Title: iWas Manipulated

Rated T

Summary: "I want you to take me out on a date." He thought she was helping him when really she was just using him for her own personal gain. Seddie one-shot. For Andrea.

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly.

A/N: So, this would be my second Seddie one-shot. This here is for Andrea (depressedjuliet) for winning my OTP Opposite contest over on Dasey Nation. First place prize was three Seddie one-shots written by me including whatever she wanted. The moment she gave me the prompts on her wish list, I knew I would have fun writing them. Here's the first out of three one-shots I owe her. For the record, Freddie and Sam are in high school but I didn't mention what year. Also, Carly is only mentioned...she doesn't make an appearance in this one-shot. Please review! I adore constructive criticism so I'd love to know ways on how I can improve my writing.

Dedication: For Andrea. Congrats on winning my contest! I hope you enjoy part one of your prize!

Freddie Benson had no idea why he let her manipulate him. He had no idea why he allowed himself to be so easily manipulated.

He thought she was helping him when really she was just using him for her own personal gain.

This wasn't the way things should have gone. Freddie wasn't supposed to be on a date with her. No, she had promised him something entirely different. What he ended up with was something completely opposite of his initial goal.

"I find it hysterical that you're actually coming to me for help." Sam Puckett smirked as Freddie Benson squirmed in discomfort. He scowled at her.

"I'm running out of options," He protested. "All my life I've been trying to win Carly over on my own. I realize now that's not going to happen unless I change something. Which is why I came to you."

Sam's smirk did not disappear. Instead she leaned against her locker, her features amused.

"So, let me get this straight," Sam tried to keep from laughing. "You want me, of all people, to go and ask Carly to go on a date with you?"

Freddie paled; from the way Sam spoke...it did sound pretty pathetic.

"Give me one good reason as to why I should help you when you did absolutely nothing when I came to ask for your help." She demanded, staring Freddie down.

Freddie was about to give in. He was about to answer her reply, an answer full of honesty and loyalty. Only, he remembered that what he did to get Missy out of the school was a secret kept between him and Carly. If Sam knew that he had selflessly given up a chance to go on a sea cruise, their current friendship (or whatever) would become awkward. Not only that, Freddie knew that Sam would feel as if she owed him something huge even though he didn't want anything. You care about her, Carly had said to him with a smile that day. He had always thought of him and Sam as friends. He always figured that even though they weren't close, they could rely on each other if they were in trouble. When Sam came to him for help, he had a hard time grasping that this Missy girl was seriously causing her pain. Sam never showed pain. She was the one who usually inflicted it upon others. It just seemed surreal that a blast from Carly's past could break her so easily.

He wasn't going to tell Sam about his act of kindness. Instead of telling her, he decided to go with a different approach. He decided to tell Sam what he knew she wanted to hear directly from his mouth.

"You should help me because I'm a pathetic nerd who knows nothing about how to get girls. So, I had to resort to you and your wisdom on dating and since you're Carly's best friend who better to convince her?"

Sam's smirk turned into a frown filled with disbelief. Freddie gulped.

"Did I mention I was pathetic?" He tried.

Her dented expression relaxed and amusement twinkled in her eyes.

"Throw in a 'You're better than me in every way possible' and I'll tell you my conditions."

Resentment burned within Freddie's throat as he choked out the reply, keeping his fingers crossed in his pocket. "You're better than me in every way possible."

He could tell that Sam was satisfied by her triumphant change of attitude. "Well, Carly's going to have a hard time believing me since I'm always saying that you two would never work out," She began, ignoring Freddie's dark look. "So, I'm going to have to work extra hard if you want me to convince her. That means, you have a heavy price to pay."

"Just name it," Freddie groaned, reminding himself that a date with Carly would be worth all of this in the end.

Sam's eyes twinkled once again. "I want you to take me out on a date."

Freddie wasn't sure if he heard right. His expression must have appeared shocked because Sam rolled her eyes at him. "Not on a real date. You remember Pete, right?"

Of course he remembered Pete. Pete was the guy who Sam had been crushing on since forever now. Freddie had been impressed...she actually wanted to change for the guy. A world in which Sam was girlie and nice all the time. The fantasy seemed so distant and made Freddie wonder if his chances with Carly would be that much easier if Sam wouldn't interfere. In the end, Sam decided that she could have the best of both worlds: that it was okay if she was girlie but also okay to still do all the guy stuff she enjoyed (like pigging out and beating up bullies).

Suddenly aware that Sam was prodding him to reply, Freddie blinked. "Yeah, I remember Pete."

Sam's features turned somewhat serious as she continued. "Pete and I have become...close," she paused for a moment, smiling to herself. "But for some reason, he keeps getting distracted."

"Distracted?" Freddie echoed.

"Distracted. Like, he tells me that he's never met anyone like me but when he thinks I'm not looking I find him flirting with some other girl." Sam sighed. "I figured, I don't want to continue dating him if he's not going to pay attention to me. So, I came up with a test. I find a guy I'm friends with to go out on a date with me while he's around in the area. If he gets jealous and tries to fight for me, then I'll keep dating him. If he walks away, then I'll walk away. Originally, I was going to ask Rip Off Rodney if he'd be interested, but of course the guy tried to make me pay some price." Again, Sam rolled her eyes.

Freddie, on the other hand, contemplated consequences. "You mean, if I agree to go on a date with you there's a fifty percent chance Pete will kick my butt?" He cried.

Sam laughed. "More like eighty percent. Do we have a deal?" A smirk settled once more. "I help you with Carly, and you help me with Pete?"

Freddie had to admit, the deal was rather good. With Sam on his side, there was no way that Carly could refuse the request. She and Sam trusted each other. Sam would make Carly see that Freddie was potential boyfriend material. Also, Sam would get help with Pete. It was a win-win situation.

"What's the catch?" Freddie asked, frowning. This deal seemed too easy.

"On the date, you have to treat me like you would normally Carly," Sam told him. "Pour it all on, I want to see if it'll make Pete that much more jealous." She paused. "You also have to pay for the dinner and movie."

"I'm taking you to dinner and a movie?"

"Yup and both had better be good." The bell rang for class to start. "So, do we have a deal?" Sam asked him again, holding out her hand for him to shake. Freddie pondered it for another second and then nodded.

"We have a deal."

"Fredward, I don't really approve of you going out on a date with Samantha,"
Freddie sighed as his mom poked her head through the door. Ms. Benson watched as her son tied the shoelaces on his nice dress shoes.

"She's just not your type," Ms. Benson protested. "I would much rather prefer it if you went out with Carly Shay..."

"Mom!" Freddie groaned. "Look, I'm well aware that Sam isn't my type, but she asked me to go out with her and I said yes. It's not like I can back out now."

Ms. Benson frowned. "But don't you have a feeling that she's using you somehow? You and Sam are not exactly the best of friends."

Freddie almost snorted. If only his mom knew...

"I have to get going," He told her, kissing his mom on her cheek. "Sam's expecting me to pick her up. We've got reservations at Applebees."

He had no idea how going to this restaurant would make Pete jealous. As far as he knew, Applebees wasn't as much of a hot spot for them as was The Groovy Smoothie. It wasn't like their friends always ate there. Freddie just knew it was the restaurant's steak that Sam was after, which was why he made sure to put a couple extra twenties in his wallet...just in case.

An hour later, to his surprise, Sam and Freddie were seated in the restaurant by none other than Pete himself.

"So...you two are on a date?" Pete asked, tentatively. Freddie looked between the two; Sam's smile was a mixture of sly and amused.

"We just wanted to come visit you at work, babe." She informed him. Pete frowned but continued to ask them for their order and then left to go get their drinks. Once he was out of earshot, Freddie turned to Sam.

"You know, you didn't have to order two stakes." He grumbled.

Sam said nothing as Pete brought them their sodas. "Oh, Freddie, you're so funny." She gushed, breaking out into random, unSam-like giggles. Freddie just stared at her as if she had grown a third arm. Pete, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow. Freddie could have sworn that Pete flashed him a quick, dark look but as soon as it was cast Pete composed himself.

"Your meals will be out in a bit," Pete muttered, clearly annoyed.

"Looks like your plan is working," Freddie hissed. "Now, can we please pay and leave before he comes back over here to beat me up?"

"Not a chance," Sam retorted. "First off, I haven't had my steaks yet. Second, I haven't gotten the reaction from Pete that I want."

Before Freddie could protest, Pete brought their appetizers out. "Hey, can I talk to you in private?" Pete asked Freddie; Sam's expression became shocked as did Freddie's.
"Um, sure." He managed to say, hoping his voice didn't sound terrified. This was it. Pete was going to take him out back so he could beat him up. He got up from his seat, following Pete while at the same time Sam urged him from the table with her hands to see what he wanted. They made their way to a not so busy portion of the restaurant. Pete sighed.

"Obviously, Sam moved on quicker than I expected."

Freddie, who was busy trying to remember any self defense moves that Spencer might have taught him, wasn't sure he heard right. "Come again?"

Pete frowned. "Don't play dumb. I know Sam has had feelings for you for a while now. She told me herself. That's why she broke up with me."

Freddie tried to comprehend the information being given to him. Sam had feelings for him? That Sam!? The Sam who kept trying to cause him pain and misery whenever she felt the impulse? The Sam who made sure that his relationship with Carly never happened? The Sam who he shared his first kiss with...?

Wait a minute. This didn't make sense. Wasn't Sam the one who told him that he was on this date with her to make Pete jealous? What was the point in making Pete jealous if they weren't together? Freddie couldn't tell what Sam's game was but whatever it was...he wasn't going to let her win.

"I had no idea that she...that you..." Freddie tried apologizing but Pete held up a hand.

"It's cool. I did like Sam a lot but after the first few dates, we both realized that we'd be better off as friends," He stuck his hand out for Freddie to shake. He shook it, feeling relieved that Pete wasn't going to do a number on his face.

"Just...take care of her alright?" Pete told him. "I know you and Sam are close in your own way but if you hurt her she'll be crushed."

Freddie gulped. Did Sam really feel that strongly about him? There had been no hints, no subtle glances...nothing as far as he could tell.

"Yeah, I'll take care of her." He promised Pete without really thinking about his words.

Pete nodded and then left for he was called to come assist one of the waiters. Freddie made his way back to the table, where he found Sam brimming with curiosity.

"So, what did he say?" Sam pressed before he could sit down. "Was he jealous? Did he threaten you?"

Freddie paused for a moment before answering. Sam was good at this lying thing. How on earth was he supposed to compete with her? An idea came to mind and he smirked.

"Pete wants to get back with you." Freddie said, smoothly. Sam's features twisted into confusion. "He was saying that he couldn't stand seeing you with me...especially since you like me more."

The color from Sam's face drained. For a second, Freddie thought she was going to come out and confess. No such luck.

"What are you talking about?" She snorted. "How could I like you more than Pete. That's ridiculous."

"Oh, I don't think it's ridiculous." Freddie laughed. Sam slumped back in her seat, defeated. "Now, would you mind telling me why you went through all this trouble just to get me to Applebees?"

She remained quiet as she pondered her response. No use trying to deny it any longer when he knew the truth.

"Okay, but if you laugh at the truth I'll kick your butt. Got it?" Sam threatened. Freddie smirked and nodded.

"I figured, you wouldn't go on a date with me ever since you still love Carly so I decided to trick you into one. It was almost the real thing. I just wanted to go on a date with you before I set you up with Carly." She eyed him, as if daring him to laugh. Freddie didn't laugh. Instead, he took a piece of bread from the appetizer and bit into it casually.

"You know, you probably wouldn't have had to go through all this if you were just nicer to me." He shrugged.

"But I have been nicer to you!" Sam protested. "Haven't you noticed I haven't called you Freddork or any other insults these past few days?"

"You called me Freddork just yesterday." Freddie reminded her.

"What's your point?"

Freddie shook his head and smiled. "Tell you what. It's like I said back when we were in middle school. Life would be too weird if you stopped messing with me. I don't want you to change, but I would like it if we tried going on another date sometime."

And then Sam did something Freddie never expected to witness. She blushed.

"What about Carly?" Sam demanded, composing herself. "Don't you still want to go on a date with Carly?"

"I just realized that she's not my type." Freddie laughed at Sam's bewilderment.

There were certain things he'd never understand about Samantha Puckett. He would never understand how she could eat a whole ham about as big as her face all by herself. He would never understand why she tormented him and made his life more difficult than it should be. He would never understand why he felt like Carly would never be able to top his first kiss with Sam...even if they were dating. He'd never understand why Sam always manipulated him into doing things instead of asking him up front.

Freddie realized, as he and Sam continued to talk over steak, that he wouldn't mind if he never understood these things at all. All that mattered, was two things: Sam liked him, and Sam liked him.

Everything else didn't have to make sense and, surprisingly enough, he was okay with that.

-Fin-

A/N: I feel as if I made Freddie a bit OOC. Sam too, but not as much as Freddie. Like I mentioned earlier, this is my second time writing iCarly so I'm still getting used to writing the characters. I hope I did okay, and I hope you at least enjoyed this Andrea! Thanks for reading, everyone! Until next time!
"Never let go of the one you truly love."

~December'sRose