As Boq arrived back at Shiz, he still hadn't been able to find a proper solution for his dilemma.
On the way to his room, he passed the library, in which he saw Elphaba sit at a table and Glinda walking around the table, chatting away more or less to herself.
She was so sweet!
She deserved to get her perfect gift.
He would think of something else for Nessa.
Out of an impulse, he took the necklace out of the packet.
Yes, this was indeed a marvellous fit for Glinda.
"Hello, Boq."
The Munchkin jumped, nearly dropping the precious jewelry, as Fiyero had appeared next to him out of nowhere.
"Beautiful necklace you have there, do you intend to wear it to the Lurlinemas Ball?"
Fiyero's ostensibly calm tone alarmed Boq.
"I-i-it's a present. Fo-or someone."
"For Nessa?"
Boq cringed.
He feared that this question would come up. If he said yes now, Nessa was going to definitely find out about him supposedly giving her this necklace because Fiyero talked to Glinda, Glinda was friends with Elphaba and Elphaba adored her little sister.
Besides, if Glinda found out what he was supposedly giving to Nessa and he later ended up giving the necklace to her, she would quite probably be offended.
"It's- not for Nessa", he admitted and he saw Fiyero's eyebrows go up.
"Not for Nessa as in you're planning to give the jewelry to somebody else?"
Boq wondered how believable it would sound if he told Fiyero he was giving it to his mother.
"Yes, for Oz' sake, I'm giving it to someone else. I hope you'll stay discrete about this, I know that you're friends with Nessa's sister and if she finds out, all sorts of pain will be inflicted on me so I'm hoping for this to be kept a secret between two guys?"
He prayed to every god he knew that Fiyero would keep his mouth shut.
"Of course, Boq, no big deal, a secret between two men."
"Thank you", Boq said relieved and took off before Fiyero could pose any more questions.
"Boq! How dare you!"
Fiyero, that big tattletale! Boq ducked his head as Nessa continued yelling at him.
"Buying jewelry for another girl, you unfaithful swine!"
To say that she was upset was the understatement of the year.
Red with anger she had rolled into his room and almost scared him to death.
"You can find someone else to go to the ball with now, I don't need the company of someone who buys pricey presents for everyone except his girlfriend!"
Nessa was flying into fury and Boq contemplated if it actually was a good idea to correct her saying that he hadn't bought presents for everyone.
"In fact, I'm going to ask someone right now!"
"Who?", slipped out of Boq's mouth.
"Maurix! Just so you know, he had shown interest in going with me in the first place and I was foolish enough to turn him down because I thought I had a boyfriend!"
Her voice almost doubled over and she took a deep breath.
"While you haven't even bothered to officially ask me out yet. But there's no need for that anymore. Do what you want, Boq. Why don't you ask that other girl to the ball, eh?"
She whirled around and left him sitting alone at his desk, thinking about the opportunity that had just opened up for him.
Now he was actually free to ask Glinda to go to the ball with him!
Nessa would calm herself sooner or later and come back to him after the ball was over, she was too convinced of her theory of them deserving each other to not try and get back together with him.
In the meantime he could seize this great possibility and go with Glinda!
But how would he accomplish that?
He had to somehow make sure that she would have to go with him and avoid her making plans with Fiyero at the same time.
Maybe if he could get the wimpy Winkie prince out of the way somehow...
Boq was determined to find a way of tricking Glinda into being his date for the Lurlinemas Ball and nothing would get him off his new plan anymore.