Then she was gone; leaving a stunned Fiyero in her wake.

--

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Confession

"Fiyero!"

The Vinkus prince looked up at the sound of his name. He recognized the shrill voice immediately and sighed as the blonde approached him.

Even in a library she couldn't help but be loud.

"Fiyero!" she said again, plopping herself down in the chair across from him. She smiled, kicking her legs underneath her as they didn't quite touch the ground. "Is Elphie okay?" she asked as she looked out the window.

Fiyero's face twisted in to an expression of shock. "How did you know I was talking to her?" he asked as he too looked out the window to try and see what was grabbing Galinda's attention.

"I might not be the smartest person in the world but I'm not an idiot," she replied, a frown now creasing her face. "As soon as you took your leave from the picnic I knew you were going to talk to her. I saw her through this very window too."

"Are you angry?"

"Why ever would I be angry?"

Fiyero shrugged. "I talked to another girl, alone, without telling you."

"I trust both of you." Galinda turned to face Fiyero. "Should I have reason not to?"

Fiyero's eyes widened in fear and he shook his head a little too forcefully. "No! I mean… well, no, of course not."

Galinda smiled, seemingly oblivious to Fiyero's nervousness. She looked back out the window. "So… is she okay?"

"As okay as one can be during such times," he replied, returning his attention to the window again. However, he couldn't find what was capturing Galinda's attention so much.

"What did you talk about?"

"Oh… nothing really. Fate, people, the circle of life. Silly things really."

"They don't sound so silly." Galinda turned her head quizzically. "How long ago did you talk to her?"

Fiyero shrugged. "A couple hours I think," he replied. "Wait… that would mean I've been in the library since then. That can't be right."

Galinda nodded absentmindedly. "I think you are right," she murmured. "Look." She pointed out the window to a section of the courtyard outside that Fiyero couldn't actually see from his position.

The Vinkus prince got up and walked over to Galinda's side of the table, the side Elphaba always sat at, and let his line of vision follow Galinda's pointing arm. He saw, finally, what had so captured the blonde's attention.

In the falling dusk it was hard to determine exactly but the stumbling form outside seemed, to both of them, to be their green friend. Their guess was affirmed when she stumbled in to one of the last rays of fading sunlight and her coloured skin shone before she tripped out of the light.

"Something's wrong," Galinda whispered.

Fiyero opened his mouth to reply but something… someone else… caught his eye and he was gone in a second. Galinda jerked in surprise at her boyfriend's sudden departure and was soon following behind him as fast as she could in her heals and skirt.

She got outside just in time to see Fiyero grab the arm of a man, another student, and turn him around rather forcefully. Galinda could just see Elphaba from where she stood, pushing herself from one tree to the next. The blonde made to go directly to her friend's aid but the loud yelp that escaped from the direction of her boyfriend distracted her.

Fiyero had punched the man that he had first spotted from the window in the library. He had landed on the ground, blood dribbling from his now broken nose.

"Stay away from her!" Fiyero snapped at the man now on the ground.

"Fiyero!" Galinda rushed to his side but froze when she saw who he had been so forceful against. "Avaric?" she questioned in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Fiyero turned to the blonde. "What do you think he's doing! He saw Elphaba out here like she is and decided he just wanted a little fun." He turned his attention back to Avaric, still sprawled on the ground. "Didn't you? A little repeat performance there Avaric? Is that what you wanted!"

"Where did you even come from?" Avaric muttered. "It's like you're the green bean's personal body-guard or something."

"Don't be changing the subject. You were going to rape her again, weren't you!" Fiyero grabbed the still stunned Avaric by his collar and hoisted him back up to his feet. "What sick, twisted game are you play at! She doesn't deserve this tre…"

Fiyero's voice trailed off as he spotted Elphaba trip over a tree branch not far from where they were standing. She almost hit the ground but caught herself at the very last moment. Fiyero, still holding on to Avaric's collar, looked at Galinda who nodded her understanding. The blonde slowly walked away from Fiyero, Avaric, and the group of boys that Avaric had been with, and cautiously made her way towards Elphaba. Fiyero threw Avaric to the side, as if he was worth nothing more then trash, and followed behind his girlfriend.

"Elphie?" Galinda asked softly when she came within hearing range of her friend.

The green girl in question stumbled but caught herself awkwardly on a nearby tree. Slowly she turned around to face the voice calling her name; leaving a hand on the tree to steady herself.

"Elphie, what are you doing out here?"

The green girl, unable to place the very familiar voice, simply grunted and buried her head in her free hand. Her vision was beginning to spin and she could feel a headache developing behind her eyes.

"Elphie, are you okay?" Galinda moved to stand beside the green girl and carefully laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Ma… ma… head hurs," the green girl slurred and the blonde raised questioning eyebrows to Fiyero behind her.

"I think she's drunk," Fiyero stated as he crossed the small space between him and the green girl.

"Elphie, have you been drinking?" Galinda asked softly.

The green girl finally recognized the voice and suddenly shrugged the person's hand off her shoulder. "Go a… way Gaina."

"Gaina?" the blonde questioned with a small smile. "You're drunk."

"Do… n't drunk," the green girl slurred out and both the blonde female standing beside her and the male standing before her laughed.

"You're drunk," the blonde stated again but then her face suddenly fell as she became concerned for her friend. "Why were you drinking?"

"No… drunk."

"Elphaba, please… why were you drinking?"

"A… way."

"El…" Galinda's voice trailed off as her green friend's unfocused eyes managed to focus on the group of boys standing just a few feet away.

"A… avric?" Elphaba frowned and turned questioning eyes towards Galinda. "Wha… why is… is he here?"

"We happened to meet up with him by accident," Fiyero quickly cut in. "Nothing more than that."

The green girl laid unfocused eyes on the male. "Fi… Fiyero?" she questioned. "Why?"

"Why what Elphaba?" Fiyero questioned, moving slightly to the side to effectively block Avaric from the green girl's line of vision.

"You… you here? Why here?" Elphaba muttered, dropping her gaze to the ground. "Sho… should be wid Gal… Gal… Gaina."

"I am Elphaba, she's right here. You were just talking to her." Fiyero frowned in concern. "Don't you remember?"

"Goway." Elphaba tried to push the Vinkus prince away but she missed and her unsteady balance caused her to stumble and fall. Fiyero caught her just in time to prevent a disastrous fall to the hard ground below.

"I thi… I thind thad… thad…" Elphaba frowned as she relaxed completely into Fiyero. "…maybe I… I mighd…" she trailed off as he voice became muffled against Fiyero's clothes.

"What is it Elphaba?" Fiyero coaxed even though he had a sinking feeling he knew what Elphaba was going to say. He braced himself for her confession of love and the reaction that Galinda would have.

"I… I thind… thad… I mighd lo… love you."

Galinda's mouth opened in shock and her eyes flashed in anger. "Miss Elphaba!" she screeched. "I dare hope you are joking!"

Elphaba let out a small breath and clutched tightly onto Fiyero's shirt. The soft fabric, befitting of a prince's status, crumpled and wrinkled under her balled fists and Fiyero swore his shirt was becoming slightly damp with tears. He closed his eyes and tried to prepare himself for the altercation he knew would now occur between the drunken Elphaba and the upset Galinda.

"I… I wi… wished I was," Elphaba whispered as she began to feel the familiar stinging of burning skin from the tears now falling, unchecked, from her eyes.

"Miss Elphaba!" Galinda stormed towards her friend, unable to believe the words coming from the green girl's mouth.

"Oh, shud-up!" Elphaba screamed as she detangled herself from Fiyero and spun around to face the blonde. Her unsteady balance nearly caused her to tumble to the ground, again, but Fiyero had the presence of mind to keep a steadying hand on the drunk green girl's shoulder.

"Do… do you thind thad… thad he woud ever pi… pick me oder you!" Elphaba continued, pulling free of Fiyero's steadying hand and taking a few shaky and unsteadying steps towards Galinda. "You… you Gaina for Oz sakes! Gaina Upand of the Upper Upands! I jusd the… the green freak! I nod the girl he'd pick! You are!"

Galinda stepped backwards to escape the stench of alcohol on Elphaba's breath. "Miss Elphaba!" she screeched. "Not only is that not true but you cannot, no matter what, go around saying you love someone else's boyfriend! Especially your roommates!"

"Gaina! It… it me! Elbaba! I… I coud love him a… all I wanded and he would ne… never love me back!"

Elphaba's head snapped to the side as Galinda's angry slap took the green girl by complete surprise. "I do all in my power to help you stay here at Shiz!" Galinda screamed in anger. "And this is the thanks I get! I should've left you in the hands of your own father!"

"Gaina…" Elphaba whispered, her voice cracking from her tears. "I woud… I woud never do anyding… nod hurd you."

"I can't believe you would say such things!" Galinda's breathing was heavy with anger. "All you've ever said of Fiyero is how much he annoys you but I guess that was all lies!"

"A… at leasd I don'd assodiade wid rapisds!" Elphaba screamed, throwing her arm behind her and pointing at the suddenly shocked Avaric standing nearby.

"That was a while ago Elphie," Galinda muttered, knowing that the words she were speaking were to cause hurt and were not the truth. "Long enough to forgive and forget, don't you think!"

"Fogive? Foget?" Elphaba's eyes widened in shock. "I can'd… I can'd believe you! Do you even rember whad he made me do!"

"You had a choice Elphaba! You didn't have to kill those children! You could've birthed! You could've raised them! Avaric didn't make you murder them! You did!"

The blonde regretting what she had said as soon as the words left her mouth but her guilt was overshadowed by her anger to the point that she didn't currently care what she said or how much it would hurt her friend.

"Galinda!" Fiyero's voice was harsh and quiet. "How can you say that? Elphaba isn't a murderer!"

"Oh, shut-up Fiyero!" Galinda turned her attention towards the Vinkus prince. "You have obviously done nothing to try and stifle this growing love in Elphaba, have you?"

"Galinda you are obviously the one in the wrong here. Elphaba may not, in your opinion, be reasonable in her words of love but you do not have the right to judge her for the decision she made in a very difficult situation." Fiyero laid a hand on the green girl's shoulder not to just comfort her but to also help steady her shaking form.

"Are you taking sides Fiyero!" Galinda's face was turning an odd colour of red as her anger increased. "Do you truly love Elphaba over me!"

"Galinda you're… you're looking too much into this. Elphaba is drunk, she doesn't really know what she's saying. And her anger over… over this seemingly association with Avaric is not unreasonable at all."

"I can spead for myseld!" Elphaba frowned as she tried to turn around to face Fiyero but the prince kept a firm hand on the green girl's shoulder and she found herself unable to move much.

"Elphaba I think you should calm down and go to bed. You're in no condition to be out here anyways," Fiyero said softly as he began to lead the drunken girl to her dormitory.

"You can't go in the girl's dorm!" Galinda called after her boyfriend. "But I see you don't care much about the rules! All for Elphaba, isn't it? You just love her too much to follow the rules, don't you!"

Fiyero let out a breath of frustration and turned around to face the blonde. "Galinda, I love you," Fiyero tried to explain. "It's just that Elphaba is drunk and needs help and you seem too angry to offer your assistance so I will take care of her."

Galinda sighed in resignation and quickly ran over to the two. "I'm going to assume that Elphie is drunk and doesn't mean what she's saying and that you're just being the gentleman I know you are," she muttered as she caught up.

"I know whad I'm sading!" Elphaba protested and Fiyero nodded.

"I know," Fiyero said to the green girl. "Just trust us though, we'll get you back to your room and you'll be safe and asleep in moments."

"I don'd need sleep!" Elphaba protested. "I'm fin!"

Galinda huffed, crossing her arms across her chest as the three made there way across the courtyard to the dorm. "Just stay silent Miss Elphaba," Galinda muttered. "Or soon you'll find yourself in more trouble with me then you already are."

"Galinda just let her be," Fiyero hissed. "She's obviously upset over something and that's why she was drinking. Just let her sober up and we'll sort everything out tomorrow."

"I nod deaf," Elphaba muttered. "Pleade speak do me, nod around me."

"I'm sorry," Fiyero said. "Galinda and I are just trying to figure everythi–"

Fiyero's sentence fell short as Elphaba's eyes began to roll back into her head and he body started to shake violently before she suddenly collapsed. Fiyero barely caught Elphaba's falling body in time before she struck the ground and he began to realize just how much the green girl had drank. It took longer then Fiyero wanted but eventually he managed to carry the limp, shaking Elphaba to her shared room with Galinda following behind and watching for professors or Madame Morrible to make sure that the Prince was not caught in the girl's dorm.

Fiyero laid the unconscious Elphaba on her bed and Galinda flopped down on her own bed. "We never did find out why she was drinking," Galinda whispered, concern once again flooding her eyes.

"We probably never will know," Fiyero replied with a sad smile even though he knew, deep down, that Elphaba's drinking had been to try and drown out the feelings she had for him. To try and protect his and Galinda's love. To try and save her friendship with the blonde.

But her desperate action had backfired. And now Fiyero didn't even want to think of what the consequences would be.

"We'll never know much about her, will we Fiyero?" Galinda said as she folded her legs beneath her. "She's just not one to open up."

"She wasn't raised to open up, not like you Galinda." Fiyero frowned as he dabbed lightly at the tears that were drying on Elphaba's face with his sleeve. "Her face is burnt," Fiyero whispered in confusion.

"She's allergic to water," Galinda replied absentmindedly as she played with a curl in her hair. "Her tears probably burnt her."

"She's what!" Fiyero whirled around to face the blonde in concern in horror. "How can someone be allergic to… to water!"

Galinda shrugged. "I have no idea but she is."

"You seem not to care," Fiyero noted with concern.

The blonde shrugged. "She loves you," Galinda muttered in suppressed anger. "How can we be friends now?"