Invader Zim x Reader: Phase of Moon

6: A "Date" with Dib

       The rest of the school day went fairly well. I spent a relaxing time discussing more theories with Dib as we sat underneath an oak tree in the schoolyard. While we talked, I was mildly observing the other children as they played with one another. They all seemed so carefree and relaxed, as they kicked a ball back and forth with each other. There was a saying that I once learned called ignorance is bliss, it seemed to apply to the children in that they probably did not know of all the danger in the world, something I had to learn from an early age. In any case, there were still moments when I was so happy that I seemed to forget everything except what was happening in the present.

After recess was over, we still had to do a few more periods until school let out. That meant there was only a few more hours until I got to hang out with Dib outside of Skool. I tried my best not to get too excited by it, as that may make me think that time was moving slower than it actually was and so I put the majority of my attention into the lessons. There were points when it was hard to stay focused, such as when I swore Zim was staring at me and when I turned to check his head was turned the other way. Unfortunately, I did not know any tricks to make it seem like time was moving faster because the distractions made it seem like this school day would last for decades. Luckily, by the next period it was art, something that would not be too hard to distract myself with.

"Okay children, for this art lesson you will be attempting to recreate The Starfull Night by a famous artist you probably don't know, Vin Vannago. So everyone grab a canvas and these specialty paints and get started," Ms. Bitters growled as she pointed to a large stack of canvases and paint packs. Everyone slowly got up from their seats and walked over to the front to grab a canvas and art supplies. When Dib went to get his, he looked at the art supplies skeptically then turned to Ms. Bitters. "How can the school afford special canvases and paints when they can't even afford new textbooks?" he questioned as he pointed to the shelve of deteriorated textbooks near the back of the classroom. "Look, if you have a problem with what the school does with its funding go to the principal's office after class. Otherwise, sit down!" Ms. Bitters hissed as Dib grabbed the art supplies before reluctantly going back to his desk. Once everyone had a canvas and painting supplies, we were instructed to start painting, but I acknowledged that we were given no reference material.

"Ms. Bitters? I forgot what the Starfull Night painting looks like, is there any reference material we could use to refresh our memories?" I ask as most of the other children began saying that they had no idea what the painting looked like either. "No I'm afraid the school couldn't afford any reference pictures. Just use your imagination to come up with something mediocre," Ms. Bitters muttered with annoyance as she started sorting through a pile of papers on her desk. The other students seemed disappointed as well, without any reference material it would be hard to attempt to recreate a painting. I had the canvas positioned upright on my desk as I began to dip my paintbrush in indigo paint. Since there was no reference material to base the painting off of, I decided I would base the painting off the name. So I began to paint a galaxy with lots of dark colors and plenty of stars. I continued to add details after I finished with the base until Ms. Bitters ordered us to stop.

After putting down my brush, I briefly looked at some of the other students' paintings. The majority seemed to consist of a black background with drawings of stars. Zim appeared to have painted some sort of black hole on his canvas which was surprisingly very detailed. Dib's painting seemed vaguely familiar, but at the same time the quality seemed a little off from whatever it was that I was reminded of. It seemed to be a windy night in a city or town of some sort and the night sky was loaded with many stars. Ms. Bitters started calling students up to present their paintings and dismissing each one as a failure by saying that they would never have a career in the art industry. Most students ended with C's for drawing stars on a black background, while some students such as Zim did not draw stars and ended with a D-. So far, Dib had gotten the highest grade, a B-, because his painting bore the closest resemblance to The Starfull Night, though it did lack in quality.