Alright, I'm sorry, everyone. I know it's been AGES since I last wrote anything, but with school, homework (wait, I go to a performing arts school! :D), family, and *ahem* lack of ideas, it's been kind of hard to write at all. I bet you hate me now. But anyway, please enjoy!

Tori, Cat, and Haley sat in front of Tori's television. Haley's eyes were glued to the screen playing SpongeBob SquarePants as it had been for an hour.

"Tori," Cat whined, "can't we watch something else? I mean, don't get me wrong. I love sponges, especially in 'Bob' form, but I think we've watched enough of this."

"But what if she screams again?" Tori suggested. "I don't want to upset her."

Cat huffed. "The world isn't full of gumdrops, rainbows, and lollipops, Tori. She has to experience disappointment, or she'll think she can always have her way."

"Are you okay, Cat? You seem a little upset."

Cat pouted. "I lost Mr. Purple when I was at your house last. Okay?"

Tori laughed. "I'll help you find your giraffe, okay? There's no reason to freak out."

Cat gasped. "Yay, I LOVE Mr. Purple!"

"I know you do." Tori picked up the remote. "Haley, is it okay if we watch something else?"

Haley nodded.

"I don't think you understand, Haley. If we watch something else, you can't watch SpongeBob. Are you sure that's okay?"

She nodded again, although, this time, it was noticeably more subtle.

Tori sighed. "Okay, but I won't change it back." She pressed a few buttons on her remote, and the channel changed.

Haley began to whimper. "Sponge?" she moaned.

Cat shook her head. "No. We're watching something different. That's okay, right?"

Haley whined, "Sponge…" Tears began to fall from her eyes. "Want… sponge…"

"I know how to fix this," Tori said, grabbing Haley's backpack. "I think it's in here." She pulled out Haley's Game Boy. "Do you want to play games, Haley?"

She nodded and grabbed her Game Boy.

Tori sighed. "Thank goodness. Cat, I'm going to go get one of my old teddy bears to see if she wants one. You stay here and make sure Haley is okay. You got that? Don't take your eyes off her for a second."

"How about half a second?" Cat giggled. "I love math when it's not in school!"

Tori walked up the stairs as Trina came down with her PearPhone in her hands, earphones in her ears. "Hey, Cat!" she shouted.

"What-y?" Cat replied.

"Why are you still here? Can't I get some peace to listen to my music?"

"Well, what about your room?" Cat asked.

"It's being repainted."

Cat smiled. "Sometimes I listen to music outside. It's fun. But if you're going to sing along, don't sing too loudly. It might make Haley sad."

Trina frowned. She had always heard that nobody liked her, but it wasn't until now that she really felt it to be true. She went out into her dark backyard.

Cat gasped. "Maybe Mr. Purple is under the couch!" She crouched down under it, trying to see what was lying beneath.

Bored and indifferent to the fact that she may be putting herself in danger, Haley stood up. She walked out of the Vegas' kitchen and through the open door to the backyard.

Tori came back down the stairs. "Hey, Cat, I found a cute red teddy bear for Haley. It's a little battered but…" She noticed that Haley was absent. "Cat, where's Haley? What happened?"

Cat stood up. "I don't know. I didn't hear any doors opening or closing, so she can't be far."

Tori noticed that the back door was open. "The backyard!" She ran outside, and Cat was quick to follow.

Tori saw her sister sitting on the bench outside. "Trina, did you see Haley out here?"

Trina took out her earphones. "She might be out here. I wasn't paying attention. She could be out here. She may not be. I don't know."

Cat noticed a hole in the fence. "Hey, look, it's a hole! It's got to be big enough for a small person."

Tori gasped. "What if Haley climbed through there? What if she's lost now, and she's clueless as to where to go?"

Cat laughed. "Come on, Tori. I know this seems like the right time to panic, but come on, isn't that a little 'worst case scenario?'"

"Do you have any other explanation?"

At that point, both Tori and Cat came to the same realization:

Haley was gone.