Chapter 11: New Love

Ever since she got a typewriter and a journal for her birthday the year before, Elphaba had been writing non stop. Along with that, Elphaba had been staying in her school's library for hours and read many books so she can learn on how they write books. But one of her teachers wasn't keen on Elphaba staying in the library during class time.

One day, her Literature teacher found Elphaba reading on the floor. "How long have you've been here, Elphaba?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. Probably almost an hour." Elphaba said while she concentrated on the book.

"Well I'm sure. The whole class time. Did you complete the analysis on Hamlet?"

"Not yet."

"Completed your poem?"

"Well I'm almost done."

"Not yet? Almost done? Elphaba, library time is mostly for lunchtime or extra curricular. I mean, technically, you don't have to be here. A school library. And certainly not when you haven't completed your assignments."

Elphaba sighed and looked up to her teacher. "Sorry. I will try to finish my work."

"I'm worried about you, Elphaba."

Elphaba looked confused. "Why is that?"

"I'll tell you why. The story you're working on, it's really great. The format is very different than any famous writers can do."

"Thank you."

"But there are others who will do the same thing. There might be morons who might surpass you or steal it and claim it that it's theirs. How many of them made professionally without discipline or work ethic? I can tell you: zero. It's a competitive world, Elphaba. And you're in here. Are you special, Elphaba."

"No, but if we're talking about things like, work ethics or whatever, I work pretty hard. I always during my free time at home."

After a few seconds of thinking, the teacher thought of something that will help Elphaba. "Do you like sports, Elphaba?"

"No, but why?"

"I know you don't. Tonight, you will going to a track meet and you'll write about it for the school newspaper. I want it first thing Monday. You think you can handle it?"

Elphaba shrugged "I guess."

"What do you want to be, Elphaba? What do you want to do?"

"I want to write stories. I want to tell my stories to the world. That's what I'm trying to find."

"Try harder. Maybe in twenty years you can call me when I'm old and you can say 'Thank you, sir, for that terrific library chat we had that day'. Just get back to class." he said. Elphaba smiled a bit and followed her teacher back to class.

When Elphaba came back to class, her friend Layla is confused about Elphaba's smile. "Hey, what are you so happy about?" Layla asked.

"Oh nothing really. I just heard our teacher saying the first interesting lecture I've heard in my life."

"What did he talk to you about? You two had been in the library for a long time."

"Nothing much. All he does is talk about succeeding in life and all."

Later that night, Elphaba came back home just to prepare for her made up work for her Literature class. "Elphaba, come down for dinner." Melena said.

"I'm sorry, mom. I won't be here for dinner today." Elphaba said.

"Oh, and why not?"

"Because my teacher wanted me to go to my school's track meet early."

"And how are you going to eat?"

"There's this party happening and my friends wanted me to go there."

Melena nodded. "Okay. Just as long as you eat something." Elphaba gave her mom a hug and left the house. Melena then went upstairs to call Nessarose for dinner. "Are you going down for dinner?"

"Just one more minute mom. I'm just doing some extra homework." she said.

"But didn't you told me that you finish homework?"

"I did. But my teacher give me extra homework as a punishment."

"Alright. Just come down for dinner in five minutes okay."

"Will do, mom."

Melena went back downstairs to call Gus for dinner, but she found him watching T.V. with a beer in his hand and laid back on the couch. "Gus, dinner's ready." she told him

"What?" Gus said while he still looked at the T.V.

"I said dinner's ready."

"Oh, okay."

"You're not listening to me, aren't you?"

Gus burped loudly. "That's great, honey."

Melena groaned. "Why do I even bother!" Melena exclaimed as she left the room.

At the track meet, Elphaba was down by the bleachers watching the game while she wrote down everything about that night's game. But like other times, Elphaba would wander off to other, yet more interesting, things. This time, she would go to the crowd who aren't paying at the game. She went to the bottom of the bleachers and some couple making out. Luckily, she doesn't have a camera and won't get notice until she stepped on a tree branch which one couple saw her.

"Hey, asshole. Mind your own business!" one of the couple said. He then threw an empty beer can and threw it at Elphaba, but she dodged it and ran back to the front of the bleachers.

While she catch some breath, Elphaba noticed she dropped her notepad back at the bleachers. "Great. How am I suppose to show my work to him now?" Elphaba said to herself.

She then saw a familiar racer when he was taking a break and when she got closer, she noticed the racer was Chistery. "Elphaba, you're here. I thought you weren't interested in sports." Chistery said

"I am. But my Literature teacher made do this for the school newspaper just to help me get a better grade."

"So how much did wrote?"

"Not much. I mostly spend most of the time writing on my own writings. But I left that and the track story back at kissing section of the bleachers. I just hope he accepts vague or a made up school report." Elphaba joked and the two laughed. "So how are we going to the party?"

"Layla's already outside waiting for us. She'll drive us there. Sorry, but I'll have to go back to race. I'll see you later." Chistery said and went back to the race.

When Elphaba and her friends arrived at the party, there were a lot of people dancing and drinking, which doesn't go with their style. While walking around, Elphaba noticed a boy with brown looking at her. "Say, guys, do you know that guy over there?" Elphaba asked them.

"Oh, that's Jiminy. I heard that he's not into sports and he's only interested in painting." Layla said.

"He looks like a nice guy though." Chistery said.

Elphaba looked back at him and she's also interested in him. When Elphaba walked to him, Nessarose, who Elphaba picked up to the party after the game, came by to Elphaba's friends.

"Hey guys. Where's my sister?" Nessarose asked.

"Oh she's about to speak to the new guy." Layla replied and pointed to Elphaba.

Nessarose saw and smiled at her sister. "Fabala, you officially grew up to a regular teenager." she joked.

Elphaba walked to Jiminy and literally bumped into him. "Oh I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." Elphaba said.

"Oh, no worries. I looked at you and you looked at me. Could have gotten a non convenient way to meet up though."

Elphaba and Jiminy laughed. "Hey you want talk somewhere quiet?" she asked.

"Sure."

Elphaba and Jiminy went outside and talked about their lives. "So you're in the same grade but also the same age as me?" Elphaba said and Jiminy nodded. "It's great! And I thought I was the only older kid."

"My parents made me start school a year late so that's why I'm older than the average juniors at this school."

"Yeah. It seems like life, or maybe adults, controls us in different ways."

"I know, right. In Munchkinland, the adults controls your life. So what's the point of living up to every expectations of the adults here?"

"Nothing. I mean just wanna be able to do anything I want because it makes me feel alive. As oppose to giving me the appearance of normality."

Jiminy laughed. "What does that mean?"

"I don't think that means much." she said and the two laughed.

A few moments later, Elphaba went back home really late. When she got home, Elphaba saw Gus sitting on the front porch with a beer on his hand. "What time are you suppose to get back home?" Gus asked.

"Erm, a little while ago." Elphaba said.

Gus laughed. "Awhile ago like, thirty minutes ago, an hour ago? Cause nobody knew where you were until your sister told us you're still in that party."

"I'm sorry."

"You must have saying that a lot. You just don't care about other people when they're trying to help you."

"Can I just have one day where I'm not a nuisance to everyone?! I got a massive headache today"

Gus quickly stood up and walked to Elphaba. "You're a nuisance to me?! This is my house. Then you follow my rules."

"You know, Gus, you're not really my dad."

"No, I'm not your dad! But if I have to spend another decade raising you, you green asshole with her disabled sister and a single mom then fine with me. But this my house. And in my house…" As Gus continued rambling, Elphaba went back inside the house.