Chapter 2
Elphaba was making her way to Doctor Dillamond's lecture, something she had been looking forward to all week - sadly. Her and Galinda had barely spoken since the day of her humiliation and just the thought of it was eating away at her. She didn't know what to say to her apart from thank you, and she couldn't bring herself to broach that subject.
They didn't know how to act around each other anymore. Elphaba couldn't be her horrible old self towards her, just in the same way that Galinda couldn't be her two-faced, self obsessed self. Because they had both seen something different in the other, something true, that they had been yearning to glimpse in someone ever since they arrived at Shiz. It was just that neither of them had ever envisioned it being the other girl. And Elphaba longed to say something, anything, just to break the silence between them, to have a peep at that brave and just girl she had seen only a week ago.
The thing was, usually Elphaba had no problem approaching Galinda in public, most of the time simply to annoy her, but now she felt awkward. She didn't want to annoy her, which was a massive break through in the least. Elphaba didn't know what she wanted beyond the clarification that it all had actually happened, that Galinda had stood up to her friends and become a bigger person than Elphaba ever dreamed she was.
Clutching her books protectively to her chest she marched towards the lecture theatre when she heard a tittering of small footsteps behind her. And they were gaining on her. Already anticipating an assault from behind, Elphaba spun around with her hardback books at the ready when her gaze locked on the petite blonde girl who, incidentally, was looking nothing short of terrified.
Galinda stepped back a little with her hands raised in mock surrender, she was smiling nervously, "Elphaba, lower your hands and put your weapons on the ground."
She began to blush slightly at her complete overreaction and tucked the offending books under her arm, "Sorry Miss Galinda, I thought you were someone else."
Galinda still looked slightly alarmed, "Indeed."
A few moments of silence passed between the pair; Galinda playing with her hair and Elphaba picking her nails, both afraid to speak first. The blush was still apparent in Elphaba's high cheekbones, her hands twitching and her throat clearing as though on its own accord.
"Is there ...something you want, Miss Galinda?" Elphaba asked cautiously, already beginning to edge towards the double doors of her destination.
Galinda stepped forward, her sapphire eyes searching the green girl's face, "Actually yes.. Yes there is. I wanted to talk to you Miss Elphaba."
Galinda's gaze flitted around to see who was witnessing this, Elphaba smirked a little and raised an eyebrow; the blonde's awkwardness was becoming quite amusing, "About..?"
With a deep breath Galinda stepped forward and linked Elphaba's arm through her own, taking her completely by surprise as she began forcefully leading her towards the room, "Well, my friends said some very mean things the other day and I just wanted to apologise on their behalf."
Half-heartedly, Elphaba struggled to disentangle her arm from Galinda's; Physical contact only usually suited the green girl when it was on her own terms. Elphaba scoffed, "You're apologising for them?"
Galinda sounded uncertain, "Well yes.. I- " try
"But you're apologising. For something. You. Didn't. Do?" Elphaba stressed, she was pressing her lips together in a thin line, she was biting the inside of her cheek, she was trying to be patient.
"Well I'm sorry Elphaba! I just didn't think you deserve-"
Patience failed. This is ridiculous.
Elphaba cut her off, "Look Galinda, you should not be apologising for something they said. You were the one who stopped them, you stood up to them and they listened to you and I'm truly grateful for that. But you should not bear the burden of guilt of what they said to me, and you should not apologise for them. " Elphaba had stopped and was looking down at Galinda imploringly, her palm curling around her shoulder, a frown setting between her eyes, "You told me I was better than that, and that's what I'm telling you."
Galinda just stood frozen in Elphaba's grip, she couldn't decide which confused her the most; the little endearing rant Elphaba had just went off on or the sensation her green hand was sending from her shoulder down to the base of her spine.
When Galinda didn't answer and just continued to stare up at her with a nonplussed expression, Elphaba became a little embarrassed. Releasing her hold on her she shifted the weight of the books from one arm to the other, trying to distract Galinda from the blush which was slowly beginning to reappear from the base her neck to her high cheek bones. Looking anywhere but Galinda's eyes she mumbled, "It's just.. what I'm trying to say is; you're good. They're ... They're not like you."
And, with one last glance at Galinda, Elphaba fled the scene. Galinda stayed stricken to the spot. What just happened?
*
Galinda elegantly perched on the seat next to Miss Shenshen before the lecture started and, as if by an allergic reaction, they immediately began asking questions.
"Miss Galinda!" gushed Pfannee, leaning across Shenshen and pinching Galinda's knee, "What was the artichoke talking to you about?"
Galinda seriously considered not replying, she was still surprised that the three girls were still talking to her after the stunt she pulled the other day, but her dominance over the group was never questioned. Like usual, she turned on the charm taps and smiled sweetly at them, giggling, "Actually, I spoke to her first." The horrified little 'o's their mouths made caused her to laugh and add, "Well I had to apologise for what you lot said to her, you monsters!"
They giggled back in return, the insult going unnoticed. Milla's high pitched laughter set her teeth on edge as she said scandalously, "But why did you apologise!? To her! How silly!"
Galinda was still smiling with gritted teeth as she attempted to swat Milla a little too eagerly, "We're young ladies!"
Milla's laughter died down, "Sooo?"
Galinda opened her mouth to speak but was promptly interrupted by the token goat entering the room. With a quiet sigh of relief Galinda settled in her seat and tried to focus on Doctor Dillamond's tedious words of wisdom. It was a mere three minutes before her concentration was broken by a note pushed towards her on pink paper. It was written in Pfannee's handwriting and read 'Cocktails in our room at 8?' Galinda just smiled and nodded, she had a feeling that after what Elphaba had said to her earlier, the green girl would be adverse to seeing the blonde for a few hours. Sincerity without acute embarrassment was not Elphaba's strong point, she left that for sarcasm.
*
It was around half past twelve when Galinda finally stumbled into her dorm room, a little tipsy but still perfectly capable of undressing herself and slipping into an overly baggy top. As she was walking towards her own bed she heard mumblings emitting from her room mates bed. Galinda stopped in her tracks and drew closer to Elphaba's bed; careful not to let the floorboards creak or to disturb the books piled at her bedside.
As she got closer the ramblings became more coherent and Elphaba's restlessness more apparent. Elphaba was thrashing her head from side to side on the pillows, Galinda edged closer to listen to Elphaba's subconscious, "No... N- I don't... don't want to go. But... But I have to... have to leave."
Galinda frowned a little at Elphaba's contradictory words, she shook her head to herself, pulled the green girl's covers up to her pointy chin and sauntered over to her own bed, stretching out and falling into a dreamless sleep.