Kaeloo looked at the sign ahead of her, clutching a suitcase in each hand. "You are now leaving Smileyland," said the bright letters. The sign was neon, so she could still see it despite the fact that it was 2 a.m. in the morning. Earlier that day, she had lost her temper and transformed. Not only had she beaten up Mr. Cat, she had also beaten up Stumpy and even Quack Quack. She had gone too far, she thought to herself. The only way to ensure their safety was to leave Smileyland forever. She hadn't left a note or said goodbye to any of them, in case they tried to talk her out of leaving. As much as she didn't want to leave, she decided that it would be in everyone's best interests. She was about to continue walking when a familiar voice called out from behind her. "Froggy?"
Kaeloo turned around to see Mr. Cat behind her. "What are you doing out this late?" "Well..." she began, but he cut her off, having seen the bags she was holding and realizing her intentions. "You're leaving..." he said quietly, in disbelief. "You see, I..." she tried to think of something to say to him. "YOU WERE JUST GOING TO LEAVE WITHOUT TELLING ANY OF US?!" he snapped. She paused and observed his face. She could see a mixture of emotions: anger, shock, confusion, and... hurt. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't hurt any of you ever again," she said, tears starting to form in her eyes.
Maybe it was the desperation to make sure she didn't leave. Maybe it was the emotions keeping him from thinking straight. He didn't know what it was, but something made Mr. Cat drop the whole "bad boy" act and tell her the truth. "These will heal," he said, pointing at the scars he had gotten from the beating earlier. "But if you left... I don't think I - any of us - would be able to recover from the emotional scars." Kaeloo looked at Mr. Cat's face and saw tears streaming down his cheeks. It was the first time she had seen him actually crying, for everything he went through on a daily basis.
Everything he went through on a daily basis... the thought repeated in her head. She realized that he had it bad enough already. He had mentioned being humiliated and bullied often, and if she was correct, had a very abusive childhood. She had overheard him mentioning something to Stumpy once which suggested that someone he really cared about had died when he was younger. She had no idea what his life was like apart from the time she spent with him, but she imagined it wasn't very pleasant. There was even the possibility that he didn't really have anyone else besides her and the other two. The four of them were like a family. She realized that Mr. Cat wasn't the only one who needed her; she couldn't leave any of them. Stumpy needed someone to help him with things he couldn't understand. Quack Quack needed a parental figure. And Mr. Cat didn't seem to be taking her departure very well.
Kaeloo put one of her hands on Mr. Cat's cheek. "I'm not leaving," she said. "Huh?" he said. "I'm not leaving," she repeated, moving closer to him. "I can't leave you three." She wrapped her arms around him and he clung to her. He burst into sobs, no longer able to hold back the emotions that had been repressed for a long time. She gently patted him on the back. "It's okay," she whispered. "I'm here."
After a little while, both of them were starting to feel much better. "You want to go home?" Mr. Cat asked Kaeloo. "You can sleepover at my place if you want," Kaeloo offered. He smiled and held her hand. She smiled back and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Both friends walked back home together, hand in hand.