For a moment, she observed the beautiful girl, still nestled into her body. She ran her hand gently over her shoulders, revelling in the softness of her skin. Her face looked so different when she was asleep, with no makeup she looked so much more... human. Her freckles stood out on her cheeks... yep she still adored them. No matter how much she enjoyed watching her sleep though, she knew they had to get up. She shook her gently, stroking her arm.
"Galinda, we have to get up now." She whispered, watching her sapphire eyes flutter open.
"Elphie." She whispered, wrapping an arm around Elphaba's neck and letting their lips meet, and inevitably tongues too. After a few minutes, Elphaba pulled away.
"We have to get ready, class starts in 25 minutes!" She urged.
"That sounds like a terrible idea. Can't we just stay here?" Whined Galinda, trying to pull Elphaba into another kiss.
"Don't tempt me. As much as I would love to lay here and kiss you all day, we have to attend class." Smiled Elphaba, before they both slipped out of bed. Getting up naked was a feeling unfamiliar to both of them, but one that knew they could both get used to. Elphaba dressed in her usual dark attire, and Galinda in a trademark pink frock, and after a quick brush of their teeth, comb of their hair and a snack, they headed towards class.
"Are you sure you're ok with us holding hands?" Asked Galinda, surprising Elphaba a little.
"Oh sure, maybe there are some people a few blocks away that didn't hear us!" Giggled Elphaba, earning a joking glare from Galinda
"Look, I don't care, I get bullied anyway. Will you be ok?" Replied Elphaba, on a more serious level.
"Elphaba, I think I might love you. And if they don't like that, well, I don't care. Seeing you staring into my eyes when I wake up would make up for anything in this world, let alone some bullies." Galinda smiled, and Elphaba couldn't help but pull the beautiful girl in for a long kiss, as they finally reached class. When they entered the room, most of the students turned to look at them, a look of shock registering on their faces as they noticed the Girls' entwined fingers. Most of all, Galinda's friends sat in the back corner of the class.
Elphaba and Galinda selected seats in the middle row, and removed their books and pens from their bags. Ignoring confused mutters from their classmates, their hands were tightly clasped together on the table. The teacher soon arrived, and began chalking up facts about Oz's past leaders on the whiteboard, which Elphaba wrote down hurriedly. Normally, Galinda would be giggling about something with her friends by now, perhaps their teachers unfashionable choice of trousers or his unfortunately thin moustache, but instead she too was intent on getting notes. Their teacher noticed this, the fact that class queen Galinda had chosen to be seated beside the outcast, and was working well, as well as their interlinked hands. He also saw the paper balls being launched at the green girl.
"Milla stop throwing paper at Elphaba!" He yelled, Galinda's head spinning to the back corner at the mention of one of her friends. Unsurprisingly, Milla, Shenshen and Pfanee all collapsed into giggles. Galinda narrowed her eyes at them, although they didn't notice.
"I'm sorry, Elphie." She whispered.
"They do it every lesson. I'm used to it." Shrugged Elphaba, glaring at them. "No, I'm sorry I used to do it to you, too." She replied, squeezing her green hand tighter. Elphaba shook her head, and looked at Galinda.
"Don't be sorry. You'd have been bullied as well if you hadn't." She assured her in a hushed whisper as the teacher droned on about the importance of writing notes.
"Sometimes I wish you wouldn't forgive me so easily. It makes me feel guilty that you'd sacrifice your happiness so that I wouldn't get bullied." Replied Galinda, stroking Elphaba's hand again before the teacher called attention back to himself, and the lesson continued in a flurry of notes.
Finally at lunchtime, class ended. Galinda had done much more than usual, she noticed, as she re-packed her bag. Elphaba smiled at her kindly.
"That's a nice load of notes you have there, Miss Upland!" She laughed. Normally it was lucky if she got half a page.
"Miss Upland, Miss Thropp, could I speak to the pair of you please?" Asked the teacher as their classmates filtered out of the door. They could hear the sniggering from Shenshen, Pfanee and Milla as they slunk out of the classroom. Elphaba and Galinda glanced at eachother worridly, but proceeded to stand in front of the teachers desk.
"I'd ask what was going on between you, but that's none of my business. What I would like to say is that, Galinda, you have worked much harder than usual today. You really need to revise hard and catch up if you want to pass this year, because you've effectively missed a few weeks and your grades are low. And Elphaba, you're looking a lot happier today. It's good to see! I can see your grades being boosted a little more too!" He smiled.
"I will most definitely revise as much as possible." Agreed Galinda, nodding.
"And now that I have a... friend... it's much easier to be happier!" Smiled Elphaba, giggling on the inside. They too were then dismissed, able to go and get a bite to eat.
"So where should we go?" Asked Elphaba, as they walked down the corridor to get out of the building. Their hands were still linked when Galinda spotted Shenshen, Pfanee and Milla outside.
"Here we go." Hissed Elphaba under her breath as they all turned to stare at them.
"Just ignore them. Just be talking and laughing." Whispered Galinda, before beginning to chat about food as they pushed through the double doors.
"No, we're not going there for food Elphie, I hate it!" She whined, convincingly.
"Well then why don't we just go back to our roo-" Started Elphaba, before she felt someone shove her from behind. They'd almost passed the girls without any problems, but it seemed that Milla deemed it necessary to push her.
"Do you mind?!" She growled, turning on her heel to look into the girls eyes.
"No, you've brainwashed our friend to love you with some sort of magic, you evil witch!" Hissed Shenshen, striding towards them, Pfanee only a short way behind.
"Leave Elphaba alone, she hasn't used any magic! It was you guys using the magic to ever make me think you were good friends!" Shouted Galinda, grabbing Elphaba's arm to support her, and attempting to put herself between Elphaba and her friends.
"We always stuck up for you when pea head here was embarrassing! She's cursed you Galinda get away from her!" Yelled Pfanee, Hitting Elphaba in the stomach. Reflexively, Elphaba pushed the girl back, and before Galinda could intervene, Shenshen ran at Elphaba, her whole weight being thrown at the green girl. The next seconds passed like hours as Elphaba lost her balance, and began to fall backwards towards the three steps that lead to the ground, hitting the middle one with her shoulder and tumbling like a rag doll over the last step. Galinda screamed, rushing towards her as the bullies fled in the other direction without any cares as to what they had done.
"Elphie!" Galinda cried as she rand down the stairs. She crouched next to Elphaba, and brushed some of her raven hair away from her face to see a nasty looking gash on her forehead.
"Well, apart from the cut, which should heal, and some bruising to her arm she should be fine." Stated the Nurse, hovering over Elphaba who had been rushed back to their room.
"Maybe a little concussion but it shouldn't be too serious." She added.
"So she'll be Ok?" Asked Galinda, a little doubtfully.
"She should take some painkillers and rest for a few days, once she's woken up again." The nurse reassured her. Galinda was sat in a chair beside Elphaba's bed, tenderly stroking her jet hair. The nurse was just applying the dressing to the bruising on her arm, which was a violent purple, blue and black colour.
"Who was it that pushed her again? I will try to get them seen to." Asked the nurse, noticing the gentleness that Galinda was treating her roommate with.
"Shenshen pushed her. But Not before Milla hit her in the back and Pfanee punched her in the stomach." Galinda almost growled. She was angry with the way they'd hurt Elphaba. For a moment she'd thought she was dead, her eyes were still red with crying. She'd just realised how much the raven haired, dark eyed girl meant to her. She didn't think she could manage life without her, her selflessness and her seriousness that everyone else saw as well as the kindness and trusting that only Galinda had seen.
"I will speak to Madame Morrible. She'll get it seen to. Keep an eye on Elphaba, and I will return to check on her later." The nurse told her, leaving the room. Galinda knelt on the floor beside Elphaba's bed, in which she lay stiffly on her back. She'd awoken briefly but the painkillers that had been administered to her made her groggy, and so she'd been carried back to their room. Galinda lay her head next to Elphaba's hand and put her arm over her stomach.
"Elphie I was so afraid that I'd lost you today. That you'd died. I'm sorry I couldn't stop them, but I will never let anyone touch you ever again." Whispered Galinda, firmly.
"I love you, Elphaba. I hope you know that." Fresh tears appeared at her eyes, she'd never lost anyone close to her that she could remember, and if this is what it felt like for someone you love to even just be hurt, she never wanted to know what it was like for someone you love to die.
"I love you too." She whispered back, her eyes opening just a crack through her drowsiness and a light smile appearing on her face. "I love you more than I have words for."
