"No, you're not. If you were, you wouldn't be so unhappy."
Her words rang through his mind on a constant basis, repeating themselves like a mantra. Fiyero could not make them go away. That day seemed to haunt him - as if the green girl's words were supposed to mean anything at all.
"If you were, you wouldn't be so unhappy."
Elphaba had no idea what she was talking about. What in the world gave her the impression that he wasn't happy? What was there to be unhappy about? He was Fiyero Tiggular for Oz's sake. There wasn't one person at Shiz that did not long to be him. Not only that, the most beautiful girl in town was head over heels in love with him. And he loved her, too. There wasn't any reason at all for him to be unhappy. He was happy. He couldn't be happier, in fact.
Yes, Elphaba had no idea what she was talking about.
Then why, oh why could he not stop thinking about that afternoon? Why did her words chase him like this? And, most importantly, why were his eyes constantly gazing towards her throughout the day?
Of course, Elphaba wasn't exactly a stranger to stares. No, Fiyero was certain that she was the type that was always attracting glances. (Having green skin would do that to a person, you see.) However, he was no longer simply gaping at her unnaturally green skin. He was suddenly seeing deeper than that – which was a completely new experience for the boy. He wasn't exactly the type to think any sort of deep thoughts. Analyzing someone's expressions, their tone – thinking about anything for more than just a moment – it went against everything that he stood for. To look past someone's exterior was quite a feat indeed.
And yet, there Fiyero sat, reliving that afternoon all over again. What had Elphaba done to the students in the classroom, and why was he the only one that wasn't affected? Did that mean something significant? Or, perhaps, was he just not getting in her way at the time? There were so many possibilities, and Fiyero often found himself musing over said possibilities.
Why had he tried to help her? Why didn't he leave well enough alone? It wasn't his business. Elphaba was nothing but the green girl. Why did he even bother doing anything at all? That, at least, was a question that he could answer.
Something about that green girl absolutely fascinated him. She was like no one else that he had ever met. She dared to challenge him. She didn't listen to his every word and carefully watch his every move – he was not the center of her attention. (That was another very new experience for Fieyro.)
For some reason, he was absolutely captivated by this strange girl. Something he had never felt before stirred in his chest, and he simply could not keep his mind off of her. It was nearing obsession, come to think of it.
Every time she walked by, something strange stirred in his stomach – almost like a fluttering. What was this nonsense? He had never felt something like this before. He started to wonder if Elphaba was right. Perhaps being the center of attention wasn't what he wanted anymore. But what did he want, then?
A whispering in the back of his mind tried to tell him, but he didn't want to listen to it. Galinda and he were perfect for each other. But if that were true, why couldn't he stop thinking? He never did that before. He couldn't even sleep during the day anymore. His mind was always alert, always on the same subject.
For the love of Oz – what was wrong with him?
He was constantly thinking about her, about that afternoon, about her words . . . about what would have happened if he had not run away. Ah, yes, that was the thing that disturbed him the most. He adored Galinda, and she practically worshiped the ground that he walked on. What was he thinking, nearly kissing Elphaba like that?
That was exactly it, he realized. He hadn't been thinking.
He was beginning to recognize that as a problem.