standing, and how little either seemed to mind that their skin was touching. "Whatever it is, it’s not right that they're keeping it captive."
"Tell me about it," Joanne said, turning away from the computer screen. "It was awful in there. Those conditions were appalling. The poor thing must never have seen daylight."
"Maybe we should tell someone. The police maybe?" Marie said.
"No, that won’t help. It would just drag on for years like the SeaWorld protests. Something needs to be done now. If this is a Blue Whale, it needs to be freed," Joanne said, just as angry as she had been the night before. She was about to say more when the apartment door opened and was slammed closed. Tom strode across the room, glaring at his brother.
"What’s going on? Why aren’t you at work?" Joanne said.
"I got fired thanks to my little shit of a brother," Tom said as he dropped down into the chair by the window.
"They can’t do that! Why fire you?" She replied, crossing the room to sit on the armrest of the chair and hugging him.
"Because, when the new security team went back through the systems, they figured out he used my key card to access the building when him and his pals decided it would be a good idea to break in. Gross negligence they said. It apparently put them in a position where they had no choice but to let me go.”
“So they know who we are now?” Jim said.
“No, for some reason I covered for you all. They think my card was stolen, but they still say I was responsible for losing it in the first place.”
"Sorry, man, I had no idea-"
"Don’t even bother," Tom snapped. "As always, you do stupid shit without thinking of the consequences. This is why mom and dad couldn’t cope with you."
"Fuck you, Tom," Fernando shot back, not wanting to be embarrassed in front of his friends. "If you hadn’t left it lying around, I wouldn’t have been able to take it."
"You're seriously trying to blame me for this? For leaving my own stuff in my own house without thinking of hiding it away from you and your stupid fucking friends?" Tom hissed, glaring at his brother.
"They didn’t know I took it. Hell, we didn’t even know that we were even going to try to get in until we got to talking on the beach.”
“Let me guess, another day wasted getting drunk whilst the rest of us go to work. Why the hell don’t you just get a job like everyone else?”
“It’s summer break. Pretty soon, I’ll be going to college. Jesus, Tom, don’t be such a bitch about this. You hated that job anyway."
"That doesn’t mean I didn’t need it. It’s all right for you. You still live at home and seem quite happy to let our parents pay your way. It's different in the real world. There are bills to pay, not to mention rent, food, and the countless other things that exist outside your little dream world. We can't all sit around on the beach all day watching the world go by."
"Who the hell are you to judge me?" Fernando fired back as his friends looked on. "You're not perfect you know."
"Look, this isn’t helping," Joanne said, hoping to diffuse the coming argument. "You both need to calm down and take a breath."
Reluctantly, they did as they were told, Fernando returning to his seat and ignoring the smirk from Clayton as he passed him.
"Anyway," Tom said as he removed his tie, "what the hell are you all doing here in my soon to be former apartment?"
Nobody said anything at first. Instead, they all looked to Joanne, knowing that she would be the best intermediary between them and Tom, and the one who would have the best chance of making him listen to what had happened.
"There's something we need to tell you, and when you hear it, you just might be glad you don’t work at that place anymore."
“I don’t like the sound of this,” he muttered.
For the next ten minutes, Joanne explained the situation and showed Tom the photographs she had taken. Fernando was sure he would walk out or call them idiots at any point, and yet, the
"Tell me about it," Joanne said, turning away from the computer screen. "It was awful in there. Those conditions were appalling. The poor thing must never have seen daylight."
"Maybe we should tell someone. The police maybe?" Marie said.
"No, that won’t help. It would just drag on for years like the SeaWorld protests. Something needs to be done now. If this is a Blue Whale, it needs to be freed," Joanne said, just as angry as she had been the night before. She was about to say more when the apartment door opened and was slammed closed. Tom strode across the room, glaring at his brother.
"What’s going on? Why aren’t you at work?" Joanne said.
"I got fired thanks to my little shit of a brother," Tom said as he dropped down into the chair by the window.
"They can’t do that! Why fire you?" She replied, crossing the room to sit on the armrest of the chair and hugging him.
"Because, when the new security team went back through the systems, they figured out he used my key card to access the building when him and his pals decided it would be a good idea to break in. Gross negligence they said. It apparently put them in a position where they had no choice but to let me go.”
“So they know who we are now?” Jim said.
“No, for some reason I covered for you all. They think my card was stolen, but they still say I was responsible for losing it in the first place.”
"Sorry, man, I had no idea-"
"Don’t even bother," Tom snapped. "As always, you do stupid shit without thinking of the consequences. This is why mom and dad couldn’t cope with you."
"Fuck you, Tom," Fernando shot back, not wanting to be embarrassed in front of his friends. "If you hadn’t left it lying around, I wouldn’t have been able to take it."
"You're seriously trying to blame me for this? For leaving my own stuff in my own house without thinking of hiding it away from you and your stupid fucking friends?" Tom hissed, glaring at his brother.
"They didn’t know I took it. Hell, we didn’t even know that we were even going to try to get in until we got to talking on the beach.”
“Let me guess, another day wasted getting drunk whilst the rest of us go to work. Why the hell don’t you just get a job like everyone else?”
“It’s summer break. Pretty soon, I’ll be going to college. Jesus, Tom, don’t be such a bitch about this. You hated that job anyway."
"That doesn’t mean I didn’t need it. It’s all right for you. You still live at home and seem quite happy to let our parents pay your way. It's different in the real world. There are bills to pay, not to mention rent, food, and the countless other things that exist outside your little dream world. We can't all sit around on the beach all day watching the world go by."
"Who the hell are you to judge me?" Fernando fired back as his friends looked on. "You're not perfect you know."
"Look, this isn’t helping," Joanne said, hoping to diffuse the coming argument. "You both need to calm down and take a breath."
Reluctantly, they did as they were told, Fernando returning to his seat and ignoring the smirk from Clayton as he passed him.
"Anyway," Tom said as he removed his tie, "what the hell are you all doing here in my soon to be former apartment?"
Nobody said anything at first. Instead, they all looked to Joanne, knowing that she would be the best intermediary between them and Tom, and the one who would have the best chance of making him listen to what had happened.
"There's something we need to tell you, and when you hear it, you just might be glad you don’t work at that place anymore."
“I don’t like the sound of this,” he muttered.
For the next ten minutes, Joanne explained the situation and showed Tom the photographs she had taken. Fernando was sure he would walk out or call them idiots at any point, and yet, the
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