Rifiuto: Non Miriena
Thanks to UnlimitedDream90, Issa22 and EmZ711 for reviewing 2.
"Elphie? Elphie, it's two o'clock in the morning! What are you-" Glinda stopped, stepping into the bathroom. She heard the shower running, and choked on the steam. "Elphie! Elphie! Not again!" This time, she reached up and grabbed the shower curtain, yanking it aside. "Elphie, this is the fourth time this week- Elphie?"
The green girl sat in the bath tub, her arms wrapped around her knees. She stared ahead, giving no sign that she heard Glinda at all. The blonde sighed and sank to the floor.
"Oh Elphie." She stayed silent for several minutes, before finally getting up. "Come on, let's get you out of here. You're red as pomegranate seeds and if you stay in here any longer, you'll prune." She reached over, helped the girl to her feet, and wrapped one arm around the tiny waist, helping her from the shower. She grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around her roommate's small, lithe body before leading her into the warmth of their dorm. A fire crackled in the fireplace, and she sat the green girl in front of it. "Stay here." Then, she disappeared into the bathroom and turned off the shower. When she returned to her roommate's side, she began rubbing the girl's skin in an effort to help her get warm. "Honestly Elphie, you shouldn't be taking showers at two in the morning. You should be sleeping instead- especially when you haven't been getting much sleep."
The girl didn't respond.
After a moment, Glinda got up and went to Elphaba's bed, grabbing her pajamas and a blanket. She helped the girl dressed and then wrapped the blanket around her. Elphaba didn't say a word. She stared into the fireplace, watching the flames dance and pop. Sighing, Glinda climbed to her feet and pulled her slippers on.
"Elphie, I'm going to go downstairs and get us some coffee, okay?" The girl didn't respond. Trusting that she would stay put, Glinda pressed a kiss to the girl's raven head and then slipped out of the dorm, locking the door behind her. She slipped her key into her pocket and hurried downstairs.
Crage Hall, the girls' dorm, had its own cafe on the first floor, with a lounge and small library adjacent. Crage Hall- like Briscoe, the boys' dorm- had been part of the original school. Originally, Shiz had been a girls' school, before going co-ed in the fifties. On the outskirts of the campus, were the ruins of Thropp House- nicknamed Title House, because the majority of the students that lived in it after it was first built were from entitled, weathly families, the Thropps included- the building built with donations given by Elphaba's great-great-great-great-great had listened to Elphaba tell stories about her family's legacy, and how she was expected to live up to it.
Every Thropp woman had attended Shiz, and when the school became co-ed, every man as well. Each had gone on to do something great; it was only natural that Elphaba be expected to add to that greatness. No matter how strong she portrayed herself, Elphaba was starting to crack. She had a legacy to live up to- legacy bound tightly within the walls of Shiz itself. Glinda, thankfully, didn't have a legacy to live up to- not at the very same school she was attending, anyway. She understood why Elphaba was starting to crack; no one, not even Elphaba, could survive the pressure for long- andtaking showers at two in the morning was the first sign that her roommate was succumbing to pressure.
Once Glinda slipped into the cafe, she hurried to the counter; the barista gave her a small smile.
"One double espresso and one vanilla mocha, please, Candle."
"Elphaba not sleeping again, Glinda?" The girl asked, filling the order. Glinda nodded.
"She was taking another two a.m. shower." Glinda said, tucking a curl behind her ear.
Candle shook her head. "Another one?" Glinda nodded, biting her lip. "Here. There's a blueberry muffin and a cinnamon scone for Elphaba."
"Thanks, Candle." The girl nodded and Glinda hurried from the cafe back to their dorm. She pulled her key from her pocket and slipped it into the lock before pushing it open. "Elphie?" Shutting the door behind her, she locked it and went over to the fireplace. The girl was still there, right where she'd left her.
Was she even breathing?
She sat down next to her roommate, and set the scone and coffee in front of her. "Elphie, I got you a cup of coffee and a cinnamon scone. Double espresso, just like you like." Then, she reached over and wrapped Elphie's hands around the cup. The girl didn't respond. Sighing, Glinda sat next to her friend and took a sip of her mocha. "Please say something, Elphie, you're scaring me." After a moment, she set her cup down and brought the espresso to the girl's lips, helping her drink. Quickly, she glanced at the clock on Elphaba's nightstand.
Three a.m.
"I'll put these away. We can eat them tomorrow." She gathered up the bag and placed the contents in the small fridge in the small kitchenette all the rooms had- a sink, a fridge, freezer and microwave- just enough to warm up food or keep it cold, but not enough to make a whole meal. Which was fine for the students; they prefered the cafeteria anyway. Once done, she returned to Elphaba's side and reached down, wrapping an arm around her waist and helping her up. "Come on, Elphie, time for bed. We both need to get to sleep, since we have a lot going on tomorrow."
When she'd tucked Elphaba in, she turned off the light and placed a quick kiss on the girl's forehead before climbing into bed. She hoped everything would return to normal the next morning.
What she- and Elphaba- didn't know, was that the next morning, and every day after that, was never going to be normal again.
