Accidents Will Happen

Chapter Eighteen

By the end of exam period, Galinda was shattered. Throughout the semester she'd managed keeping up with her five classes just fine. Writing five lengthy assessments was a different matter entirely. She found herself vaguely jealous of Elphaba, who'd completed her two meagre biology and history exams with ease and almost a week apart, whereas she herself had fretted and slaved away, writing three of her exams on three consecutive days. Pure torture!

Infuriatingly, Elphaba showed little support, at least not verbally. Instead of consoling and reassuring her, she preferred to tease and needle her, chide her even for her constant whinging. Still, in direct contradiction to her nettling words, she made sure to supply Galinda with refreshments while she studied, to prepare special breakfast treats on the days of her tests, and to smuggle her favourite sweets into her pencil case.

One could argue that such thoughtful gestures bore far more significance, and of course Galinda did appreciate them. Nevertheless, she didn't understand what made it so difficult for Elphaba to simply express her encouragement on all fronts. It wasn't like she was required to uphold any notions of tartness her shortsighted peers might have projected upon her—in the privacy of their own home no less!

When Galinda opened her pencil case one final time in preparation of her Architectural Design exam, she discovered a long artisan chocolate bar, swaddled in pastel-coloured paper and decorated with confetti of rose gold and silver. Smiling to herself, she gingerly unwrapped it, already anticipating the taste and feel of the rich treat in her mouth. What she hadn't anticipated was the tiny message on the inside of the paper:

'Four down, one to go. You'll do amazing, and I believe in you.'

There was no name, but the spidery handwriting was easy enough to identify. In the lower right corner, a small heart. Galinda's cheeks flushed with heat. Coming from Elphaba, these lines were unusually sweet and adorable.

In front of the classroom, Miss Greyling raised her voice. The exam papers were about to be handed out. Galinda perked up with a start, took a bite from the chocolate bar and hurriedly folded the wrapper back around the rest of it so she could let it all disappear into her bag.

Two hours ticked by sluggishly. Although she made steady progress, the haze of tiredness in her head and her bones slowed down her perception of time. In the end, not a single one of the students finished early, mostly due to the practical component of the assessment. Yet from what Galinda gathered, not many felt like they'd struggled with the allotted time either. Much like herself, they had spent the last couple of minutes embellishing and perfecting their designs. Fiyero too looked confident enough when he waylaid her right outside the arch building.

"Hey, we were wondering whether you'd come out for a few drinks with us," he said, grinning widely.

"We? Us?" Galinda repeated with raised eyebrows, savouring the last of her fancy chocolate as it melted on her tongue. For all she could see, he was alone.

"Milla and I. And Boq. She's already gone to fetch him."

"Ah."

She wasn't certain how she felt about the idea. Sure, she was in somewhat of a celebratory spirit now that all the fuss was over and a few weeks of actual holidays awaited. But she was also tired, so tired. She'd rather hoped to celebrate with Elphaba, quietly and in the comfort of their own house. And it wasn't like she could simply drag her along in the same way Milla would entrain Boq. Things were more complicated with Elphaba, which was partially her own fault.

Having waited so long for an answer, Fiyero eventually lost his splendid grin. He cocked his head and reached out to touch her elbow.

"Hey, are you alright?" he said, his face overcast with concern.