A/N: Thanks to ComingAndGoingByBubble for a suggestion for this chapter! I'd already planned something along those lines, but thanks anyway! Always feel free to make suggestions about what could happen next, I may not use them, but there's always the chance that I will take it into account!
I've decided to post a new chapter for every 5 reviews that I get (this might change later, especially if a lot more people start following my story), so keep them coming! Enjoy!
Elphaba woke up the next morning with a splitting headache. She slowly opened her eyes, wincing as she saw the sunlight streaming through the window of the room. She groaned, and Galinda was immediately by her side.
"Elphie?" she asked anxiously. "How are you feeling?"
"Galinda, keep the noise down, please!" Elphie whispered groggily. "My head hurts, but other than that I'm fine."
Galinda, trying not to smile, handed her friend two pain-killers and a glass of water.
"Thanks," Elphaba quickly swallowed the tablets and gulped down the water, grateful for the instant hydration it provided her.
Galinda moved around the room silently, putting the finishing touches on her outfit for the day.
Elphaba watched her. "Special occasion?"
Galinda spun around and jumped on Elphie's bed happily, "We had such a great time last night, and I think Fiyero is going to propose to me today!"
"Really?" Galinda's response was not what Elphaba had expected at all. She had a terrible headache, and could hardly remember anything from the night before, but the one thing she did recall was that Galinda and Fiyero had spent a maximum total of ten minutes together all night.
"Yes!" squealed the perky blonde, and Elphie winced in pain again. "Oh, sorry! Anyway, I'm going to go find Fiyero, see you later, Elphie!"
Elphaba just waved as Galinda rushed excitedly out the door.
XXX
Ten minutes after Galinda had left, when Elphaba was still trying to work up the motivation to get out of bed, someone knocked on the door. Elphie sighed and slowly got up to open it.
It was Fiyero. "Hi, Elphaba, how are you feeling this morning?"
Elphaba glared at him, "I have a terrible headache and I can't remember anything. How did I even get home, anyway?"
"You wanted to race me home, and then you fell over and hurt your knee, so I carried you the rest of the way back. You fell asleep in my arms as I was walking up the stairs," Fiyero snickered.
Elphaba looked down at her knee, surprised to see the dried blood on her green skin and on her ripped dress. "Oh... shit," she looked away with a guilty expression on her face. "Sorry for ruining your night, Fiyero."
"You didn't ruin my night, Elphaba. I had so much fun, and it was great spending time with you," Fiyero suddenly turned shy. "You're a really worthwhile person to talk to, I had a great time."
He looked up to meet Elphaba's eyes, startled to see she was blushing and trying to avert her gaze. Elphaba quickly changed the subject, "So, you're proposing to Galinda today? Congratulotions."
Fiyero was extremely confused. "What? Why would I propose to Galinda? We've only been on one date, and she abandoned me the whole night!"
"Galinda said you wanted to talk to her today and that it was because you were going to propose to her. She's convinced that you two are going to get married," stammered an embarrassed Elphaba.
Fiyero blinked, processing this information, then laughed, "No way. I mean, she's cute and all, but there's no way I'm going to marry her." He sobered slightly, "I actually wanted to talk to her today because I'm going to break up with her. She was... there's no other way to describe it – a bitch – last night. I accidentally got you drunk on Vinkun wine and she decided that she didn't want to deal with you when you were drunk, so she told me that you were my responsibility and she was going off to dance with her other friends."
Quietly, Elphaba responded, "So, you only stayed with me last night out of obligation? I thought you said you had fun."
Fiyero quickly backtracked, "No, not at all, Elphaba! Galinda did force me to stay with you, but I wouldn't have just left you by yourself anyway, and after our long conversation at the bar, I honestly was looking forward to spending more time with you, even if you were really drunk!"
He put his hand under Elphie's chin and lifted it up to meet his piercing blue eyes. "You're really smart, Elphaba. And you're witty, and sarcastic, and surprisingly emotional and passionate. I love that about you!"
He hesitated momentarily, before deciding to continue, "And... there were multiple times last night when I just wanted to kiss you, but I couldn't. Partly because of Galinda, but mostly because you were drunk and I would never take advantage of you in that way."
Elphaba gaped at him, then choked out, "I have to go." She turned and fled the room, barefoot and still wearing her dress from last night.
"Elphaba, wait!" called Fiyero desperately. But she didn't stop, and by the time he had gathered his thoughts and tried to follow her, he could no longer find her.
Frustrated, he decided to go and find Galinda, knowing more than ever now that he needed to break up with her immediately.
XXX
Elphaba had fled her room and headed straight for her special, private spot. There was a large willow tree around the side of the library building, and the branches and leaves drooped to the ground right round the whole tree. Elphaba crawled underneath and was instantly hidden from the world, protected in her dark, leafy cave. She liked to sit there and think quietly, and knew she would not be interrupted.
She began to think about Fiyero. Granted, she couldn't remember much at all of the previous night, but even just this morning when Fiyero was telling her how they got home, with a smile on his face, made her feel uneasy. Why would he bother staying with her all night, and making sure she got home safely? She couldn't have been much fun, and she was green, for Oz's sake! No one was nice to the green girl, except for Galinda, and even that friendship had taken a while to develop.
And there was something else Fiyero said had, about wanting to kiss her. Elphaba simply could not believe that was true. No one had ever felt anything like that towards her, she was a repulsive frog girl. No one had ever loved her, not even her family. Her mother was dead, her father hated her, and Nessa tolerated her, but they most certainly did not love her.
However, Elphaba couldn't help but wonder what it would have felt like to be kissed by the handsome Vinkun prince, and heat surfaced under her skin at the thought. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to Fiyero, physically at least. But could there be something more there? She had never felt shy around boys before, because most often they were either threatened or repulsed by her. Fiyero had reacted differently to her, and she appreciated that, but it was a new experience and she didn't have a clue how to deal with her surfacing feelings towards Fiyero.