Chapter 7


She paints her fingers with a close precision
He starts to notice empty bottles of gin
And takes a moment to assess the sin
She's paid for

A lonely speaker in a conversation
Her words are swimming through his ears again
There's nothing wrong with just a taste of what you've paid for
~The Ballad Of Mona Lisa - Panic! At the Disco


This day was not off to a good start. Everything seemed to be going fine, until our teacher actually started class.

"I have an announcement everybody!" She started out, cheerful as ever. Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes, earning a frown from our teacher. "Now, class, don't throw a fit so soon. You don't even know what I'm going to tell you." She said, wagging her finger at us in scolding. "As I was saying, I have an announcement. I have a fun little assignment for you all. Tonight, I want you guys to pick out a song for you to sing, because tomorrow everyone is required to audition for the fall musical." Groans and other sounds of protest rang throughout the auditorium and the teacher rolled her eyes. "This is mandatory for you all to pass, so don't think you can get out of it. You will be graded not on your ability to sing, but your performance." She continued. What's the difference, I asked myself, crossing my arms stubbornly. I didn't like performing in front of people, that's why I never auditioned for roles in the first place. But now I had to if I wanted to pass the stupid class. I stewed angrily for the rest of the period and the ones that followed

I didn't see Zim until lunch, and I was glad to see that now that our agreement was settled, he was no longer following me like a lost puppy dog. Oddly enough though, he greeted me with a knowing grin when I entered the cafeteria. I took a seat across from him at his deserted lunch table instead of going to sit with Dib like I was normally forced to.

"So, how did the studying go?" I asked, resting my chin on my hand. Zim puffed up a bit with pride and smirked at me.

"I believe it went very well. Zim is filled with the knowledge, so much knowledge!" He belted, making me flinch back a bit at the volume. I gave him a skeptical look and crossed my arms.

"I'm sure you are," I began. "Why don't we get started, then?" I suggested, raising a brow at the invader. He gave a nod of agreement and I pulled out a review sheet I had gotten from our anatomy teacher. It wasn't easy to get, either. I had to lie my ass off just to get it. I told him I needed it to teach Zim properly, which wasn't a lie. But when he asked why Zim wasn't able to just learn in class, I wasn't sure how to answer. I ended up just saying that I was required by law to do tutoring as a form of community service. I avoided having to go into detail about why I was given community service as a punishment and left as soon as he handed it over. I slid a clean copy across the table so Zim could read it. "Just answer these questions by matching up the letters to the definitions." I instructed, folding my hands together patiently. It didn't take long for the alien to finish and hand the sheet back to me. I went down the list and nodded approvingly, giving Zim a small smile.

"Are the answers correct, Gaz-beast?" He asked, trying to peer at his paper, like it held some sort of grade. I frowned at him and heaved a sigh.

"Yes, the answers are correct. Look, can we do something about this whole "Gaz-beast/Gaz-human" thing?" I requested, feeling annoyed by the odd suffixes he seemed to need to put at the end of my name.

"What do you mean?" He questioned, giving me a truly baffled expression. I sighed again.

"I don't really like being called a beast all the time, and I also don't need you to remind me that I'm human everytime we speak with one another." I elaborated. My partner didn't look any less confused.

"What would you like to be called, then?" The Irken inquired. I just shrugged and shook my head.

"Just call me Gaz. If you really have to put the suffix at the end, why don't you choose something a little less strange and offensive." I offered, pulling out my handheld as a distraction. I heard him give a "hm" noise while he mulled it over.

"Gaz-partner." He said suddenly, making me look up from my game. I gave Zim a confused look.

"What?" I asked, pausing my game. The invader smiled proudly and straightened a bit.

"You are Zim's partner, in science and in destroying this planet. So I will call you Gaz-partner from now on." He explained. I stared at him for a minute before going back to my game.

"Works for me." I muttered, no longer interested in talking. I was just about to beat the boss level when two hands suddenly covered my eyes from behind. I sneered angrily at the unapproved physical contact.

"Guess who?" A familiar voice cooed. I wasn't sure at first and growled out, "It better be Oliver, because if it's Dib, I'm gonna punch you." A chuckle sounded behind me and I knew for sure now that it was Oliver. I gave a small smile and cocked my head back to look up at him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, raising a brow at him. He smiled and stroked my cheek softly.

"I came to see you since you said you wouldn't be able come see me." He replied sweetly, kissing my forehead. I scrunched up my face with a frown.

"Ew, don't be gross." I muttered, swatting his cheek lightly. He gave a pout and seemed to finally notice Zim sitting across from me, looking at me after a moment. "Right, you two don't know each other. Oliver, this is Zim, he's my science partner." I said, gesturing to the green 'kid'. "Zim, this is Oliver, my boyfriend." I explained, almost grinning at the look of realization on the Irken's face.

"Ah, Zim understands now. He is your love-pig." Zim confirmed with a coarse smile. I rolled my eyes at the backwards idiom but nodded. Oliver grinned and looked back to me.

"Hey, I think I like that. I might start using it now." He joked, wrapping his arms around me. I gave a small laugh and smiled.

"I swear to God, Oliver, if you ever call me a pig, I'll gut you like a fish." I threatened half-heartedly. He just chuckled in response, not taking my words to heart.

"Well, I'll leave you alone. Knowing you, you're probably going to drill your poor partner to ensure your grade." Oliver teased, kissing my cheek affectionately before taking off. I watched him walk out of the lunch room, and once I was sure he was gone, I let my head bang against the table. At the sound of snickering, I lifted my gaze to Zim.

"What's so funny, space boy?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes at him. He gave a smug smile and crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's just amusing to see the demon-girl actually behaving like a human." He mocked with another rasping laugh. I growled in annoyance, my cheeks burning from embarrassment.

"Shut up, before I squash you like the bug you are!" I snarled, right before burying my face in my arms. I hoped he would drop it after that but he continued to prod at me.

"How come when you threaten him it seems less harsh? You say nasty things, but they're somehow less...threatening." He asked, looking genuinely interested. I peered at him from over my arms and sighed, sitting up straight again.

"Because I don't really mean it. Most of the time at least. I show my affection by gently bullying my loved ones." I explained with a slight frown. The invader nodded in understanding before an evil grin spread across his face. He leaned over the table towards me, still grinning in a sinister way.

"Does that mean Zim is a loved one too with all the bullying you put him through daily?" He pestered, knowing just how to irritate me beyond reason. I was more shocked than angry at his accusation, my mouth hanging open slightly. He just sat back and cackled wildly at my expression. Oh, wait, there's the anger. I bared my teeth in fury and stood from my seat. I drew my fist back and punched Zim as hard as I could from across the table, right where his nose would be. The force knocked him out of his chair, sending him to the floor. I smiled, satisfied when I heard him begin to groan in pain. I walked around the table and kneeled down next to him while he clutched his face in pain.

"Does that answer your question, you creep?" I murmured quietly next to where his antennae were hidden under his wig. Without waiting for a response, I stood, grabbed my things, and walked out of the cafeteria. I'm lucky no one noticed, otherwise, I'm sure I would have gotten detention.

After school, I decided I wouldn't go see Zim to tutor him. I was still thoroughly annoyed by his antics at lunch. I waited where I always did for Oliver to meet me. No one stopped by to talk to me, not even Dib. He must have been in a meeting with that stupid paranormal club of his. And Zim likely didn't want to endure the same treatment he had been dealt earlier. I pushed off the flag pole when I caught sight of Oliver. I paused though, seeing someone with him. I narrowed my eyes to get a better look and recognized the other person as Zita. I knew she and Oliver were friends, but why were they walking together? Oliver waved to her goodbye and began to enter the student parking lot. I turned away, trying to pretend I hadn't seen anything despite the rage coursing through my body. By the time he reached me though I had gotten my anger in check and continued to act oblivious. Something was wrong about this, something was very, very wrong. I would have to wait and see for any further proof, lest I make an ass out of myself in front of Oliver. Regardless, I didn't appreciate him going behind my back like that.


AN: Sorry for the shorter chapter, I kind of ran out of steam on this chapter. :/