AN:

Helllooooo!

Glad to see you again, lovelies!

Not much to say, sorry. Just throwing the chapter here and then I'll go and do boring grown-up stuff XD

Hope y'all enjoy this!
Happy reading and all that!

xoxo MLE
(=^_^=)

Chapter Twenty-Two

"And that's all for today. Please remember to email me your essay topics for approval by midnight."

With that, Doctor Dillamond snapped his folder shut, and the class jumped into action. Amidst the sounds of folding chairs flopping back into place, the zipping of bags, and general murmur, Galinda remained sitting in her seat, staring at her notes. Beside her, Elphaba was also busy stowing away her things, but stopped to check on her.

"What's wrong, Glin?"

At the rare use of her nickname, Galinda had no choice but to turn her head and meet her eyes immediately. She smiled sheepishly.

"Nothing, really. I'm sorry. I'm just a bit distracted, is all. Could… could we go through the notes later tonight? Just to make sure I understand it all correctly."

"You won't have to sit any tests or write any essays," laughed Elphaba and bumped her shoulder. "Come, let's get going. You're gonna be late for Enviro Design."

Nodding faintly, Galinda closed her laptop and slid it into her bag.

"I still think that it's important I keep up with the class, because otherwise I don't know whether I could be of much use to you later. I couldn't possibly write down every single word he says, and even if I did that, the result would be an overwhelming mess."

"You shouldn't worry about the details so much. But I appreciate your dedication, and of course we can have a look at it after I get back from work."

"You finish at five today?" she asked. "I can pick you up."

"That's not necessary," declined Elphaba far too easily, eliciting a pout from Galinda.

"But I can't wait to have you back! Now that we're so busy again, every second is precious. You're cruel to make me wait."

Elphaba averted her gaze, looking either shy or mortified, maybe both.

"Hush," she muttered under her breath. "You don't want to be overheard saying all this, do you?"

Sometimes, Galinda wasn't so sure about that anymore, but that was a sentiment that needed to remain unsaid for the time being. There was no point in giving Elphaba false hope while her resolve was still so feeble.

"When are you going to hand in your notice?" she ventured instead. Elphaba had reluctantly agreed to quit her job rather than ask for the pittance maternity leave the supermarket would offer.

"On Sunday," she said. "From then on it's four weeks."

Watching her facial expression, the knitted eyebrows, the clenched jaw, Galinda was left in no doubt that the prospect of absolute dependance was incredibly daunting to her. She understood her reasons, but wished their relationship would finally transcend such issues. One day, she told herself; one day, even obstinate, paranoid Elphie would be able to trust her with abandon. Wouldn't she?

"Four more weeks from Sunday. I can't wait."

She wished they were back at home already so that she could press a kiss to her temple, her cheek, or even her lips. To reassure, and also just to give expression to the love she felt for her. In lieu of a better option, she touched her hand and gave her a tender look.

"Your class can't wait either," Elphaba said flatly as if she were immune to Galinda's affectionate gestures.

It stung a little, but she was right of course, and so the blonde hurried along in an attempt to not be abysmally late.

Environmental Design was fast becoming one of her favourite subjects of all time. While she'd been surprised to meet her new lecturer the week before and learn that Professor Lenx—whose work she'd marvelled at for quite some time now—was, in fact, a Boar, she took it in a stride. Unlike some of her classmates, she was above such trivial distinctions these days and glad for it.

She snuck in five minutes past lecture begin and took out her materials, then looked up and gawked at the images projected onto the large screens left and right of the lectern. She recognised the Emerald City in all it's green and crystalline glory, but instead of the sharp-cut and naked glass and emerald façades, buildings sported nooks and crannies that allowed plants to grow and enliven the urban landscape with their multitude of verdigris shades. In some of the pictures that followed, the buildings looked entirely different again. Skyscrapers sported nest-like compartments in the higher sections, with long bars for access from the air, so as to more naturally accomodate flying Animal folks. At the edges of public parks, a row of burrows lined the streets. In a way, they were similar to terrace houses as she knew them, all nicely built and furnished, but with smaller entrances, a sharply declining hallway beyond that, and heaps of soil on top, with trees, and bushes, and grass—perfect for Badger, Rabbit, or Bear citizens.

How beautiful. Galinda was in awe.

Nothing short of ingenious and wonderfully inclusive, she initially struggled to understand why such designs were not already a common sight in all major cities. Until she heard her peers giggle and murmur that was, and until she was reminded of how none of them wore fur, feathers or scales. In Elphaba's company, it was so easy to forget how wilful the marginalisation of Animals was, and how she, too, had been a lot less open just about a year ago. If only half of those ninnies who surrounded her in this classroom could be persuaded just as effortlessly!

After that inspiring yet woefully depressing presentation, Galinda was even less excited for her lunch engagement than she'd been earlier this morning, when she'd first gotten out of bed and remembered that a new week had begun. However, her Monday meetings with Pfannee and Shenshen at the cafe Old Buttery by the north edge of campus were on the trajectory to become somewhat of a tradition for the duration of this semester at least, to make up for their loss of a shared class. She knew that it would do her good to adhere to it religiously if she harboured any hopes of salvaging what was left of her reputation. This was all the more true since the most scandalacious details about her relationship with Elphaba had yet to be discovered.

Upon entering the Buttery she was startled to find that the group awaiting her was significantly larger than she'd expected. Avaric was there and his friend, Ryss. And Fiyero.

At first, she thought she was seeing things, but she blinked, and the picture before her remained the same. There was no chance of mistaken identity either; Fiyero's skin colour was nearly as unique across campus as Elphaba's. Goodness! She dearly wished she'd been prepared for this. Perhaps he could have sent her a message in advance to warn her?

Well, too late to worry about that now. She'd have to pull herself together, smile her way through it and play her part as Fiyero had suggested. Thank Lurline for his generosity and foresight though. Without their little arrangement all discussed and settled, things would have gotten awkward very quickly from here. As things were, the worst had already been prevented.

So, she cleared her voice, plucked up her courage and plastered a brilliant grin on her face until she was good to go.

"Terribly sorry I'm late, girls!" she cried as she rushed over to the table to greet them all with airy kisses, and Fiyero with a firm peck to his lips.

Shenshen regarded her with a magnanimous smile and waved her hand.

"Not at all, dear. But please sit down so we can finally order. I'm starving."

Less worried about the food, but thrilled to bits about their male company, Pfannee piped up to explain the situation to her.

"These lucky bastards found out that their class was cancelled," she said, gesturing towards Avaric and Ryss. "So, obviously, we begged them to join us. And as luck would have it, we met your beau on the way. Isn't that lovely? Now it's a triple date!"

"How fantastic!"

Galinda beamed convincingly and sat down next to her handsome, fake boyfriend, intertwining their hands and leaving them on the table for all to see. They hadn't had any reasons to perform their act since Avaric's party, but now that it came to it, they slipped into their roles almost effortlessly.

They took their lunch and sipped their soft drinks. When their couple sundaes arrived, Shenshen took to feeding Avaric, and Ryss to feeding Pfannee. Galinda observed the latter pair with watchful eyes. She still struggled to believe them truly in love, but felt a smidgen of guilt for her doubts as well. Fiyero proved to be a perfect match for her, at least in the most practical aspects of a partnership. Not to be outdone by the others, he put one hand on her hip and motioned for her to scoot over and onto his lap so he could feed her and hold her at the same time. She giggled and felt silly, but that was how being in love should look like, wasn't it? Remembering her date with Elphaba on the previous weekend, she could easily draw some parallels.

They finished their desserts, and Fiyero cupped her cheek so as to hold her in place when he leaned over to kiss away a smudge of cream from her upper lip. His deep chuckle was endearing, if not a bit disconcerting. Maybe he was enjoying this all a bit too much? She didn't even want to begin and imagine what a mess that would create.

But out of the corners of her eyes, she noticed Shenshen, puckering her mouth slightly. What did that mean, she wondered. Could it be that she'd brought Fiyero along in an attempt to expose Galinda's display at the party as a mere publicity stunt? That would be just like her. But if that were the case, she'd failed miserably and was deeply sorry for it now. A small triumph.

Satisfied that she'd been able to pull this off, Galinda cut her gaze away from her friend and locked eyes with Fiyero again. Oh, he really was a dear, a treasure. She kissed him sweetly, dismissing her worries. Surely he'd uphold his end of the promise. He was a good actor, that was all. She was very much the same, but he would know not to mistake her skilful deception for anything else.

One more kiss. Yes, that would do. They didn't need to overplay it. Too much affection could ring the others' alarm bells just as easily as none at all. There. Perfect.

Stroking his cheek with her thumb and shifting on his lap, she prepared to return to her own chair. When she looked up, however, her face fell in shock, and she was glad that only Fiyero could see her expression. He didn't ask, only held her a little tighter.

Hurriedly, she tore away her eyes from whom she'd just spotted. She stood and straightened her dress, but did not sit back down next to Fiyero.

"Just excuse me for a tick-tock," she said to everyone with a bright grin before snatching up her bag and heading in the direction of the facilities.

After disappearing around the corner, she walked past the bathroom and headed straight to the table where she'd discovered Boq, Crope and Tibbett a minute earlier. The former looked properly horrified, the other two were whispering animatedly.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," she greeted them, calling upon every ounce of composure she knew she possessed.

Boq peered up with a disdainful glare on his round face.

"Galinda. I am shocked," he practically spat.

His voice pierced her unexpectedly sharply. She couldn't tell whether she felt wounded by his scorn, or mostly distressed to be addressed like this, so close to the other patrons' and, moreover, her friends' earshot. Wincing, she took an unconscious step back. When she caught herself, she moved forward again, and twisted her waist to see if he'd attracted their attention at all. The whole group appeared as ignorant as ever. Relieved, she looked back at Boq.

"As am I," she replied in a low voice, hoping he'd get the hint and tone down his own volume. "It would appear that, in your outrage, you spread the secret Elphie and I entrusted you with."

She nodded at the two boys who'd suddenly fallen silent. At least Boq had the decency to look somewhat abashed as he turned his head to cast a brief look at his two chums.

"Well, fortunately enough, these guys are sure to not judge you for your relationship with Elphaba," he muttered. "Therefore, I didn't exactly expose you to any danger, right? On the other hand, I can't really give any guarantees for their views on that ridiculous, uh, show we just witnessed."

"Oh Boq!" She threw one last cautious glance over her shoulder, then plopped down next to the Munchkin. "It's not what you think."

"It's not? You didn't just kiss Fiyero?" he scoffed.

Galinda sighed at his pigheadedness.

"I know you're not blind, and I don't intend to insult you. Of course I kissed him. But I'm not cheating on Elphie."

"That's what we tried to tell him!" Crope chimed in to say.

Tibbett nodded empathetically while Boq remained sceptical. His lips pursed, he considered her.

"So… Elphaba knows?" he asked, craning his neck as if studying her from an abstract, novel angle would aid his insights in her thoughts.

Fiddling with her fingers and drawing away from him as far as she could without blatantly moving her chair, Galinda stalled. She inhaled deeply, gearing up to speak, only to say nothing and bite the inside of her cheek. In a way, it was like a silent admission of guilt, though she was just as adamant about her innocence. At length, she tried again.

"Well… no," she confessed, peering at the boy couple to gauge their reaction instead, hoping for them to be more forgiving than Boq. Though they, too, appeared to be confused at this point, they didn't seem inclined to interfere, which was something, she supposed.

"If she doesn't know, then it is cheating," maintained Boq, forcing Galinda to return her attention to him. Folding his arms and blowing angry air through his nostrils, even sweet, little Boq could manage to look a tad scary. "Tell me! What else would you call this, hm?"

"A beneficial, arrangement," Galinda told him, her voice and posture stiff, detached.

Sliding back into familiar patterns, she lifted her chin proudly, as if his middle-class opinions were beneath her cultivated long-sightedness. Then, she faltered. He was her friend, and Fiyero's, and Elphie's. Especially Elphie's. Her eyes and tone mellowed, and a sad smile twitched at the corners of her mouth.

"You see, I have no interest at all in men," she said softly, since she'd never properly established that in front of Boq. He wasn't surprised though. Tibbett and Crope already knew, of course, and might have told him so.

"Fiyero knows about this, and he realises that there is no chance for him to get any physical or emotional perks out of this relationship. This isn't a love affair, I promise. We don't even kiss in private, nor do we do other stuff, Lurline forbid!"

She paused at that thought, then quickly banished the disturbing image from her head.

"Anyway, I'm not sure whether word has reached your ears yet, but my friendship with Elphie, as well as our cohabitation situation are official now."

He nodded. He knew.

"You must understand then!" she said, almost pleading with him. "To soften the blow and to save face, I—I had to do something. I know this is not ideal, but Fiyero offered his practical and moral support, and I'm grateful."

She willed her smile to strengthen, and even reached out to touch his hand. When his frown didn't lift, her heart sank.

"I don't know how moral this whole business is, really," he said slowly, shaking his head. "Especially behind her back."

"Nothing but a temporary crutch," Galinda assured him.

"Sure. Of course you'd say that," he replied, and her last flicker of hope died. There was no point. He wouldn't understand. Ever.

She had half a mind to jump to her feet and leave. She'd also been away from her other group of friends for far too long already. The last thing she wanted was for them to start looking, eventually finding her here. Boq wasn't an outcast she couldn't be seen with, but in his frustration, she worried that he might demand an explanation from Fiyero, which would cause all kinds of troubles.

Besides, she hadn't forgotten what she'd learnt a few weeks ago. She hand't forgotten, and she hadn't forgiven. Recalling her resentment more vividly now, her face hardened, and her back grew more rigid. Seriously. Who was Boq to lecture her?

"Well, we all do the best we can for Elphie, don't we, Boq?" she said cooly. Tilting his head, he looked at her, puzzled. "When sometimes our best unfortunately isn't good enough, then what? It's still the best we are capable of, isn't it?"

While Boq was still riddling out what she could possibly mean, Crope and Tibbett whispered to each other. They were good at it, and Galinda didn't catch enough to guess what they were saying.

"Oh, you two!" Boq snapped at them. "Don't you have some place to be?"

That wasn't very kind of him, but they didn't appear to take it all too personally. After exchanging a few looks and a couple of shrugs, they picked up their duffle bags and waved them both goodbye, heading to theatre class or something. Boq watched them leave, then turned back to Galinda.

"I've still got no clue what you're getting at."

Folding her hands on the table, she looked to the side. Contemplative, reflective, demure; strangely, she wasn't entirely sure what sort of countenance she was trying to affect. Boq and his relationship with Elphaba confused her.

"All I can say right now is that Elphie will need your help, and sooner rather than later," she told him solemnly, intending to leave it at that and make her exist soon.

"My help?" he asked, his brow furrowing even deeper. "With what? And what does that have to do with anything?"

"That, I can't tell you, I really can't," she said hurriedly, growing antsy and afraid to be discovered and overheard any moment now. "I'll talk to her tonight, try and persuade her so she will confide in you before the rumours start—"

"Rumours! What rumours? For Oz' sake!"

"Shht!"

She pressed a forefinger to her lips.

"But know that I blame you," she continued, "at least in part. You've been a very neglectful friend, you know? Therefore, I implore you: do the right thing and help her as much as you can. Even if she only asks for the bare minimum, even if she ends up not asking at all. Do you hear me, Boq?"

The boy looked about ready to explode.

"What the fuck, you don't make any sense! You accuse me of—I don't even know what! And you expect me to… to… I don't know that either!"

"Will you pipe down, please," she hissed, and he grudgingly did, though his eyes still sparkled angrily. "I'm sorry, Boq. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything at all yet. I only meant to say that we all have skeletons in our own closets. Perhaps we should be more careful when incriminating one another."

She stood, sliding back her chair noisily. This conversation was over, bar a few final words.

"I mean for us to be friends, Boq. I'm sure we have great potential to be close once all this blows over. Have a nice day and see you later. Say hi to Milla from me, and don't mention a single word to her."

With that, she nodded her head and spun around, returning to the table her friends occupied, to Fiyero who made a cheeky remark about her extended stay in the powder room, even though she knew that he knew where she'd been all this time. She prayed he wouldn't ask about her reasons.

But she didn't stay long. She invented an appointment she had to go to and apologised for leaving first. One more kiss for her faux boyfriend, a smile and bashful wave for everyone else, and she was on her way out of the Old Buttery and on her way back home.

Pulling out her phone and actually paying attention to the numbers on the display this time, she realised that Elphaba wouldn't be back for another three hours. She cursed under her breath. As her encounter with Boq had reminded her, she really needed to talk to her about the upcoming weeks and months.

"Galinda!"

She whirled around, startled at first, then furious.

"Boq! Leave me be!" she cried and started to storm off.

"Hey!" shouted Boq, struggling to catch his breath as he hurried after her. "You… can't just… run away… like… this!"

She stopped, crossing her arms and staring him down. His hands tightly curled around the straps of his backpack, he took a couple of breaths until he could speak normally.

"Look. If I did something horribly wrong—though I don't really believe I did—I at least deserve to know what it was."

"You'll get an opportunity to make aments soon enough. As I told you, it's not up to me to tell you about this. Give it a rest for a few days until Elphie is ready to tell you herself."

"This can't wait," he insisted. "I'll just come with you and ask her then!"

"No!" Galinda shouted without thinking twice. When she glanced left and right, she saw students turning their heads, looking at them funny. Her face flushed, and she clamped her lips shut for a moment. "No," she pressed out between clenched teeth once the onlookers had moved on. "She'll be livid. She might not be ready, and I shouldn't have insinuated anything to begin with."

Boq thought for a moment, then hiked one of his shoulders in a half-shrug.

"Well, I could always tell her about Fiyero."

"Oh, you little—"

She opted not to finish that sentence and simply released a heavy sigh of resignation.

"Fine," she growled in the end. "Fine."

He cocked his head and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Let's say I invite you—a spur of the moment act of friendship. Don't utter a word to her that relates to our conversation. Just… be observant. I think you'll figure it out, and then you can ask her about it."

"Ask her about… it?"

"You'll see," she ground out. "Trust me on this."

"No, wait," he said, scratching his arm, agitated. "I can't go down this road of half-truths and deception. I'm not even good at lying. I'd get caught in my own web of nonsense."

"It's not lying, it's shutting up when words do more damage than good. Please, Boq. You can't just throw me under the bus!"

"Fiyero is the real bus here, I believe," he pointed out. "And I promise to steer clear of that can of worms at least. The other matter, I'll handle as delicately as I can."

Galinda chewed her lip thoroughly, frowning down at him like at a mess to be cleaned up, or a tangle of jewellery in need of painstaking separation after being thrown about in a box—something that had to be addressed, whether she wanted to or not.

"Elphie isn't home right now," she began, but at his immediate protest, she held up her hand and said, "You can come and stay a while. We'll have tea together and you can wait for her to arrive. I won't promise much beyond that. She might cook you dinner or kick us both out, depending on how things unfold."

Nodding solemnly, Boq took a step closer. With a jerk of her head, Galinda motioned for them to get going.

They walked in near silence. When they arrived, things only got more awkward. Sitting next to Boq, after that exhausting exchange they'd had, Galinda could only muster the stiffest of curtesy, the lukewarmest of hospitality. They sipped their coffee and nibbled on biscuits. For over two hours.

When Elphaba finally did arrive, Galinda was so relieved, she nearly forgot about her worries. She cast Boq a nervous but genuine smile, then jumped up and sashayed towards the corridor.

"Elphie, darling!" she practically sang. "How good that you're back."

Wrapping her arms around Elphaba's neck, she pulled herself up to her tippy toes for a much needed kiss. The taller girl chuckled and returned her affection with the same fervour.

Galinda sighed, broke contact and pressed herself to Elphaba's chest, but not too long, lest she sense that something was wrong. Clearing her voice, the blonde let go. She flipped her hair back and turned her head to acknowledge Boq.

"Look, Elphie, I've brought home a guest."

One of Elphaba's expressive brows quirked as she briefly looked at her before greeting her friend.

"Hey, Boq. How's things?"

Galinda took her hand and squeezed it.

"Elphie," she said in an urgent kind of half-whisper, "I believe it's time you two talked. And—and what safer place for that than our home, right?"

The realisation on her face was not exactly positive. Were her wide eyes betraying a hint of panic? Galinda glanced in Boq's direction to see his reaction. If anything, the Munchkinlander looked impressed with her unexpected candour. Truth be told, she was somewhat surprised herself; she hand't actually planned on being so forward until the moment the words had left her mouth.

"You should have asked first," Elphaba snarled eventually, and Galinda's shoulders slumped.

Elphaba shook her head and disappeared back the way she'd come from and into her room. Feeling helpless, Galinda turned to Boq again, making a face saying something along the lines of I told you so. When he replied with a useless shrug, she rolled her eyes and followed her girlfriend.

Standing in front the closed door, she gathered her courage.

"There's not much time left," she said loud enough for the words to penetrate the wood. "We should just rip off the bandaid and get this over and done with!"

"We?"

The door opened, revealing Elphaba's sharp face. Her long, nose seemed to jut out even more than it usually did, as if she could make it do that on purpose in an attempt to look menacing. Still, Galinda was determined that none of this would have any effect on her. She'd come to love Elphaba's unusual features too much to be intimidated by them.

"I'm sorry," she said as patiently as possible and without taking her eyes off the girl before her. "I meant well, I did. At any rate, be angry all you want, but don't be so stupid and send him away as clueless as he was when he first walked through our door. There's no point in postponing this."

Elphaba glowered back at her some more, her already thin lips not much more than a line on her face. Grudgingly, she craned her neck, trying to spot Boq in their living room as if she'd forgotten that the wall would be in the way. After a few tense moments, she harrumphed and brushed past Galinda.

"I'm proud of you, Elphie," the blonde called after her, staying behind. "How about I step out for a couple of minutes and give you guys some privacy. Maybe I can pick up some takeaway, so you don't have to—"

"No!" snapped Elphaba, suddenly reeling back around. "You stay here! You can help chop some veggies or something if you like, but you will witness this mess you helped create."

Galinda set her jaw and bit back a comment about her being overdramatic. She hoped Elphaba was just letting off steam in front of her and would be kinder with Boq. She hoped Boq's reaction wouldn't rile her up even further. She hoped Elphaba would be back to normal once they had all cleared the air.

Later that night Galinda had to sleep without Elphaba's arm underneath her neck. The green girl was lying with her back to her, and they hadn't really talked after Boq's departure post dinner. Even Malky had chosen to side with her it looked like and snoozed curled up against Elphaba's chest, where Galinda ought to be nestled. It was mightily frustrating, but she regretted nothing.

At least the matter was resolved. Boq had been predictably shocked, but willing to help wherever he could. Whether he understood now why Galinda held him responsible, she couldn't say just yet. In Elphaba's presence, she'd been unable to ask.

Elphaba herself had been more embarrassed about asking for help than she'd been about telling Boq her secret—including a few vague details concerning how she'd come to end up in this kind of situation in the first place. Actually, she'd been surprisingly blunt, as if she took special satisfaction in making Boq blush and squirm. He seemed such a charmingly innocent boy, Galinda thought, maybe even virginal. She hadn't quite expected that.

Her friend Milla, Boq's girlfriend, came to her mind as she contemplated his reaction and why it had surprised her so. For starters, she knew for a fact that Milla could be demanding in that department. How would that work out for the pair of them? Well, that wasn't her business, really. Unless Milla made it her business by asking her for advice or something. Being familiar with both parties involved, Galinda desperately hoped that it would't come to that.

All things considered, she was only glad that Boq didn't have to learn about it all from some vile gossip, and as it turned out, their conversation couldn't have been more perfectly timed. Already the following week a girl she hardly knew approached her to ask whether her green friend was ill. It was the first time someone outside her closer circle dared to acknowledge any connection between her and Elphaba, especially to her face. Even Pfannee and Shenshen avoided talking about it altogether, so she wasn't exactly used to it.

But she saw through the thinly veiled suggestion immediately and quickly made up her mind to not play dumb. Instead, she tried to act as if nothing were amiss, as if it were no big deal at all that Elphaba was expecting a child. And in any case, wasn't it wonderfully exciting!

The girl left her with a strange expression on her face. Maybe she thought Galinda to have gone completely bonkers. Galinda didn't know whether she should laugh or cry, but in the end, she did neither, managing to brush it all off and move on until the next person enquired about the same thing in order to confirm what they'd heard.

When she came home that day, she watched Elphaba as she stalked about the house, cleaning, watering the plants, and tidying up after Malky who'd taken to scattering his excessive number of toys all over the house. Yes, she'd definitely made the right decision to acknowledge her pregnancy. While her bump might always have been on the smaller end of the healthy spectrum, it was no longer concealable. At twenty-eight weeks even the baggiest shirt in the world could not change that.

By the end of the week she started to catch fragments of related conversations all over campus. It felt a lot like when Elphaba herself had first become the subject of speculations and rumours for the entire student body. Only back then, Galinda had had no ties with her whatsoever. This time around, her heart bled for her secret lover and crumbled a tiny bit for herself. Few of her peers talked to her directly about the whole affair, and even fewer voiced their shock about her involvement, which was pretty astounding. But the train of animosity had only just set into motion, she reminded herself. Who knew how much speed it would pick up before it ran out of fuel.

At a small sleepover get-together at Milla's house Shenshen addressed the issue for the first time, but not before they'd all had a generous amount of alcohol.

"So, Galinda," she started, fixing her with a superior look—eyebrows raised slightly, lips curled into a smug smile, even under the heavy layer of green tea face mask that they were all wearing. "How did that work out for you, hm? Oh, how vividly I remember that time when you jumped in to defend that green creature! What a mistake, am I right?"

Galinda swirled the liquid in her glass and gazed at it thoughtfully. Glancing up briefly, she saw Shenshen's grin widen and everyone else's eyes watching her in tense anticipation. She swallowed and licked her lips, regretting it instantly because the mixture she accidentally ingested was far better for her skin than her tastebuds. Shaking off her disgust, she firmly put her glass down.

"You assume Elphie deceived me. You think she concealed her pregnancy in order to secure my hospitality, knowing that I'd be too tender-hearted to kick her out once the truth came out." She noticed the other girl's expression falter ever so slightly as she hinted that this might not actually be the case. But overall, Shenshen maintained her countenance—until she said the words: "You couldn't be more wrong."

"Y—you're lying," Shenshen exclaimed, mustering a choked laugh. "You're just trying to cover up your incredible lapse of judgement!"

"I have no prove, that's true," admitted Galinda easily. "You're entitled to believe whatever you will. But the fact is that I learnt about Elphaba's situation and invited her because of it, or at least in part. I have since attended medical appointments with her and am well informed in regards to her progress, due date and plans immediately after the birth. We—"

She stopped at that, realising how tight her chest felt, how loudly the blood drummed in her ears. She wasn't ready yet to go that far. Lowering her gaze, she spotted her cocktail glass and picked it up to empty its content with one big gulp. Around her, she registered anxious shifting and hushed coughs. Shenshen, she realised, regarded her with squinted eyes, trying to decipher her sudden silence.

"Look, in the end of the day," she said, as nonchalantly as she could manage, despite the strange feeling in her throat, "children have been born and raised under far worse circumstances than this. I'll lend them a bit of a helping hand, and… and they will both be fine."

"Doesn't she have family to go back to?" wondered Milla, sounding genuinely curious and not malicious at all—a nice change.

"I don't know much about that." Galinda decided to keep it vague. "But she'll try and continue her education, so going back to Munchkinland is not an option right now."

"She's a Munchkinlander!" yelped the shortest girl in their midst.

Nodding, Galinda turned to her and smiled, hoping that would console her.

"Born and bred in Rush Margins. That's how Boq knows her."

Milla froze at that, and only belatedly Galinda remembered that the others had not been privy to that knowledge. Now she'd implicated her friend's partner and, by extension, the girl herself. Rookie mistake. She should have known better. She could only imagine that Milla hated her already.

"Maybe she was fathered by an elf then," suggested the redhead miserably, probably speaking out of resentment. "Boq told me that there are elves in the woods. Delinquent, ghastly little creatures. By all accounts, they are green as sin and wander about the landscape in nothing but their birthday suits."

"What a nasty idea!" shouted Shenshen with an inappropriate amount of glee.

Both Shenshen and Milla honed in on Pfannee then, as if a Munchkinlander was the best authority to confirm their ludicrous hypothesis.

"I've never heard of half-elf children," she stammered. "And I totally don't want to imagine anything of that sort. Elves are small and not exactly human, you know? It's gross to even think about!" The other two giggled, Shenshen the loudest "But who's the baby's father, that's the real question here."

"That's true."

Once again, all eyes were on Galinda.

"We don't talk about it," the blonde told them curtly and without any intention to elaborate, but that barely helped her case.

"Can't say that I'm surprised," said Shenshen, making a haughty gesture with her hand. "Many men would take flight if they found out that their girlfriend unexpectedly fell pregnant. With her, I can't even imagine that she'd had a beau to begin with! Must have seduced some poor drunk boy at a bar or something."

"That sounds a little too desperate," Pfannee interjected.

"Well, I guess she's still human! And all humans have certain needs. If she can't find another way to satisfy them—"

Milla shook her head vehemently.

"She seems too harmless for that! She hardly talks to anyone at school. Can you really picture her seducing someone?"

While Pfannee appeared to give the question some serious thought, Shenshen merely hiked her shoulders. Milla herself shifted in her big beanbag and looked uncomfortable. Avoiding Galinda's gaze, she reluctantly ventured her own guess.

"Maybe she was… well…"

She only mouthed the last word, but they were all paying close enough attention to guess it. Galinda's stomach lurched terribly, and for a moment she thought she was going to be sick. Luckily, the feeling passed quickly, maybe partially due to the light and soothing scent of the incense sticks burning on the coffee table in the middle of their circle.

Trusting Elphaba completely, she at least sort of knew what had transpired, and that it wasn't nearly as bad as Milla thought it might be. But she was not at liberty to comment at all, or she'd find herself in a very tricky spot indeed. Better pretend she had not the slightest clue and wait for them to change the topic.

Just then, Milla's phone rang, and Shenshen clapped her hands.

"That's it, girls! Half an hour is over. Let's get rid of this stuff!"

Two of them went to the bathroom, the other two to the kitchen so they could share sinks and wash off their masks, then dry their faces with fresh, scented towels.

"This feels really nice," Milla commented as she patted her own skin. She reached out to feel Galinda's. "What did you do to yours? It's even softer."

"Years of a strict regimen," Galinda replied, smiling faintly.

"Well, ladies, I brought along my secret weapon," announced Shenshen as she fished a bottle of something liquid out of her handbag. "This precious elixir will restore, smoothen and lighten your skin in hours, not years."

Each girl received a generous helping of the shimmering product and massaged it into her skin.

"Well, at least it smells good," Milla commented.

"Do you think it would turn the green girl white?" asked Pfannee to almost everyone's amusement.

"Maybe she should douse the baby in it if it comes out funny!" chortled Shenshen. "Galinda! You've got enough money, don't you? I'll write down the address of the store I bought this from so you know where to find it."

Gritting her teeth Galinda lowered her head, staring down at her hands. They were still sparkling from the supposedly wondrous miracle tincture. She got up and hurried to the bathroom.

Upon reaching the sink, she didn't waste a second before turning on the water as hot and as fast as it would go. She squirted copious amounts of foamy soap into her palm. She rubbed and rinsed, then squirted, rubbed and rinsed at least another five times. Slowly but surely the stuff came off, or at least the pearly shimmer of it did, while the strong smell was partially washed away and partially covered up by that of the rose scented soap.

The water was still running, and she jutted her hands forward and into the stream once more for good measure. In the meantime, she looked up at the mirror to inspect her face. She cringed. How was she supposed to clean that?

Looking around, she wondered where Milla's family were most likely to keep their towels. There were plenty of cabinets and drawers, but she didn't want to stumble across anything too private. When she couldn't find any towels or cloths in plain sight, she decided on the most likely door and found a pack of facial tissues behind it. Those would do, she decided and began wiping.

When she rejoined her friends, her hands were red from the harsh treatment and the hot water. Her face was less affected, but also less clean. Without taking a shower, she'd eventually accepted, removing all of the product was an impossible task. As expected, Shenshen gave her a strange look, but her lack of commentary was simultaneously astonishing and welcome.

They moved on, and Elphaba was not mentioned again. They had pizza and watched three movies in a row before calling it a night. Galinda was allocated a place in the big bed, next to Milla. Pfannee and Shenshen shared the pull out sofa bed in the same room. If she could have, she would have left after their discussion about Elphaba's pregnancy, or after washing off the face tincture, or just before everyone else went to bed. But would it have helped her cause? Probably not.

The next morning she arrived back at her place, tired and emotionally exhausted. She hadn't slept and spent most of the night reliving the worst highlights of the evening in her head.

"Morning!" she murmured as she dragged herself across the threshold.

Elphaba didn't hear that, but the sound of the door lured her out of the kitchen, a mug of steaming coffee in her hand.

"Coffee?" asked Galinda, cocking her head. "I hope that's for me."

"Don't be like that," sighed Elphaba. "Drop your stuff, come over here, and I'll make you one. But this here is mine. I really need it today."

"Missed me that much?"

Galinda managed a smile at the thought.

"Did you even miss me?" challenged Elphaba cheekily.

"You have no idea."

That was all Galinda would tell her about her outing. The less Elphaba knew, the better.

She walked over to her and wrapped her arms around the taller girl's midsection. Her head leaning against her hard shoulder, she closed her eyes and inhaled her special aroma, mixed with that of the coffee. Once her eyes were shut and her mind had settled down to rest, she almost felt like she couldn't come back from that. She was incredibly close to falling asleep on her feet, but then something in her head clicked, and her eyes fluttered open again.

"Okay. Coffee. Now."

"Must have been quite a night," Elphaba remarked.

"Well, there's never much sleeping at sleepovers."

"I wouldn't know."

"And you?" probed Galinda as she prepared the machine and pushed all the necessary buttons. "What's your excuse for the coffee you shouldn't be drinking?"

"A cup won't hurt baby."

"Reason?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes.

"I… Nessa called last night. Like, a video call. But only because it was too late for her to come all the way out here, or order me to come to her."

Galinda's brows furrowed as she picked up her finished coffee and blew on it to cool it down.

"What the heck?"

"Yeah. She was quite upset. A… classmate told her."

Out of caution, Galinda put her cup back down before she could even take a sip.

"Told her? About what?" she said slowly, though she feared she already knew the answer.

Elphaba set her own drink down and leaned with both hands onto the counter.

"About the baby."