Dib kept his eye on Zim the rest of the day. He watched the green Irken slink after Tiz in the shadows, approaching her a few times. Each time, she would cower away and leave as soon as possible. What they were talking about was left to be guessed. Dib then saw Tiz a few feet away, putting things away in her locker, and Zim, right behind. He listened carefully, but could only hear mumbling, so he watched from a distance. He peered over the rim of his biology book, which he was pretending to read from across the hall.
"Perhaps I went about it the wrong way." Zim said in a convincing tone. "Why don't we go to a restaurant and have beverages as we discuss such matters?"
"I don't even know you." She said, grabbing a book.
"Of course you know me, female urchin, I am Zim!" he stated, pointing to himself. She looked momentarily nervous. "Look," he groaned, slapping his face with his hand. "I'm making this very easy!"
"No you're not!" Tiz moved away from him. "You're making everything…creepy. That guy Dib was right, you are weird."
"Dib?!" he growled. "I am a very normal child!"
"You're green." She pointed out.
"I-it, you-Who cares?! Is that discrimination?!" he stomped his foot. He groaned once more in a tiresome manner. "Come now, girl, we must go to class." He took her arm and pulled her down the hall.
Dib looked on with concern. "He must be enslaving her…"
Zim and Tiz entered class, watching the evil teacher gawk at them like a hawk looks on mice. Tiz sat, but there were no free spaces around her. Zim stared at a girl in a seat and walked to her. "Get out, I'm sitting there." He ordered.
"You can't tell me what to do!" she whined.
"Oh, just watch me, vile worm!" he grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the floor, sending her bawling to the front of the class.
Tiz stared at him with an annoyed expression. "What?" Zim barked.
"That wasn't nice, Zim." She informed.
"Nice? Why should I be nice?" he asked with a cruel chuckle.
"Because no one's mean to you." She reasoned.
"I don't have time to be 'nice', girl." He shook his fist.
"Stop calling me girl." She furrowed her brow. "You know my name, and I don't call you 'boy'."
"Yes, fine, whatever." Zim took out a pencil and left to go to the sharpener. Dib took the opportunity to speak to him alone.
"I know what you're up to, Zim." Dib said coolly.
"Well, I guess I'm doomed! Caught by my most evil of foes!" he mocked, feigning horror.
"You'd better leave her alone." Dib warned, poking the alien in the chest.
"Or what?" he laughed. "You'll start an earthly riot? I think not."
"She's innocent, you monster." Dib began to anger.
"Making her much easier to crush!" he grinned before taking his seat.
"Zim?" Tiz questioned.
"Yes?"
"Do you think Bush or Gore would've been a better candidate?" she pondered this thought as she looked at a picture of George W. Bush on the wall.
"What do you mean?" he asked, glancing at her.
"You know, for the presidential election."
Zim thought for a moment. "You mean to tell me you people had the choice between a bush and a pile of gore?" he asked, a tone of rage behind his voice for the idiocy of it all.
"I don't really like either of them." Tiz continued. "But I would've voted for Bush, because Gore condones abortion."
"Abortion?"
"Yeah, you know, killing babies while they're inside the mother because the mother doesn't want it." She explained.
Zim laughed in disgust. "So they destroy their own species? This is too easy!"
"So…" Tiz looked around. "Why do you want to be my boyfriend?" she fidgeted.
Zim snorted. "Why not? Is that not what people usually do?"
"Well, I guess so, but…"
"Then there's nothing wrong with it." He said sharply, quick to dismiss the subject.
"Oh.." she waited in silence for a moment. "Want a piece of gum?"
"Gum?" he vaguely remembered G.I.R speaking of chocolate bubblegum.
"Here." She handed him a stick.
He held it in his fingers and stared at it. "Yes…thank you." He lifted an eyebrow. (Well, he doesn't have eyebrows, but you know the look)
"You chew it." She said, looking at him awkwardly. "Um…unwrap it first."
He did so and chewed for a while. "Hm, not a horrible taste…" he stopped. "I can't chew this, it's not coming apart!"
"It's not supposed to." She said.
"Then why?" he grunted.
"I don't know." She shrugged. "I guess…well, it just tastes good and it keeps you're jaws busy."
He began to chew it harder, determined to chew it into pieces.
After class, all of the kids went home to do their homework and watch T.V. Zim, on the other hand, went home very curious. His advantage was not only finding what Tiz knew about the invasion, but he was learning more about the human culture from her. As he walked in the door, G.I.R was awaiting his arrival. "Hello, master!" he shouted.
"Hello, G.I.R." he said, grinning and petting the robot on the head.
"Awww, I like it when you're nice to me." He said.
"Yes, nice." He mumbled. "Now G.I.R, I want you to do me a favor."
"Okay!" he climbed into his dog suit.
"I want you to go find me a…a…" he thought of a way to get rid of him. "A package of 'gum'."
"Ooh, okay." He said. "Lemme grab some money. And can I but a cookie?" he pleaded.
"You want to use my money to…" he gritted his teeth. "Of course, G.I.R. In fact, get two cookies. Stay out as long as you want to."
"Thank you thank you!" he hugged Zim's leg and ran out the door. Zim thought to himself as he went down into the lab. Every time he yelled at G.I.R and told him to go away, he would come back five minutes later to do his, 'cheery uppy'. "Perhaps this 'nice' thing is what their culture is built on…interesting." He stopped as he passed the mirror. Facing it, he stood up tall and took in a breath. "Hm." He said, rubbing his chin. He considered himself rather…attractive. Appealing to any worthless human, anyway. But Tiz had refused him. "Bah!" he scoffed. "She'd be lucky to have me!" he tilted his head up and peered down at his face proudly.
WOW! This story got stuck. Sorry, but I did FINALLY continue it. So, is it getting any better? Worse? Should someone die?