SpongeBob's Birthday Party

It was SpongeBob's birthday, and his pineapple house was decorated with colorful streamers and balloons!

"Welcome to my birthday party!" SpongeBob announced as his friends arrived. Patrick, Sandy, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs all gathered in the living room.

"I've got music, Krusty Krab pizza, and a special treat - Pop Rocks!" SpongeBob said excitedly, holding up packets of the crackling candy.

"Pop Rocks?" Patrick asked. "Do they taste like rocks?"

"No, silly! They pop and fizz in your mouth! It's so fun!"

SpongeBob put on some music and handed out slices of Krusty Krab pizza. Everyone took a piece except for the pizza itself - they were eating it!

"Now try the Pop Rocks!" SpongeBob said, tearing open a blue raspberry packet and pouring it into his mouth. "POP! CRACKLE! FIZZ! It tickles!"

Patrick tried some next. "Whoa! It feels like fireworks in my mouth!"

Sandy laughed and tried the strawberry flavor. "This is wild! Like tiny flavor explosions!"

But Squidward looked at the Pop Rocks suspiciously. "I don't know about this. What if they actually explode?"

"They don't explode, Squidward!" SpongeBob said. "They just pop and fizz! It's perfectly safe!"

"I've heard stories," Squidward said nervously. "What if they react badly with pizza? What if my mouth can't handle the popping?"

"Oh, don't be such a scaredy-squid!" Sandy teased. "They're just candy!"

"I'll stick with my pizza, thank you very much," Squidward said, taking a big bite of his slice.

While Squidward wasn't looking, Sandy got a mischievous idea. She snuck over to his plate and sprinkled some Pop Rocks on top of his pizza slice.

"Just one little prank," Sandy whispered to herself with a grin.

Squidward picked up his pizza for another bite. The moment the pizza touched his tongue, the Pop Rocks started their magic - POP! SNAP! CRACKLE!

"AHHH! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Squidward yelped, dropping his pizza. "MY MOUTH IS ATTACKING ME!"

Everyone started laughing - except Squidward.

"It's just Pop Rocks, Squidward!" Patrick giggled.

Squidward's face turned from surprised to angry as he realized what had happened. "Did someone put Pop Rocks on my pizza?!"

Sandy was still chuckling. "It was just a little birthday fun, Squidward! Lighten up!"

"A little fun?!" Squidward's voice got louder. "I specifically said I didn't want to try them, and you put them on my food without asking? That's not funny, that's mean!"

The laughter stopped. Sandy's smile faded.

"Aw, come on, Squidward," Sandy said. "It was just a harmless prank."

"No, it wasn't!" Squidward said, standing up. "I said I didn't want to try them, and you made me eat them anyway! That's not respecting my choice!"

SpongeBob looked worried. "Squidward, I'm sure Sandy didn't mean any harm..."

"Well, it was harmful to ME!" Squidward said. He grabbed his coat. "I came to your birthday party, SpongeBob, and I'm being treated like a joke. I'm leaving."

"Squidward, wait!" SpongeBob called out.

But Squidward walked out the door and slammed it behind him.

The party got very quiet. Sandy looked down at her feet, feeling bad.

"I... I didn't think he'd get that upset," Sandy said quietly. "I was just trying to be playful."

"I think Squidward was really scared of the Pop Rocks," SpongeBob said. "And when you tricked him into eating them, it made him feel like we didn't care about his feelings."

"You're right," Sandy sighed. "I should go apologize."

Sandy walked over to Squidward's house and knocked on the door.

"Go away!" Squidward called from inside.

"Squidward, it's Sandy. I want to apologize."

After a moment, Squidward opened the door slightly.

"I'm sorry," Sandy said sincerely. "You said you didn't want to try the Pop Rocks, and I should have respected that. It wasn't a fun prank - it was mean. I'm really sorry."

Squidward was quiet for a moment. "Thank you for apologizing. I just... I don't like being forced to do things I'm uncomfortable with."

"I understand," Sandy said. "Want to come back to the party? I promise, no more pranks."

Squidward thought about it. "Fine. But only because it's SpongeBob's birthday."

They walked back to the party together. When they came through the door, SpongeBob's face lit up.

"Squidward! You came back!"

"Yes, well, someone gave me a proper apology," Squidward said, giving Sandy a small smile.

They spent the rest of the party eating pizza (Pop Rocks-free for Squidward), listening to music, and actually having fun together.

And Sandy learned an important lesson about respecting people's boundaries - even when you're just trying to have fun.

The End.