AN: Not all chapters will follow as quickly as this one…it's just when one is at home with nothing to do except listen to your iTunes playlist (Beautifully Tragic – a Wicked, Idina Menzel and Glee mixture) the fingers and brain need something to keep them busy. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I think I will enjoy writing it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my ideas and opinions…and a laptop with terrible sound!

Chapter Four: Slightly Too Popular

Elphaba trembled slightly. Everything was happening too fast. She had only become friends with Galinda a few short hours ago, and now she was seated on her roommate's bed watching her prance around the room collecting…things…while humming some strangely catchy tune. Makeover? Popular? Please tell me I imagined those words…please!

Galinda turned around; arms full of hair products, make-up and nail varnish, and grinned at the expression on Elphaba's face. "It won't be so bad, Elphie. I am sure that underneath all that…tough, manly exterior there is a beautiful woman waiting to emerge. We just have to find her!"

How does she manage to insult me without actually intending to insult me? Elphaba shook her head. "This isn't going to work Galinda. I clash with everything…the only colour that goes well with green is, well, black. Or more green." Dear Unnamed god I don't believe in…please let there be a power failure…or a fire drill…or a natural disaster…anything to get me out of this position I find myself in. Elphaba muttered prayers under her breath as Galinda gathered brushes, hair-ties, accessories and millions of random things that probably had some sinister purpose Elphaba couldn't figure out.

"You're not casting a spell are you?" Galinda bounced a bit on her heals. She is going to look stunning when I am through with her. "You know that's against the rules…"

"Make-overs have rules?"

"School rules silly!" Galinda giggled. "Now…let's get started. Manicure first, then a pedicure. After that, I will tell you what clothes and shoes you should, or rather should not, wear. Before we even get there, I need to tell you, Elphaba, that boots are not acceptable shoes to wear with a skirt or dress! Then we will work with your hair, it's really not so bad…very shiny…and finally make-up and accessories." Galinda clapped her hands excitedly. "Let's start…we have a very, very long way to go and a very, very short time to accomplish our goal."

I can't believe I am sitting here at 1 a.m. letting Galinda 'experiment' on me. Elphaba sighed, but went along with it. After sitting as still as possible for six hours, which was not an easy task when someone attacked your face with tweezers, followed that by pulling half the hair out of your head with a brush that had seen better days and then burned the rest of your hair be forgetting to remove the curling iron, Elphaba was fast reaching the end of what little patience she had mustered for this glitterfication.

Finally, though, Galinda was satisfied. Elphaba's long hair was mostly loose around her shoulders, softening her face. Her eyes were lined, gently, so that they looked even more enormous and smouldering than normal. Her eyes are her best feature, besides that hair. Galinda stood with her head cocked to one side examining her creation. They express so much, even when she tries to hide what she is feeling. There was the faintest hint of shine on her lips – Galinda had managed to find a greenish lipstick that made her look so…seductive and kissable. Finally, her nails were painted sparkly green – the only sparkles Elphaba had allowed – and she was wearing a fitted white jacket. True, the jacket was over one of her plain black dresses, but Elphaba had been right; she clashed with everything!

Elphaba was too scared to look at herself in the mirror…what if she looked the same as she always did? What if she looked…worse? What if, after all the time Galinda had spent 'popularising' her, she was still ugly? Closing her eyes briefly, Elphaba felt Galinda lightly brushing her hair with her hands.

"There," murmuring the words, as if speaking to soothe a child, Galinda placed a pink flower in Elphaba's hair. "The finishing touch." Sweet Oz, she is…stunning! "Pink actually doesn't look so bad with green." Elphaba grimaced. I hate pink…it's so…perky! "Why, Elphie, just look at you…"

"I'd rather not," the words were out before Elphaba realised she had spoken them instead of thought them.

Galinda frowned slightly. She really doesn't know how stunning she is. Fiyero and I are just going to have to show her, day by day…moment by moment. She is going to learn that there are people who love her…and that she deserves to be loved. "You're beautiful Elphie," a few tears left their sparkly trails on Galinda's face. "You are truly beautiful."

Elphaba gingerly took the mirror Galinda offered her and peered at her face. Beautiful? I've never been beautiful…never thought I was, or could be. Elphaba's hand trailed over her face; she almost didn't recognise herself. Those are my eyes…but they aren't my eyes. I look…I look…overcome by emotion she almost threw the mirror at Galinda and raced from the room. She wasn't sure where she was going, and she had forgotten all her schoolbooks, but she couldn't bear being in the same room as…as herself…any longer. I'm not beautiful. I never have been. If I was, father would like me and Nessa wouldn't look at me as if I was worth less than…less than…Elphaba found herself heading in the direction of her first class. She had run so fast that, besides skipping breakfast again, she reached the History class with half an hour to kill before it started. She wearily dragged a chair into an unlit part of the corridor and sat down, trembling. If I were beautiful…if I was even remotely pretty…Fiyer…somebody would love me. Somebody, somewhere, would have loved me. Somebody would want me.

If I were beautiful like everybody else, my mother would still be alive. If I were beautiful, I would be worth something.

Galinda gathered up her roommate's books and packed her satchel. I hope she is ok. Checking her makeup as she walked, Galinda quickly became lost in the perfection that was she. Peeking into the cafeteria, quickly noting the lack of Elphaba's presence, she grabbed a couple of slices of toast and stuffed a few muffins into a brown lunch-bag. She probably skipped breakfast…like yesterday, and the day before that. Come to think of it, she hardly eats…that's not healthy. Munching a muffin, the apple and cinnamon ones were little warm mouthfuls of heaven, she continued towards the History building. Galinda was slightly surprised to find that the door was still locked – there was a permanent locking spell on all doors now, but it was on a timer. This had been put into place since the incident with Dr Dillamond and the writing on the chalkboard, the theory being that no students could enter class without the lecturer's knowledge. Dr Dillamond, however, preferred to remove the spell himself at least half an hour before the start of class to allow students, especially Elphaba, who were always early and eager to learn to settle in to class well in advance. I wonder why his door is still locked? Is he ill? Can Animals become ill? Galinda turned to go search for her friend elsewhere and nearly jumped out of her shiny pink pumps at a sound coming from down the corridor. It sounded like stifled moans and sniffles.

Walking over to investigate, Galinda found Elphaba curled up on a chair trying very hard not to cry…not only would it have been completely out of character, but it would also have smudged her make-up.

"Elphie?" Galinda put her hand on her friend's shoulder. Always so sad. I wonder what could have happened to her to make her so sad.

Elphaba stiffened slightly at the touch of her friend's hand, and then, after a few moments of awkward silence, she shrugged out of the touch. Nobody has ever voluntarily touched me before…not out of kindness. I don't think I am quite ready for this 'friendship' thing…I don't know how to react. I have never had a friend before. "I am fine Galinda," Elphaba sniffed, primarily to clear her nose, and caught the scent of blueberry muffins. "Has all this…goop…caused olfactory hallucinations or do I smell muffins?"

"Ol…fac…Elphie, really, must you talk like you just swallowed a dictionary." Galinda handed the bag of muffins and toast to her roommate, who tucked into it like a starving refugee. "If we are going to be friends, you need to start speaking normally. Use normal-people words Elphie, little words."

Elphaba nodded in agreement. She would have agreed to almost anything Galinda suggested just to stop the glittery-girl from prying into her emotional state. Though, she really isn't all that bad. I mean, she spent over six hours applying more beauty products than I even knew existed onto my face, hair, and nails, and then she was still thoughtful enough to bring me breakfast. I have never had anyone who thought of me…who cared enough to remind me to eat properly. Elphaba quickly polished off every scrap of food that was in the bag. Speaking of which…when last did I actually eat anything? Cripes…I had better watch it. I know it's bad when I get to the stage where I can't remember the last time I ate anything. Don't want to end up skeletal again…it took me long enough to recover the first time.

With five minutes to go before the start of class, the spell automatically unlocked the door and the friends walked inside. They were quickly joined by the rest of the class. For a few moments there were murmurs of confusion at the sight of the two 'rivals' sitting and chatting amicably. Then one of the students noticed Elphaba's new outfit. "Look out Shizians…the salad has a new dressing!" Elphaba stood up and walked slowly towards the speaker, who cowered back just a little.

Crumpling the muffin-bag as she walked, Elphaba put as much anger into her expression as possible. Summoning up some of the skills Morrible had taught her, she released just enough magic to cause a few green sparks to dance around her clenched fingers. Morrible's first lessons had been on how to control her powers. True, sometimes things did happen when she became overly emotional, but for the most part, it was under control. The commentator gulped and stepped even further away. Elphaba reached towards the speaker. Tormenting the idiotic, perky population can be fun. She doesn't need to know that I can't control my magic enough yet to cast a spell voluntarily…I just need to make her think I can. "You were saying something?" Elphaba leaned over the trembling girl and stretched out her fist. A new set of sparks flickered through the air. The girl shook her head and cowered lower, fully expecting to be smote down. Elphaba leaned further forward, brought her hand up behind the girls head…, and dropped her crumpled breakfast bag into the trashcan behind her. "Don't tempt me…I hear frogs are in this season," she whispered into the ear of the student. Turning around she started making her way back to her seat.

Apart from the initial comment, which everyone had heard, nobody had heard or seen anything else. They were so used to ignoring her, unless she caused her usual commotion, that many didn't even process that she was wearing a white jacket and had a pink flower in her hair. Those who did notice her attire, failed to notice the makeup she was wearing. Suddenly, Elphaba had a thought. What would happen if I tried that hair-tossing thing Galinda tried to teach me this morning? Trying to remember exactly what Galinda had said, and though she did think it made her look somewhat as if she was having a Grand Mal seizure, Elphaba started tossing her hair.

"Toss-toss, no that wasn't right." Elphaba brought her loose hair back over her shoulders and tried again. "Toss-toss, toss-toss…what am I missing? Toss-toss…" she was so absorbed in her attempt to toss-toss that she didn't notice Fiyero approaching. "Toss-toss…what the hell!" Elphaba managed to flick her hair painfully through Fiyero's face as well as knock her head against his outstretched hand all at the same time. "What do you want!" I hope I didn't hurt you! Oh, how embarrassing.

She's changed. Galinda has gotten to her. Fiyero was a little bit disappointed – the new look did highlight Elphaba's beauty, but it also seemed to have turned her into a taller, greener version of Galinda…complete with stupid hair tossing. She looked even more stunning than usual, and Fiyero wondered how that was possible. However, was the extra-beauty worth the over-done mannerisms? "You've been…Galindafied." Fiyero mimed something that looked vaguely like a zombie being electrocuted. "You don't have to do that, you know." You are beautiful just as you are.

The unspoken words hung in the air, causing a very awkward silence.

"You mean…" "You should…"

The two started to speak simultaneously, but were interrupted by the arrival of Dr Dillamond. The Goat was carrying his carpetbag and looked extremely agitated. Elphaba reluctantly turned away from Fiyero and the two made their way to their seats. To her annoyance, or rather 'pretend annoyance', Fiyero chose to sit next to her. He moved his chair as close as was possible to Elphaba, with Glinda on his other side this was difficult, and 'subtly' sniffed her hair. Sweet Oz, she smells wonderful. Like apples and mint and cinnamon. Fiyero had to swallow hard to resist the urge to run his hands through her hair. Just the thought of touching her started a strange fire burning inside of him, and for the umpteenth time he regretted wearing such tight pants.

Is he…smelling…me? Elphaba sat so still it was almost inhuman. She could feel his breath on her neck, he was that close, and the feelings this was bringing up were as unfamiliar as they were inappropriate. There was a tickling fire in the pit of her stomach and she had the strongest urge to turn around, grab him, and purge his mouth until they both had to surface for air. Unconsciously her tongue flicked over her dry lips and she moved only her eyes to glance behind her. Her gaze came to rest on Galinda. I can't hurt her. She…cares…about me. I can't hurt her. Elphaba sat up even straighter, and in the pretence of adjusting her skirt, she moved her chair further away from Fiyero.

It's just this window-dressing Galinda has put on me…that's all. He is just curious as to the change…he doesn't want to…do…anything. He doesn't mean anything by it. Elphaba frowned slightly. All this make-up was attracting slightly too much attention, it seemed, especially where Fiyero was concerned, Galinda had been too successful in "Popularising" her. I have to forget about him. No matter what I feel, he is never going to feel the same way. Besides, he is taken.

What Dr Dillamond announced next caused all thoughts of Fiyero to, thankfully, flee from her mind.