Dlbn: Hello, everyone, and welcome to another update!

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to Invader Johnny and Zim'sMostLoyalServant for reviewing! Pie and cake for you both!

Invader Johnny: She does have a point. Who knows what they others will try to do. But as far as Zim is concerned, the others know loyalty more than Dib did, so he isn't worried.

Zim'sMostLoyalServant: Gaz is always the doom bringer, so I'm not surprised she sees the negative outcome first.

Disclaimer: I own the OCs that you know by now, but I own NOTHING that's CANON to Invader Zim. That all belongs to Jhonen C. Vasquez.

Dedication: Happy thanksgiving everyone!

When Zim told his brother about what had happened with Zayena the night before, he'd agreed to stand by while Zim opened his locker and used the door as a shield to block any incoming Jell-O. When the kids reacted, he'd leap into teacher mode and handle it himself. Zim was only a little surprised to see green Jell-O fly from his locker the moment it was opened and shoot across the hallway. Thankfully, no one had been standing on that side, or they would've been hit. Ense shook his head, sighing as he walked over with his arms folded over his chest.

"Dare I ask?" He questioned.

Zim sighed. "First my locker's written on, then my desk, now Jell-O in my face." He stated. "Should I be surprised?"

"What happened to the wall?" Zayena asked softly as she approached with Jessica and her crew.

"Damn it, it was supposed to hit you in the face, not hit the lockers behind you." The blonde complained.

"Should I be any bit surprised that you kids were behind this?" Ense sighed. "Leave the poor kid alone. You've been on his case since I got here, and who knows how long before that."

"What's going on?" Chase asked, eyes drifting to the Jell-O splattered on the wall. "Who made lunch?"

"Take a guess." Ense rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on." Chase sighed.

"That's what I thought, too." Zim muttered.

"What's with the commotion?" Keef asked, bounding over with Gretchen at his side around the time Dib and Dee poked their heads out of Dee's homeroom.

"No commotion." Jessica hissed through gritted teeth. "Mind your own business, loser."

"Jessica, that's not nice…" Zayena muttered, eyes glittering with enjoyment as she looked up at Zim from under her lashes.

"She's right, you know." Gretchen glared at Jessica. "Can't you leave Zim alone?"

"Make me."

Gretchen rolled her eyes, not saying anything further.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Jessica, come on." Morla stated. "Coach and Mr. Sangre are right there…"

"So? Everyone knows none of us get along." She folded her arms over her chest.

"That's no reason to be rude." Ense scolded. "Come on, to the Principal's office."

Jessica groaned as she and her girls followed. Dee and Dib exited the room and joined what was left of the feuding groups.

"Hey, Gretch. Hey, Keef." Dib greeted.

Keef looked anywhere but at him while Gretchen glared before fiddling with the trim of her dress and staring at the floor.

"What? No hello?" Dib sighed. "Sorry I bothered."

"You're an ass." Zim informed. "No way you didn't know about that, first off. And second, you already know why they're mad at you, and it's blonde and standing right next to you."

"Get over me, would you?" Dee flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Dibby only chose what was best for him, and what was best for him was to ditch you."

"Dibby?" Zim's false nose crinkled.

Chase chuckled behind his hand, doing a poor job of hiding it.

"We have little nicknames for each other. Isn't it cute?" She giggled.

Zayena gave her a small smile. "It is."

"Why didn't you go to the Principal's office?" Gretchen wondered.

"Jessica pretty much admitted she did it…I…I didn't think Coach was talking to me since he'd been addressing her the entire time. Should I have gone?"

"No, it's fine." Dib told her. "No sense in you going just to get sent back to homeroom."

"Y-Yeah, I guess so."

"Come on, Zay. Let's go to class. I still have English to finish." Dee told her.

"Okay. I should work on that, too. Bye."

"Bye," Zim told her.

Keef and Gretchen offered false smiles, but they seemed uncomfortable with Dib around.

"Yeah. Bye." Dib sighed and turned, leaving with them.

"God damn, she's a good actress." Chase commented. "That social anxiety bullshit almost had me going for a second there."

"She's faking it?" Keef asked.

"Oh, big time, if what I know about her is true."

"Let her keep it up. I don't care." Zim shrugged. "Whatever keeps her out of having to pull pranks on me is fine in my book."

"You don't really think she'd do that, do you?" Gretchen wondered. "I know you two have a…" she whispered, "history. So, I mean…"

"I don't know if she would, but that's not on me to figure out."

"She warned you about the damn Jell-O." Gaz informed as she and Iggins slid up behind Zim unannounced.

"Jesus." Zim complained as he jumped a bit. "We should really put a bell on one of you. Since I'm sure you'd bite me if I tried, I guess Iggins is stuck with it."

"Stuck with what?" The male gamer wondered, completely out of it as he mashed away at buttons on his game.

"Never mind."

"She warned you?" Gretchen asked. "Doesn't she know they'll kick her to the curb if they find out?" She bit her bottom lip in the corner. "I'd hate to see them turn on you. We saw what happened when Dib turned on you and they jumped on that bandwagon."

"I'm wondering how long they were working him before he made a move. That Dee thing didn't come out of the blue."

"She told him not to be friends with you, right?" Sila wondered, joining with Lahna and Todd. "She probably had a problem with you from the start but hid it until she got her hooks in him."

"Probably." Zim nodded.

"The whole thing is crazy." Todd muttered. "I wish they'd just back off."

"You and me both."

"They will if they know what's good for them and their high school careers. Torque makes one wrong move and its bye-bye state for them." Chase commented. "As for Jessica, I know she needs good citizenship to stay on the Squad. She's risking that just to pull a few childish pranks on you."

"It's ridiculous." Lahna stated. "It's Riot and Covert all over again."

Zim eyes Caleb and Shraela out of the corner of his eye as they conversed with Dib, Dee, and Zayena a little way down the hall.

"Quite literally."

"Riot and Covert?" Keef asked. "What's that mean?"

"Gangs back home." Sila stated.

"Oh." Keef giggled. "We're like a gang. Maybe we should all get guns and wear our pants half off our behinds."

Gretchen giggled with him.

"You know that means…oh…never mind. Go ahead, Keef. It's not like you'd be lying."

Sila cracked up, doubling over. "You're an asshole."

"You know it."

"And yet she's still your best friend." Chase shook his head. "No self-respect, Sila."

"I'm a pill pusher. And a Seoulian." She stated, standing up straight. "I was born without self-respect."

"Truer words were never spoken, Sils."

"Except I have just enough elf-respect not to sleep with you, so I guess I'm one step above all the broads back home."

"Gee, thanks."

"Welcome, buddy."

The bell rang, signaling the five-minute interval everyone had to get to homeroom.

"Great. Time to go join the herd." Chase complained. "See you kids in class. Don't forget your readings."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were a teacher." Zim stated.

Chase winked, clasping his arms behind his back as he sauntered off.

"Mr. S., you're going the wrong way!" Keef waved.

"Oh…right." Chase turned and marched the opposite way.

"And with that, his dignified exit turned into the stupidest thing I've seen today." Zim commented.

"Guess you haven't looked in the mirror today then, Zim!" Torque shouted at him while his flunkies laughed.

"Wait, I changed my mind. That's the stupidest thing I've seen all day."

"Excuse you?"

"Let it go, man." Brian stated. "Come on, one more tardy and it's detention and no practice for all of us."

"Yeah." Torque huffed. "You're lucky, Zim."

"Yeah, with your mother."

Torque glared, ears turning red as he tried to ignore the shorter male and go to class. Zim watched until they ducked into the classroom with Dib, the latter glaring as he did. Shraela gave them a happy little wave, but Caleb grabbed her by the wrist and whisked her off towards their homeroom.

"Jealous much?" Keef asked.

Zim smirked. "You have no idea."