Summary: You know the scene. Train arrival to Shiz, the weird misfit, the fabulously popular girl. Worlds collide in an rooming mishap. but this time, the tables are turned. Elphaba is getting the attention Glinda craves. Will anything work out?
Galinda Upland stood alone on the train platform watching girls and boys socialize. To her right, on a hill, stood Shiz University, tall and ominous. But Glinda was more interested in the large crowd of students talking and laughing. Galinda decided they would probably the popular kids who would rule the freshman class, get invited to every party, be loved, worshipped and feared by everyone, you know the drill.
At the center of the group, 2 girls were laughing hysterically with a handsome dark-haired boy. The taller of the two put her hand on the boy's shoulder and doubled over in giggles. Her long sheet of perfect jet-black hair slid over her dark almond shaped eyes. The other girl, African-American, wore her dark hair relaxed and in an angled Rihanna-esque cut with perfect highlights.
Galinda fingered her own hair. She had always longed for dark hair. Her real hair was blonde and bouncy. So common. So mainstream. So boring. So over.
A train pulled into the station. Now there's a girl with dark hair. Galinda admired a girl in a plain black dress carrying a tattered suitcase, whose own loose black locks cascaded over her bowed head, hiding her face from view.
A baggage guy rolled his cart near the girl, through a puddle of leftover rain water, spraying her with it. She started, her head snapping up. Galinda gasped loudly.
Her face was green.
"What?" the Asian girl—ShenShen?—had heard her gasp.
"Oh! I…" Galinda blinked rapidly and continued to stare at the girl. ShenShen followed her gaze and gasped too.
"Ohmigod!" ShenShen walked over to the girl. "What's your name?"
"Elphaba." The girl said softly.
"Elphaba. Love that." ShenShen grabbed Elphaba's hand and inspected it. That is incredible. That is sooooo cool!"
What's so cool? Is she talking about—oh my Oz. Green skin is now cool.
"It's like," ShenShen continued, "everyone around here is the same. It's just so boring! And so yesterday." She glanced at Galinda. "Especially those blondes. So ordinary. But your skin—I just totally love it! It's sooo different. I love it!" she repeated.
"Thanks," Elphaba murmured.
"Do you want to come hang with us?" Pfanee—the African American girl—grabbed Elphaba's wrist and pulled her into their elite circle. "Cool dress, btw. Love the simple look. It's so gonna be big."
Galinda looked down at her own dress. It was very embellished, and very pink. It was her favorite color. She wore it almost like an old, comfortable, favorite pair of jeans or a sentimental sweater. It boosted her self confidence, security, and reassurance. She'd have to find some new simple dresses if she wanted to be "in."
Galinda watched as ShenShen talked to Elphaba, who seemed shy and monosyllabic. Talk to me, I have much more to say, my skin is a normal color, I'm very interesting and I have great taste!
Elphaba started to speak about something, the first thing she seemed genuinely interested in. Galinda caught phrases like "Animal rights," "animals and Animals are not to be treated the same way," and "my feeling about the true meanings of evil." Boringgggg! ShenShen was blinking her long dark lashes over confused eyes.
Galinda tugged out one of her own painted lashes and held it on her finger for a moment.
"Make a wish," she told herself softly.
Galinda blew the tiny black eyelash into the breeze and watched it fly away. She wished that she could become instantly popular like Elphaba.
"All girls I have not assigned to a room, please step forward." Madame Morrible shuffled papers on her clipboard.
Galinda took a few steps forward so Morrible could see her. Elphaba tugged her frayed suitcase to the front of the crowd. A third girl in a wheelchair moved forward too.
"Ah. Miss…" Morrible peered over her jeweled spectacles at Glinda.
"Upland."
"Of course." Their headmistress flipped some pages and skimmed her eyes down a list. "Galinda."
Galinda nodded.
"And," Morrible turned her gaze to Elphaba.
"Elphaba Thropp."
"Oh, she can room with us!" ShenShen waved her hand in the air and stepped forward next to Elphaba. "Right, Pfanee?"
"Definitely. And…Galinda, did you say?...can room with her." Pfanee pointed to the wheelchair girl. "Please, ma'am?"
"No, girls, I'm afraid the answer is definitely not. You see, NessaRose's father—" she gestured to wheelchair girl "—wrote me to say that NessaRose needs extra care while she's here at Shiz. She will be sharing my suite. Her sister, Elphaba, you will room with Galinda."
"No…Elphaba, I'm so sorry! It totally sucks you have to room with her." ShenShen patted Elphaba's back sympathetically.
"No…it's okay, I mean…" Elphaba shrugged off the hand.
"It's sweet you're trying to be all nice and everything. But we know you'd rather be here." Pfanee made a sad face. "You can visit anytime." If only they said that to me.
"Your attention, please!" Morrible clapped her hands. "Every one needs to go to her room. You will have one hour to meet your roommates and get oriented in your dorm."
Galinda trudged over to her building and found her room. Elphaba was already inside.
"Hi." Galinda tugged the door shut.
Elphaba glanced up from her book. "Hi."
Galinda stood there awkwardly. She realized Elphaba was not going to say anything else; she was too engrossed in her book. The blonde dragged her four pink suitcases over to the vacant bed and heaved them onto it.
Galinda opened the largest suitcase and began piling shirts and underwear into a dresser drawer.
"Um, Elphaba?" Galinda began. Her roommate lifted her head. "Would it be okay if I get the big closet?" she glanced at Elphaba's tiny unpacked suitcase. "I just thought, you know, I probably have a few more things that should be hung up and not put in a drawer…"
"Sure. Go ahead." Elphaba gestured toward the empty closet. She went back to her book.
I am going to have a hard time with her, Glinda thought. I haven't even touched a book that big. Let alone read it.
"So. What are you reading?"
Elphaba's eyes lit up. Bad sign.
"Oh, this is a novel about an Animal who fights the authorities for Animal rights. Did you know that some Animals are actually slaughtered and eaten? I think that's absolutely horrendous behavior. The book really shows how it—"
"So, um, are there any pictures? Or dialogue?" Galinda tried to remain on-subject.
Elphaba looked taken-aback. "Well, no. But there is some absolutely incredible insight and thought about the nature of evil and how it is applied in real-life situations. I find it—"
Galinda cut her off again. "Wanna grab a soda?"
"Um, no thank you. I don't enjoy that kind of thing usually."
Galinda felt hurt. She had wanted to be seen out and about with the new it-girl. Was intelligence the new in thing? Because if it was, this girl won the prize.
"Okay. That's cool too." Galinda was determined to keep trying. "Wanna hang tomorrow?"
"Well, I guess so." Elphaba shrugged, obviously just trying to shut Glinda up so she could go back to reading about the true nature of evil or whatever.
"Awesome!" squealed Galinda. Mission accomplished, she started to pull dresses and jackets out of her suitcase and put them on hangers. But she was just not one with silence.
"Can I see your clothes? I hear simple is the new look." Galinda advanced towards the patched bag.
Elphaba shrugged again.
"Is that a yes?" Galinda probed.
Not looking up from her book, Elphaba nodded. "Um, sure?"
Galinda dove onto the floor and unzipped the suitcase. Inside, simplisticly chic, lay…
She was very disappointed.
And her head hurt looking at all those books.
Digging through 2/3 of a suitcase worth of novels, Galinda came to the "clothes" part.
On the floor lay 18 thick books. In the suitcase lay a few wrinkled black garments.
Glinda took each piece out one by one. She compiled a mental list of her roommate's wardrobe.
Plain black dress she's wearing.
Plain black shoes she's wearing.
Frayed black shawl.
Another plain black dress, this one sleeveless.
Black sweatpants.
A black tee shirt.
A couple pairs of brief underwear. (Guess what color)
"Elphie! Can I call you that? Is this all you brought?" Galinda exclaimed.
"I don't really like that name. It's very perky. And yes, this is all I brought."
"Well, why is it all black? Are you in mourning? And where is all the pink?"
"My mother died in childbirth with my sister." Elphaba smiled ruefully. "She made this dress when I was a baby." Elphaba rubbed the worn fabric fondly. "I don't care for pink."
"Sorry about your mother. If you don't like pink, you could at least bring some colors. All this black is just so depressing." Galinda pouted.
Elphaba put down her book. "Can you think of a color that would go with me?"
"You don't like your coloring?"
"Of course not! Who would want to have green skin? Besides those girls?"
"Um…"
"You see? I don't see why they like it. I would rather have normal skin and just be left alone."
"It's funny…" Galinda began, then stopped. "Never mind." She was about to say it was funny how Elphaba a whole lot of unwanted attention, and Galinda got absolutely no attention even though she so wanted it. It was actually kind of sad. That cruel unnamed god!
"So, how about pink?"
"What? Oh." Elphaba remembered what they had been talking about a moment ago and set down her book again. "I already told you, I don't care for it. Anyway, green and pink look too bright and happy and springy and…just no."
"Purple?"
"An almost-black would be okay. Anything else is too bright. I'd say lime green is bright enough, thank you."
Galinda sighed. "Blue? Orange? Red?"
"Navy, maybe, anything else, no. Orange, are you kidding? And do you want me to look like I'm a Lurline's tree?
"Well, no…We are going to go shopping together this weekend, Elphie! You can get some nice complementary colors, and some makeup, and a ball dress for the party next week! And I can get some new dresses, and—"
She was cut short by a knock on the door. ShenShen, wearing velvet sweatpants and a lace tank; and Pfanee, wearing a tight pajama tee and drawstring short-shorts, entered.
"Not in your pajamas yet? Well, did you want to hang out this evening? And tomorrow? You look so smart with that book." ShenShen batted the book out of Elphaba's hands. "So?"
"Not tonight. I should get to sleep. And I have something to do tomorrow." Elphaba winked at Galinda.
"Whatever. See you tomorrow morning!" ShenShen blew a kiss and closed the door on the two total opposites.