After her mini-meltdown, her friends and the whole crew for the show were extremely solicitous of Myka's feelings. It made her feel a little warm and fuzzy, but also really pissed her off, because she was trying to forget the whole thing. But she got on with it as best she could, working hard and conscientiously as always. Leena was full of praise for her and Helena's performances, and for her light comedic touch in particular. That part of it was exhilarating – comedy wasn't really her thing but from the genuine laughter coming from the crew it seemed like she was doing justice to the role. It was a little difficult to keep from getting a big head, but she figured she had been treated so badly in the past that it would take a while before the balance shifted enough that she would think too much of herself. She did what she did best, and pushed her feelings down and channelled all her energy into work. She distanced herself from the group a little, spending her evenings on her own once rehearsals were over. She tried to avoid Helena wherever possible, as pleasantly as she could. She didn't understand her, not one bit, and she didn't want to deal with it while her head was whirling with so many other things. She could see the hurt in Helena's eyes, but she didn't know how to make it better without hurting herself more. The rehearsals, looking at Helena with pretended hatred or affection while she looked back with those dark eyes that said so much while simultaneously saying nothing at all – it was a special kind of torture. When they were face to face, singing their hearts out, harmonising, it was like everything was ok with the world again. The music surrounded them and made them into something more than they were as separate people. But it was so hard to go from that intimacy to the pain of knowing that Helena didn't want her. She realised it was selfish to withdraw from the other girl so much when they had been so close, but she didn't know how the hell else to deal with it all.

It was while she was having one of these internal debates that Pete came to talk to her. They'd started talking a little when he'd confided in her that he had a thing for one of the dancers, a tall blonde called Amanda. Myka had to agree that the woman was stunning. She encouraged him to go for it, and since then they'd had the odd meal together on their own. She found him to be a lot different than she would have expected. He was a great big idiot most of the time, but there was a brain under there, a sharp mind. They somehow complemented each other, his goofiness with her seriousness, his perceptive nature with her analytical one. He came over to her as she was drinking some cold water from the fountain in the corridor outside the rehearsal room, and punched her gently on the arm. It had become their signature greeting.

"So, Bering, what's up with you and HG Wells in there?" He lifted an eyebrow and gestured towards the rehearsal room with a thumb.

"Nothing, Pete. What do you mean?"

He looked at her sceptically. "Mykes, I am no expert on English ladies, but that particular lady is cuckoo for you. And you're giving her the cold shoulder. What's up with that?" She huffed a little and said, "I am categorically not giving her the cold shoulder. I am being totally friendly as usual, I'm just not...giving everything away all the time like I was. Ok?"

Pete raised his hands defensively. "Hey, Mykes, I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable. I just want you to be happy, and Helena too. You are both awesome and I care about you. But you are definitely giving that girl the lukewarm shoulder at the very least, and I don't get why. You were so close after that first rehearsal, and then something changed. What happened?" He peered at her with such a sweet concern on his face that she sighed and gave in.

"Ok. So, what happened was that I kissed her. In the elevator that night when Steve made you take the stairs?" Pete nodded, whistling a little as he took this in. "So I kissed her, and she kissed me back, and it was really...God, I don't know what it was. It was hot, because of course it was, but it felt..." She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and pushing her hands through her tangled curls.

"It felt deeper than just a kiss, Pete. It did something to me. And then, we jumped apart because the elevator was opening, and because you and Steve were there, and then later...She told me she wasn't ready for anything, because of some stuff from her past that I can't tell you about. And that would've been fine, only she asked me to stay, and she was wrapped around me all night. I have been so confused since then, Pete. She is beautiful, and honestly I think I fell for her almost straight away. But this hot and cold crap...I can't wrap my brain around it. And some stuff happened to me over the holidays too, nothing to do with her, but it's a lot to take in all by itself. So I guess I'm protecting myself for now. Do you think that makes me a bad person?" She looked at him, appealing, but almost expecting him to say yes.

He laughed. "You couldn't be a bad person if you tried, Mykes. If you weren't so obviously otherwise inclined, I would've been all over you like a rash. Or, you know, something a bit sexier than a rash. But no, you're not a bad person. I can understand how this would've been confusing for you. And I'm sure the rehearsals aren't helping right now either. I'm sorry, babe. I hope she comes round and realises what an opportunity she has here with you. You two could really be something." He pulled her into a bear hug, and he was gross and sweaty so she ended up punching him really hard on the arm to get him to let her go. They returned to the rehearsal room, where Myka spent the whole time during "Defying Gravity" trying not to gape at how amazing Helena was as Elphaba. "At least she'll be painted green when we do the actual performances," she consoled herself. Yeah, thinking about painting Helena's body would really help. She groaned to herself, softly.