Chapter 9
Elphaba had one goal for the rest of the day: avoid Glinda Upland at all costs.
Unfortunately, that was proving impossible.
She spotted Glinda at her locker between classes and immediately ducked into the nearest hallway, nearly running over a first-year. She ignored Crope’s knowing smirk when he saw her flinch away at lunch. And when she had to walk past Glinda on the way to history, she suddenly found the floor very interesting.
None of this went unnoticed.
Glinda frowned as she watched Elphaba all but flee from her for the third time that day.
Was she imagining it? Or was Elphaba actually avoiding her?
She tried not to care. She really did. But there was something unsettling about it. After the study session, she had—
Well, she wouldn’t say she was looking forward to seeing Elphaba today, but it hadn’t been something to dread. And yet, here they were.
By the time their next class ended, she had had enough.
Glinda wasn’t one for confrontation, but this wasn’t just something she could ignore. When she saw Elphaba slip out of the classroom, she acted without thinking, moving abruptly.
Fiyero raised a brow. “Where are you going?”
“Nowhere,” she said quickly, already walking away.
She caught up with Elphaba near the lockers, stepping into her path before she could disappear into the next classroom.
“You’re avoiding me.”
Elphaba blinked, stepping back instinctively. “No, I’m not.”
Glinda scoffed, crossing her arms. “Oh, please. You practically jumped away from me earlier.”
Elphaba exhaled, looking everywhere but at her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Glinda tilted her head. “Did I… do something?”
That caught Elphaba off guard, and she finally looked at Glinda, her expression shifting for just a second. Oh, Oz. She looks like she actually cares.
“No,” Elphaba said quickly, maybe too quickly. “You didn’t.”
Glinda frowned, searching her face. "Then why are you acting so weird?"
Elphaba opened her mouth, then closed it again. Because I just realized I have a ridiculous crush on you, and I have no idea how to deal with it.
But obviously, she couldn’t say that.Elphaba huffed a quiet, humorless laugh. "Why do you care? It's not like we talk at school anyway.” she muttered instead, stepping around her and walking off before Glinda could push further.
Glinda stood frozen for a beat, watching Elphaba walk away. A dozen retorts came to mind—snippy, sharp, anything to regain control of the moment—but none of them made it past her lips.
Because the truth was, she did care. And she didn’t know why.
Her fingers clenched at her sides, frustration bubbling beneath her skin. “Well, excuse me for noticing,” she muttered under her breath, barely loud enough for herself to hear. Then, with an exasperated huff, she spun on her heel and marched off, ignoring the way her heart was beating just a little too fast.
By the time Glinda got back to her seat in their next class, Pfannee and Shenshen were already waiting, smirking like they had just witnessed something scandalous.
“That looked interesting,” Pfannee mused, swirling her drink. “Trouble in paradise?”
Glinda rolled her eyes, sitting down. “She’s just being weird.”
Shenshen arched a brow. “And you care because…?”
“I don’t,” Glinda said quickly. Too quickly.
Pfannee and Shenshen exchanged a look, but before they could say anything else, Fiyero leaned in. “You really don’t?”
Glinda faltered. She shouldn’t care.
So why did she?
Glinda threw herself into practice with a level of intensity that even her teammates seemed to notice. Every move, every motion had to be perfect. She couldn't afford distractions—not the game, not her technique, and definitely not Elphaba Thropp.
Yet, every time she landed a tumbling pass, every time she lifted into a stunt, her mind would drift, and she’d lose focus for just a second. It wasn’t like her.
She was annoyed. Annoyed at herself, at Elphaba, at how stupid this all felt.
By the time practice wrapped up, she was still keyed up, wiping sweat from her brow as the other girls gathered their things. Her phone buzzed just as she reached for her bag.
Elphaba:Still planning to work on the project tomorrow?
Glinda blinked. Since when did Elphaba text first?
She didn’t know why it sent a small thrill through her, but it did. She ignored it for a moment, refusing to indulge in whatever was making her feel this way.
Meanwhile, across the field, Elphaba was just as restless. Track practice had been brutal, mostly because she made it that way. She pushed herself harder, ran faster, tried to outrun her own thoughts.
It didn’t work.
She had been checking her phone more than usual, waiting for some kind of response. She told herself she didn’t care, that the message had been about the project and nothing more. But the longer Glinda left her on read, the more irritated she felt.
By the time she left the locker room, the sky was darkening, and most of the campus had emptied. She just wanted to get to her car and go home.
She rounded the corner near the parking lot—only to nearly collide with Glinda.
Glinda yelped, stepping back as Elphaba caught herself. They both froze, staring at each other like neither had expected this moment to happen.
“Seriously?” Elphaba muttered, exasperated. “I can’t escape you anywhere today.”
Glinda crossed her arms. “Oh, I’m the problem now?”
Elphaba sighed, dragging a hand through her damp braids. She was too tired for this, too wound up. “Did you even see my text?”
Glinda pursed her lips, then pulled out her phone. Read. Not responded.
“Oh. That was you?” she said airily, tilting her head.
Elphaba scoffed. “Unbelievable.”
Glinda smirked. “Relax, Thropp. I was going to answer.”
Elphaba folded her arms. “So answer.”
Glinda hesitated—just a second too long. Because this moment felt like something else.
“…Yeah,” she said finally. “Tomorrow still works.”
Something flickered in Elphaba’s eyes, something unreadable, and it made Glinda’s stomach twist in a way she didn’t like.
She wasn’t sure why she added, “Unless you don’t want to.”
Elphaba held her gaze. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”
The air between them shifted, tense but not hostile. Something… charged.
Glinda cleared her throat, looking away. “Good. Then it’s settled.”
“Good,” Elphaba echoed, though there was something almost amused in her voice now.
Neither of them moved.
Then Glinda huffed, shaking her head as she finally stepped past her, heading toward her car. She ignored the way her pulse had picked up, ignored the tiny voice in her head asking what the hell was that?
Elphaba watched her go, exhaling sharply.
Yeah.
She was in trouble.