I know, I'm a cruel...cruel person. But hey, sometimes stories have to be cruel. You learn to live with it! Anyway, here's chapter two. I know the story is slow to get going, but BELIEVE ME, it'll be worth it!!

Chapter 2: "To Do"

Spongebob sat, quietly, for a long moment. He opened his mouth, and then closed it again.

"Is she okay?" He finally managed. Sandy was tough, but she loved her family something fierce. Quite often, she would talk about her Ma and Pa...her cousin, Seth, her Aunty Sue...this was the first time he'd heard her regard any of them with fear clutching at her voice.

Sandy stared at the table, tracing the lines in the wood with her finger. "I don't know." she whispered.

Spongebob wracked his mind hard, searching for an answer—some comfort for his friend. "Shouldn't you go visit her?" he asked.

Sandy let out a great sigh. "I should!" she lamented. "But...to be to be quite honest, I'm afraid to travel on my own. I don't dare call Pa away, and I couldn't ask no one else, I just couldn't."

Seeing Sandy so shook up really worried and hurt Spongebob.

"Oh, Spongebob!" She was close to tears. "What should I do!?"

--

Meg stared out of her dining room window at the setting sun. The heater hummed softly, as quiet piano music droned from an old CD player.

A half-finished drawing lay on the table, and Meg thumbed the corners of the paper, thoughtfully. Completely lost in her own little world, Meg jumped when the phone rang.

She blinked twice, and then hurried to her feet to answer, brushing a thick lock of dark brown hair behind her ear. "Hello?"

"Hello Meg, it's me."

The voice belonged to the octopus that lived next door.

"Hey, Squidward!" she greeted. "How are you?"

"Doing just fine, you?"

"I'm wonderful!" She reached over and switched off her distracting CD player. "What's up?"

Uneasiness could be detected in Squidward's voice as he spoke. "Well, Jack Melody is in town Friday night, and I was wondering whether I should buy two tickets or one."

Meg's jaw dropped. "Are you inviting me?" she asked. She'd been an admirer of Jack Melody's for almost 5 years...he was a famous undersea pianist an composer...and you could never predict where his concerts would be.

"Are you accepting my invitation?" Squidward teased.

Meg smiled to herself. "Yeah." She replied.

"Okay, the concert's at 8:30, Friday evening. Want to meet at my house, 8:00?"

"That works fine. Thank you!"

"No problem. See you then."

"Bye, Squidward!"

"Goodbye."

--

Squidward set hi phone on the cradle, and threw a glance up at the clock. 6:37.

He looked at his TV set, an old western playing soundlessly. He flipped through the channels absentmindedly, wondering what Friday would be like. Squidward had bought two tickets for the Jack Melody Piano Concert, before he ever place the phone call to Meg.

Now, a '90's Sci-Fi show clicked on. Squidward sighed, turning the volume back on and relaxing in his easy chair.

"The water..." The TV said.

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's going down the drain counter-clockwise! Coriolis force in the Northern Hemisphere dictates that it should go down clockwise."

Squidward took a sip of soda, and let himself become absorbed in the show.

--

That was a reference...those of you very edumacated and smarticle can maybe perhaps guess what it is. Most who can guess that part, probably don't watch Spongebob. Haha! At least not obsessively enough to read fanfics. Well, I hope you liked chapter 2! Again, I know, it's slow coming. I feel that I MUST encourage you to read on, though!