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Shiz University was not an easy institution to enter.
There were a series of exams, extracurricular activities and a high level of intellect one needed in order to even be considered admission. That was excluding the insane high cost of tuition that needed to be paid off every semester.
When Elphaba received her acceptance letter in the mail during her senior year of high school, she considered it a great blessing and privilege to be admitted to her first choice university. The long nights of studying, stress, and every penny spent was all worth it. She’d finally be taken seriously and far away from her neglectful and disapproving father once and for all.
Sure, she did not have much of a social life outside of her dorm room, but she wasn’t here to make friends and party every night. She was here to establish herself as an intelligent woman who could take on any challenge even if she didn’t look like the pretty cohorts Galinda hung around with.
One could only imagine the pure frustration and annoyance she felt when she met Fiyero Tiggular, the infamous prince of The Vinkus at Shiz.
The boy was practically oozing with vanity and an insane amount of disposable wealth that made her sick. Elphaba never once saw him study for a test, attend class on a regular basis, or join a club on campus. Yet somehow, he didn’t seem the least bit concerned about failing grades or academic dismissal. At least three or four times a week, Elphaba would overhear someone on campus talking about how Fiyero could chug an entire bottle of alcohol and still dance with a partner without toppling over. It baffled Elphaba how someone as rich and prominent as Fiyero could mosey around carelessly while she had panic attacks at night over the thought of getting a C in one of her classes.
So when Galinda came running to Elphaba begging for help with the upcoming final history exam, she was more than happy to help her.
She quickly changed her mind when Galinda wasn’t the one who needed help, but rather her new boy toy, Fiyero.
“Pleeeeeaaaase Elphie! Just this once!” Galinda begged, following her around their room.
“For the last time, no! If he needs to pass the class that badly, have him hire a tutor. It’s not like he can’t afford it!”
“But he’s already had several tutors- none of them could help him! You’re the smartest person in school, maybe you can change him for once!”
“Oh please. If he’s had several tutors before, then maybe the problem isn’t them. It’s the fact that he doesn’t care about his studies. I’m not going to abandon my time studying for finals just to teach someone who will goof off through the entire session.”
Elphaba shoved her books into her satchel. The library was about to close in four hours and she had to get as much research work done as she possibly could.
“I can pay you! Look!”
Galinda grabbed her purse and pulled out several hundred Ozian dollar bills. She showed them off with a toothy grin.
“I don’t want your money. I just want to get these exams over with and continue on with the rest of my miserable life.”
“Elphie, please!” Galinda dramatically got on her hands and knees, grabbing at Elphaba’s skirt and tugging on it. She looked up at her with the most exaggerated sad eyes and trembled her bottom lip. “-This is the seventh school Fiyero’s been in. If he gets kicked out again, his father will kill him! How will we get married then?”
“That’s not my problem! He should’ve thought of that before he went out to party every night- Let go!”
Elphaba yanked away her skirt. Galinda wrapped her arms around her waist with an iron grip and didn’t let go, looking at her with an insane glint in her eyes.
“Elphie, I’m on my hands and knees for you! Do you have any idea how humiliating this is?! I’m practically begging at your feet and you’re just going to abandon your best friend like that? I thought we were sisters! I gave you my favorite lipstick, I never give my things away!”
She began to wail hideously into Elphaba’s white uniform top. Elphaba groaned and buried her face in her hands. Galinda would never live this down if she didn’t agree. She would have to look forward to the next few weeks of her sobbing every night and pounding her fists on her back everywhere she went like a whiny child. Perhaps all the way till graduation.
“Alright, fine! I’ll help him!”
“You will?!” Galinda looked up, her blue eyes going wide with excitement.
“Yes, yes! Hurry up and tell him to meet me in the main campus library in an hour before I change my mind.”
“Oh thank you Elphie! You won’t regret this. I owe you big time!”
Galinda got up and embraced Elphaba tightly, nearly lifting her off the floor. She planted an obnoxiously loud smooch on her cheek, and skittered out of the room to go inform Fiyero. Elphaba sighed and grabbed a wet cloth to get rid of the pink lipstick stain left behind on her face.
Elphaba sat in a secluded spot in the library between the linguification and history book shelves, waiting for Fiyero to arrive. She glanced at her wrist watch. He was thirty minutes late. Not even an hour in and already she was getting irritated.
Fiyero finally showed up, casually striding in with his sunglasses on like it wasn’t a big deal that he had kept her waiting. Elphaba got up and shot him a glare.
“Where have you been? It’s been half an hour! You were supposed to be here at three o’clock on the dot!”
“Hey, relax! I got caught up in something. Besides, we have plenty of time to get this over with.”
He lounged on the chair across from Elphaba and kicked his feet up on the table with his hands interlocked behind his head. Elphaba grabbed her textbook and smacked his legs off.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Tiggular. I’m not here to babysit you. I’m taking valuable time out of my day to help you with your studies. If you’re not going to take this seriously, then leave right now.”
“Alright calm down, green girl. I’m taking this seriously.” He held his hands up in defense.
Elphaba took a deep breath to calm herself down and sat back in her chair.
“Okay… did you bring your Early Ozian History book with you?”
“Well duh! Of course I did. I got it right here.”
Fiyero held up the white and green textbook. It was brand new without any creases compared to Elphaba’s worn out and rented book. Obviously, Fiyero hadn’t bothered looking through it.
“Good. You know what the exam is going to be about, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s an essay where we gotta write about one of the most important events throughout early Ozian history.”
“Close enough, you also need to analyze how it connects to modern day Oz issues. You can either write about The Great Drought, The De-Heading of Queen Ozma the Two Faced, or the Assasination of Archduke Winkiefred. Go to page two hundred, we’ll start at the end of the Pre-Ozwardian era and move on from there.”
Fiyero sighed and flipped to the page with his cheek resting in the palm of his hand. Elphaba read aloud the first two pages, summarizing and explaining to him the series of events.
“-So, after the assasination of the Archduke, The Vinkus declared war on Munchkinland, leading to the Battle of Witz that same year. The Munchkins captured the Neverdale area in the Outer Vinkus border which then led to... Fiyero, are you listening?”
“Huh?” Fiyero glanced over at her, fiddling with his quill in hand.
“Stop goofing off and pay attention! And take off those sunglasses, we’re indoors for Oz’s sake!”
Elphaba snatched the glasses off his face. To no surprise, his blue eyes were bloodshot with dark circles underneath, most likely from staying up all night or binge drinking. Perhaps both.
“I’m listening! I know all about The Shot Heard Down The Street. We’ve been taught that since childhood.”
“Oh really? Then tell me how that event led to the Vinko-Munchkin War…”
“Pfft… That’s easy. The Munchkins started it.”
“What?! No we didn’t!”
From the opposite side of the library, the librarian; an old Owl with grey feathers and spectacles, shushed them, bringing her feathered finger up to her beak with a scowl. Elphaba lowered her voice and bit her tongue as Fiyero kept going.
“Sure you did. It was a Munchkin nationalist who shot Archduke Winkiefred and his wife for no reason other than he was pissed they were coming to his town.”
“No… that’s not the reason. The Archduke sent his troops there to avoid the growing uprising of Munchkinland as an independent state. They were more than in their right to rebel.”
“Yeah… okay,” Fiyero mockingly laughed. “Maybe if the Munchkins didn’t invade first, then ol’ Winkiefred wouldn't've had to station his troops there in the first place.”
“Where in Oz did you learn that nonsense?” Elphaba asked, befuddled.
“I just told you, all Winkie kids learn about the Munchkin Invasion and how we kicked them out.”
Fiyero smacked his hands together to emphasize his point. Elphaba rolled her eyes.
“Fiyero, do you ever stop and think that maybe you’ve been taught from a biased point of view instead of what actually happened? Because you sound like a fool spouting off things he knows nothing about.”
“What bias? My ancestors were directly involved in that war. Who knows better than my family’s firsthand accounts?”
“Uh huh… and tell me, what was your grade on your midterm exam for Dr. Dillamond’s class?”
“He gave me an F. Guess he’s biased about using lowercase ‘a’ when writing about Animals.”
“Or maybe it’s because you plagiarized ninety percent of Avaric’s paper and got caught.”
“I didn’t plagiarize! I just took inspiration from his paper.”
“Whatever. Let’s just keep going.”
Elphaba skipped a few pages and moved on to the end of the war with the De-Heading of Ozma the Two Faced.
“-Okay so, after the heavy taxation implemented on Ozian farmers, the proletarians sieged Ozma’s palace and beheaded her in the Ozmatown central. All of Oz erupted into chaos, which then led to The Great Drought. Does that make sense?”
Elphaba glanced up from her book. Fiyero had been staring off aimlessly into the distance, not paying her a single mind. He jolted and turned to her, his eyes filled with confusion.
“Huh? What'd you say again?”
She could feel the blood in her face boil to impossibly high levels. Elphaba clenched her jaw and slammed her textbook shut in anger, making Fiyero jump back.
“Are you kidding me right now?! Were you even paying attention to what I’ve been saying for the past hour?!”
“Shhh!” The librarian hissed from her desk.
“Of course I have! I just don’t get any of it!” Fiyero defended.
“Then explain to me everything I just told you right now.”
Fiyero nervously scratched his ear, staring down at a scuff on the wooden table. “Uh… you said something about the beheading of Ozma the Librarian after The Great Drought?”
“It was Ozma the Two Faced and it was before The Great Drought, you brainless moron!”
“Shhh!” The librarian glared at them both, her beady eyes squinting with an angry glint.
“How the hell did you expect me to know that? This is so boring, I can hardly focus!”
“Do you want to fail? Because it seems like you don’t even care! If that’s the case, then don’t waste my Ozdamn time!”
“Oh screw you, Elphaba Thropp. Stop acting like you’re some kind of Superior Maunt at this school just because you’re the smartest in every class!”
“At least I didn’t get my daddy to pay for the last seven schools I flunked out of!”
“Okay, that’s it! I draw the line at that!”
“That’s the line you stop at? I’m shocked your shallowness even has standards!”
“Hey! I’ll have you know that I am deeply shallow! And furthermore-!”
The librarian got up and slammed her wings down on her desk, making cups and pens topple over. The yelling match halted, both of them turned to her with pale and nervous looking faces. She glared at them, crumpling up the papers underneath her feathered fingers.
The two were shoved out of the library to the campus quad, door slamming behind them on their way out. Elphaba had never felt so humiliated in her life. If only she hadn’t taken up this stupid tutoring job.
“I hope you’re happy!” Elphaba pointed her finger in Fiyero’s face. “I’ve wasted hours of valuable studying time just to sit and talk to a brick wall!”
“No, I hope you’re happy!” Fiyero responded with a glare. “You can’t even make learning worth listening to! How did you expect me to understand a word you were saying?”
“It’s not my job to make learning entertaining for you as if I were your grade school teacher! I only agreed to help you because Galinda asked me! You’re on your own now. Go find someone else to help you, or tell your father you couldn’t be bothered to try to save your failing grades!”
“Fine! Why did I even think you’d be of help? You’re just like everyone else who doesn’t care about me!”
“Doesn’t care about you? What are you talking about?” Elphaba put her hands on her hips and scowled.
Fiyero turned his back to her and crossed his arms with a grimace. “I just can’t learn normally like you, Okay? I don’t have the mental capacity to keep that much overwhelming information in my head.”
Elphaba slowly dropped her arms down to her sides. Her face went from angry to confused. What in Oz did he mean by mental capacity?
“I don’t understand.”
“Of course you don’t! Nobody can! Why do you think I flunked out of seven schools and no tutor has been able to help me? It’s because no one can understand why I can’t learn normally like other people. The only compassion I ever got was the beratement from my parents and teachers asking me if I was born stupid.”
Elphaba suddenly felt a pang of sympathy and guilt for him. Even as frustrating as it was to get him to pay attention, it didn’t mean he deserved to be called stupid or brainless.
After all, who was she to judge someone based on things they had no control of?
“... Look, I’m getting out of here. Tell Galinda I found someone else to help me.”
Fiyero walked off, heading in the direction of the Gentlemen’s Dormitories. Elphaba felt her stomach drop as she chased after him.
“Fiyero, wait-!”
Her hand wrapped around his wrist. Fiyero came to a halt and looked down at their hands. His eyes slowly trailed up her arm to her face. Elphaba faintly blushed and retracted her hand.
“Listen… I’m sorry I yelled at you like that. I’ve never tutored anyone before because… not a lot of people ask me to.”
Fiyero pursed his lips, awkwardly shoving his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground.
“Well, while we're at it… I’m sorry I cursed you off. I know you were just trying to help and I wasn’t putting effort into it. I don’t really want to fail. I just… don’t know what to do anymore.”
Elphaba looked down at her hands bashfully. “Why don’t we just call it a day and meet up tomorrow to figure something out?”
“Sure… I’m cool with that.” Fiyero said with a soft smile coming to his lips.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Elphaba cordially smiled back.
Fiyero gave her a wink with the snap and point of his fingers before going on his way. Elphaba stood in her spot, watching him leave with a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She shook it off and hurried back to her dorm before nightfall.
Elphaba stayed up almost the entire night trying to come up with a study plan that would benefit Fiyero. She compiled a stack of flashcards with tiny doodles Galinda scribbled on to help with visual memory and a book filled with notes highlighted on the most important parts. By mid-day, Elphaba finished preparing everything in her dorm for Fiyero’s visit.
He arrived right on time, looking well rested than the day before. They sat together at Elphaba’s desk as she gave him the study cards containing easy to memorize and understand information. She showed him the notebook and went over it with him, giving him a basic rundown of one of the events in simple terms. Fiyero seemed to be getting the hang of it, asking questions and repeating some of the notes out loud for clarification.
After their little study session, Elphaba quizzed him with the flashcards. This time, she kept her cool whenever Fiyero answered wrong or mixed up events. With the studying out of the way. Elphaba helped him write a rough draft for his analysis. By the end of the session, he seemed confident in his knowledge on the subject.
“I think you’ve got it.” Elphaba said, closing the notebook with a smile. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“I guess not.” Fiyero chuckled.
“See what you can do when you put your mind to it? All it takes is a little effort and assistance.”
“Well, that would’ve worked earlier if someone had bothered to take a clock tick to help me out.”
“I’m helping you now, Fiyero. I think you’ll pass the exam with flying colors if you keep this up.”
Fiyero gazed at her for a long moment, making Elphaba flicker with corners of loose leaf paper. She cleared her throat and glanced at him with a shy smile.
“Hey, um… Elphaba?”
“Yes?” She asked, looking at him with hopeful eyes.
“I really appreciate you giving me another chance. It really isn’t that hard to understand when you explain.”
Elphaba blushed and twiddled her fingers. “It’s no trouble at all. I’m just glad it worked.”
They sat in silence for a minute with a ticking noise coming from the clock on the wall. Elphaba wanted to say something- anything to break the silence, but she didn’t know what. Something in her wanted to imply to him that she didn’t hate him- in fact, she sort of… liked him.
“Fiyero?”
“Hm?”
“I don’t think you’re a brainless moron. I think you’re smart. You just need the motivation to put it to good use.”
He looked taken aback, going slack jawed and wide eyed. Slowly, his lips turned up in a crooked smile.
“That’s the first compliment you’ve ever given me without sarcasm. I’m quite shocked, honestly.”
“Don’t get used to it. If you start to slack off, I’m going to discipline you.”
“Discipline me? Why Miss Elphaba, I thought you were an Unnamed God fearing, good Unionist girl! I can hardly believe such sinful words would come out of that filthy mouth of yours…”
Elphaba blushed furiously and furrowed her brows. “Not like that, you pervert!”
“I’m the pervert? You’re the one talking about how you’re going to punish me if I misbehave.”
“Stop, stop…” Elphaba buried her face in her arms, trying to hide how red her face had gotten.
“You started it, you dirty minded girl you.” He snickered.
“I swear, if you don’t stop-!”
The front door opened, cutting Elphaba’s sentence short. The pair looked over as Galinda stepped inside, shopping bags in hand.
“Helloooo!” She greeted. “I hope I’m not interrupting Professor Elphie’s class!”
“Um, actually… we just finished.” Elphaba said with a nervous chuckle.
“Oh good! Because I am starving.”
Galinda set her bags down and walked over to Fiyero. He got up and smiled at her, leaning down to place a peck on her lips. Elphaba looked at the floor, trying to hide her obvious disappointment.
“How did the study session go, Fifi?” Galinda cooed.
“It went well, dearest. Elphaba taught me everything I needed to know.”
“I’m so happy to hear that! I knew you two would get along. Didn’t I tell you that, Elphie?”
“Y-yeah… sure.” Elphaba stammered.
“Well, if you’re done for the day, I’d really like to go grab a bite to eat.”
“Oh yeah, sure.” Fiyero stuffed his books in his satchel and swung the strap over his torso.
Galinda glanced back at her friend. “Elphie, would you like to join us?”
“Oh uh… no actually. I’ve got a lot of work to get done before tomorrow. I’ll eat something later.”
“Are you… sure?” Fiyero asked, frowning in disappointment.
“I’ll be fine. You two go out and have… a date night or whatever. I’ll talk to you later.”
Elphaba turned around in her seat and pretended to be busy at her desk. She could feel Fiyero’s eyes on her as Galinda took his hand and led him out of the room. Once they were gone, she dropped her pen and hid her face in her arms.
“Don’t start… It’s not like he was flirting or anything. That’s just the way he is. A flirtatious, scandalacious scoundrel, nothing more, nothing less.”
She tried to study for her exams, but found herself constantly distracted over the thought of Fiyero and Galinda spending alone time in some cozy little cafe.
The exam was only two days away. Elphaba had spent the week helping Fiyero prepare. It had grown slightly awkward between them during their sessions. Although Elphaba kept it professional and stuck to her methods that she deemed helpful, it was hard to deny that there was friction in the air between them.
After their sessions ended, Elphaba would bid him farewell without so much as making small talk. Fiyero always looked like he wanted to say something, but ultimately stopped himself and said a quick goodbye over his shoulder as he left.
The night before the exam, Galinda came back to the dorm, looking exhausted as ever. She collapsed on her bed face first, and sighed into her pillow. Elphaba asked her what was wrong, but she merely answered with a groan and kicked off her shoes. She didn’t pry any further, leaving Galinda to her own devices.
Morning arrived and Elphaba headed to Dr. Dillamond’s class, ready for the exam. She spotted Fiyero already in his seat, pens neatly arranged by his side. He didn’t look up as she entered the room. Elphaba didn’t want to admit it, but it made her slightly saddened to be ignored by him. She supposed she partially deserved it. After all, she had made it seem like she wasn’t interested in maintaining an acquaintanceship with him.
“Alright students, settle down…” Dr. Dillamond announced. “As I’ve mentioned before, this exam will count for a majority of your final grade. If you fail any part of this exam, I will be looking forward to seeing you in this class once again next semester. If I suspect you of cheating or plagiarizing, you will instantly be marked as failed and will have to answer to Madame Morrible. No exceptions, especially if you’re a trust fund student.”
Dr. Dillamond not so subtly gave a pointed look at Fiyero, then passed out the papers to every row for each student.
“I trust that you will all do well. You have two hours to complete the exam. Quills in hand... begin.”
The students flipped over their papers and began to write. Elphaba stared at her paper, trying to think of a way to begin her opening paragraph. She started writing down some words, then quickly scribbled them out when she found them unsatisfactory.
Elphaba sighed and dropped her quill, her hands running through her scalp. She glanced over at Fiyero, watching him as he jotted down words on the paper. He didn’t look distracted in the least bit, he was completely focused on the task before him.
“Miss Elphaba?” Dr. Dillamond asked with concerned eyes.
“Sorry, Dr. Dillamond.”
Elphaba picked her pen back up and started writing, trying not to get distracted or look over at Fiyero too often. She managed to finish five minutes before time was up. It was the longest time she ever took to complete an exam, something that was most unlike her. Elphaba was just glad she managed to finish at all.
Dr. Dillamond collected the essays and dismissed the class. As the class got up to leave, Elphaba walked over to Fiyero. Before she could even say anything, he buckled his satchel shut and quickly walked out of the room. It made Elphaba feel heartbroken in ways she had never felt before.
Elphaba didn’t say anything about it for the next week, opting to mope around her dorm room instead. Now that the exam was over and done with, Fiyero no longer stopped by, not even to visit Galinda. It felt depressing for Elphaba to not see his face, hear his heartfelt laughter or his silly jokes. She truly admitted she missed him, that strange feeling growing more and more in her chest and stomach like butterflies.
Galinda looked less tired around the dorm and was back to her usual, bubbly self. After finals week had ended, she came back to the door with a bottle of champagne in hand and a box full of mini cakes and treats.
“Galinda, are you even allowed to have that on campus?” Elphaba raised a brow at the bottle.
“Oh don’t worry about it! I had that Bick boy sneak it in for me. I think he’s quite useful after all!”
She popped it open and poured the fizzy drink into two flutes. They sat on Elphaba’s bed, clinking their glasses together and toasting to the end of finals.
“Y’know Elphie…” Galinda licked the frosting off her finger and smacked her lips together. “It’s been an awfully excruciating week to get through. I want to thank you for helping Fiyero out with studying. I know it was difficult with his… troubles, but he insisted that without you, he would’ve never made it.”
“It’s no trouble at all. I’m just glad I could help.” Elphaba looked down at her flute and swirled the champagne around. “Are you going to be spending the summer hiatus with him?”
Galinda took a small sip from her glass and set it on the nightstand nearby. “Actually, um… we broke up earlier this week.”
“What…?” Elphaba looked up, her brown eyes wide open.
“It just wasn’t working out anymore. We admitted we weren’t really happy together and mostly stuck together just for the sake of looking like Shiz’s golden couple. It wasn’t really worth it.”
“Galinda, I am so sorry. I can’t imagine the heartbreak you must be going through.” Elphaba placed a hand on her knee.
She shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me. Besides, when I heard his reasons for why he didn’t want to be in a relationship, I understood.”
“What were his reasons?”
Galinda looked up at her with a surprised look. “You mean he hasn’t told you yet?”
Elphaba shook her head. “Why would he? We haven’t spoken since the day of the exam.”
“... He told me it was because he found someone else he liked.”
Elphaba felt her stomach drop. Had she caused this? No, there was no way… Fiyero couldn’t have broken up with someone as beautiful and well adjusted like Galinda for someone like her. Surely, he had done it for another attractive girl, or perhaps someone who held a royal title like himself. Elphaba wanted to ask who it was, but truly she didn’t want to know since it would only hurt her in more ways than she already felt.
The following week, Dr. Dillamond posted the final grades outside his office.
Most of the students gave a silent yes! when they saw their grades. Others sighed and shrugged, and the very few groaned in misery at the realization that they would have to retake the class for the following semester. Elphaba grabbed her paper from the retrieval tray and quickly flipped to the last page to look at her grade marked in red ink.
She received a B minus. Elphaba’s heart dropped as she read Dr. Dillamond’s note at the bottom of the page:
Outstanding work as always, Miss Elphaba. However, I feel this essay is lacking in terms of your analysis and details in comparison to your previous work. I know you’ll do better next time. I look forward to seeing you in my advanced history class next semester. Have a wonderful summer break.
Side note: I was informed you assisted Master Tiggular in studying for the exam. I give you my utmost respect and gratitution for your time and efforts. I imagine it must have been no easy task.
Elphaba smiled small at the little note and placed it inside her bag. She looked over at the end of the hall and spotted Fiyero with his paper in hand. She tried to catch a glimpse of his reaction. He blankly stared at his paper, then stuffed it into his bag. Elphaba didn’t manage to catch a glimpse of his final grade as he left the office halls.
Once more, she felt sadness fill her heart. Did he blame her for his break up with Galinda? If so, why? He mentioned he found someone else he liked.
Unless- he was blaming her and detested her for it…
She quickly ran after him, following him to the campus courtyard where only a few students were milling about.
“Fiyero!” She called.
He stopped and turned around, looking at her in surprise.
“Elphaba… I didn’t think you wanted to speak to me.”
“Why would you assume that?”
“I just thought since you were so distant during the last few days of studying together, maybe you were upset or something.”
“No… No, I'm not upset with you at all.” Elphaba clutched the strap of her bag tightly and stared down at her feet. “... Galinda told me about your break up. I’m so sorry.”
“Oh… she told you?”
“Yes. She didn’t give me all the details, but she said it was because you felt differently towards someone else.”
Fiyero swayed back and forth, biting down on his bottom lip. “Did she say… who it was?”
“No, I didn’t ask. It’s none of my business. I just wish you and your new… partner all the best.” Elphaba hid her obvious misery and smiled at him. “So, what did you get?”
Fiyero snapped out of his trance and plucked his essay out of his bag. He held it out for Elphaba to take. She flipped to the last page and widened her eyes.
He received an A plus. The note from Dr. Dillamond at the bottom expressed surprise and impressed perceivement of the young prince. Additionally, the note acknowledged Elphaba’s assistance and advised him to be grateful towards her for his success, stating something about behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.
“Oh my goodness, Fiyero. I can’t believe it. You passed with an A plus… I’m so proud of you!”
“You are?” Fiyero asked in near disbelief.
“Of course I am! I always knew you could do it. You just needed a little push.”
Elphaba handed back his paper. Fiyero took it and slowly smiled at her.
“I couldn’t have done it without your help. I owe it all to you, Elphaba.”
“It’s no big deal. I’m happy to see you succeed.”
Fiyero glanced down at his shoes, looking almost bashful. Elphaba swore she could see a faint shade of pink on his cheeks which was a most bizarre sight to behold.
“How did you do? I wouldn’t be surprised if you got an A plus plus.” He chuckled.
Elphaba frowned. “Actually… I got a B minus.”
“What? But… how?” Fiyero looked up at her with disappointment.
“I guess I was… a little distracted during the exam.”
“No way… you’re pulling my leg.”
“I’m not…” Elphaba blushed and tightened her grip on her bag.
“Elphaba, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to rub off on you. You were so focused on helping me, you couldn’t focus on yourself. I guess I am nothing but trouble.”
“No! it’s not you.” Elphaba reassured. “I just had a lot on my mind at the time. Besides, at least I didn’t fail, haha…”
“Still… I feel awful.”
“Fiyero, please don’t be.”
Elphaba placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her hand in shock, his mouth agape. She quickly pulled away, and nervously cleared her throat.
“Listen, I just wanted to say I’m really proud of you. If you ever need help, don’t be afraid to ask. I… like spending time with you.”
There was that strange feeling in her chest again. She couldn’t suppress it no matter how hard she tried. It felt so overbearing, it could practically spill over and make her burst into emotions. Elphaba imagined how ridiculous she must have sounded. Fiyero would probably break into a fit of laughter and make fun of her silly, school girl-like mindset.
“I like spending time with you too… a lot, actually.” He responded.
Those words shocked Elphaba like electricity. It wasn’t very common for anyone to say that other than Galinda- let alone someone she felt strong feelings for. Yet, she didn’t know if Fiyero felt that way towards her. She wasn’t blonde, petite or conventionally pretty as the girls Fiyero had surrounded himself with.
Just another reason for her to be humiliated.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you around then.” She said.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“I hope you have a good vacation. Maybe we can visit each other.”
“I’d like that.”
They shyly smiled at each other. Both of them stood silently, waiting for the other to leave first. Slowly, both began to part ways, walking in opposite directions to their segregated dorms.
Elphaba felt heartbroken and unsatisfied with their brief goodbyes. She allowed her legs to slowly lead her away, her mind still focused on Fiyero. Her heart was aching, nearly begging her to turn around and chase after him.
She just couldn’t leave, not without telling him how she felt about him. Damn it all, her mind would leave her no peace until she did.
Elphaba came to a sudden halt and spun around. She sprinted back to the quad yard, fully intent on going after Fiyero. To her surprise, he had stopped in his steps and was running towards her as well. They stopped a foot away from each other, gasping for breath.
“Elphaba-” Fiyero wheezed.
“Fiyero… I need to tell you something.” She caught her breath and stood upright. “What I’m about to say is going to sound completely absurd, but it would kill me if I didn’t say it... I know I’m not as pretty or perky as Galinda, or like this new person you’ve found- but this past week has made me realize how much our time together mattered to me. I… I really like you. Not just like, but… like like. It sounds stupid, I know. Go ahead and laugh…”
“Elphaba…” Fiyero started. She braced herself for the oncoming rejection. “The person I’ve found isn’t pretty.. She’s beautiful. The most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. Not just in looks, but in heart and soul as well.”
She frowned and gripped her hands in front of her as her heart sank to the ground.
“-That girl is you, Elphaba.”
In complete shock, Elphaba perked up, her eyes going as wide as they could.
“Wh-what did you say?”
Did… did I just hear that right? Did he just…?
“Elphaba, you’re the person I absolutely adore. I can’t stress that enough,” Fiyero placed his hands on her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes like he could stare straight into her soul. “Please don’t get the wrong idea, it’s not just because you’ve helped me. I… I actually felt this way for a while now. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get you off my mind. You’re so beautiful, breathtaking, and smart, and just… everything. I want to keep seeing you, I’ll lose my mind if I don’t.”
It was too much for Elphaba to handle. Her emotions bubbled to the surface as tears spilled from her eyes. She quickly covered her face to hide her weeping.
“Elphaba?! What’s wrong?” Fiyero asked, pulling her hands away.
“N-nothing… it’s just… I can’t believe I’m hearing this… from you no less. I never… I never thought you’d…”
“Elphaba… look at me.” Fiyero placed his hands on her cheeks and craned her neck to meet their eyes. “Please don’t cry… it makes me sad to see you so upset.”
“No… I’m not upset. I’m… I’m just so happy.” She said, her lips curling into a genuine smile.
“You are?”
“Of course I am. You have no idea…”
Fiyero smiled in relief and wiped away her tears with the swipe of his thumb. Elphaba bit down on her bottom lip, then suddenly lunged forward, placing a kiss on his lips. Fiyero’s eyes widened in pure shock at her newfound confidence. His eyelids fell shut, dropping his hands to rest on her waist to press her body against his.
Oz knows how long they stood there for. It could’ve been seconds, minutes, possibly hours. It didn’t matter to either of them how long it was. All that mattered was the moment they shared in their kiss.
They had to pull away eventually, both of them looking at each other with blown pupils and a light flush over their faces. Elphaba chortled shyly, running her hand up and down his arm. Fiyero kept his hands on her waist as he pondered for a moment. His eyes lit up, a wide grin coming to his face.
“Hey… I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you spend the summer break with me at my family estate over in The Vinkus?”
“Are you serious?” Elphaba asked, taken aback.
“Sure I am! We’ve got lots of space and endless things to do. Besides… we’ve got a bigger library than the one on campus.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
“Hmm… that’s very tempting indeed.” Elphaba smiled. “Although, something tells me you’re not going to be interested in reading with me.”
“Well… maybe not as often. There’s a lot of nice sights to see during this time of year, and I’m not just talking about the vistas.”
“I like that… besides, it’ll be better than spending four entire months locked up with my father.”
“A hundred times better.” Fiyero agreed.
“Okay then… Let’s go.”
Fiyero grinned and took her hand, walking with her back to the dormitories as the sun slowly set in the sky, leaving a pink golden glow in the horizon.
Maybe being mindlessly and carelessly in love wasn’t such a bad thing after all.