Thanks for all the great reviews! Once again I am overloaded with the dreaded GCSEs at the moment, so I'll try and update as soon as possible. Read and enjoy!

Chapter 4

Confrontation

Zim fiddled nervously as Ms Bitters droned on. He glanced over at Dib and searched for any emotion in his face, but all he could see was boredom. No matter how hard he tried, Zim just couldn't get the image of Dib's cold smirk out of his head. How could he just smile so mockingly when he was in so much pain?

Zim looked away. This wasn't the real Dib. Zim needed to bring back the old Dib before he was lost forever. When the bell finally rang for lunch Zim waited for the stampede of ravenous stink-children to subside, gathered up his courage and marched over to his enemy.

"Oh look who it is! It's the alien!" mocked a particularly ugly kid as he strode boldly over, followed closely by the rest of the gang. Zim groaned inwardly as they swarmed around Dib. He knew it would not be that easy.

"Hey, I told you I've given all that alien rubbish up." Dib said, vaguely offended by their remark.

"Whatever Dib. So what do you want green kid?" All of the gang were now glaring at him challengingly, as if daring him to speak. Zim remained silent, beginning to panic.

Dib smirked at him scornfully. "Well?"

Zim shuffled uneasily. He had to do this. "I…uh, I want to talk to you alone." He muttered under his breath, unable to look into Dib's hurtful eyes. Dib seemed mildly surprised by this.

"Anything you need to say to him you can say in front of us!" said one kid defensively.

"It's okay. I'll meet you guys later." He said dismissing them. Zim waited as they filed past him, each one glaring at him.

"Well Zim, we're alone." Dib said, his voice over-confidant.

"What's happened to you?" Zim said in a small voice.

"What?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what? You mean getting a life besides chasing after you all day?"

"But proving alien life was your dream. You think giving that up is getting a life?"

"You don't get it do you? All my life I've had to put up with being picked on and beaten up. Now you're experiencing what it's like to have a little you're begging for mercy!" Dib sneered.

"I'm trying to save you!" Zim fought back.

"Save me? From what?" Dib replied incredulously.

"From becoming someone you're not! I know this isn't the real you, it's not what you really want!"

"How would you know? Why do you think you know me so well? I've given you what you've always wanted. I'm not stopping you from invading anymore! Now just leave me alone!" Dib began to push past him, but Zim grabbed his arm.

"They're not you're real friends!" he shouted desperately. Dib turned around.

"Oh, and you are Zim? I wouldn't know, I never had any before!"

"Well I'm telling you now. But you know they're not." Zim knew instantly he had hit a tender spot, and Dib looked like he was going to explode.

"Oh my god Zim! Why do you care so much? Just because they're beating you up instead of me!"

"But it's worse than that!" Zim pleaded for him to understand, but Dib had had enough. In his rage he lashed out at Zim, striking him across the face and knocking him onto the floor.

Zim sat up, holding his hand to his cheek. Dib looked in horror from his outstretched hand to Zim's cheek, which was gradually turning a deep shade of purple. What had he done? Zim watering eyes showed nothing but fear as he stumbled to his feet and fled, leaving Dib alone with his arm still outstretched.

-

Dib was still in a state of shock from what had happened at school. He hadn't seen Zim once since, which he was glad of, because he didn't know if he could stand to face him at the moment.

"Maybe Zim was right about me. I didn't want to hit him like that. No…I-I did. It was his fault, he shouldn't have wound me up like that!"

"Dib?" Dib looked up to see Gaz glaring at him from his bedroom doorway. "If you do not want to invoke my wrath then I suggest you shut up!" she yelled through gritted teeth, slamming the door. Dib sighed and lowered his voice.

"I refuse to feel any guilt for what I did. It was his fault. It's time for him to see what I've been putting up with for years!"

-

Zim prodded tenderly at his bruised cheek. Talking to Dib was supposed to fix everything. He was supposed to have realised how much pain Zim was in. But it had just made things worse. How could Dib be so insensitive? With Dib truly lost Zim had nothing left to live for. His mission did not matter anymore either. The tallest had blocked him from being able to contact them, and they never called him. After all this time Zim had finally realised the armada would never come.

"What is the point?" Zim sighed, casting his eyes over the smooth blade he held before him. "I've got nothing now." He shakily pulled the glove off his hand, revealing his tender green skin to the world. He carefully rested the cool blade upon his bare wrist, shivering from its touch. A tear escaped his eye as the image of Dib's cold smirk came to his mind.

Suddenly a frown swept across his face as he dug the sharp blade into his wrist…

Lol. Poor Dib is so confused! Don't be thinking the wrong thing, this story has at least a couple more chapters to come yet. If I ever finish my coursework…

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