You know, I once thought about the idea of adding a prom into the story, but at the time I thought it would be too cheesy, and that it had been overdone at this point. I just thought it wouldn't have anywhere to fit, and that I just shouldn't do it…
Now I have concluded that I don't care, I think it would be cute, and I'm doing it. But most importantly I found a way for it to work with the rest of the story. So no one can stop me, not even myself.
I hope you will enjoy this.
"What are you looking at, Dib-stink?"
Dib had for nearly five minutes been staring at a wall. It wasn't a very special wall in any way. it was just like any other wall in the skool. The only difference was that on that specific wall, was a poster. It was black and purple, with white text. With regards to the text, there stood one word, which made dread fill Dib's mind, as he kept looking at it. It was the one word he hoped most of all he could have avoided for the rest of his life. For there was only one thing that word spelled for him, and that was humiliation. The more he looked at it, the more it seemed the word was taunting him, beguiling him with its other terrible connotations. He hadn't even read the rest of the text, he had just fixated on that single word. And that word was; Prom.
"Oh, uh, what?" Dib asked, having barely noticed Zim approaching him, or how he had stared at him while waiting to be noticed. Dib wasn't used to people willingly walking over to speak to him, but he was used to Zim bothering him, so he had definitely lost track of the world around him. The more he had looked at the word, the more sinister characteristics it would get in his head, even though the knowledge that it was nothing more than a damn piece of paper remained in the back of his mind. Still, he swore that it was looking at him funny.
"You have been staring at that poster with your squishy eyeballs for nearly an hour now! Do you TRULY not have anything better to spend your miserable time on?"
"First off-" He finally turned to face Zim, holding one finger up. "-it's only been at least five minutes, and secondly, none of your business." He continued before turning back to stare at the wall.
Zim made an annoyed grunt at the human, who still kept ignoring him. He wondered if he should just leave the human to his pointless activity, but The Dib's continued fascination with the poster was starting to intrigue him. While looking around to make sure no one was around, he started whistling as he silently slithered up behind Dib's back, looking over his shoulder. There he stood for a few seconds while inspecting the primitive human words written on the poster. All he could gather was that it was some kind of invitation, but he had no idea the meaning behind it, or why it was managing to keep the Dib-thing's unending attention. Something that usually belonged to Zim.
"Why is it even you care so much about this, this…" Zim stuttered as he had never encountered that human word before, and wasn't sure there even was an Irken equivalent.
Dib usually would have been worried at the dangerous alien sneaking up behind him, but he had started doing it more frequently, and many of those times didn't involve malicious intentions, so he was willing to allow it. He was also convinced that it would just be more of a hassle to try and stop him from doing it, and Zim was already a hassle enough as it was.
"It's called a prom, Zim, and trust me you wouldn't be interested." There was a hint of apathy in his voice as if hoping that the statement could also relate to him, so he could stop worrying about it.
"Eh? Why not! What even is this 'prom'?"
"Oh, it's a kind of party where you have to bring someone along, and you have to talk to people, eat food, dance, and-"
"Ehh, gross! Why didn't you just tell me this was another one of your stinking 'social' activities. Don't you smelly humans have enough of those already?"
"You would think so, but apparently a whole bunch of stupid people thought it would be in the best interest of humanity to waste our collective time socializing at every opportunity imaginable." Dib would have defended humanity in most other situations, but this time he didn't mind someone that thought similarly to him. Though the thought that only an alien could think like him was less than thrilling. But he was looking for any kind of support he could get at the moment.
Zim looked at Dib, as his expression started souring while he kept staring at the wall, his eyes having for a long time stopped focusing on the text, and instead were vaguely pointed at the poster. It was as if he were just doing it out of spite at that point. Something Zim could respect, but he still wasn't sure why the human was so interested in this event if he seemingly despised the idea of it as much as he did.
"Still, that doesn't explain why you're sad face is all mushed up against this invitation. It's as if you are actually interested in this senseless activity." He couldn't help but smirk demeaningly, as he thought of something perfect to say. He leaned right up next to Dib's face, the human's body slightly tensing up in response.
"But that couldn't possibly be the case, yes? After all, it isn't like there would be anyone interested in going with you."
That was the last bit of discouragement Dib needed to convince himself to just forget about the whole prom idea and the hopeless idea that he maybe should try something new in his life. But as Zim had been so generous to explain to him, there wouldn't be anyone in the world willing to go with him anyway, so why should he even bother. While Zim was waiting for the human's reaction, Dib took the chance to rip the poster off the wall in an act of frustration and put it in his pocket. If only to just look at it later so he could keep convincing himself that it was a good idea to not go. He then turned around and started walking down the hallway. He would have been perfectly fine with just leaving that insensitive bug alone if it wasn't because he started hearing Zim snickering to himself, as he was walking away.
Zim stopped chuckling once he saw that the human had stopped in his tracks, and looked at him with a curious expression. Dib then slightly turned his face to the side, so that Zim could see the corner of the evil smile spread across his face.
"You're right, there isn't any reason for me to go. But I'm sure you know all about that. You know, about no one wanting to go with you? You're probably even an expert, considering my people don't want to do anything with you, and I'm sure neither would your own race. It's quite sad actually. But I'm sure you don't mind, right? You've probably heard it a thousand times before"
"..."
When he heard no reply, he let out a single chuckle, just to be petty. He then started walking once again, Zim's eyes drilling into his back.
"That was what I thought," He said, just loud enough for the invader to hear.
"Zim is gonna set fire to you."
"Sure Zim…wait, what did you say?"
"YOU'LL SEE STINKING HUMAN, YOUR DEMISE WILL SOON BE AT HAND!"
It was only a few days later, that Dib got to experience the full wrath of Zim's convoluted revenge, and as he had promised it included a lot of fire.
Dib was still smoking as he made his way home a late Saturday night. The wind was still, so the black smoke emitting from his partially burnt trench coat went straight in the air, functioning as a small beacon. The missing wind also led to the stench of burned clothing hanging around him like a heavy perfume. It was a good thing there wasn't anyone else outside that night, or else pyromaniac would have been added to the ever-growing list of titles that were being associated with him in the neighborhood. If it wasn't already there. He had long since lost count of all the things that the people in the neighborhood had called him, to the point that he was considering starting a partition to gather them all on a neat list, to present to his future therapist.
All in all, saying that Dib looked less than happy with his current situation would have been a major understatement. The only thing keeping his face from completely twisting into a raisin from pure anger and frustration was his tiredness. He was used to Zim setting up an entire plan made entirely just to cause him pain, and it certainly wasn't the first time that the destructive alien had set fire to him. But there was something specifically different about what went down that night. There weren't any clear signs or any evidence to back up his claim, but he could feel the difference. If it was like any other time, his anger would have dissipated long ago, and not lingered all the way to his home. Even as he stood at the front door, there was still a part of him seething with resentment. But he couldn't figure out the reason. Zim hadn't done anything particularly horrible to him, so why was he still fuming?
It was then he grabbed the doorknob, and sudden realization passed through him like a dagger.
"...I can't believe that I'm still THINKING about that stupid PROM!" He loudly muttered to himself, resentment seen in the angry twitches on his face, as his face contorted while he tried keeping it together. But soon enough he started giving in, and he pressed himself up against the door. He was breathing shakingly, and he did his best to hold back a few tears.
He hated it. Not the part about him having no one to go with, or even having any friends he could be around while he was there. No, that just made him frustrated and a little sad. What he really hated was how it was affecting him. That it was affecting him at all. He knew how stupid the whole event was, how it was nothing more than an adolescent social activity, which had no bearing on his future whatsoever. It had always been common knowledge to him when it came to things like that, and it wasn't just because he had never been invited to any of those things. No, that hadn't altered or influenced his views at all, and all who would suggest it could kiss his boots for all he cared. And besides any of that, with Zim running around he had much more important matters to attend to. Though he had long ago planned to expand his social life once he had defeated Zim. He had to keep priorities of course.
But there he was. Another late night, and another night he had wasted on Zim. A night he could have used to meet new people, and to get some friends. Maybe find someone to ask to prom. But no, he had spent his time dealing with Zim. Like he always did.
He was starting to understand why his resentment was being pointed toward that alien freak. But it wasn't the first time he had felt the need to blame Zim for all of his problems, and he had more than enough experience in that field to help him disassociate Zim from every problem in his life. Even though he was the cause of most of them. Besides, it wasn't like he needed friends. They were nothing more than a big waste of time. And he probably couldn't convince any of them to hunt a sasquatch with him, so what was even the point?
With that little positive pep talk, he picked himself up and wiped off the tears that had managed to escape his eyes. He then finally opened the door and walked in, leaving any thoughts about the prom behind, completely sure that it wouldn't come up in any way that could majorly affect his life. He just had to keep it together for a few more days, then the prom would come and go, and he wouldn't have to think about it any further. That should be easy enough.
He made his way through the dark and quiet house. Before long, he reached his room. The first thing he noticed was that the door to his room was open. He was sure that he had closed it before leaving. But he might as well just have forgotten to close it, so he didn't think any further of it. It was only when he entered his room, that he felt a certain atmosphere in the air. It almost felt tense and malicious. It reminded him of his sister. Dib was wondering if a ghost had finally made its way into his room, but there was something he had to do before unpacking his ghost detecting equipment. It was something that had been his little secret for a while, which he kept close to his heart. Literally, as the secret camera in his coat was located on the left side of his chest.
While fumbling with his coat, trying to get the camera out, he started thinking if he should feel bad about it. But he quickly waved the concern away, as he had already convinced himself that what he was doing was perfectly reasonable, and not an abuse of trust at all.
Once he managed to get the camera free, he walked over to his computer and sat down. He held it in his hand, as he used the other to dig around the various cables connected to his electronics. And with how disorganized his desk had become, it was perhaps a job for two hands. But fortunately for him, he managed to find the cable he was looking for. He then connected it to the camera, and his screen suddenly lit up. At first, it showed nothing but white, but then it turned black, and a small progress bar appeared on the top of the screen. Before long, the black image was replaced by a video. A very long video, in fact, it was several hours long. He had already gone through so many videos of that type, so he just started fast-forwarding. It at first just seemed to consist of Dib walking, but soon enough Zim appeared on the screen. It continued like that, with Dib having made sure the camera captured as much of the alien as possible. But what was most interesting about the footage, was that it hadn't just recorded Dib's time with Zim that night. No, there was footage of him eating with Zim, walking with him. And some of those times, Zim was even without disguise. Completely unaware he was being filmed.
When Div was sure that the camera had caught all of the things he had hoped, he let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back in his chair.
"Another successful mission for the Dib!" He proudly proclaimed, before his self-satisfied demeanor broke for a moment.
"Jeez, even his speech patterns are starting to rub off on me," Dib whispered, deciding it would be best to worry about that later. After all, he still wasn't finished yet.
He then went through his files, trying to find the hard drive he had been copying all of the footage to. Just in case. He usually kept it on the computer, so he just had to find it. But he couldn't. He kept searching, but to his bewilderment, it wasn't anywhere to be seen. With a glance, he looked over to the port he had connected it to. But it wasn't there. At first, he did not react, as he just kept staring at the empty port. Then shock spread across his face, replaced with the fear that crept up his back, as thoughts of where it could be, or who could have it, started circling like a tornado. Right as panic started setting in, he desperately searched high and low around his desk, hoping it had just fallen on the ground, or behind some cables. But he still couldn't find it. He was considering pushing the entire desk away to try and find it. Then he heard someone behind him, who moved with casual steps toward him. He hadn't even heard them enter the room. It was more likely that they already had been in the room when he had entered. Dib froze in place as the steps continued moving closer. He thought that it might have been Zim, but then he realized that the loudmouth would already have revealed himself. Then he felt two eyes bore into his back, and an all too familiar dread started enveloping him, and he calmed down. Not that the person behind him was any better than Zim, most likely she was even worse than him. But it was a feeling he had become so accustomed to, that it felt less like the threatening aura of a monster, and more like a welcoming hello.
"Heeeeyyy Gaz…Heh heh, how nice of you to visit." His voice screamed with fear, and sweat was starting to roll down his forehead. Usually, you would turn to face someone when welcoming them, but he was still kinda frozen in place so instead, he just awkwardly stood still. The footsteps then stopped, and a disappointed sigh echoed through the room.
"You know, if I didn't know you, I would say this is low. But I do know you, so I'm actually not that surprised." Her voice didn't try and mask her dissatisfaction with her brother, but it hid enough of her emotions so that it was impossible to say whether she was furious or just disappointed. Something that Dib wasn't too keen to find out.
"Y-you know, I would be much calmer i-if you would just say what this is about. This…this isn't about me ordering pineapple pizza, is it?"
"No, but that's a discussion for another time." Her voice continued to stay cold, and it was clear she had only stopped talking just to give Dib the chance to confess, so he wouldn't have to embarrass himself. It was late after all, and the sooner she got on with her business, the sooner she could go to bed.
"Come on Dib, you know what this is about. Look deep into your disturbed soul, and I'm sure you will figure it out."
Oh, so I'm the one that's disturbed?
He had a sneaking suspicion of what she was going on about, but if there was one thing consistent about the two most important people in his life, then that was they were petty as all hell. So he still had hope the whole situation was just because of some minor misunderstanding. All he had to do was keep his mouth shut, and wait for her to reveal her hand.
"I swear Gaz, I don't have a single idea what this is about, a-and whatever it is…I'm sure that it's not that bad!" Dib tried his best to convey blissful ignorance, but it would take more than that to fool her. She hadn't suffered through all of those years knowing him, to not memorize all the signs of when he was lying. And he was definitely lying. But it didn't matter, she was just trying to be nice to him…now he had lost any chance of that.
"Oh? Not that bad? Sure, whatever you say Dib…but if you don't know anything, then I guess this isn't yours?"
Dib didn't need to hear her taking it up from her pocket. He didn't even need to see it before he knew what it was. With a short gasp, he quickly snapped around, facing his sister. The first thing he noticed wasn't her judgemental stare, but the item she held in her outstretched hand. Once he laid his eyes on it, he knew there was no mistaking it. It was the black USB flash drive he had saved all of his backups on. Every video he had filmed ever since he had gotten closer to Zim, was on that USB. And for some reason, seeing it out of his reach filled him with fear.
"I had a feeling you would recognize it." She said, with a hint of cockiness in her voice, as she rolled the flash drive between her fingers. Dib continued to look on in horror before he finally managed to speak again.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT, AND HOW DID YOU GET IT?!" He asked as a quick burst of anger ran through him, though it soon disappeared, and the fear from before returned.
"...I just…took it." She answered hesitantly, wondering why Dib was acting as if she had somehow managed to steal a pyramid.
"You mean you broke into my room and stole it?!"
"You're the one who doesn't lock their door," Gaz replied apathetically, as the only reason she had ever respected his privacy, was because she had wanted as little to do with him as possible.
"Now tell me, what were YOU doing with this?" Her expression turned slightly sharper, as she held the USB stick up in front of her, holding it between her and Dib. Though he wanted to keep eye contact with her, he couldn't help but let his stare wander down to the flash drive. He could slowly feel guilt creeping upon him. It was like looking directly at a physical manifestation of his crimes. But the more he thought about it, the more he got angry at Gaz for sticking her nose in his business. He had already rationally explained to himself why what he had been doing was perfectly justified, and he was in no mood to explain that to her as well.
"I don't think you would go through the effort of hiding in my room if you already didn't know what was on it."
"Wow, maybe you aren't so stupid after all." Though her words seemed to be mocking him, she had been completely sincere. Which Dib didn't consider to be any better.
"But if you weren't stupid, then you wouldn't have filmed Zim!" There was a quick shot of anger in her voice, which broke her otherwise consistent tone. Dib had been taken slightly aback, but some of the words he was going to say, he had told himself so many times already, that they flowed right through him and helped him stay in the fight.
"Filmed Zim? Is that why you're confronting me like this? Come on, I've always filmed Zim. And I have recorded him, studied him, and just spied on him in general, so I don't see why you're so worked up about this."
"Maybe, but that was when you two were obsessed with that cat and mouse game of yours, where Zim would be looking constantly looking over his shoulder for your cameras."
Gaz then took a long step forward, making Dib recoil in response. He had expected she wouldn't have been too happy with the stuff he had been doing, but he hadn't expected her to be genuinely upset with him. It was about Zim after all, why did she even care? Though guessing by the snarling expression on her face she did very much care. Not that she would ever say it like that.
"But now he isn't. He is relaxed around you, and isn't worried you will try and use it against him."
"I don't see why any of that is important-"
"HE IS TRUSTING YOU!"
Her eyes bore into his face, as his eyes avoided eye contact with her. His face was splattered with a fearful expression, and he had closed his eyes as if waiting for her to attack him. She hadn't yelled but her words were loud and harsh anyway. And she wasn't finished.
"Which means he is also trusting you to not abuse that trust. I don't know if it has gotten through your thick skull yet, Dib, but that means you shouldn't be secretly recording him like some kind of creepy stalker." She had managed to gain control of her voice again, and once again she was using guilt instead of fear to push him.
And that guilt was doing quite a number on him, as the doubts that had lingered ever since he started secretly filming Zim, started joining in, and together they were continuously bashing him over the head with a bat. Metaphorically speaking.
"Are you even going to show it to anyone, or have you finally stopped clinging to that stupid hope that anyone will believe you? You do know it doesn't matter how much you film Zim, it won't change anything. Right?"
Gaz gave him a questioning look, still not convinced he had. He had told her some time ago that he had laid off any plans of convincing people about Zim's existence, but she knew that it would require a miracle for him to stop tormenting himself with that sliver of hope. She wanted him to forget all about it, so he at least could stop being so obsessed with Zim, and maybe even become less weird. If that was even possible.
But he still hadn't completely let go of that hope, so her words stung like wasps. He knew it would be easier to just let it go, but there was still a part of him that dreamed of the day when he would prove everyone wrong. Then he would finally be accepted and rewarded for all of his hard work. That was all he wanted. And maybe all he had to do to reach that goal, was betray Zim. Something he truly believed wouldn't be too hard. It was Zim after all. Yet there he was, tormented by the fact he had genuinely betrayed a person who had trusted him. Alien or not, that still meant something.
"No…Maybe…I don't know, okay! It's just…I'm maybe not gonna get another chance like this. I don't why you care, but you have to understand I NEED to do this, okay? I have to, or else I will have gotten NOTHING from being nice to Zim, and all I've done has been letting him strut around completely carefree, while he's still planning to destroy our planet."
A shadow passed over his face, as he slowly made his way closer to Gaz. In reality, he might not have been trying to convince her, but instead himself. And the more he thought about it, the more he accepted the thoughts that let him avoid any responsibility or guilt for his actions. Which led him to something he could say against Gaz.
"Something you conveniently keep forgetting about, Gaz. You know all about it, and you have for a while now. Yet I'm STILL the only one who has ever done anything to try to stop him. You could do anything, something to try and help me, but you don't. Instead, you're here berating me. You're standing up for the greatest threat to mankind, and you're acting like I'm in the wrong. If I didn't know any better…I would say you're helping that alien bug."
Gaz looked at him with a disinterested expression, even as he stood and pointed accusingly at her, his breath heavy from his intense rant. He would have liked for her to have any reaction at all, but she just kept staring at him. Her expression was completely blank, and she just continued standing still. The silence was hanging over the room, and Dib wondered if she was even going to answer at all. Then a thought came to him. That maybe she was just contemplating. But contemplating what, he had no idea.
Just as it seemed the silence would never be broken, Gaz slowly opened her mouth. A tired, and drawn-out sigh came up from her throat, and Dib looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"I knew this was going to happen." Her voice was sincerely sympathetic, though, to Dib or herself, was hard to tell. But she had accepted that Dib wasn't going to let go of his delusions without a little push.
"Which is why I had prepared a plan. Just in case."
Dib looked at her confused. He had always known she was one for getting revenge on people, but he doesn't remember her ever using a 'plan'. It sounded more like something Zim would do. And maybe also him, but that was something completely different.
"A plan? That sounds more like something Zim would say. And if you have been taking advice on how to do revenge from him, then you have truly lost your touch, sis."
"I wouldn't go that far. Let's just say I might have been inspired by some of his less…stupid ideas."
He squinted at her, now even more confused than before.
"I don't think any of his plans I've told you about have not been stupid."
"I'm not talking about any of the plans you've told me about." She answered back casually as if he was meant to have any idea of what she was talking about.
"...Then who told you about his plans?"
"Who do you think? Zim did."
For a moment Dib's entire worldview cracked wide open, and he stood completely still, his mind unable to come up with any way to respond. A train of stutters left his mouth, as the same simple question repeated again and again in his head.
"U-uhm-hum-uhm…WHAT?!"
"You're not the only one he talks to, you know. And some of his plans are surprisingly not that idiotic. At least when you're not involved." She replied matter-of-factly with a small smile on her face, finding some enjoyment in seeing Dib's bewilderment. Dib had a million questions that ran through his mind, and he had no idea of where to start. Unfortunately for him, he didn't get the chance to ask any of them, as Gaz was thinking more about her bed, and was starting to get annoyed at Dib for prolonging her night.
"Now, listen carefully. You're going to do something for me, and in exchange, I will give you your little USB back."
Dib crossed his arms and waited for her to continue. When he realized she didn't have any more to say, he looked at her with a confused expression, that soon turned to one of mockery. He couldn't help but let out a few chuckles, which he tried to hold back by covering his mouth.
"Oh yeah? You just want me to do 'something'?" He said while making quotation marks with his fingers.
"Sorry Gaz, but I know you too well to fall for that little trick. Besides, all of my recordings are still on my computer, so sorry to disappoint you, but…I don't care whether you destroy that flash drive or not."
He immediately realized he had made a major mistake when he saw a small sinister smile on her face, followed by an expression that told him all he needed to know; she had prepared something much worse than he could ever have imagined.
"Oh don't worry Dib. I'm not gonna destroy it. I'm simply gonna…pass it on to someone else. Someone who might not like to see themself on film."
It took him a moment to piece it together, but when he did it was like a wall fell on him, crushing him beneath its weight. He tried his best but he lost control of his breathing, sweat was rapidly forming across his body, and his eyes lost all focus, and went into a haze. At first, he had no idea why he was feeling any of that why he reacted so strongly. Then he realized the consequences that would come to fruition if Zim was ever to see those recording, and he understood. He could practically imagine the rage, the betrayal, and the hatred that would be plastered all over Zim's face. He knew what it would mean. All those years of getting closer, the recent relative peace they had shared for a while, finally being able to be around each other without the constant fear that one of them will try to kill the other. Gone. It would all be gone in an instant, and there would be no one to blame but Dib. It would be his fault, and no one else's. He wouldn't even be able to make himself blame Gaz. No, he knew it would be his, and his alone. There was no logical reason for him to care. It wasn't rational. Rather, it would be more fitting for him and Zim to be bitter enemies again. What was the alternative, that the murderous alien and the human constantly trying to stop him would just keep being friends? No, this was a chance to set everything in the universe back to its place, where it belonged.
But Dib didn't want that. He really didn't want that. He wanted to keep being friends with the only other person who had a shred of respect for him, and the one he knew that could understand him. It didn't matter how much he tried telling himself it was stupid and downright suicidal to be friends with that alien freak, he still wanted to. And he didn't want to lose him. He decided that he could think about all of those feelings, and what they meant to him, once he had discouraged his sister from potentially ruining his life.
"WHAT?! G-Gaz come on, you can't! He…he will kill me!" He had forgotten that it might be a legitimate concern for him to have, but he had become so used to dealing with Zim's death traps, that he was only using the fact as an argument. Though it wasn't very effective, as Gaz simply answered with a blank face and a shrug.
"Probably. I'm still gonna do it though. Unless of course, you do that 'something' I had in mind."
Dib took a long and meaningful look at his sister, who he had known throughout his entire life. The one he had seen grow up. The one he had grown up beside. If there was one person he could somewhat claim to know and understand, then it was her. And in her eyes, he could see the truth. She was going to it. She knew it would most likely kill him, but she didn't care. No matter what he would say, she wouldn't back down. He had to either do what she said, or she would ruin his life. There might be a chance he could take the flash drive from her but even if he succeeded, it would most likely be a death sentence. No matter how much he hated admitting it, he had to accept he was at her mercy, of which there was worryingly little, to begin with.
"...But, come on you can't…uughhh…Fine." Dib finished with a weary sigh, as thoughts started running around his head, as he pondered what she might have planned for him. But he concluded that his imagination couldn't compare to her wickedness.
"That's what I thought. Now, what I want you to do shouldn't be so hard." She stood with a rather satisfied look on her face, as Dib looked at her with a worried expression. After a moment of silence, he was practically writhing with concern, agonizing over what she was going to say next. It wasn't a secret she was being silent just to see him squirm. But in the end, she decided he had had enough and broke the silence.
"I want you to invite Zim to prom."
Her voice had been completely casual as if it was the most natural thing in the world to say. For a moment one would have thought that it was something she had just come up with, like when you play truth and dare and come up with a dare on the fly. Though in reality, she had spent more time coming up with it, than she would ever willingly admit to.
It was nearly impossible to describe how Dib reacted. He at first seemed to have no idea what she had said as if the words had passed through him like they were ghosts. Then slowly, his face revealed a puzzled expression that grew bigger and bigger, until his left eye was nearly being forced to close from how he was twisting his face.
"..."
Not a single word came to him, and his mind had become completely blank as if trying to spare him from the realization that it was something Gaz was going to force him to do.
"If you're wondering how I know about the prom, then know that it was you who left that poster out on the dinner table, so blame yourself, not me."
As if hearing another person speaking finally reminded Dib that he existed, his brain started working again, and hundreds of thoughts started running in circles at the same time. It was a miracle he managed to say anything at all.
"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS?!" He screamed, the desperation clear in his voice, and if there ever was a moment where he would be willing to get on his knees and beg, then it was that one. But he was going to go out with a small tangent before he submitted himself to such humiliation.
"FIRST YOU BERATE ME FOR ABUSING ZIM'S TRUST IN ME, THEN YOU THREATEN ME WITH RUINING MY RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, AND NOW YOU'RE BLACKMAILING ME INTO ASKING HIM TO THE PROM?! DO YOU HATE ME THAT MUCH, OR ARE YOU JUST THAT MESSED UP?!"
"It could be either one if I'm being honest." Gaz calmy and earnestly answered back, setting aside her judgment. Even she knew that Dib needed some time to adjust, or else he would break down completely. Her calm demeanor had the positive effect of calming Dib down. Not fully, just enough to make him stop shouting.
"I'm your brother Gaz, this is messed up, even for you. A-and you can't make me do that! What would the others think if I brought him with me to prom? He's a guy!" After saying that, a shameful blush appeared on his cheeks, and he looked down at the ground, with an involuntary embarrassed expression. He tried hiding his embarrassment, but he had become so riled up, that it was nearly impossible to focus on controlling his emotions.
In return, Gaz looked at her with both a slightly sympathetic, and somewhat harsh look.
"So now you care about what the others think? Besides, you're worried about being called gay, while you're asking an alien to go with you to prom?" She said, her tone conveying her disappointment in her brother. Though it seemed that it was her strange way to try and encourage him.
"Who's saying I'm asking him! And I'm not gay!"
"I didn't say you were."
Dib found himself stumped at her response, and an uneasy feeling made him realize he had backed himself into a corner. Though that didn't stop him from trying to break free.
"W-well, I'm not! But you thought I was, or else you wouldn't ask me to do something as ludicrous as that." He looked at her with a challenging look, which was only met by her emotionless face, as she considered the best way to break the news to him.
"...Okay, you might not be gay, but you're certainly not straight as a board either."
He couldn't help but blush at her comment. If there was one thing he didn't want to talk with his sister about, then it was that.
"And what makes you the know-it-all on that front."
"...I've seen your magazines, Dib." She replied, with a hint of remorse and dread in her voice, and for a moment she looked behind her at Dib's bed, with a sorrow-filled face, as she wondered if her plan had truly been worth the things she had witnessed. Dib didn't fare much better, as he looked over to the bed with horror. When he finally broke his gaze from the space under the bed, he looked at her, his face completely red as a rose.
"THAT WAS PRIVATE!"
"It's not private if you leave it halfway out in the open!" Gaz retorted, with the same agonized voice as her brother, though it was more controlled. She had come to accept the things she had seen.
"FINE-" Dib yelled back, spreading his arms out in defeat, with his face still red from blushing. "-I should have hidden it better, and maybe I'm not completely straight, okay! You happy now?"
She just shrugged, which left Dib bewildered at why she was even having him humiliate himself like that in front of her. And more importantly, he had no idea what she had to gain from making him ask Zim out. Though he was sure she wasn't going to reveal her reasons any time soon.
"I'm still not gonna ask Zim out. That is OUT of the question, understand. You can ask many things of me, but that's where I draw the line."
"Who's talking about asking anyone out? I just want you to ask him to go with you." Her words had been so sincere that Dib wondered if she really was that innocent, or if she was just putting up an act.
"You're asking me to ask him to prom…don't you think that he knows that there are some romantic connotations with that?"
"Oh, don't worry, he doesn't."
"How do you know that?" Dib asked while looking at her with slight disbelief.
"I already told you, remember?" She asked back, raising a single eyebrow at him. He was at first confused but then he remembered what she had told him earlier, and reminded himself to ask her about that later.
"Well, that doesn't matter in the end. Either you ask him to the prom, or he gets his little green claws on this." Gaz continued, now waving the flash drive in front of her, almost threateningly. Dib then realized he had forgotten what kind of situation he was in. Which currently was that his sister was blackmailing him to ask an alien out to prom.
"Gaz, you have to understand, I…I can't."
"Why not? As far as he knows there isn't anything romantic allowed. Besides, would it really be the worst thing you have ever done with him?"
"YES! And you're forgetting something! This is Zim we're talking about. He's maybe-no, definitely going to say NO! So there isn't any point in trying anyway." For some reason, there was a slight hint of hurt in his voice, which he tried his best to mask, but like all the other attempts before, it failed. Gaz then slightly tilted her head, and for once, she had a completely sympathetic expression, which took Dib off-guard.
"I'm not asking you to convince him. Or even force him. I just want you to ask, okay? So don't go crying about it." Her sympathy disappeared, and she let out a tired sigh, and she looked down at the ground for a few moments. She then lifted her head with a determined look in her eyes, as she stared right at Dib.
"Dib, don't make this any harder than it is. Just do what I say, and this-" She lifted the USB, and pointed at it. "-will be back in your sweaty hands in no time. So, do we have a deal?"
Dib looked at her for a while. He had any right to yell at her, to be mad at her. And he was, just not as much as he could be. There was something wrong. Something wrong with the whole situation. There wasn't a single reason for her to go through all of the trouble, yet she had. It couldn't just be some kind of irrational hatred for her own family, or just for him specifically. Something was going on, that he couldn't quite figure out. But one thing he was certain of was that she wasn't kidding. He had to choose what was worst. Letting Zim see those recordings or asking him to the prom. As far as he was concerned, either was going to end up like a disaster. And he was the one who was going to suffer. One way or another.
"...I have to be honest with you Gaz…sometimes, I don't like you."
"Trust me, the feeling's mutual. Now, for the final time…do we have a deal?"
"..."
Jeez, I wonder what's going on with Gaz? And what is Dib going to do, as either choice might possibly ruin his friendship with Zim! Find out in the next chapter of…HOW DID WE GET HERE?
God that was cheesy, sorry. Well, I'm gonna do this…well, arc I guess, in parts again. I'm not done with the other parts yet, so there will be some waiting before they come out. So if you're interested in what happens next, sit tight!