SpongeBob: A matter of trust

When I was a teenager in High School, I used to write a lot of songfics based around characters that popped in my head, but never used a Billy Joel song in one as he was my go-to musician back then, I had all of his albums from Cold Spring Harbor to River of Dreams plus some greatest hits and rare live recordings so yeah, I was pretty smitten with this guy plus this song was one of the first songs I heard so it has a special place in my heart. This story explains why Sandy chose to return to Bikini Bottom after a bad break-up with her boyfriend Larry and why SpongeBob was the reason.

Fear was unheard of to Sandy as she wasn't afraid of nothing and nobody, but now had paralyzed her as she heard a roar of anger echo through her home as her now ex stomped towards the door. A loud crashing bang shook the place causing Sandy's ears to ring so loud that she almost went deaf, she felt her fur carefully to check for any scratches but breathed a sigh of relief when she felt nothing, both emotionally and physically. For the past twenty years Sandy Cheeks had been looking for someone to love her unconditionally but every time she came up wanting more from that relationship, whether it was more smiles or a warm hug nothing felt right about any squirrel she tried to hook up with and, if she was truthful about it, she knew that there was one guy who ticked all of her boxes but he wasn't hers in the beginning and now had someone else so she had to stop wishing.

Some love is just a lie of the heart,

The cold remains to what began as a passionate start

And they may not want it to end

But a will is just a question of when

This guy had been more of a friend than anything else the first friend she ever had beneath the waves, a little yellow square dude with the biggest she ever saw and a smile that spoke a thousand words, the same dude who was always interested in her science endeavors and cheered her on. She missed that guy deep down but she had sworn to herself that there was no going back, he probably forgot all about her.

I've lived long enough to have learned

The closer you get to the fire you get burned

But that won't happen to us

Cause it's always been a matter of trust.

Sandy walked down to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water when she spotted an old jar of jelly with a faded picture on the front, the writing had faded to close to a smudge but the minute she read his name Sandy was brought close to tears as she was transported back to their last talk.

I know you're an emotional girl

It took a lot for you not to lose fate in this world.

But I can't offer ya proof

But you're gonna face a moment of truth

"SpongeBob." Sandy whimpered as the image of those big blue eyes glittering with oncoming tears before she turned away resurfaced, regret sharp as a knife dug into her fur at that memory as no one liked watching the poor sponge cry or not want to hug him, unlike Squidward though Sandy knew that she still cared about him even if she didn't want to admit it.

It's hard when you're always afraid

You just recover when another belief is betrayed

So, break my heart if you must

It's a matter of trust

Rumor's of SpongeBob being a rapist had been the cause for the departure, but if Sandy wanted to stay truthful with herself, she knew that SpongeBob was never that type and the lies didn't have a lick of truth but she didn't know what to believe. She cared about SpongeBob so much when the was no harmful rumor's which slowly grew from a friendship to a type of crush and if she had to be truthful, she knew that she hadn't really moved on at all.

You can't go the distance

With too much resistance

I know you have doubts

But for God's Sake

Don't shut me out!

Sandy gulped down the water as she wiped away the tears despite the lump in her throat, Larry had charmed most of her family hiding the mental abuse he'd put her through she suddenly wondered if SpongeBob had gone through the same thing with Mindy. She hadn't been a friend at all to him the last time she saw him letting her emotions cloud her mind when SpongeBob had always been there for her no matter what, tired and weak from the argument Sandy went to have a nap hoping that she'd get some idea what she should do next. When she awoke in the dream world Sandy found herself sitting on a bus bench with a familiarly bright yellow sponge wearing brown shorts next to her, Sandy felt tears spring once again as she tried to hug her old friend but SpongeBob moved further away with grief in his eyes and no words spoken. "SpongeBob, please talk to me! I'm so sorry for bein' so bull-headed all those years ago, but now I'm at a crossroads where one road leads here and the other leads along a painful path. I need your help buddy!" Sandy finally broke into a sobbing fit as she placed her hands over her helmet which SpongeBob stayed frozen until Sandy felt a soft hand pet her back gently making her look up to see two blue eyes and a warm comforting smile. "My pineapple is always open to you, Sandy," he places one of her hands on his chest where Sandy felt a steady beat, "Please come back to me, I need you!"

This time, you've got nothing to lose

You can take it, you can leave it

Whatever you chose

I won't hold back anything

And I'll walk away a fool or a king

Some love is just a lie of the mind

It's make believe until it's only a matter of time

And some might have learned to adjust

But than it never was a Matter of Trust

SpongeBob woke to find himself lying in his recliner with an old photo album on his chest, when he looked at what page he had open tears ran down his face as he spotted a picture of a hug between him and a land squirrel in a white space suit. Even though it had been 20 years since he'd last seen her, SpongeBob felt his heart break all over again knowing that he should have moved on by now but if he had to be truthful, he knew that the only person who could help him was Sandy. The next morning SpongeBob decided to visit Jellyfish Fields for a relaxing day as he didn't have any work today, he hugged Junior before reaching for Ole Reliable and his glasses before running out the door.

Back at her home Sandy quickly packed her stuff up in suitcases not caring, if she left anything behind or if Larry nor her parents knew where she was going, into her waterproof rocket before zipping on the suit and placing the helmet over her head. It felt smaller than she remembered more space but less chance to move swiftly around, she hadn't got fat but maybe it needed an upgrade but that wasn't the main thing on her mind what was surprised her. Her dream still haunted her SpongeBob's plea to return rang in her eyes add to the abrupt end sealed her question of what she should do, the old jelly jar safely secured in the nearest suitcase made Sandy's decision final.

I'm sure you're aware love

We've both had our share of

Believing too long, when the whole situation was wrong

Some love is just a lie of the soul

A constant battle for the ultimate state of control

After you've heard lie upon lie

There can hardly be a question of why

Ten years have passed since Sandy had made that choice and things had gone from a nightmare to an endless dream, it had started off slow reconnecting with SpongeBob learning how much she had been loved by him for so long. They now had two kids Stephen and Cyndi who were now spending time with their uncle and aunt so they're parents could celebrate 50 years of friendship. The couple had gone to a special airing of the three SpongeBob movies which had been a rollercoaster of emotions for the elderly star as the last movie had been his last role as a voice actor before his final retirement at the age of 60, Sandy knew that her husband was an emotional driven man but the flood of tears at the end almost caused the theatre floor need to dry for a week but she didn't mind. Her old boyfriend never wanted to show emotional or let her show emotion at all as he saw that as weakness, while SpongeBob was like a security blanket sometimes giving her time to cry or laugh openly along with a soft cuddle and a kiss which the shorter sponge was doing right now.

Some love is just a lie of the heart,

The cold remains to what began as a passionate start

But that won't happen to us

Cause it's always been a matter of trust!

Fifty years of friendship had it's ups and downs for SpongeBob, but if he had to pick one good thing that had come out of it in recent years definitely would be their evolution from friends to a married couple and he was grateful for that.

The End