Chapter 4
The Aftermath
Talking to the ceiling, I wondered if Gaz was undergoing the same moral dilemma as I was... Or was she under the impression that we really had something? It was much more comforting to hope that things would go back to normal, but at the same time disconcerting. Would we be doomed to live with that one day in mind, the day where we kissed?
I didn't want to even think of it. Sleep came slowly that night. My computer monitor kept my room enveloped in a hazy blue glow. I had almost forgotten about the GIR video files. After school tomorrow I'd take care of them, I told myself before nodding off.
The next morning came a little too fast for me. Breakfast was quiet as Gaz gave me hinting looks that I pretended not to see. It must have drizzled a little outside while I was sleeping. The gray clouds above foreshadowed an impending rainstorm.
Gaz covered me with the black trench coat I lent her the day before and zipped her windbreaker up tight, smiling all the way. Before leaving I noticed that her Game Slave VIII still lay forgotten on the coffee table in front of the television screen.
"Dib... Let's take the bus today."
Without looking at my sister I nodded and mouthed "sure". Other than that I barely said a word to her, even as we walked down the humid street to the bus stop. She held my hand. I let her, but didn't reciprocate- I was determined to treat last night as if it never happened, no matter how attached she was to me.
I think I broke Gaz's heart during the bus ride. I sat at the window seat, my chin held aloft by my palm, my elbow wedged against the glass pane as I watched the raindrops crawl down the outside of the window. The whole time she kept her eyes on me, waiting. Waiting for a sign.
What was a brother to do?
I guess doing anything would have been better than keeping quiet the way I did. It was the most uncomfortable 30 minutes of my life. Gaz ran out of the bus ahead of me when we got to school, her hooded head hunched over and arms clutching her backpack, which she held in front of her. I was barely able to walk myself to my classroom without chasing after Gaz to tell her I was sorry.
"Today, children, at the request of the South American community, you will have a horrible hands-on activity on ancient Mayan sacrificial rituals!"
I looked up from my seat carefully, lest I catch my teacher's eye. Miss Bitters was just as evil as ever. Ordinarily I was tired of being in her class year after year, from grade skool to middle skool, in the same seat to top it off. However, today it comforted me a little to be somewhere where everything was normal again. Where everything made sense in its own strange little way.
Zim, inquisitive as always, was the first to pipe up.
"These... Rituals... Do they involve farm animals?"
Miss Bitters whip-cracked her eyes to meet Zim's.
"No, Zim, but they do involve brutally slicing off the heads of randomly selected individuals and consuming their raw flesh under the moonlight."
Zim's eyes brightened as he jumped on top of his desk and pointed an incriminating finger towards my countenance.
"The Dib-monkey! Sacrifice him! Sacrifice him good!!!"
I was depressed, yes, but in no mood to take this sitting down.
"See! He's an alien! He wants to feast his checkered teeth on my human flesh!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, standing atop my own desk. I really wanted to pummel that Irken with a water balloon and watch him writhe in pain.
"You're crazy," came a familiar voice from behind Zim's chair. I sat down as the first of my classmates burst into laughter at my "ridiculous theory". I knew the voice, but I didn't even want to look at Zita today, cute as she was.
The laughter continued even after Miss Bitters complimented them for insulting me. Why did I even try? These humans never listen to me. I clenched my fists and bit my tongue again. Knowingly Zim gave me a smirk and an evil glare from within his "human eye" contact lenses.
Like I said, being here comforted me "a little".
Recess came, and I wasn't sure whether I should walk into the cafeteria or not- Gaz would be waiting there for me as always, and I wasn't ready to face her... But what choice did I have? It's not like she was going to approach me herself and tell me she's okay with it... Or maybe she was. Maybe she'd realize how wrong all of this was. Gaz was as human as I was, after all.
I peeked into the small window atop the swinging doors of the cafeteria. She was sitting there alone, in our usual spot, nibbling a hotdog. Her unused left hand looked like it was itching to get its hands on the control pad of her Game Slave VIII. Videogame withdrawal syndrome, I guess. Her right eye was twitching. No, she didn't look like she was holding up too well. Still, I had nothing to say to her... yet.
From across the room I saw Zim dump out the contents of his food tray into the trash can. He must have noticed I wasn't there today to incriminate him in the act of disposing of the "poisonous worm-baby food".
Idly I wondered if Zim noticed anything different in GIR- after all, the android didn't have much of a memory to begin with. I had better keep both of my eyes focused on him. He had been too quiet lately. Those files really needed to be sent. Before I left my little observation perch, I noticed Zim walking up to Gaz. Reading his lips I deduced my name sprouting from his alien mouth. My enemy was after my whereabouts. I had to get the upper hand.
I put Gaz aside in my mind for a moment. There was work that needed to be done. From the most recent files in GIR's memory disk I saw Zim mulling over his latest plan, involving ticks, remote control cars and maple syrup. No, you're not alone. For the life of me I couldn't bring myself to understand how it was meant to work either. If only I had a graph of some sort, or something...
Then it hit me. I had uploaded GIR's files already. Maybe it was time I gave the memory disk back, I thought- gather a little more about this "new plan". It would sure help take my mind off of my sister.
Talking to the ceiling, I wondered if Gaz was undergoing the same moral dilemma as I was... Or was she under the impression that we really had something? It was much more comforting to hope that things would go back to normal, but at the same time disconcerting. Would we be doomed to live with that one day in mind, the day where we kissed?
I didn't want to even think of it. Sleep came slowly that night. My computer monitor kept my room enveloped in a hazy blue glow. I had almost forgotten about the GIR video files. After school tomorrow I'd take care of them, I told myself before nodding off.
The next morning came a little too fast for me. Breakfast was quiet as Gaz gave me hinting looks that I pretended not to see. It must have drizzled a little outside while I was sleeping. The gray clouds above foreshadowed an impending rainstorm.
Gaz covered me with the black trench coat I lent her the day before and zipped her windbreaker up tight, smiling all the way. Before leaving I noticed that her Game Slave VIII still lay forgotten on the coffee table in front of the television screen.
"Dib... Let's take the bus today."
Without looking at my sister I nodded and mouthed "sure". Other than that I barely said a word to her, even as we walked down the humid street to the bus stop. She held my hand. I let her, but didn't reciprocate- I was determined to treat last night as if it never happened, no matter how attached she was to me.
I think I broke Gaz's heart during the bus ride. I sat at the window seat, my chin held aloft by my palm, my elbow wedged against the glass pane as I watched the raindrops crawl down the outside of the window. The whole time she kept her eyes on me, waiting. Waiting for a sign.
What was a brother to do?
I guess doing anything would have been better than keeping quiet the way I did. It was the most uncomfortable 30 minutes of my life. Gaz ran out of the bus ahead of me when we got to school, her hooded head hunched over and arms clutching her backpack, which she held in front of her. I was barely able to walk myself to my classroom without chasing after Gaz to tell her I was sorry.
"Today, children, at the request of the South American community, you will have a horrible hands-on activity on ancient Mayan sacrificial rituals!"
I looked up from my seat carefully, lest I catch my teacher's eye. Miss Bitters was just as evil as ever. Ordinarily I was tired of being in her class year after year, from grade skool to middle skool, in the same seat to top it off. However, today it comforted me a little to be somewhere where everything was normal again. Where everything made sense in its own strange little way.
Zim, inquisitive as always, was the first to pipe up.
"These... Rituals... Do they involve farm animals?"
Miss Bitters whip-cracked her eyes to meet Zim's.
"No, Zim, but they do involve brutally slicing off the heads of randomly selected individuals and consuming their raw flesh under the moonlight."
Zim's eyes brightened as he jumped on top of his desk and pointed an incriminating finger towards my countenance.
"The Dib-monkey! Sacrifice him! Sacrifice him good!!!"
I was depressed, yes, but in no mood to take this sitting down.
"See! He's an alien! He wants to feast his checkered teeth on my human flesh!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, standing atop my own desk. I really wanted to pummel that Irken with a water balloon and watch him writhe in pain.
"You're crazy," came a familiar voice from behind Zim's chair. I sat down as the first of my classmates burst into laughter at my "ridiculous theory". I knew the voice, but I didn't even want to look at Zita today, cute as she was.
The laughter continued even after Miss Bitters complimented them for insulting me. Why did I even try? These humans never listen to me. I clenched my fists and bit my tongue again. Knowingly Zim gave me a smirk and an evil glare from within his "human eye" contact lenses.
Like I said, being here comforted me "a little".
Recess came, and I wasn't sure whether I should walk into the cafeteria or not- Gaz would be waiting there for me as always, and I wasn't ready to face her... But what choice did I have? It's not like she was going to approach me herself and tell me she's okay with it... Or maybe she was. Maybe she'd realize how wrong all of this was. Gaz was as human as I was, after all.
I peeked into the small window atop the swinging doors of the cafeteria. She was sitting there alone, in our usual spot, nibbling a hotdog. Her unused left hand looked like it was itching to get its hands on the control pad of her Game Slave VIII. Videogame withdrawal syndrome, I guess. Her right eye was twitching. No, she didn't look like she was holding up too well. Still, I had nothing to say to her... yet.
From across the room I saw Zim dump out the contents of his food tray into the trash can. He must have noticed I wasn't there today to incriminate him in the act of disposing of the "poisonous worm-baby food".
Idly I wondered if Zim noticed anything different in GIR- after all, the android didn't have much of a memory to begin with. I had better keep both of my eyes focused on him. He had been too quiet lately. Those files really needed to be sent. Before I left my little observation perch, I noticed Zim walking up to Gaz. Reading his lips I deduced my name sprouting from his alien mouth. My enemy was after my whereabouts. I had to get the upper hand.
I put Gaz aside in my mind for a moment. There was work that needed to be done. From the most recent files in GIR's memory disk I saw Zim mulling over his latest plan, involving ticks, remote control cars and maple syrup. No, you're not alone. For the life of me I couldn't bring myself to understand how it was meant to work either. If only I had a graph of some sort, or something...
Then it hit me. I had uploaded GIR's files already. Maybe it was time I gave the memory disk back, I thought- gather a little more about this "new plan". It would sure help take my mind off of my sister.