Arm: Well, I tried getting this out on the 29th, but we've been so busy lately that we didn't get the chance for the past few days to get this out to you until today.
Leg: This is the first chapter that we don't have a title for. We dwell on Dib's angst a little more… Please enjoy and review!
Betraying the Rivalry: Chapter 7: Untitled
Dib got up the next morning and began searching for his glasses. He was still feeling a bit bitter about the memories of his mother, but at least now he didn't hurt as much. He always wondered why he his mother left his family. She seemed to have everything a normal woman would have wanted. The only flaw he had ever found with his family back then was the fact that his father was a workaholic (like that changed at all).
With his mother gone, his family fell apart. Gaz became obsessed with video games and began relying on Dib to get her the grades she needed to go into the next grade. His father became the world's biggest workaholic, even worse than what he used to be before his mother left. Dib, though, really never changed, besides the fact that he became more independent than ever. The three of them rarely spent time together anymore as well, and at the worst of times, Dib thought he was living with people he didn't know.
He could tell Zim all this, but he was afraid that Zim wouldn't understand. After all, Zim didn't seem to have a family. He had a few friends, but friends weren't just the same as family. If he told Zim about his thoughts on his family, Zim might try to understand, but Dib knew he wouldn't.
Zim was getting out of bed, the previous conversation from the night before still pounding in his ears. What could have caused Dib so much pain that he couldn't even talk about it? Zim knew it had to be really personal as well if Dib didn't want to talk about it. Zim also knew that Dib probably thought he wouldn't understand it, which Zim knew was a possibility. He rarely understood how things on Earth worked until someone explained it to him.
Which was why he was thankful to have a human friend, someone who he could ask how things worked without feeling inferior. It made it even better for him because Dib knew he was an alien, and he didn't have to act human in front of him, at least, when they were alone. Dib was a great help for him to act more human in public.
Dib finished brushing his teeth and walked into his room, only to see Gaz's homework on his bed. Damnit, he had forgotten that she had asked him to do her homework last night. He took one look at it and scoffed. The homework was so easy that even Gir could do it, and in five minutes too! He wondered why Gaz couldn't even waste two seconds of her game time on doing this one little piece of homework.
Dib had to roll his eyes at every question. He was wasting his brain cells, answering these pathetic math questions. He remembered a time when Gaz did her own homework, and silently wished that she had continued in doing so. Doing her homework and his own was not something he wanted to do while they were in high skool.
He got dressed after finishing Gaz's homework. It was Friday, so he knew he had to go to skool early so he could meet Zim. He and Zim always went to skool early on Fridays so they could discuss plans while no one was around. Today they needed to discus how they were going to show all the Irken Empire the tape they planned to get of Red and Purple. Dib just remembered that little detail a few days ago, and hadn't been able to bring it up while they worked on Pir. Dib did have a few ideas, but wasn't sure if they would work cause he didn't know the things about the Irken Empire that Zim did.
Zim hurriedly put on his disguise and hoped that Gir wouldn't notice he was getting ready for skool. He hoped this because he didn't want to end up answering all the usual questions Gir had to ask him before he left. He got lucky this morning. Zim grabbed his things and opened the front door as quietly as he could, and breathed a sigh of relief once he made it out of the house--
--only to be greeted by Gir in his doggy costume. "Gah!" Zim shouted in shock as Gir popped out of nowhere.
"Hello," Gir said. "Where are you going?"
"Skool, Gir. Where else would I be going?" Zim asked the little android agitatedly as he regained his composure.
Gir moved out of Zim's way. "I'll try not to mess up the house, 'kay?" Gir asked.
"That's perfectly fine, Gir," Zim replied as he walked out of the yard. He didn't notice the person pop out of the bushes across the street from him and get into a blue car.
Zim walked down the street and wondered if Dib would be coming to skool early. Usually he didn't forget, but after their conversation last night, Zim wasn't sure if Dib would want to meet with him. Zim's questions were answered when he saw Dib walking toward him as he walked into the skool grounds. Gaz was there too, but she glared at the two of them for making her go to skool early.
The two of them waited for her to go to the other side of the playground before speaking to one another. "So, Dib, what are we going to discuss this morning?" Zim asked.
"We have to come up with a way to show the whole Irken Empire that tape we plan to get of Red and Purple," Dib answered.
"Oh, that? That should be easy. I think I should be able to open all the transmission lines to all the Irken soldiers and show them the tape that way," Zim replied.
Dib blinked. Zim tried not to laugh at that. "Gee, that was easy," Dib said finally.
"I know. Aren't I amazing?" Zim asked.
"I wouldn't know, Zim, it all depends on who you ask," Dib replied.
"What? You don't think I'm amazing?" Zim asked, looking at Dib strangely. He continued for a bit before smiling evilly at Dib.
"Oh no, what have you got planned for me now?" Dib asked as he began to back away from Zim. The last time Zim looked at him like that was when he placed Dib in a locked room with Gir for a few hours.
"Nothing…if you admit that I'm amazing," Zim stated.
Dib rolled his eyes; he should have seen that coming. "Fine, Zim, the Irken Invader, is the most amazing guy I know," Dib stated in a deadpan voice.
Zim shook his head. "You'll never make a good actor if you don't sound like you mean it…. But Dib, are you still angry about last night?" Zim asked cautiously.
Dib glared at the ground. "I'll be fine, okay? It's nothing you should be worried about, Zim," Dib replied coldly.
"I know I shouldn't be worried about it, but I'm going to anyway," Zim stated.
"And why's that, Zim? Why are you suddenly interested in my problems?" Dib asked as he tried to remain calm.
"The same reason why you worried about me when I got banished for a second time a little over a month ago, and because I'm your friend, I'm supposed to worry about things like that," Zim answered.
"But another part of being a friend is respecting your friend's privacy, Zim," Dib countered.
"Fine, I won't ask about it anymore," Zim told Dib. He fought the pain he was starting to feel from his heart by the fact that Dib wouldn't open up to him.
Dib finally looked up from the ground. He saw that Zim looked hurt at the fact that he wouldn't tell him about his family problems. "Zim, I'm not mad at you," Dib explained quickly, "I'm mad at myself for not being able to tell you," he continued.
Zim looked at his friend with a confused expression on his face before looking at everyone else climbing into skool. "Everyone's going in, we don't want Ms. Bitters to yell at us for being late," Zim stated suddenly, as if to change the subject.
"Yeah," Dib replied distractedly as he followed Zim up the front steps of the skool. "I'm sorry Zim," Dib whispered to himself.
Zim wanted to ask why Dib had said that, but he didn't. Zim knew that Dib said that out loud to himself in hopes that it would go unheard. Zim was starting to get used to those little mumblings, but he wished Dib would open up to him and say it to his face. He hated it when Dib just mumbled things to himself like that.
Dib looked at Zim, expectant to see his friend turn around and ask him, "What did you say?" He was relieved when Zim didn't. He hated keeping things like this from him like this, but he was convinced that Zim would not understand. Dib wished he could open up to Zim, but he felt as if needed more time to get used to the friendship thing.
Zim sat down in his seat and watched Dib sit down in his. He noticed how sad and depressed Dib's actions were. He didn't like this side to Dib. Dib was usually very open about things, but he took a wild guess that whatever was bothering Dib must have been very personal.
Dib felt someone watching him, and he looked around the room. He smiled a small smile as he watched Zim's head slightly turn out of the corner of his eye. That was such a human reaction. He turned around and tried to pay attention to Ms. Bitters, but simply couldn't.
Dib told himself he had to make it up to Zim. Maybe he wouldn't tell Zim about his family problems, but he could tell Zim something else….
Arm: Is that a confession I see over the horizon? Oh, and we apologize to EmeraldDragon, we didn't mean to subconsciously steal the name of your Gir-like unit.
Leg: Yeah, it was one of those flukes… Well, read and review everyone! Please?