Note: Some of you may recognise this. It's a story I wrote last year but I've re-written it so it's ten times better than it used to be. Everyone in it is human: Sandy, Spongebob, Patrick - everyone! I don't need to do a disclaimer because if I owned Spongebob why would I feel the need to write a FANfic about it? Kind of a heavy T, so be warned.
Bob and I hadn't spoken to each other before. I'd hardly even looked in the guy's direction. No-one did if they could help it: Bob Square was a complete freak. It was a well-known fact. What normal teenage boy skipped around in fields blowing bubbles? He was so annoying too, always where he wasn't wanted with that laugh that made me want to kill him every time I heard it. Not to mention that beefy guy he liked to hang out with who looks like he's permanently sweating. It didn't help that he liked to do things with Bob that were suggestive, like holding hands with Bob – who insisted he wasn't gay. No-one believed him; we could all see for ourselves how feeble and feminine Bob acted.
Anyway, like I was saying: Bob and I hadn't spoken to each other before. Not until Mrs Puff paired us up for a Science project one sunny day in school. My day had been going so well until that moment.
"Mrs Puff can't I change partners?" I pleaded with her after class. She remained unmoved in her decision.
"My word is final. Who knows, you two might become friends," she said, before exploding in a fit of laughter that vibrated through her entire body. Thanks a bunch. Bob had waited for me outside the building. My heart dropped when I caught him beaming at me and a couple of my friends sniggered as I walked past them. I shot them sour looks which they pretended not to notice.
"Shall we get started on the project today? We could begin at my house if you want," he offered, looking like an over-eager beaver with his enormous two front teeth. I didn't really want to go with him but Mrs Puff was right behind me and I could feel her eyes boring into my back. I needed a good grade on this project to make up for the bad one I'd earned in the test we had done a few weeks ago. I wanted to do well in Science so I could become a great inventor and I'd only failed that day because I was terribly ill the night before. I'd barely slept a wink that night and in the morning I was so tired that I simply dropped asleep right in the middle of answering question four. So I did what any other person would do in this situation. I agreed.
I knew it was a bad decision from the moment the words left my lips and this was only backed up when I got a look at Bob's house. It was made of bright orange brick and had a green roof. It was the brightest house I'd ever seen; a clown would be right at home in it. The house looked ridiculous next to the ordinary grey ones belonging to Bob's neighbours. Trust him to be the only person in his neighbourhood with a house that screamed its existence at passersby. My doubts about this whole idea were beginning to seem justified.
As we walked up the path to Bob's house, a man who looked in his forties got out of the house next door holding a case for some sort of musical instrument. He had an incredibly large, bald head and a long nose. He was wearing a shirt that was some hideous cross between brown and green and his face suggested that he wasn't a smiley person.
"Hey Edward, where're you off to?" Bob called to the old man. Edward didn't look too pleased to see Bob – which I could totally understand – but when his eyes wandered over to me he brightened up considerably. I found myself tugging at the hem of my purple beach skirt self-consciously. Having an old creepy man stare at you isn't the best experience for a young girl, although I tried to be polite about it.
"Bob, I had no idea you had a girlfriend! Are you going to move in with her and never come back?" asked Edward hopefully. It was a gross but understandable question. I couldn't imagine living next door to Bob and I could relate wanting to have nothing to do with him. A part of me felt sorry for Edward for having to live next door to such an insufferable boy. Bob laughed that high-pitched laugh I hated so much and my lip curled in disgust.
"Oh Edward, you're such a funny guy! Sandy is my partner in this Science project we're doing at school," he explained. Edward muttered something that sounded like 'it's her funeral' and walked off while Bob proceeded to open his front door. I followed him inside dubiously and almost tripped over his cat. I had to hop on my other foot to avoid squashing the thing.
"I see you've met Gary," said Bob cheerfully. I smiled weakly as Gary rubbed his body against my legs, leaving a lovely trail of hairs. Talk about the wrong day to go bare legged. Gary meowed piteously at me and I edged away from him nervously. I didn't want him to get attached to me since I didn't plan on sticking around too long. Bob set up our work on the table and put a couple of burgers on a plate. He sat down and patiently waited for me to do the same.
"So uh, where are you parents?" I asked, sitting down next to him. He looked at me and it was then that I realized he had the most amazing blue eyes that I had ever seen. They were gorgeous: the exact same shade as the ocean and probably about as shimmery. I found myself unable to look away from them, losing myself in the intense colour of Bob's eyes... I mentally shook my head and reminded myself that this wasn't just any boy with really nice eyes; this was Bob Square. He was the school outcast for a good reason.
"Oh, I don't live with my parents. I live by myself," said Bob dismissively. Wow! That was unexpectedly cool of Bob. As far as I knew there was no-one in our school who lived by themselves. I was surprised that someone as weird as Bob had the ultimate independent lifestyle and was a little bit jealous of him. If word got around that he lived by himself, it may be enough to change his status from 'not worthy to acknowledge' to 'worth shoving in a locker'.
"Shall we get started?" Bob asked me, getting out the work sheet that we had to fill in. I agreed that we should – the sooner we finish this thing, the better – and we read through the sheet. According to the sheet we had to observe what happens to cheese when left at room temperature for 336 hours. Which was two weeks. I felt like crying; this was going to be a long fortnight...
~Two weeks later
Surprisingly, the two weeks weren't as bad as I thought they would be. I learned that Bob had a really good sense of humour. And he was a nice guy, unlike that jerk Larry I used to hang out with who spent a grand portion of his day smiling at his own reflection. Bob made the whole project enjoyable and I'm not ashamed to say that I looked forward to seeing him every day after school so we could look at the cheese. The only downside was the horrible stench that emitted from it after a while so I created a small glass container that allowed air inside but didn't let the smell out.
"Wow Sandy, you sure are smart!" Bob had said when I showed it to him. I hate to admit it, but I was so pleased with his comment that I actually blushed. I was so annoyed with myself afterwards. Why would a compliment from Bob, of all people, make me blush? It was downright stupid. It didn't matter that Bob was funny and could be cute at times – he was still annoying Bob Square who was more naive than a five year old. Even so, I couldn't help hugging him when Mrs Puff announced that we were the only pair in our class who received full marks for the project. And then he invited me over to his house 'for one last time' to 'celebrate our wonderful grade'. How could I say no to that?
The first thing I realized when I woke up the next morning was that I was naked. The second was that I had a headache that felt as if my head was going to rip in half. The third was that I was in Bob's bed and he was lying next to me. And the fourth? The fourth was that I had definitely had waaaaaay too much to drink last night. I could barely remember the walk over here. Flashes of yesterday's events came to me in short snap shots and they were all of me drinking or watching Bob drink. Everything else was a blank. My entire body ached as if I had been doing karate for hours without stretching or taking a break, which confused me as I was certain I hadn't done any karate yesterday. I didn't even have my green mitts.
"Bob..." I croaked, rolling over slowly to look at him. "What happened last night?" I must have woke him up because he sat bolt upright and then clutched his head, obviously feeling the effect of the alcohol as much as I was. The blanket fell off of him and I saw that he too was in the nude. He quickly tucked the blanket around his lower body even though it was too late – I had already seen his unmentionables. It was not a pretty sight and I hastily looked away, praying the image would not stay burned in my memory for years to come.
"I-I'm not sure Sandy," stuttered Bob. I couldn't find the energy to move and neither could he so we spent the whole day lying in his bed, trying to move as little as possible. I managed to text my parents that I was safe and at a friend's house – without mentioning that that 'friend' was a boy. I didn't want them to freak out about it. Bob and I spoke little and opened our eyes even less. Eventually though, I started to feel a bit better and managed to drag my body out of Bob's bed. I yelled at him to not look when he made the mistake of doing so while I tried to find my clothes. Strangely enough they were underneath the kitchen table, which was buried under empty bottles of alcohol.
"Can I look now, Sandy?" asked Bob, walking into the room with his hands over his eyes. I was glad to see that he was dressed this time in his usual white shirt and brown trousers. I slipped into my purple mini dress and said yes. Bob removed his hands and looked around the room with red eyes.
"Gosh, what a dump," he commented. It was true: the kitchen looked like a twister had been through it. The other rooms weren't much better. This is just weird. What happened last night? I poured myself a glass of water and got one for Bob too. As I was gulping mine down, Bob opened the fridge – probably looking for something to eat – and discovered that lodged between the milk and some eggs was a video tape. Curious, he pulled it out and showed it to me.
"What do you think is on it?" he asked.
"There's only one way to find out," I said, swapping him his glass of water for the tape. He followed me into the living room where I slotted the tape into the video player. The screen flickered to life and what showed next was so surreal that at first I thought we were watching a film. The video was recorded last night and from the way my face was almost squashed against the lens in the beginning, it had been my idea to film. Great. We started in the kitchen; Bob and I were nearing the end of our drinking limit. Bob and I were giggling stupidly and he was hiccupping loudly. We both looked awful.
We passed out around the same time on the kitchen floor and Bob fast forwarded the tape when he realized we didn't wake up for another couple of hours. When we woke up, that was when things started to go wrong. Bob looked at me adoringly and I looked back at him just the same and then we were kissing. Full on mouth-to-mouth kissing! I was totally grossed out and that wasn't even the worst part. As we kissed, Bob's hands tugged on my dress and I helped him pull it off me. I watched in horror as the me on the tape proceeded to fumble with the buttons on Bob's shirt before successfully yanking it off. I hate to admit that it tore a little because I had grabbed it so passionately. We took off our own underwear and resumed kissing heavily, our hands running all over each others' bodies. Bob and I sunk to the floor and then we were...Well, I'm sure you can figure it out for yourself.
I felt well and truly disgusted with myself. We managed to do the deed in every single room in Bob's house before the tape ran out. It was like watching two wild animals going at it. I guess one of us had stuffed the tape in the fridge for some reason before we made it to Bob's bedroom to sleep. I couldn't look at him. We sat in an awkward silence for the best part of five minutes, too stunned to speak. I was finding it hard to digest what I had seen...What I had done...I felt like a sleaze ball. I felt dirty. How could I have...With Bob? It was so very wrong. I didn't even think about him in that way. I was never drinking alcohol again. Finally, Bob broke the silence.
"S-Sandy? I think we should talk about...what we saw and–"
"Err actually I think I should go home now. Bye!" I said in a rush and ran out of his house without looking back, almost tripping over my own feet in my hurry. I couldn't believe what I had done with Bob. Multiple times! He was my friend – and just barely that. It was disgusting. When I eventually got home I ran straight to my room to avoid contact with my parents. I didn't want to face them just yet. I was almost hyperventilating. My hands were shaking and I felt like crying. My legs felt like jelly so I sat down heavily on my bed. I bit my lip – what were my options? Option one: never think about this again and forget all about it. Oh, and pray that Bob didn't bring it up. Ever. Option two: there was no option two.
"Sandy dahlin', is everythin' alright?" my mom called in her strong Texas accent.
"I'm fine Ma," I yelled back, "just going to turn in early!" I had a shower and I felt so filthy that I kept scrubbing and scrubbing until my skin turned red and then I went right to bed. Even though I tried my best I couldn't get to sleep. I counted sheep, listened to soft music, tried to relax. Nothing worked. I lay there with my eyes wide open, forcing myself to not think about what I had been doing at around this time last night with Bob. I involuntarily began replaying the events on the tape in my head and there was a tense moment where I thought for sure I was going to throw up. After that, I fell into an uneasy, dreamless sleep...
I woke up and ran directly to the bathroom to empty the entire contents of my stomach into the toilet. I heaved so much that my throat was raw and tears were running down my cheeks. My mom must have heard me crying in the bathroom because the next thing I knew she had appeared next to me and was rubbing my back gently.
"Sandy? Sandy, are you okay?" she asked with concern.
"I don't think I am..." I mumbled pitifully. I must have looked even worse than I felt because Mom insisted that she take me to the hospital. Dad drove us there like a maniac and Mom held me in her arms tenderly making sympathetic noises while I whimpered. When we arrived there was a small wait before we were seen to and then it was there, in room 408 with my mom holding my hand and my dad squeezing my shoulder that I found out the unimaginable: I was pregnant.
I broke down crying when the doctor told me. I just couldn't hold it in. My whole world had come crashing down after two little words. Nothing was going to be the same ever again. My parents looked at me as if I was a repulsive cretin who had some hideous disease. It hurt to see the utter disgust in their eyes, the way they were staring at me as if they wanted nothing to do with me. They were my parents: they were supposed to be there to support me when things got tough. Once the doctor discussed with them my options, they seemed to calm down some for which I was relieved.
"So Doc, what procedures do you have available that terminate the...y'know," my mom said. I stopped crying. Looked at my mom. Her face showed no emotion. It was set tight – I'd never seen her look like that before. It was scary. I turned to my dad and his face was exactly the same. Both of them had already made up their minds about how this was going to end. This was real, it was happening right now and if I didn't say something now, I could regret this moment for the rest of my life.
"Right well, if that's what you want..." The doctor reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a leaflet entitled 'Abortion & U'. He tried to hand it to me but I whacked it out of his hand. Mom gasped and Dad demanded to know what I thought I was doing. I stood up abruptly and faced my parents.
"Hold on just a second! Has anyone even bothered to think about whether or not I actually want to get rid of my baby?" I asked angrily. My dad folded his arms across his broad chest and glared down at me.
"Sandra, you're jist a baby yaself. You can't possibly look after one at this age. Everyone knows that inside of you right now is not a baby but a mistake – a mistake that you are goin' to put right!" he said forcefully, shaking his fist at me. My cheeks heated up with fury and I stood my ground.
"No. You can't make me!" I said childishly and dodged passed him, heading for the exit. No way was I killing my baby. I had been taught to value life and that murdering was one of the worst crimes by the same people who had just told me to get rid of what could become a little bundle of joy. Dad tried to grab me as I zipped past him but I dodged him. Mom was blocking the door but I ducked under her arm and sprinted down the hallway. It was so hard for me to get my head around what was happening to me. I felt like I could already feel the baby growing inside me and it made me happy to think that soon I would be bringing another life into this world.
I weaved in and out of patients and doctors in my mad dash for the front door. I quickly checked over my shoulder and it didn't really look like I was being followed – but why take the risk and slow down? I dashed down the road, not paying attention to my surroundings. People shot me strange looks but I didn't give them a second thought. So what if I looked a little strange, racing around as if I was trying to win a race? My life had changed drastically and something as small as a few people thinking I was slightly odd didn't register with me.
I was halfway to Bob's house when I realized that that was where I was running to. I guess it made sense: he was the father and I should tell him the news as soon as possible. It was the only decent thing to do. I arrived outside his house without breaking a sweat. Being fit and healthy was finally paying off and for the first time I was grateful for all those hours I spent training in the dojo at karate practise. Bob's front door was slightly ajar and I could hear him and his burly friend Patrick talking inside. I paused to eavesdrop on what they were saying, rubbing my stomach self-consciously.
"...don't say things like that." That was Bob's voice.
"Aw but Bob I can't help it – it's the truth!" Patrick was saying. In the two weeks of us working together, Patrick and I hadn't been officially introduced so I had yet to find out what he was really like. The rumours about Bob had proven to be misleading so I half-wondered if that was the same for Patrick. It was possible.
"But Pat I've already told you: I just don't see you like that. You have been and always will be my best friend, nothing more." Bob sounded upset and for some reason that made me sad. But whatever; I brushed it off as me being emotional about my current situation. Why would Bob's feelings influence my own?
"No! I don't believe you!" shouted Patrick. There was a loud thumping noise and I decided that now was a good time as any to make my entrance. I pulled the front door open completely and stopped in my tracks. Bob's big friend Patrick had tackled him to the floor and was sitting on top of him with his legs wrapped around Bob's. He was a thick boy with a shaved head and a very pink face. He was wearing loose green shorts that were falling dangerously low around his back end. Gross. Patrick was pinning Bob's arms to the floor so he couldn't push him off and was leaning over poor Bob, his lips puckered as if trying to kiss him. So I guess the rumours about Patrick being gay were true. Something snapped when I saw Patrick trying to force himself on Bob and I stepped towards them furiously. I didn't know why I was so mad.
"Sandy!" cried Bob when he saw me. I ignored it when my heart skipped a beat when he called my name like that. He had called it out a lot last night and I felt my cheeks flushing.
"Pfft, yeah right. You can't fool me that easy Bob. What do you think I am, an idiot?" Yes, yes you are and idiot, well done for noticing, I thought sourly to myself.
"Patrick, get off me and turn around," said Bob tiredly. When his friend didn't move Bob yelled 'ice cream'. The big fool turned around eagerly with his tongue lolling out of his mouth only to be bitterly disappointed.
"That's not ice cream, it's just that really hot chick from school," he said sadly. If anyone else had called me a 'really hot chick' I would have been flattered but because it was Patrick I didn't. I think Patrick forgot what he had been doing before he had been distracted by the false promise of ice cream because he got off of Bob, said goodbye and left the house. I guess people had been right about Patrick: he really was a fat, idiotic homosexual. It made me wonder why Bob was friends with him. He was far too good to lower himself down to Patrick's level. He deserved much better friends than stupid Patrick.
The fact that no-one else spoke to Bob in school other than Patrick crossed my mind and I felt guilty for thinking like that. Bob and Patrick were the only two people at school that everyone avoided like the plague so it wasn't a wonder they had become friends. At least Patrick had given Bob a chance, unlike the rest of the school population – including me. I wouldn't have looked twice at Bob had Mrs Puff not paired us up for the Science project.
"I didn't think you would be back here after we watched that tape," said Bob, looking relieved. Honestly, I hadn't thought I would be either.
"Bob, I have something I have to tell you. Something major." He looked at me expectantly, his sea blue eyes gazing at me intently. The magic of them still hadn't worn off yet. "I'm hav– You...We're– The thing is..." I couldn't say it. For some reason I just couldn't get the words out. I was so frustrated with myself! This shouldn't be so hard to admit. What was wrong with me? They were just words. It was only Bob I was talking to. We were friends, weren't we? At the back of my mind I knew that what was holding me back was the reaction I would get from Bob. He could freak out or want nothing to do with me. Maybe he'd even hate me. I couldn't bear that if it happened. For some reason the thought of Bob hating me made my heart hurt. I looked in Bob's bright eyes and somehow I knew he couldn't hate anyone. He gave me a small smile and took me by the hand, leading me to his sofa where we both sat down.
"I think I know what you're trying to say. And Sandy? I love you too," said Bob. What? That was NOT what I was going to say! I wanted to yell at him for being so assuming but then his lips were against mine and I couldn't speak. I couldn't think either. It was a nice kiss: sweet and tender and loving. Bob's lips were soft against mine and he knew how to move. One of his hands cupped my cheek and the other held onto my waist. This was nice. I felt a warm feeling spread through my entire body and I had a feeling of déjà vu. Was this how it felt last night? All special and tingly...I sharply pulled away from Bob, causing him to fall off the sofa. Luckily I caught him just in time. This couldn't go on much longer.
"I'm pregnant," I blurted out. Bob's eyes practically popped out of his head and his mouth dropped open. He clearly hadn't been expecting me to say that – who really expects someone to confess that? – and was stunned for a few moments. I knew this had been a bad idea. He probably wanted me to do the same thing my parents wanted me to do and I couldn't. I wouldn't be responsible for the death of a child.
"I-I-I-I...this...wow...you're...well of course..." babbled Bob. I remained silent, watching him. He looked like he was thinking it over in his head and I decided that I would give him thirty seconds before I left the house. If he couldn't handle this then I wouldn't force him to. After all, I didn't need his help to raise our child. Even as I thought it, I knew it was a lie. Of course I needed Bob! We made this child together and the both of us should be there for it. We had a responsibility but more importantly, I didn't think I wanted to bring up our child without Bob at my side. It would be great to have him with me through all the ups and downs, standing strong. When it had been twenty nine seconds, Bob spoke up.
"It obviously wasn't planned but I'll stick by you no matter what," said Bob. He grinned at me. I replayed his words from earlier in my head. 'And Sandy? I love you too'. It hadn't even registered in my mind that that was what he had said right before he kissed me. I looked at Bob, really looked at him: his blue eyes, his bucked teeth, his slightly messed up blonde hair, the freckles on his cheeks. My face broke into a smile as everything made sense to me at long last. Why I liked spending time with him, why I felt jealous when Patrick was trying to kiss him but most importantly, why I'd had sex with him in the first place. I pounced on Bob in an embrace that made him fall backwards on to the sofa.
"I love you, Bob!" I cried, kissing his cheek. And so would our baby.