A/N: Yes I know I have been absent from FF for a long time...blame my college...I've just had a lot of stuff on my plate. With that in mind I decided to do a quick one-shot since I had a little bit of free time. It isn't like my other writings. I was experimenting with first person...it turned out okay...but here it is anyhow. Thanks for being patient with me. I will try to update if I ever have time...I am just so busy right now.
The Notebook (Knockoff title I know)
She walks into the room almost seamlessly. The second I see her my pencil falls to the ground. No one notices of course because they are too focused on staring at her unholy skin. The skin that I yearn after every night she sleeps beside me. What makes her skin so unholy? It could be the fact that it's green. Or it could be the fact that it has no blemishes. To me, it is perfection. I am the only one to think so.
My pulse quickens and I hold my breath as her lithe figure makes its way to the back of the room. Oh how I wish she would sit with me just once, but no. She is off limits. She is social suicide. To be seen with her would ruin my reputation, one I have tried so hard to uphold. I, Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands, must keep my distance.
These feelings are unnatural I continue to tell myself. They go against the unnamed God and Ozma herself. If anyone were to find out I harbored such emotions, I would be disowned. I would be nothing better than the woman I lust after myself. No one can ever find out…especially not Elphaba.
Elphaba. The name alone sends shivers down my spine. Such perfection in those four consonants, three vowels, and three syllables. My name also has four consonants, three vowels, and three syllables…maybe its fate. I smile dimly at the thought before my mind takes back over. It is not what makes up a name that matters, I remind myself. It is what is in a name. And all the stars say that nothing is in Elphaba's name. There is no trust fund waiting for her. There is no social standing for her. There is nothing. I on the other hand have everything to my name. I am privileged…she is not.
But I must ask myself. Am I really privileged at all? Being born into a family of wealth has always meant that I have had eyes upon me. I have people looking up to me, and standards to live up to. I am not allowed to stray from the path that my parents have set for me. Does that sound like privilege?
I realize I have stopped breathing as my lungs begin to ache. I gasp a quick breath of fresh air before adverting my eyes from her emerald skin. She always manages to take my breath away. One of these days I might just forget to breath all together. It would be fine with me though. I would die looking at the most gorgeous woman in all of Oz.
Out of the depths of my mind I hear the professor mindlessly lecture on. I cannot focus on what he says for I am too focused on Elphaba. Most people at Oz think I am not the most intelligent. As a matter of fact in high school I had pretty good test scores. It wasn't until I came to college that my grades slipped. I can't help it that the only thing on my mind now a day's seems to be the luminescent green skin of my roommate.
I smile slightly as I think about such a controversy that caused at the beginning. When Madame Morrible assigned us to room together I was furious. I was not about to share a room with her, the green skinned freak. It wasn't until we actually began to room together that I began to like her. She still doesn't know of course. I pretend to hate her because I know in the end I'll just get hurt…so why not protect myself from her while I can?
I sigh as I think about what it would be like if she were normal colored. Maybe my parents wouldn't even care that I fell in love with a female. I frown when I realize no one I choose will ever be good enough for them. I am their baby girl. The only man that they will ever allow me to marry will be hand selected by them. I can kiss romance goodbye right now.
The thought brings me to tears. I don't know what has come over me but I know that I have to stop thinking about this right now. I can already see my friends giving me strange looks.
I pull myself together just long enough to make it through the end of class. As soon at the professor calls time I go to exit quickly. I try to avoid looking in Elphaba's direction as much as humanly possible. It doesn't quite work the way I had hoped. I lift my head from the ground to see her gathering her books and placing them in her bag. I smile a ghost of a smile as I continue to walk, only slower this time.
As I am about to pass the threshold into the hallway I hear the voice of giggling girls and the noise of books falling. I look back to see my so-called friends dump the content of Elphaba's bag onto the floor. The green face of my roommate is in pain and I can tell she is trying to hold back tears. Elphaba may put on a tough attitude but I know how sensitive she really is. I know that once the girls leave she is going to let go of those tears and curse her fate.
Anger takes over me as the girls giggle louder. I can't take it anymore. The face of the woman I love is hurting me too much. It fuels my actions.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I yell towards the group as I make a reverse 180 and walk back into the classroom. Everyone looks astonished at my sudden interruption, even Elphaba.
"What do you mean what are we doing? We're having a little bit of fun. Lighten up." One of the girls responds as she kicks one of Elphaba's books across the classroom.
"Stop that!" I yell as I make my way over to them. Elphaba is speechless at my words.
"What's gotten into you Upland?" The girl who kicked the book asked.
"Nothing. That's just not a very nice thing to do." I cross my hands together over my chest as I step in front of Elphaba. I provide a wall between her and the other girls.
The girls laugh.
"And what are you going to do about it if we don't stop?" One of the girls mocked.
They catch me kind of off guard. What would I do? I don't know. I don't even know why I was suddenly in front of Elphaba protecting her from these girls. Something in me had snapped. I wasn't going to take any more cruelty towards her.
"This." I reply with a smirk as I reach forward and slap one of the girls' books out of her hands. They fall to the floor with a loud thud. I can hear Elphaba breathing heavily behind me. The knowledge of which is enough to keep me going.
"You are really asking for it now Upland. Step away and we'll forget all about that." The girls warn.
"No!" I stand my ground. "Not until you stop picking on Elphaba." I can't believe what I just said.
The girl narrows her eyes at me before a resolve comes over her face. I can see that she doesn't want a fight today.
"Whatever freak." She looks at me when she says this. "Lets go." She orders the others to grab their bags as they exit out of the room. Once I make sure they are gone I turn back around and see Elphaba standing there, mouth agape.
I suddenly grow more nervous than I was when confronted with those four girls. There is something about her that heightens all my nerves and makes me stumble over words.
"A…are you okay?" I manage to squeak out as I try not to make direct eye contact. Too late.
"Why did you do that?" She asks me a question instead of answering mine. I can feel the sweat begin to pool at my forehead. I nervously reach up and rub the back of my neck.
"They were being mean to you." I shrug, trying to come off as nonchalant. It doesn't quite work.
Elphaba still looks confused but doesn't say anything more. She bends down to pick up her books as I go across the room for the one that was kicked out of the way.
I feel uncomfortable with the silence but what else can I do? I have nothing to talk about with her. Thankfully she feels it too and breaks the silence.
"Thanks." I hear her struggle to get out as I bend down to pick up the discarded text. As I go to grab it I see that it has opened up to a rather colorful page. My eyes scan the page quickly before noticing something odd. It is not colorful because of diagrams. It is colorful because of multiple markings with a pen. The writing inside of the book is Elphaba's. I squint my eyes trying to make out what the compact cursive says.
"Your welco…" I begin to say but my speech fades out as I am finally able to make out one of the symbols with text surrounding it. On the paper in front of me is a heart with 'Elphaba & Galinda' scribbled inside of it. I drop the text just as quickly as I had picked it up.
Elphaba hears the book drop and turns to see my shocked facial reaction. She then notices that the book is open to a certain page. Her emerald skin changes to more of a sea green color. I look up to see her eyes boring down on me.
We remain speechless for a little while before Elphaba gains the strength to walk over and pick the book up from the ground.
"Thanks again for helping me." She pretends to ignore what she knew I saw. I wasn't going to let her go that easily.
"Is that true?" I bite my bottom lip in anticipation of her reaction. I can see her processing what she should say.
"No." She lies to me. "I don't know what you are talking about." I can see her strain against telling me the lie. She turns to leave the classroom.
"Bullshit." I call out. She stops.
"What did you say to me?" She looks shocked at my use of vulgar language.
"You are full of bullshit Elphaba Thropp." I close the distance between us both. "I saw what was really in that book."
Elphaba is caught in her lie. I can see her hang her head low as she tries to mentally escape the current situation.
"Tell me the truth. Did you really write that?" My eyes plead with hers for an answer. I need to know.
"Yes." She whispers, barely above a whisper.
A smile appears on my lips as I pull out my own notebook that I had packed away earlier. I hand it to her outstretched hands and tell her to open it to page 46. She gives me an odd look before doing as I tell her. Her eyes scan the page, scrutinizing every little syllable written on there. When she gets to the part I had meant for her to read I see her eyes get wide as her hands begin to tremble. The notebook soon drops to the floor.
"I mean it too." I smile as my eyes gaze down to the open notebook. I see my scribbled rushed handwriting with a bunch of doodles on the sides of the paper. One in particular.
It was a heart with the words 'Galinda loves Elphaba' in it.