First chapter with sort-of Patbob-ness in it. Plus some one-sided Squidbob.

"And then we played karate for hours! I think for the whole afternoon maybe." Spongebob swung his jellyfish net as he attempted to catch one, but failing for once. It was late afternoon, and he was telling Patrick about the events of the day before at Jellyfish Fields.

"That sounds fun." Patrick said, keeping his eye on a jellyfish that was buzzing around his head. "I was wondering where you were."

"Why? I'm always busy after work."

"Because it was Squid's birthday, and I thought we had planned to celebrate it with him together." Patrick reminded him, swatting all around him with his jellyfish net, still failing to catch the creature.

Spongebob slapped his forehead. "Ohh... I'm sorry Patrick, I've been so fogged up in the head lately..." He gave an apologetic look to his best friend.

But Patrick was still focused on the jellyfish flying around him. He grunted in irritation as he swung his net. Spongebob looked on in wonderment. "Pat, did you hear me?"

No response as the starfish swung harder. "Grr...Get over here you..."

"Patrick?"

"I'm gonna get you! I'm gonna get you!"

"Patrick!"

Patrick stopped at the sound of Spongebob's yell and he stopped in his tracks and fell to the ground. He was about to get up when the jellyfish buzzed and stung him on the back, to which he yelped out in pain.

"Pat, you ok?" Spongebob asked, coming over to his side as he wailed.

Patrick lifted up his head from the grass and smiled wobbly. "Yep. I almost got one that time..." He giggled before returning his head to the grass.

Spongebob sighed. "So, did you hear what I said?"

"Uh, nope sorry."

Spongebob blinked. He shouldn't be annoyed. He always had to explain things over and over to his slow best friend. But today he was overly agitated for some reason. "I said, I've been feeling fogged up in my head lately." He sat down on the grass next to Patrick's head and laid down his jellyfishing net.

"Really? That's how I always feel!" Patrick exclaimed matter o factly, sitting up now, rubbing the spot on his back where he had gotten stung.

Spongebob just gave him a weary look. Patrick knew when he touched a soft spot so he decided to changed what he was about to say next to something more helpful. "Why do you feel like that?"

Spongebob shook his head. "Something happened this morning when I tried to give Squidward his birthday present..." He murmured, thinking back.

"You even gave him a present without me?" Patrick asked, not looking hurt though, more intrigued. "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it." He said lowly.

Patrick elbowed him. "Aww come on. You can tell your best friend!"

Spongebob sighed. "Alright... So it all started this morning..."

"I'm ready! I'm ready! I'm ready! I'm ready!" Spongebob chanted as he skipped merrily out of his pineapple and headed down the street. He was carrying the golden clarinet in his arm as he went down the street. He put on his work hat and he walked up to Squidward's door and knocked loudly. "Ohhhh, Squidwaaaaaaard!" He called out in a melodic voice.

He heard an irritated groan from inside. Then some loud thumping. Then the lock clicking. And then Squidward opened the door, eyelids drooping. He was still in his pink flannel pajamas, beat-up looking from just waking up. He eyed Spongebob with his tired eyes. "What is it?" He asked plainly, as if he didn't even care that he had appeared on his front door for no reason. He was too exhausted.

"Wow, Squidward, you sure look tired. You ready for work?" Spongebob asked gleely, looking over his appearence.

Squidward yawned loudly. "I don't work on Sundays, remember?" He said.

Spongebob's face fell, the thought of himself requesting Mr. Krabs to work on Sundays popping into his mind. He didn't usually work on them either, but he had done it just for the fun of it. Last week in fact. Immediately he was regretting his decision. "Oh, right..." He brightened up quickly, however. "Well, I'll miss you at work."

"Yeah, well, I won't miss you here." Squidward muttered, ready to shut the door.

Spongebob shook off the hurtful comment, as he always did, and stopped him. "Wait, Squidward!" He held out the present for him wrapped in purple velvet and tied with a gold ribbon. A large 'S' surrounded by a heart was sewn into it. He smiled brightly as he held out his hands.

Squidward glared. "Spongebob..." He could feel the blood rush to his head.

"I know it's late, but I REALLY wanted you to have it..." He said, and he put it in his tentacles.

"What. Did. I tell you. Last. Night...?" The squid said through gritted teeth.

"Umm...Dahahaha! I can't remember. You tell me."

"I told you...not to bring me a present." He said, face scrunching up in anger. "Four times, in fact. But did you listen? Of course not. Because you can't get it through your thick skull...that I DO NOT AND WILL NEVER LIKE YOU!" And with that, he threw the present at Spongebob, which hit him in the face and with Spongebob weighing less than a pound, it knocked him down on the sand. "So, you can take that with you... Because..." He leaned in the sponge's face. "I. DO NOT. WANT IT!" And he slammed the door with an ear shattering boom, leaving Spongebob laying on the sand, a golden clarinet denting his face, tears forming in his eyes.

"...And then I just decided to skip work. I didn't feel like it." He muttered at last.

Patrick looked shocked, as Spongebob never missed day of work in his life, nor did he ever deliberately try to. "I can't believe that...you would skip a day of work! That's so unlike you, Spongebob!"

Spongebob looked at him tiredly. He didn't get why he was so depressed. Just the thought of being rejected was enough to get him emotional.

Patrick then put his arm around him. "You know, he doesn't know what he's missing. I mean, if you gave me a golden clarinet, I'd be pretty impressed..." He mused, eyes shining.

"It's not the clarinet, Patrick!" Spongebob exclaimed, getting quite frustrated. "I just...I don't know, I wanted to make him happy on his birthday."

"But we always make him happy!" Patrick said. "Don't we?"

"Yeah, I guess..."

"He's probably just in a bad mood." Patrick said, patting him on the back. "Y'know you can't take things so hard all of the time."

Spongebob raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and you don't?"

"What are you talking about?" He truly looked puzzled.

"Last week you cried for an hour after you stubbed your toe on a SEA FLOWER." Spongebob said, recalling how much comforting he had had to go through that day to make the starfish stop his blubbering.

"Hey, that really hurt!" The star protested. "That flower was evil! It came out of nowhere..." He began to look wary as he noticed one blowing with the current right next to him.

Spongebob sighed once again. "Sure it did, Pat." He began to ponder over what Patrick had said before. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I do take things too hard." A whiplash of memories of tear-filled moments bombarded him. Looking back now, he wondered why he had even shed a tear from things so trivial. "What do you think I should do?"

There was no answer. "Patrick? Patrick?" He turned to see the spot once occupied by his friend was now empty. He was out in the distance, destroying all the sea flowers in his path, screaming like a maniac.

Sudden anger rushed through Spongebob, as he had wanted advice from his best friend. And he had just walked away like that. It was at times like this that he wondered how he tolerated him.

Looking at the sky now, the sun was beginning to set. The water became slightly warmer as it did and the colors looked like beautiful pastels. He whimpered dejectingly, picking up his jellyfishing net, and headed towards home.