Chapter 7 "Can Squiddy Make the Words Come Out?"
Spongebob walked inside his pineapple. He'd turned down jellyfishing. How could he have turned down jellyfishing? And not just jellyfishing, jellyfishing with Patrick and Sandy. But he wanted time to think. He needed time to think. He knew he needed time to think.
What had made him act so weird? Why had it bothered him to begin with? "Gary, what's going on inside my head?" Spongebob muttered, stroking his pet snail's shell.
"Meow?"
"Yeah, I think I was rude about it too."
"Meow."
"What?" Spongebob held Gary up and looked at him. "You don't really think so...do you Gare-Bear?"
---
Envelope in hand, Spongebob knocked on Squidward's door post.
A moment later, Squidward's upside-down face appeared. "What?"
Spongebob cleared his throat. "I just came over to apologize for earlier...I'm sorry I broke your clarinet, a-and I should have asked your permission before taking it anyway. I wanted to say something earlier, but then--uh nevermind." he held up the envelope. "This is for you, too."
Squidward took the small package. "What's this?" he asked.
"It's four-thousand five-hundred dollars...to cover the cost of the broken clarinet."
Squidward stared at Spongebob for a moment, almost as if unbelieving. "Where...where does somebody just get this much money?" he asked.
Spongebob shrugged. "I was saving up for a new boat...for when I get my license...but then the clarinet...and well here." he turned around to walk away.
"Ah...Spongebob?" Squidward interrupted.
Spongebob turned around. "Yeah?"
"Did you happen to...overhear me...talking on the phone earlier?"
Spongebob wasn't sure he should answer truthfully, but after already lying once, he went with the truth. "Yeah, I did."
"Well I wasn't actually--talking, to anybody. I mean, I--oh boy."
Spongebob was even more confused. "Huh?"
"Look, I-I," Squidward sighed. "I made up that story about Patrick dating Sandy...to make you jealous, in order to get you back for breaking my clarinet. The whole thing was just...me. Just be being..." his voice trailed off.
"Being...?"
Squidward glanced at the ground. "Being mean." he finished.
"But why would I be jealous?" Spongebob asked, innocently.
Squidward choked back a laugh. "Spongebob, all of Bikini Bottom can tell that you and Sandy have a thing."
A look of puzzlement crossed Spongebob's face. "But, no! We're just--"
This time, Squidward did laugh. "Just friends," he said. "Sandy and Spongebob sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
Spongebob blushed madly, as Squidward continued the taunt.
Squidward laughed once more, before wiping amused tears from his eyes. "Ah-hah! I'm sorry Spongebob, it's just that you're so oblivious!" Squidward laughed again, and then sighed. "Well, good luck with that sponge-brain." he said, and walked back inside.
Spongebob walked back inside of his house, then stared at the closed door for a moment. That was two opinions; Gary AND Squidward. And now that Spongebob thought about it, maybe they were right. Maybe he did have feelings for Sandy.
There was just one thing left to do now.
-----
Sandy swung her net half-heartedly at a jellyfish. She was trying to figure out why Spongebob had walked away earlier. Maybe he was still in bad shape from that worm incident. She hoped it wasn't her that was causing him trouble. Maybe she should go check on him...
But, if she was causing him distress, shouldn't she just stay away? She was going over all this in her head, when she heard a familiar sound.
"Hi-YAH!" she felt pressure on her arm, and in a split second she was laying her on back, looking up into Spongebob's grinning face.
Reluctantly, Sandy let a smile creep across her lips.
Never mind that Spongebob has managed to launch a surprise karate attack on her, she was just glad he was alright.
"Gotcha!" he teased.
Sandy was so glad to see that innocent buck-tooth smile. She jumped up and faced her friend. "Alright Squarepants, you got yer little jump on me, now prepare to be whooped!"
And so the karate match began, and the day continuted in peaceful play.