"I just don't understand!" Galinda huffed the whole way back to the dorm.
"Really, Galinda, it's alright." Elphaba said as she was placed unceremoniously atop the fluffy pink mass her roomie called a bed.
"People were pointing. Gasping. Actually too shocked to even laugh!"
"I'm used to such reactions. You really mustn't worry --"
"At an outfit I put together!"
Elphaba blinked at her roomie for a moment, before letting loose a snort of laughter. Galinda stopped pacing, and after letting her words register, collapsed next to Elphaba in a quiet fit of giggles.
"I suppose even the great Galinda Upland has moments of questionable taste." Elphaba bumped their shoulders together lightly. "Though you've managed to dress yourself more than adequately. Fiyero couldn't take his eyes off you the whole night."
The words meant to cheer Galinda up seemed to have the opposite effect, as she remained silent, smile slipping from her face.
"Galinda?"
"Elphie, can I tell you a secret?"
"Okay."
"Fiyero and I are going to be married."
"Okay…"
"No, that's not the secret." Galinda sighed and laid back on the bed. "The secret is… that's something I neither want nor look forward to."
"What? But you seemed so enamored by him."
Galinda gave a sad smile. "I do put on an excellent act. You see, my parents expect a proper bride-in-training. My classmates expect a bubbly brainless blonde. And me? I just try to live up to expectation."
Elphaba glanced concernedly at her roomie. It was true Galinda was a different person around her, but she'd never heard the girl speak so candidly, and with such resignation. "Is that why you wanted to learn sorcery so badly? To have something that's --"
"My own." Galinda nodded slightly, then sat up. "Elphie, can I play with your hair?"
Elphaba frowned at the sudden change of subject. Looking over her shoulder, she could see Galinda smiling happily and already taking out her braid without getting an answer. Elphaba shrugged to herself. Blondes.
Galinda finished with Elphaba's hair and scooted up next to her, legs bouncing over the bed. "Show me a spell. Here," she crawled over Elphaba and stretched out a hand to grope under her pillow. "Use my new wand."
Elphaba felt herself fluster, but recovered quickly. She took the wand, and with the other hand reached out to pluck the flower from Galinda's hair. She placed it in Galinda's hand, and recited a short incantation. The flower took on a glittery sheen, before returning to its normal hue a few moments later.
Galinda's eyes lit up at the sight. She grabbed the wand back and repeated the spell, fumbling over pronunciation. The flower shook slightly, before exploding with a loud bang, covering them both in a cocoon of petals and sparkle.
The vision before her was so entrancing that Elphaba didn't become aware of herself again until after her lips touched Galinda's. She pulled away quickly, and opened her mouth to say something, anything, but Galinda's shy smile and lingering hand on her cheek caught her breath.
Elphaba settled for leaning back in.