Chapter Text
Zanka was a straight A student, until his roommate, Jabber Wonger, moved in a few months into second term. He LOATHED Jabber in every way, he never picked up his messes, left blank homework assignments floating around the dorm, and for some reason always smelled like mysterious chemicals. People thought he snuck into the chemistry lab after hours to work on the formula for his “neurotoxins”.
Zanka thought those rumors were stupid, he would never get past Delmon, the school's security guard. Delmon was the strongest guy in school. If you were caught sneaking around after dark, he would make you regret it.
Zanka liked Delmon though, after all, he was a member of the Cleaners, a club devoted to making the world a better place. The Cleaners was a place where Zanka felt truly alive and happy, free from the stress of grades and homework, free to hang out with his friends and help the community—and most importantly, get away from Jabber.
Jabber was bad, but good at not getting caught. One night, he was working on his neurotoxins, when a bottle spilled and caused a large explosion, shattering the windows and almost knocking the door off its hinges. Yet somehow there was no proof he did it.
It was late at night, Zanka had a big test in history the next morning. Of course, right on cue, Jabber walks into the dorm.
“Heyy Mr. Bad Attitude!” Jabber said in his usual sly tone.
“I told you to stop calling me that!” Zanka didn’t really mean that. He would never admit it out loud, but he secretly enjoyed being called that. Jabber plopped onto his bed, letting out a dramatic sigh. “I know ya enjoy it. Just admit it, you don’t hate me~”
“Whatever.” he mutters under his breath. “I have an exam in the morning, I gotta study, so please find someone else to bore to death.”
“Whatever you say. I’ll be out on the balcony if you need me. Try your best not to cover the walls in formulas.” Jabber chuckles as he walks out onto the balcony. I guess I’m prepared enough for the test. No—I’m not falling for his antics. Zanka thought to himself.
After an hour of cramming all the possible knowledge into his brain without having a stress overload. He finally took a moment to look at the clock to see it was almost midnight.
“Shit! How did it get this late?? I was supposed to be sleeping hours ago so I could wake up in time for the exam!” Zanka quickly shoved all his notes into his bag, before getting into bed and going to sleep.
- - - - - - -
The next morning was hell. Zanka slept through two of his alarms, missed breakfast, and almost was late to the exam. He rushed through the hall, trying to get to chemistry before class started and he was late. Zanka had never had a tardy or absence in five years, and he wasn’t about to change that.
He bursts through the door, quickly taking his seat next to his lab partner and best friend, Riyo Reaper. Riyo was cool, part of the Cleaners, on the volleyball team, and one of the smartest people you’ll meet.
“Rough night?” she asks in a knowing tone.
“Yeah, Jabber snuck back in at like ten, and wouldn’t stop bothering me when I was trying to study. Then I missed my first two alarms when I woke up, and had to rush over here.” He responded, clearly out of breath.
“Yikes. I take it you haven’t talked to him yet then.”
“No, I need the right time. And trust me, the night before an exam is not it.”
Just then, their professor, Tamsy Caines, walked through the door. “Alright everyone, find your seats so we can get started.”
He walked around the room, handing packets to everyone in the class. “I’m feeling generous today, so this is an open book exam, feel free to use any notes or past worksheets you may have. You may begin.”
Zanka felt immense relief when the words “open book” left the professor’s mouth. Great, this isn’t going to be so bad after all.
Zanka finished with ten minutes left to spare, it wasn’t as hard as he thought. I wonder if Jabber is still at the dorm, I still gotta talk to him about that thing. He goes back to grab his bag and whispers to Riyo, “Wish me luck.”
Riyo nods as he grabs his bag and leaves. The hallways were empty, almost everyone was still in class. The only people still out and about were either trying to skip or going to the bathroom. He grabs his things from his locker and walks out into the courtyard.
He takes his time to get back to the dorm, thinking about how he was even gonna begin this conversation. Hey Jabber, so I actually kinda don’t mind you and we should go get lunch sometime. No, that would sound stupid and just drive it off. Great, just great. I can’t even form a sentence in my head, how am I supposed to talk to him? Zanka’s stress levels were through the roof. He had no idea how to express his feelings in words, let alone to someone like Jabber.
The entire walk was spent playing scenarios in his head about what he could say to Jabber that could possibly go well. Then it clicked—he would just keep his mouth shut about it. Luckily Riyo wasn’t here to tell him that it was unhealthy to let these things eat away at him. After all, what could go wrong?