Chapter 10 " Let's Get to Know Each other! "
Gaz thumbed the ovate and square buttons upon her device and rapidly fought against the Stunker trolls that were deteriorating her life. As much attention as the game required for her to be able to remain alive, mashing buttons and killing foes, it didn't attract her interest. The little pixelated heroine, heart racing with adrenaline as she nimbly evaded the forceful swings and attacks of the barbaric, raging trolls and counteracted with swift thrusts and swings of her gleaming, pristine sword of justice, chastening the savage, uncivilized creatures of their corrupt nature with her bravery and moralized intent—trite. Complete unoriginal game play. Cliched and predictable story plot and characters...trite was the understatement word.
Gaz thought, as she turned off her Gameboy and combed her hands through her orthogonal, magenta tresses. She sighed, annoyed that she wasn't able to find anything to occupy her time with anything fun on her off period. Because then to do nothing would be a waste of time. Gaz looked around the rugged cafeteria, and saw some of the other groups of kids that were there, chattering loudly, laughing joyously. For a moment, she wished for something like that. Not that she was jealous, but having someone to talk to was always a nice thing to do. Then again, being a socialite wasn't her thing.
Gaz shrugged the idea and looked out the window of the lunch room and watched the rain patter against the ground, making the world have a tint of blue as it showered water upon the crust of the earth. Gaz placed her hand against the surface of the glass, and her nerves tingled from the cold. She watched outside, daydreaming for a while.
" Excuse me." A dean called, and she glanced to her right, slightly startled.
" I need an I.D. It has a verification code that shows you're off this period." He said, holding a portable I.D. scanner. Gaz grumbled and grabbed her backpack, fishing through her pockets. " Just standard procedure, ma'am." He remarked, as he noted her attitude.
She handed him her I.D card and he revealed the bar code to the infrared laser feed and it beeped. He gave it back and continued on to the next group of students. Gaz couldn't lie that she liked how this school, compared to her elementary one, people had a sense of common generosity and manners. Even if it was just because he said excuse me, her last school was the epitome of disrespect.
Gaz sighed again and grabbed out her sketchbook. In art class, as they were still in the unit of learning pose, she was assigned to draw someone doing an action pose. The easiest she thought she could do was dancing, however, it proved to be more difficult than expected. Even though Ms. Zoe provided a presentation for them to take notes on efficiently sketching a pose with fluid lines and shapes, Gaz always noticed how...inept she looked in comparison to the work of her art teacher. Although it was to be expected, considering the age gap in between, and the length of knowledge and experience she had. It didn't mean it wasn't unfair...at least in her little world.
Gaz looked around the cafeteria and noticed Zim wasn't present. It was one thing her brother hated the living guts of him, but it was another to have an off period at the same time he did. She would always find him mumbling to himself, glaring at people or just sleeping. Either way, despite the distance they kept, it was uncomfortable to be in the same room with him. He seemed to hold a hatred of the same gravity towards her as he did her brother, however she didn't care. So long as he didn't mess with her, he wouldn't get another bottle to the kisser. She was able to relax a bit, without feeling as if she was being watched. Gaz also considered the fact it was raining, and so that would be one of the reasons why he wasn't here. A grin appeared on her face as she realized she would spend a Zim-free day, and not have to listen to the annoying rambling of her brother and how much he hated him.
Just as she was thinking of how glorious this day was going to be, Zim walked through the entrance. She immediately scowled and shot her gaze back to the window.
Curse his persistence. She thought, grinding her teeth, as she began drawing.
• • •
Dib kept in his seat as the population of the classroom vividly revived as the bell rung, and they stood up almost simultaneously. The students amalgamated as they slivered outside the doors and exited the room. He sighed as he kept his belongings upon the platform of his desk. It wasn't that he wanted to go to lunch, considering he never ate their food in the first place, but the atmosphere of a classroom always held a sense of enclosure, and duress. He had to stay after class to finish some late work in Ms. Pamela's class. She smiled widely as she glanced upon him.
" You stay there Dib. I'm going to the restroom so I'll be back." She said, chirpy. Dib nodded, and further buried his head in his assignment. One thing that was surely in great behoove was Dib's ability of math. From an earlier stage, he wanted to learn the extraterrestrial life, and the fantastical forms that fascinated his mind so he could understand about the supernatural. In sequence, he also took a fancy to engineering, which required a set of skills and knowledge that mainly involved mathematics to be able to engineer such projects.
Dib scribbled answers on the paper and showed his work, one of the annoying required aspects that was a daily reminder in Ms. Pamela's class. He wrote down formulas, and equations that were equivalent to the given problems and their scenarios. If necessary, he created graphs and tables for a display. As he was near to finishing his work, a ring tuned through the school's overheads and it usually was an indication that someone was calling to advise the school. Dib listened intently.
" Pardon the interruption, teachers and students, but can I get Dib Membrane, and Zim to the main office? Thank you." The clerk spoke and ended the call.
Dib suffered a long moment of exasperation and anger. It was one thing that Zim started another food fight the day before, and forever stained Dib's favorite jacket with the disgusting smell of putrid grease and funky vegetables, but another thing to meet up with your worst, detestable rival in detention, after you'd exacted your revenge. In this case, breaking his windows. Dib scratched his head, and ran his fingers through his hair. He wasn't looking forward to any of this. And as Dib stood up, readying himself to walk out the door, and face impending doom, a rock formed in his stomach, just to top it all off.
" I hate everything." Dib muttered.
" I hate everyone." Zim hissed. He stood up from the lunch table and threw away his food. The other kids around him all echoed a resonating ooh in suspense as he walked out of the door, some kids even giggling. He would never understand, or care, why the kids didn't seem to have intelligence. They were all insane, in their own ways. It was something that Zim hated about this race. Unpredictable, little demons.
Zim strode through the cold, dank hallways, heading over to the office. For a moment he remembered how the office was the only place that was cleaned regularly, for the shiny appeal of the glass and it's inside rooms that almost glinted. The rest of the school seemed to be in a crust of dirt and stains. Despite it's rather horrid appearance, this unsanitary state was a mere speck in comparison to his older school. Zim realized his situation and groaned to himself, wondering temporarily what mistake, what grave, hideous mistake must he have done, in order to be compelled to listen to the inferiors and their orders. It disgusted him, however he knew that it was best if he didn't become an enemy of this race, concerning their authorities and government were so shady.
As he began to see the small glassy room, approaching it, he also saw Dib already present in the office, chatting with the clerk. At that moment, a small rock formed in his stomach, however he wouldn't live to acknowledge it. He furrowed his eyes, formed a sneer and continued his way towards the doors. He caught the glance of his rival, and ignored it. Zim sat at the sofa, and Dib was seated at the chair opposite to the side of the clerk's desk. He watched him for a while before he resumed speaking to Ms. Durham. She eyed the two inconspicuously, as the aura of the room tightened, and contorted itself from calmness into excited spite, thickening of unripe hostility.
After another minute, a separate door in the other side of the room opened, and a woman approached the two, earning their looks. She smiled at their reaction, and she seemed to be slightly elderly as well. Her hair was a diluted brunette, that matched the color of her ironed khakis.
" Good, you're both here." She said, grinning, with an aged voice. " Please. Come into my office." She remarked, gesturing invitation to her room. They both got up simultaneously, fought silently for a moment of who would enter the room first, and then walked through the door. She sat down at the end of a large rectangle table, and spread out were a couple of files. The two sat at the opposite sides of one another, the aura following them into this one. The woman was about to begin talking, before she noticed the open door. She got up slowly and walked to the door in a leisurely, thoughtful pace.
" As you may know, I am the assistant principal, Mrs. Everett." She introduced. Everett shut the door, and sat down at the side of the table closest to the door, and wove her fingers together as she placed them against her chin. " Principal Downing has asked me to have this meeting everyday of the school week, every lunch period." She explained, making sure to get lengthy looks at both of them for their understanding. However, they both had confused expressions.
" Why?" Zim asked, quiet spitefully. He cleared his throat afterwards, his sore throat still in partial effect. Mrs. Everett blinked slowly.
" Well, because, Mr. Zim. Last week Friday, you two fought and gave each other shiners, as well as causing a food fight." She said, with flattened lips. " Just this Monday you two started another food fight. Parents were called and you two were going to receive suspension." Everett said, sighing through her nostrils. She kept her eyes at Zim, and it made a muscle in his jaw jump.
" But we, rather Principal Downing, decided a better method of tactics." She motioned to Dib, accompanied with a small whisper Be a dear and grab those, would you? And Dib grasped the couple of papers opposite of Mrs. Everett. He handed to them and another whisper of Thank you escaped her mouth. Then Everett equally divided the sheets and handed them their designated papers. She cleared her throat and waited an appropriate 30 seconds for them to absorb the contents.
" Bullying is a serious offense in school. The District in this state does not tolerate any sort of violence." Mrs. Everett began, as they read the documents. Zim read, eyes skimming over the words, and soon began gaping his jaw. " By decree of the law, bullying alone should be met with a fine, and a visit to juvenile hall." She remarked.
Zim's eyes shot up at her. She nodded in response to this.
" But as I recall, you two have done a lot more than just bullying. You see, if that was the case, we'd be having a much different discussion with a much different setting." She remarked. Dib couldn't help but read a sense of spite from it. " You two have constantly and repeatedly bombarded this city with fights that include military grade weaponry and artillery. You've managed to submerge it entirely underwater, blow up the city downtown, disgorge the entire earth's core...I could go on." She said.
" All of these things, add up to fines that go way past the millions, a sentence to life without possibility of parole for endangering the entirety of our species as we know it, and yada yada yada."
By this time, Zim and Dib were horrified.
" However...you parents agreed to this situation, and the principal enforced it." Mrs. Everett said. " You two can undue this by starting community service. You both will work for 50,000+ hours, and it will be of your choosing on what you do, from the list of options you have right there." She said, pointing at their papers. Zim looked down and briefly read the list of the available sets of areas they were provided. And to his horror; The Mall, school janitorial assistance...and Bloaty's Pizza Hog. He recalled the times of his visits to all three of the situations and suffered a slow, creeping chill that crawled his spine.
" This community service will help undo the fines that you parents have been issued and the possible order of that hefty life sentence. And 98 hours is required also for a graduation of middle and high school." She said, with a slight nod. Dib's mouth gaped.
" This is ridiculous!" He exclaimed. Mrs. Everett game him a long stare.
" It is, really. You two always fighting. That's why we issued this. Because this needs to be put to an end."
" You can't force us to do this. You can't force us to do anything." Zim retorted, raspy. He received another one of her solemn glances.
" It's either this..." She said, tapping at the document she had underneath her arms. " Or..."
Mrs. Everett turned her sheet of paper around, and equipped a pair of glasses seemingly out of no where. Her eyes quickly skimmed the lines, as if to refresh her memory as what the contents were about. She looked up at both of them, once retrieving enough information to jog her memory back into place.
" We get to know each other."
For a minute almost, they stared at her. Their minds reeling over the few amount of words she said, trying to grasp the meaning behind it. Though they feared what they knew, and they both shared the same want of wishing it wasn't true.
"...What?" Dib asked, shaking his head. Everett removed the glasses from her nose and gingerly placed them against the table.
" You two either do community service for 9 years...or get to know each other." She repeated.
" What does that mean?" He asked, hesitantly. A small smile formed on Mrs. Everett's face. One that, for a reason unknown, was unnaturally foreboding for the both of them.
" Like I said before, if you choose this option, we're going to meet everyday, during lunch, in this office." She began, leaning forward, as if she were listening to an extraordinarily intriguing tale. This alarmed a red light for Zim.
" You two will start sharing your lives. About the things you like. The things you do, your habits, your dislikes, your happiest events and whatnot. When the time comes, you two will start doing teamwork, and eventually, hopefully, at the end of this semester, will finally tolerate each other." She said, placing her fingers back against her chin.
There was a bit of a silence, as well as a prolonged state of daze. Mrs. Everett waited patiently for them to let the information soak, and for them to begin processing naturally. After a while, she stacked her papers and set them down neatly in front of her, with no more stray edges.
" Interestingly enough, Your father actually proposed this idea, Dib." She remarked. Dib's eyes broadened with appall, and his lips lowered. Zim glared at him and when Dib noticed, his expression lessened, heedlessly ignoring his rival's emotions.
"That, and uh, he said he'd take the duty of repaying all damage and repair costs that you two have so generously piled onto our city." She remarked, nonchalantly. Dib felt a twinge in his heart. He never realized his father would go through the process of cleaning up after his son, just to ensure he had a future.
"You two will make a choice. I'll be back in a few minutes, I have to make a few calls. I know you two won't mind not eating for another 10-20 minutes, concerning your spontaneous habit to test your arm. And remember; Its either you both agree, or I choose." She said, getting up from the office chair that groaned as she lifted her weight from it. Everett opened the door and left without another word. Zim watched a while longer, as the door slowed down as it neared to the frame, and closed with a securing latch. He blinked slowly and released a sigh, before he glanced back at the creature in front of him. Spite surely enough began to swim through his veins.
" Just because I know you so well, I can already predict which option you so moronically will choose." Zim began, his voice faltering.
" I'm not doing this because I want to." Dib retorted, with his eye twitching already from the idea. But he didn't even want to consider spending his youth doing community service that would most definitely hamper any chances of a normal life.
" And it's not like you're being forced."
" What my Dad wants for me is what's best." Zim groaned to the best of his ability. Which conveniently for him, sounded to close to a moan, and lowered is head against his palms, partly from embarrassment.
" Oh, by the gods. Your father always finds himself amongst our problems. Something tells me it's not just his fault."
" I have no choice in what my father wants me to do."
" Because you're such a brown noser."
" Oh, alright Zim. You got me." Dib scoffed.
" The thing is I don't even need to explain it to you. Hell, you know it's bad when other people see it too."
" Really now?"
" And you know it's worst, when you deny it." Zim said.
" I'm in denial of my own supposed deference? Wow. Okay...you gotta admit, that was actually really stupid. Even coming from you." Dib shook his head. " I mean, you've surprised me more than once about the actual level of your intellect, but...that was just sad." Zim's eyes furrowed and flashed with annoyance.
" Petty insults don't get you anywhere, Dib."
" Oh ho! This coming from you? Zim?" Dib laughed. " Oh, the irony is potent in that one."
Zim's eyelid twitched.
" I bet your father sees it. That would be another surprise for you, wouldn't it?" Zim asked, staring intently. He coughed a bit, and momentarily hated his inexpressive voice. Dib's expression faltered slightly, and became more blank as he kept his eyes upon him. " It's definitely a surprise for me how you refuse to acknowledge it. All of the truth, just...ignoring for your own sake."
" Ah, here we go. " Dib sighed, scratching his head.
" I don't need to say anything. That's just it." Zim retorted.
" You keep telling yourself that, Zim...Take it with you to bed and use it to try and make better insults." Dib dismissed. Zim formed a small sneer on his face. It was petty to get annoyed that his insults weren't effective like wanted them to be, however he wasn't in the right mind to notice.
" I don't sleep."
Dib stared at him, his eyes half-lidded in dubiety.
" Well shit." He exclaimed. " You really caught me in a loop with that one, Zim. Hot damn."
" You think this is amusing, don't you?" Zim said, glaring. Dib chuckled.
" You don't? " He remarked. " Or—wait...am I expecting too much from your intellect again?" Dib smiled, and laughed some more. " I'm sorry, Zim. I always forget who I'm talking to. Gotta remember you're the one I have to speak slowly to, not Gir." Zim shook his head, cursed under his breath and glanced to his side.
" Don't worry, Zim. I'll do the thinking for the both of us and try to find the point of this whole...conversation." He said, using his fingers as pretense quotation marks. " Other than insulting the fact I have a dad. Because of envy, apparently." Dib said, with a grin. Zim glanced back at him.
" There's nothing to envy from you."
" Well anybody could say that. But if you live in and look like a pile of shit, we all know you don't mean it."
" Oh. So you're concerned now." Dib mocked.
" Like I would suffer myself over the state of your welfare."
" Then don't act like it. It's seriously unbecoming of you."
Zim leaned forward.
" It's sad really. Sad that you live in your own little world and just shun out everything that you don't like." He remarked. Dib only kept his grin, surprised that Zim was going to try and go so far just for an argument. His pitiful attempt of getting the upper hand. So Dib kept light of this, and showed it with his disinterest and sarcasm.
" I know, it's overwhelming." Dib joked.
Zim's eyes narrowed.
" I bet that all began when your Mom died."
Dib's expression dropped within a sudden passing moment. It solidified into a pointed, heavy glare and a cold earnestness. A wave of satisfaction passed through Zim.
" That's right, I know about that. I hacked into the police department's database a while ago, hoping to find files to help my research. If I didn't find anything, I'd just browse for the hell of it. And...there it was." He said. " The obituary of Momma Membrane. Died of cancer..."
Zim looked at Dib, his expression hardening and continued. " A damn shame...It truly is. And because she was no longer there to adore you and all of your works, you clung to your father."
Dib had a sneer on his face from this. His eyes were then downcast from Zim's face and he closed them, pensive. His hands were brought up to his lips and he wove his fingers. Dib let the childish insult retreat from his anger and he released it in a long sigh through his nostrils. He then re-opened his eyes.
" Like you would know anything."
" It was your silence just now that did the talking. Your voice never conveys much information." Zim said, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms slowly. " You open your mouth and all I can here is you talking out of your ass. "
" More of a dignified reason than any one you can come up with yourself." Dib said, eyes narrowing. For the first time, Dib was seething. Zim could see right through his eyes. On the inside he was burning like fire and it was raging through his body like a stampede. A vein pulsed on Dib's forehead and if he weren't mistaken, he was a shade red more than before. Zim grinned again at this, a wonderful feeling of accomplishment sleeved his body like silk. He let the pathetic comeback slide.
" Is that so?" He said, with an air of amusement " You claim dignity in speaking out of your ass? You must be the first." Zim chuckled. " I bet you'd claim to be the first over being a suck up, but you can't have all things, unfortunately."
Zim lifted his leg and placed his heel against his left knee, partly crossing his legs. He titled his head slightly, furrowing his eyes in an inquisitive nature. " Tell me, would you claim dignity in being obsequious as well? It's the only thing you're truly good at. Daddy this, daddy that." Zim remarked, laughing. There goes that pulse again. He thought as well, seeing animosity in Dib's eyes reach another level of heights. There wasn't even another comeback; just a pitiful glare and a silenced temper tantrum.
" And the sad part is; You dad doesn't give a damn. He sees you, and reaches for his career. You follow a person who tries to avoid you, Dib."
" And how would you know this? Huh? Because you just know every damn thing about my life, is that it?" Dib asked, inadvertently. Zim grinned, his teeth becoming exposed. He was absolutely enjoying this. Dib cursed for the first time, displaying just how much he was willing to betray his own composure. His bouncing knee from his repeatedly lifted heel, his now scarlet face. Zim was hitting deep, but he knew that for the benefit of his dad, Dib wouldn't do shit to him. A delightful chill of excitement ran through his veins, and he laughed, rather raspy, but this time added to the effect.
" I know it because you keep telling me. Every moment of all the times you've followed me to my house and broke in, or thrown your disgusting food in my face, or insulted me—You were practically yelling in my face." Zim scoffed.
" That wasn't for the benefit of the people. That was you trying to make yourself worth something. You trying to go your own way. But you always went back to father's lap after wards, Didn't you?" He asked. Dib's eyes were heavily set upon his face, under the constant scowl and scrutiny of his sworn enemy. He could tell thoughts of mad intent had already entered his mind, and for once Zim felt in control. For once, he felt he was finally getting the upper hand, and pushing Dib down further. This moment wasn't going to be wasted.
" And the only reason why you still insult me and antagonize me is because you don't get the recognition you want from daddy. Because you're disappointed in yourself, and so you vent it on the same excuse; I'm doing it to save the planet. Tell me, Dib, What good does your planet get from every time you say, 'Fuck you, Zim'. Huh? Does it applaud and give you a medal for saving the world another day, with another insult?" Zim jabbed. Dib's hands fell from his mouth, and down to his knees, where he gripped them intensely, wrinkling the fabric of his jeans.
Zim let a smaller grin crease his face, showing just how lightly he took to his emotions that Dib was expressing. And the actions that he wasn't.
" What good does it to you? Fucking hell, the people at school hate your living guts." He shook his head. " I'd say it would restore the paltry amount of dignity you hold, however that would be too presumptuous of me." Zim remarked. " I mean, what do I know? I'm just a stupid little alien, saying that vying for the attention of people that hate you is exponentially beyond pathetic." He said, placing his elbows against the table. " And that you have to be told by little old me...You've fallen quite a distance there, ol' champ." He smiled.
Dib's eyes fell to the table, and even with his endeavors of keeping his temper, his anger and spite was spilling like a turned on faucet at it's highest velocity. His eyebrows were heavily furrowed against his eyes, and his glasses shined in the light. His expression, the deathly sneer that was constant on his face, could be considerably daunting if it were another person. Dib wasn't a daunting person. Zim lowered his head, catching his gaze.
Dib saw this and he looked up at him, restless, spiking hatred running throughout everywhere of his body, it's main focus out from his eyes to him. Zim grinned and leaned back into his seat, feeling accomplished. No...triumphant. The warmth of contentment spread through his body, as he saw his opponent crumble, slowly, painfully on the inside. It's what he deserves. Zim thought. His smile grew larger. Then a light grin crossed Dib's face. It didn't express any pleasure and it definitely didn't lighten the features of his face. It was a solemn, hateful sense of amusement.
" You know what's funny?" Dib began, wiping the bottom of his nose with his thumb, and leaned forward. His knee was still bouncing and it made his entire body move along with his rhythm. Zim's smile slowly faded, however re-peaked as he wouldn't let his concerns fail him now.
" You speak of experience." Dib simply remarked, and then shrugged apathetically.
Zim's eyes widened, however not physically. In the sense of his expression and emotion they widened like plates. That was the crash Dib was wanting. The moment of truth. The moment that explained everything. That knife that he used to stab, snatched away and used right back. Dib smiled his crooked grin even bigger.
" How else would you know so much about me? About my little situation. I'm shunned from the kids of school. And you? You've been here for a year and nearly around a half. Why spend so much time on a planet you don't even like?" Dib said. " And with my dad? A parental figure who's disappointed and ashamed...Who was it with you? The Tallest?" Dib remarked, which he received the expectant reaction, this time Zim's eyes actually widening. Then next came that ugly sneer, with his glare.
" That's right. I still remember them. I've been to your base more than once, Zim." Dib said, smugly. " You hate me because I still have a parent that cares about me, and I still live in a society amongst my own people." He paused, for the effort of mock realization. " Oh...that's right, you were exiled."
Zim's face didn't contort or grimace, however it stayed in the perpetual scowl of absolute spite. He could practically be labeled emotionless right now, if not for the obvious reasons why it wasn't. Dib's pulse had been racing the entire time, and he heard his heartbeat begin to decline as he settled this once again with a win on his side.
At that moment, The dark chestnut door opened and Mrs. Everett strode back into the room, with an immediate sigh. She was still looking at her papers, with her large glasses at her nose bridge.
" My apologies, that took so long. Thought that should've been enough time for you two to decide." She remarked, finally looking up from the white sheets and saw the two, seemingly having a staring contest. For a moment she didn't say anything, a little confused about what was happening. She blinked and watched a little longer.
" You two have decided, right?" She asked, confused. Dib continued staring at Zim's expression a little longer until he glanced back at Mrs. Everett.
" Yes, Mrs. Everett. We have." He said, nonchalantly, with a sigh. He glanced back over at the other occupant in the room. " Let's get to know each other." Dib said to him.
Mrs. Everett wasn't stupid; judging by how one's face looked he was about ready to snarl, and the other with the wildest grin ever, she knew they had a fierce argument. Or rather what might've been a brawl of insults.
She sighed and mentally noted not to leave the room anymore, uncertain that these two would refrain from getting into more trouble as is. Feeling disappointed that she wasn't able to stop it, Everett looked down at her wrist, scrutinizing the watch as she determined the time.
" Well... You two can go back to lunch now. We're start our sessions tomorrow." She said, with a grin. Dib exited immediately and Zim stayed behind. His eyes pierced the walls and his knee was repeatedly bouncing. He was obviously enraged. However, Mrs. Everett didn't know what to do about it. So she waited for him to leave, his lips twitching, his eyes suffused with acrimony and murderous intent. Though it was only after another minute that he finally got up and left the room. She watched him go, as he slammed the door. Mrs. Everett waited a few moments and blinked. She went back to her papers and sniffed. They were gone...though the emotions, the heated words, the terrible insults and the heightened hatred and uncontrollable disdain that brimmed the room, was still here. And for a moment, it gave her a chill. She didn't understand how somebody could hate another person to that extent.