Gaz groaned and pushed her hair out of the way of her face. She had no desire to face the world today. Too much pizza and soda had proven to be her downfall. She certainly didn't want to get out of bed just to go to skool. Granted freedom was only two days away, but she was nearing her limit for tolerance of idiots. The way Zim and Dib had been acting lately was grating on her nerves, and truth be told the only thing she could stand to be around was Gir.

She hoped that Dib had convinced Zim that she was not being controlled by Tak, although if he had she would have a lot of explaining to do. Yes, she had already agreed to tell Zim why she had destroyed his house anyway, but that was beside the point.

The point was that she didn't have a plan.

Gaz hated to be unprepared. Now especially, since it had to do with emotion.

Her alarm went off and she sent it flying into the wall. Effective. Sitting up, she decided today might not be too bad. She was allowed to skip the last two periods of class, as she was exempt from the dreaded Final Exam. Too bad Zim and Dib weren't so lucky. She glared at nothing as she pulled on a pair of jean cutoffs and an oversized shirt. It was simply too hot to wear long pants today.

She walked into the hall and crashed into her brother. "Watch where you're going, idiot," she hissed. He grinned at her.

"Aw, sleeping beauty didn't get enough rest, eh? That's what you get for overindulging." He followed her as she made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

"I heard you talking to Zim last night. What did you tell him?"

"That you were just having a cranial meltdown because you're anxious about how and when this is going to end. He's going to plan something for graduation, I think, but I told him to talk to you first." He smiled, thinking she would be pleased.

She was far from it.

"You told him that I want it to end? You really are an idiot," she seethed and launched a box of cereal at his head. "Now he's going to think I'm desperate to be free of this situation and there's no convincing him otherwise. Thanks for ruining my life."

"But, I…I only did what you told me to," Dib faltered.

"No, you didn't. I told you to convince him that I wasn't being brainwashed. You just don't want me to be happy. Is that it?"

"No! Gaz, I'm sorry. I'll talk to him at skool and tell him I was wrong." Dib looked horribly guilty, and that soothed her throbbing rage. Just a little bit. Enough to spare him from her wrath.

"I think you have done enough. Thank you for convincing him that I am not being controlled. I'll fix this myself." Sighing, she finished eating breakfast and gathered her backpack and Game Slave. This is what she got for not taking matters into her own hands. Now she knew better than to go to her brother for emotional help. What had she been thinking?

The siblings left the house together, Gaz absorbed in her game. She felt as though she had neglected her precious entertainment for quite some time, and decided to blame this on Zim. He had successfully distracted her from the most important thing in her life. And that was a feat in and of itself. She supposed that proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that she really did love the stupid, annoying, egotistical, megalomaniacal alien.

What was she going to do?

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Zim waited impatiently at the bus stop. He was on edge today, worried about seeing Gaz. His squeedily spooch felt as though it had been knotted up by Gir. Not a good sensation. In fact, it was downright intolerable.

Lucky for him he could suffer through anything. He was just that amazing.

Yes.

He spotted the Membrane siblings, and noticed that Gaz had reverted back to playing with that ridiculous handheld gaming device. It was worse than he had previously thought. She must be really anxious to get this done and over with if she was reverting back to her old ways.

Now, one would think that both Gaz and Zim had learned a lesson about assuming things and jumping to conclusions. As the saying goes: Don't assume, because it makes an ASS out of U and ME. No one knew who this 'U' person was, but that was beside the point. It is safe to believe that neither had ever heard that little tidbit of wisdom.

"Gaz-human, you and I have things that need to be discussed as soon as possible," Zim stated when she was close enough to hear him. She replied with a grunt, never taking her eyes off the game. The alien looked to Dib for help. "Get her to pay attention. You are the one that said she was eager to get this done and over with," he accused in an annoyed tone. "I don't want to waste my time being around someone that doesn't want to be around me. Nothing productive comes of it."

Gaz caught the last sentence and actually paused her game. "What isn't productive?"

"You ignoring me. Dib has made it clear that you have made it clear that you would clearly like to end this charade. Clearly I am trying to make it clear that I am ready to help you do this."

Gaz stared at Zim and resisted the urge to smack him. "If you say the word 'clear' or any other form of it for the rest of the day I will make sure the next week of your existence will be miserable and filled with meat and water."

Zim gulped. Yes, she had most definitely regressed. "Very well. That does not change the fact that we need to talk. I have a plan to end this for the stupid, filthy pig smellies that inhabit this planet and skool. It will be glorious!"

"I thought you were just going to tell everyone that we were going to break up because you were going to college," she replied, once more turning back to her game. Zim exchanged a startled glance with Dib. Indeed, he had said something along those lines ages ago. How could she have recalled that?"

"Yes, well, that would be boring. Neither of us are boring people, so we must use my creative plan of saturated, undiluted creativity to wow the dumb worm babies. Do you not agree?"

"I suppose, but as you came up with a plan all by yourself I don't see why you need my help. You want it to end so badly, then do it." Gaz looked up at him and glared. "Obviously human emotions are too pitiful for you to waste your time on." The bus arrived and she made sure to sit away from the alien and her brother.

Zim looked at Dib. "I'm getting mixed messages again. Are you sure that she wants it to end? She is acting as though that is the last thing she wants right now. I am confused, Dib-monster."

Dib shrugged. "I guess you could consider it a case of miscommunication," he managed to choke out before laughing maniacally at his own wit. Zim growled and cursed the human under his breath.

He really hated that word.

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Gaz was able to avoid Zim up until lunchtime. She was almost successful in dodging into a broom closet when she spotted him across the hallway, but he was paying more attention than usual, seeing how he had noticed her avoiding him. When she went to close the door behind her it stopped on Zim's sneakered foot.

She glared over her shoulder at him and tried to push him out of the way, but he simply pushed back and followed her into the closet and closed the door, blocking the only exit with his body. "What the hell do you want?" she spat and folded her arms across her chest.

"To talk to you. You have been avoiding me and I want to know what is going on. I'm sick of these games, dirt-child. Dib made it quite clear that you want out as soon as possible, though he insisted that I find out for myself. Which, I must admit, was sound advice, for you are sending mixed messages once again. That trait should be erased from the female anatomy. It is rather annoying."

"Zim," Gaz began but hesitated. "I am not sending mixed messages. I just don't know what you want or expect from me. And I suppose that I owe you an apology for allowing you to believe that I was being brainwashed. I asked Gir to help me make you forget that I was supposed to explain myself on Thursday, so he made a fake recording of me."

"Ah. Now I understand why you had no idea what I was talking about," Zim mused.

"Yes. Speaking of which, were you telling the truth? About it not being unrequited, I mean." Gaz bit her lip as she waited for her answer. She was putting herself on the line and she prayed to whatever being may smile down on her for the answer to be yes.

The ex-Invader, the Defective, was dumbstruck. Here was his chance. The golden opportunity to tell her that yes, he had spoken the truth, that there was nothing he would rather feel except the emotions that she evoked in him. And he could do so without looking like a female. It was a win-win situation.

He opened his mouth to speak and the human girl realized that she was holding her breath.

"No. I was not speaking the truth."

Gaz could only stand before him, shaking as her tear-producing glands kicked into overtime. They didn't fall until he had opened the door and walked out into the hallway, away from her.

Her body wracked with sobs, she waited for him to look back. Even once.

No such luck.