ZAGF chapter 4

It was lunch time. Gaz had noticed that Zim had all the same classes as she did. Tak, on the other hand, was only in a few of Gaz’s classes. Gaz walked around the lunch room. The lunch room was big! It was easy to get lost if you weren’t carful. Gaz looked around with her tray that had a slice of pizza on it.

“Where are they?” Gaz asked out loud.

She was told to look for Zim and Tak at lunch, but she couldn’t find them!

“GAZ! OVER HERE!” someone shouted.

Gaz turned to where the voice was coming from. It was Zim and Tak sitting at a lunch table together. No one else was sitting there. She ran over and set the tray down.

“Having trouble getting around Gaz?” Zim asked with a smile.

“A little, yea,” Gaz said taking a seat. “How come you guys aren’t getting confused with your classes like I am?” She asked before taking a bite of her pizza.

“We went to open house. That’s where they open the school so teens can find where there classes are before school starts. Didn’t you go?” Tak asked.

“No. My dad was busy and I’m not old enough to drive yet,” Gaz said sadly.

“Well that would explain things,” Tak said sipping her chocolate milk through a straw, making her look more like a human child.

“I must say that the human food they serve here is much better than last time I was on Earth,” Zim said holding up a chicken leg.

“Random much, Zim?” Tak asked looking at him.

“What? I’m just saying that they have better food!” Zim said.

Gaz started to laugh a little.

“Yea. They decided to lessen children’s misery by providing better food,” Gaz said still laughing.

“Good. Cause I can’t go through another year without eating lunch,” Zim said taking a bite of some mash potatoes.

Gaz smiled. They had changed so much. And come to think of it, Gaz had too! Before no one would dare touch her. Now big jocks were throwing her into trash cans and she had to have Zim save her before she got sent down to the nurse because of stair injurious!

“So how has Dib-stink been doing?” Tak asked. “I’ve seen him in a few of my classes, but I never got a chance to actually talk to him.”

“Why? Do you like him!?” Zim asked stretching out the words “like him” and giving her a little suspicious smile.

“No! I’m just wondering!” Tak said turning away and blushing.

Zim gave a small laugh.

“Shut up!” Tak yelled standing up in her seat and punching him in the arm.

“OW! Why you little stinker!” Zim yelled pushing her out of her seat.

Gaz got up and put herself between the two. They acted like brother and sister a little TOO well to Gaz. They fought a lot and yet they still cared at times. Tak got up and sat back down in her seat. She started to eat the food she had and Zim did the same. Gaz sat down in her seat again.

“So how is Dib?” Zim asked.

Gas gave a shocked look on her face. They were fighting two seconds ago and then they act like it never happened.

“Gaz?” Tak asked wondering why Gaz wasn’t saying anything.

Gaz shook off the shock.

“He’s fine I guess. He’s been real jerky lately. He doesn’t even know I exist. He’s gotten so caught up into being popular that he doesn’t even spend as much time at home as he used to. And I think he’s been under aged drinking. Sometimes he comes home smelling like alcohol. I try to tell my dad but he’s always so busy!” Gaz said playing with a piece of pepperoni that came off her pizza.

Zim and Tak exchanged sympathetic looks. They didn’t expect that kind of answer.

“I’m sorry. We didn’t know,” Tak said sympathetically.

“It’s fine. It’s not like it’s the worst problem in the world. There are worse things than this,” Gaz said trying to make her feel better by comparing other things to her problems.

“I guess…” Zim said.

Tak had an idea pop into her head. She whispered something into Zim’s antenna. Zim had a big smile cross his face. He nodded at Tak and then looked at Gaz. Gaz wondered what they were up to.

“If you like you can come over our house after school. We could…umm….how the humans say ‘hang out’?” Zim said with a smile.

Tak nodded with a smile on her face as well.

“OK. That sounds fun,” Gaz said while nodding.

The bell rang and Gaz got up to go to her next class. Why was it Zim and Tak wanted her to come over after school? Did they want to hurt her? Did they want to use her for their own gain? Were they still the same as they were before only as partners? There was one person she thought she could ask, and she wasn’t sure if it was right.