"I'm so bored I could die."
"Do go ahead, then."
Avaric smirked at Elphaba, who ignored him. His smirk broadened into a grin as he leaned close to her and made horrible choking sounds, clutching at his throat with mock agony before falling noisily out of his chair.
The entire class broke into roars of laughter, and Elphaba fought a grin as she gazed haughtily down at the foolish boy sprawled on the floor.
"Master Avaric," the teacher, Dr. Fyellik called. "What in Oz are you doing?"
The boy sprang up, feigning remorse. "I apologize, sir. I choked on some water; it went down the wrong way."
"Of course it did," Fyellik muttered, rolling his eyes. "Are you quite well enough that I may proceed?"
"I - I think so, sir," Avaric promised, his eyes wide with pretend innocence. "I apologize for interrupting."
He reclaimed his seat next to Elphaba, and she turned her head a fraction of an inch toward him, which was the only reward he would get from her for the time being. "You're an idiot."
He grinned. "Come on, that must have made you laugh at least a little."
A small smile quirked her lips before she set her face once more. "I assure you it did not. It was a waste of time."
He nodded, reading her expression. "You're welcome," he winked, leaning back in his chair.
"For what?"
"For making you laugh," he whispered, surprised that she didn't know he had the ability to see through her stern faces and uppity tone. "You need it, every once in awhile."
Elphaba refused to acknowledge his accuracy, or even his presence, for the rest of class.
When they were released, however, he was at her side in a flash, an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, Tiggular," he called, spotting Fiyero and Galinda up ahead.
The couple paused and waited for Elphaba and Avaric to catch up to them. Fiyero frowned at Avaric's arm; since when was Elphaba so comfortable being touched? Well, touched by someone other than him?
"Hello, Elphie, Avaric," Galinda beamed, her arm linked through Fiyero's. Galinda was ever so excited about Avaric's apparent fascination with her room mate! Even more exciting was that Elphaba hadn't yet run away screaming. Perhaps there were double dates in their future! Many, many, many double dates! With ice cream! And dancing! "Are you all right?"
Avaric had completely forgotten about his boisterous display, and stared in confusion at Galinda until Fiyero added. "Water seems to be quite the hazard."
"Who'd have thought," Elphaba murmured. "Perhaps you have to be especially stupid to be taken down by water."
"Perhaps," Avaric shrugged. "What are we all up to for lunch today? I was thinking Kridina's Kafé, just off campus."
"We'd miss our after-lunch block," Elphaba said, her face reflecting her immense confusion about said notion.
"So?"
Elphaba scowled at Avaric. "So," she said. "I don't want to."
"Fine. Galinda? Fiyero?"
Fiyero was torn between his intense adoration for skipping class (and Kridina's hot turkey sandwiches) and his intense adoration for Elphaba, so Galinda answered for him. "We're in! Come on, Elphie. Please? You know you're miles ahead of everyone in all your classes, anyway. Pleeeeease?"
Elphaba would have put her foot down and been stubborn just for spite if not for the look in Fiyero's eyes. She could read what he was thinking: "You really don't have to, but it'd be great if you did."
That did it.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. "If you all insist."
Avaric pulled her close and noisily kissed the side of her head, laughing as she swatted him away. It wasn't that she minded Avaric, it was just the public displays of affection that got to her. In truth, Avaric wasn't so -
"Hey, midget! Take a picture, it'll last longer."
Elphaba sighed. No, Avaric was an asshole. Even if he wasn't being an asshole to her, he was still an asshole. "Don't be an asshole," she said, shooting Boq a look of sympathy. It wasn't his fault he was always staring at them; Galinda was often among them, and Boq just couldn't help but stare at Galinda.
"Why not?"
"Because I said so."
Avaric shrugged. "Sorry, Boq," he called.
Boq, emboldened by Elphaba's support, threw a glare over his shoulder as he scurried away. "Now you'll never know his love," Fiyero lamented.
"He's not who I'm after, anyway," Avaric shot back, silencing the prince.
"Let's gooooo," Galinda interrupted, bored senseless by the words flying around her. She knew something was going on that she didn't comprehend, and that bothered her. "I'm hungry."
Elphaba shrugged out from Avaric's hold on her and stepped to take Galinda's arm, locking it with her own. Galinda immediately released herself from Fiyero, and the girls led the way toward Kridina's, with Avaric and Fiyero ambling behind.
Lunch that day was what had become average: Galinda made small talk, Elphaba quietly and tidily ate her food, and Fiyero and Avaric fought over who was picking up the tab. Elphaba said she could pay her own way, and one of the boys (this time it was Avaric) stole the check and went to pay while the other tried to convince her to just accept the free lunch. Galinda then giggled, confused by Elphaba's resistance to a free ride. Ladies never paid, that was just the way it was!
Fiyero and Galinda both had Humanities together for last block of the day, in the opposite direction of Elphaba's Philosophy class and Avaric's Linguification class, both in the same wing of the same building.
Parting ways, Fiyero couldn't help but feel his face crease into a frown as Elphaba and Avaric disappeared around a corner.
"So... what are your plans for tonight?"
"We're going to be late," Elphaba replied.
"No, we aren't. We're halfway through this block, we've got tons of time. Plans?"
Elphaba stopped and stared up at him. "Are you serious with this?"
"Of course," he replied, eyes twinkling.
"You are far too full of mischief to be serious about anything," Elphaba declared, and turned on her heel to stalk away from him.
"Elphie, wait," he called, jogging after her.
"Don't call me that."
"Elphaba Marham Thropp, would you hold on a minute?"
"Listen," she said, spinning around to face him once more. "I'm sure this is all a very entertaining game to you, but I don't find it funny. Let us not degrade ourselves to mocking my inability to attract the opposite sex, shall we?"
Thrown, Avaric could only gape at her as she nodded, once, resolutely, then resumed her trek toward the building. "Hold on an Ozdamn minute," he said, pursuing her once more. Catching up to her, he caught her arm in his hand and pulled her around and into his arms. "You can say what you like about your feelings for me, but don't cheapen mine for you with some malarkey about an inability to attract."
"Let go of me," she ordered, struggling.
"Why? Because you don't want me to touch you, or because you really do?"
"Avaric."
He released her. "Don't run, though. Listen, I'd like to take you out tonight. Just you and me, without Galinda talking about the various shades of pink that make her eyes look violet and Tiggular trying to get the check. I've been following you around like a sad dog long enough and it's time I either gave up or got a chance. I'd like a chance."
"A chance for what?"
"To count," he said. "To matter."
Elphaba didn't know what to say to that. "Why me?" she finally asked.
"Why not you? Don't you know how amazing you are?"
"Oh I loathe that you must be so kind," she spat, pacing a little. "It's confusing."
"What's confusing about it?"
"It is adverse to your nature," she pointed out. "Completely."
"I suppose," he conceded. "But I can't pretend to have anything but respect for you. It's no fun mocking make believe things are aren't true, or pretending that valuable attributes are worthy of derision. And you, Miss Thropp, are lacking in any serious flaw. I'd trade in your stubbornness," he added. "But that's not so much a flaw as a hurdle."
"Oh yes," she sneered. "Stubbornness is my main flaw. You're a piece of work."
"All right, you're also kind of snotty," he shrugged. "But, really, you're so much smarter than everyone else, it can't be helped." She glared at him for a long while, and he began to fidget. "Listen, like I said, I don't have to... What are you so mad about?"
"Being stubborn and snotty. That's what you see when you look for flaws in me," she clarified, her voice dangerous.
Comprehension dawned on him. "Ohhh," he said. He nodded, stepping closer to her to take her hands in his. "Yes," he said, in complete earnest. "That's it."
"You're impossible," she announced, pulling away from him.
"So that's a no, then? You're going to say 'no' because it's your own damn shortsightedness that can't see how beautiful you are? It figures, after all these years of throwing compliments at ordinary girls, that the one who should let one stick has an impenetrable shield around her. Fine, go. You're a pain in the ass, anyway."
"And you're a spoiled, lazy, playboy bastard who never thinks of anyone but himself," she shot back.
"Wrong. I'm a spoiled, lazy, playboy bastard who can't get you out of his head."
"I can't stand you," she fumed.
"Nor I you," he slammed back, crossing to her in three long strides. He pulled her close and kissed her silly, and she let him.
Soon, her arms were around his neck, pulling him even closer as they melded together, caught up in the infinite bliss of each others lips and tongues until Elphaba pulled away, gasping. "What is this, a Jane Austen novel?"
"Whatever it is, it should include more kissing," he pointed out, leaning to catch her mouth again. "Yes, it should," he grinned after another short while. "And perhaps tonight, after I take you to dinner, we can do some more."
She released him and sighed. "Fine. But nowhere fancy. I refuse to get Galindafied for this."
"You don't have to wear clothes at all, if you don't want."
"You're a pig."
"As long as you like me, you can call me whatever you want."
"I shall, then," she decided. "My dorm, at six?"
"Would you like flowers and candy?"
"Oz, no," she replied, wrinkling her nose. "How trite."
He smiled. "I knew you were too good to be true." He glanced at the building. "Want me to walk you all the way to your classroom?"
She seriously considered her options for a long while, biting her lower lip as she mulled it over. "I would," she finally smirked, putting him out of his misery.
"I'm the sad dog again, already," he lamented. "You mustn't toy with me, it's an abuse of power."
Elphaba couldn't help but laugh, and took his hand in hers as they made their way further on down the path.