Hello Everyone! Before I start this chapter, I would just like to thank every single one of you out there who have read/reviewed/followed this story. Your support means the world to me and it's what motivates me to keep going. I'm so happy that you all have been enjoying this story so far. Anyways, on with the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own SpongeBob SquarePants or any of its characters
Lovesick Sponge
Boy, what a day it had been for the little square fellow. He had been feeling fine and symptom-free the entire week; not a single drop of sweat, not once did his heart pound or his hands shake, and not once did his stomach threaten to give back his lunch. He was fine. He had returned to his usual happy-go-lucky, bright and cheery self. Until… she showed up. What in Neptune's name was the stinking problem?!
After all, his pink friend was right; there was no way he could have a crush on one of his best friends, that was just silly fairy-tale talk. It only happened in books and movies; never in real life, especially not to someone like SpongeBob.
Yeah, sure; his symptoms matched those of the 'lovesickness', at least, that was what the doctor had convinced him of initially. But he was full of malarkey; full of tartar sauce! He had no idea what he was talking about. So, what if he had years and years of training in medical school and was the most trusted doctor in town? He was still full of fish-paste!
Yeah, yeah. So, what if SpongeBob did have all those phony-bologna symptoms? It wasn't like they really meant anything. So, what if seeing her made him weak in the knees? He wasn't a physically strong guy, anyway. So, what if her laugh made his heart pound? Was it such a big deal for a land creature to have such an adorable laugh? And so, what if the very thought of her tied his stomach in knots? And her kind and helpful nature warmed his heart? And her sense of humor and intelligence comforted him? And so, what if the touch of her hand made him tingle? And her pretty smile made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside-Oh, forget it! It was all just a load of barnacles.
The sponge was still a little bummed out about being sent home from work, but at least he had something to look forward to: Spending a nice evening with a friend, just a friend. He was confident, he was focused, he wasn't going to let that squirrel get under his skin. Not that she had gotten under his skin, of course. Because that would be silly and just plain ridiculous.
He stood in front of his bedroom mirror holding two fresh pairs of his signature square pants. He switched them back and forth in front of himself, trying to decide which one to go with.
"What about this one, Gary?" he asked his loyal pet who sat on the ground behind him.
"Meow (that one's good, I say go with that one.)"
The sponge pursed his lips to the side. "Hmm… are you sure? This one seems a little… oh, I don't know, faded. What about this one?"
"Meow (perfect, go with that one.)"
"Mm, then again, this one seems a little less wrinkled…" he stared at both of them and continued to switch them back and forth.
The snail shot him a confounded look, "Meow (I really don't think it matters, Papa-Bob. They look pretty much the same)"
SpongeBob scoffed, "Of course, it matters, Gary. I can't show up at the science convention looking all drab," he chuckled.
The snail smirked. "Meow? (what's wrong with the pants you've been wearing all day already?)"
The sponge gasped, "Gary, I can't show up covered in ketchup and mustard stains! What would all those smart scientists think?"
"Meow? (you sure it's the scientists you're worried about?)"
"Well, of course! Who else would I be worried about seeing me like this?"
"Meow (oh, I don't know…) he shifted his eyes around the room mischievously.
"I think I'll go with… this one!" he said, holding up the pair that he believed was "less wrinkled".
"Thanks for your help, Gare," he said in a cheerful tone as he headed towards the bathroom.
"Meow (oh, no problem, master…)" the snail knew what was secretly going on inside that yellow head of his.
After a while, the sponge had taken a shower; putting in extra effort to get squeaky clean by using a brand-new lemon scented shower gel, guaranteed to make him "smell like a new man!" at least, that's what it claimed to do on the outside of the bottle, anyway.
After drying himself through the wringer, putting on his clean clothes, shaving, brushing and flossing his teeth, he still felt like he was missing something. "Hmm…" he tapped his finger against his chin as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror. He then smiled and snapped his fingers.
He dug underneath the sink cabinets and found something he had never used.
A few moments later, Gary slithered into the bathroom to find his owner standing in a golden, hazy cloud. The whole room reeked of musk. The snail coughed as he slithered closer to him.
He looked behind him for a moment. "Whoops, sorry, buddy didn't know you were there," he continued to douse himself with the fragrance.
"Meow, meow? (wait… isn't that the "manliest-man" cologne that your father gave you for your birthday… five years ago?)"
"Right you are, Gary," he smiled.
The snail peered at him. "Meow… (too bad she won't be able to smell it…)"
"What do you mean?" he asked with a chuckle, glancing over at him.
"Meow (well, doesn't she wear that air helmet all the time?)"
"She-who?"
He rolled his eyes, "Meow (you know who)"
"Mmm… You-know-who… doesn't ring a bell,"
Oh, brother! "Meow (the scientist you're going to the science convention with tonight)"
"Ohh! You mean Sandy? Dah ha! That's funny, Gary. I'm not wearing this for her," he smiled sheepishly.
He smirked, "Meow (then what's the occasion?)"
"Well, I can't go out in public smelling like old Krabby Patties! That'd just be silly,"
"Meow… (you don't seem to mind smelling like Krabby Patties when you're at work… every single day… out in public)"
SpongeBob bit his lip and chuckled awkwardly. "Well, people get tired of the same old smells. They'd probably like to smell something different, something fresh, something- "
"Meow (something manly)"
"Yes-well I uh… I don't know… ugh, I don't have time for this, Gary. I have to finish getting ready." He turned back to the mirror and straightened his tie.
"Meow (but of course; don't want to keep a squirrel waiting)"
"What was that?"
"Meow (oh, nothing…)" he slithered out of the room as fast as he could.
~French Narrator~
"So many moments later."
After SpongeBob had done numerous other things getting ready for his 'not' special evening, he raced down the stairs. "I'M READY!" he shouted enthusiastically. "I-I mean- "he cleared his throat, "I'm ready," he said more casually, correcting his excited tone of voice.
He stepped into the living room where his snail sat on the couch. "How do I look?" he asked as he twirled around in a circle, allowing Gary to get a full view of him.
"Meow! (looking sharp! I think she'll be impressed)"
The sponge waved him off, "Oh, Gary, I'm not trying to impress anyone" he chuckled.
"Meow? (oh no? Since when have your shoes ever been that shiny?)"
He looked down at his black shoes that he had taken the time to polish. He smiled sheepishly, "I-I stepped in a mud puddle on my way home from work,"
"Meow (uh-huh)."
SpongeBob let out a sigh of contentment. He then glanced up at the wall clock. "Hmm… Six Thirty. That leaves me with enough time to feed my favorite pet!" he said excitedly.
"Meow? (don't you mean your only pet?)"
"Y-yeah, well, you get the point, Gary."
They made their way into the kitchen where SpongeBob served his pet a can of fresh Snail-Po. "Well, I guess I'd better be going, if I don't wanna be tardy," he chuckled. "Don't wait up for me, Gare!" he waved goodbye to him as he headed for the door.
"Meow! (have fun!)" he waited until he heard the front door shut, before grinning deviously.
Oh, yes. The snail had some sneaky ideas for the evening; very sneaky ideas, indeed.
A little while later…
SpongeBob made it to the outskirts of Goo Lagoon. He felt confident and relaxed. "This whole night's gonna be a piece of cake." He thought.
As he came closer to the beach, he was taken aback at the elaborate set up of everything. Scientists from all walks of life had their inventions on display and were conducting experiments for everyone to see. Rows of massive tents were spread out in all directions, seeming to stretch on for miles. And to top everything off, there were hundreds of orange and yellow lights strung up overhead, creating a bright canopy that illuminated the entire beach.
He stood in awe of everything. "Wow," he said aloud.
"Really somethin', ain't it?"
"It sure is-WHOA! Uh, hi, Sandy!" he jumped once he realized that she had been standing right next to him.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle ya," she smiled. He broke into a sweat, "Ah haha, startle? Nah, you didn't startle me. Why would I be startled?" he spoke quickly.
She furrowed her eyebrows at him. "No reason, I suppose…" she stared at him for a moment. "You feelin' alright?"
"Aha, sure! Sure, I feel… g-great. U-uh, y-you look pretty, "he rubbed the back of his head. She shot him a strange look.
"Uhh, what?" she questioned, wondering if she had heard him right. He bit his lip, "Uh, you look pretty excited for tonight,"
She smiled. "Excited? Why I'm more ecstatic than a hound dog at dinner time! I've been lookin' forward to this night for weeks," she rubbed her hands together.
"Oh, Barnacles! Be more careful with what you say!" he scolded himself in his thoughts.
"How about you, SpongeBob?" he jumped back into reality, "Uh… w-what was the question?"
"Are ya excited?" she stared into his eyes as she held her hands on her hips.
"She's looking at you, SpongeBob. Say something! Anything!"
"Uhh… I'm more excited than a… a snail on a Saturday night! Hahaha" she stared blankly at him.
"Get it? 'Cause Gary likes to watch his… crime shows on Saturday nights…"
"Yeah…" she said slowly. "He's actin' really funny again…"
Sweat poured off him as they stood in silence for a few moments. "Well, ain't no point in just standin' around," she smiled and began walking. "Ahaha, yeah. Who likes to just stand around, anyway? Standing is boring," he replied as he walked alongside her.
"Good choice of words, good choice." "Well, you do stand around when you're workin' at The Krusty Krab, SpongeBob," she glanced at him.
"Scratch that; bad choice of words, bad." "Heh, you've got a point there, Sandy."
"Then again, maybe you don't just stand there; you do have to multitask in the kitchen,"
"Aha, so true. You know me like the back of your hand," he smiled crookedly. She became more perturbed every minute she spent with him. He just wasn't acting like himself.
As she tried to brush off his behavior, she noticed an experiment taking place at one of the large tents. "Well, lookie there; let's go check it out," she said, grabbing hold of his hand and nearly dragging him behind her.
He gasped in his thoughts. "She's touching your hand! Oh, what's the big deal? She's touched your hand plenty of times… hasn't she?"
They made their way over to a crowd of people gathered around the tent.
"I've got a good question for the ladies in the audience," began a green male fish wearing a lab coat. "Are you tired of multitasking in the kitchen?"
"Hey, we were just talkin' about that, haha!" she chuckled, elbowing him. He looked up at her, a small smile crossing his lips. He rubbed the area on his arm that she had touched.
"Picture this: You've got a pot of soup boiling on the stove when suddenly you realize you forgot to chop up the carrots! And the chopping board is all the way on the other side of the kitchen. You can't leave the pot that's about to boil over, so, what are you to do?"
"Get my lazy husband to help me?" said a random lady in the audience. A few people chuckled.
"Well, Ladies and lazy Gentle-fish, I present to you: The Robo-Chopper Two-Thousand!" he shouted, yanking a red sheet off from his invention. There stood a large, grey colored robot with arms and legs, resembling a female.
The audience gasped in amazement. "This fine machine acts as both a cook and a housekeeper. She slices, dices and even helps with the clean-up. So, ladies, you can stop nagging your husbands to help with the dishes." It was the men's turn to laugh while the women scoffed.
"Well, I never!" shouted a young female fish, slapping her husband across the face.
"Well, shoot; this just got personal," Sandy said quietly, leaning in towards her spongy friend.
He nervously chuckled, "Ha, I know right?" he felt his heart pound from having her stand so close to him.
"Well, without further ado, allow me to demonstrate how she works," he pressed a button on a remote control, activating the robot. It slowly lifted its mechanical, oval-shaped head and stared out at the audience with bright red glowing eyes.
"Golly, she's a beaut, ain't she, SpongeBob?" asked Sandy, staring at the contraption in amazement. Her spongy friend was deep in thought.
"SpongeBob?"
"Huh? Oh, y-yeah! She's quite a woman," he chuckled awkwardly. A few people turned around and stared at him.
"She's a robot, you idiot! Get ahold of yourself and stop saying ridiculous things in front of Sandy, she's gonna start thinking you're weird."
"Too late for that, kid." Said a random male fish who had his back turned to him. "What the barnacles?! How did he hear me?"
"SpongeBob look!" she elbowed him once again, snapping him out of his thoughts. He stood on his tip-toes and watched as the robot stood at a long wooden table, chopping up vegetables at an incredible speed.
"Wow! That thing really is neat," he was amazed.
Meanwhile, a woman and her husband stood in front of them. "I still think it's ridiculous to have a machine help me with the dishes," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Aw, come on, Amanda. That thing would do wonders helping you in the kitchen!" her husband argued.
"Oh, so I have to have a contraption help me? Your fins aren't broken, Marty," she glared at him.
SpongeBob and Sandy looked at each other for a few moments, both fighting back amused grins from overhearing the couples' conversation.
"Are you folks amazed yet?" asked the scientist. Some people nodded, others just shrugged. "Well, if you think that was too good to be true, watch how she cleans up," he pressed another button on the remote, making the robot waddle to another table where a massive pile of dirty dishes and a bucket of soapy water sat.
The robot picked up a dish and dunked it into the water. However, instead of scrubbing it, it suddenly froze. The scientist became nervous and pushed a few more buttons.
"Uh, heh heh, no worries, folks. I'll have her fixed in a jiffy," the machine began to short out. He became frustrated and pressed the buttons repeatedly.
"You hunk of junk! What is your problem?!" he kicked the contraption in the rear, causing it to power back up. He smiled, "Back in business, folks!" but before anyone could applaud, the robot grabbed the dish out of the bucket and chucked it at a man in the audience.
"What in tarnation?" said Sandy. "Now nobody panic! Everything is under control- "the robot grabbed him and held him up as if he were a ragdoll. "WHAT THE SCALLOP?! PROFESSOR DONAHUE DO SOMETHING!" he shouted at the other scientist, who then grabbed the remote control.
"I'm on it!" he pressed all the buttons repeatedly until it broke. "Uh oh…" he gasped before the robot flung him in another direction. He screeched and the entire audience slowly turned and watched as he flew across the sky and disappeared.
They turned back towards the robot to find it holding the pile of dishes under its arm. "EVERYBODY RUN!" shouted a male fish. The crowd panicked and ran in all different directions as the robot threw the dishes towards them at lightning speed.
In all the chaos, SpongeBob had lost sight of Sandy. He stood in the middle of hundreds of people panicking. "Sandy? Sandy?! Where are you?!" he looked around in all different directions. Just then, she ran up to him and grabbed his hand. "Come on!" she dragged him behind her.
The robot wreaked havoc on the entire convention; destroying all the inventions one by one with the dishes.
SpongeBob and Sandy took shelter behind a large boulder. They both panted. "We… should be safe here- "she was interrupted by the robot jumping in front of them. SpongeBob screamed and held onto her out of fear.
The machine waddled closer to them, preparing to throw more dirty plates. Sandy shoved him behind her protectively. "Y'all want a piece of me? Well, come and get it!" she made a karate stance. It flung several dishes at her, which she kicked and punched; shattering them one by one.
"You're messin' with the wrong squirrel- "the machine suddenly grabbed her by the arm and flipped her onto the ground. SpongeBob gasped, "Sandy!" he rushed over to her as she lay on the sand.
He stared down at her before a menacing shadow appeared. He gasped and turned around to find the robot about to finish them off. When suddenly a miniature rocket came out of nowhere, hitting the machine right in its side. They both flew across the beach until they finally crashed and exploded.
SpongeBob looked to his left to see another scientist sitting on the sand, breathing heavily. He held a remote in his fin. "Phew, thank Neptune; I knew I was gonna need that rocket someday," he said.
SpongeBob heard a groan. He turned his attention back to her. "Sandy are you okay?" he was deeply concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine; but the convention isn't," they both looked around at the ruins. Several panicked people came out from a few hiding spots.
He helped her up off the ground. "Shoot look at this place! I was really lookin' forward to this whole thing. Stinkin' machine," she shook her head in disappointment. SpongeBob frowned. "I'm sorry about all this,"
She looked at him, "Aw, it ain't your fault. I guess some inventions just don't turn out too good,"
He looked down and played with his hands. "Thanks for protecting me, Sandy…"
"'Course! You didn't really think I was gonna let that contraption get to ya?" she smiled. He smiled back and shook his head. He felt torn up on the inside. "You're the man here; you were supposed to protect her, not the other way around!"
"Stupid," he said aloud. "Huh?" she cocked an eyebrow at him. "Oh, uh, stupid machine. Who needs a robot housekeeper, anyway?" he rubbed the back of his head.
She shrugged, "Well, it was a good idea in theory, but like I said, some inventions don't turn out too good,"
Meanwhile, over in a corner stood the Bikini Bottom news team. "Perch Perkins here live on the scene of the now destroyed Bikini Bottom science convention. What was supposed to be a night of excitement for scientists, has turned into a tragic wasteland of destroyed inventions. We can only imagine the disappointment in the hearts of all the- "he was interrupted by a police officer shoving him away. "Okay buddy, there's nothin' to see here, the beach is closed."
"Hey, this isn't fair! I GET PAID FOR DOING THIS!" he shouted as he and his team were escorted off the beach.
Sandy turned back towards him. "You wanna go see that movie now?" she asked. He jumped at her question, "You still want to go? After the event you've been looking forward to for weeks has been destroyed?"
She shrugged, "There'll be other conventions. Besides, I have a taste for some salty popcorn" she smiled.
~French Narrator~
"One long walk later."
They arrived in Downtown Bikini Bottom. It was almost dusk as they approached the movie theater. "Whew, that was a long walk, eh, Sandy?" she glanced at him, noticing how drenched he was with sweat. "Yeah, I suppose so," she replied casually. "Why is he all sweaty? It ain't that warm out tonight."
They stepped inside and stood behind a long line of people. "What movie do you wanna see?" she asked.
"Oh, I'll watch anything you want to watch," he smiled. "Well, that's real nice of ya, partner," she smiled back, making his heart pound. "Why does she have to smile? Why?! Ugh, it doesn't matter, SpongeBob. She smiles a lot; why is this time any different?"
After a few minutes, the last person in line finally stepped aside. "Two tickets for A Tale of Two Hearts, please," said Sandy. SpongeBob's eyes widened. That was one of the many romantic films he refrained from seeing all week! Oh, merciful Neptune, out of the dozens of movies in that theater, why did she have to choose that one?! And worse, it was a fairy-tale story! Oh, well. It was just a movie, a silly little fantasy. What harm could it possibly do?
The man handed her the tickets. "Thanks." She then turned towards SpongeBob, "I'll go get us some seats. You think you could get us the popcorn, SpongeBob?"
"Uh, yeah! Sure," he faked a smile. "Great! See ya in a few," she began walking away. "Heh heh, yeah, see ya…" he furrowed his eyebrows. He then walked over to the snack bar.
"Hello, what can I get you?" asked a friendly male fish.
"One large popcorn, please," he said in a raspy voice. "You sick or something, kid?"
He looked up at him, "No-AHEM, I mean, no. Just give me the popcorn, please," he tried not to sound too agitated.
"You want butter on that?" he asked as he scooped the popcorn into a large bucket. "Uh, no thank you. My arteries are having enough trouble pumping blood as it is," he shook his head as sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Here you go, that'll be five bucks," he handed him the money, which was soaked through with the sweat from his palm. The man looked down at it, feeling uncomfortable. "Ahem, enjoy the movie," he faked a smile.
"Thank you, good sir," he tried to keep a positive attitude. He picked up the bucket, finding it very difficult to carry. "Wow, this thing's heavy," he had to put extra effort into each step that he took.
By the time he made it inside the theater, his arms were shaking; threatening to fall off. Everyone stared at him as he made his way to where she sat.
He plopped down in the seat beside her, breathing heavily. "That sure took you a long time, did somethin' come up?" she asked.
"Huh? Oh, no. Aha, just feeling a little sluggish today," he smiled sheepishly.
"Oh, it's startin'," she said, taking a handful of popcorn and popping it into her suit.
"Oh, great," his voice cracked. He gulped as he turned his attention to the screen in front of them.
The opening began with a view of a mysterious looking village, with houses and shops made of cobblestone.
"Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful young maiden and her three sisters. Their names were Estelle, Marcie, Meredith, and Ruby. They lived together in a quaint little cottage, all sharing in the chores of washing their garments, sweeping up the dust that covered the ground, and of course feeding their seahorses. Three of the sisters were content without having men in their lives. But Estelle, she longed for something more. She longed to be swept off her feet by a dashing handsome stranger. But alas, the village was so small that there wasn't a chance in the universe for such a dream to come true." Said a male narrator with a raspy voice.
"Phew, that's a relief," said SpongeBob. "SHHH!" a few people in the back whispered. "Heh heh, sorry," he bit his lip.
About an hour passed when the lead female character met the man of her dreams. They stood in a park near a tall tree.
The woman looked at him. "I swear I've seen you before… a-are you- "he stepped closer to her, placing a fin on her cheek. "I am Prince Daniel, my lady. I've been watching you from afar; you are so gracious, so pure and kind… please, let me take you on a tour of my kingdom," the woman gave it a thought. "Well… alright. But I can't be gone too long, or my sisters will worry for me." He smiled and held out his fin for her to take.
The women in the room sighed. "What a gentleman," said a young woman. Everyone in the theater, including Sandy, were enjoying the film. SpongeBob, however, couldn't stop squirming in his seat. He wanted out of there so badly. What in Neptune's name was wrong? He usually loved films like this; he especially loved the romance. But something was just off about everything… he suddenly felt disgusted as he sat there watching. But why was that so?
Little did they know, Patrick and Gary sat in two seats at the very top row of the theater. They laid low, spying on the sponge and squirrel. Patrick was chomping on a candy bar. "Why'd you make me come here again?" he asked.
"Meow (keep your voice down! I don't want them to hear us)" he meowed quietly.
"Don't want who to hear us?"
The snail rolled his eyes, "Meow (Papa-Bob and Sandy!)"
"Who the heck is Papa-Bob?"
"Oh, he can't be serious." "Meow? (SpongeBob, remember? Your best friend?)
"Ohh, right, how could I forget," he chewed very loudly. "Meow! (stop chewing so loud!)"
"What for?! It's bad enough I gotta sit through this malarkey, I want to at least enjoy my candy bar!"
"Meow! (malarkey?! I thought you were starting to like romantic movies?)"
"I am; I just don't like the ones that are boring! Like this pile of- "he was beginning to shout, when Gary wrapped his eyestalk around the tip of his pointy head, making him duck below the seat.
SpongeBob turned around, seeing nothing but a few people in the top row. "D-did you hear something?" he asked Sandy.
"No. I am tryin' to hear the movie, though," she whispered, her eyes glued to the screen.
Patrick sat back up. "Ouch! That hurt. And you got slime on my head,"
"Meow (I wouldn't have had to do that if you'd just be quiet)" he glared at him. Patrick mumbled something under his breath like a child, crossing his arms over his chest.
About a half an hour later, the film was nearly over. The prince and Estelle sat across from each other on the edge of a large water fountain. "Estelle, come away with me; I want to make you the happiest maiden alive," he held her fins and leaned in a little closer. "Oh, Daniel. I want to… but…"
"I want to give you everything your heart desires; but most of all, I want to give you… my love," they stared into each other's eyes. Everyone in the theater leaned forward in their seats.
SpongeBob sat up straight and stiff, begging Neptune for it to just end already. Suddenly, another hand landed on his. He looked down, seeing the familiar white gloved paw covering his small yellow hand. He slowly looked over at her as sweat dripped down his face. Her eyes remained glued to the screen. Unbeknownst to him, she had placed her hand there purely by accident as she was so enthralled with the film, she was almost in a trance.
He gulped, feeling that all too familiar wave of nausea hit the pit of his stomach. "Oh no, not the jellyfish, not the jellyfish!" he shouted in his thoughts.
He looked back over at the screen. He was taken aback at seeing the two characters suddenly embracing each other and sharing a passionate kiss. His eyes widened and his heart raced. The combination of the scene in front of him and the touch of her hand was enough to drive him over the edge.
"Aww!" said the women. Everyone in the theater was touched by the scene. SpongeBob, on the other hand… well, he suddenly regretted having any of that popcorn.
He cupped his hand over his mouth. "Uhh, Sandy, will you excuse me a minute?" he asked, trying to hide his nerves. "Yeah, sure. You're gonna miss the last- "before she could finish, he was already dashing for the exit. "…scene though…" she said to herself, looking back at the screen.
He raced across the theater and towards the men's room, nearly knocking over a few fish in the process. "Hey, buddy! How's bout' waitin' in line like the rest of us?" said a male fish.
"BLECH!" the sound of his retching caused the men in line to back out of the bathroom. Everyone buying tickets and popcorn turned around. "What was that awful sound, Joseph?" a young woman asked her boyfriend. "I don't know… maybe that old septic tank finally exploded?"
A few minutes later, after cleaning himself up and taking a breath mint, SpongeBob stumbled out of the men's room. He pressed his palm against the wall, letting out a moan. "Ugghh… good thing I said no to the butter, it would've tasted even worse comin' back up," he slurred his words. Good grief, it was as though he had spent the night overdoing it at Goofy Goobers.
Just then, a flood of people came out of A Tale of Two Hearts, Sandy being one of them. She carried the nearly empty bucket of popcorn under her arm.
SpongeBob stood up straight, wiping his mouth just to make sure there wasn't any residue. He faked a smile as he walked towards her, meeting her in the middle of the room. "Where'd ya go? You missed the wedding scene," she was a bit disappointed.
He rubbed his arm. "Sorry, Sandy. I guess I had a little too much prune juice today, heh heh,"
She peered at him. "You drink prune juice?"
"Uh, u-uh yeah! I… just started this week, it was Pat's suggestion. My plumbing's been a little slow," he offered a small crooked smile.
"Well, seems to be movin' things along,"
"Phew, she bought it." "Did you enjoy the movie?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
She smiled, "Yeah. I mean, I ain't the world's biggest fan of romance or fairy-tales, but it was really sweet, for what it was." He smiled warmly at her.
"Great! I'm glad you had a good time. At least the night wasn't a total bust,"
"Haha, yeah. Sorry I ate most of the popcorn, I was hungry," he waved her off.
"Oh, that's okay. I didn't have much of an appetite today anyway." She held the bucket out towards him. "There's still a little left if you want to- "he gently pushed it back as the taste of bile crept up his throat.
"N-no, no that's okay, haha. I think I'm good for the next few days… " he smiled sheepishly and glanced at the ground.
Just then, SpongeBob looked to his left and spotted his pink friend standing at the snack bar. And there was something sitting on top of his head… something with a pink shell, with blue spots and a red swirl… it was Gary!
They walked over to them. "Patrick? What are you doing here? And with Gary?" he asked in a surprised tone. The starfish quickly spun around, "Huh? Who? What? U-uhh, we weren't spying on you- "Gary smacked his forehead with his eyestalk.
"OUCH!" he rubbed his forehead. Sandy cocked a brow at them. "What movie did Y'all come to see?"
"The lame fairy-tale one that you guys- OUCH!" he smacked him again. Sandy peered at them. "That's interesting, Patrick. I thought you were more into romance novels, not movies…" said SpongeBob through gritted teeth.
"I am, actually. But Gary threatened- OUCH! I-I mean, he wanted me to take him for a walk around town and then he suggested we see a movie," he said, rubbing his forehead yet again.
The sponge's eyes widened; he then got a pretty good idea of what the sneaky snail had been up to. He grabbed him by the shell, prying him off Patrick's head.
He held him securely under his arm. "Well, since you're here, Patrick, shall we take a little stroll outside in the moonlight?" asked SpongeBob, trying to keep his cool.
"Nah. I'd love to, SpongeBob. But I gotta get home and put my head on ice… no thanks to somebody" he glared at the snail, who smiled sheepishly at the starfish.
He began to walk out the door. "Okay pal, see ya," he waved goodbye. He and Sandy stood next to each other for a few moments in awkward silence. He then cleared his throat, "Well, it's getting kinda late and Gary needs his sleep. You know how cranky snails get without their sleep," he chuckled.
"Meow (I'm not sleepy)"
"Yes, you are, Gary. Now come on," he headed out the door, with Sandy following behind him. "SpongeBob wait up a second," he froze on the sidewalk.
"Yes Sandy?" he turned around, faking a smile. "I'm actually glad Gary showed up; I've been workin' on a little invention designed specifically for him. I'd love to have him try it out,"
"R-right now? Uh, I don't know. See it's late and if I don't get to bed on time then I won't get to work on time, and you know how Mr. Krabs is about his employees coming to work on the dot and I- "
"Oh, come on, it'll only take a few minutes," she argued. They stared at each other for a few moments.
"Come on, SpongeBob. Don't let her control you. Remember, you're a man!"
He gulped, "O-okay… I guess it couldn't hurt," "Yeah, great job, man."
She smiled, "Alright! What are we waitin' for? Let's go," she grabbed his hand and they walked away quickly.
As Gary was being pressed against his owner's side, he could feel his heart pounding against his hard shell.
"Boy, has he got it bad or what?"
A/N: Yippie! Here was a super long chapter for ya, haha. There will be one more chapter to this story and then I have an announcement to make (you'll probably be able to guess what it is.) Thanks for reading and until next time.
