Hey guys, so this is my first long fic. I'll be uploading the new chapters as soon as I can. Please let me know in the reviews what you think? Even negative criticism is welcome.

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked... I'd be super rich and famous if I did, and clearly, I am not.

Balloons

Chapter 1

Elphaba's legs were so sore from all the dancing she had done the night before, that she could barely walk. But it was worth it. She had woken up in the morning smiling from ear to ear. It was stupid, she knew, the night before had been utterly humiliating. What was she thinking, walking into the Ozdust with that ridiculous pointed hat? As if being green wasn't enough of an attention getter, she had to go and make herself look like a moss-covered Eiffel tower. It wasn't as if Elphaba didn't know how ugly that hat was... yet she couldn't resist wearing it. There was something about it that made her gravitate towards it. Maybe it was because it was the only gift anyone had ever given her. Apart from the gift of sarcastic retorts that the people of Munchkinland had so lovingly forced her to develop, what with all the awful insults she had to listen to growing up. But no, the night hadn't gone well, yet Elphaba hadn't remembered the last time she had been so happy. Not only had Galinda prevented her from further embarrassment by dancing with her, but in their room right after, she had told Elphaba that she wanted them to be friends. And she had called her 'Elphie'. Elphaba didn't know what to make of her new nickname or how she was going get out of Galinda's makeovers 'now that she was her new project' (she really didn't want to learn how to talk to boys and or how to flounce), but it felt incredibly nice just talking to someone. Just having someone sympathize with her about her actual problems instead of someone feeling pity for her because she was a - as people liked to put it - 'freak'.

Galinda's boyfriend had been really sweet too. He had danced with Elphaba three times (granted they weren't dancing alone, Galinda had insisted on the three of them dancing in a little triangle the whole night... but Elphaba had snuck off once the slow dances began) and they had chatted while they were waiting for their drinks to arrive and oddly enough, he hadn't mentioned Elphaba's green skin even once. It was odd... he didn't seem as arrogant and shallow as Elphaba had initially assumed him to be. Sure, he was a dumb, rich boy... but even after she first met him, Elphaba hadn't 'hated' him. He had made a bunch of aggravating comments when they first met (not to mention the fact that he had almost run her over), but for some reason it didn't bother her too much. Mostly because, for some reason, Fiyero wasn't freaked out by Elphaba's skin. He had made a joke when they met - something about her looking like a traffic light - but he wasn't... creeped out. Which is what most people's reactions to seeing her for the first time were. He didn't seem scared. Elphaba had thought he was an idiot though, and maybe he was... it wasn't like she knew him very well. But last night had proven that he wasn't as self-obsessed and shallow as he made it his business to appear to be.

Elphaba had heard the stories of Fiyero's first class in Shiz. He'd had Biology with Mr. Tinks. Apparently, he had distributed donuts to all his classmates (essentially securing his popularity) and had talked to the girl sitting behind him the entire class, laughing loudly at regular intervals. He only stopped talking to her for five minutes to eat a packet of chips, crumpling the bag loudly between each chip. He had distracted everyone and the most aggravating part of it all, - according to Elphaba, at least. Nessa, who was telling her the story, thought it was 'funny' - was that no one had said a thing to him. In fact, at the end of class three students had even asked him for his autograph. But Fiyero had redeemed himself... sort of. Not only had he dropped Elphaba and Glinda to their dorm to make sure nothing happened to them on their way back from the Ozdust (not that Elphaba had to worry about that. She had enough control over her magic to delay any attackers who tried to come after her) but he had also made sure that Nessa got to Madame Morrible's room safely. Boq had drunk too much punch during the party and was hardly able to stand by the end of the night. A few of his munchkin friends had dragged him back to him room as soon as the party was over.

Elphaba changed into a long dark navy skirt and a simple white shirt and headed over to the library. She had a free morning and had decided to finish her essay on 'The History of Munchkinland'. Her dad being the governor and all, she didn't need to do much research, but she knew that it would look pretty stupid if she didn't get an A. So she thought she'd do some anyway... better safe than sorry.

Elphaba began dreaming about the book she had been reading the night before. It was called The Fool on the Hill and it had been so good... the plot twist where the man was actually after the dog and not the other man had completely taken her off-guard. I can't believe... Elphaba was in the middle of thinking, right before she walked straight into someone's chest. Her glasses fell off her face and clattered onto the ground.

"Damn." She muttered.

"Sorry." A sheepish voice said. Elphaba got a little breathless looking at the blurry shape. Shoving her glasses onto her face, she mumbled, "Nah. It was my fault."

Fiyero grinned, "Alright. If you insist."

Elphaba cocked an eyebrow, "What are you doing in the library any way?"

"Studying. What else would I be doing in the library?"

"Right."

"Ok fine." Fiyero looked sheepish again, "I was using the bathroom."

Elphaba smiled despite herself. She looked down, avoiding his gaze. It bothered her how attractive she found him. She didn't find many men attractive - not outside of her books, anyway - but Fiyero's looks had struck her from the moment she'd hit him on the head with a book. His sleepy blue eyes had looked at her and he'd pushed his unruly dark blond hair from them and she'd frozen for a second, forgetting how to breathe. He'd then demonstrated his arrogance and Elphaba snapped out of her trance faster than it took for Galinda to fall for him. Which hadn't been very long at all. Apparently, his 'scandalacious' reputation had reached her ears long before he'd come to Shiz.

"I'm actually glad I caught you, Elphaba." Fiyero said, his voice suddenly very earnest.

Elphaba looked up into his eyes, her heart beating inadvertently, "Yes?"

"You're in my history class, right? We have that essay on Munchkinland due in a few days and I was wondering if you could... you know... do it for me?" Fiyero widened his eyes, giving her a puppy dog look.

"What?" Elphaba was speechless.

"Come on, Elphaba, you're smart right? Can't you just write my paper for me?"

"I most certainly won't." Elphaba's anger was building up again. How the hell did she find this clown attractive?

"Elp-ha-baa." he said, extending her name in an annoying, pleading way, "I was so nice to you last night, can't you do a little thing for me?"

"I didn't ask you to be nice to me last night." Elphaba said, vehemently.

"I thought we were friends!"

"Screw you, Tiggular."

Fiyero's face broke into a half-smirk, "I can't say no to that."

"UGH!" Elphaba turned away just as the blush started creeping into her cheeks.

"Don't be such a squashed cabbage leaf." Fiyero had yelled irritably after her.

So he was just as arrogant and self-absorbed as she had initially thought. Of course he was, why else would he have been so nice to her? When she had contemplated it before sleeping, she had thought that maybe it was because he wanted to make Galinda happy, but the real reason was so much worse. She knew she was overreacting just a little, but last night was the first time she thought she had made friends who actually liked her, and to learn that Fiyero was just being nice to her so she could do his homework for Doctor Dillamond's class made her furious. What did she expect? She sighed to herself as she settled into her favourite library booth. She was just the odd, green bean. No one wanted to be friends with her. As much as she appreciated Galinda, even she hadn't given her a chance when they first met. They'd only become friends once Elphaba had gotten her into Madame Morrible's sorcery seminar. Pulling open her book on the History of Munchkinland, she stared at the words until they coagulated into a blurry mess.

x x x

Elphaba ran off as soon as Doctor Dillamond's class ended. Fiyero had been eyeing her the whole class and had headed towards her as soon as the bell rang, but Elphaba had anticipated it and had sat at the back of the class so that it would be easy for her to dash away as soon as it was over. She was outside her English class when she saw that an exhausted Fiyero was still chasing after her. She ducked into the classroom and shut the door, sticking her tongue out at him from the little square glass in the door. Peering cautiously inside and making sure the teacher wasn't there, Fiyero stalked inside, getting quizzical looks from the few other students who had come early. Elphaba was alarmed as he stood in front of her desk, looking down at her.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"I don't know... maybe it's because you have a giant black hole where your brain should be?" She said, icily, pulling her books out of her bag.

"I don't know what that means." Fiyero said, sitting down on her desk, "But it doesn't sound like a compliment."

"Oh I see, you're only supposed to get compliments, are you?" Elphaba's voice dripped thickly with sarcasm, "All hail Prince Douchebag."

"What did I say to make you so mad at me?" Fiyero sounded genuinely confused, which irritated Elphaba even more.

"Look Fiyero, maybe normal people like being called 'squashed cabbage leaves' but I don't really fancy it."

"Oh come on, I was angry."

"Because I didn't want to do your homework for you. And you told me that you were only being nice to me because you thought I would do it for you."

"Hey!" Fiyero was starting to get angry, "I didn't say anything like that. I just asked you to..."

"Well, I don't care. I'm not doing the essay for you. But hey, if you fail you can always use the air in your empty head to blow up balloons and then sell them at the fair."

"Yeah well, maybe you can join me and rub the balloons on your face to make them turn green."

"That is the lamest comeback I have ever heard."

"Well..."

They were in each other's faces now, their eyes narrowed, their teeth gritted.

"Excuse me?" A smooth voice cut in. Fiyero and Elphaba turned quizzically to look at the boy standing next to them. He was just a little shorter than Fiyero, with straight brown hair that fell into his deep green eyes. He was wearing a dark blue shirt with his sleeves rolled up to display an impressive set of toned biceps, and tight black jeans. Running his fingers through his hair, he stepped in front of Fiyero.

"I request you to please leave the lady alone."

Fiyero scowled at the boy, but got off the desk immediately and stormed out of the classroom. Elphaba smiled at the boy. She knew she could have handled Fiyero herself, but she was thankful for the help. Plus no one had ever called her a 'lady' before.

The boy slid into the empty seat next to her, "That, I presume, was the Winkie Prince?"

"Yeah." Elphaba said, rolling her eyes.

"I've heard he's a brat." The boy shot Elphaba a stunning smile.

"And lucky you! You've witnessed him demonstrating just that." Elphaba opened her copy of Fool on the Hill again.

"You're reading Fool!" The boy said, excitedly, "Have you gotten to the plot twist yet?"

"Yeah." Elphaba said, looking at the boy with a new-found appreciation, "I thought that was so clever!"

"I know, right?" The boy had turned towards her, sitting so that he could face her. She tried to remember who he was, she didn't usually pay much attention to the students at Shiz.

"I'm sorry." She said, a little hesitantly, "I don't know your name."

"Nises." The boy said, grinning, "I came a few days ago. At the same time as our empty-headed prince, actually. But who notices a new nobody when there's a 'roguish prince' to pay attention to, huh?"

He hadn't said a word about her skin at all. Why is he talking to me? Elphaba wondered. I hope he's not about to play some prank on me. I don't think I could deal with any more shit today.

Nises was leaning closer to her now,"I saw you in the library yesterday reading about animals, and I made it my mission to come and talk to you. I've noticed the way people treat animals here and it absolutely disgusts me. Don't you think it's disgraceful?"

Elphaba smiled. Maybe this day wouldn't be so horrid after all.