Author's Note: Okay! I finally got off my butt and wrote more chapters! Yay! A week from next Wednesday, I'll be flying cross country on a trip and I won't be able to update for two weeks. My laptop has wireless, but where I'm going I wouldn't have any access. Suck…. I'll try to update off of my desktop computer one more time before I leave, so you guys have something to read. Thanks for waiting so long for this update! You guys rock my socks and I love reading your reviews! Well, enjoy!
Chapter Nine: Keeping Time
4:35 PM Friday Outside of Detention
After the outburst in Mrs. Suite's class and then the event at lunch. Winnie had to serve a week's worth of detention. Zim also had to serve that week with her. Neither of the two were pleased and they refused to speak a word to each other. Both however had the same thoughts; It's all his/her fault!
Today Dib had decided to wait for Winnie outside the room. The detention room was a gloomy place with bars over the window to discourage escape. All of the desks were old and ratty looking with various profanities graffitied or etched into the old wood. The two detentionees choose places up front. Winnie would quietly lay down for a nap until her punishment would end, yet Zim on the other hand was constantly twitching. It drove him crazy to be stuck in that room. His eyes would bear down on the clock in a strained glare- willing time to move faster.
Their monitor, a sleepy old twig of a man, only check role before nodding off himself. Dib peaked in the classroom through the window above the door handle. No matter how many times he checked Winnie was always in the same napping position facing away from the door. He couldn't blame her though. He'd probably do the same thing or just read a book.
SMACK! Dib snickered as Zim slammed his head on his desk. The alien couldn't coop with the boredom. From then on Zim held still. It was either because he had knocked himself out or he was just too bored to move. After checking on the napping people Dib himself had begun to feel sleepy as well. At first he had been just leaning against the lockers, then he felt himself slowly sinking to the floor… and then-
"Get up Dib… You're drooling."
Dib rubbed the corner of his mouth trying to understand what was going on. He was eye level with a pair of black sneakers for some reason.
"Oh geez!" Cried Dib as he scrambled off the filthy floor. Winnie had a bemused look on her face. The young boy could feel the heat rushing to his cheeks as they began to glow red. It was humiliating to be caught sleeping, but it was mortifying to be caught drooling too.
"Pfft! Filthy dirt child!" Cried Zim as he exited from the detention room. "Wallowing on the ground is where your kind belongs!"
"Can it, space boy." It infuriated Dib that Zim had seen him so… so stupid looking. Before either of the two rivals realized it, Winnie had pushed the alien boy over and had him pinned under her dark black sneakers for the second time that week.
"You should spend more time on the ground! It might give you a proper perspective of what you really are!" Winnie seemed both serious and amused at the same time. She gave him a swift stomp right in the middle of his belly.
"OHMPH! My squiddly-spooch!" He coughed out as Winnie released him. She smiled sweetly and waved him off, silently telling him to get lost. He glared at her through his fake icy blue eyes. His wig was slipping off, but he straightened it as he back away from the human pair. (He still held his suspicions about Winnie being a Resisty member.)
"Don't think I'll forget this Winnie!" Zim hissed at the pink haired girl adding extra emphasis on her name. "You'll rue the day you tangled with the Amazing Zim!"
"I'm sure…" She muttered sarcastically. "At least I'm not the one who's been beaten up by a girl- twice."
Dib had never seen an alien blush before. Zim's cheeks had become a darker green than usual. The short Irken stalked off muttering various swears and curses obviously directed at the two. Zim was barely out of sight when the two burst into laughter, both pleased as punch with their "victory" over the Irken invader. Dib spoke up finally after getting over his giggle fit.
"So what time is it anyways?"
Winnie's amused face didn't falter as she pulled out a pink cell phone from her pocket.
"It's ten after five… You make a good background, you know." Said the girl dryly as she displayed her phone for him to see himself zonked out on the floor with saliva flowing out onto the ground. Dib cursed his bad luck that she had managed to snap a picture.
"Wait? Ten after five? Mysterious Mysteries is on!" Dib seized the girls hand and hauled her along behind him. "If we hurry we can get to my house just after the first commercial break!"
"But I- I need to do something at home!" She cried. Winnie couldn't help but be surprised by his iron grip! She tripped a little bit even trying to keep pace with him. This boy was full of surprises and who knew he could be so athletic- at least when motivated. Smiling, she fell into step behind him. "I guess it can wait though!"
