CreativeStories01
For the first time in years, Freddie Benson wasn't revolving his entire life around iCarly, Carly Shay, and Sam Puckett - and they noticed almost immediately.
Freddie had started pulling away from the routines that used to define him. He stopped hanging around after school, stopped showing up for random movie nights or smoothie trips, and started leaving the studio the second rehearsals ended. Even when he was there, his attention never fully stayed in the room anymore. His phone was always in his hand, lighting up every few minutes with another message that distracted him from camera setups, rehearsals, and conversations.
At first, Carly and Sam assumed it was another tech obsession or one of Freddie's endless online hobbies. But the constant smiling at his screen, the way he guarded his phone whenever anyone came near it, and the obvious excitement written all over his face whenever a notification appeared made it clear that this was something completely different.
She went to a different school, and somehow she had become the center of Freddie's attention without Carly or Sam even realizing it. The more Freddie texted her, the more distant he became from the people he usually spent all his time with. Rehearsals turned into Freddie sitting off to the side replying to messages instead of paying attention, and Carly and Sam slowly realized they were watching their best friend fall for somebody right in front of them.
Finding out Freddie was seeing someone left both of them unexpectedly unsettled. Freddie had always been the reliable constant in their lives - the boy who was always around, always available, always focused on them and the webcast. Seeing him emotionally invested in someone outside their little group forced them to realize things were changing.
And meanwhile, Freddie barely noticed any of it - too busy waiting for his favorite notification to appear on his screen again.
Freddie Benson X OC