A/N: This is the last chapter! Enjoy! And remember, whether you like it or not, please review!! :D Thanks to the people who have reviewed so far.

Chapter 7- Butterflies

Sam was lying on her bed, reading Scarlet's Web, when her mom knocked lightly on the door.

"Yes?" Sam asked, slightly puzzled. She was still surprised by how her mom treated her lately.

"Honey, it's almost dinner. We're having pot roast. I was wondering if maybe you would want your friends to come over to eat with us…?"

Pot roast? Company for dinner? Has my mom been abducted by aliens? Sam shook her head and then said, "Ok, sure, why not? I'll call them right now."
Sam picked up the cordless phone by the counter in the kitchen and called Carly first.

"Hey Carly. My, uh, mom wants you to come over for dinner. Is that alright?"
Carly tried not to sound startled. Usually it was Sam who came over to her house for dinner. "I, um, guess that's fine. Hold on, let me talk to Spencer…" She held the phone to her chest and called,

"SPENCER!"
"Yuuup?"

"Can I go over Sam's house for dinner?"
"But I'm making ravioli! I slaved over a hot stove forever!"
"Sorry, Spence. Can I please go?"

"Oh, alright. Ravioli hater."
Carly put the phone to her ear again. "Ok, Sam. I can come. Hey, by any chance are you inviting Freddie?" Her tone turned sly.

"Yeah, why not?" Sam said, now it was her turn to be surprised. "Is it okay if I do that?"
"Sure, sure. It's just…" Carly paused and then said, "Sam, by any chance, are you pretending to like Freddie? Or do you really like him?"

"No." Then Sam stopped short. The truth was suddenly spilling out. "I'm not pretending. As soon as we took up your offer I've been…changing I guess. I didn't even realize that I liked him until you mentioned the idea right now. I think, I think I've always kind of liked him. They say people pick on the person they like, right?"

"Yeah." Carly said, relieved. Then her voice was sly again. "Hey, I just realized, that…um…Spencer would be really crushed if I didn't have ravioli with him tonight. But I'll tell Freddie to come over your house, 'kay? Bye."

The line went dead. "Carly?" No answer. She hung up on me! Sam thought indignantly. Then her stomach twisted as hundreds of Butterflies fluttered. She's setting us up so were alone together!

Agony washed over her. Did Freddie know that she liked him? What if she told him that she liked him and he didn't return the feeling?

"Sam, are you okay?" Her mother said, anxiously.

"I…I…I…" Sam stuttered, then she said, "I'll be back by dinner."

"Where are you going?"
"I need to think." Sam rushed past her mom and out the door. When she came outside, she started running. Running away, because she was scared. Scared of being rejected.

She ran all the way into the next neighborhood, past the farms, up until the turf farm. She sat down under a Weeping Willow tree, and her crumpled face began to cry. She cried about everything she'd kept inside before.

"Dad, why'd you leave us?" She wailed, and then she put her head between her knees and wept. She sobbed for she didn't know how long. She shook until she couldn't cry anymore.

Then Sam sighed, a very shaky sigh. She sat up and then looked up at the tree. She grabbed the lowest branch and swung herself up. She kept climbing, grunting and pulling, until she reached as high as she could. Then she panted for breath and looked down.

Someone was coming up the road. Someone who made the butterflies bump against her heart and flutter in her chest.

Freddie looked up at the tree. "Sam?"

She buried her face in her arms. "Go away."

She heard him sigh and then grumble as he pulled himself up the tree until he was up on the same branch as she was.

"Sam?"
She didn't answer.

"Sam? What are you doing up here? Are you crying?"

She lifted her head to stare into his warm brown eyes. She imagined her own eyes looked weary and puffy. "I'm hiding." She croaked.

His face softened when he saw hers. "Why?"
"Because I'm scared." She admitted.

"Of what?"
"Of…of…being left alone again."

"I won't leave until you want me to, Sam."
"It's not you. It's my dad." Sam felt more tears coming on, even though she had thought that she was all out of them. "He left me. I never cried after he left. I was too stupid being strong enough for my mom and me. It just…came out right now."

"But you said, 'again'. What do you mean by that? Did he come back?"

"No." She gulped. "I was scared, that if I told you something, you would hate me for it."

"Oh."

She glanced up again. His expression was unreadable.

"But I'm not scared anymore." Their eyes locked and she blushed. "Freddie…I've always…"
"Yes?" He asked, leaning forward.

"I…"
"Yes?"

"I…oh!" She had been leaning forward too, without realizing it. Suddenly she lost her balance and she fell into him. They both toppled out of the tree.

"Uumph." They both said as the wind got knocked out of them.

She groaned as he winced and checked to see if he had broken anything. "I'm so sorry." She apologized fervently.

Freddie looked up and then said, "Please just tell me what you were going to say."

"Freddie." No holding back now. "Freddie, I've always liked you. As more of a friend."
The butterflies stopped fluttering as both she and them waited for his response.

His face split into a wide, grin. "Really? Really, Sam?"

"Yeah." She was smiling too.

"Me too. I've always like you, but I didn't even realize it until…"
"Me too!"

Both locked eyes again and now he blushed.

Hesitant, he asked. "May I do something?"
"Anything." She breathed.

He paused for a second and then he leaned forward, and he kissed her. Then he pulled back, beaming, and stood up. He held out his hand and she put her hand in his.

After he brought her to her feet, she realized the butterflies weren't fluttering trapped anymore, they were flying, and so was she.

They walked back to her house, hand in hand.