A scream cut short awoke both of the Membrane siblings. Sitting up in a daze of confusion, Gaz realized that she had been the one to make such a heart-wrenching sound. She clapped a hand over her mouth and groaned, hiding beneath her heavy comforter.

A minute later Dib stood at her door, pounding on it with his fists. "Gaz! You okay in there? I heard you scream!" he yelled.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Dib. Now go away. It was just a bad dream and your voice is annoying," she replied. She heard Dib laugh.

"'Kay, just as long as you're normal again." He headed back to his room and she left the allure of her bed to get dressed.

Pulling on a pair of jeans and a black baby doll tee that read 'Rogues do it from behind,' the teenage girl shook her head. "Stupid memories," she muttered and headed downstairs.

After eating breakfast and doing the routine before-skool activities, the Membrane children were out the door, being prodded by the holo-dad.

"So, do you want to talk about it?" Dib asked carefully, slightly afraid of invoking his younger sister's wrath. Gaz sighed, clenching her teeth together. Damn her body for being so noisy when she least expected it.

"Let's just say that I have found a new reason to loathe all male beings on two legs, shall we? Now drop it." Her tone was laced with venom as she turned on her Game Slave. "I'm only a few levels away from the main boss. If you ruin this for me, you will know what it is to live in excruciating pain for all eternity, as I have explained to you in the past."

They reached Zim's house, and to Dib's surprise it seemed as though the alien was waiting for them. Normally he was the first one to arrive at the bus stop, and gloated nonstop about how much better he was than the entire population. But not today. Zim stepped out of his house just as they walked by it and joined the siblings.

"Shouldn't you already be at the stop?" Dib asked in confusion. Zim struggled to fight the sheepish look crossing his features.

"I…um…needed to compare your answers to mine for the biology assignment, for I, Zim, am much smarter than the Dib-stink!" Zim shouted, raising a fist above his head. "And I need to prove that by changing some answers," he ended quietly. Dib laughed.

"Aww, poor Zimmy needs help with his homework? The sad little alien is too stupid to get human biology right!" Dib cackled with glee. Zim glowered at the human boy, but received the answers he needed anyway.

The rest of the walk was silent. Not even the sounds from Gaz's handheld gaming contraption let out the faintest of noises, Zim noticed. She was wearing headphones. Zim frowned and tried to get her attention, but she was in the Zone. The bus came and she joined the other brainless peons. It wasn't until she actually reached the doors of the High Skool that she put her game away. She glanced up at Dib and Zim, as though surprised to see them beside her.

"How long has Zim been here?" she asked, and Dib snickered at the doleful look on Zim's face. "Just kidding," Gaz added, patting Zim's shoulder. "I'll see you guys at lunch." With that she was gone.

"Is it just me, or is Gaz acting weirder than normal?" Dib asked.

"Eh, how would I know? I haven't seen anyone all weekend, busy as I was being…busy!" Zim yelled. They went their separate ways.