🌸 Invader Zim 𝔁 Reader Oneshots 🌸

Testing The Waters

Walking inside, both of you were met with the sight of every other student in your class gathered around over to the side of the room near where the bleachers were, jumbled up in one big group as you both made your way over there. Stationing yourself next to both Zim and your friend, Gretchen, the class began to tune in to one of the gym coaches when he sounded his whistle loud and hard, a slight ringing in your ears could be heard from the aftermath of the sudden noise.

"Alright students, listen up! The names' Mr Lopez, one of the top leading coaches in all of the state, and I'll be your gym coach for the year!" He announced, his voice loud and bothersome with the tone like that of a military soldier.

"But... it's already the middle of the year?" You overheard Dib pipe up with confusion from across the group. Almost immediately, Mr Lopez's face turned to a hostile expression as he sent daggers towards Dib with a sharp glare.

"TALK AGAIN WITHOUT PERMISSION AND I'LL MAKE YOU RUN LAPS AROUND THE SKOOL, UNDERSTAND?!" He snapped towards Dib, who in return responded with a very quiet agreement and slightly cowered his head in his shoulders. Meanwhile, you could hear Zim next to you clearly amused by the whole scenario and snicker to himself, especially finding it hilarious that it was Dib who got yelled at rather than anyone else.

"Now, before we get started, does anyone else have anything they'd like to say?" He asked the whole group. The room fell silent, most likely because all the other students were too stunned by what just happened to feel brave enough to speak up. After a few seconds of silence, you were amazed to hear one of the other students talk as the rest of the class was still too cowardly to say anything, although you knew Zim didn't feel that same way as everybody else, he just clearly didn't have anything to ask the coach.

"What will we be doing, Mr Lopez sir?" The student politely asked.

"Well we have a full agenda today." He explained, pulling up a clipboard with a few pieces of paper attached to it, his eyes scanning over the pages while he continued to talk. "All activities for today are water-based, meaning we will be doing aquatic exercises and using the swimming pool. So hurry up and go change into your swimsuits or whatever you usually wear when you go swimming."

"But... we didn't bring anything to wear for swimming." Dib confessed, piping up in the middle of the group and watching as Mr Lopez soon got just as angry towards Dib as he had been before.

"Why not?!" The coach asked in frustration. Dib then went on to explain how it was unbeknownst to the whole class that we'd be doing any form of aquatic sport and that none of us were prepared earlier for such activities. Mr Lopez sighed heavily upon hearing this newfound piece of information and hung his head, squinting his eyes and shaking his head slowly before glancing back over to the rest of us. Despite him mumbling something slightly incoherent under his breath, you managed to make out what sounded like the words 'I better get a pay rise after I'm through with these kids' come out from him.

"Alright, then just jump in fully clothed I guess. The skool doesn't have enough funds to supply you extra swimsuits so you'll just have to complain to the principal about this later." He admitted, pointing over to where the swimming pool was over in the distance. "NOW GET MOVING!"

Even if it was highly unethical and rather ridiculous to be forced into such behaviour, the majority of the class did as the coach instructed as they were too terrified to find out what consequences would arise if not obeyed. Walking with the rest of the group over to the pool, you noticed how small it actually was compared to what you might imagine a proper swimming pool should look like for a class this size. Sure it was only a class of maybe 20 kids or so, but that doesn't excuse the fact that this pool was roughly the size of the girls bathroom in comparison, which is relatively small as well. You hesitated for a moment on whether or not you wanted to get in, hanging behind the group with Zim as you watched the rest of the students make their way in one by one. You observed silently as some dipped their toes in first before submerging themselves in, some showing off their poise as they dove in gracefully, while others would cannonball in the middle of the water and cause a splash back that reached well beyond the circumference of the pool itself. While more and more students made their way in, you turned your head around to face Zim and noticed his face was riddled with uneasiness.