Chapter 8 - Sink or Float

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"We're not just a corporation. We're a family."

That had been the theme of All for One's latest self-aggrandizing speech, and she genuinely wondered how he got through it with a straight face. At least in this situation the topic didn't come out of nowhere. After all, he was giving this speech over the loudspeakers of the company's annual family picnic.

Held at a fucking waterpark.

Picnic was a loose term. It was a seated, catered lunch in the water park's big event hall — max capacity 500. And it certainly was close to max capacity. Nevermind the fact that it was November, apparently All for One believed that a bright, summer atmosphere was exactly what was needed to maintain morale through any quarter of the year if his "fun boss" Ralph Lauren Hawaiin shirt was anything to go off of. Besides, that's why they built indoor water parks.

And events like these were great bullet point perks for the recruitment team, well worth the no doubt exorbitant price of renting out the entire place.

Yes, it was a mandatory fun event that her father made them attend every year without fail. But to be honest, it's one that she didn't mind. The luncheon itself was stuffy and pretentious with a summer semi-formal dress code that felt a little silly to maintain at a freaking waterpark. But that part only lasted an hour and since her father hadn't quite risen to the upper echelons of the company yet, they were able to sit at the table with the rest of his department's management team and their families, rather than the raised banquet table at the front of the hall with All for One and his VP's. Then she was free to galavant the waterpark with her family.

And despite the strain the latest advancement opportunity in her father's career had put on their relationship, she did actually like her family. She liked sitting in inner tubes side by side with her mother, chatting as they floated down the lazy river. She liked being dragged on waterslide after waterslide by her little brother who was determined to ride as many times as her stomach would allow, because without her, he was too short to ride most of them. She liked playing Marco Polo with her Dad who was notoriously and hilariously bad at it even when the rest of the family wasn't cheating and getting out of the pool (which they always were).

So to be honest, she was pretty disappointed when things had turned out a little differently this year.

While her father hadn't been invited to the head honcho table during the luncheon, he had been invited to drinks at the very exclusive and very snooty clubhouse afterwards. All of them had in fact. All for One, ever the matchmaker, had placed particular interest in wanting to introduce them to the VP's who had children around her brother's age. Much to her surprise though, her parents — knowing how much they enjoyed this event in its usual form — actually gave them the choice of how to spend their day. Her brother — who as of late was on a bit of an independent "I'm a big boy" streak — decided that he wanted to go and play with some kids his own age rather than his older sister.

She however, with her last fancy-schmancy event with the Shigarakis still on her mind, decided to opt out and brave the waterpark alone.

A decision that, as she sat by herself on a lounge chair across from the wave pool, she was kind of starting to regret.

"Well what do we have here?"

Okay, make that really starting to regret.

She didn't recognize the dudebro that was suddenly blocking out her artificial sun. He was around her age and given his particular brand of swagger, obviously assumed that his Daddy had a higher position at the company than hers.

His hair was even more styled and product-filled then her own and he'd obviously contoured his skinny-fat stomach into a crude six pack.

One word, two syllables: Douchebag.

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