Chapter: 9

Word Count: 967

Previously: All of them utterly confused, they slept and awoke late on Friday, prepared to work hard and get back to their normal selves before it was too late.

After Freddy shoveled in a stack of pancakes and a bucketful of fruit, Sam munched on a banana, and Carly dug into a bowl of chocolate Captain Munch, they all sat around the kitchen table and opened cans of Pepsi-Cola. As they read and reread the poem, the only sounds in the air were the fizzing of their carbonated, sugary beverages and the thumping of Sam's foot against the leg of the table.

"Sam, knock it off!" yelled Freddy, clearly aggravated at how she could be making noise instead of concentrating on switching back, and continued, "Do you not understand the severity of this situation? We've been switched for five days now. My mother is coming back on Sunday. If we're not ourselves again, then we can't go to school, which is what we'll have to do if we're still each other when my mom comes back."

"Yes, Fredward, I get it," retorted Sam, "I thump my foot when I'm nervous, or when I'm concentrating, which isn't often, so you've never heard me do it before, and you'll just have to live with this. Even though I'm in your body, I'm still me, and I still have my own quirks."

"Well, Ms. Quirky McQuirk Quirks, you'll just have to excuse the fact that when I'm nervous or under pressure, I snap. A lot."

"Well, you'll just have to understand, Mr. Grumpy Grumps-A-Lot, that we've been under pressure and that this pressure won't be lifted until we SWITCH BACK!"

"Guys!" interrupted Carly, "Knock it off!"

Oblivious to her pleading during their own bickering, they continued to fire comebacks and insults until Carly finally took them by their collars and shook them forcefully.

"I have it, guys."

"Have what?" asked Freddy.

"Oh my gosh, Carly! You have it! You have it! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!" exclaimed Sam.

"Well," started Carly, but she was interrupted.

"Have what?" asked Freddy.

"I figured it out! The last stanza, the part we couldn't get."

"Carly! Well what are you waiting for? Out with it! Tell us!"

"You're not going to like it, but here goes."

They looked at her expectantly.

"Alright, so 'the only way to change your fate is to rid yourself of the hate' means that you can't feel hate."

"At all?" asked Sam, concerned.

"I'm getting there," said Carly, "And 'all you can feel toward your foe is the love that upon others you bestow' means that you can't feel hate towards each other."

"At all?" asked Sam again.

"This is going to be interesting," said Freddy."

"Indeed," said Carly, "Now, what I want you guys to do is sit here, at the table, and face each other."

They reluctantly did as they were told, mumbling and grumbling at their misfortune.

"Good. Sam, look at Freddy. And Freddy, look at Sam."

They did as they were told, pained looks on their faces.

"Okay. Sam, tell Freddy why you hate him."

"Huh?" she asked.

"Tell him!"

"Why do I have to go first?"

"Because I said so. Now, do you want to switch back or not?"

"Alright, alright," she complied, and began, "Freddy Benson, I hate you because you are a nerdy, self-absorbed, momma's boy." She looked to Carly for approval.

"Sam! Honestly, you have to dislike him for some deeper reason besides him being a momma's boy."

"Okay, okay. You really want the truth?"

"Yes."

"It's not pretty, by any means."

"My best friend being in a guy's body isn't pretty either."

"This is worse."

"Oh well. Get over it and spit it out."

She took a deep breath and began, "I first disliked Freddy Benson when we met him in kindergarten. I was talking to you, Carly, and we were eating lunch. I had PB and J and you had egg salad on rye." She smiled at the memory.

"Sam, I need you to be talking to Freddy," instructed Carly.

"But-"

Seeing her friend's stern glare, Sam turned and faced her "enemy."

"Anyway, as I was saying, I was talking to Carly, and all of a sudden, you came along and started talking about your new computer. My first instinct was 'Ooh, this kid's kind of cute,' and I hated you for making me think that. Over the years, every time I saw you, I hated you for being my first crush, my first 'like,' and, eventually, my first kiss. I wanted the magical princess lifestyle when I was younger, and it never happened because the person I liked- the only one I was ever really interested in- was the biggest nerd in the school, would ruin my reputation, and was also obsessed with my best friend."

Freddy stared in shock. This was the last thing he would have expected to come out of Sam's mouth.

Carly got over her shock first, and instructed Freddy. "Freddy, turn to Sam, speak to her, and tell her why you hate her."

"To be honest, Sam, I came over to talk to you guys because my first reaction about Carly was what you said about me. 'Ooh, I like her.' And you always stole her away from me. And when I wanted her to be my first kiss, you took that too. And even though I liked it- I'm not going to lie- it wasn't what I had always wanted. And I guess I was jealous, of you because of Carly, and, in the long run, ultimately, of Carly because of you."

Sam's eyes bugged out of her head. Had he really just said what she thought he said?

"Okay then," said Carly, "Do you guys feel any different?"

"Nope," they both replied.

"Oh."

And despite their extreme disappointment in Carly's erroneous solution, they went to bed free of the hate that once swarmed in their minds toward each other.