Hello...It's me again. Already. This has been in my mind for a while; I just wanted a little insight into the beginning of Elphie and Galinda's friendship. Booksical, leaning more towards book, I think.
Disclaimer: Do not own. Nope. Not me.
No flames, please? :) Review, if you will.
I hung my dress for the next day carefully over the back of the desk chair, and smoothed it out repeatedly to avoid creases: my usual bedtime routine. I patted at it for a few moments, ironing out any imperfections in the fabric with my hands.
I hate creases in my clothes, and not just because it makes me look scruffy when I finally put it on. It's just…I don't know, some sort of obsessive compulsive thing I have. Just like the way my wardrobe must be colour coded, and my shoes must all be in a straight line before I can sleep at night. My roomie thinks that I do it to annoy her, but I honestly don't…That's just an extra bonus.
It's something that I've always had. As a little girl I used to undress every single one of my dolls before I went to bed at night, line them up in their special bed and tuck them in. They had a certain order, and I would kiss each delicate porcelain forehead before closing the nursery door. Their wardrobe was just as ordered as mine; each pair of tiny little kidskin boots with pearl buttons was lined up with almost military precision, and their clothes were hung on tiny hangers under their miniature name labels.
My parents always thought my habits were a bit weird, but I've never done anything else. Oh, I can leave my bed unmade and leave pillows and duvets and the like lying everywhere, but that truly is to irritate the Green Bean! She has habits that irritate me, too.
I looked across at her, the Thropp girl, and noticed that she had fallen asleep again. With the light on. That really does have to be one of her more annoying quirks, and I don't know how many times I've told her about it. Honestly, for all her 'smarts', I swear she's even more dense than I act!
I crossed the room and slid carefully into bed, patting my blonde curls back into place as I went. I didn't read, even though I had gotten my [newly manicured!] hands on some book of the green girl's that actually looked quite interesting. She snuffled a little in her sleep, her glasses dangerously close to falling from the end of her slightly too long nose. Heaving a sigh, I reached across and eased the little frame from her face.
She started awake, and yelped in surprise.
"Miss Galinda?" she asked, blinking her big brown eyes rapidly to wake herself up. I found myself smiling at her, which was indeed a first.
"You fell asleep, Miss Elphaba. I thought you might have wanted your glasses saved from a messy end," I replied politely, folding the legs and placing them on the cabinet between our beds. The green girl looked slightly confused.
"Oh," she said simply, tossing that divine black hair of hers over one shoulder. I swear to Lurline that if I didn't love my own hair so much, I would kill for hair that colour. It actually didn't look half bad with that bizarre skin either, I noticed for the first time.
My roomie continued, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand. "I was having such a good dream, too!" I raised an eyebrow, surprised that she was actually talking to me. The Artichoke, who I had loathed and who had loathed me in return since our very first hour at Shiz, was actually venturing conversation. Will wonders never cease?
"Oh really, Miss Elphaba? What was it about?" I quizzed, glancing towards the line of shoes at the end of my bed, making sure that none of them were out of place. They weren't. To my utter shock, the green girl actually blushed…if a darker shade of green constitutes a blush, that is.
'My! Constitutes!' I thought to myself. 'How poetic I am!'
"Oh, it's nothing too special, Miss Galinda." Her face was hidden behind her dark hair. I knew that she was embarrassed, but I wanted to know.
"Come on, Elphaba! You can't say that and then expect me not to ask!" I laughed, noticing her surprise when I dropped the honorific from the beginning of her name. I was a little taken aback myself, but I let it pass.
"You'll think it's silly!" warned Elphaba, arching one dark eyebrow. I shrugged, and she sighed. "I had a dream that I passed a test. No, don't look at me like that, Miss Galinda! It was a really hard test! Probably the hardest I've ever sat, and I passed it with top marks, even though I didn't even study,"
"What was the test on?" I queried dryly, inwardly amused at my roomie's definition of a 'good dream'.
Aha! There was the blush again!
"The Vinkus," Her reply was strong and unashamed, almost as though she thought that she should be ashamed of it. She twisted her long, spidery fingers in her lap.
An image of the new student from the Vinkus popped into my mind as she said it: that Prince Fiyero with the deliciously scandalicious reputation. He had been kicked out of Oz knows how many schools before he came to Shiz, and he was ridiculously handsome. Every girl on campus was at least a little in love with him, so why should the green one be any different? It wasn't as though her brain was wired any differently from mine, I realised, and I would have sold my soul for a date with Fiyero.
With uncharacteristic gravitas, I nodded approvingly as though I hadn't noticed her bashfulness. "That's a good dream indeed, Elphaba," I smiled, and she seemed to let out a withheld breath.
"You're going to tell everyone that I'm an even bigger freak than you thought, aren't you?" Elphaba sighed after a moment's silence, which had been much more comfortable than usual. We had never managed to hold a conversation that didn't turn into an argument and result in one of us having something heavy thrown at her head, so this sudden turn baffled me slightly. I felt abashed that she thought so little of me. Yes, I gossiped about her…but I would never say anything that was true!
I frowned a little, careful not to put too many creases in my forehead for fear of wrinkles. I replied softly, probably more genuinely that I had ever spoken to anyone in my life. "No, I'm not going to say that. Why would I?"
"Because you hate me?"
"Don't be silly, Elphaba. I don't hate you," Elphaba looked puzzled, and I suppressed a giggle. It was such an unusual expression on her!
"You don't?"
"No, I don't. Do you hate me?" I quizzed, amazed at how much I wanted her to say no.
"No," she smiled, and I felt the warmth of a new, tentative friendship rise inside me. I liked that feeling, because it usually meant that the friend would be worth keeping. I'd only had it one other time in my life, and that was with a girl in the Pertha Hills named Keraali, who I kept in touch with.
I smiled warmly, and nodded once again. "Good. I'm glad. Goodnight, Elphie,"
Elphaba grinned timidly in reply. "Goodnight, Galinda," she whispered, turning out the light.
Is this a nice way for their friendship to start? I hope so. I like this one. :)