AN:

Oooooookaaaaay.

So incredibly sorry for the long wait and even more sorry because the next couple of chapters will all take a lot longer for now (T^T)
Another chapter I struggled a bit with, but I hope it turned out okay... Well, it is what it is lol Hope you'll enjoy it!

Happy reading and take care!

xoxo MLE
(=^_^=)

Chapter Fourteen

"Ten more minutes," announced the professor as he meandered in between the rows of desks.

Startled out of her reveries, Galinda looked up at the computer screen before her and blanched. Evidently, she'd spent the majority of the past hour in a world of her own, meaning that more than a third of her table was left blank. She hadn't even begun creating any frequency tables or charts! At this point, there was no chance in hell that she was going to catch up and complete her work on time. All at once, the realisation hit her that she'd bomb this test spectacularly, and that there was no way to prevent this.

Overwhelmed by the prospect, she buried her face in her hands. Oz, what was she going to do? This was a disaster. Thoughts were racing through her head, too fast and too meddled to be of any help. The sounds of busy typing and clicking all around her only served to exacerbate her distress. Mere two days ago she'd tutored a fellow student who'd asked for her help; now it was going to be her who'd score the lowest mark in the entire class. Oh, the humiliation, the scandal!

Even without opening her eyes, she could sense the lecturer's approach. His footsteps paused just behind her, and she screwed her eyes shut as tightly as possible, vividly imagining his amazement at her lack of progress. It was a good job that he couldn't voice his disappointment right there and then. Seconds crawled by like minutes. When he finally did move on, Galinda sunk down further, only snapping back up due to the pitiful beep the computer gave when her arm squarely pushed down on the keyboard.

She blinked at the screen with misty eyes. Perhaps the most level-headed solution would have been to buckle down and complete as much of the assignment as possible in the remaining time. But level-headed was not her thing right now, which was the exact reason why she was in this mess in the first place. And what difference was there between zero percent and fifty anyway when the only acceptable score was eighty percent or higher?

"Time's up. I need you to save and close your work now."

She made the necessary clicks while barely glancing at the screen. Professor Yrickk made his round one last time to ensure that all students had stopped working before he instructed them to hand in their files by placing them in the shared folder.

"Feel free to leave as soon as you're finished," he added and returned to his desk to gather his own belongings.

Galinda sluggishly followed his directions, then stood and shouldered her bag. She picked up her handout and stared at it as if she was trying to incinerate the paper with her hateful glare alone. When that failed, she tore the sheets into half and crushed them into a tight ball.

"Miss Galinda."

She stopped short of dunking the crumpled paper into the bin and listlessly turned around. She'd been stupid for not being the first to dash out of the room.

"Yes, professor?"

He raised his hand, motioning for her to come closer. She looked at him briefly, then shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I'm late for my next class," she muttered before nodding curtly and spinning on her heel.

In truth, her next architecture lecture would be in a theatre mere two floors below the computer lab. She avoided the crammed lift on the way there and took the stairs instead. Upon arrival on the ground floor, she immediately slipped into the accessible bathroom next to the fire door.

The door locked. For the next few moments she'd be safe. Tiredly, she walked three steps backwards and let herself flop into the armchair in the corner of the small room. She cradled her head in her right hand, elbow resting on the armrest of the chair.

How had things deteriorated so quickly from that thrilling high she'd experienced less than twenty-four hours ago? She and Elphie had shared a bed in that dreadfully dank apartment, which had been broken in and vandalised to boot. With the storm raging outside, they'd clung to each other for warmth and comfort. Elphaba had allowed it so easily that Galinda had dared to hope that the experience would change them both overnight. How brave that had made her feel and how vulnerable, too.

But morning had come, and Elphaba had seemed just the same as before. Good old Elphaba, with all her reservations and inhibitions. It had nearly driven Galinda up the wall, but of course she'd said nothing.

It had gotten worse when Elphaba had left for school, leaving Galinda behind on her own. She'd alternated between brooding, and wallowing in blissful memories and blissful possibilities which might never come to pass. It was a state she could scarcely compel herself to emerge from, even when walking to uni or sitting her stats test. She supposed she had emerged now, but now was a little too late.

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, though she couldn't quite tell which of her misfortunes had brought them about. Was she crying over her disappointment with Elphaba, or her loss of self, as she could no longer lay claim to being perfect? Naturally, she'd never been truly perfect, but the illusion had been splendid and convincing. Letting go of that was tricky, especially when she was forced to do so by circumstances rather than out of her own volition.

Her failure today had been a fairly public one; she expected that at least someone in her class had taken note and was going to tell their friends, and soon she herself would hear it from someone else's lips.

Maybe Milla would learn of it and ask her whether she was alright. What would she tell her if she did? Or perhaps Pfannee would whisper it into Shenshen's ear, so they could both giggle about it. They were close and caring enough to count as her friends, but they were jealous, too and Galinda suspected that they would elevate themselves at her cost without hesitation. Even she herself had to admit that a small part of her own virtue depended on her being—at least superficially—prettier, cleverer, richer, and overall better than them.

She shook her head and unsuccessfully tried to stifle a sob. She'd vowed to herself to not think like this anymore. As comfortable as she'd been existing in this paradigm, Elphaba had made her realise that she'd been on the wrong track all along.

Granted, it had been a nice, well made path, lined with flowers and shaded by gorgeous trees. But it had led her round and round in circles. Ultimately, the roads that truly had the power to transport someone to where they were meant to go tended to be rockier and less, well, perfect. Right?

For a first step in the right direction, she'd have to truly accept that being the brightest star among her group of peers was simply not the future she should be striving for. For many girls this sort of conclusion was almost a given, a more realistic approach to the little dreams and hopes they might have entertained as children and teenagers. Yet for Galinda, someone whose persona so far had been built on this one, single goal, it was beyond painful. It was almost as if she was tasked with cutting off a part of her own body in order to grow a new, more appropriate one to go with the shape she had to eventually change into. Would the sacrifice be worth it in the end?

Frustratingly, that remained to be seen.

Essentially, what she really wanted was to be with Elphaba. She'd since recognised that being able to acknowledge the bond between her and the green oddball openly and without fear was a privilege greater than popularity or superficial love. But what if Elphaba would never come around, never help her to recuperate the love she'd lost by loving her back? What if she'd go down this risky path, full of faith and optimism, only to find both dashed further down the line?

That was when real tears at long last travelled down her cheeks and the tip of her nose. Without being able to conceive a possible fallback plan, she found that her outlook seemed incredibly bleak. Once she'd abandoned perfect, there would be no turning back. She was almost ready, poised to make the big jump, but if Elphaba did not decide to catch her, where would she land? Would she land at all or fall forever? Uncertainty had always unsettled her, even when the stakes had been lower.

Without perfect, without Elphaba, who'd she be? If she was entirely hones, there was nothing special about her. She was like every other Gillikinese girl with decent looks and a little money. After falling from grace, she'd literally be no one. She could't possibly imagine what life would be like in obscurity.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Elphaba? Her breath caught in anticipation.

But of course, it wasn't.

'U okay? Ur not usually late.'

She had to blink to make out the name at the top of the screen. Fiyero. Since when was he so concerned about her?

Checking the time, she realised that the lecture had started ages ago. She wouldn't have guessed that she'd spent longer than five minutes in this room.

She stared at his message in indecision. Should she pick herself up, reapply her makeup and put on a brave face? The short answer was yes, but for the first time, she doubted that she could. This crisis was running too deep. She needed a break, cut herself some slack.

The notion sounded bizarre. Not going almost seemed as impossible as going. Yet then, another glance at the clock helped to boost her confidence in her decision. After all, being this late for class would be awkward in itself. Everyone would notice. Realistically speaking, her absence would be far less conspicuous to most.

Repeating this last thought in her mind like a mantra, she took a deep breath and began formulating her reply.

'Sorry, I'm afraid I'm feeling a little ill today. Going home now. Could you send me your notes later?'

'Sure thing. Take care.'

Galinda exhaled. So far, so good. His quick response further reassured her, but also took the option to backtrack out of the equation. Already, she felt a bit lighter. It was time to follow through and go.

She wiped the wetness off her cheeks, then paused to look at her glistening hands. 'Tears… they burn like fire,' she remembered Elphaba saying. Goodness, how did she bear it? How did she cope with overflowing emotions when crying was off the table altogether? She must have developed a much thicker skin. Maybe she had to learn to be more like Elphaba.

Digging through her tote, she located a package of makeup wipes. Even if she didn't go back to the lecture, she couldn't be seen walking across campus with red eyes and blotchy skin. Nor did she want Elphaba to immediately become suspicious the moment she got back home—at least not more suspicious than she'd already be, owing to her early return. Appearances had to be restored at least to some degree, and so she quickly went about fixing the mess her meltdown had caused.

Upon exiting the bathroom, she closed the door softly behind her, still feeling uneasy about not being in class where she belonged. It wasn't like anyone would suspect anything, as if anyone would even know. This wasn't high school. No one she might run into would know her schedule. Regardless, she couldn't shake this unsettling feeling until she had finally left the business building far, far behind her.

When she arrived at her house, the only one to greet her was Malky. Judging by his hunger for affection, he'd been alone for hours. This shouldn't have come as a surprise, but Galinda was unreasonably miffed about this and angrily kicked her shoes into a corner, mostly ignoring him. What was she going to do next, with no patience to spare for assignments or readings?

She dropped her bag next to the sofa and remained standing in the middle of the room, glancing first in the direction of the kitchen, considering the merits of a comfort snack, then towards the tv. She could have had both, of course, but ultimately decided that she didn't have much of an appetite and that mindless media consumption would be the simplest choice with the lowest potential for regret.

This was how Elphaba found her later. Lost in the realm of embarrassingly scripted reality shows and fake personalities, Galinda didn't notice her until she stood right behind her, leaning over the backrest of the sofa.

"Riveting," she deadpanned, making her jump.

"Oh, you're back!"

The blonde's eyes jumped to the clock on the wall. She'd been loafing around for more than two hours.

"Short shift today," Elphaba went on to explain. "I'll work ten hours on both Saturday and Sunday though."

"Sounds awful," murmured Galinda as she pulled herself up into a sitting position. Her head was spinning. Apparently, her foul mood was beginning to also affect her physically.

"Not as awful as being stuck at home with nothing better to do than binging this brain numbing trash."

"I'm not well," Galinda shot back in her defence. "In fact, I think I'll go to bed. Don't plan dinner for me."

With that she stomped off upstairs and threw herself onto her bed. She pulled the blanket up to her nose and stared at the ceiling. What now? Was she going to hide from her roommate for the remainder of the week, the rest of the month, however long it would take for her to sort through her messy feelings of disappointment and shame? It wasn't a productive tactic, but the only one she could currently bring herself to employ.

She wished she were exhausted enough to fall asleep, but even when she tried to close her eyes, time only ticked by without bringing any traces of sleepiness. Her feet were jiggling impatiently, and she was relentlessly chewing the inside of her cheek. It seemed like rest was the last thing her body needed.

Eventually, the door to her room opened, revealing Elphaba. On a small tray, she brought tea and chocolate chip cookies. She set it all down on the bedside table and cleared her throat.

"Feeling any better yet?"

Before Galinda could answer, she was distracted by the kitten trotting through the open door. He hopped onto the bed and, purring, explored the unpredictable landscape of her thick down duvet. After watching him for a little while as he climbed her legs, then misstepped and suddenly disappeared in a pit of fluff, she turned back towards Elphaba to offer her a tenuous shrug that remained invisible under her blanket.

"I hope you didn't catch a cold last night," said Elphaba, sounding genuinely concerned. "It was rather draughty and humid."

Draughty? Humid? She was probably right, but Galinda hadn't noticed any of that. All she'd felt was warm and surprisingly peaceful amid the outside chaos and given the unsafe location. And hopeful, which had been her greatest mistake. If she hadn't been so damn optimistic, reality wouldn't have crushed her so terribly in the morning.

Elphaba pulled out her phone.

"The midwife called me earlier," she said distractedly and fiddled with the thing some more.

Wiggling, Galinda pulled back her blanket bit by bit before properly sitting up, resting against the headboard. Malky had at last managed to crawl closer and demanded attention.

"About yesterday's scan? So fast?" she asked, scratching the kitten's head while still focusing on Elphaba.

"Yes. Baby's fine. She also sent me an email with the test results."

The phone changed hands so that Galinda could have a look. The medical report was more confusing than anything, but it also included two ultrasound pictures. She bit her lip, remembering the events before they'd bussed down to Little Glikkus.

"I'm glad," she said with a small smile as she returned the device.

Elphaba looked flustered, like she'd just taken a similar trip along memory lane.

"I better leave you to it," she said, then deftly swooped up Malky. "You're coming too, little man."

Galinda wanted to stop her. If only she had anything else of interest to say! Having Elphaba in her bedroom was an exceedingly rare occurrence, and it felt different from meeting her downstairs in their naturally shared domain, or even from those times when she'd confidently invaded Elphaba's private space because, after all, she was the owner of this house and could get away with a certain level of audacity.

But Elphaba coming into her room was all about her willingly hazarding a level of intimacy she otherwise tended to avoid. Galinda saw an opportunity there, to strengthen and deepen their relationship, but how to accomplish such a feat was unfortunately beyond her. Seeing how inscrutable Elphaba was, it was impossible to tell what strategies may or may not work on her. Blindly experimenting, Galinda feared, would only serve to chase her away.

Well, in this instance at least, she'd already squandered her chance. Elphaba was long gone and probably wasn't thinking any further about her or yesterday's events. With a sigh, she looked down at her hands that were fidgeting on top of the blanket. What next?

Her mind inadvertently returned to the black and white pictures she'd just seen, and her chest immediately brimmed with emotion. Elphaba was well into her thirteenth week of pregnancy at this point and therefore had made it past the notorious first trimester. From what Galinda gathered, things were looking up now, with decreased risks and less difficulties. And the baby was healthy as far as the doctors had been able to tell.

All good news. Certainly something to focus on when everything else was going kind of pear shaped. No matter what would happen in the meantime, she was truly looking forward to meeting the tiny wonder. In addition, the guilty hope that they would play a key role in keeping Elphaba near for years to come was something that would probably never completely desert her. She just had to be careful about cultivating Elphaba's trust in her and be as helpful as she could, make herself indispensable without evoking any pushback. Only, how would she go about that?

The results for that unfortunate stats test were ready on the following Friday. All weekend, she'd debated whether to even look at them or not. After logging in three times that day and growing increasingly irritated with the red dot next to the bold subject line in her inbox, she finally ripped off the bandaid and clicked on it.

Staring at the screen, skimming through the sparse comments in the annotations and finding her score of zero in the top right corner, she felt…

Nothing.

It was almost unbelievable. Despite focusing so intensely on distracting herself, on reasoning away this ten percent test's significance in the grander scheme of things, she hadn't quite believed that she'd succeeded in this endeavour. Not so completely anyway.

She cast another look at the number that previously had seemed like a death sentence and hiked her shoulders. Nothing to be done. Her A+ average was ruined, but if she didn't let it totally slide from hereon, she still could come out of this with a semester average of B, possibly higher.

Releasing a relieved breath, Galinda gently closed her laptop. She paused and folded her hands to centre herself. All she had to do was chalk this mishap up to experience and move on. Doing that seemed surprisingly easy now, and that at least was a small victory worth celebrating. Progress. It was progress.

With a fresh wave of enthusiasm coursing through her system, she reached down and fished a manila folder out of her handbag. No matter her reaction to her stats grade, she'd been looking forward to working on this all day. It was part of a small project of sorts that had kept her focused over the past few days and ultimately helped her tide over her anxieties, even though she wasn't sure whether it would all come together the way she hoped or amount to anything at all. Yet it was worth a try.

She opened the folder and spotted the glossy brochure she was after. When she tried to remove it from the stuffed envelope, however, the loose pages that accompanied it came tumbling out, scattering across table and floor like an avalanche. Sliding smoothly across the hardwood floor, one sheet made it all the way to the corridor.

As if on cue, Elphaba emerged from her room, her jacket hanging over her arm and a dirty plate balancing on the palm of her hand. She stopped at the boundary to the living area and bent down to pick up the sheet of paper that lay before her feet. Continuing on towards the kitchen, she skimmed through it, then suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

"What's this?" she asked, her voice steady, but strained.

She put her plate down on the edge of the counter rather than making it all the way to the dishwasher and putting it away properly. Galinda gave up on gathering the pages on the table and met her eyes, an uneasy sensation tingling at the pit of her stomach. If Elphaba's tone was anything to go by, she wouldn't like the reply she had to offer, so she opted to remain silent on the topic. The answer was self-evident enough after all; all her friend had to do was to read further.

"Ten: Values that should prominently feature in our child's upbringing

"Eleven: Methods and cornerstones that should dominate our parenting

"Fifteen: Education plan…"

Elphaba looked up from the page and gave her a hard look.

"Family legal services? What the—"

Galinda hadn't intended for this to come out in such a confrontational manner. Cowed into silence, she trained her gaze on the part of the document in front of her. It was true: she'd received the whole package from a lawyer, and the name of the firm was stated in the footer of each page. But it wasn't exactly the way Elphaba thought.

"What were you thinking?" demanded the green girl as she came at her with swift strides. She slapped the page onto the table with a loud thud and exhaled noisily through her nostrils.

"Elphaba," Galinda started meekly, "I merely asked a friend."

"For legal advise about my child?"

"It wasn't meant as such!"

"What next? Are you going to suggest that you should adopt them?"

"No!" Horrified at the notion, Galinda jumped to her feet. "I never had any ideas of that sort! All I hope to do is support you."

"By talking me into joint custody?"

"Certainly not." She handed Elphaba the brochure she'd been about to read. "Don't judge this by its cover," she warned her. "Not for a single second did I think to actually suggest we draw up a proper document like this. I merely wanted to take some inspiration from it."

"Inspiration?" Elphaba huffed and put the book down, unread. "Forgive me, but this sounds ridiculous."

"I want to be helpful," said Galinda, pleading with Elphaba and pressing her hands to her heart. "Not only by providing you with a roof over your head. I've been thinking about this and what you said about your life changing and your future. What if neither of those truly have to? I'm willing to get involved. Really involved. Relieve you of some of the burden so you can continue studying as before."

Elphaba shook her head and shook out her jacket so she could slip into it.

"The burden of parenthood doesn't magically diminish when shared. If you take on every responsibility I cannot fulfil while also dedicating enough time to my studies, your own scholastic endeavours will inevitably suffer."

"You think I'm really stupid, don't you?" the shorter girl bit back.

Elphaba stared at her for a clock-tick.

"Not really stupid."

"But you can't even fathom that I might have thought of these consequences and accepted them?"

"What I certainly cannot fathom is why in Oz you'd want to do such a thing!"

"Because—"

Galinda stopped herself there. She couldn't possibly tell her the true reason. She knew it wasn't a sound one, especially if Elphaba would never feel the same as she did.

"Whatever," said Elphaba with a jerk of her head and began heading for the door.

Galinda made to follow her, staying a few steps behind at all times. With her heart in her throat, she grappled for the right words as she watched her friend tie her shoelaces. Finally, just when Elphaba had pushed down the door handle, she managed to open her mouth.

"Let's talk about it. Later. Please, Elphie, let me explain."

"I don't want to talk," replied Elphaba without facing her. "I don't know how you arrived at this delusion that coparenting a child would be all wonderful and easy. It wouldn't be. You'd end up sacrificing things you never wanted to sacrifice. You wouldn't be happy and you would most definitely resent me. I can't allow you to make such a humungous mistake."

"And what gives you the authority to decide what mistakes I am or am not allowed to make, hm?"

Crossing her arms, legs slightly apart, Galinda suddenly stood proud and defiant. Elphaba's perceived self-righteousness had rubbed her the wrong way, emboldening her.

"Being the child's birth giver," Elphaba said firmly, ignoring her antics. "You will change your mind, putting the kid and I into an impossible situation. I can't…"

After a brief moment of hesitation the green girl pushed down the handle and pulled open the door. Galinda looked on as it fell back into its lock, then her shoulders slumped. She'd blown this chance. Why was everything she touched going wrong? What had she done to deserve this?

Dragging her feet, she returned to the dining table to pick up the remaining sheets. She let her eyes wander across the top page of the bundle before grabbing the brochure and disposing of the whole lot in the recycling bin.

All she'd wanted was to come up with a plan that she could present to Elphaba, well formulated and coherent, at a time she deemed advantageous. The way things had actually happened, all her efforts and good intentions had gone down the drain within minutes. Was this a sign? Should she give up?

She texted Elphaba soon after, asking her when she'd be back from work. Her messages remained unanswered, and even though she couldn't say for certain whether Elphaba was perhaps merely too busy and unable to check her phone, she suspected that this was a punishment for overstepping the line. She didn't exactly hold that against her, but sulked all the same.

Lying on the couch again, with her laptop on her tummy, Galinda mindlessly scrolled through blogs and social media pages without truly paying any attention to the posts and pictures on the screen. She was thinking. Thinking about what Elphaba had said, wondering whether she was right. How prepared was she to give up her own plans and freedoms, how happy would she be after doing so?

Honestly, she didn't know. So far, she'd regarded it as a must, not as an if. She'd considered herself in a circumstance where she had no real choice, just like Elphaba, while in truth, she had every right and opportunity to walk away. Elphaba feared, expected even, that she would, and it slowly dawned on Galinda that that would very likely never change. There were no promises that Galinda could make that Elphaba would accept. All she could do was to simply do what felt right, step by step. She'd have to play it by ear, make small adjustments rather than major changes. It probably would be best for both of them.

Her relative peace was disturbed when Malky first jumped onto the backrest of the sofa, then, from there, leaped straight onto her laptop.

"Gosh, cat!" exclaimed Galinda, while swiftly lifting him up with one hand and closing the computer with the other. Once the laptop was out of harm's way, she put the kitten back down and patted him with long strokes. "You're my baby, too, aren't you?" she sighed. Cooing softly, he threw himself down and rolled onto his back, demanding belly rubs. "She never complains about me paying for your food, the vet bills… She's happy for me to clean your litter and trim your nails as well. Should I be content with that and let it go?"

Naturally, she received no reply, only a minor scratch, when the little fur ball suddenly decided to turn into a miniature killer machine.

"Ouch!" she said, but smiled ever so slightly.

Malky and Elphaba had one thing in common: she couldn't be mad with either for too long, no matter what they did. That didn't mean that Galinda didn't need time and ways to work through her initial resentment. Right now, she realised, lollygagging on the couch, even with such splendid company as sweet Malky, did nothing to help her with that. What she needed was distance, to leave the house she'd been far too cooped up in lately and to do something that would get her mind off everything else that had been going on.

With one quick motion, she pulled herself into an upright position. Spooked by the unexpected shift, Malky jumped and fled. She looked up at the clock. It was definitely late enough to go out. If she rang Milla, Shen, Pfannee, or any of her friends, really, they'd agree straight away to come with her, or maybe they'd tell her that they were already at a club and eager to meet her there.

But her gut said no. She didn't want to see any of them tonight, didn't want to be reminded of her identity struggles by having to put on her usual performance. She wanted something different, a setting that would allow her to forget who she was, if only for a short while. Perhaps she knew just the place.

Her makeup was fierce, her lips hadn't been this red in months, and the sparkle on her eyelids rivalled the golden glittery tinsel that covered the entry to the bar. She wore her hair down, straighter and longer than it naturally was, but curled into big, luscious waves.

The moment she stepped into the room, she could feel dozens of eyes honing in on her. It wasn't because she was the hottest number in the house (though she stood a decent chance), but because she was new and unknown to the crowd, which was rare enough in good old Shiz, where the queer scene was small enough for almost everyone to know almost everyone else.

She went straight for the bar. A few drinks would calm her nerves. It wasn't easy being all alone in a place where she didn't quite feel at home, and then there was the risk of being recognised, too. But she'd done this a few times before and always gotten what she'd wanted without running into any trouble. There was no reason why it should be different this time.

"Hey stranger, what can I get you?"

Galinda looked up at the bartender in the low-cut, sheer tank top that barely hid her neon coloured bra at all and broke into a grin, glad to see a familiar face. She was also startled and flattered that the woman recognised her in return. As infrequently as she visited this establishment, and with so many customers coming and going each night, she hadn't expected to leave much of an impression.

"The usual," she said offhandedly as if she were a regular.

The woman turned around without asking further and began preparing her order. Within the blink of an eye, she pushed a piña colada her way and Galinda's jaw nearly dropped.

"Uh, thanks," she laughed and hid her surprise behind the tiny umbrella that decorated her drink.

"You should come more often," said the bartender with a wink, then walked away to serve another client.

Galinda was tempted to watch her a while longer, but decided to turn her attention towards the dance floor instead. Flirting with the staff was not what she'd come here for. After finishing about half of her drink, she slid off the tall barstool and migrated to the round tables closer to the middle of the room to get a better sense of the crowd. From there, she could see the empty stage in the back, and the pair of boisterous boys dancing on the boxes.

A girl approached her table. She put down her own drink and her phone, then casually leaned against the table with one elbow. Glancing at her out of the corners of her eyes, Galinda could see that her hair was dark blonde with frosted tips and pretty short. She was also tall, though not quite as tall as Elphaba and not as scrawny either. And her boobs were much bigger for sure, going by the the way they strained against her white blazer. Galinda liked her tattoos, at least in theory. They were interesting, but she wasn't sure if they were entirely her thing.

Having satisfied her curiosity for the time being, she returned her attention to the dance floor. The boys from earlier had disappeared, which was a pity. They'd been fun to watch. Disappointed, she took a long, final sip of her cocktail.

"Let me get you refill," a smooth voice next to her said, and her head whipped around.

The blonde girl stood closer now, studying her intently. Her head was tilted, and she wore a confident, if somewhat arrogant grin. Galinda had seen this expression, or variations if it, countless times. It was the face of someone who was cocksure that they'd get whatever they wished. Since the girl wasn't her type anyway, Galinda was more than keen to disillusion her.

"Why, are you applying for a job as my errand boy?" she said and gave her a critical once-over. "You look fit enough, I guess. Do you have a CV on you?"

"Very clever," chuckled the other girl, rolling her eyes. "No, but seriously. You're gorgeous. If you don't want any more booze, we could dance instead."

"Nah, thanks. I'm good. Seriously."

"I'll show you a good time."

"I said, no," replied Galinda firmly, her smile vanishing at last and her eyes narrowing.

Miss cocky scoffed and pushed herself off from the table and walked away. Galinda watched her just long enough to ascertain that she wasn't coming back.

"Well done, queen!"

She jumped and spun around, coming face to face with two boys and their silliest grins. It took her a moment to realise that they were the same boys she'd watched earlier, and another moment to figure out why they looked so familiar to her.

"Wow, uh, hi," she said and laughed. "You—you're Crope and Tibbett, aren't you?"

"Tibbett and Crope, actually" Crope corrected her, since she'd pointed at them in the wrong order.

"And you're hot cheerleader girl," Tibbett added enthusiastically.

Galinda felt herself blush at that.

"Well, technically, I never did any cheerleading, but I guess you're not entirely wrong about that. I guess I am that type of girl."

"Except you're not?" said Crope, contorting his neck in a funny way as if he was trying to examine her from a very different angle. "What are you doing here, sweetie? Don't you have some boring, straight party to attend to?"

Tibbett wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and shrugged.

"Leave her be, darling. I bet she's just here for the fun and giggles—which is okay, by the way. Everyone knows that we are way more fun and as long as you behave—"

"I'm not straight," Galinda declared briskly, partially out of exasperation and partially to prove herself to her new peers. "I'm not into guys. The problem is that hot cheerleader girls don't really get to look at other girls that way without receiving a ton of backlash… which I'm not really ready for yet. I hope you guys can keep a secret."

"Phew." Tibbett fanned himself. "Intense."

"Don't worry, cupcake, your secret is safe with us."

There was something genuine about these boys, and she felt herself relax a tad. It was good to have friends who knew her, or at least this side of her, if only superficially. It was different and novel, and she loved it.

"Hey, what do you think guys? Are you up for another drink? My treat, if that's okay with you."

"Ooh, generous! But of course."

"You totes have to come and hang out with us more often. We don't know many other wealthy people."

She gave a snort and shook her head at their goofiness. Yes, they were indeed different from her other friends, in more ways than she could count.

They chatted and laughed over two more rounds of cocktails before Crope and Tibbett asked her to dance. After indulging them for a few numbers, she decided that she ultimately didn't feel the beat that night. Leaving them behind on the dance floor, as vivacious and enthusiastic as ever, she really wondered where they got their energy from.

That concluded the fun and games segment of the evening. She still had an itch to scratch and needed to find a willing accomplice. Someone more to her taste than that arrogant chick from earlier. She ordered herself one last drink—one with more sugar and juice than kick—and settled into a quiet corner to observe.

On the stage, the final preparations for a drag performance were in progress, and the crowd shifted, depending on their interests. Galinda herself was intrigued, but knew she wouldn't stay long enough to properly watch and enjoy the show. She reminded herself to focus on the task at hand, and soon a girl who was quickly moving away from the stage area caught her eye.

She was excited, eager to bring the evening to its conclusion. The girl whose hand she was holding was cute; short and slim like her, with a pretty face and great taste for shoes. Her hair and skin were the colour of the milk foam on a steaming cup of hot latte. Her eyes were a mesmerising shade of amber, though in the ambiguous light, Galinda couldn't tell whether she was wearing contacts. It was obvious that she wasn't Gillikinese. Going by her accent, Galinda guessed she wasn't even Ozian. She might have been from Ev, but Galinda wasn't good with telling this sort of stuff, and none of it mattered anyway. It wasn't like she was planning on seeing her again.

Giggling, they stumbled through the front door and into the corridor. Galinda kicked her shoes off and swayed slightly. Maybe her last cocktail should have been a virgin. She didn't usually get drunk for these sorts of adventures.

Letting herself fall the small distance against the wall for support, she pulled the girl with her and into a sound kiss. Still wearing her high heels, she seemed taller now, and the blonde liked that.

"Keep those one," she whispered urgently, motioning at the girl's shoes. After bestowing one more peck on her rose flavoured lips, she led her towards the living area.

"How are you with stairs?" she chuckled. "Still steady enough on your feet?"

The girl cocked her head.

"Not a problem," she replied, but casting a look at the sofa, she smirked. "Right here feels cosy enough though."

Trying to keep it light, Galinda convinced herself to laugh.

"Oh, no, no. I've got a roommate. No cheeky business is going to happen down here."

Unfortunately, the reminder triggered an instant pang of regret, and her enthusiasm dimmed. Looking to the side, the thought of calling the whole thing off crossed her mind. But the girl put her hands on her hips and and her lips against her neck, working her way up to her ear. She needed this release, Galinda reminded herself, and it wasn't fair towards the girl she'd dragged all the way back to her place. It wasn't a good look if she went back on the unspoken promises she'd made.

Latte girl reached up to brush golden locks away from her eyes, cupped Galinda's face with both hands and kissed her yet again. Galinda moved her own hands up and down her sides and shivered when the kissing turned into small nips and bites. This girl wasn't fooling around.

"I think we should take this upstairs," Galinda reiterated weakly as her lover moved her mouth along the column of her throat.

"We will," the distracted words came eventually, muffled, as the girl buried her nose in the crook of her neck.

Chest heaving, eyes glazed over with the heat of the moment, Galinda didn't find the will to insist further. She let her hands roam further south and slip underneath the glittery tulle skirt. The tone of the girl's legs was amazing, and Galinda found herself caught between appreciation and jealousy—the slight disadvantage of picking a partner who was similar enough to her to allow for concrete comparisons.

Her musings were interrupted by playful hands at the top of her back, fiddling with the zipper of her dress. The jarring sound of the slider separating the teeth finally demanded her undivided attention. Her hands flew up, against the girl's chest.

"Stop," she breathed and looked up into her eyes.

As she did so, she registered a flash of colour in the background. She didn't have to look twice to know what was happening and reacted swiftly and decisively. Her arms snaked behind the girl's neck and she kissed her. A second later, she pulled her sideways and towards the stairs, making sure she wouldn't turn around and spot Elphaba. With hooded eyes and a bite on her lips, she promised to reward her if only she did as she was told.

They made it to her bedroom without a hitch, and just as expected, the girl demanded the due payment for her compliance. Galinda pulled her shirt over her head and cupped her breasts over her bra. As if pulled by a magnet, nimble hands found their way back to her zip and continued their work there.

Galinda could feel the fabric around her shoulders loosen. This was it. She wasn't wearing much beneath that stiff, embellished top layer. Once she was exposed, things would progress even faster. She had to brace herself for that. While she'd actively sought this out, this wasn't always easy, didn't always come as naturally as she wished.

Elphaba.

Galinda's breath hitched, and it wasn't due to the girl's teeth on her earlobes. Goodness gracious, why was her flatmate's name suddenly popping into her head? Now out of all times! It almost felt like she was blaming Elphaba directly, not herself for thinking of her.

Elphaba.

She could literally hear echos of her own voice speaking that name reverberating over and over in her brain. It was a haunting sensation and beyond distracting. She couldn't even tell that her zipper was well on the way to its final destination until the dress actually began to fall off her shoulders.

With a lightning fast reflex she would never have expected her absent mind to muster, she caught the front of her dress and pressed it hard to her chest. Even through the thick fabric she could feel her pounding heart, as if it tried to break out of her breast and leap into her hands.

"I'm so sorry," she said quietly, closing her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I can't do this tonight."

The girl smiled audibly and gently touched her cheek.

"Hey, no need to be shy. I'll be careful. We can take it slow."

"No. It's not about that. I'm not shy or scared. I just… can't."

"Why? What did I do wro—"

"Nothing!" cried Galinda, looking up at her. "I changed my mind, that's all. I need you to leave."

The girl's soft expression darkened, and she pursed her lips.

"You're fucking kidding me? It's not like I even hit on you. You approached me."

"And I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen, but it has happened, and I'm not going to force myself to have sex just for the heck of it. Now get out. Please."

Scoffing and grumbling, the girl retrieved her shirt and got off the bed. She slipped into it on her way out and left the door wide open. The clicking of her heels as she descended the polished concrete stairs drummed in Galinda's ears. The blonde held her breath until the main door at long last crashed into its lock. The resulting bang made her jerk in an almost painful fashion, but what followed was a long, cathartic breath.

Almost instantaneously, she felt a lot calmer. Or maybe she was just feeling numb. Or maybe she felt powerless and weak. She felt…

… like a proper asshole.

Granted, the girl could have taken her belated rejection a lot more gracefully, but it had been a dick move for sure. On the other hand, she hadn't had much of a choice. There was no way in hell she could have given her lover what she deserved when her heart wasn't in it. While she was pretty darn good at faking in general, she wasn't any good at all at faking passion. The only thing she could have done was to read the signs earlier and abort her mission sooner. But had she even realised on time?

Elphaba.

Once again that cursed, beautiful name.

She felt bad for her too, even without knowing for sure how much her friend had seen or how much she cared. At least in Galinda's mind the whole incidence was inexcusable. While she didn't owe the green girl anything, her own feelings for her made this planned one-night stand feel like a terrible betrayal. Her failure at secrecy in particular made it so much worse, though she couldn't explain why.

She sniffled, and there they were: tears. Because that was all she was able to do when she messed up. Cry. Unlike Elphaba who couldn't allow herself to indulge in frivolous emotional floods.

As the first tears dropped onto her hands, she realised that she was still clutching at her dress. She was alone now. Was there any point? Nobody was there to see anything. Maybe she should simply discard the whole frock and curl up under her warm blanket and try to sleep. Or she could make herself semi-presentable and fetch herself some hot tea from the kitchen.

But what if Elphaba was still hanging around?

A knock on the doorframe made her head snap up and heat rush to her face.

Elphaba.

Not just as a name spooking around in her mind, but in flesh and blood, standing right there in the doorway. Well, maybe not quite. She seemed to have made a point of not entering her room and stood as far away as her long arm allowed. But she'd come to… to what? Check on her? Chastise her?

Galinda swallowed and waited. Elphaba seemed to do the same. The silence between them was deafening, until Elphaba licked her lips and shifted her weight. Stuffing her hands into her pockets as she was wont to do, she opened her mouth, poised to speak.

"I—I don't understand."