A/N: I haven't warned for this yet, but this chapter (and fic in general) contains underage drinking and the mention/use of other illicit substances. obviously i don't condone breaking the law. be safe, kids. also, warning for homophobia/homophobic language in this chapter.

If you could see the wreck I am these days, you'd have new reasons to stay away. Just hold my hand for a little while. Misery never goes out of style

Creeper, "Misery"

After the game Friday night, Fiyero wandered over to where Glinda was packing her bag and talking to Pfannee and Shenshen.

"Hey," she said when she saw him. "I'm almost ready. I just have to run back into the school and change."

"You guys coming to the party?" Shenshen asked.

Glinda looked at Fiyero. "Um. We…"

"Not this weekend." Fiyero smiled at her and Pfannee. "We've got other plans. But I hope I'm still invited next weekend?"

Pfannee narrowed her eyes at Glinda, who just grinned and shrugged.

"Of course you are," said Shenshen. She grabbed Pfannee by the arm and started walking off. "We should get going. Come on, Pfan."

Glinda started giggling as soon as they were out of earshot. "You realize they think we're going on a date now, right?"

"Oh? I just thought Pfannee always had that evil jealous look on her face."

Glinda nudged him. "You're awful."

"It's all in good fun. I'll wait here for you?"

"Sounds good. Be back in a minute."

She took her bag and hurried off to the school. In the locker room, she pulled off her blue shirt and mini skirt, folding them neatly and placing them back in her bag. She changed into her outfit for the party—black high waisted shorts and a pink crop top—then took the blue and white bow out of her hair and redid her ponytail, smoothing all of her hair back into place. She looked over herself in the mirror, making sure her makeup was still intact, then changed into her strappy white sandals and zipped up her bag.

When she went back to the field, Fiyero was leaning against the front wall of the stands, talking to Avaric. They both turned toward her as she got close.

"Glinda," said Avaric. "You look hot."

"Good game, Avaric," she said evenly. She looked at Fiyero. "You ready?"

"He says you're not coming to the party," Avaric said. "Why not?"

Glinda gave him her most charming smile. "We've got other plans."

"You must, if you're dressed like that." Avaric's eyes lingered over her. It was a look she was all too familiar with.

Something must have crossed her face, because Fiyero quickly said, "Anyway, we should get going. See you Monday, Avaric."

"You two have fun," said Avaric. "And if you don't, Glinda, you should text me. For old time's sake."

Glinda decided not to answer. She just pulled out her keys and led Fiyero to the parking lot.

It was dark and mostly empty by now. Glinda took a deep breath, enjoying the moment of quiet. Fiyero walked by her side, looking thoughtful.

"You and Avaric dated." It wasn't a question. She glanced at him.

"Yeah. Last year."

"He's still into you."

She sighed. Why did everyone say that? "He's really not. He just flirts with every hot girl he finds, and he thinks I'm one of the hottest."

"Why'd you break up?" Fiyero reached up to run a hand through his hair. "I mean, uh, if I can ask."

"It's fine," she said. "I don't know. When summer got here, we just kind of went our separate ways." It was more or less true. If she left out the part about her wanting to go as far away from him as possible, well, that was okay. Fiyero didn't need all the details.

They kept walking. Fiyero smiled a little. "Well, now it makes sense why you wanted to go to Crope and Tibbett's party instead."

"I like the football parties." Mostly. "It's just fun to switch it up, you know?"

"So if I asked you to go to the team's party with me next weekend?"

"I'm there," she said. They reached her car. "This is mine."

"Nice car for a high schooler."

"Well, I may not be semi-royalty, but my family's not doing too bad, either."

He grinned. "Fair enough. So where is this thing?"

Glinda pulled her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it. She opened messages and scrolled down to Crope's name. "There," she said, handing the phone to Fiyero. "You okay with being navigator?"

He was already plugging the address into his own phone. "I'm a hunter, Miss Glinda. Navigating is my specialty."

"Oh, how charming." She started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

"Hey, Glinda?"

"Yeah?"

"Isn't drinking illegal in Gillikin?"

"Until you're twenty-one, yeah." She glanced over at him. "Why, is it not in the Vinkus?"

"No. Our drinking age is sixteen." He made a face. "Well, if it's supplied by an adult. We can't buy until eighteen."

"Lucky."

He laughed. "So it's completely illegal until twenty-one? You can't even drink with your parents at home?"

"I mean, you can. It's not like you have a chip in you that alerts the police whenever you have a glass of wine." She shrugged, then looked over at him again. "But yeah. It's against the law. Is—if you're not okay, we can—"

"Hey, it's fine with me. I was just curious. I didn't realize the Gillikinese were so rebellious," he said teasingly.

"Trust me," she said. "Underage drinking has been honed into a fine art in Gillikin. And here at Shiz, I mean, what else is there to do?"

"You act like it's such an awful place. Shiz is one of the most renowned cities in Gillikin."

"Yeah, but that's for historical stuff. Because of the college, mostly. And that's not around anymore."

"Why not? I mean, I know it was closed generations ago, but do you know why?"

"I'm not really sure. It was that time after the Wizard left, and everything was suddenly shifting and changing. Supposedly a lot of minor rebellions were rooted in Shiz. Maybe people thought it was because of the college."

"Isn't a lot of it still standing?" Fiyero asked.

"Yeah. All of downtown? That used to be the campus. The buildings are all shops and apartments and stuff now, but they're still there. In fact, the café I worked at over the summer? That used to be a one of the eateries in the girls' college."

"That's really cool, actually."

"It's pretty down there," Glinda said. "So I guess Shiz isn't that bad. But when you've lived here most of your life…"

"Any place can suck if you're stuck there," Fiyero agreed. "It's this road, by the way."

Glinda turned. "I think we found it."

They had reached a little cul-de-sac of nice brick houses and wide, green yards. One of the driveways was full of cars, spilling out onto the road. Glinda parked behind a red minivan, then twisted to reach into the back seat. She pulled a pack of strawberry ale from beneath a blanket.

Fiyero raised his eyebrows. "I thought you couldn't buy alcohol?"

"Like I said," she told him, grinning, "it's a fine art."

They got out. The house ahead of them was already full of people. There was music playing somewhere inside, and half a dozen kids were hanging out on the front porch. One straightened up as they passed.

"Who drove?" she asked.

"Me." Glinda dropped her keys in the bowl the girl held out, then led Fiyero inside.

"She's holding everyone's keys?"

"So no one drives home drunk."

"Ah."

"Glinda! Fiyero!" Crope jumped up from the chair he and Tibbett were curled up on. He ran over and hugged Glinda hard, kissing her on the cheek. Then he turned to do the same to Fiyero. Tibbett walked over.

"He gets very affectionate when drunk," Tibbett said, watching Crope fondly. "How are you guys?"

"We're good," said Fiyero.

"Wanna be better?" Crope took each of their hands and led them through to the kitchen. Glinda set her drinks down.

"Are both of you okay with vodka?" Crope asked. He pulled a bottle from the freezer, then collected four shot glasses from around the kitchen.

Tibbett watched him. "Babe, you're already pretty—"

"Aw, come on." Crope laid out the glasses and started pouring. "It's Fiyero's first party. Just one, for celebration?"

"Fine. But water after this." Tibbett took a glass and stepped close enough to wrap an arm around Crope's waist. "We need to keep you decent for public," he added, lowering his voice.

Crope's grin was scandalous. He held up his glass. "Alright you two, we're taking this like champs. Clink, table, throw it back."

"What?" Fiyero looked at Glinda.

"Follow my lead," she said, holding her shot up.

"To new friends!" Crope cried. They all clinked their glasses together in the middle, tapped them on the table, then drank. Glinda set her glass down first, feeling the alcohol warm her chest.

"You're so cheesy," Tibbett told Crope.

"Yep! Just the way you like me." Crope turned to Glinda. "And our Glinda is a master at taking shots. Who could've guessed."

She grinned at him. "I'm a girl of many talents, Crope."

Tibbett handed him a glass of water, and he raised it toward her. "Now that I believe."

The music in the background changed. Somewhere below them someone cheered, and the music got louder. Crope beamed at Tibbett.

"That's our song!"

Tibbett took his hand and started pulling him out of the kitchen toward a set of stairs. "Dancing's in the basement," he told Glinda and Fiyero. "See you guys later?"

"Have fun," Glinda called.

Fiyero took the vodka bottle. "Do another shot with me."

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" she teased.

"Isn't it more fun that way?" He winked. "Come on. I wanna show you how we do it."

She took the shot he poured for her. "What do you mean?"

"You guys go like this." He mimicked clinking their glasses together and tapping it to the table. "Where I'm from, it goes like this."

He raised his glass up as if giving a toast and said something in Arjiki. Then he lowered the glass to his middle, saying something else. Then he mimicked clinking their glasses together, saying a different word, then said a final word and pretended to take the shot.

"Got it?" He asked, grinning.

"I have no idea what you just said."

"Here, repeat after me." He went through each word and each motion slowly. The words were similar enough that she kept getting tongue tied, but after a couple tries she got it, sounding much clumsier than he did.

"Ready?"

"I'm so gonna mess this up." She lifted her glass, brought it down, then tapped it against Fiyero's. She tripped over the last word and ended up giggling through the shot.

"Close enough," he said, laughing.

She set her glass down. "What does all that even mean? For all I know you just made me say something dirty."

"You really want to know?" he asked. She nodded. He took his empty glass and went through the motions again, this time speaking Gillikinese. "Up, down, center, enter."

She laughed. "Are you serious?"

"I'm not joking." He set the glass down, grinning. "And that's really how we do it. I'm not making it up."

"Amazing. That's my new favorite thing." She repeated the words in Arjiki, miming the motions. Then she pulled a bottle out of her pack and offered it to Fiyero. "Want one?"

"What is it?"

"Strawberry ale. Kind of sweet, not a lot of alcohol. It's my favorite summer drink."

"Sure, I'll try." He took the bottle from her. "Funny. I thought you'd be a mixed drink kind of girl."

"I like variety," she said, taking a bottle for herself and grabbing an opener from the counter. She grabbed the rest of the pack and stuck it in the fridge. "Wanna dance?"

"Wanna bet we'll find Crope and Tibbett making out in a corner?"

She grinned. "Nah. They'll be grinding on the dance floor."

"Let's go find out," he said, following her downstairs.

The music got louder as they went down until it took over everything. Colored lights were flashing across the concrete basement, and most people were in a pulsing throng in the middle of the room.

"You guys don't actually dance, right?" Fiyero asked, raising his voice to be heard. "Because…"

"Does any of this look super smooth to you?" Glinda took his hand and led him forward. "Come on! No need to be embarrassed."

He let her pull him into the crowd. They were quickly pushed together, and Glinda just went with it. Fiyero laughed as they danced against each other. The song changed, and people around them cheered and shifted. Someone backed up a step, coming partially between them. They turned and started dancing with Fiyero. Glinda winked at him and let herself be moved away with the crowd.

She caught a glimpse of Boq's lab partner in the crowd, dancing against…

"Milla?"

Milla turned. Her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes were alert as they darted over her.

"Glinda," Milla said. Even raising her voice, she sounded bitter. "Have the cheerleaders graced us with their presence again?"

Glinda shook her head. "I'm not a cheerleader tonight," she told her.

"Good!" said the other girl, taking her hands. "Dance with us!"

Glinda felt warm—warmer than she had been dancing with Fiyero. The shots must've been kicking in. But she let herself dance. After watching them for a minute, Milla relaxed again. Glinda smiled at her. Not long after that, they were pulled apart again by the crowd.

A couple songs later, she and Fiyero slipped out of the crowd. They stood at the edge of the room, watching everyone else.

"You were right," Fiyero said. "I saw Crope and Tibbett grinding."

She grinned. "Are you empty?" she asked, nodding toward his bottle. "We can go back upstairs and—"

"There you are!" Crope and Tibbett came up to them. Tibbett looked Glinda up and down and grinned.

"You've been getting some action," he said.

"Just dancing," she told him.

"Well of course."

"We were gonna head back up," Fiyero said.

"Sweet! Us too."

The four of them wandered back upstairs. Glinda dug another strawberry ale out of the fridge and handed it to Fiyero.

"You're not getting another one?" Crope asked.

She held up her half-full bottle. "Nope. I'm such a lightweight."

"Girl. Same."

They made their way into the living room. Crope collapsed onto the end of the couch, and Tibbett sat at his feet, leaning back against his knees. Glinda sat on the floor next to them, stretching her legs out in front of her. Fiyero sat cross-legged beside her. The room was just busy enough that everyone was minding their own business. Fiyero looked up at Crope and Tibbett.

"So, you're all friends with Elphaba." Fiyero leaned forward, propping his chin on his fist.

"Indeed," said Tibbett. "Why? Does someone have a crush?"

Glinda looked curiously at Fiyero. He smiled.

"She just seems interesting. I mean, isn't she?"

"That she is," said Crope. Glinda nodded.

"So…can you tell me about her?"

Tibbett laughed. "Oh man, where do we start?"

Crope folded his arms behind his head. "Smart, snarky, beautiful." He winked at Glinda. "A great kisser."

Tibbett nudged Crope's knee with his head. "You've never kissed her."

"No, but I mean, come on. She'd be a good kisser. You can just tell."

"She's on the cross country team," Glinda said suddenly. "And she's super smart."

"She loves sassing Morrible," Tibbett added. "Rules aren't always her thing."

"Does she ever come to parties?" Fiyero asked.

Both Crope and Tibbett sighed. "Someday," said Crope. "Someday."

"Hopefully this is our year," Tibbett said. "You guys should see Elphaba with alcohol. It's a good combination."

"You've seen her drunk?" Glinda asked, sitting up.

Tibbett shook his head. "Not drunk. Maybe tipsy, but you can't really tell."

"She just gets smarter and loses her filter a little." Crope tilted his head. "I wonder what she would be like drunk, though."

Tibbett started giggling. "Oh my god. Imagine sappy drunk Elphaba. Oh man, I hope she's a sappy drunk."

"I think she'd be a chill drunk," Crope mused. "Like when she's high."

Glinda tilted her head at that but kept quiet.

"They say drunk you is just a truer version of you," said Fiyero.

"Oh?" Crope leaned forward. "So what are you like drunk, Fiyero?"

He took a long drink from his bottle. "How should I know? You'll just have to tell me sometime."

Crope sat back again. "That's okay. I like a challenge. Glinda?"

"Me?"

"What are you like drunk?"

Reckless. Honest. The last time she was truly drunk, Glinda had told Pfannee that she was a bitch and then cried the entire cab ride home because she hadn't seen her parents in almost three days. They weren't out of town or anything, she just hadn't seen them.

But Pfannee had forgiven her—well, actually, she had slapped her, but then they moved on—and no one but the cabbie had heard her blubbering about how lonely she was, so she supposed it didn't matter.

"I don't know," she said with a shrug. "It's been so long."

"We can fix that," Tibbett said, grinning. "Should we fix that?"

Glinda smiled. "Not tonight. I'm good just being tipsy."

Crope reached forward to run a hand through Tibbett's hair. "How drunk are you?" he asked.

"I'm getting there."

"You know," Crope dropped his voice to a murmur, "my house is in walking distance."

Tibbett spun around, feigning shock. "Really? I had no idea!"

"Are you making fun of me?"

"I would never." Tibbett reached up and took his hand. "So does that mean…?"

"We'll see you two later," Crope said, letting Tibbett pull him to his feet. He winked at Glinda. "Have a good night, Miss Glinda. Fiyero, hang out with us again sometime."

"Well, if you insist."

Crope and Tibbett wandered out of the living room, slipping through the front door and out of sight.

"So they're both horny drunks," said Fiyero, watching them go. "Noted."

"Do you really not know what kind of drunk you are?" Glinda asked.

"I think I just get looser, but I'm not exactly in the right mind to judge, am I?" He smiled lopsidedly at her. "Besides, why give away all my secrets?"

"So you're a flirty drunk," said Glinda, grinning. "Noted."

"Aren't we all?"

"Tell me about it." Glinda took another sip of her drink. "You know, normally after this much I'd be all over you."

Fiyero laughed. "Oh yeah? I must have done something wrong."

"No no no." Glinda reached for his hand. "Not at all. You're very charming."

"Why thank you. So are you."

Glinda pointed her bottle at him. "See? And you haven't made a move, either."

"Fair enough. So what's your excuse?"

"No. You first."

"I'm not really looking to date."

"No?"

"Nah." Fiyero shrugged. "I mean, I'm only here for two years, right? I don't want to spend it trying to stumble through a relationship. I mean, if something came along that was good enough for me to try during college, sure. But if not, why not just live my life?"

"That's…very levelheaded for an attractive foreign football player."

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or insulted." Fiyero nudged her. "So? What's your reason?"

She furrowed her brow. "You know, I'm not really sure."

"Oh, come on. It's gotta be something." Fiyero leaned forward. "Are you into someone?"

She giggled. "I think that's just it. I kind of just want to—I think I need to focus on the things that are good for me."

"That's generally good life advice, yeah."

"Yeah, well, I think I need a little work." Honest drunk, Glinda thought. She set her bottle to the side. "So no dating. It's just not my focus right now."

"What if there's someone who's really good for you?" Fiyero asked. "By that logic, shouldn't you focus on them, then?"

Glinda suddenly remembered Elphaba hugging her in the hallway. You can talk to me.

She shook her head. "Maybe. If someone comes around, I'll keep that in mind."

Fiyero clutched his chest. "Glinda. I'm wounded."

She giggled. "Oh, just shut up and drink."

Glinda was lying on her bed, her novel for Morrible's class covering her face, when her phone rang Sunday evening.

Sighing, she pushed the book off and rolled over to look at the screen. She reached for it, pressed the green button, and brought it to her ear.

"Hi Shenshen."

"What are you doing?"

"Well, I was trying to do homework. But that didn't work, so now I'm doing nothing."

"Us too!" said Shenshen. Glinda heard Pfannee's voice in the background. "Pfan's here at my place. You should come over."

"Then we'll never get this done."

"But we'll have more fun."

Glinda stared at her ceiling, debating. "Okay," she said. "I'll be over in a few minutes."

Shenshen's mother answered the door when Glinda knocked, smiling at her.

"Hello dear. They're in Shen's room."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kennwud." Glinda crossed the living room to the stairs, heading down into the basement where Shenshen's bedroom was. The door was closed, but she tapped her fingers against it and, without really waiting for a response, stepped inside.

"It's about time," said Pfannee. "Come here, sit. Tell us about Friday."

Glinda went to sit next to her on Shenshen's bed. Shenshen was at her desk, spinning absently in her chair. She smiled at Glinda.

"So?"

"I know what you're thinking," said Glinda. "It wasn't a date."

"If it wasn't a date, why didn't you just come to the party?" asked Shenshen.

Glinda shrugged. "We decided to go somewhere else, since Fiyero doesn't really know a lot of people yet."

"Somewhere alone?"

"No."

Pfannee scowled. "You know, you don't have to lie to us. If you want him, we understand. We're not gonna sabotage you or something."

"Why are you so convinced I'm dating him?"

"Well, you've already dated all the other football players."

"That's so not true."

"It's basically true," Pfannee muttered.

"Fiyero and I are just friends," Glinda said firmly. "We literally said that this weekend."

"Did he say that or did you?" Shenshen asked.

"We both did."

"Yeah, but who said it first?"

Glinda resisted the urge to rub her forehead. "I did."

"Oh." Shenshen looked put out. "But…why? He's so cute."

"Are you kidding?" asked Pfannee. "He's hot. You're missing out, Glinda."

She shrugged. "My loss, I guess."

"I'll say." Pfannee tilted her head. "So, where did you guys go?"

Glinda unzipped her backpack, pulling out her book for Morrible's class. "We just went out."

"Yeah, but where?"

She braced herself. "To a party."

There was a silence for a beat. Shenshen furrowed her brow.

"Then why not just go to our party?" she asked. "Whose party was it?"

"Just some theater people." Glinda winced as soon as it came out. Pfannee actually laughed out loud.

"God, seriously? How did you end up at a theater geek party?"

"Fiyero was invited, but he didn't want to go alone, so I went, too." She felt bad saying it, but what else was she supposed to do?

Pfannee made a noise of disgust. "Who invited him? And why in the world did he want to go?"

"He has study hall with Crope and Tibbett."

"Ew! Those two are—oh my god, gross."

Shenshen stared at Glinda, horrified. "Oh my god. He knows they're—he knows what they are, right? He can't hang out with them!"

"They're friends." Glinda felt her face heat up. "Fiyero is friends with them. There's nothing to be upset about."

"Are you kidding? Fiyero's going to ruin himself before he even has a chance." Pfannee crossed her arms over her chest. "And he was so pretty, too."

"What, so because he hangs out with other people he's ruined?" Glinda glared at her. "You're being ridiculous."

"Hell and Oz, who the fuck are you?" Pfannee demanded. "Don't act so high and mighty. I know you're just as disgusted as we are."

For a moment, Glinda almost caved. But then she remembered Crope and Tibbett smiling at her, welcoming her everywhere with open arms, even before they got to know her.

"I'm not disgusted." She snapped her book shut. "Crope and Tibbett are people, just like the rest of us. There's nothing wrong with them."

"Except for the fact that they fuck each other." Shenshen made a face. "It's just…ugh. That's not right."

Glinda was shaking. She felt sick all of a sudden. "Well—you—they're sweet. They're sweet and funny and nice, so who cares who they decide to sleep with?"

"Uh, you do. Remember?" Pfannee looked her up and down. "God, Glinda, do you even hear yourself?"

"Do you?" She shoved her book into her bag and zipped it shut. "I'm leaving."

"Hey!" Pfannee called as she went toward the door. "Just because you're friends with the weirdos now doesn't mean you should drag Fiyero down, too!"

"And don't hog him if you're not gonna date him!" Shenshen added.

Glinda slammed the bedroom door shut behind her. As she started up the stairs, she heard Pfannee say, "Seriously, who even is she anymore?"

By the time Glinda sat down in study hall Monday afternoon, she knew it was going to be a long week. She sank into the chair next to Elphaba, placing her bag in front of her and laying her head on top of it.

"You look…energized."

Glinda looked up at her and smiled. "Don't I always?"

"Yes. It's weird." Elphaba shifted in her seat, curling her knees up to her chest—an impressive feat, given the tiny wooden chairs of the library. "So what's up?"

Glinda shrugged. "Just kinda tired. And hungry." She didn't eat at lunch. She had been too nervous, fielding questions between the girls and Fiyero, praying nothing horrible would happen.

Elphaba dug through her bag and pulled out a granola bar. She slid it across the table.

"Oh, you don't have to—"

"You have practice right after this, right?" Elphaba pushed it closer. "You need to eat."

"You have practice, too."

"Yeah, but I actually ate my lunch, so I'm good."

Glinda scoffed. "Well, I just—wait, how do you know I didn't eat lunch?"

Elphaba's cheeks darkened. "I mean…just that you're hungry now?"

"Okay." Glinda slowly reached for the granola bar and unwrapped it. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

They both looked up as the door closest to them opened, and all the boys came in at once. Fiyero was talking, gesturing wide with his hands, and the others were cracking up beside him. Glinda watched them all, noticing how Fiyero looked much more comfortable in this crowd than he did at lunch.

"So," said Crope, sitting down, "how long were you two at the party after we left?"

"A couple hours?" Fiyero looked at Glinda, who nodded. "We just sat around talking for a while."

"Talking?" Tibbett asked innocently.

Glinda blushed. She wasn't the only one—Fiyero was suddenly rubbing the back of his neck, and both Elphaba and Boq had shifted in their seats.

"Oh, please, not you guys too," she said. "Half the cheer team is already convinced Fiyero and I are banging."

"I knew it," said Fiyero. "Is that why all of them giggle when they pass me in the halls?"

"No, that's just because you're hot," said Crope.

"Right in front of Tibbs?" Elphaba asked.

"Tibbs thinks he's hot, too."

Tibbett nodded. "It's true."

"Anyway," said Glinda, "Fiyero and I are not banging."

"Not even kissing," Fiyero said seriously.

"So does that mean you're open to kissing other people?" Crope asked innocently.

"Uh…"

"Be nice," Boq told them.

"Fine, we'll make it fair." Crope grinned and turned toward Glinda. "What about you? Are you open to kissing other people?"

Glinda just smiled prettily. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Sorry hon." Tibbett wrapped his arm around Crope. "He doesn't swing that way."

"Though believe me, if I did…"

Glinda giggled. "Don't worry. I don't need you to boost my ego or anything."

By the time cheer practice came and went, however, Glinda was thinking maybe she could use an ego boost.

The first thing she did when she got home was pull leftover takeout from the fridge. She dumped the carton out on to one of their ceramic plates. It was unnecessary—and petty and entirely pointless—but when she was finished eating the dirty dishes in the sink made it look like someone actually lived in the house, so maybe it was also just a tiny bit worth it.

She washed her plate and fork and put them away, then went upstairs to shower and do homework. By the time her parents came home she was curled up in bed, pretending to be asleep.

Glinda was dragging again the next morning. She was quiet in math class, though she smiled at Crope and Tibbett when they walked in. In biology they were in the classroom, and when the bell rang to release them, Elphaba and Boq were busy talking about something or other, so Glinda just hung back and out of the way.

Lunch came around, and Glinda had to clear her throat before greeting Fiyero.

"You okay?" he asked, following her into the cafeteria.

"Yeah. Just…haven't talked much today." Or at all, she realized. She shrugged and went with him through the line. They got their food and went for Glinda's usual table, but there Fiyero hesitated, looking over his shoulder.

"Glinda. Fiyero." Pfannee looked up at them. "How nice of you to finally join us."

Glinda sat down and, after another moment, Fiyero sat beside her.

"Geez, Pfan. Not all of us can have class right next to the cafeteria."

"I don't. I just ask to go to the bathroom during the last few minutes." She grinned. "So, Fiyero, I heard we're playing flag football in gym today. Excited?"

"It should be fun," he said. "What about you? Are you actually going to play today?"

Glinda coughed, trying not to spit out her milk. Pfannee made a face.

"Funny."

"Speaking of football, when's your official first game?" Shenshen asked.

"Next week," said Fiyero. "Which is sad, because apparently this Friday's game is going to be good?"

"Our rival school," Shenshen said, nodding. "But at least you'll still be there. And you can always come to the party after."

"I was planning on it," he said with a smile. He looked over at Glinda, who smiled back.

"So you two aren't planning on ditching us again?" Pfannee asked. Glinda scowled. "What? I'm just asking."

"Did you miss us that much?" asked Fiyero, still smiling charmingly. "You don't have a crush, do you? I mean, I know I'm good looking, but we don't really know each other that well."

"Very funny, Fiyero."

"Oh! Or is it Glinda you missed?"

Pfannee narrowed her eyes. "What did you just say?"

Glinda put her hand on Fiyero's arm. "Knock it off."

"What's wrong?" His smile faded as he looked at Pfannee. "Is that really that offensive to you?"

"You just asked me if I was a dyke!"

She said it a little too loud. The tables around them fell quiet. A couple of the other girls at their table giggled, but they shut up when Pfannee glared at them.

"Don't say that word—" Glinda cut off as Pfannee turned on her.

"Oh, shut up. He thinks we're—we're—and that's what you're worried about?"

"It was a joke." Fiyero was frowning. Glinda had the sudden, desperate desire to disappear into the floor.

"It's disgusting."

"Wow." Fiyero shook his head. "Okay then. You're seriously that insulted." He stood up and grabbed his tray. For a second he hesitated, looking down at Glinda, but though she felt his eyes on her she couldn't move. She just sat there, staring at her food. "Okay. Cool."

And he left, dumping his tray and heading straight out of the cafeteria. After a few more seconds, the kids around them went back to their normal conversations.

That afternoon Glinda waited by her locker to walk with Fiyero to study hall, but he never showed up. She shouldered her bag and walked to the library herself, but there was no sign of him there, either. She looked around the room, brow furrowed.

Elphaba stepped through the door behind her. "Oh hey. Is there a reason you're just…standing here?"

Glinda jumped, turning to face her. "I just…um, you know what? I gotta—I remembered I have—" Oz, her face was burning. She ducked past Elphaba and hurried out the door with a rushed, "I'll see you?"

She left without getting an answer, headed straight for the art room, and didn't emerge again until she was about to be late for cheer practice.

She was running so far behind that she didn't get a chance to talk to anyone before they started, but afterward Pfannee and Shenshen lingered in the locker room, waiting for the rest of the girls to clear out.

Glinda carefully folded her clothes and set them in her bag, aware that she was being watched.

"Whatever you're going to say," she told them, "just say it."

"You're not seriously going to defend him, are you?" Pfannee sat on the bench across from her. "I thought we were friends."

"We are."

"But you're taking his side."

Glinda sighed. "I'm not taking anyone's side."

"What he said was offensive," Pfannee went on. "You know that."

Glinda wanted to object, say that she didn't find it offensive at all, but the words wouldn't come. She wasn't even sure they were true.

"He didn't mean any harm," she mumbled instead.

Pfannee's face scrunched. "Sure. If you say so."

"I think what Pfan means," Shenshen said quickly, "is that whether he meant it or not, it was still rude."

"Not if you're not homophobic," Glinda muttered.

Pfannee scowled. "That's not the point. Maybe you don't care if you're compared to freaks like Crope and Tibbett, but I actually care what people think of me, okay?"

"You think I don't?" Glinda almost laughed out loud. "Oz, Pfannee. It was a joke. Besides, it's not like you're completely innocent here."

"Excuse me?"

"You go around calling other people weird or disgusting, and you think you're not going to offend anyone?"

"There's a difference," Pfannee snapped. "They don't hear me. And even if they did, it's not like I'm friends with them. I don't have to be nice. Fiyero, on the other hand, is our friend."

"Was our friend," Shenshen said. "I doubt he still is. Besides, he's been hanging out with Crope and Tibbett and all them this week."

"Either way, he shouldn't have said what he did." Pfannee sighed, grabbing her bag. "Look, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you or something. Or if I ruined any chance you have with Fiyero."

"We're just friends," Glinda pointed out. Again.

Pfannee acted like she didn't hear. "But you're one of my best friends. You should be on my side, not sitting there telling me not to say that word or standing up for people we barely even know."

Glinda looked down. Quietly, she grabbed her own bag and pulled out her car keys. The three of them walked out of the locker room and through the gym together.

"Do you think he'll still be mad tomorrow?" Shenshen asked.

"I have no idea," said Pfannee.

"Oz. What'll we do during gym class?" Shenshen shook her head. "Oh well. Worst case scenario, we'll still see him around at games."

Pfannee shrugged. "And Avaric respects him. Apparently he's good."

They stepped through the front doors and out into the parking lot. Glinda winced at the sun, blinking until her eyes adjusted.

"See you tomorrow?" Shenshen asked, heading off for her own car. Pfannee waved and Glinda nodded.

Pfannee turned, then paused and looked back at Glinda. "I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked.

Glinda heard herself say, "Yeah, see you then," and she had no idea where the words came from. Pfannee smiled and left, and she went over to her own car.

She sat there, sweating in the driver's seat, long after the other two had driven off. She pulled her phone out of her bag, then leaned forward until her forehead was resting on the steering wheel.

She wished she was braver. She wished she could tell Pfannee that friendship didn't always mean supporting someone—not when they were wrong. She thought, randomly, of Elphaba and Boq's bickering during classes. Her thumb clicked on the button to send a new message. She even typed Elphaba's name into the contact line.

What would she even say, though? This was stupid. It was stupid, and she was starting to have a hard time breathing. She pressed her hand to her chest. It was probably the heat, right? Sighing angrily, she twisted her keys and started the engine. She deleted Elphaba's name from the screen and exited out of her messages. As if Elphaba would ever want to hear about her stupid friend drama.

Glinda brushed agitatedly at her eyes. When she could sort of breathe again, she turned the car on and drove home.

Fiyero wasn't at lunch the next day. In fact, other than a few seconds of passing each other in the halls, Glinda didn't see him at all.

She was ready for the week to be over. Thursday morning, she came into school early to work in the art room, but instead she mostly just sat there, listening to music and staring at the paint-covered table in front of her. She kind of wanted to talk to Fiyero, but she had no idea when he would get to the school. It might be lunch before she saw him again. Or study hall. Or maybe, like yesterday, she would barely see him all day.

As it turned out, he was at lunch. But when she walked into the cafeteria, he was already sitting down. At Elphaba's table.

Glinda just kept walking, past all of them and to her own table.

"Did you see?" Shenshen asked when she sat down. "He's officially gone."

Pfannee smirked. "A lost cause. Maybe he and Milla should start a club."

"At least he's still in football, though," Shenshen said. "He's not completely lost."

"Fair."

Glinda barely heard them. She watched Fiyero across the cafeteria. She supposed it was fair. He had endured nearly a week of Shenshen's flirting and Pfannee's superiority complex. And then what happened the other day…

He deserved to sit somewhere else. Somewhere nicer.

She wondered what would happen if she had gone with him. That day, after his argument with Pfannee. He had looked at her, right? Maybe he was waiting to see what she would do. What if she had stood up and left with him? What if, now, she decided to cross the room, passing the table of cheerleaders and football players to sit with an inappropriate theater couple, a Munchkin band geek, and the green girl? She could picture Pfannee's glare, Shenshen's look of horror.

And why did she want that? She didn't. Did she?

No. She knew what they would say. She'd heard the years of whispers, gossip. She remembered when Milla left their group. If she ever had to go through that…

But then, it didn't even matter, did it? Because Fiyero had never asked her to join him. Maybe when he looked at her, he wasn't waiting to see if she would follow. Maybe he was just judging her.

Why did she care if he judged her, though? Last year, she wouldn't have. No. Last year, she would already be dating him. He wouldn't have left the table. The conversation wouldn't even have happened. She would have made sure of it.

Oz, why was everything so different now?

She didn't even bother going to the library that afternoon. When study hall came around, she went straight to the art room, once again hiding until the last possible moment, when she was sure most of the school would be gone.

Glinda woke up late Friday morning. She reached over to check her phone and found out neither of her alarms had gone off.

"Shit." She pushed herself out of bed, snatching her cheer uniform from where it lay across the back of her desk chair, and rushed into the bathroom. She emerged five minutes later—uniform on, makeup minimal but perfect, hair pulled high and wrapped with a sparkly blue bow—and nearly ran through her room, shoving books and her cheer shoes and her wallet all into her bag.

She was out the door barely ten minutes after she woke up, but she was still a minute late to her first class. The teacher just nodded at her when she walked in, and Glinda hurried to her seat in the back, face burning.

She couldn't tell if she was relieved or disappointed the next hour when she walked into biology and found everyone in the classroom instead of the lab. Elphaba was already there, in the front beside Boq. She looked up as Glinda entered, and their eyes met. Elphaba smiled, looking almost shy. Glinda was surprised into genuinely smiling back. Just a little.

Someone walked in behind her. Glinda looked down at her feet and hurried back to her desk.

At lunch she sat with Pfannee, Shenshen, and all the cheerleaders and football guys. She didn't talk much. She didn't feel like eating, either. But she mustered a smile every time someone addressed her, and if anyone thought she was acting weird, they didn't let on, so she supposed it was a win.

She spent study hall with the cheerleaders, too. They snuck into the cafeteria and just lounged around, ignoring the fact that they were all supposed to be in their various classrooms doing homework. Glinda sat on top of one of the tables, watching the other girls paint each other's nails or tell stories from the day.

When the bell was about to ring to end the day, she changed into her cheer shoes and went to stash her bag in the girls' locker room. No one noticed when she slipped out of the cafeteria, and the gym was empty for the study hall period. Glinda stepped inside and leaned against the closed doors, taking a breath.

"Glinda?"

Well, she thought it was empty.

"Fiyero."

He was standing outside the locker rooms. She walked over.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just putting my stuff up." She lifted her bag. "You?"

"Left study hall early to change." He lifted his own gym bag. "Hey, listen, I…I just wanted to say sorry, for the other day."

"Why?"

"For just storming off. I mean, I'm not sorry for that, but I haven't gotten a chance to talk to you since and I…I just wanted you to know I was never mad at you." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Not that there was even a reason to be. Just…no hard feelings, you know?"

She smiled. "Of course. We're good."

"I…" There was a shout from the locker room behind them. Fiyero looked over his shoulder. "It's weird. The team's excited to have me play, and no one's been awful or anything since that day. But I still feel like I took a risk, you know?"

Glinda sighed. "Yeah. Welcome to high school, where you're always one step away from social suicide."

"So…you're not mad at me?"

"Of course not. In fact, I wish…" Glinda stopped herself.

Fiyero tilted his head. "What?"

"Never mind." Glinda gave him a smile. "I guess you should go change. The bell's gonna ring any minute, and aren't you guys heading straight to the field?"

"Yeah." Fiyero shouldered his bag. "I'll see you later, I guess. We—are we still going to the football party tonight?"

"Do you still want to?"

"I think so. Yeah."

Glinda smiled again. "Then yes."

"Great. I'll see you then." Fiyero gave a little wave and turned to push his way into the boys' locker room.

Glinda looked around herself at the empty gym. It seemed bigger than usual.

The bell rang. She adjusted her grip on her bag and headed to her own locker room, hoping to get in and out before anyone else came in.