A/N: This is mostly a bookverse Gelphie fic. I love these two and just had to. Enjoy. :)
It just wasn't fair she, Galinda, of the Upper Uplands, hadn't intended on rooming with anyone let alone that green freak!
"Madame Morrible you can't put me with her-"
"Of course I can. Now please I am a very busy woman. " Madam Morrible quickly walked away leaving behind the two stunned girls.
"I'm not any happier about this than you are." Elphaba growled.
"I find that hard to believe considering I'm the one giving up my private suite for you."
"Oh please,"Elphaba drawled. "That's hardly a sacrifice. You're just upset you didn't get your way."
"I deserved that suite! You probably got carted in with the produce!"
The fire that had been growing in Elphaba's eyes burned even brighter.
"Look I don't like you and you don't like me. That's fine I'm used to it. I'm here to learn not make friends so I won't bother you if you don't bother me got it?"
"Good." she huffed crossing her arms
Elphaba pursed her lips and grabbed her suitcase leaving her behind in the now empty hall.
Ugh! She was so infuriating and that dress what an ugly outfit!
With another huff she spun on her heels in search of better company.
"I can't believe that Madame Morrible took away your private suite!"
"I know me too! "
She found a group of girls willing to listen to her story. They were mostly rich upper class like herself. Shenshen, Pfanee and Milla. Her mood was slightly lifted in their presence. They seemed like the type of people she might find friends in.
"I just love your dress!" Milla said and she felt giddy at the compliment.
"Thank you!" She looked at her fellow students attire. A beautiful white though not as frilly sundress. It was in her nature to return a compliment but there was quite a bit of commotion coming from the other end of the room.
"She's green!" somebody shouted.
"What's wrong with her?"
Elphaba stormed past them all bitterly until their staring and talk proved to be too tiresome for her.
"What? What are you all looking at? Oh—do I have something in my teeth? Alright, fine—we might as well get this over with: No, I'm not seasick; yes, I've always been green; no, I didn't eat grass as a child…"
Several students jumped back a little as she neared them and Elphaba threw up her hands in exasperation. "Fine!"
She continued moving through the crowd and when Elphaba's eyes landed on her the brunette stiffened defensively. She sneered in response she just loathed her.
"I see the cabbage has left the patch." she said lifting her chin up slightly getting a good laugh out of the others.
"Oh how charming " Elphaba replied flatly. "By the way I took the liberty of moving all of your things off my side of the room." With that Elphaba continued on her way quickly moving past the crowd. She didn't even get a chance to reply!. It was such a good comeback too!
"That's your roommate?"
"Yes…"
"She disgusting!"
"I know."
"I don't know how you're going to put up with her. I couldn't."
Elphaba was still in hearing range to their conversation and even though she wanted to continue saying mean things about her roommate even she wasn't that harsh.
"I'll have my side of the room and she hers."
"Yeah but it's the fact that you have to sleep in the same room as it. Aren't you afraid you'll catch the green?"
"I'm not sure it works that way...You'll have to Excuse me everyone but I have to go unpack."
They nodded and bid her farewell.
She didn't expect her things to be in order. Elphaba had made it sound like she tossed her things but her suitcases were stacked neatly on top of each other. It had to take great patience and consideration on her part after all the things she said to her….Perhaps she wasn't so bad after all.
It was well over an hour of unpacking and lining up her shoes just right when Elphaba made her appearance. She held that same defensive stance as earlier when she shut the door behind her but she never said a word.
Elphaba took several long strides across the room and opened her dresser. The green girl sorted through her clothing, with an odd sort of grace. Meticulous yet rushed and when she decided to speak out she did so flatly .
"Do you plan on staring at me all night?"
She recoiled briefly. Elphaba hadn't even turned her head in her direction. She was still looking for an article of clothing in her drawer.
"Of course not I was just trying to figure out why a talking artichoke would need to sleep!"
Elphaba was unflappable. Not a scoff, a roll of her eyes or shake of the head it was like she had never even spoken a word to her.
She pouted and reflected on why her lack of a reaction bothered her so.
When Elphaba located the piece of clothing she was looking for and went into the bathroom she felt unexplainably perturbed.
She pulled out her own nightgown and waited for her to finish. It was getting late and the thought of having bags under her eyes from a lack of sleep made her antsy.
"Oh do hurry up!" she yelled outside the door "I need my beauty sleep." She couldn't have been in there for more than a minute or two. She was certain but Elphaba soon strolled on out.
"Oh yes. You need quite a few centuries from my calculations."
She snapped her head towards the brunette as she walked by her. Did she really just say that?! Elphaba calmly went over to her bed and got beneath her covers.
"Times wasting." Elphaba reminded her and she rushed into the bathroom.
They rarely saw each other other than when they turned in for bed. There was one class they shared together but they sat on opposite sides of the room and pretended the other didn't exist. Weeks passed, and then came the day Galinda would call the start of friendship. She just didn't realize it at the time.
Elphaba was jackknifed up against the headboard on her bed, reading, perusal, wrapping a strand of hair around her finger that never took any other bend to it. It was always straight even if she curled it there for hours on end. She liked Elphaba's hair if anything. It had a beautiful sheen to it like oak leaves after a rainstorm.
She had dropped down onto her own bed, spread eagle, exhausted and frustrated with everything. Social ladders, boys, school work….
"Ughh. The people at this school are so incredibly thickheaded!"
She covered her face with a pillow and after a short moment heard a reply.
"I couldn't agree with you more. Though, thickheaded is being conservative."
She removed the pillow from her face and turned towards Elphaba. The brunette was still reading, eyes scanning slowly over the large tome in her lap
It looked musty and she scrunched her nose in distaste.
"At least you don't have to do anything with them."
At this, Elphaba marked her place in her book and calmly set it aside. Elphaba never stopped reading. She felt a little wave of panic when she realized there would be nothing in between them. It was easier being around Elphaba when those intense brown eyes weren't locked on to her.
"You don't have to do anything ."
"Of course I do I have a reputation to uphold."
"Is a good reputation worth self deprivation?"
"Well-I..I don't know." she was sputtering embarrassingly.
"I don't think it is."
"Well you wouldn't know. You're not me. You don't have to put up with Shenshen and Pfanee!"
"Oh right because I've never been forced to join in on your after school activities. I've been spared their unbearable presence….."
Elphaba was keen to sarcasm and for some reason it made her like the girl more. Even if she wasn't sympathizing with her.
"Miss Elphaba I don't think you'll ever understand. "
"Nor I you." she challenged.
"Pfanee and Shenshen have wealth and a good social standing like myself. If I don't keep them as friends I'm bound to be seen as less desirable by everyone!"
"Do you hear yourself? You sound as thickheaded as they are right now. You don't need anyone to make yourself more desirable. If you ask me nobody should. It shouldn't work that way ."
"Well it does and I hate it." She grabbed the pillow and buried her face once more.
"Why should it matter if you have a good reputation?"
"Because that's all I have!"
Silence fell over the room. She hadn't meant to shout that but it was true. All she had was her damn popularity. There was always someone smarter and more capable than her. So she was raised to be a socialite.
She had never questioned it until Elphaba came along. She was so different and so uncaring of her social standing she was almost envious. To be that carefree….
"I'm sorry you feel that way."
She stayed buried beneath her pillow and they didn't exchanged any other words for the rest of the night.
Since that day she found herself tolerating the green girl more. She would complain to Elphaba about Pfanee and Shenshen more and more and the girl always listened.
Even if her replies were short or sarcastic they helped. It was nice talking to someone that wouldn't go blabbing to somebody else or hold it against you.
Her barbs about Elphaba's looks became less often and on more than one occasion they were even cordial with each other. It seemed her initial loathing for Elphaba wore off. They were sort of even becoming friends she'd say. However that was more than she could say for her classmates. The insults were showing up faster than ever.
"Hey Oz's traveling circus is looking for new acts you could be their next starring as the human vegetable."
Laughter broke out in the classroom but Elphaba sat unmoving.
"The Green Obscene!"
More cackling.
"Or what about the ugly artichoke? "
She knew Elphaba was strong but this was rough. Where was their professor? They were sure to go on and on.
"Hey now that's pretty offensive." somebody said and eyes shot towards the Munchkin boy. "for artichokes!" he added and Elphaba's expression twisted.
She wanted to stand up for her wanted to tell them all to just let her be but not once in her life had she ever gone against the crowd. She just wasn't capable of it. Thankfully the professor came in before it could get any worse for Elphaba . The rest of the class she watched Elphaba in silent sympathy and suddenly, like the wind had just forced open a heavy door, she realized she cared for Elphaba. Perhaps more than any of her catty friends.
At the end of the day they both took to their own sides of the room. Elphaba never spoke to her unless she initiated the conversation. And when she did her responses were short and clipped. Tonight started no different.
"Miss Elphaba are you going to take a shower or can I?"
"No. Go ahead."
She thought it was odd she never showered but figured she must've at some point. Maybe when she wasn't around. She didn't smell bad and her hair was always so shiny.
After her shower Elphaba eyed her with a look in her eyes that made her concerned for her roommate. Elphaba was looking at her like she was going to hurt her.
"Elphie-May I call you Elphie?"
"Yes."
"Are you feeling well?"
"I feel fine."
She sat on her bed, curious as to her roommate's sudden alertness.
"Are you going to get ready for bed as well?"
"No I have to finish studying."
"Ok just try not to keep that light on for too much longer. It's bound to keep me up."
Elphaba nodded and she turned away wrapping herself in her blankets. Elphaba was very peculiar and it wasn't the lights keeping her up but her thoughts. She turned in her bed towards Elphaba.
"Why are you green?"she asked softly. Far softer than she would have ever expected from herself.
She didn't get a response right away and wondered if perhaps she really hadn't heard her.
"I was born this way. We all can't be graced with beauty."
"Oh…"
More silence followed and she was grateful for the darkness on her side as tears inexplicably filled her eyes. She thought of all the horrible names she and her classmates called her throughout the semester.
"You're not ugly."
"That's just your delusion speaking…"
Elphaba rolled her eyes
"No," she said sincerely. "Your outfit yes but I don't think you're ugly."
Elphaba turned back towards her and studied the expression on her face.
"Thank you but for most people I'm...disgusting ."
She winced. So she really had heard them that day after all.
"Elphaba-"
"Just go to sleep." she said angrily turning back to her book. She turned her back to Elphaba and tried to fall asleep but the terrible feeling in her chest refused to let her do so easily.
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