Part one of a series of snapshots into the lives of Galinda, Elphaba and Glinda. This is musicalverse, set shortly after the 'Popular' scene. Unbeta'd.
i. more to life.
She has never known anyone quite like Elphaba. Elphaba is dark and brooding; quiet, with an intriguing air of mystery about her. Galinda can't help but wonder about her green-skinned roommate, the girl who speaks in cryptic sentences, who doesn't attend parties or socialise with other students. There's something about the way Elphaba's hair shines in the midnight moonlight that beams through the crack between the thin curtains as Galinda returns from a party; the way it cascades over her shoulder as she leans over a book, a curtain shutting her off from the world.
Galinda can't help but admire Elphaba's determined concentration as she reads in the courtyard, wrapped in a shawl under the tree, taking deep, calming breaths as fellow students point and laugh.
One stormy afternoon, just as Galinda is about to leave and head down the hall to Shen-Shen's room, she pauses at the foot of Elphaba's bed and utters her roommate's name. Elphaba glanced up wearily.
"Can I help you with something, Miss Galinda?"
Galinda mentally kicked herself. Why did you speak out loud? Out of her control, more words spilled from her mouth.
"How do you do it?"
Elphaba placed a small sheet of card between the pages of her book and set it down on her bed. "How do I do what?"
"How do you just… not care? How do you go about your business knowing that people are staring and laughing at you, making cruel jokes, spreading rumours?"
"Miss Galinda," Elphaba began wisely. "If I spent my days worrying about what others thought of me, I would be so petrified that no work would be done."
"Don't the cruel jokes bother you?"
"Sometimes," Elphaba confided. "But there is more to life than skin."
"First impressions—"
"Are important, yes, but there is more to life."
Galinda frowned, contemplating what she supposed had become Elphaba's mantra: there is more to life. She pulled herself to her feet and returned to her own bed, pulling an old book from the depths of her cupboard. Smoothing down the worn dust jacket, she opened the book, stretched out on her bed and began to read slowly.
"Weren't you on your way to Miss Shen-Shen's room?" Elphaba spoke up timidly. She had shocked herself by admitting that the jokes bothered her occasionally.
"There is more to life, Miss Elphaba." Galinda answered sincerely. For once, Elphaba had no response for her roommate. Her lips curled in a slight smile and she returned to her own reading.