Detention was the best time of Dibs life. For one thing, no one whispered at him with the tuff looking Damali sneering at people who were looking at them. For another thing... the first time in Dibs hateful life, he had a friend. An odd one at that but he didn't care. Beggars can't be choosers.

At lunch Dim sulked on one of the large cafeteria benches provided.

"Hey Dib!" called Damali from across the room.

Dib waved and she ran over, an impish grin on her face. It wasn't until she was about two feet away that Dib noticed that three girls trailed behind her. They all had on baggy black pants and black tank-tops with dark jeans jackets. Dib cocked a skeptical eyebrow, Damali shrugged.

"Girls... this is Dib" she said airily. "Dib, meet Serena,-" She pointed at a brown haired girl with green eyes "Althea-" she pointed at a tall black and red head with red eyes "and, Kasha." Kasha nodded her elegantly blonde and black haired head and winked a blue eye. "They are all pleased to meet you"

Dib snorted. "You sound as if I'm being introduced to three countesses at a royal ball"

Damali smiled and said, "fine let me correct my own grammar." she cleared her throat and scowled. "Yo D-man. Get this. Be happy that I'm tellin' my friends who you are so they don't pound your face in" Damali's impish grin returned "Better?" she asked.

"Much" laughed Dib.

"Oh Gawd is this place crowded or what?" mocked Damali

"Pull up a bench" muttered Dib darkly. "There's plenty of room here" Damali had reminded him of why he was sulking. 'I should be used to this' he thought grimly for the third time that day.

Instead of Damali's pity, which Dib thought would surely kill him; she shrugged and sat down snatching an orange up from Dibs brown paper bag. Dib smiled, showing his relief. Then, glancing at the table that the aliens were sitting at, Dib began to think.

"Hellloooooooo" Damali waved a black finger-nailed hand in front of Dibs screwed up face. "earth to Dibby!" she snapped them and Dib looked at her with shock, as if he'd forgotten she was there. Damali drew her hand across her brow, wiping away the invisible sweat. "Phew... for a second there I thought I'd hafta do CPR" Dib smiled half heartedly. "What were you doing anyways? it looked like you were getting ready to have a baby" At that comment, Dib laughed with his friends.

Wiping her eyes, Damali said, "Seriously though... what were you doing?" To their surprise, Dib blushed and muttered something. "Dib?" Damali's voice was a murmur. Dib looked up with his eyes blazing. "I was thinking about all the pain that these people and those freaks caused me" he hissed.

"Like what?" Whispered Serena

Dib blushed again and lowered his eyes. "I shouldn't have said that" He muttered and leapt up and raced out of the cafeteria, followed by laughter. Zim's was the loudest and the clearest." Oi! Dib! you forgot your lunch!" called Althea. Damali looked at the spot where her friend had sat with shock. She had hurt his feelings... but how?

'Why oh why did I tell her that' thought Dib gloomily 'She probably thinks I'm an Idiot by now' he sighed 'oh well... might as well walk home'

"Dib!" called a familiar voice "Hey Dib! Wait!"

Dib spun around to meet his tormentor, trench coat flying. Instead of a sneering face, he saw nothing but the shocked face of Damali. She blinked and lowered her eyes. Dib watched her thick hair fall over her face with awe. It was wet. In fact, her whole body was wet. her black nails dripped with water. Dib moved foreword swiftly. He reached out and grabbed a convulsing shoulder. An odd sound escaped her. She looked up slowly. She was crying. Close to tears himself, Dib grabbed her arm lightly and led her toward a well concealed bench, where no-one would see the tears streaming down her crestfallen face.

"What happened?" He asked quietly, sitting her down. He knelt on the ground before her looking into her amber eyes laced with black.

"I was walking out of the skool, looking for you." She gulped, then continued, "I passed under a tree when water was dumped on my head. Everyone was looking at me and laughing. Including my friends."

Dib was about to say it probably looked pretty funny, but he relented knowing that he would only hurt her feelings more.

"I never knew that these people could be so cruel" she sniffed, then shivered.

Dib took off his trench coat and draped it over her shoulders. She smiled at him and grabbed a ponytail from her pocket. Tying up her hair she studied Dib closely "Wanna walk home with me?" She asked.

"Sure" replied Dib, then he stood up. Taking a risk, he offered his hand to her. she took it, her pretty face lighting up with joy.