Between The Lines

Elphaba stared at the screen longer than she should have.

Glinda:I think I like talking to you.

She knew she should just say goodnight. Shouldn’t let this go anywhere else. But instead, her fingers moved before her brain could stop them.

Elphaba:That’s a dangerous thing to admit.

Glinda:I know. But it’s true.

Elphaba hesitated, debating what to say next, when suddenly, her screen lit up with an incoming call.

From Glinda.

Her heart stuttered. She almost let it ring out—almost pretended she hadn’t seen it. But then, without thinking, she hit accept.

Glinda’s face filled the screen, dimly lit from her bedside lamp, her hair a little messy, eyes tired but bright. "Well, this is weird."

Elphaba smirked, propping her phone against her pillow. "And yet, you called me."

Glinda huffed. "You weren’t saying anything, and I got impatient."

Elphaba rolled her eyes, shifting onto her side. "Of course you did."

They settled into the quiet after that, the hum of the call filling the space between them. It should have been awkward, but it wasn’t. It was… nice. Easy.

"So," Glinda said after a minute. "What do you even do when you can’t sleep?"

Elphaba smirked. "Read. Think. Stare at my ceiling and question my existence. The usual."

Glinda giggled, pulling her blanket up to her chin. "Sounds thrilling."

"And what about you, Princess? What do you do?"

Glinda hummed, her eyes fluttering slightly. "Usually? I scroll through my phone until I pass out. But apparently, now I video call you."

Elphaba raised a brow. "Big upgrade for you."

"Oh, definitely," Glinda murmured, voice softer now. "New favorite pastime."

Elphaba didn’t have a response to that. Didn’t know what to do with the warmth curling in her chest.

Seconds passed. Then minutes. Glinda’s eyes were drifting closed, her breathing evening out, and Elphaba realized—

She was falling asleep.

Elphaba watched her for a moment, something unfamiliar tightening in her throat. "Glinda?"

A soft hum in response, barely awake.

Elphaba exhaled, settling deeper into her pillow. "Goodnight."

She didn’t expect an answer. But then—

"‘Night, Elphie."

The nickname was barely a whisper, slurred with exhaustion, but Elphaba heard it.

Her breath caught, but she didn’t say anything. Just watched as Glinda fully drifted off, her face relaxed, peaceful.

Elphaba woke up to the soft sound of breathing in her ear.

For a moment, she was disoriented. The room was dim, early morning light filtering through her curtains, and she was warm, her pillow unusually comfortable. But then her brain caught up—

Her phone was still on. The call was still connected.

And on the screen, Glinda was still there.

Elphaba froze. The video had cut out at some point, but the audio remained, Glinda’s breathing steady, peaceful. The familiarity of it made something tighten in her chest.

She should hang up. That was the obvious choice.

But instead, she hesitated.

Then—

A sleepy mumble, barely audible. "Mmm… morning, Elphie."

Elphaba’s stomach flipped.

She shut her eyes briefly, inhaling sharply before muttering, "So we’re sticking to that nickname now?"

Glinda hummed softly, shifting against her pillow. "Mhm. ‘Suits you."

Elphaba rolled onto her back, rubbing a hand down her face. This was dangerous. This was very, very dangerous.

"You’re a menace," she muttered.

Glinda giggled sleepily. "Told you."

The silence stretched again, this time different. Softer.

Elphaba licked her lips, staring at the ceiling. "Go back to sleep, Blondie."

Glinda hummed again, voice barely above a whisper. "Okay, Elphie, you too."

And Oz help her—Elphaba didn’t hang up.

Elphaba’s phone buzzed as she sipped her coffee, the cafeteria half-full with students sluggishly preparing for the school day.

Glinda:Mornings are cruel. Fix them.

Elphaba smirked. She texted first.

Elphaba:I’ll have the sun rise at noon next time.

Glinda:That’s the smartest thing you’ve ever said.

She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched. This was getting dangerous.

Homeroom was fine until Tibbett leaned in and whispered, "You’ve been smiling like an idiot all morning."

Elphaba scoffed. "I don’t smile."

"Uh-huh." Crope wiggled his brows. "Wouldn’t have anything to do with certain texts, would it?"

Elphaba stared blankly. "You’re both delusional."

But Tibbett was grinning now. "No, no, this is fun. We’ve never seen you like this before."

Elphaba huffed. "There is no this." But her phone buzzed again, and both of them pounced.

Across campus, Glinda was absolutely not thinking about Elphaba.

Pfannee had been talking for at least five minutes, but Glinda had barely processed a word—until her name was snappedin irritation.

"Glinda!" Pfannee hissed. "Are you even listening?"

Glinda blinked, tensing under the scrutiny. "Of course."

Pfannee’s eyes flickered toward the window—toward Elphaba, walking past.

And Glinda looked.

Just for a second. Just enough for Pfannee’s expression to darken.

"You have got to be joking."

Glinda snapped back. "What?"

"You’re looking for her. Again."

"I was not—"

"Glinda." Pfannee’s voice was tight. "This is embarrassing."

Glinda flushed. "It’s not—"

"I swear, if I have to watch you ruin everything for some charity case, I will personally make your life miserable."

Glinda’s stomach dropped, but she forced a laugh. "Pfannee, don’t be ridiculous."

Pfannee’s gaze was sharp. "Then stop acting ridiculous."

Glinda swallowed hard.

Outside, Elphaba had no idea what was coming.