As the day turned into another evening, inside the Imaginary clubhouse, SpongeBob was telling Mr. Krabs what he and Patrick learned about Mrs. Kelleher and the Gummy Krabby Patties.

"Really, Mr. Krabs. They're not as bad as you think they are. They're so small you can pop them in your mouth." he explained while doing so. "They're very squishy when you pinch them."

"Squishy, squishy, squishy, squish." Patrick sang, pinching two of the Gummy Krabby Patties, which he stuffed into his mouth.

SpongeBob looked at Patrick, then cleared his throat. "But, more importantly, it doesn't say in the bag that they were made at the Chum Bucket. So that proves that Mrs. Kelleher isn't working for Plankton."

"Yeah? I ain't buying it." Mr. Krabs said, unconvinced.

SpongeBob frowned at him while Patrick shrugged, popping another Gummy Krabby Patty into his mouth. "Can't please everyone."

Once dinner was done inside my house, I was about to go upstairs to my room when I heard rustling out in the backyard, where it was heard again once I went through the back door.

The same rustling sounded...from behind a hedge shrub, which I cautiously tiptoed towards, seeing four hoofs at the bottom.

As I looked closer at them, a horse's head poked out of the hedge shrub, hissing. "Find your own hiding spot! This one's mine!"

Upon seeing his face as he disappeared into the shrub again, I knew straight away who that horse was.

"Are you...Buck?" I asked.

"Yeah, as in "Buck Off!" Buck whispered, poking his head out the hedge shrub again. "You're gonna blow my cover!"

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Great." Buck groaned, then glared at me, saying through his clenched teeth. "You saw nothing!"

As he hid his head inside the hedge shrub, I went back inside the house to see who rang the bell.

"Yes, can I help you?" asked Mom.

"How do ya do, ma'am. My name is Sam Brown and I'm looking for my horse, Buck." explained Sam, who handed my mom an extra poster. "See, he ran away last night and I've been looking all over town for him."

"Nathan, have you seen a horse around here?" Mom asked when she saw me.

I looked back at the shrub, then faced her and Sam, saying. "Uh, nope. But if I have seen him, he couldn't possibly be hiding in the backyard."

As I said this, Rusty was heard barking at the fence, which he scratched, for he must've picked up Buck's scent.

"What are ya, crazy, Rusty? He can't be hiding in there, either." Sam said as he picked his dog up. "Dagnabbit."

He, then, turned to me and Mom, saying. "Well, if you do see Buck, my number's at the bottom so you can reach me."

Mom looked at the poster, then said. "We'll keep our eyes open, for sure."

"Y'all have a good night, now." Sam called as he walked away from the house, holding Rusty.

Once the front door was closed, I snuck back to the hedge shrub in the backyard, but Buck's hoofs were not showing at the bottom.

At first, I thought he ran off again, until I heard his voice say coldly. "You are such a liar."

I turned to see him glaring at me.

"I wasn't lying. I just...made a little fib." I explained.

"Which is another word for 'lie!" Buck added as he turned away.

"Wha...you should be lucky I didn't tell them where you are." I said.

"You wish you would!" retorted Buck. "So he can take me back to that...that party farm!"

"Party fa...you mean Le..." I started to ask, but Buck cut me off, shouting. "DO NOT SAY THAT NAME! I hated every second in that place. Every time the folks come, their kids wanted to ride me. But do I get a "Thanks for the ride, Buck," or a "Good job, Buck" at the end of each day? No, I didn't!"

"Well, if you hate it so much," I said. "Maybe we can find you a new…"

"NO!" bellowed Buck. "There is no we or anything of the sort! At first light, I am out of this hovel of yours."

As Buck went to hide underneath the Imaginary clubhouse, I stood there, stunned that he would shut me down entirely.

"Fine! Be that way for all I care!"

I went back inside my house, saying to himself. "Stubborn horse."

"Stupid kid." Buck muttered to himself, not knowing that SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward and Mr. Krabs were watching.

"What a jerk." said Patrick.

"Remind you of a certain someone we know?" asked Mr. Krabs, who looked at Squidward, so did SpongeBob and Patrick, for he, too, started out being rude, ungrateful, and, above all else, selfish.

On seeing the looks on their faces, Squidward turned away, sheepishly.

When night came, I was about to get to bed when I heard Buck shivering outside.

While looking through my window, I can't help but feel sorry for him. Sure, Buck is one jerk of a horse, but I couldn't just let him freeze overnight.

As Buck kept shivering, he felt something warm on top of him, turning to see my bathrobe on his back and my throw pillow beside him.

He, then, looked up to see my bedroom light turn off..

Feeling with remorse for how he acted, Buck bundled himself inside the robe and rested his head on the pillow, falling into a refreshing sleep.