A/N: Here's the last little oneshot about the young squints. The others are entitled Pauropods and Pudding, Animals and Art and Fractures and Fate.This one is of course about Zach! I hope you like!

Bullies and Brains

Eleven year old Zach Addy was an observer. Quiet, even as a baby, he loved to watch people interact.

Currently he was sitting on the front porch reading a book about the chemical properties of plants. His parents were in the backyard with several of his brothers and sisters. He had said no to a swim in the pool.

He wasn't reading for long when Sam Wilson and his friends came walking by. Sam Wilson was the meanest kid in his grade. He was also the dumbest. Last week, Sam twisted his arm behind his back for answering a question that Sam wanted to answer.

"Hey Loser." Sam said, coming up the driveway, his gang following behind him. Zach just continued to read his book.

"I said, hey loser!" Sam repeated, knocking the book out of his hands.

Zach just looked up at him and picked his book off the ground.

"What?" he said calmly.

"Nothing. Just wanted to call you a loser, loser."

"Very original." Zach noted.

"Listen kid, I could beat you up but instead I'm going to make you do my homework. Here." He shoved a book into Zach's hands.

"I don't want to."

"Do you want to get beat up every day? Because if you don't do it we will." Sam demonstrated by squeezing his arm tightly.

Zach pondered the alternatives and decided upon the safest route, even though it didn't feel right.

"Fine." He mumbled.

"What did you say?" Sam asked, squeezing harder. His friends snickered behind him.

"I said fine." Zach replied. "But if you don't learn then you won't get smart."

"What do I need to get smart for?" Sam asked, letting go and standing back. "That's why I've got you."

"I meant when you're older."

"When I'm older, I'm going to do whatever I want." Sam said. "And you'll still be a geek. Have the homework done by Monday morning or else." He laughed and then walked off down the driveway with his friends.

Zach looked down at the homework. Now he wouldn't have time to work on his science project.

He bit his lip and tried not to cry. He'd show them. When he got older he was going to be a really smart scientist who cured things and helped people.

And he was going to build a race of robots that would come after Sam.

'Yep'. He nodded to himself. 'That's what I'm going to do.'