"So what is this all about?" Galinda asked, sitting Elphaba down on her bed and sitting down next to her. "What are these tears for?"

"It's just…I don't know. I've never broken down like this before," Elphaba whispered. "Nothing has ever affected me like this. I think…maybe it's the combination of seeing people being mean to you, Boq, one of the only people who have accepted me, rejecting me, and my sister disowning me."

Galinda gently traced the tears marks on her face with the tips of her fingers. "It's okay to cry," she said quietly.

Elphaba swallowed with difficulty, looking at Galinda with tear-filled eyes. "That's the problem," she said. "It isn't okay to cry. Not for me, at least. It never has been. First of all, the tears burn my skin. It's like I have a built-in mechanism that tells me that showing any kind of emotion is wrong."

"Oh, Elphie," Galinda whispered, but Elphaba continued.

"On top of that, I've always been taught that I can't show my emotions because it's opening a door up into my mind," she said. "I am going to be the next Governor of Munchkinland, and if I'm going to be an effective ruler, I have to learn how to control my emotions and stuff them away in the dark recesses of my mind so my enemies can't use them against me.

"And, of course, I could never be upset in front of Nessa or Shell. If something went wrong, I had to pretend that everything was okay. We never mourned for my mother. It was as if my father had forgotten she had even existed. Shell doesn't even know about her."

She was silent and when Galinda didn't respond, she stood up quickly to go into the bathroom. "I shouldn't have said anything," she whispered.

"No, Elphaba, come back," Galinda said, standing up and grabbing her by the arm to spin her around. "I'm sorry; I just didn't know what to say. But I want to work through this with you. I…I love you, and I'm not going to let you suffer alone."

Elphaba smiled weakly and pulled Galinda towards her, looking down into her eyes. "Galinda, it's really hard for me to share my feelings like that," she said. "It's going to take time for me to get used to a relationship where I can count on someone to keep my secrets. Let me get used to it, give me time. I promise I'll be able to open up, just give me time."

"I'm not going to force you to tell me anything," Galinda said. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you and I support you. It just seems like you're so used to caring for other people that you don't really pay much attention to your own needs, and I don't want this to become like that."

"How about we go off campus today since we've decided not to go to classes," Elphaba said after a few minutes. "I can guarantee that no one will be looking for us, and if they are, we most likely won't want to talk to them. We can eat breakfast out instead of eating…that."

She pointed at the stack of toast and bowl of fruit on the plate she had brought up and grimaced.

"Like a date?" Galinda asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

Elphaba gave her a small smile. "Yeah, like a date," she said. "Now why don't you go get ready really quick and I'll grab my coat."

Galinda pecked her on the cheek and headed into her closet and Elphaba watched her go with a grin on her face. No matter what anyone said, she would love Galinda with all of her heart.