A few minutes after they had turned the lights out, Elphaba heard a tentative voice from across the room.
"E-Elphie?"
"Yes, princess?" She replied calmly, although her face had heated from the nick-name.
"I, um… that is, I think I…" Elphaba waited calmly for the blonde to sort out her thoughts. "I sort of, well I think, I'm not sure, but I might have a, um, crush?" Elphaba couldn't fathom why her roomie was having so much trouble with this.
"You have a crush?" She asked, wanting to be sure that she had gotten the message.
"Yes." This, at least, was a simple and definite answer.
"Well, who's the lucky fellow?" She asked boredly. The silence thickened. "My, pretty, is he really that good of eye-candy?" Still no response. Elphaba was getting worried, was Galinda even breathing? "Sweet? Are you awake?"
"Yes." Elphaba breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn't have to perform mouth-to-mouth. Why in Oz was her face heating up?
"Well, who do you fancy?" She said, trying to distract herself.
"It's, um, well, not a boy." Elphaba's eyes popped open wide. The princess had a crush on another girl? I'm sure she's incredibly popular, so Galinda must just want to be her friend.
"You have a crush on a classmate of ours? Who is the object of your affections? Miss Shenshen? Miss Pfanee? I'm sure they would like to become closer friends with you."
"No, Elphie, it's not them it's…" She lapsed into silence. Elphaba decided to play a guessing game with the reluctant girl.
"Is she your friend?"
"…Yes."
"Is she in all your classes?"
"…No."
"How popular is she?"
"…N-not very." Elphaba was amazed. Not popular? Who did she know who was not- oh, shit.
"Galinda, pretty? Is it someone I know?"
"...Y-you could say that."
"Oh, pretty. Do you have a crush on mean green me?" She heard sniffles from the other bed. A curler-hatted head nodded. Elphaba's face flushed with heat. "Oh, sweet princess." She crooned, sitting down on the pink coverlet. "My pretty, don't cry." She wiped away the tears with a corner of a blanket, and rubbed the girl's back. "Don't cry, sweet girl. It's alright." When the blonde had fallen asleep, Elphaba set her alarm clock an hour early.
When Galinda awoke the next morning she almost started crying again. Elphie's bed was made and she was long gone. She spotted a note on the brown blanket. Holding back tears, she quickly read the spiked writing and grinned a small bit.
Dear Princess,
Last night was very eventful, and I'm leaving early to sort out some feelings. Don't fear, I won't tell anyone I can't trust. Don't cry, I will be back. Why don't you take the morning and fill the bathroom with warm steam? (We both know you want to.) I'll see you tonight, if not at classes.
Sincerely Yours,
Elphaba (Elphie)
Galinda chuckled and did just as her roomie recommended, finally filling the bathroom full up with steam as she showered. It felt so wonderful to step into warm air, instead of the usual cold air Elphaba forced on her. She understood that the wet air would harm the green girl, but it still felt good to her to be covered in it. When she had finished dressing, she ran down the hallway in the best mood she had been in for a while. She met Pfanee and Shenshen in the cafeteria at breakfast, and they both commented on how good she looked. Pfanee asked if she was using new make-up, and Shenshen wondered if she had done something to her hair. Galinda giggled and told them she had a crush.
"Well, I know that, did you tell him yet?" Asked Pfanee. "Come on, now, you must have asked him, and your face says he said yes! Oh, I can't wait to tell everyone you're going out with Fiyero!!!!!!!!" Galinda tried to think of how to tell her friends that it wasn't Fiyero she liked, but it was too late. The pair of them were clasping hands and squealing, as if they had been asked out by Fiyero themselves. At least they aren't jealous of me, she thought, sighing.