[@Utrax] Cool cool man! 

Alright so thinking that all works for sure! I'm certain Ricki would at least say hi to him, wave and even try to chit chat with him and 'acknowledge his existence' in the very least (despite the low rate of success i'm sure lol). And that last bit about him staring at the beach... I'm thinking that's the major stumbling block for her to go beyond friendly acquaintance? But when they crossed paths during hikes, even though she'd probably be with others that regarded Dennis as 'that weird, sleepy, loner kid' or whatever, she'd still make time to say hi at least, before succumbing to peer pressure and moving on. 

Thinking she started to call him 'Dee' as soon as she thought the 'Baby Dennis Incident' was behind them. And when he's wearing his ties she greets him: "Yo! [i]Dee Suits![/i] 'Sup boi...?!" cuz she always tells him jokingly to go full on 3-piece suit to school one day lol