Accidents Will Happen

Chapter Nine

Seeing Galinda waiting by the door startled her. She hadn't exactly anticipated a welcoming committee. It meant that she'd have even less time to think about how to approach her, what to tell her, and how to go about asking the favour she could hardly expect her to do her in the first place. Her jaw set in grim determination, she did not slow down, however. She continued on, with her eyes firmly trained on her classmate, her roomie, her friend.

"Elphie!" exclaimed Galinda before she'd even made it to the door.

They met midway between the front yard gate and the house. Elphaba resisted the terribly tempting impulse to brush past her and disappear into her room; Galinda, she could tell by her stance, resisted her own urge to make physical contact.

"You... don't look good," she merely said, biting her lower lip.

The visible concern in her eyes was too much to bear, and Elphaba averted her gaze. She could feel her plan slipping away from her and there was nothing she could do about it. Inside the pockets of her hoodie, her hands balled into fists. Her paralysis prompted Galinda to take the initiative. Laying a gentle hand on her right arm and exerting the gentlest pressure, she guided her towards the entrance.

"Let's not stand around outside," she told her softly. "It's cold and nobody needs to hear any of this. Let's sit down, maybe have some tea. Food arrived, too, but if you don't feel like having any just yet, that's totally okay."

The door closed behind them and Elphaba stopped, refusing to move another inch.

"What's—what's wrong, Elphie?"

Elphaba ground her teeth and shifted her weight from one leg to the other. What she really wanted was to either bury her nose in a book to make herself forget, or, alternatively, punch something to release her anger. Neither was an option at present.

"Galinda, I—" Their eyes met briefly before Elphaba's drifted off to the side again.

"Did something happen? Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?"

She appreciated what Galinda was trying to do, but in this particular case it seemed counterproductive. What she really needed was a moment of silence to gather her thoughts. Holding up one hand and shaking her head, she wordlessly asked her to wait, but Galinda couldn't or wouldn't understand.

"Talk to me, Elphie, please," she begged and tugged at the sleeve of her sweater.

Overwhelmed, Elphaba pulled her arm away sharply and escaped into the opposite corner. Galinda watched her in confusion, but finally stayed put, at least for now. Elphaba didn't want to risk losing the precious distance between them yet again and grudgingly looked up at her so her well-meaning roomie wouldn't have to come closer in search for answers.

"I—I need money," she managed to toss out before her resolve crumbled, preventing her from explaining the situation more explicitly.

"What?"

Judging by her wide eyes and slightly parted, speechless lips, her request perplexed Galinda at least as much as Elphaba had predicted, if not even more so.

"I'll pay you back, you know I will," she immediately made to assure her, the tone of her voice imploring and desperate, even as she turned away to doggedly stare at nothing but her own feet.

"I don't really care about that," dismissed Galinda. "But Elphie, what—whatever for? Are you in trouble?"

An uneasy pause filled the narrow hallway. Elphaba suspected that Galinda feared something far dodgier than what she had in mind. At the same time, the true purpose seemed almost harder to talk about. Out of the corners of her eyes, she could see her fidgeting until she cleared her voice and pulled back her shoulders. Somehow mustering an abundance of poise and serenity, she suggested they move the discussion to the living room and sit down. After taking the first couple of steps to lead the way, she looked back, only to find Elphaba rooted in her corner, not the least bit inclined to follow. She, for her part, simply couldn't fake composure. Galinda drew an agitated breath and didn't comment. Her questioningly tilted head indicated that she might be waiting for an explanation.