Author's Note: I'm back! Okay, so as you all know, Angie's quit her job and Lenny has no home. What's going to happen now? You'll find put. This is where things REALLY start to get interestin'!
Lav'O'Dolphin- Thanx for the tip! I'll try to find some way to space between the scenes. I didn't think anyone would care about how I switched POV's. Thanx man.
The Crouching Tiger Shark- …And for one year now… I've thought that you were some fifteen year old boy with spiky hair… scary. Anyway, thanx for reviewing! Lenny might be okay, but then again, he might not be. Who knows? I've never heard 'Vienna' but I Iooked up the lyrics. It's a nice song.
Insane Pirate Dragon- One can't help but feel sorry for Lenny and Angie. And as for what Lenny's gonna do in the new reef, you'll find out in this chapter… or will you?
On wit da story!
Chapter Three: Visits and Clubs
Night had fallen over Reef City. Little ones were getting ready for bed, while Oscar was just about to knock on Angie's door.
Knock, knock, knock.
Oscar knocked on Angie's door and watched as the door swung open.
"Who is it…?" Angie began in a cheerful tone. Her face changed as she saw Oscar standing in the doorway.
"Hey Ang." Oscar said with a nervous smile.
"Oh." Angie said with a slightly mad look. "It's you. Look, I really don't want to hear anything…" She began to close the door.
"Wait, Ang!" Oscar said, as he caught the door and went inside her apartment. "I've got to tell you something."
"I don't wanna hear it Oscar." Angie said in a cold tone. "Now get out my apartment."
"But…" Oscar said, "Why Ang? Why are you moving out the city?"
"Why? WHY?" Angie near shouted. "You lie to millions of fish, make it look like you actually cared about me, break my heart, make Lenny hate you, and have the nerve to ask me why?"
"But Ang," Oscar said, "What was I supposed to do?"
"Oh, I don't know," Angie replied, "Here's a thought. Maybe you could've told the truth!"
"But everyone would know that I was a fraud!" Oscar said.
"You're still a fraud to me." Angie replied frostily.
"But that doesn't count!" Oscar blurted out. "You're not everybody…" Right away, Oscar knew he had said something wrong. He wanted to go back in time and make sure he never said that.
"Doesn't count?" Angie asked. "Oh, so now I don't matter anymore, is that it? Now that you've got your fame, friends don't matter anymore, is that it?"
"No! That's not true…" Oscar struggled to say. "Look, you mean the world to me Ang, but…"
"But I'm not good enough for you to give up your lie?" Angie finished.
Oscar couldn't say anything. There was no right answer to Angie's question.
"Get out of my apartment Oscar." Angie said.
"But Ang!" Oscar said. "If I hadn't kept my lie I would've…"
SLAP!
Oscar stood holding his cheek, stunned.
"Stop all your excuses Oscar!" Angie shouted, angry tears rolling down her face. "I've heard them all before! You had a good life Oscar! Everything you've ever had was right in front of your face! Now it's gone Oscar, and it's your entire fault! You don't even care about everything that really matters, and everyone who cares about you! Look at what you've done! You've made two of your friend's lives miserable! Because of you, I have to move out of my house, and Lenny can never go back home! You think that all your fame and fortune can solve all your problems, well you're wrong! You're pathetic Oscar."
Angie's words had stung Oscar like a million bees. Still clutching his cheek, Oscar went out the door.
Scene Change
Oscar swam back to his deluxe apartment. Though his cheek didn't hurt as much anymore, the memory made it sting.
'Everything Ang said was true.' He thought. 'I'm the reason she's moving out. She quit her job because of me.'
He swam into his apartment in complete silence. Then, he remembered something else.
'Lenny!' He thought. 'Lenny has no home! Where's he gonna go? Everybody know that he's a vegetarian! He's not even a born fighter, he's a softie! How's he gonna make it out there?'
Oscar sighed and rubbed his head in frustration. "I'm thinking WAY too much. I'm going to bed." He said.
He knew that everything Angie said was true, he knew that because of him Lenny could be lying in a ditch somewhere, he knew that he should tell the truth, but something in him refused to listen.
Scene Change
Lenny swam into the city, looking around in awe.
'It's so big.' He thought. 'It's almost bigger than back home! But I can't think about that now, I've gotta find someplace to stay…'
Just as he finished thinking that, he looked left and saw blinking lights in the distance that said,
'The Trench'
'Hmm.' Thought Lenny. 'Must be a night club. Maybe I could ask for help there.'
Lenny swam over to the club and his fin reached out for the door handle, but a barracuda's fin stopped him.
"Hold on there Eager McBeaver." The barracuda's deep voice said. "Where d'you think you're going?"
"In the club." Lenny answered.
"Not without a club pass you aren't." The barracuda said. "So, where is it?"
"Umm… I have no club pass." Lenny admitted.
"Tough luck kid." The barracuda said.
"But, I have to get in there!" Lenny said. "Could you please just let it slide this once?"
"Sorry buddy," The barracuda said, "But I can't let you in there. It's my job to keep out people without passes."
Just as Lenny was about to give up, a voice came from behind him
"Hey, Barry!"
A Leopard shark swam up to the barracuda and began high-fiving him.
"Jamel!" Barry (the barracuda) greeted back. "How's it goin'?"
"Fine just fine." Jamel answered with a smile. "I couldn't help but notice what was going on here. Why won't you let him in?"
"The guy doesn't have a club pass." Barry answered.
"Oh, didn't he tell you?" Jamel said. "He doesn't need one, he's with me."
"Oh!" Barry said, looking at Lenny. "Well why didn't you tell me? I would've let you in if you had spoken up." Barry opened the door. "Come on in."
"Thanks Barry." Jamel said, swimming into the club. He stopped when he saw that Lenny wasn't following. "Well come on!"
Lenny obeyed and swam into the club too. Even though he was confused about what happened, he wasn't going to argue.
The club was like your average night club. It had a bar, some bathrooms, and a disco dance floor. A few feet away from the dance floor was a stage where the owner of the club would sometimes get bands to play.
"Hey, wait up!" Lenny called out to Jamel.
Jamel stopped and turned around. "Oh, it's you."
"Thanks." Lenny said.
"For what?" Jamel asked.
"For helpin' me out back there." Lenny said. "I would've never been able to get in without your help."
Jamel chuckled. "No problem man, I do that for just about everyone. So, what's your name?" He said, holding out his fin.
"Lenny." Lenny answered, shaking his fin.
"My name's Jamel." Jamel said. He suddenly realized something. "Hey… aren't you that don guy's kid?"
Lenny's smile turned into a frown. "Yeah."
"Cool!" Jamel said. "So what're you doin' here?"
Lenny was about to answer until Jamel said, "Okay, you can tell your story, but you've gotta tell it over some drinks. The bar's right there, c'mon!"
After ordering two electric berry freezers, Lenny began to tell his story.
"Well, my pop's out of a job." Lenny said. "Os… I mean, that Shark Slayer guy captured my dad and I, and my dad was so mad at me he kicked me out the house."
"Harsh." Jamel said, nodding his head.
"So after that, I began looking for a place to stay. I needed some help, so I came here to ask for directions, and here I am." He finished, not really telling the whole truth.
"Dang." Jamel said. "You must be hungry. Here, have some fried tuna." Jamel called on the bar guy, got a dish of fried tuna, and paid the bar guy.
Lenny just looked at the plate of fried fish before him. "Umm…Jamel…"
"What?" Jamel said. "If this is about how I got you a fried tuna, it's just 'cause I'm being nice…"
"No, it's not that." Lenny said. "It's… well… because…" Lenny looked around for the right words to say. "I can't eat this." Lenny finally blurted out.
"Huh?" Jamel said in confusion. "Why not?"
"You'll laugh." Lenny said.
"No I won't." Jamel said.
"Yeah, you say you won't, but then what happens is, you laugh." Lenny replied.
"Lenny, I've heard a million funny stories," Jamel replied, "And I've managed to not crack a smile. What makes you think I'll laugh at what you've got to say? Now c'mon, tell me."
"Fine." Lenny sighed. "I- I'm a vegetarian."
Jamel sat in his chair, thunderstruck. He looked sincere, but then started to bust out laughing.
Lenny's face turned into a frown. "Well at least you're laughing and not calling me a wimp." He muttered.
"Oh, okay," Jamel said, still laughing. "I'm sorry man, I really am."
"You sure don't sound like it." Lenny said, crossing his fins.
"Well I am sorry, I'm just…" Jamel looked for the right words to say, but couldn't find them. "Okay, look, I've stopped laughing. I shouldn't even be laughing at you, with you being kicked out of your house and all."
Lenny's mood changed quickly. "Stupid Oscar and his stupidness." He growled, not noticing what he was doing. Jamel, however, noticed.
"Uh, Lenny…"
"Made me get kicked out of my house, all because of his stupid lie!"
"Lenny…"
"He better stay out of my sight, because if I ever see him again, I'm gonna…"
"Lenny!"
Lenny looked at Jamel. "What?"
"I thought you said you were a vegetarian." Jamel said.
"I am." Lenny said with a puzzled look on his face.
"Well, you just…" Jamel looked at Lenny's plate. "Look at your plate man."
Lenny looked down at his plate, and saw that the fried tuna was gone; nothing remained but a pile of bones. "Wha…"
"You ate the fish man." Jamel said. "And you freaked me out while you were eating it. Heck man, you looked worse than when Bruce lost control in 'Finding Nemo', you looked extremely angry and blood thirsty!"
"Oh." Lenny said, still trying to grasp the fact that he had eaten a fish and not thrown it up. "Well, I am a vegetarian, or at least I used to be. I'm surprised that I didn't throw it up. I must be omnivorous now."
Jamel didn't answer, only looked at Lenny like he was going to go off any second on him. Lenny noticed this look, and quickly added,
"I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm not gonna go off on ya, if that's what you're thinkin'."
Jamel let out a sigh of relief. "Well that's a relief. So, you said you needed a place to stay…"
Jamel was cut off by a White tip's sneering voice.
"Hey Melly!"
"Speak of the devil." Jamel muttered.
A White tip had swum up to Jamel and Lenny. "Nice to see you again. So, you bribed the club owner again, or are you just dating his daughter?"
"No, I didn't bribe the club owner, I did him a favor, and now I can get in without a club pass."
"Must've been a really big favor." The white tip sneered. "So," he continued, looking at Lenny, "Who's this? Your boyfriend?"
"I'm not his boyfriend." Lenny growled. "I'm Lenny." He didn't like this guy and he had just met him.
"Hey, aren't you that don's kid?" The White tip asked in his taunting voice.
"Naw, I'm that pizza delivery guy's nephew." Lenny said in a sarcastic tone. "Got anymore smart questions for me, huh Einstein?"
'Where did that come from?' Jamel thought. Lenny was thinking the same thing.
"I bet you wish you were that pizza guy's nephew, the way your dad wimped out like that." The White tip sneered.
"Leave him alone Markie…" Another White tip said.
"Shut up!" Markie (The white tip that's bothering Lenny.) shot back at the other White tip. "So," he continued, looking at Lenny, "Is it true your dad got whupped by a fish?"
"No." Lenny said, struggling to control his anger.
"Pitiful, can't even tell the truth." Markie mocked. "You probably got beat to, and you know your dad's a failure…"
At this point, Lenny had had enough. In a flash, he rose up from his chair, punched Markie in his eye, and pinned him up against the wall, earning surprised shocks from other carnivores in the club.
"He's not a failure! He's not!" Lenny shouted, still punching Markie. "Don't you ever call him that again…"
Before he knew it, Lenny felt a pain in his side and chest, and everything had begun to go black. Man, what was he going to do now?
TBC…
Gasp! Angie slapped Oscar? Lenny's not a vegetarian anymore? How will Oscar talk Angie out of moving? And Lenny, what's gonna happen to him?
Well, I can't just leave ya'll clueless, so I'll type in a line from my next chapter. Here it is…
"Hello. My face is up here."
That's it. From the line above, let's just put it this way, I might have to put romance as the third genre.
That's it! R&R please!