Oh, this is where things start to get dicey. Buckle up- This is going to be a bumpy ride!
Chapter Sixteen
Elphaba watched as the familiar scene of Shiz University came into her view. She rode in the carriage with her father and sister, with no more harm done to her, however there was still a visible bruise on her face.
She spent the remainder of her break doing whatever her father told her to. In the midst of her days, she snagged the letters Fiyero wrote to her before her father checked the mail and cherished them. They were full of love, always reminding her of her beauty and how much he missed her. And now as the scenery came back into her view, she couldn't help but smile.
Fiyero arrived at Shiz by himself around ten that morning, wanting to get there before Elphaba. He figured he had some time to kill and unpacked the few things he came back with and got re-acquainted with his old apartment. On his way down the corridor, he passed Avaric, which he refused to make eye contact with.
"Fiyero?"
Fiyero kept walking, and did not reply.
Avaric saw his former friend walk down the corridor and said, "Don't ignore me!" Fiyero kept walking and Avaric replied, "She deserved it, you know!" trying to get a reaction out of him.
Fiyero clenched his jaw and walked out of the dormitory, anger building in his veins. He walked outside and glanced over to see a carriage being unloaded by the entrance of the school. This familiar carriage peaked his curiosity, and Avaric was suddenly forgotten when a certain green girl stepped out. He went over to Elphaba with her back to him and tapped her shoulder.
She spun around to find her boyfriend behind her and she smiled, embracing him, "Yero!"
He laughed, "Hey, Fae. I missed you." He said, pulling back, now noticing the dark purple spots on her face. His expression suddenly changed from elated to abruptly concerned, "Fae, are you alright?"
She tried to cover it up, "Yes, I just fell a while ago. Nothing to be concerned about." She lied, keeping in mind that her father was still in the carriage. Fiyero saw through her lie and helped her unload her bags. He took them up to her room, and luckily it was empty of a roommate.
Fiyero's look of concern returned as he asked, "Why did you lie to me?"
She furrowed her brow, "About what?"
He shook his head, "Fae, I might be a little low on the book smarts, but I'm not an idiot. Where did those bruises come from?" he said, his tone growing impatient.
She shook her head and turned back around, "It doesn't matter."
He sighed out of frustration, "It does matter."
She looked at him, "Why, Yero? Besides, you already know where these bruises came from. Just say it."
"Fae, you shouldn't have to put up with that!" he exclaimed.
"Fiyero, I've put up with it for the past nineteen years!"
"That doesn't make it right. He should be punished for what he's done!"
She threw her hands up, "Fiyero!"
He calmed down, "Are you afraid of him, Fae?"
She laughed a sick laugh, "Fiyero, I'm terrified of him!" He stopped dead in his tracks, "He's terrified me my entire life, and some days I wake up thinking it's my last!"
Fiyero backed down and the two didn't speak. He couldn't bear to look her in the eye, fearing the look she might give him. After a moment, the door opened, "Elphie, I'm home-" Glinda said, going to hug her friend as she noticed the other body in the room, "Oh, hi Fiyero." She looked at the two and said, "Did I interrupt something?"
Elphaba broke the silence, "No, Fiyero was just leaving." She said, watching Fiyero leave out of the corner of her eye.
Fiyero sighed as he left, realizing that he could do more harm than good if he stayed. He took one last look at her before he left the room, and when the door closed behind him, he put his hand to his head.
"What happened, Elphie?" Glinda said, trying to reconcile with her friend.
Elphaba pushed back the tears in her eyes, "Fiyero is just being…he…he just doesn't think that I've had to deal with all my problems my whole life."
Glinda hugged her friend, seeing her distress, "He'll come around, Elphie."
Elphaba smiled against her friends, "Over the break, he said he loved me."
Glinda broke the hug with a grin on her face, "Elphie!" she squealed, "That's thrillifying!" he took her hands, "He must just want to protect you, Elphie. He means no harm, honest."
"He's being overprotective." She looked at her friend with an unconvinced look on her face. Glinda shrugged her shoulders,
"Maybe he's being overprotective. Maybe he's not."
Elphaba sighed, "I'm going to the library."
Glinda bid her friend farewell and Elphaba went her sanctuary. There, she cracked open her life sciences book and began reading ahead, trying to push Fiyero and his overbearing nature out of her head for some time.
After all, she was tired of Fiyero nagging her about her father. She was her own person, and he'd never had to deal with this kind of situation before. So, as far as she was concerned, if he was going to continue down this path, she was done.