Braids

Chapter 5
One Night



Dib was awakened by noise coming from another apartment. He tossed and turned, trying to get back asleep, but the sound grew louder. Dib tried to muffle out the noise using pillows, but it was no use. He glanced at the clock "2:37...." He sleepily got out of bed and dragged himself out of his room, his long sweat pants sweeping across the floor.

"What's going on?" yawned a sleepy Esther, who had just walked out of her room. She wore shorts and a long T-shirt. "What's that sound?"

"I don't know..." Dib said walking to the door, he opened the door, and peered down the hallway, "It's coming from apartment number 16."

"Isn't that Teq's place?" Esther said walking over to where Dib stood. Dib nodded, and the two of them walked down the hall and to the door of apartment 16. Dib knocked on the door. The noise stopped, and the door opened.

"Hey, what's up?" greeted Teq. He opened the door, and showed them in. The whole apartment was practically empty. There was a TV, a couch, a small coffee table, and lot's of paper scattered everywhere, and about a dozen different musical instruments... guitar, bass, keyboard, a weird looking drum set, and more that Esther and Dib could not identify.

"What are you doing in here?" Esther complained.

"Practicing," answered Teq, "If I wanna be a great musician, I gotta practice."

"Do you know what time it is!" exclaimed Dib, "I got work in the morning,"

"Chill, man. You sound like my dad. I didn't fly millions of miles to find a clone of my old man!" Teq joked, "....OK, OK, I'm sorry. I won't practice this late ever again. I swear."

"It's not late," said Esther, "It really, really, REALLY early!" She crossed her arms, "I'm surprised it's only us who are complaining."

"OK, I said I'm sorry. Lemme make it up to you, I'll get some sodas--"

"No Teq, that's fine. Just practice at more reasonable hours, OK?" said Dib, walking to the door.

"All right. Good night you two."

"Bye," yawned Esther and Dib retreating to their apartment.


Esther threw herself onto her comfy bed, and cuddled with a teddy bear of hers. She lay there for several seconds, but then sat up. She crept out of her room, and tip toed into Dib's. "Dib?" she whispered. She walked over to his bed, where he laid asleep. She sat down on his bed, and gently shook him, "Dib, Dib I can't sleep." Dib groaned, and turned over, his back now facing Esther, "Di-iiiib!" she whined.

"Braids, go to bed," he tiredly yawned.

"I can't."

"Try!" he threw the covers over his head.

"But I ca-aaaaaaaan't!" she whined again.

"Whaddya want me to do?" he said, his voice muffled by the covers.

"Read me a bed time story."

Dib threw the covers off his head and shot Esther a weird, slightly tired look, "What?"

"I'm kidding," she smiled. She climbed underneath the covers, and popped up beside Dib. Dib wrapped his arms around her, and Esther cuddled against him, "I guess I'm home sick," she sighed, "I haven't seen my mom since I graduated from high skool... I kinda miss her." She looked into Dib's eyes, "But what about you?" she questioned, "You haven't seen your sister in five years, she comes back, and you haven't even spoken to her much! Why, if I were you, I'd have a huge party or something!"

"It's different..." Dib began, "We never really were a family. With my mom gone without a trace, and my dad always away at work... and me and my sister never really bonded much... it was like each of us, just raised ourselves... we just happened to live in the same house."

She frowned, "Well, just because of this whole, I-never-really-knew-you-thing, it doesn't mean that you can just ignore your sister."

Dib sighed, "I guess you're right."

"And besides. I know you love your sister... When you found out that Zim had ran away with her and got married, I could tell you were really worried. I could tell you wouldn't want anything to happen to your little sister... that you wanted the best for her... that's really sweet." Esther gently kissed Dib, then snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his soft chest. "Ooh," Esther quietly exclaimed, "You're softer than my teddy bear."

Dib silently laughed, and kissed Esther's forehead, "Go to bed." He looked down, and saw that Esther was already silently drifting off to sleep, "Good night, Braids."