Chapter 5

Lenny arose from his seat and turned to leave President Patrick's office. As he swam closer to the door, he felt super confident with himself. His mission had finally been accomplished. In just one day, he'd found an awesome job, a gorgeous new ship to reside in, both were on a reef where he felt like he could finally be normal, and it wasn't even noon. Not a bad way to start the morning. And to think last night he was sleeping on a rock.

Once he got to the door and pulled it open to leave the office, he remembered being lost in the maze of hallways and realized it could take him a while to find his room. But even that didn't ruin the mood he was in. He marched out of the office with a smile on his face. Barely three seconds later…

BONK!

"Ow!" Unbelievable! Once again, he accidentally bumped heads with a shark he hadn't seen coming. "Déjà vu," he said. It hadn't hurt as much as last time, but he still had to hold his fin to his forehead for a moment.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard the other shark say, "Well hello again."

Lenny opened his eyes and tried to act casual. Ironically, this was the same girl shark in the blue scarf that he'd bumped into prior to his interview. "Hey," he said nervously.

The girl simply laughed. "We have gotta stop meeting like this."

Lenny nodded. "Couldn't agree more."

"You seem like you're in a good mood," she said, trying to change the subject. "I take it the interview went well?"

"Oh yeah, it was great. I…" Lenny went silent when he saw something in her fin. A plastic drink cup that was about halfway filled with a thick, mint green liquid that Lenny recognized too well. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked, pointing to the cup.

"That depends," the girl replied. "Do you think it's a kelp shake?"

Lenny was over the moon on the inside, and about a quarter of the way to the moon on the outside. "I don't believe it. I've never met another shark who eats, or drinks, kelp before."

"You must be from out of town then."

"Yeah," said Lenny. "I'm from the South Side Reef."

"Ah," the girl said. "Yeah, I heard those guys were kind of old school. Here on Clearwater Reef, being a vegetarian shark is by no means uncommon."

"I guess I kinda figured that out for myself," said Lenny. "You've gotta tell me where you got that shake 'cause I am gonna be thirsty after I have a nap."

"Well there's a café on the second floor that sells them," the girl explained. "But I actually made this one myself."

"Wow, now I'm impressed," Lenny said. He never knew kelp shakes could be homemade before. "You must come from a long line of chefs."

The girl made a face that said she was thinking. "Not that I know of, but I do have a younger sister who can make these so much better than I can. And another younger sister who can drink like five in the blink of an eye. So I guess that's pretty close."

"Wow, big family."

"Anyway, congratulations on nailing your interview. Do you know what room you'll be living in?"

"C24," Lenny replied. "Now if I could just figure out how to get to it."

"I know where it is. Would you like me to take you?" the girl offered.

"Is that gonna get in the way of your work?" Lenny asked, hoping he wouldn't be a burden.

The girl shook her head. "It'll be okay, they'll never notice I'm not there. Shall I be your guide then?"

Lenny smiled. "Sure."

The two of them, with her leading, started swimming slowly down the long hall.

"By the way," she said. "I don't believe I got your name the last time we literally bumped heads."

"Oh yeah, you didn't." Lenny had been so upset about not getting her name that he never realized he never gave her his. "I didn't get yours either. And I was so upset about it that I was talking to myself the whole time before I went into the president's office. Wow, I hope no one saw me talking to myself. 'Cause that'd be embarrassing. I've barely been here more than a few hours and I'm doing embarrassing things left and right. Not a great way to make an impression on people, huh?"

The girl looked at Lenny with wide eyes. He took this as a way of saying, "You just said a lot more than you needed to."

"Heh heh… Sorry, I tend to ramble when I talk to… Sorry."

"No, it's fine."

Lenny sighed. "Okay, good."

The two of them were silent for a very brief period.

"So?" the girl asked.

Lenny looked puzzled. "So what?"

"Your name?"

Now Lenny felt stupid. He smacked himself in the forehead. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize I hadn't told you. See what rambling does? It makes you completely forget what you're talking about. But I can't help it. I get like that when I'm around girls like you."

The girl raised an eyebrow, but at the same time she was still smiling.

Lenny was feeling more and more stupid by the second. "No, I… I meant that in a good way. Ya know, girls like you. As in girls who are friendly and… unique… and who don't eat fish and… and…" With a big, nervous smile, he quickly held out his fin to her. "I'm Lenny."

She chuckled and shook his fin. "Kylie."

"Nice to meet you," said Lenny. "Oh by the way, sorry for all the migraines."

Kylie laughed. "No biggy."

It took about five minutes for the two of them to get to room C24. Lenny drew a map in his head trying to remember all the surroundings so he would have an easier time finding the President's office. On the way, Kylie acted as a tour guide, giving him as many directions as possible and providing a bit of history behind every section of the ship.

"Here's our stop, Sir," Kylie said, stopping outside a door labeled C24. "It's got everything you'll need. A king sized bed, TV with remote and channel guide, and map of the ship located in the top dresser drawer."

"Thanks a lot… Kylie," Lenny said shyly.

Kylie smiled. "You don't have to be nervous around me, Lenny."

Lenny begged to differ. "I'll remember that," he covered.

"So before I get back onboard the crazy boat," Kylie said, referring to her employers, "how do you think you'll like working here?"

Lenny thought for a second. "Uh, honestly I think I'll have to get back to you on that one. I'm not even that sure what I'll be doing."

"I can understand that. I've been working for the organization for almost two years and it isn't really the type of thing you can get used to fifteen minutes in."

"Patrick seems like a pretty pleasant guy though," Lenny continued. "But I wish he'd smile a little more. Has he always had the face of a dried-up sea cucumber?"

"No," said Kylie. "But he has always been my uncle."

Lenny gasped. "I am so sorry. I didn't know, I… Ugh, what is wrong with me today?"

Kylie held up a fin, trying to calm him down. "It's okay. I actually can't say I disagree with that statement. I know he may look strict on the outside, but over time you'll think he's a saint. It's my cousins you have to worry about."

"That I noticed," said Lenny. "Especially that one, uh, Nathan."

Kylie shuddered at hearing that name. "He is the worst person I could ever have asked to be related to. But you know, sometimes you can't help but pity him. He's always been a difficult child. His parents spoiled him rotten as a kid and he's just been messed up ever since."

"He sure didn't look spoiled when I was in there," said Lenny. "Maybe a jerk, but not spoiled. If anything, his dad was way too hard on him about everything he did."

"Yeah, well Uncle Patrick never really was father of the year material. He spoils his son for twenty-five years, the kid becomes a screwed up brat, and now his dad wants no part of him. And, just a little warning: Nathan is a terrible boss. He can practically sense someone making the tiniest mistake and then he verbally abuses them for it."

Lenny gulped. "Really?"

Kylie nodded. "We're starting to think he may have hidden cameras in every room of the ship. He's always appearing out of nowhere right when you're least expecting it…"

"Well, well, well," said a familiar voice that was so close it made Lenny jump.

Kylie rolled her eyes when she saw Nathan. "Speak of the devil."

"Look what we've got here," Nathan said, mainly to Lenny. "This you're little game, little shark? You're barely here five minutes and you start pickin' up the first girl you see?"

"Uh…" Lenny was pretty much speechless. Luckily, he was with Kylie.

"I was helping him find his room, Nathan. He was lost. And if you don't mind, I really wish you would get lost."

"Whoa, feisty," Nathan said with an unpleasant smile. "Ya know, Kylie? It's kinda sad that we're related, isn't it?"

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Kylie replied.

"Yeah, otherwise I'd be super attracted to you."

Kylie looked like she was about to gag.

"You're everything I look for in a girl," Nathan continued. "Feisty, spunky, and not half bad looking."

Kylie didn't seem to let Nathan's repulsive attitude get to her. "Nathan, you used to be just sort of unlikeable, but now every time you open your mouth I feel like beating you with an ugly stick." She then looked her cousin straight in the face. "Oh wait, somebody already beat me to it."

Lenny snickered at her hilarious comeback. He tried to avoid trouble by making it look like he was coughing, but he hadn't done a very good job because Nathan saw him smile.

Nathan frowned and angrily cracked his knuckles. "You think that was funny, do ya?"

"Wha…? No…" Lenny was nothing short of horrified.

"Well maybe you'll think it's less funny when I beat you with an ugly stick," Nathan growled.

Kylie slapped Nathan on the fin, which surprisingly caused him to wince and back off. "Leave him alone and go on your lunch break! Your mommy should be done pre-chewing your food for you by now."

Nathan scowled once more at Lenny and then disappeared, mumbling under his breath. Once he was gone, Kylie turned back to Lenny.

"Sorry about that," she said. "Let me know if he bothers you in the future."

"It's fine," Lenny assured her. "In a way, I'm kinda used to it. I used to have a brother like him."

"Used to?"

"Yeah, he…" Lenny still dreaded to think about that day. "He died not too long ago."

"Oh," said Kylie. "I'm sorry."

Lenny pretended not to mind. "It's okay. For a long time, I blamed myself for it. I was a vegetarian, my dad was upset about it, he told my brother to teach me how to kill, he didn't look where he was going, and then… then an anchor fell on him."

"And you witnessed it happen?"

Lenny nodded. "Probably the worst day of my life. And it was even worse knowing that he was kinda Pop's favorite."

Kylie made a serious face. "That is the worst. I cannot stand it when parents play favorites on their kids."

"I hated it too," said Lenny. "But I guess the oldest in every family is the favorite."

"Try telling that to Nathan," said Kylie.

"I saw the way he treated your other cousin and it made me think of me and my brother," said Lenny. "And not really in a good way. In retrospect, I think my childhood would've been a lot easier if I had two little sisters like you."

"Actually six."

Lenny's jaw dropped.

"Yeah, I get that reaction a lot." Kylie pushed his chin upward in order to close his mouth.

"Six sisters?"

"My parents always wanted a big family," Kylie explained. "And of course it took my dad a while to get used to being the only guy, but he loves us and wouldn't change a thing about any of us. He's the perfect example of a family man. My sisters and I are blessed to have such patient, fun loving parents."

Lenny's heart sank a bit. "Yeah, I bet it is nice to have a patient, fun loving dad. Not that I'd know. My dad was too much of a business man and not enough of a parent."

"Sounds kinda like Uncle Patrick," Kylie said in an understanding voice. "His main goal is to get Nathan and Dustin ready for the day he retires. After that, they're in charge of the organization."

"Family business, huh?" said Lenny.

"Yup."

"That I can relate to. My dad's a mob boss. He was gonna leave me and my brother in charge of the entire reef when he retired."

"Really?" said Kylie. "So why are you here?"

Someone had finally asked Lenny the one question he had been afraid of answering. He was by no means willing to tell Kylie that Lino kicked him out just for being a vegetarian and threatened to kill other vegetarian sharks should he find out where they were. "I… I ran away." That was all he managed to say because…

"There you are, Kylie." This time, their intruder was President Patrick. "Where have you been? Your lunch break ended ten minutes ago."

"Sorry, Uncle Patrick," said Kylie. "I was just helping our new guy find his room."

Patrick looked at Lenny. "Ah. Nice to see you're already getting to know your coworkers, Lenny."

Lenny didn't know how to respond, but he knew he wasn't in trouble so he just smiled.

"And Kylie," Patrick continued. "I admire your lending a helping fin to our newest employee, but next time let me know ahead of schedule, okay?"

"Yes, Uncle Patrick." Kylie turned to face Lenny. "I'd better get back to work. It was nice meeting you, Lenny."

Lenny became noticeably nervous again. "You too… Kylie."

Kylie and Patrick turned to head back to their offices. Lenny opened his bedroom door and was so busy looking at Kylie that he was blinded to everything else. He swam forward thinking he was going into the room, but instead he swam right into the wall, painfully bumping his nose. He rubbed it hoping no one had seen what'd just happened, and then he noticed that both Kylie and Patrick had seen it. He was embarrassed and thought Kylie would think he was a clumsy goofball. She only smiled; truthfully she thought his moment of humiliation was cute. Lenny waved goodbye to her, went into his room and shut closed the door behind him.

As the uncle and niece continued on their way, Patrick noticed the smile on Kylie's face that had been present since she and Lenny had said goodbye. "It doesn't look right, you know," he told her.

"What?" Kylie asked, pretending she didn't know what he meant.

"A bright young girl like you being attracted to a boy you just barely met," Patrick continued. Sometimes he was more of a dad to her than he was to his own sons.

"Attracted? What are you talking about? I was showing him to his room, that's all."

"Believe it or not, Kylie, I used to be a teenager," said Patrick. "I know what it's like to be young and have nothing on your mind but the opposite gender. You're a very diligent worker. I don't want to see you daydreaming about boys when you should be concentrating on your work."

"I appreciate your concern, Uncle Patrick, but I really think we should let my parents be the judge of that."

Kylie continued to smile. Her uncle had pretty much just read her like a book. He knew she already had very strong feelings for Lenny deep down. And I'm pretty sure you can all tell Lenny's feelings for her are no different. Hint: They're crushing!

End of chapter