Author's Note: Alright, here's another short chapter! Slight blood warning again. The next chapter needs a little more editing, but it will be done soon. Look forward to it :)
When Gaz walked into homeroom the next day, she was surprised—yet not really surprised at all—to find Tak slumped over the desk next to her usual spot, head resting on one arm, and the other laid flat on the etched and graffitied wooden surface. She didn't look up when Gaz settled into her seat.
Gaz didn't say a word throughout the entire class, and the silence didn't feel hostile or even very uncomfortable. Tak had been prepared to bite back at jeers and insults, but instead...
Maybe Gaz didn't understand it, but this was what Tak needed most from her. Someone silent and more-or-less reassuring.
She felt her body relax, her breath and heartbeat falling into a slower rhythm, and drifted off...
"Alright, Tak, I've decided you can keep your ship, on two conditions. One, you—"
"Shut up, Dib, she's trying to sleep."
"Since when do you care about—She's an alien, Gaz, she's probably somehow part of Zim's evil plans!"
"You're just mad that you lost your precious alien technology."
"This isn't about the—Okay, well yeah, it is, but... Aaugh!"
Angry footsteps, moving away.
A chair squeaking across the floor.
A hand hovering above her head, warm and hesitant.
No touch.
White noise.
"...Still under..."
"Good... the scalpel..."
"...growth hasn't stopped..."
"...useless. Remove it."
"...harmful. She won't..."
"It's necessary... this smeet can't ever..."
"Yes, Sir."
Tak toppled sideways out of her chair with a yelp. She managed to land on her bad hand. She grit her teeth and watched as blood welled up, pink quickly flickering into red as the hologram adjusted. A few kids stared; she just ignored their empty gazes as she stood up, dusted off her dress, and got back into her seat.
When she moved her hand to a more comfortable position, she left pink smears on the desk.
Tak swallowed hard.
She rubbed the stains away with her sleeve.
"You alright?" Gaz asked softly, her gaze unreadable through her thick hair.
"Yes." No. Nonononono.
Gaz gave a half shrug and went back to her game.
Tak forced her face to stay calm as she waited for the nanobots to start doing their work.
Red ran down her hand, splattering fuschia on the scratched-up wood.
When homeroom ended, Tak escaped out the door as quickly as she could, easily sidestepping the crowds of idiotic highskool children and slipping around the side of the building. She called for MiMi, and leaned against the rough brick wall to wait. She turned off her holographic disguise for a minute to look at her hand. Her wound was starting to close back up again. She gave a quiet sigh of relief.
Nothing was wrong.
"Alright, kids, the project has been extended for... another two weeks."
After this stunning announcement, the teacher went right back to sleeping at his desk, and the students returned to their casual destruction of school property. Tak smirked, turning smoothly to look at Gaz.
"Well, partner, looks like we have another two weeks together."
"That's nice," Gaz mumbled without looking up from her game. The Irken girl didn't miss the hint of a smirk on her black-painted lips.
It was already mid-November, a little over three months since Tak crashed on Earth. She had managed to mostly repair her ship, though she was missing a few crucial parts that were difficult to get on this faraway planet.
I'll just sneak into Zim's base and use his computer to buy them... with his funds. She chuckled quietly. Gaz raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Tak caught herself in a small smile. Gaz's company had become an enjoyable thing. She didn't dare entertain the thought of friendship, of course.
Thinking about friendship was only asking for bad luck.