Chapter 8
Glinda woke up to the sound of Ama knocking softly at her door. She rolled over, the golden morning light filtering in through her windows, making her room feel warmer than it actually was.
“You’re going to be late, Duckie,” Ama called gently.
Glinda groaned, rubbing her eyes as the previous night came back to her. The study session. Elphaba. How oddly… easy it had felt. How not awful it had been. She blinked up at the ceiling, confused by the way her chest felt strangely unsettled.
She got ready on autopilot, barely registering the conversation her mother was having on the phone downstairs as she passed through the house. By the time she got into her car, her phone buzzed. Fiyero.
Fiyero: Picking you up today?
She hesitated before responding.
Glinda: I’m already on my way.
She wasn’t sure why she felt guilty about it.
Elphaba’s morning was quiet, but not in a peaceful way.
She sat at the breakfast table, absentmindedly flipping through a book while Shell stirred way too much sugar into his tea. He wasn’t subtle about watching her.
“What?” Elphaba finally asked, looking up.
Shell shrugged. “You’re being weird.”
Elphaba sighed. “Fantastic observation.”
Shell smirked but didn’t push further. She appreciated that about him—he noticed things but didn’t always need an explanation.
By the time she pulled into the school parking lot, she’d convinced herself she wasn’t thinking about the study session anymore.
That lasted exactly until she saw Glinda.
They saw each other between classes, just for a second. It should have been the same as any other day, except it wasn’t.
Glinda glanced up at her, hesitated.
Elphaba saw the pause, the way Glinda’s fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.
“Morning,” Glinda said before she could think about it.
Elphaba blinked. Glinda had never greeted her before.
“Morning,” she returned, cautious.
It was quick. Barely noticeable. But someone noticed.
“Since when do you talk to the Wicked Witch?” Pfannee’s voice was sharp, teasing but also curious.
Glinda tensed as she sat down at the lunch table, feeling the weight of multiple gazes on her.
Shenshen raised a brow. “You’re not about to have a charity case moment, are you?”
Glinda forced a scoff. “Oh, please. I bumped into her. I was being polite.”
Pfannee smirked. “Right. Because you’re so polite usually.”
Glinda rolled her eyes, reaching for her drink. She ignored how Fiyero was watching her a little too closely. Like he noticed something was off.
“She talked to you?” Tibbett asked, nearly dropping his fork.
Elphaba exhaled through her nose. “It was a greeting, not a confession of undying love.”
Crope, ever dramatic, clutched his chest. “But still! The Golden Girl acknowledged you? My, how the tables have turned.”
Boq frowned. “What happened at the study session?”
Elphaba shrugged, keeping her expression unreadable. “We studied.”
Boq still looked skeptical, but he didn’t push it. Crope and Tibbett, on the other hand, exchanged a look that made Elphaba want to throw her drink at them.
She resisted.
“You know, she’s probably just doing that thing where she takes in strays,” Shenshen mused, swirling her coffee. “She’ll get bored and move on.”
Glinda set her fork down carefully. She had never cared about comments like this before. So why did this one feel different?
Pfannee noticed her hesitation. “Oh, Oz. Don’t tell me you're friends now?”
Glinda forced a laugh. “Please.”
But something in her stomach twisted.
Across the cafeteria, Crope smirked at Elphaba. “You know, she was looking at you earlier.”
Elphaba didn’t look up from her tray. “No, she wasn’t.”
Tibbett hummed. “I don’t know… seemed like a moment.”
Elphaba stabbed at her food. She refused to look.
Elphaba wasn’t in the mood to be perceived. She had spent all day dodging looks—some pointed, some barely-there, but all of them suffocating in their own way. And all because Glinda Upland had said good morning.
Ridiculous.
She had slipped out of the cafeteria early, needing a moment to herself. She stood by the vending machines, fingers idly pressing buttons but making no selections. She wasn’t hungry—she was restless.
The problem was, her thoughts kept circling back. The study session had been fine. Normal. So why was she thinking about it?
Before she could spiral further, Crope and Tibbett sidled up beside her. “So,” Crope said, voice dripping with amusement. “How’s your favorite study buddy?”
Elphaba sighed. “Not this again.”
Tibbett grinned. “It’s just—you’re acting different. Less grumbly. Less I-hate-everyone-and-want-them-to-die.”
Elphaba rolled her eyes. “You both need hobbies.”
Crope leaned against the vending machine, studying her. “You know, you’re usually so quick to deny things, but you haven’t said no yet.”
Elphaba opened her mouth, ready to shut them down, but… nothing came out. Because, for the first time, she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
Her stomach twisted uncomfortably. Oh. Oh, Oz.
Tibbett caught the shift immediately, his grin widening. “Oh, Oz. You like her.”
Elphaba stiffened, her pulse jumping. Do I?
She replayed the night before—Glinda’s hair still damp from her shower, the way she had stretched out across the couch, completely at ease. How she had apologized, how she had looked at Elphaba like she was someone worth knowing.
She swallowed hard. Oh, shit.
“I think…” Elphaba inhaled sharply, pressing her palms against the vending machine. “I think I might have a crush on Glinda.”
Silence.
Then—Crope let out a delighted gasp, smacking Tibbett’s arm. “She said it.”
Tibbett looked downright giddy. “Oh, babe, this is so much better than we expected.”
Elphaba groaned, dropping her head against the machine. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”
Tibbett patted her shoulder sympathetically, though his grin betrayed any real concern. "Absolutely. But don't worry, we'll be here to witness all of it."
Crope looped an arm through hers, dragging her away from the vending machine. "Now, let’s go before you start brooding so hard the lights flicker."
Elphaba allowed herself to be led, rolling her eyes but unable to shake the tiny, gnawing realization settling into her chest. She liked Glinda.
And there was no coming back from that.