Squidward's shift did eventually end, though. The final customer of the night exited a few minutes later than they were scheduled to close, but they did leave and for that Squidward was eternally grateful. As soon as they were out the door, he had practically run into the break room, ripped his locker door off of its hinges, and snatched his keys from inside it.

But just as he had stepped foot out the front door and felt a cool breeze caress his face, he stopped.

He wanted to believe that SpongeBob could handle cleaning everything up all by himself, but he knew that he couldn't. He could imagine all the frying pans, spatulas, patties, and condiments still being out of place and he knew when that happened pay was docked off both of their paychecks.

Squidward tightened his tentacles into trembling fists and bit back a scream of frustration.

He just wanted to go home. He needed some time to himself, so that he could recuperate from the horrible day he'd had. He also knew Snelly would be waiting for him hungry and lonely. He hadn't fed her since the previous night.

Which was why he wished he could just forget what SpongeBob had said to him earlier.

Squidward's face softened as he remembered how SpongeBob had looked at him when he'd said that he likes getting to know him. And he even said he admires him. Squidward would never admit it, but it took all he had to keep from reaching over and hugging the sponge afterward. It just felt so good to-

"Squid?"

Squidward gasped as he snapped out of his thoughts. He turned around and was greeted by SpongeBob's head peering out at him from the window to the kitchen. The sponge smiled tiredly as he jumped down from the window to the ground behind the cash register.

"Sorry," SpongeBob said. "Didn't mean to scare ya." He then pointed his thumb towards the kitchen. "You think you can help me break down the fryer? We should hurry up and get the tough stuff done first so we can call it a night."

Squidward paled, cornered by SpongeBob's proposal. How could he say no when the sponge was standing here right in front of him? He wanted to punch himself for not simply walking out like he'd originally planned. The thought of staying in this restaurant for another hour or so made him want to collapse and weep into his tentacles.

"Um...okay," Squidward whispered reluctantly, hoping SpongeBob would tell him that he didn't need his help after all.

"Squidward? What's wrong?" SpongeBob trotted over to his side and placed a gentle hand on his back. "I promise I'll keep it down. I meant it when I said I'm tired too."

Squidward bit his lip, staring blankly at the floorboards below them. The truth was, he wished he could let the dam within him burst and pour all of his feelings out and into the open. It felt good to open up to others. He'd done it before and it always felt good.

The real problem was keeping that dam open and not letting it close back up again.

"Oh, I know what will cheer you up!" SpongeBob said as he backtracked to the area behind the cash register. He bent over to pull something out and walked back over to Squidward. "I saw this in the space by your register the other day. I bet you were looking for it, weren't you?"

Squidward looked up hesitantly, not sure what to expect.

SpongeBob held out Interpretive Dance Quarterly's latest issue. The one he'd been looking for hours ago.

Scrawled across the cover in thick black ink were the words "Back to Work!"

"Sorry I didn't tell you earlier, Squid. Honestly, I like it when you talk to me so I was kind of hoping you wouldn't find it..."

Squidward looked away unable to even muster his usual anger towards his selfish boss. He just felt too tired. Too weak.

Besides, this wasn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things. It wasn't as if Mr. Krabs...scribbled…across every...

Squidward perked at this and snatched the magazine out of SpongeBob's hands. He then flipped rapidly through the pages. Sure enough, every page's contents were scribbled out and the photos of graceful and muscular dancers now looked silly with oversized mustaches drawn on their faces.

Squidward trembled violently before throwing the magazine across the room as hard as he could, not even relishing SpongeBob's flinching at the sudden movement.

It was at that moment that he fully realized the position he was in right now. He was standing in front of SpongeBob, head hanging pathetically, pride shattered…

"S-Sorry if it upset you, Squid," SpongeBob stammered. "I just thought you might still want it back..."

Squidward shook his head, staring through the sponge and not at him. He couldn't take it anymore. How much humiliation did he have to endure in one day? He couldn't stand SpongeBob seeing him like this. Seeing him as below him.

Squidward pursed his lips and shoved past SpongeBob, actually pushing him aside instead of walking around him. He then walked straight towards the glass entrance doors and shoved them open so hard that they nearly broke off their hinges. Squidward hastened his pace when he heard SpongeBob call out his name and utter what may have been another apology.

Apology?

Ha.

He couldn't think of anything more worthless.