This is kind of a fill-in... hope you like it anyway.
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Started writing: 14.02.2020

Finished writing: 16.02.2020

Chapter 32
Results

"There's a letter for you," said Nessa in passing and Elphaba was on her feet almost immediately.

The results. The exam results were here; after all, it had been almost two weeks now.

But when the green girl shuddered to a halt in front of the cupboard in the hallway, there was only a small envelope in the blue dish; a pink envelope. Elphaba didn't know if she wanted to grin or roll her eyes.

She did both in the end and had to suppress the urge to skip back through the kitchen and out into the garden. Oz, Galinda was rubbing off on her.

"Not the results," she sat down next to her mother and sister, waving with the envelope. "But a letter from Galinda."

"Uh," said Momma and raised a hand to shield her eyes from the letter. "The colour."

Elphaba chuckled. "That's Galinda through and through, believe me."

She ripped the envelope open and pulled out two neatly folded sheets of paper. Pink like the envelope. She was surprised there was no glitter raining down on her.

Dearest Elphie, [she read]

You won't believe what happened.

I was at this party of the best friend of my mother's sister (Auntie Arwiel is a very fashionable woman -she always gives me the cutest purses.) and I met this really cute guy.

His name is Jarric and he is 21 and a graduate from the University of Emeralds with some sort of degree that I absolutely forgot (and don't care) about.

The point is; he's cute. And we met for dinner a couple of times and I had a really good time. And then I found out he was Shenshen's brother. Can you believe it?

I didn't even know Shenshen had a brother and now it must be him? That's so unfair.

Anyway, of course, I had to tell him that we couldn't see each other anymore because -obviously- you don't date your friends' siblings.

Such a pity, really; he was so cute.

I'm having a good time, anyway. I'm going shopping nearly every day, which is great because I really need some new dresses from the new summer collection, and there are so many parties to attend.

Tomorrow I'm going to the birthday party of the best friend of the mother of a friend of my father's second cousin and I think it's going to be really great. My momsie is just meeting with her tea-sisters and they're going to discuss my dress for next week's annual Pertha Hill Summer Ball. One of them is a seamstress and she always has the best ideas.

Now, enough of me; what about you, Elphie? What have you been doing so far?

And what about Fiyero? Are you two writing back and forth to each other? He wrote to me last week but it was a rather short letter.

I know the exam results should be in soon, are you excited? I know you are but you don't have to be. You're going to be top of the class, I tell you.

Write to me soon, Elphie.

Your bestest friend,

Galinda

Elphaba couldn't help but roll her eyes. This letter couldn't be more Galinda. Everything -from the colour of the ink to her scrolled As and Ds and Fs- was rife with Galinda.

"What did she write?" Nessa asked and Elphaba waved a hand dismissively.

"Nothing important," she answered, laughing quietly to herself.

But when she looked up at her mother and sister who both had their heads tilted to one side, she sighed and said, "She's busy attending one party after the other and buying new dresses for said parties. And she met a cute guy and they went for dinner and such and then she found out he was a friend's brother. Though I really don't see why that should be a problem."

Elphaba tapped against her lower lip with a finger. "Although, considering it's Shenshen's brother we're talking about…"

She curled her lips, looking at Momma and Nessa with a raised eyebrow. "See? Nothing important."

She drew her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.

Her mother, her sister and she had had their afternoon tea at the table outside in the garden for the sun was shining too brightly to spend even just a minute inside. With a book each and cake and tea they had settled on the terrace to relax for a while.

"Is Galinda the dating sort of girl?" asked Momma and closed her book.

Elphaba's lips curled into a small smile. "That she is! I don't think there's a single boy in Pertha Hills that she's not been out with. I mean… she's not an easy lay or anything, she's just… enjoying her popularity, I'd say."

Momma raised an eyebrow. "So, she's going out with many boys, you say?"

"Yes, I think so," Elphaba nodded faintly. "She just can't find the right one."

"Poor girl," said Momma after a second and sipped her tea. "It's not a good feeling…"

Elphaba waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, I think Galinda's doing rather well. She's not searching for something steady at the moment; she's enjoying her freedom."

With a smile, Momma put down her teacup. "And you're enjoying your relationship."

Elphaba blushed and smiled and said, "I am."

And wasn't she? Never in her life had she felt as good as in the past few months; with Galinda as her best friend whom she could rely on and with Fiyero, her boyfriend who loved her as much as she loved him.

She must've had a dreamy look on her face for her mother raised an eyebrow at her and lay her hand atop of hers.

"I'm happy for you."

Nessa nodded bracingly. "So am I; you deserve a boyfriend more than anyone else."

Elphaba leant forward, a cheeky smile on her lips.

"Speaking of boyfriend," she said. "What about Boq?"

Nessarose blushed a deep shade of red. "Fabala!"

The exam results arrived the next day in the late afternoon. The wind had picked up during the day and Elphaba was nestled in the dark red cushions of the sofa when her father came back from his meeting with the mayor of Stonespar End. She was so engrossed in her book that she neither heard nor saw him until he put the thick envelope right on her book.

"What-?" she started, but then noticed the logo of Shiz University in the top right corner of the envelope. "Oh, Oz!"

Father sat down beside her and took her book when she began to rip open the envelope.

"When did it arrive?" she asked, cheeks glowing with excitement.

"The postman was just leaving," answered her father.

He turned the book in his hands. "Should I call your mother and sister?"

Elphaba nodded absentmindedly.

Her fingers made quick work of opening the letter and before she knew it, she had the cream-white pages in her hands.

"It's four pages," whispered Elphaba somewhat awe-struck. Her fingers were trembling.

"What is?" asked Nessa and wheeled inside.

Momma closed the door behind them.

"The results are in," Father answered in Elphaba's place.

"Splendid!" exclaimed her mother and quickly crossed the room to sit down beside them.

"Read them aloud," Nessa leant forward to look over her sister's shoulder.

"Dear Miss Elphaba Thropp-"

"They always forget the 'Melena'," interrupted Momma with a roll of her eyes.

"Shh."

"Dear Miss Elphaba Thropp," Elphaba read. "Under the direction of Headshiztress Madame Morrible, you have written your first-semester-exams…"

She passed the sheet on to her father. "It's not important."

Her eyes widened. "This is important. Dear Oz!"

Her finger trailed across the page.

"What is it?" Nessa exclaimed.

Elphaba looked up with a smile.

"Straight As," she said. "In everything but History."

Her mother sucked in a quiet gasp. "Straight As? Again? Oh, Fabala, how wonderful!"

She pulled her into a deep hug and Elphaba smiled into her hair.

"I knew I'd done well," she said. "But not that well."

"Oh, it's not that much of a surprise," Father's voice was filled with pride. "We all knew you are very smart, long before you went off to Shiz."

He stroked over her hair with a smile. "Congratulations, Elphaba."

Elphaba felt her sister's arms around her and she leant back into her hug, smiling.

"You must be top of the year," Nessa said.

The green girl closed her eyes for a second, happily.

Then she handed the sheet to her father and bent over the next -and last- one.

"It's an award," Elphaba breathed.

Her mother squeezed her shoulder gently.

"In the name of Shiz University, we award Miss Elphaba Thropp for her outstanding achievements in every class," the green girl read, and she heard Nessa squeal.

"Well," said her father. "I believe this is worth to eat out tonight, isn't it?"

Momma nodded. "And that it is!"

She pulled Elphaba into a hug again. "I'm so proud of you, Fabala."

She stroked over her hair and kissed the crown of her head. Elphaba couldn't help but grin.

They decided to go to the Quoxwood Inn for dinner. Famous for its delicious rice stew, it was Elphaba's favourite restaurant in Rush Margins. Her mother insisted on doing her hair and when she saw the new dresses in Elphaba's wardrobe, she even made her wear one.

So, when Elphaba made her way downstairs, she felt much too overdressed to eat out with her family. She wore a wine-coloured dress that reached below her knees and her black hair was braided in a thick Dutch braid.

"Fabala, the shoes," Momma said and held out her high-heeled slippers to her.

Elphaba shook her head. "No, I'm already wearing the dress. The shoes on top would be too much."

"But your other shoes don't match with the-" Momma started but she was interrupted by the doorbell echoing through the mansion.

Taken the chance to escape the discussion, Elphaba turned around and hurried to open the door.

A young man stood on the other side, eyes widening when he saw her. His cheeks turned red and Elphaba curled her lips.

"Yes, please?" she said and with the tip of her foot, she pushed the door as close as possible so she could still look him in the eyes.

"Uh-Um", said the man and clutched the handle of his bag.

Elphaba pressed her lips to a thin line and asked coolly, "Is there anything I could do for you?"

For a second more, he looked at her from big eyes, then he closed his mouth and handed her an envelope. "To Elphaba Thropp. It's express delivery, so I need your signature."

With knit brows, Elphaba took the pen from him and scribbled her signature onto the notebook he held out to her.

"Thank you," she said between clenched teeth and kicked the door close.

"Who was it?" asked Father, entering the hallway to put on his shoes.

"A postman from the express delivery," she answered with a furrowed brow and sat down on the landing, turning the letter in her hands.

"You can read the letter after dinner, Fabala," said Momma from the wardrobe, wrapping a thin shawl around her shoulders. "We need to go now; I've ordered a table for six o'clock."

Elphaba's lips curled into a broad smile.

"It's from Fiyero," she uttered happily and jumped up from her place on the landing. "I can't wait, I-"

"Yes, you can," Momma interrupted her gently.

She took the letter from her and tucked it into the pocket of her skirt. Elphaba gaped at her indignantly. "But- Uh, fine."

She rolled her eyes. "I might as well read it when we're there."

Momma turned around, a hand at the door frame, and said, "Let's go now, it's almost six."

And she ushered them outside, taking Father's hand after he'd locked the door.

As they strode down the street and passed the market place, Elphaba couldn't help but smile. She felt wonderful, excited about the letter Fiyero had written to her. What could be so important as to send it to her by express?

Her mother knew the owner of the Quoxwood Inn and so, they got their favourite place near the window with the view on the big lake. Father ordered a bottle of wine for them all -it was a special occasion, he insisted -it didn't happen every day that your daughter got her exam results paired with an award for outstanding achievements, after all- and they settled in with a glass each.

"Momma, the letter," reminded Elphaba her mother and with a roll of her eyes, Momma handed her the envelope.

"You wouldn't mind if I read it now, would you?" asked Elphaba, but before anyone could answer, she had already teared the envelope open and retrieved the few pages from it.

Dear Fae [she read]

The exam results are in! I bet you've done great; excelled yourself, haven't you? You should be head girl one day -does that even exist?

Anyway, you might wonder why I'm sending you a letter by express… well, Fae, I'm not sending you any letter; I'm sending you my own results.

My parents almost dropped dead when they saw them; I swear, they love you.

Not as much as I love you, but I guess they love you pretty much.

Without you I wouldn't have gotten it, Fae.

I miss you so much. My brothers are teasing me every free second. They are now calling me "love sick" and have decided that I'm "out of their league". They're officially cooler than me now.

Anyway…

I hope we'll see each other soon; I can't believe how slow the holidays seem to pass when you want them to end so quickly.

I love you, Fae; I love you so much.

Write to me soon (and tell me about your exam results, I'm really curious.),

Love,

Fiyero

Elphaba looked into the amused faces of her mother, father and sister. She hadn't even noticed the smile forming on her face whilst she'd read; how her mouth had opened in surprise -and perhaps shock too.

"He's sent me his exam results," she said with a broad smile, turning over the page.

"Well?" Momma asked.

Elphaba almost jumped up with giddiness as she read.

"He's passed everything!" she exclaimed happily. "And he's even got a B in Law classes."

Her eyes locked with her mother's. "Isn't that great?"

Her mother and father exchanged an amused smile.

"Sure, it is, Fabala," said Momma.

She sipped her wine. "What else does he write about?"

Elphaba tried not to blush.

"Uh, not much," she stated, stuffing the pages back into the envelope. "Just a little bit about his brothers. He has two younger ones, did you know?"

Father shook his head.

"Well," Elphaba smiled, "They think he's uncool now that he's-"

She stopped, considering whether it would be wise to bring it up now or not. Her parents knew they were in a relationship but did they know they loved each other? Weren't they thinking they were just falling in love with each other?

"A girlfriend," she added, quickly rowing back as she saw her mother knit her brows faintly.

"I didn't know the King and Queen of the Vinkus had more than one child," said Nessa thoughtfully.

"I didn't know either," Momma rested her chin in her hands and tilted her head to one side. "I always thought they just had Fiyero. But maybe the press only made a fuss about it when he was born because he's the heir to the throne and those after him aren't of the same importance to the kingdom."

Elphaba curled her lips. "That sounds awful."

Momma nodded bracingly. "It does, doesn't it? As though the children would matter any less to the Queen just because they're born second and third."

"I'm sure it was a big thing in the Vinkus," Father mused aloud, turning over the page of the menu. "Perhaps the press of the other parts of Oz just didn't find it as important."

He took a sip from his wine. It was red wine; his favourite.

"But I remember the headlines from when Fiyero was born," Momma said. "They reported about the birth of the royal heir and about nothing else."

Elphaba faintly knit her brows. "Why did they make such a fuss about it?"

"I think the King and Queen had tried to get children for a rather long time already," answered Momma. "They married in a rather young age, you see -I think Queen Imogene was about 20 years old- and she didn't get pregnant until she was 27 or something. It was a huge scandal; everyone feared she might not be able to provide an heir."

Elphaba sipped her wine with a furrowed brow. How terrible the Queen must've felt; with such immense pressure on herself when she wanted children herself just as badly as the kingdom needed her to have them.

The waiter came and went, their orders being on their way, as he told them.

It was a strange guy of sorts; something about his smile seemed off, something about the way he walked and talked and let his look wander across the room as though searching for something.

But who was she to judge about being strange, Elphaba thought, when she herself was strange personified?

"To Fabala," said Momma when they all had their plates in front of them and clinked glasses. "You've outdone yourself, dear."

Elphaba smiled gently and took her sister's hand. "To Nessie for she's my perfect little sister."

She put an arm around her and let her head rest on Nessa's shoulder.

"Have you already enrolled at Shiz?" Elphaba asked her sister later on when they were already looking at the menu for dessert.

"Not yet," Nessa said, wringing her hands. "I wanted to wait until you came back, and I'd forgotten it until now."

Elphaba tilted her head to one side. "You mustn't be afraid, Nessie, if that's what's holding you back. Your grades are perfect, you're a lovely girl; they wouldn't dare rejecting your application. And with siblings at the university, it's much easier to get in."

Nessa blushed a vague shade of red as she said, "It's not me that I'm afraid of not getting in, Fabala; I'm worried that Boq might not make it and we are planning on attending university together for such a long time now."

The green girl couldn't help but arch an eyebrow at her younger sister.

"Boq again?" she asked with a grin. "It's getting obvious, Nessie."

Nessa nudged her in her side, blush increasing.

"It's not that he hasn't got good grades," she explained. "But he's from a farmer family. Shiz doesn't seem to be that kind to the middle class…"

Elphaba sighed. "No, it isn't. But if Boq is as smart as he seems to be, he'll easily get a scholarship. And students with scholarships are always looked at with some sort of respect."

Among teachers more than among students. She added silently. But she didn't want to spoil the moment.

So, she leant back and smiled at her parents and sister. She felt great; life felt great. And she never wanted it to stop.