The next day was a cool one. It was dark outside, the sun hidden behind dark clounds that not only threatened a storm but promised one. It was prefect for her like the natural world was sharing in her annoyance and her frustration. The dark sky was only expressing a fraction of how she felt.
Needless to say, Elphaba Thropp was not in a very happy mood. Her conversation with Galinda the night before had not been very comforting. She couldn't get Fiyero out of her head. She knew it was stupid of her to think he would be interested in her. That was why it hurt all the more when he showed an excessive fondness for her. It let her begin to get her hope up. But no, no. He was perfect, she was, well, she was her. Green prickly thing. Surely his displays were simply a ruse. A joke.
Though Elphaba knew that while Fiyero wasn't above trickery, he did not play with people's emotions. However that fact was not able to reach her brain. Her heart was too busy insisting that no one like Fiyero would genuinely want to treat Elphaba that way.
All the same, she made her way to Shiz's library, walking over to the seat she always sat in. It was under the window, facing the wall so she wouldn't have to look at anyone while she studied.
At 'her' seat sat two things out of the ordinary. Neither were particularly showy, but held a genuine sentiment. One was a bright red flower. Deep red with a dark center. A poppy. Beside it sat a small piece of white paper. It held a boy's messy handwriting, even though she could tell that this boy had been trying hard to write neatly. The message was simple.
Elphaba
I'm sorry.
Fiyero
Maybe the day wasn't all gloom and doom after all.
Galinda woke up late. She waited until she was sure her roommate had left and would not be coming back into their room. She would need to be alone.
She looked out the window. It was bleak, like she had felt for days. No brightness to it what so ever. She silently willed the clouds to break so the sun could shine through. Her prospects for a sunny day didn't seem likely, but surely there were other ways to brighten a day.
She wasn't happy. Her friends weren't happy.
But maybe she could change that.
Fiyero was not particularly happy that morning. He had put all of his eggs in one basket. He was more than sure he had blown his friendship with Elphaba. He had no chance in pursuing a relationship with her. He only hoped she would forgive him for behaving like an ass for the past week or so.
He had arrived early to his first class, and sat next to the window. He knew he wouldn't be able to focus on the lesson, but hoped he would be able to not think. He looked at the window. No sun was in sight. It was hidden behind the clouds, like a child in trouble hiding behind his mother's skirts.
He heard footsteps, distracting him from the view out the window. Elphaba was walking toward him, carrying a poppy and the note he had written her. When he caught her eyes, she smiled, a little meek smile at him. Sheepishly, he smiled back. As distracted(and pleased) as he was, Fiyero did notice that Galinda was nowhere in sight.
Class couldn't end quick enough for Elphaba or Fiyero. The two of them stood under the branches of a tree, trying to avoid the light rain that had begun to fall. With a deep breath, he summed up the courage to prompt her. "So?"
"So?" She said, pretending to be more ignorant than she was. She wasn't letting him get off easy.
"So you got my letter?"
"It was hardly a letter. It was very short."
He couldn't tell if she was kidding or not. "Well, that was all I needed to say."
"I didn't say your note needed to be any longer. I just said a sentence was not a letter. The poppy is pretty, though."
He was frustrated. "And are you going to comment on the note's content?"
She really smiled then. "Oh. Apology accepted." She had thought that went without saying.
"Good. Elphaba, I really am sorry about the way I behaved." He grabbed for her hand. When they made contact they both froze. She laughed at the awkwardness and he got up the courage to get a better hold on her hand, lacing their fingers together. "I didn't mean to be hurtful. I just got it into my head that you would like that.. ah, shall we say treatment."
"But why wouldn't you just act like yourself?"
"Because I told him not to!" a third voice said. Fiyero and Elphaba both looked up to see Galinda approaching them.
Galinda. She was not dressed anywhere close to the way she had been earlier. She wore a pink linen dress, and had on a pair of white shoes. Her hair was held back with a pink headband and she had on a light dusting of makeup.
She looked beautiful, not plain, but not over the top either.
"Galinda?" Elphaba was the one to break the silence. "Is that you? What happened?"
Galinda was smiling- not only because she felt good about herself, but because she had noticed Elphaba and Fiyero were still holding hands. "Well, I learned something," she gently said, "You're advice wasn't so good Elphie. And Fiyero, mine was no better. I wasn't happy." She gestured to her friends. "And neither of you were very happy either. And that wasn't any good. So I decided to go back to being myself- but for me, not anyone else."
She looked very pleased with herself. Elphaba and Fiyero were happy as well, especially with the beginings of their relationship. As the three of them walked together to one of the cafes just off campus, Galinda couldn't help but thinking that all of the changes they had undergone were only skin deep.