(In the last chapter Spongebob showed off his new intelligence until it got to the point where Sandy wanted him to leave. Then later on she realized that if she didn't do something, he would be like this forever.)
Heart over Mind
(Chapter Three)
It wasn't just weird for Sandy, everyone else found his behavior to be weird as well. The only thing Spongebob did for Gary was feed him, Gary gets very bored when Spongebob doesn't play with him.
"Meow" Said Gary.
"I already fed you Gary, what else could you possibly need?" Asked Spongebob.
"Meow" Said Gary.
"Play fetch with you; pets are so strange… I'm sorry Gary, but I wish to read a few books in my library." Said Spongebob.
Gary slithers away sad and eventually decides to go to sleep. The next day Spongebob gets ready for work and feeds Gary breakfast, then he leaves for work, but not before running into Patrick.
"Spongebob do you want to… uh… go jellyfishing after you get off work?" Asked Patrick.
"Not after reading a book last night; it was called "In the mind of a Jellyfish." These jellyfish go through terrifying experiences of being captured; I refuse to do this "jellyfishing" any longer." Said Spongebob.
"Ok… then what do you want to do?" Asked Patrick.
"To be honest I want to find a new job; something that challenges my thinking skills. The job I currently have is not fit for me any longer." Said Spongebob.
"Uh… Spongebob are you feeling ok, you're talking all funny." Said Patrick.
"Patrick… this may be hard for you, but I think that you should find other friends with your same intelligence level." Said Spongebob.
"Spongebob… you know big words hurt my head… I didn't understand anything you just said." Said Patrick.
"Ok… I'll put it in simpler terms… you need to find new friends." Said Spongebob.
"Wait… are you saying that you don't want to be my friend anymore?" Asked Patrick.
"What I'm saying is that I no longer enjoy doing what I used to do. Sandy's machine has made me more intelligent." Said Spongebob.
"Say no more… I get it now… You're just as boring as Squidward." Said Patrick.
"That is your opinion, say what you want." Said Spongebob walking away.
He gets to the Krusty Krab; he walks into the kitchen.
"I don't understand why I would get so excited over a simple Krabby Patty." Spongebob said to himself; Squidward heard him say that.
"Are you feeling ok?" Ask Squidward confused.
"I've never felt better, and it's all because of Sandy's machine. It has increased my brain function; I question myself as to why I loved this job so much, it has no challenging brain activities whatsoever." Said Spongebob.
Squidward scratches his head in confusion; he was impressed by Spongebob's new intelligence.
"Um… Spongebob do you think you could help me out with something?" Asked Squidward.
"I'm sure I could; what do you need?" Asked Spongebob.
"A lot of critics don't like my paintings, and I was hoping that you could give me a little advice on how to improve on them." Said Squidward.
"Ok then Squidward I will come by after work ok?" Asked Spongebob.
"Ok great." Said Squidward.
"I can't do this any longer… I am leaving to pursue a career that will challenge my intelligence." Said Spongebob walking out the door. His boss heard what he said.
"What's going on, where are you going Spongebob?" He asked.
"I am grateful for having this job for so long, but it no longer serves me a purpose in life. I must go search for a job that fits my new and improved intelligence." Said Spongebob as he walks out the door; Plankton also hears this conversation.
"Hey Spongebob wait up." Said Plankton.
"What is it Plankton?" Asked Spongebob.
"I can't believe how smart you sound… how did this happen?" Asked Plankton.
"If you must know… it was Sandy, she created a machine that increased my knowledge."
"Since you no longer work at the Krusty Krab; could you help me?" Asked Plankton.
"I will not associate myself with an attempted thief, I say attempted because you never have succeeded." Said Spongebob.
"I know you won't help me get the formula, but can you at least tell me where I go wrong?" Asked Plankton.
"No sir I will not… that is for you to find out." Said Spongebob walking away.
Later on just as Squidward wanted Spongebob came over to Squidward's house to give advice about his paintings.
"I see what the problem is." Said Spongebob.
"What?" Asked Squidward.
"Every piece of art you create is only a portrait of yourself, that is nothing that critics want to judge. When you draw pictures of yourself, it lets people know that you are an ego maniac."Said Spongebob.
"Hey! I didn't invite you here to insult me." Said Squidward.
"My apologies Squidward, but I don't believe you take criticism very well; I was not stating that I thought you were an ego manic, I was saying that judges would say that you're an ego maniac." Said Spongebob leaving.
As Spongebob leaves Sandy meets up with him.
"Hello Sandy it is good to see you again; are you feeling any better today?" Asked Spongebob.
"Spongebob we need to talk." Said Sandy in a serious tone.
"What do you want to talk about Sandy?" Asked Spongebob.
"You… ever since you became smarter; you haven't been acting like yourself." Said Sandy.
"I'm sure it may seem like that to some people, but it is like I said before… some people just don't deal with change in a positive way." Said Spongebob.
"No Spongebob… everyone else is the same; it's you that's changed. You didn't listen to my warning yesterday and now you're paying the price." Said Sandy.
"What are you talking about Sandy; I feel so much better about myself now that I understand things better." Said Spongebob.
"At least tell me why…" Said Sandy.
"Why what?" Asked Spongebob.
"Tell me why… other than the fact that you wanted to be smarter why you would do it?" Said Sandy.
Spongebob was quiet for a moment he tried to think of a different reason.
"I don't know Sandy." Said Spongebob.
"Can you tell me how you are feeling?" Asked Sandy.
"I don't really feel anything." Said Spongebob.
"That is the problem Spongebob… since you only cared about being smart; you've lost all of your emotions." Said Sandy sounding a little upset.
"I don't feel anything… not anger, or fear, or sadness, or even happiness." Said Spongebob.
"That's because you've chosen your own path; you've chosen the mind over the heart. My mom told me something once." Said Sandy.
"What?" Asked Spongebob.
"She told me… no matter how smart you get… don't forget what makes you happy. Sometimes it's more important to listen to your heart and not your mind." Said Sandy.
"That is ridiculous Sandy… it is your brain that makes the decisions not your heart." Said Spongebob.
"Let me just ask you something… what makes you happy Spongebob?" Asked Sandy.
"I don't know… the only goal I've had is to become smarter." Said Spongebob.
"So you don't even remember what made you happy?" Asked Sandy.
"No." Said Spongebob.
"So what I'm saying is you haven't been yourself since you've become smarter, which worries me." Said Sandy.
"Why?" Asked Spongebob.
"Because you're not the same guy that I once knew, do you even remember any of the times that we had together?" Asked Sandy.
"I remember them, but I don't feel anything anymore." Said Spongebob.
"That is what I was afraid of… you once cried at my feet and warned me over and over again not to go after the Alaskan Bull Worm. At first I thought it was annoying, but now that I think about it… I appreciate what you did for me because it showed me that you cared about me. If… I don't get you back to the way you were… all of that could end." Said Sandy as a tear went down her face.
She was slightly embarrassed to cry in front of him, but thought he wouldn't care anyway. She tried to hide her tears, but he saw them anyway, which triggered something deep inside of him. He was not thinking at all but he put his hand on her shoulder in comfort.
"Sandy…" He said softly.
(To be continued… This chapter was longer than my previous chapters. I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far.)
