Chapter Eight: As If It Couldn't Get More Awkward

The next Life Sciences lecture, Elphaba sat where she usually did, not speaking to anyone, but scribbling fiercely in her notebook, which she shielded with her hand as if some deeply private words were written on the page. No one bothered to push her into talking. Fiyero couldn't gather the nerve to talk to her again and Boq was still dreaming about Glinda. The class ended and Elphaba ripped the paper out of her notebook, folded it quickly and did something with it that neither of the two boys paid particular attention to. She left the hall at a quick stride, making it clear that she didn't wish to stay and talk.

Boq, still gathering his books, yawned and asked Fiyero, "Did you get everything worked out the other night?"

"In a way," Fiyero tried to smile half-heartedly.

"Well, that's good." The munchkin boy said.

"Right." Fiyero sighed, staring at the doorway Elphaba had just disappeared through. "Glinda went straight to bed when she got in, though. She was not feeling so good, like you said," he reassured him.

"Isn't that so dreadful? What an awful night to get sick during."

"Yes, yes. Terrible." Fiyero sighed glumly. "Well, anyway, I'd better head… somewhere… I don't know. I'll talk to you later. Have a good afternoon." The prince trudged out of class wearily, not looking back.

Boq shrugged. He guessed everyone was coming down with something and it made them all act in such strange ways. Why was he the only one who wasn't ill? Of course, he didn't want to be sick, but it made no sense that everyone else should be. He made a quick check under his seat to make sure he hadn't dropped anything and found a crumpled paper. Curiously, he unfolded the paper and found it to have a quick, deviant scrawl on it. Looking around, he read it to himself.

"Look, I know I've been distant lately. I just don't know how to put everything together. Since I've gotten closer to you, I've started to like you. There, I admit it. Happy now? Anyway, when I figured out that I was developing feelings towards you, I pushed your attempts and friendship and whatever away, and I apologize for that. I wanted to let you know, if it isn't too late, that maybe it would be okay if we went out or something. I mean, I'm not completely unprepared for anything. I could try, I think. If you'd be willing to give it a chance after everything. I'm sorry. I'll talk to you later, you know. I just wanted to tell you that… yeah.

-Elphaba"

Boq stared at the paper in astonishment. Elphaba had feelings for him? Well, it might explain a few things, like how she'd looked so upset when she'd found out he was taking Glinda to the ball. But Boq had always liked Glinda; Elphaba knew that. Why was she confessing her feelings? Had something prompted this? He wasn't sure, but he certainly didn't want to talk to Elphaba about it yet. He still needed to sort some of his own feelings out. He decided he'd wait a few days.

Two days later, when Elphaba and Fiyero were working in a painfully awkward silence on their project, Boq burst into the room, holding a wrinkled up piece of paper which Elphaba immediately recognized and racked her brain for the reasons why he might have it. "Elphaba, I've been thinking about this note you wrote for days, and I just… I don't know how to say this, I just don't think it would work. You know I like Glinda."

Fiyero looked at Elphaba, who looked at first confused, then embarrassed, then amused, and then at Boq, whose face was bright red and rushed. "Elphaba, is that why you rejected me? You could've just told me…"

Elphaba turned to him, suddenly seeming uncomfortable. "No, Fiyero, I…" She turned back to Boq. "Boq, that note wasn't… meant… for you…"

Boq blinked. "What?"

"I meant that for Fiyero." Elphaba admitted, flushing.

"You like Fiyero?" Boq demanded.

Elphaba buried her face in her hands.

Fiyero got up and grabbed the note from Boq. "Where'd you find this, anyway?"

"Right around where we were sitting during Life Sciences a few days ago."

Fiyero laughed. No wonder she'd looked so hurt when he hadn't said anything to her as she'd entered the room. He scanned the note quickly. "Um, Boq, could you, maybe, leave the room now? We were working."

Boq nodded and stumbled out the door. "Sorry for the miscommunication, Elphaba. It's a good thing you didn't like me, anyway, because I don't like you, you know and - "

Fiyero shut the door in the middle of Boq's fumbled sentences. "So, 'it would be okay if we went out or something'?" He asked, turning to Elphaba.

Elphaba lifted her head out of her heads, face dark with not just humiliation, but laughter as well. "Boq really thought I could possibly like him?" She choked.

"Elphaba, calm down." Fiyero thought about it for a moment and saw the humor in it, taking a moment to join in her laughter. He then sat down and put a hand on her arm. "So, what are you doing Friday night?"

"As of now, sitting on my bed and reading like I do every other night. But that could change," she looked at him nervously, "Why?"

"Well, maybe we could go out."

"I'd like that." She smiled genuinely.

"So would I," he told her. Fiyero leaned in to kiss her and she pulled away. "Huh?"

"Not quite ready for that yet." She held her hands up.

"You didn't have a problem at the dance."

"Can we please not talk about that? That was different. Let's take this from before that, if that's okay."

"It's fine."

"And, now that I think about it," she decided, "I have some rules to set."

Fiyero raised his eyebrows. "Oh? You do?"

"Yes, I do." She took a deep breath and began counting off on her hands. "First of all, no cutesy stuff in public. No calling me 'sweetheart', 'baby', 'honey' or any of those other things in front of anyone, maybe even at all. Second of all, no demanding affection. There will probably be times when I'm fine with holding hands or touching or something and then there will be other times when I'm not. There might even be times when I'll just randomly… never mind. Anyway, is that much clear?"

Fiyero chuckled. "Yes, mistress."

Elphaba smacked him playfully. "Okay. Third of all, it's okay to let people know that we're going out, but talking about whatever else may or may not happen between us is out of line. Lastly, I don't care how drunk you are or claim to be, no lying to me."

"I think I can obey all of that perfectly." Fiyero answered. "I don't drink much to begin with."

"That's good to know." Elphaba bit her lip and gazed at him. "And, if something doesn't work out, for some reason, we can still be friends, right?"

"Of course."

"So, this Friday night that you speak of, what, exactly, would we be doing when we 'go out'?"

"Well, we could do any number of things. We could have dinner, we could go see a show, we could sit around just the two of us and talk, we could walk around town center, we could do whatever you want."

Elphaba nodded. "I'll think about that." She started to flip through her books again and began blushing furiously.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just… studying reproduction with the boy I have a date with Friday night is a little discomforting."

Fiyero had just opened his book and discovered a similar thing. "Oh yeah…"

Then they burst into peals of laughter, looked at one another and were caught in another burst of unease. Elphaba whispered after a few minutes, "I think Glinda's going to freak out when she finds out that I reconsidered."

"Such a bad thing?"

"Me reconsidering? No. Glinda freaking out? Yes."

"I'd like to see what Boq's thinking right about now."

Elphaba giggled. "Yes, yes. That would be funny."

"How did he end up with that note instead of me?"

"I kind of attempted to slide it under your seat while neither of you were paying attention, and I rushed. It must have gotten under his seat or something."

"When he walked in here and said all of that, I thought I couldn't be more upset."

"You? Upset?" Elphaba challenged.

"Not like I'd cry, but, outraged, I guess." He clarified. "It was just such a ridiculous situation, you saying you weren't ready and then suddenly being all right with it and Boq. Of course, it did seem a bit out of character."

"Because it wasn't actually the truth, maybe?"

"Maybe."

"When he walked in here, I thought I couldn't be any more terrified. For a moment, I had no idea what was going on, and then it hit me. Even then I was mortified, but I started to see some humor in the whole thing. Boq getting the note instead of you and really believing it way meant for him! Who'd have guessed?"

"I was shocked, at least."

"I thought you were going to hit someone, him or me, though I wasn't sure which," Elphaba replied.

"I wouldn't hurt you." He said, voice turning gentler and more serious all of the sudden.

She swallowed hard and looked at her hands. "Thank you."

"I mean it."

"Thank you." She repeated.

He discovered that he was making her anxious, so he dropped it. "Friday night, then. What would you like to do?"

"I like the idea of having dinner, maybe then finding some place quiet and a bit secluded to talk. It sounds a bit typical, but not too usual. You know?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll come by your dorm at six-thirty, then?"

"You don't have to walk with me anywhere. I can take care of myself," Elphaba protested.

"I know you can. And we've gone over this. But I'd still like to."

"Okay, then."

Hesitantly, Fiyero brushed his lips across hers quickly, then pulled back to look at her, ready to be scolded. His lips turned upwards when he found that she was smiling.