Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: Second time posting this - the first one didn't post right and I noticed some mistakes I wanted to edit. Anyway this is in response to a challenge I saw and was intrigued by. I'm still working on When It Rains, and have another story in the works, but had an idea for this challenge that I wanted to write. The story can't be more than 10 chapters and this one will probably feel a little rushed. I want to cram as much as I can into 10 chapters (or less, hopefully) and this is pretty much a set up. Boq may be slightly out of character here, but humor me. I think this should be a fun story and I hope you all like it.

"I'll be there waiting all night," Boq said.

"How...kind," Galinda said with a weak smile. She spotted Elphaba over his shoulder and immediately concocted a plan. "But you know what would be even kinder? See that beautifully tragical girl over there? The one with the.." she lowered her voice to a whisper. "the greenish skin." She shook her head sadly. "That's my roommate, Elphaba, and she really is a...sweet girl, but awfully...well...I know she wants to go to the ball but no one's asked her and she has far too much pride to simply go alone. Anyone who asked her would be my hero..." she let her voice trail off and watched Boq's face slowly go pale.

"Miss Elphaba is your...your roommate? I..." Boq started.

"I know it's hard to believe, but she really is a special girl. I just hate the thought of her sitting in our room all alone while everyone else is having fun. It would mean the world to me," Galinda sighed.

"Well...if it'd mean that much to you...I suppose I could ask her," he offered.

"Really? You'd do that for me?" Galinda asked.

"I'd do anything for you, Miss Galinda," he said bravely. He turned and marched up to Elphaba, determination in his eyes.

"I can't believe that worked!" Galinda exclaimed to herself.

"A little tricky, wasn't it?" she heard Fiyero ask. She turned and smiled at him.

"Maybe, but you can't argue with results," she smirked. He chuckled.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elphaba sat reading a book when she heard Boq approach her. "Miss Elphaba?"

She looked up at him. "May I help you, Master Boq?" she asked sarcastically.

"Well...everyone's going to the Ozdust ballroom tonight and well I...I was wondering if you would like to go with me," he said in a rush.

"You want to go to the ballroom with me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure!" he said quickly. Too quickly. Her eyes narrowed.

"And I'm supposed to believe, that after virtually ignoring me for this school year so far, that you want to go out with me?"

"I...I was too shy to ask. You're so smart and um...pretty," he finished, lamely.

"That was sincere," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Please...will you at least think about it?" he begged. She sighed. This was bordering pathetic.

"Fine, I'll think about it, but don't get your hopes up." she said. She picked up her book again and resumed reading. Sensing that he was dismissed, Boq sighed and went off to his next class.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About an hour or so later, Elphaba was heading back to her room when she heard the sound of excited voices chattering away in her room. She recognized the sounds of Galinda and her friends Pfannee and ShenShen.

"So you actually convinced him to ask her out?" ShenShen was saying.

"That boy practically worships the ground I walk on! You should've seen him – 'I'd do anything for you, Miss Galinda'," Galinda said with a laugh. "Biq seems like a nice enough guy and all but really...why would I want to go out with him when there's a hunkalicious prince like Fiyero wandering around?" Elphaba inched closer to the door so she could hear better.

"You are evil, Galinda," Pfannee giggled. "Did the artichoke say yes?"

"I guess we'll find out, but I'm assuming she will. After all, how many date offers could she possibly get?" Galinda said.

"And what about Biq? Does he suspect anything?" ShenShen asked.

"Oh please, he was too busy trying not to drool over me," Galinda laughed.

'So that's why he asked me to the Ozdust ballroom,' Elphaba thought. The whole thing had seemed very odd to her and she had spent the last hour wondering who had put him up to ask or why he'd possibly want to go with her. And now she knew. He asked her to make Galinda like him. 'That little twerp."

"So he thinks that by doing this he actually has a shot with you?" Pfannee said with a snort.

"Poor boy...like he'd ever get a shot with the most popular girl in school," was Galinda's reply. Elphaba felt herself softening towards Boq a little bit.

'It's still pretty low of him just to ask me out to possibly get a date with Galinda, but...he needs to know the truth.' Elphaba thought and then turned around to hunt down the munchkin boy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Boq was leaving the library, intending to find Miss Elphaba and find out what she had decided when he hear Fiyero talking to some of the other guys in their dorm. Usually he didn't care what the other guys had to say and went on his way, stopping when he heard his name mentioned.

"So Galinda manages to get that little Boq guy to ask out her roommate so he won't bug her at the dance," Fiyero was saying. "But he thinks he's doing her some huge favor and has him convinced that he'll be her hero for doing this. What the poor guy doesn't know is that while he's stuck with Galinda's roommate, Galinda will be all mine and he doesn't stand a chance with her."

'Galinda was just using me? To make me think that maybe...how could I have been so stupid? Of course she wouldn't want me with someone like him around. She used me and I just fell right into her trap. And what's worse is that I pulled Elphaba into this whole mess. I was just using her to get close to Galinda.' Boq let out a sigh. Now he really had to find Elphaba – she deserved to know the truth.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elphaba entered the main courtyard where Boq had asked her to the Ozdust ballroom at the same time he did.

"I have to talk to you," they both said at the same time.

"You can go first, Miss Elphaba," Boq said with a weak smile

"Boq, I know why you asked me to the ballroom tonight."

"You do?" he asked, surprised.

"I overheard Galinda and her friends talking about it. You were set up Boq," she started.

"I know. I just overheard Fiyero talking about it with his friends. He was going on about how Miss Galinda just wanted me out of her way at the dance," Boq chimed in.

"And so you asked me to go just to get in good graces with my roommate," Elphaba said with a sneer.

"I know I'm not much better than her and I'm sorry that I used you. It...it wasn't very kind of me," Boq said. Elphaba studied him. This was unexpected. She had expected him to deny it, but to admit it and apologize for it? He seemed sincere enough and she sighed.

"I appreciate the apology," she said. Just then she was struck by an idea. "Hey Boq...I'm not sure that Galinda should be able to get away with all this thinking she won."

"What are you saying?" he asked, intrigued.

"I'm saying that I think we need to teach Miss Galinda a lesson," she grinned.

"I don't know..." he started.

"Boq, aren't you tired of people treating you like a freak just because you like school? Aren't you tired of all the snide comments behind your back?" she asked.

"Well..."

"You and me aren't so different, Boq. Not really. I think it's time we show them a thing or two. Why don't we show them what happens when you mess with people like us?" she held out a hand. "What do you say?"

Boq thought it over and slowly grinned. "Let's do it." He stuck his hand in hers and they shook on it. They sat down and began detailing their plan. And so it was that a new alliance had been formed at Shiz University. "Miss Elphaba..." Boq started. "I think this is going to be fun."

"I completely agree with you, Master Boq," she grinned. "Let the games begin."