The outside front of the school is seen with the class bell ringing in the background. From inside, Gumball, who now was wearing his typical tan sweater and black pants, is walking down the hallway carrying nothing but a suspicious look on his face. He turns to his right to speak to Darwin.

"Dude, are you sure you're feeling okay?" Before an answer comes up, the flower boy Leslie is seen walking in the opposite direction and waves to Gumball.

"Hello Gumball," he says in his high toned voice. Gumball raises his right arm up and waves to Leslie with a happy smile on him. When Darwin spoke up, he looked like he was nervous about the situation, sweating slightly from fear. He did his best to keep an open smile on him, exposing all this teeth as he faced Gumball.

"Of course I am. Wh-why do you think I'm not?" He gave the blue cat his wide-grinned smile, but had to pull it down to a frown and turn away the second someone came by.

"Hey Darwin." Teri the hypochondriac rose her paper hand up to him, expressing a sweet smile, but got nothing in return. Darwin rose his left fin up to the side of his face and covered himself from her grace. He looked like he was afraid of her, or what she must think of him for that matter. Gumball rose an eyebrow at the awkward display, not even caring that Teri was looking back at the fish in question.

"I find that hard to believe," Gumball stated

"How so," Darwin nervously called out to him, putting his fin down to face the cat.

"Well," Gumball said [with the camera cutting away to show the entire length of the hall left to right.], "You won't stand within five feet of me; every time someone greets you, you ignore them; and don't get me wrong, but I'm prrretty sure it was you who kicked Rocky's mop bucket down the other end of the hall." Gumball rose his hand up into a hitchhiker thumb position and pointed it back over his shoulder. In the background, Rocky was seen tilting his bucket back up on it's sides and using the mop to soak it back in. Darwin and Gumball were on opposite ends of the hallway, with Gumball walking along one side of lockers and Darwin along the other. The middle space was completely open for everyone to pass through, with Rocky all the way at the end.

"So what if I am acting a little different? There's nothing wrong about it." Gumball was only becoming more and more concerned.

This is so not like Darwin, he thought. Gumball reached for his locker and started turning the dials to unlock it. Darwin refused to get any closer, even if he needed his supplies for class. "Darwin, if this has something to do with this morning, you know you can tell me right? I just don't want you to make a fool of yourself at school over this. It's not healthy." Darwin couldn't shake the feeling Gumball was right. In the back of his mind, he wanted to tell Gumball more than anything. He could feel the words forming in his throat, ready to just exhale out his puckered lips. He wanted the drama to just go away and be over with.

Why can't I just tell him already?! The feeling of conflict was pulling at his heartstrings, making him more and more depressed. "Gumball, I think it's best if you just drop this already."

"Hey, don't be upset with me. You're the one who looks like he needs help." The way Gumball said it really sent Darwin over the edge. He didn't call back to Gumball as loud as he did in the house, but it had every bit of frustration as the last one.

"Maybe I'm not the one who has problems! Maybe you're responsible for me feeling this way. Did you ever stop to think of THAT?" Gumball looked back at Darwin from across the hall just after getting his locker open.

"What are you talking about? What did I ever do to you?"

what have you DONE to me? Darwin could think of plenty to say, but he held himself back. He wasn't happy, but it also was not in his nature to call others out. "Just… just leave me alone already." Darwin turned down the hall and began walking away. He was trying his hardest to hold back his tears by keeping a bitter and hateful looking face on him. Gumball watched him move down the hall, feeling both sorry and irritated with him.

Dude is acting like a fruit and he won't even tell me why? He put a finger to his chin and went to thinking. He's never going to get better until he tells me what's wrong, but if he won't talk to me, then who His thought of concentration was broken when his girlfriend Penny came walking in his direction.

"Hey Gumball," the yellow fairy said merrily waving to him. She approached his locker holding a couple books around her arms. The sight of her always put Gumball in a happy mood, completely forgetting everything in the spur of the moment.

"Hey Penny," he joyfully said to her. right when he saw her, he immediately realized he had the answer. It was standing right in front of him, or part of it for that matter. Before Penny could say anything, Gumball got to talking. "Say, can I ask you for a favor?"

" Of course; Anything." Gumball rubbed the back of his neck as he started off.

"Well, it's just… Darwin's been acting rather strange and he won't tell me why. But I think I know now how I can get him to talk, but it'll require your help, as well as someone else." Penny was interested in where this was going.

"Are you scheming up something?"

"Maybe. He's not gonna tell me what's wrong, but I have a strong feeling he'd tell Carrie." Penny looked a little surprised by the notion, and couldn't resist asking.

"Carrie? Now why do you think he'd tell her?" Gumball looked around the halls to see if anyone nearby was coming. Aside from a couple of his classmates who were at their lockers, the coast looked clear. He leaned in closer to her, talking quietly.

"Don't tell anyone this, but Darwin has a huuuuge crush on her. If we can get them close enough to each other, she might be able to loosen him up. Once he tells her what's wrong, then I can help him out." Penny smiled deviously at the news, and the plan. She pulled herself away from the leaning.

"Darwin likes Carrie?" She couldn't stop smiling about it. Gumball began to worry some.

"Shhh. Please don't tell anybody. Darwin would never forgive me for letting you know, alright?"

"Oh, relax. I promise I won't tell, but it's just so… juicy. How do you even know if she feels the same way though? She's never said anything to any of us girls before." He didn't want to give her a specific answer. He respected Darwin's privacy enough to not dwell in on his personal information… even though he did feel like wanting to.

"Let's just say I've seen the way those two have acted around each other. Point is, I think it might be possible, and if you could just ask Carrie if she'll join you, me, and Darwin at lunch today, it's better than anything else I can think of. If she asks why, just tell her it's because we need help getting Darwin to tell me-er, I mean, us, about something that's hurting him." Penny widened her smile some, liking how much Gumball showed he cared about Darwin. Gumball's appreciation towards others was what made him such a great guy to her, even if he did sometimes treat other's incorrectly or take advantage of them behind her back.

"Okay, sure. I'll ask Carrie to sit with us at lunch later today. You really think that would work?" Gumball decided to lay down a little more charm to top off his appreciation.

"If being around her makes him as happy as it does for me to be around you, then I'd say it's a sure-fire thing." He felt pretty proud of himself for coming up with the statement, and his reward was a kiss on the cheek from her. The two stayed smiling as she walked away, more than likely to go let Carrie in on the plot. When Penny turned around a corner, Gumball realized what was wrong. Oh man. Class starts in a few minutes and Darwin didn't grab his stuff. He got what he needed out of his own locker and went on to open Darwin's. He knew his locker combo and figured Darwin would lighten up some if he brought his supplies. As he got what was required and made his way down the hall, he couldn't stop thinking about the idea. I sure hope this works, cause otherwise… who knows what will happen to Darwin? It was the only thought that came to his head as he made his way to class. That, and Penny's affection.

Gumball had made it to Mrs. Simian's class as the last student in. Already, it sounded like the teacher was in a bad mood. She overlooked her entire classroom holding her I [heart] Myself mug in one hand. "Everyone take their seats so we can begin class this morning," Mrs. Simian spoke in a raspy, annoyed manner. Gumball walked promptly to his desk and took his seat at the front of the room. He always took the front middle seat with Darwin to his left despite that there were no assigned seats per se. Occasionally, he sat in the back or somewhere in the middle with his fish beside him as others alternated nearly every day in school, but the front row was his norm. Gumball knew it wasn't his choice though; rather Mrs. Simian believed Gumball was mostly a trouble maker and did her best to keep an eye on him, not that it really worked much anyway. Gumball placed his books and supplies on his desk, proceeding to pull some out from underneath the pile and put them on Darwin's. However, he couldn't help but notice the desk was empty. He turned to the back of the class and watched as everyone took their seats. One by one, they all sat around the classroom: Carmen, Penny, Tobias, Ocho, Bobert, Tina, William, and all the others, yet no sign of Darwin. It took only five seconds for everyone to find their place, but the fish was no where in sight. Gumball turned around to face the front with a frightened look that made him scream inside.

Oh Gosh! Where's Darwin? The ape took her seat at the front of the class and picked up an attendance log.

"You all know the drill. When I call your name, say whatever." She grabbed hold of a pencil lying on the long table and pressed it on the paper, checking along as she went. "Alan," she called out first.

"Here," he announced in a kind manner.

"Anton?"

"Yep." Simple as he.

"Bobert?"

"Present," choosing a rather awkward, but accurate word.

"Carmen?"

"Here." She reached her hand over and placed it on Alan's balloon string lying on top of his desk. They both lit up a smile of compassion sitting next to each other.

"Carrie?"

"Whatever," she said without even looking at the teacher. In her mind, she didn't say it because the teacher wanted her, rather she simply did not care to be annoyed.

"Clayton?"

"Not," he cried aloud as a jokeful way of lying. There was a small sputtering of laughter that came after from Tobias and some others. Mrs. Simian gave Clayton the evil eye and moaned with anger in her throat. She begrudgingly checked him off and continued. The laughter died down upon her next name.

"Darwin?..." No answer was heard in the classroom. Mrs. Simian looked up from her book to face the class. "Darwin Waterson," she said louder. Still, no answer from anywhere. She saw his desk empty, and to her amazement, Gumball in his. She threw up her brows in surprise. "Now this is a new one. Darwin is absent and Gumball is here." She pulled herself out and away from her desk, placing the log down and slowly approaching the front of the room. As she slowly crept toward the defenseless feline, all the students behind him glanced at each other and exchanged their thoughts. To them, the teacher was right. Darwin was only ever absent or late when Gumball was missing too. The unfamiliarity muddled them all. "Mind explaining why your brother is absent this morning?" Mrs. Simian placed her bony, hairy fists on her hips and narrowed her eyes. From Gumball's perspective, she was steaming with madness. To make matters worse, he began to panic inside.

Where on earth is he? Gumball began to tap his fingers on his desk, trying to think of an answer... or an excuse.

"Well, we're waiting."

"uhh... he's ehm... sick!" The ape went from agitated to suspicious right quick.

"Sick? Then why is his stuff here, and with what exactly?" Gumball's mind began to race for answer, but he only knew of one disease fish could catch. Figuring it was better than nothing, he just bluffed out his answer in a heartbeat.

"Ick-he has ick. Ya know, the white spotted looking one-er, i mean, sickness, and it's... bh-aaad." He grinned wide to fake the fear coming on.

"Then WHY is his stuff here?" Gumball thought fast, but with a blank.

"Oh, because I brought it, so that way I can... you know."

She asked him genuinely "what? Copy down notes?"

"Yes! Exactly. So I can copy down notes for him." Mrs. Simian wasn't quite buying the excuse and leaned in on Gumball, forcing him to press his back up against his chair.

"Darwin is sick... with ick?"

"Umm... yeah?" She kept staring straight into his eyes and told him her exact thoughts.

"I've been around long enough to tell when someone's lying to me... and I think you're holding something back." Gumball's heart began to race at a million miles an hour, sweating and scared for his life. He couldn't think straight with his teacher only a foot apart from his face. Then like that, she pulled herself back and into normal place. "But, I know that unlike you, Darwin's not the kind who would go doing something like this on his own, so I'll go ahead and mark him absent under illness." She twisted herself around and walked back to her desk to continue role call. Gumball let out a sigh of relief, relaxing his back and pulling his chest forward. Mrs. Simian went back to calling out people's names, but her voice faded into the background of Gumball's thoughts. He slapped a paw up to his forehead as a slight support to keep it held up.

Man that was a close one. But seriously, where did you go, Darwin? Please tell me you didn't skip school. Oh, Darwin, where are you buddy? He placed his other hand on his forehead and rested his elbows on his desk. Darwin, I don't know what's going on with you, but I have to find out. Maybe he's still in the school. Yeah, he couldn't possibly leave. I mean, where else does he have to go? His eyes showed how distressed coupling his nervous smile. For him, there was no knowing the future of where he was, just how he might be able to help him... if his idea works.