you so you don't feel so lonely. OK?"

Sam rolled her eyes at her sister's obvious flirt.

"Well, uh, me too. Maybe I should sit closer so I can hear you better." Carly smiled at the boy and put her own face mask on. "Gibby comes up with some pretty good ideas. Wouldn't want to miss any of them."

Sam and Freddie were sitting on the same bean-bag and she leaned her head into him and mumbled. "Oh my God! Are they both flirting with the mermaid?"

"Sam. That's not nice." Freddie tried to correct her quietly. "But, uh, yeah. I think they are, both of them."

"Ohmigod, I don't want to think about the three of them . . . " Sam shuddered.

"What are you two whispering about?" Carly looked at them. "You're not going to start making out are you?"

"No! No one is making out. Like, NO! ONE!" Sam replied loudly, looking at her sister. "Come on, let's get back to it. I've been working all day and I still have to make dinner. Mommy Benson's coming home in an hour and I want to have dinner ready when she gets here so I don't have to risk meatless tofu based lasagna or some crap. No offense, Sir Nubbington."

The five brainstormed ideas and had their entire lineup leady to go for their run-through, which they scheduled for the next day. With Marissa home, Freddie and Sam spent the night in their own rooms and got up to spend their first day off together in nearly a week. They were just glad for the alone time when Marissa announced she was going to visit her sister for the day while Melanie was at work.

It was later in the day, Carly and Melanie returned home from their jobs, Gibby was busy watching his brother and after a quick rehearsal session, the friends were hanging out at the Bensons' while Spencer worked on an art project which took up the whole living room.

Sam and Freddie had slipped off to his room for a continuation of their private time while the other two girls watched TV. Sam ignored her phone ringing without even looking at who was calling since she was a little 'busy' at the moment. Within a few minutes, her sister knocked on Freddie's door and pushed it open a few inches to give Sam some news.

"Sam?"

"Hey! Nobody said you could come in." Sam jumped when she heard her sister's voice. "Geez, Mel."

Poor Freddie barely had a chance to pull on his shirt while his girlfriend chastised her sister and pulled herself back together.

"Sorry for interrupting!" Melanie replied, her back to them. "I thought you should know, Sam. Mom's back."

"Huh?" Sam questioned.

"Mom's back in town. She's at the house and wondering where we are, she just called me."

"Is that who was ringing my phone? I figured it was some idiot telemarketer."

"How the heck is she back?" Freddie questioned. "I just saw on the news yesterday that the border is still closed. Some guy actually got arrested for trying to cross in a hot air balloon."

"She said she paid some dude to smuggle her across inside of a cheese truck." Melanie told them. "And then she asked where we were, I said Bushwell, hanging out with Freddie and Carly. She wants us to come home, it sounds like she's really anxious to see us."

"Psh! I bet." Sam cracked. "She's been gone for dang near four months and all of a sudden she pops up out of the clear blue and expects us to run home like lost kittens. No thanks, maybe another time. Like right after never."

"Well, um, uh . . . " Melanie began to stammer.

"You didn't!" Sam hissed. "Melanie Ann Puckett, you did not tell her we would come straight home like we're seven, did you? Did you manage to tell her I'm living at Benson's place, too?"

"See, the thing is . . . "

"O M G! You did!"

"No. I didn't tell her we were living here." Melanie defended. "You've obviously been keeping that from her, so I figured I'd better not say anything either."

"She is your mom, Sam." Freddie interjected. "I'm sure she'd like to see you."

"We don't need to hear from the peanut gallery, Freddison." The blonde turned to him. "I am perfectly content right here and here's where I stay. I'm eighteen, you're eighteen, we're all eighteen, she can't tell us what to do."

"But I just thought . . ." Melanie began before getting cut off.

"Your problem is you don't think. I'm hanging here with my boyfriend, his mom's working the ICU shift starting tomorrow, all weekend, which means mama gets to snuggle with her nub for four nights in a row and I don't need Pam screwing it up."

"Can I just suggest something?" Freddie began before a deathly glare from Sam.

"Go ahead, Freddie." Melanie finally sighed.

"Maybe we can all go over for a little bit, you can see her, we'll tell her about us, and then we can just come back here like normal."

"That's actually a pretty good idea." Mel agreed. "It's not like Mom's gonna care that you have a boyfriend. Like you said, we are all adults here."

"Uh-huh. So which one of you is going to tell her that I'm shacking up with said boyfriend of less than two months? Last time she lectured me about birth control and junk when she even found out I was dating him."

"We don't have to get into that part." Freddie replied quickly. "Just tell her we're dating and that you'd prefer to stay at Bushwell because it's closer your job. Which it is, right? And you guys technically are staying in our guest room."

"Mmmmmm!" Sam grumbled under her breath. "Let's get this over with. The sooner I can get back here, the sooner I can get back to what I was doing. Just so you know, the mood I was in is officially over now. No need to worry about going too far tonight, Fredwad."

A short while later, the Puckett girls, joined by Freddie and Carly (who nothing else to do) arrived at Sam's house. They got out of the car and Sam immediately grabbed Freddie's hand. He looked at what she was doing with some question. They never displayed any PDA around her mother last time they were together.

"I'm letting Mom know you're my boyfriend again." She smirked. "If she's sober enough to take the hint."

Sam led the way with Freddie beside her, Melanie and Carly close behind. She opened the door and called to her mother.

"Pam! I'm home, we're home. Mom! Are you here?"

"Hush, girl!" Pam came down the steps, wearing a bathrobe and obviously little more, toting a dark brown bottle. "Ricky's upstairs asleep."

"Ricky?" Sam questioned. "God, Mom! You just got back and you've already got some guy staying here."

"He's the dude that helped me across the border." She explained and flopped down on her favorite chair, taking a swig of the beer in her hand. "His truck is parked around back."

"Is he your new boyfriend?" Melanie asked, sitting on the end of the sofa nearest her mother.

"Sheesh, no. The dude's like half-retarded." Pam replied. "Yep. Ricky Retard-o. And he doesn't have any money. He drives a cheese truck for God's sake. But I did snag a couple logs of aged cheddar. Let me tell you, it is cold in the back of one of those things. I just grabbed a shower to warm up."

"That's not really a nice thing to say about someone, Mrs. Puckett." Carly added. "The acceptable term is developmentally disabled or learning challenged."

Pam just glared at Carly before turning to look over her shoulder at Sam and Freddie. "Who invited little miss politically correct? And I see you guys are holding hands. Something happen you want to tell me about, Sammy?"

"Kinda obvious ain't it?" Sam shrugged. "Freddie and I decided to go out again. Not that anyone can go anywhere much, but we sort of did a home made prom together and then next thing you know, we're dating. No biggie."

"Good. Maybe you won't have such a crabby attitude if you have yourself a boyfriend. I'm always in a better mood when I get some play."

"Gawd, Mom!" Sam huffed as Melanie rolled her eyes and Carly and Freddie both blushed.

"You know what I told you before. Just be careful with the physical stuff and if you ever need to get birth control or anything, let me know and I'll sign the paper. You don't want any accidents."

"I'm eighteen now, Mom." Sam reminded her. "I can sign my own papers."

"Aw, Chiz! You are, aren't you? Dang! I missed my girls' birthday." Pam frowned.

"Not the first, won't be the last." Sam mumbled to Freddie.

Pam either didn't hear or didn't care because it was the truth and made a suggestion. "Maybe we should go out to dinner or something. Thing is, I'm trying to lie low because of sneaking back to town the way I did."

"I hardly think the FBI is lurking around town just waiting for you to turn up. I think it's safe to go out of the house." Sam retorted. "At least restaurants are starting to open up again now."

"I guess you're right. I managed to dodge them for almost a year that time I was wanted by the cops for questioning about that, uh never mind, you probably shouldn't know about that." Pam them quickly changed the subject. "So, what have you two been eating? There's not so much as a box of crackers in the kitchen and the place is perfectly clean. Not like you know how to pick up after yourself. What did you do, snooker your little boyfriend or Melanie into being your maid?"

"I'm the only one that ever cleans this joint." Sam snapped. "You're never home long enough to . . . "

"Actually, we've been staying at . . . " Melanie cut Sam off, trying to defuse the building argument, before she was cut off again by Sam.

"We've been staying at Bushwell. Not that we couldn't handle things here but these two thought Melanie and I shouldn't have been staying by ourselves during the pandemic." Sam motioned to Freddie and Carly.

"Well thanks for that, Carly. But I'm back now so you girls go grab your junk and get your butts back here, it's getting late."

"I got a job and Bushwell's a lot closer so I'm just going to stay there." Sam shrugged.

"Psh. As soon as you're eighteen, you move out. I guess you are just like me after all." Pam huffed. "How about you, Melanie? You flying to coop, too."

"The thing is, well, I sort of really like it over there. An-and I got a job. So, it's actually much more practical. Mrs. Benson says we're welcome to stay as long as we like. Besides, once colleges start in a little while, I'll just be moving in there anyway." Melanie accidentally spilled the beans about which apartment they were staying at.

"You and that college talk." Pam shook her head. "You know, you'll be the first Puckett to ever go to college. I still don't see the point, I'm doing alright and I barely graduated from high school. Hey, wait a minute, what was that about old Crazy Marissa?"

All the teens were silent, Sam now giving her sister a deathly glare.

"You're staying with the nerd's family?" Pam gasped before apologizing. "Sorry, boy. I mean, you're staying with your boyfriend. Sam! I know I'm a poor one to talk, but don't you think that it's a little soon to be shacking up with him?. You're barely out of high school. And at his mother's place? That's just weird and kind of creepy. Like, can she hear you guys doing stuff?"

"Melanie and I are sharing the Benson's guest room." Sam snapped. "Freddie and I are dating, yes. But we're not . . . and he's not just some dude I'm shacking up with. I've known him forever and he's my closest friend, not some loser I picked up in a truck stop somewhere."

"Hey, I don't care. You're eighteen, kiddo. Do what you want But don't come crying to me when he's off at some fancy college and you're sitting at home with a couple of screaming kids. Believe me, I've been there and done that once in my life. I'm not going through it again."

"Mother!" Melanie scolded. "That's a terrible thing to say. About either Freddie or Sam."

"I'm not going off to college in another sate or anything, Mrs. Puckett. I'm going to University of Washington." Freddie now interjected.

"And so am I." Melanie added. "But I'm planning on staying in the dorms. At least for freshman year."

"Figures, with your mother and all, boy. God knows she wouldn't want you out of her sight. Say, how are you paying for college anyway, Mel?" Pam shifted the subject. "Because I ain't got money for some fancy school where you have to stay at."

"I've been in boarding school for seven years, now. You haven't had to pay for that. It's all taken care of anyway. The guidance counselors at my school helped me apply for scholarships and it's all arranged."

"Good. Because like I said, I don't have money to throw around like it's water. So, you two are really gonna bail on me, huh? You mind if I still claim you on my taxes and food stamp application?"

"That's fraud, Mom." Melanie exclaimed.

"Yeah, well who do you think's been feeding you for the last however many years?"

"Uh, Spencer, the Bensons, myself." Sam shook her head. "Look, I don't want to argue about all this. We just basically came by to say hello since you just got back to town. I have to get up early for work tomorrow, let's just all call it a day."

Pam was tired herself and for once in her life didn't want to fight. "Sure. You girls go ahead, I'd like a quick word with your fellow here."

Sam, Melanie and Carly left the house, though Sam was a little hesitant to allow her mother unfettered access to Freddie.