"Hey Lizard Girl, wanna go for a swim?"

"Yeah, Greenie, let's go swimming. Little Frogs like you like water." Then a terrified yelp was heard.

That was enough, for nine-year-old Boq. He shot across the schoolyard to where three older boys surrounded a tiny, green girl. One had lifted her about a foot off of the ground. She kicked, but it didn't do her any good.

"Let her go!" Boq said, much more confidently than he felt.

One of the boys laughed. "Why?"

"I'll.. I'll tell Mrs. Alsnipp you were the ones who let the ducks into the schoolhouse!" Boq quickly decided. The three bullied looked at each other, and dropped the green eight-year-old.

He offered her a hand to help her up off of the hard ground. She took it, hesitantly. "Why did you save me?"

He blinked. "Well, you were scared. I wanted to help you. I don't see why you're surprised. You never bothered anyone, why should anyone bother you?"

She looked down. "I would've died if they had dropped me in the pond. I'm allergic to water. Once, when I was five, my sister locked me outside in the rain, and it burned me. Papa says it's the Unnamed God's way of punishing me, but I don't know what I need to be punished for. When Papa punishes me, he just sends me to bed without supper."

His eyes were wide. Water hurt her? And everyone else almost let it happen? He didn't understand. "Well, it's good I was here," he said.

"Yeah."

The two of them walked over to the far end of the schoolyard, as far from the pond as they could get. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No," She kicked her shoe into the dirt, not sure what to say, She never had spent much time with other people. "I don't even know your name," she said after a long, awkward pause.

"I'm Boq. My dad is mayor of Nest Hardings."

"Elphaba Thropp."

Boq's eyes widened. The name 'Thropp' had jogged his memory. "Oh! You're the Eminent Thropp's great-granddaughter!"

She nodded. "Yeah. Mama told me I'm going to be Eminent Thropp. I don't know if I want to be."

"Then don't be," he said. To children, the future could be that easily changed. "What do you want to be?"

She shrugged. "Maybe... a teacher..."

"Then be a teacher." He smiled awkwardly.

"I want to be a farmer. My uncle has a really big farm, with horses and cows. I like cows!" he said, which made her laugh.

"Does he have horses?"

"Not really, but he has a Horse who works for him."

"I like horses," she said.

"When I'm a farmer, I'll make sure to have horses, and you can ride one whenever you want."

"We'll still be friends when you're a farmer?"

"We'll always be friends, Elphie." With those five simple words, he made a promise that would continue affecting them forever.

The teacher called them all in from recess then. Elphaba and Boq crossed paths with the bullies, and she tried to shrink away. He grabbed her hand, and led her back to the school.

Elphaba had never had a friend before.