Chapter 9: Deal or No Deal?

"Elphaba Thropp."

Light claps resonated in the small room as she walked across the small stage.

In her blue cap and gown, she took her diploma from the principal and gave him a handshake. It was finally over. She was done with school, well, for now at least. Who knows? Maybe someday she'll go to college and pursue something other than dance. Her high school diploma offered that option at least.

She pulled a strand of hair behind her ear and cursed under her breath when it got caught in the ridiculous hoop earrings Glinda had made her wear. Her feet were already killing her. These heels hurt so much worse than the ones she danced in. Not many students graduated early, so the ceremony went quickly.

The party, however, was a different story. The small number of graduates and family would've just been depressing, so all high school students were invited to celebrate their friends. Elphaba had to admit the party was nice. She might've even enjoyed herself were it not for the shoes and all the stares she was getting.

"There you are," Fiyero said. He'd seen her last with Galinda, but lost track once he'd gone to the bathroom. He found her getting a drink of water.

"Here I am," Elphaba nodded, taking a sip of water. "Are you having fun?" she asked.

"Are you?"

"Not really." She fiddled with her glass. "Glinda seems to be though."

Following her gaze, Fiyero saw Glinda centered in a group of girls. They pointed out each other's clothes with bright smiles, laughs, and rapid chatter.

"They probably have the same tastes in clothes or something." Elphaba said. "I assume. The only pointing I've gotten so far is that." She motioned to another group of students, whose smiles certainly seemed to be at her expense. Fiyero shot them a glare, and they turned their heads.

"Don't even pay attention to them Elphaba," he said gently. "It's a special night, you just graduated!"

"Yeah," she sighed.

He was right. This night was supposed to be special. She should be feeling joy and excitement at finally having finished high school, but instead she only felt self-conscious and isolated. It had been a while since she'd truly paid attention to others, just how odd they found her. Looking down at her fingers, she swallowed. Why couldn't she just have been born normal?

Fiyero knew her so well. He squeezed her shoulder. "Get out of your head," he whispered. He hated seeing her upset. "It's your night. What do you want to do?"

"Right now? Get out of these shoes."

He chuckled and shook his head as he followed her to the nearest table.

"My feet are killing me," she moaned, removing the black heels.

Fiyero sat down on a chair next to her. "Are they worse than the heels you dance in?" He smiled and took the shoes from her hands.

"At least those have a heel. That is a needle poking at my feet," Elphaba pointed to the thin heel. She sighed. "Can we go?" she whispered. "I'm really uncomfortable."

"Don't let them ruin this for you." He reached for her hand before he even realized he was doing it. If she wanted to leave, he would take her away. But at the same time she shouldn't let these people spoil her fun. How could he get her to want to stay at least a little longer? "How about a compromise?"

She raised an eyebrow.

He actually hadn't planned any further than that. He just really wanted her to ignore the stares and whispers. Oz, what could he do? A soft song played and then he got an idea. What did she love to do? Dance. She was in her own world when she danced. This could help.

"One slow dance." He swallowed. Maybe he should've thought this through more, but it was too late to back out now. "We dance one song, and then I'll get you out of here."

She was quiet for a beat. "And have them all stare at me more than they already are?"

Wow. This was worse than he'd thought. Elphaba wasn't one to really care what others think. She'd mentioned that at times it hurt, but he'd never seen it affect her this much, not in the time that he'd known her. Why was tonight so different?

"They don't know what they're missing then," Fiyero stood up. "So, deal or no deal?" He extended his hand to her.

Elphaba felt her heart beat widely in her chest. She slowly raised her hand to his. Once their hands touched, their eyes met and suddenly the room felt very warm. Why had she let her feelings go this far? It was so easy to love him, but so painful to know it wouldn't be reciprocated. She managed to plaster a smile on her face. "Deal."

He gripped her hand better then pulled her to the dance floor but not too much into the crowd. Fiyero took her by surprise when he lifted her by her hips slightly. "Put your feet on top of mine," he whispered.

She giggled softly. "Why?"

"So your feet won't get as dirty." He placed her back down once her feet were on his.

She couldn't help but wrap her arms around his neck. They didn't say anything after that. Soon Elphaba forgot why she had even been sad in the first place. It was just the soft music, Fiyero, and her. She let her eyes close and her head drop to his shoulder. He tightened his arms around her, and a soft smile spread over her face.

She sould say something right now and it could either be one of the best, most unbelievable moments of her life or it could be one of the worst and she would lose him. She sighed; even if the second option made her feel like a coward, it was the safer choice. Elphaba stayed quiet, her grip on him subconsciously tightening.

Once the song ended, Elphaba raised her head and Fiyero rubbed her back. "Ready to leave then?"

She found herself shaking her head. "No, let's just…stay like this?" she quickly hid her head again.

"Okay," he breathed, and she let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, hugging him even tighter.

Things start happening in the next chapter ;) Hope you enjoyed it! R&R! :)