AN. If anyone was interested, the Tangled quote from chapter 9 was Fiyero's line "A fake reputation is all a man has!"

Can anyone find the AVPM/ AVPS quote in this chapter? Well, it's a line that's in both.

Chapter Ten

Rumours always spread quickly at Shiz, especially the less believable they were. People wanted confirmation on what they were hearing, and had to tell somebody just to be able to debate who would start such a ridiculous rumour and why- and how they thought anyone would be stupid enough to actually believe it.

When Shen-Shen told Pfannee and Milla that apparently, Fiyero Tiggular and Elphaba Thropp had been seen together at a restaurant in town, Serenity, they had both openly scoffed.

"Yeah, right. Who told you that crap?" Pfannee asked sceptically.

"Rhoan… that really cute waiter!" Shen-Shen defended her source. "I met him after his shift last night and he said he served them."

Milla raised an eyebrow. "Shen, how did this come up exactly?"

Shen-Shen shrugged. "I was trying to be polite and asked how his shift was. He said he served a green girl…and really, how many green girls could there be? I asked if she was with anyone, and he said it was Fiyero Tiggular."

Pfannee was suspicious. "Just like that? You asked, he answered?"

"Well, no," Shen-Shen admitted. "At first he said he couldn't remember, but after we made out and I let him get to second base he remembered."

Pfannee and Milla exchanged knowing looks. To them, it was obvious. The waiter boy, who was cute, but far below Shen-Shen's league- had tried to impress her by saying he had served the Artichoke- even the townspeople knew of Elphaba by now. When Shen-Shen had pressed for details, he had 'pretended' to forget in order to make out with the popular girl. Then he had named the first male Shiz student he knew of, again everyone knew Fiyero's name.

"Think about this, Shen," Milla said gently. "Why would Fiyero Tiggular be out with the Artichoke?"

Shen-Shen had to admit the idea made no sense, but that was what she had been told and she stood by it.

So, of course, Pfannee and Milla couldn't help but pass it on when they were in their Life Sciences class.

"You'll never guess what a waiter at Serenity told Shen-Shen to try and impress her," Pfannee muttered to Finor, who was pretty much the male equivalent of Pfannee when it came to the Shiz social ladder. Fiyero was top of the males, of course, and somehow Galinda had managed to stay on top of the females, even after befriending the green girl.

"What?" Finor asked.

"He reckons that Fiyero and the Artichoke were there together last night."

Finor snorted. "Seriously? Did she believe him?"

Pfannee nodded and rolled her eyes. "Amazingly, yes. She even let him get to second base with her!"

Finor groaned. "Really? Oz, what do I have to say to let me get to second base with you, woman?" he asked, only half teasingly.

Pfannee smirked and tossed her hair. "Honey, meet me in the janitor's closet after class and you might even get to third."

Finor grinned as their teacher arrived to begin the lecture. Only a few minutes in, Milla slipped Pfannee a note.

Fiyero's sitting with her. That doesn't mean anything, does it?

Pfannee flipped the scrap of paper over and scribbled on the back.

No. He's friends with Galinda, isn't he? Who's friends with her. Poor boy doesn't have a choice.

And so it continued. Finor (after leaving Pfannee in the janitor's closet after class), told his friends what Pfannee had told him, and how simple Shen-Shen had believed the waiter and how far she'd let him go for the information.

They all laughed at Shen-Shen's expense, and more than one expressed the wish they'd had the same idea as the waiter boy, if they'd known it was going to get them in with girls like Shen-Shen.

"As if Tiggular would go for the celery stick," one of them laughed. "Her sister maybe, but not her."

By the time Teron, Boq's roommate, got to his science class late that afternoon, the rumour (as told to him by his lab partner) was that Elphaba had either bribed or blackmailed the waiter into telling Shen-Shen that she and Fiyero were dating, in the hope of becoming popular.

Teron, who knew Elphaba slightly more than his lab partner by now, didn't believe that at all, but had to admit the idea of Elphaba and Fiyero dating was amusing. As he headed up to his room, he wondered just where it had started.

"What's so funny?" Boq asked him, seeing his roommate chuckling to himself.

Teron wasn't surprised. "You haven't heard the latest gossip? People are saying that Fiyero's dating Elphaba, of all people."

Now, Boq, as everyone knew… because it wasn't very well hidden, had a not-so-small and discreet crush on Galinda. In his eyes, she was perfection. And according to campus reports, also taken. By Fiyero.

"I thought Fiyero was dating Miss Galinda?" Boq asked in surprise.

Teron shrugged. "I thought so too. People are so brainless they'll believe anything, I guess."

Boq was furious on Galinda's behalf. If the rumour was false, he didn't know why anyone would want to hurt Miss Galinda like that to spread a rumour her boyfriend was dating her friend and roommate. If it was true, he was aghast that Elphaba would betray Galinda like that or that Fiyero would be so cruel as to either cheat on his perfect girlfriend or dump her for her best friend.

He was so outraged, he strode from his room and out into the grounds. Boq wanted to hear the rumour for himself from someone to decide how true it was and who he should aim his anger at, when he came face to face with none other than Miss Galinda herself, on her way to the cafeteria for dinner.

"Miss Galinda!" he cried, practically throwing himself between her and the doors so she wouldn't enter and hear the horrendible whispers.

Galinda was alarmed. "What is it? What's wrong?" she demanded.

Boq grimaced and closed his eyes. He couldn't let her hear it from just anyone… news like this had to come from a friend. Well, whatever their relationship was.

"Miss Galinda… I have horrendible news. I'm so sorry that it has to be I that breaks it too you, but you should know before you go inside."

He was so grave that Galinda was genuinely worried something was terribly wrong. "What's wrong?" she asked again.

Boq couldn't look at Galinda as he said it. He didn't want to see the pain and heartache he expected to cross her beautiful face.

"People are saying… that Fiyero is dating Elphaba. I don't know how true it is, and I can't imagine how awful you must feel right now. But know, that if it is true… Fiyero doesn't deserve you. And Elphaba isn't a very good friend if she's capable of stealing her roommate's boyfriend. I'm so sorry for any pain this causes you, but I thought you deserved to hear what people are saying from someone who genuinely cares about you, and who would never treat you so cruelly or disrespectfully."

Silence met him and he finally dared to look up at Galinda's face, instead of her feet. She looked surprised and Boq wondered if she'd gone into shock as he waited for her to speak. And then suddenly, she laughed.

"Oh, Boq!" she giggled, and the Munchkin's heart soared as it did whenever she said his name correctly.

"You are so sweet! But Fiyero and I aren't dating. We never did," she chuckled.

Boq frowned. "You- what? Never? But, but- your friends said… when Elphaba was on crutches…"

Galinda rolled her eyes. "Oh, that! That was just a misunderstanding," she explained. Not technically the truth, but it's how Galinda preferred to remember it.

"The girls were jealous that I was becoming friends with Elphaba… you know what people are like, they thought she was below me and the only reason I must be friends with her was because I was dating Fiyero."

"So… you're not dating Fiyero?" Boq asked faintly.

Galinda laughed again, and shook her head. "No! We're just friends. And he is dating Elphaba… or, well… they went out last night. I think it won't be long until they're an official couple," she smiled proudly.

"But thank you Boq, for trying to protect me. It's very sweet of you," she said and kissed his cheek lightly before heading into the cafeteria, completely oblivious to Boq's eyes almost bulging out of his head and the vacant look that settled onto his face as she left.

Galinda didn't notice people staring at her in the cafeteria, she was used to it. She crossed over to their usual table where Elphaba, Fiyero and Nessa were already sitting.

"People know about you two," she addressed Elphaba and Fiyero as she sat down.

"That was quick," Fiyero said, but didn't seem surprised. Elphaba however, looked stunned and mystified.

"People know? What is there to know?"

"That you and Fiyero are dating, of course!" Galinda replied.

Elphaba blinked. "We're not."

It was Fiyero's turn to be surprised. "What about last night?"

"That was dinner," Elphaba replied logically. "I admit in hindsight it's probably a date, but the term dating, suggests more than one."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying there won't be more?"

Elphaba looked at him. The truth was, she had had fun the night before. The restaurant had been nice, and Fiyero had kept his word and proven he could be the nice, real guy she kept getting glimpses of. And he had kissed her again at the end of the night, and it had been perhaps even more enjoyable than the first, probably because Elphaba was both physically and emotional prepared for it.

So, she simply shrugged. "You haven't asked me for another one, have you?"

Fiyero opened his mouth to retort, then realised she was right. Seeing all three girls watching him in amusement (even Nessa), he could only splutter.

"You don't ask a girl out again the day after you go out with her!" he cried. "It's like rule number two! Rule number one," he continued, although none of them had asked. "Is you never tell a girl you like her. It just makes you look like an idiot."

Elphaba cocked her head thoughtfully. "You told me you liked me," she pointed out.

"And didn't I look like an idiot?" Fiyero responded.

Elphaba sighed. "I don't remember, I was too busy wondering if you'd been the one run over and had subsequent brain damage."

Fiyero rolled his eyes, now wasn't the time to argue with her over her insecurities.

"My point is, I already broke one rule for you, I'm not going to break a second."

Elphaba crossed her arms over her chest. "So, I'm worth breaking one rule, but not two?"

She was teasing him, but Fiyero was too busy panicking to notice.

"No! I mean, yes… look, rule one is the big one, so me breaking that is worth more than if I broke three other smaller rules, okay? But you can't ask a girl out within three days of the previous date until you've been dating for at least a month. It's just a rule. Otherwise you look clingy and needy."

Galinda was enjoying herself immensely. "How many times have you actually been in a relationship?" she asked.

It was a fair question. "Twice," Fiyero admitted.

"And how long did they last?" Nessa inquired.

Fiyero grimaced in thought. "Er…one was… three weeks… I think. And the other was about a month."

"And how long ago was this?"

Fiyero racked his brain desperately. "Um, Kelleigh was the three week one… my family were on vacation at Lake Chorge when I was sixteen and she was there with hers…"

"Oh a holiday romance, how original," Galinda teased. "And the second?"

"It was either Branca or Blanka," Fiyero said thoughtfully and Elphaba snorted.

"You dated her for a month and can't remember her name? She clearly left a lasting impression on you."

Fiyero shushed her, trying to recall. "We met at my eighteenth birthday party…"

Elphaba let out an 'Oh' of understanding that drew all eyes to her.

"What?" Nessa asked.

Elphaba smirked. "Eighteen is the drinking age in the Vinkus. I'm assuming that's when you started the uh, lifestyle that you live by. Therefore, most of your relationship with this girl you would have been either drunk or hung over."

"That's about right," Fiyero admitted. "It's kinda hazy."

Galinda was impatient to get back to the topic at hand. "So, you're really not going to ask Elphie out for another two days?"

Fiyero grinned at Elphaba. "That depends, Glin. Do you think she'll say yes?"

"She is right here," Elphaba muttered dryly.

So, Fiyero turned to her. "Fine, then. Will you say yes?"

Elphaba smiled. "You won't know until you ask, will you?"

"Oh, for the love of Oz! You two are driving me crazy!" Galinda fumed. "Can you just make plans already, so it can be official that you're dating?"

Elphaba laughed and looked at Fiyero questioningly. She felt slightly shy, which she knew logically was stupid.

And Fiyero answered her unspoken question as only Fiyero could. He leaned over and kissed her. Galinda let out an "Aww," and people at nearby tables let out shocked gasps, but when he pulled away after a moment Elphaba only stared at him.

"You could give me some warning before you do that, you know."

He chuckled. "Me leaning in wasn't enough warning?" he asked and she looked at him in exasperation.

Their attention was diverted by a flurry of movement. Before they could do anything, Galinda was clambering atop of the table.

"Excuse me!" she called out. "Can I have everyone's attention please?"

Obediently, the crowd turned their attention to the popular blonde standing on top of a table in the middle of the cafeteria.

"I'm assuming everyone's heard the rumours that Fiyero and Elphaba are dating-"

Elphaba groaned softly, and buried her face in her arms on the table top in embarrassment.

"Who's Elphaba?" someone asked audibly and Elphaba, her head still buried in her arms, waved a green arm in the air.

A murmur of realisation swept through the room, and Galinda cleared her throat.

"Anyway," Galinda continued pointedly. "I just wanted to clear up the apparent misunderstanding that Fiyero and I are not dating. Fiyero and Elphaba are, which is absolutely thrillifying news! Thank you very much!"

"People thought you and I were dating?" Fiyero asked Galinda as she delicately climbed off the table and resumed the seat.

"Well, Boq did, so I figured I should clear it up in case there are others who aren't saying anything," Galinda explained.

"Galinda, I am going to kill you," Elphaba said simply, finally lifting her head up. "This is none of their business!"

"What happened with Boq?" Fiyero asked, trying to distract Elphaba's fury.

Galinda giggled as she told them how the Munchkin boy had come to defend her honour when he'd heard the rumour and thought Fiyero was still dating Galinda.

"He has it so bad for you," Elphaba commented, shaking her head and feeling slightly calmer towards her friend.

"You should ask him out," Fiyero suggested.

Galinda looked horrified. "Me ask him out?"

"He's too shy to ever ask you, and he won't notice any hints you drop in conversation," Fiyero pointed out.

"I don't know… he's so short," Galinda said.

"And I'm green," Elphaba retorted hotly. "We've talked about this, Glin."

Galinda remembered, and felt slightly ashamed. "You're right, Elphie. Boq does seem sweet. Alright, I'll ask him out… ooh, and then we can double date!" she squealed excitedly.

Elphaba only groaned again.