Chapter 13: Help Wanted

The next day, I told Justin that I cannot go with him and that I will have less time for him for the meantime because I will create the chemical that will allow him to breathe underwater. Justin, after all, is just a small but important part of my plan. Having him fall for me is just an additional point for the fulfillment of the things I am supposed to do. I know pretty darn well that the world does not revolve around him. The world revolves around the sun, so that means there is more to life than just him.

I applied for a job at the Krusty Krab as the fry cook so that I can be with Bob. I didn't want to stay at home with nothing to do. Besides, being a fry cook is part of the Master Plan.

"Pretty please?" I said to Mr. Krabs as I handed him my resume. [AN: I have no idea how to type the French e that is in the real spelling of the word.]

"NO," Mr Krabs said in an adamant manner. "Only a few chosen ones are allowed to be fry cooks, and you are not one of them. I do not trust you completely with the Krabby Patty Recipe. I remembered that time when you ran to the Chum Bucket that first time I saw you. Sure, Bob may have associated himself with Plankton at some time in his life, but he has sworn to keep the secret of the recipe and to stay loyal to the Krusty Krab no matter what. That's why I still have all these customers... and Plankton doesn't." He ended this statement with his signature laugh.

"Pretty please?" I said again, but this time with my puppy dog eyes.

"Fine," Mr. Krabs said. "You may get a job here as a cashier. Ward isn't even doing a good job at it anyway. He's reducing the maximum potential of this restaurant with his grumpy demeanor. I'll fire him later and I'll see you at work tomorrow."

When I finally got on my post as a cashier, not a minute was spent just sitting on the boat-shaped counter and reading magazines or getting angry at Bob like what Ward used to do. Queues upon queues of customers were always there to serve. Bob and I were a powerhouse money-making team for Mr. Krabs: Bob with his quick hands with making the Krabby Patties perfect and I with my cheerful aura that attracts more customers.

Even Ward himself actually went here to order a patty.

"Good afternoon, C'ren," Ward said in an unusually cheerful tune. There was a huge smile across his face, and I can really see the happiness in his big, brown eyes. "I would like to have a Krabby Patty to celebrate my first day of peace and quiet. Boy is it peaceful at home when Bob is here at work. I can freely practice my clarinet without any rowdy noises. Besides, Patrick is just a silent deadbeat without Bob."

"Order up, Ward!" Bob said as he handed me the Patty and he laughed in the peculiar way that I know he does.

"Thank you, C'ren for making my life better," Ward said as he ate the Krabby Patty while standing beside me. Because there were too many customers, there were no more seats for him. "I have already mastered the clarinet arrangement of One Less Lonely Girl that I was rehearsing a few days ago. Remember that date Justin set you up in? I really had to practice for that because it would be embarrassing if I made any mistakes with the playing while in front of one of the world's biggest stars. As a matter of fact, Justin is paying me and not William Fancyson, my high school arch rival with a hideous unibrow, to be his clarinet player in the first underwater album he will ever record, and from that I earned a lot more than I ever did in this dump. The only reason I'm here is because I love Krabby Patties even if I hate working here. The next I would be working on would be a jazz song I've always wanted to compose."

When it was closing time, Mr. Krabs handed me one sack of money to be divided between me and Bob, since I still live in Bob's pineapple home until now anyway.

"Congratulations, C'ren and Bob," Mr. Krabs said. "In one day, you guys have helped me earn a whopping two million dollars! Now, here's a sack of money. That's your pay for the day. Divide it between yourselves."

"Hey, C'ren," he said as we split ways on a crossroad. "Aren't you going with me?"

"Nope," I replied. "I have more important things to settle."

Bob went straight home as he pushed the sack of money using a makeshift wagon that Mr. Krabs had provided for him.

As for me, I proceeded to Chum Bucket to get started with the chemical that will allow Justin to breathe underwater.

[AN: Thanks for pointing that out. I was actually supposed to type, 'Everything is going as I have planned it to.' Also, I will answer that question about her name's etymology over the course of the next chapters. Lotsaluv from Monica.]