Disclaimer: I own nothing from Wicked except the soundtrack and the ability to look up everything I can about it on the Internet.
Title: Your life Could End Up Changing.
Rating: PG – 13/T
Warnings: Alternate universe. Alternate ending. Based entirely on the original Broadway cast/soundtrack and an online transcript of the show.
Summary: Alternate ending. What if Elphaba didn't get invited to the Emerald City straight after I'm Not That Girl?
Author's note: I did have something to say but do you think I can remember? Ah well, thansk to everyone who reviews especially the lovely girls who proofread for me
Chapter Ten
Miss Galinda Upland, of the Upper Uplands, was a young woman blessed with the ability to sleep peacefully through just about any difficulty so she was quite confused when she woke up feeling apprehensive. It was something that had never happened to her before and it took a moment before she remembered the events of the evening before and the promise she had made to here roommate, and now close friend, to apologise to Miss Nessarose and Master Boq.
Oh Oz, what was I thinking? I can't even remember the last time I had to apologise to someone, let alone the last time I actually meant it!
As the short blonde girl climbed out of bed and rubbed her eyes, noting in passing that Elphie had left already, a part of her mind that she rarely paid attention responded to her first thought.
I was thinking that Elphie was right. What I did was wrong and I'm stupider than I thought because I needed that pointed out to me
I'm not stupid! Everyone does that sort of thing at home!
But college students aren't Gillikin nobility, at least not many of them are, and just because it's the Gillikin way – that doesn't mean it's the right way!
It doesn't mean it's the wrong way either and at home no one would even consider asking me to apologise to someone!
Elphie isn't 'no one'.
She said herself she's part Gillikinese.
But she was raised as a Munchkinlander.
If you can call that an upbringing.
I'd like to see you have half the strength she does in similar circumstances, Galinda Upland! I'd like to see you walk into a school full of strangers when you'd only left the house you were born in twice before in your entire life!
That's not the point. The point is that she doesn't understand about how these things work!
No, Galinda, the point is that you don't want to admit that you were wrong!
"Oh why don't you be quiet?" muttered Galinda.
"Well," remarked Elphaba, with raised eyebrows, from her side of the room. "I wasn't aware that I was making any noise but if I'm disturbing your hair brushing I'm happy to leave."
"Elphie!" squawked Galinda. "How long have you been here?"
"About ten minutes, I got here just after you sat down and started brushing your hair, I'm looking for my Protocol notes. Have you seen them?"
"I don't even know where my Protocol notes are…"
"You take notes in class?"
"I was just illustrating the point that I would have no idea what your notes look like, particularly if they are written in you usual handwriting."
"A simple 'no' would have sufficed."
"Why do you need them anyway? The test is an hour away and I can't believe that you didn't study for the test already."
"For Nessa," replied Elphaba, distractedly pawing through one of her notebooks. "I promised to help her revise and it upsets her when I just tell her what the Professor said. She says I shouldn't show off just because I have a good memory and she doesn't. Are you sure you haven't seen them?"
Well I can hardly fault Nessarose for saying that Elphaba shows off when I've been thinking, and saying, the same things myself but really you would think she'd have at least a little of the sense of family loyalty that Elphie does.
"Oz to Galinda, are you still with me here or have you gone back to deciding whether your hair needs washing?"
"Does it?" replied Galinda automatically, before she realised that Elphaba was teasing her. "Elphie!"
"Your hair looks fine," replied Elphaba (almost) seriously. "Have you seen my notes or not?"
"They all look the same to me and…"
Outside the clock struck the quarter-hour and Galinda jumped.
"Elphie! I have to get ready, I only have half an hour!"
Galinda happened to catch sight of the fact that Elphaba was watching her, as the blonde turned back to her mirror and saw her taller roommate's reflection. She looked thoughtful, which was hardly unusual, but this was the first time (at least that Galinda was aware of) that Elphaba had looked so thoughtfully at her.
"Was there something else?"
Elphaba blinked, shook her head mutely, then changed her mind and nodded with less force.
"I just wanted to say that…I mean I know I asked you to but…"
She took a deep breath and forced herself to start again in a more comprehensible manner.
"What I'm trying to say is that I don't want you to talk to Boq and Nessarose just because I was angry about what you did."
Before Galinda could fully comprehend her words, let alone respond in any way, Elphaba – notebook in hand – had departed the suite.
"Oh thank you so much, Elphie," she muttered in the mockingtone that was as close as the perky blonde came to sarcasm, most of the time. "Just when I decided to ignore you and my conscience, you give me a choice, anyway, and make me feel bad!"
Galinda had no way of knowing that Elphaba's words weren't the ploy to make her feel guilty that she first assumed them to be but an admission of the fact that Elphaba felt guilty about pushing Galinda into doing something against her nature.
Miss Galinda looks perfect, as always, thought Master Boq as he watched the blonde girl saunter across the quadrangle towards the Protocol classroom. He was sitting outside his Science classroom, waiting for the Professor to arrive.
"Good morning, Miss Galinda!" he called out, half hopeful, half expecting to be ignored. He was rather surprised to see that, rather than going to her classroom, Galinda was walking towards him.
"Good morning, Master Boq," said Galinda – it had only taken her the entire walk from her room to the classroom to remember what his name was. "I hope I find you well today?"
"Tolerably, thank you," replied Boq nervously, he hated trying to make small talk with anyone but Miss Galinda and Miss Elphaba had to be the worst.
"I was wondering if I might take up a moment of your time," said Galinda formally.
"Why I, of course, I am always honoured to talk to you, Miss Galinda."
"Yes," said Galinda quietly, "That's sort of what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Would you like to sit down, Miss Galinda?" asked Boq, concerned by her demeanor. "You don't look well."
"No, no," Galinda forced a smile. "This won't take long. It's about that day last week, when Fiyero arrived."
"What about it?" asked Boq, wondering what she could possibly have to say that hadn't already been made obvious. Everyone at Shiz knew that Galinda Upland and Fiyero Tiggular were a couple.
"I owe you an apology," said Galinda simply. The only thing that could have surprised Boq more (consequently the thing most likely never to be said) would have been if she had said she wanted him instead of Fiyero.
"You…you do?" he managed to stammer out the short question.
He doesn't even know why I'm apologising? Galinda's mental exclamation was not visible on her face; she smiled pleasantly as she explained.
"I talked you into taking Miss Nessarose to the party at the Ozdust Ballroom," explained Galinda in an unusually serious tone. " I know you didn't really want to, that you only did it to impress me, and I only asked you to do it because I wanted to be alone with Fiyero. So I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for putting you into that position and I hope we can be friends without that coming between us."
I never imagined she would…I knew she was just trying to get rid of me but she wants to be friends now?
"Well, I don't know what to say. Of course I accept your apology, Miss Galinda, but I have to know- is it because I'm a Munchkin? Or is there some other reason I'm not…not good enough for you?"
It was obvious, even to Galinda, that it took all of the Munchkin's courage to ask her that question and she had to admire him for that even if she considered him more of a nuisance than anything.
What a good thing it is that I anticipated this question so I can give him a reason that is true and helps me avoid too much awkwardness.
"It's not any one thing," she said, rather ambiguously. "I know I don't seem like a complex person but I am and my feelings are complex as well. It doesn't matter where a person comes from, that doesn't determine how you feel about them and what I feel about you, Boq, is that we could be friends but nothing more."
She remembers my name? Thought Boq as he tried to decide how to answer Galinda's explanation. She's still beautiful but she seems different than when I first saw her, I wonder why?
"I don't mean to rush you but my class is going to start soon," said Galinda impatiently, that made her sound much more like herself.
"Your pardon," said Boq, in the same Munchkinlander accent that Elphaba slipped into occasionally. "I would be honoured to have you consider me a friend and to consider you one in return."
"Wonderful!" replied Galinda with a bright smile, "Have a nice day, Boq!"
Boq watched in wistful silence as Galinda sashayed across the courtyard and was immediately enveloped by a group of giggling young women.
"Their confidence in passing the exam we have in less than five minutes is quite disgusting."
"Good morning, Miss Elphaba," said Boq, surprised that she had talked to him outside of their usual study session. "Where is Miss Nessarose this morning?"
Elphaba caught the nervous note in his voice and smiled reassuringly.
"She's lost in that mob somewhere. We didn't arrive together. Excuse me, I see the rest of your class heading this way."
Boq managed to bid her a hasty 'good day' as she disappeared into the shadows of the building and slipped into the Protocol classroom.
Elphaba was the first person into the classroom, Nessa was pushed in by one of her friends, and the rest of the class piled into the room when the professor arrived. As Galinda passed Elphaba's desk she muttered a barely audible request for her to keep Nessa in the classroom after the exam.
Galinda actually managed to put aside her concerns about talking, or not talking, to Nessarose while she finished her exam. It was really quite lucky that this whole incident occurred just prior to a Protocol exam, it was the one subject that Galinda always got top marks in and she was only taking the class because her mother felt that she should have a full overview of Ozian Protocol as opposed to the Gillikin biased Protocols she learned from her Governess.
Of course it also meant that she finished well before the class ended, no one was allowed to leave early, and she was stuck there with nothing to do but think about what she would say to Miss Nessarose Thropp.
It's not like it's my fault anyway, she tried to rationalise the idea of not apologising to Elphaba's sister. Anyone with eyes could see that Boq has been infatuated with me since I got here, you'd have to be very naive to believe he'd get over me so quickly!
But then she was probably nearly as sheltered as her sister, growing up, so she probably is that naïve…and this silent dialogue is very familiar, don't you think?
Apologising to Boq is different to apologising to Miss Nessarose!
Why? Because she outranks you and he doesn't? Or because she is less likely to accept your apologies?
Why shouldn't she accept my apology? She should be grateful I'm even bothering to talk to her! Just because she outranks me doesn't mean I am obliged to apologise to her, not unless she brought it up first, which she has not.
But you weren't going to apologise to her because you feel bad about taking advantage of her infatuation with Boq, even though you do feel bad about it, you were going to apologise to her because Elphaba asked you to.
She said I don't have to just for her.
It isn't just for her though.
Before Galinda could embarrass herself, once again, by telling herself to shut up again the courtyard bell rang and the professor announced that the class had ended.
Well, I guess this is it; I'm just going to get it over with.
Galinda took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and spoke very clearly to make her voice heard above the general chatter of students leaving the room.
"Miss Nessarose, might I take a moment of your time before you go to lunch?"
"Of course, Miss Galinda," agreed Nessarose politely. "Elphaba, you don't need to wait for me, I can take myself to lunch."
"If you're sure," said Elphaba, picking up her bag with feigned disinterest. "I shall see you at History then."
Galinda waited until Elphaba, always the last person out of a room, was gone then sat down next to Nessarose.
"Elphaba put you up to this," said Nessa as soon as Galinda had taken a seat and before she could speak.
"I…what?" Galinda had to mentally backtrack from what she was going to say to what Nessa had said. "I do beg your pardon, Miss Nessarose, I'm not quite sure to what you are referring."
"Please let us be honest with each other, Miss Galinda. It is highly unlikely that you would seek my company of your own volition so I can only assume that my dear sister somehow talked you into staying back here to talk to me."
Galinda nearly winced at the sheer venom in Nessa's voice when she referred to her sister but managed to control the movement.
"It is certainly true that I am here because of a talk with Miss Elphaba but she certainly did not force me to come – as if anyone could do such a thing. I owe you an apology, Miss Nessarose, and I feel honour bound to fulfil the debt."
Nessarose was, very obviously, set off balance by this statement; an apology from Miss Galinda Upland was not what she was expecting.
"It seems I must beg your pardon, Miss Galinda," said Nessa, sounding entirely unhappy with the idea. "I'm afraid I misjudged your intentions somewhat."
"That is not necessary, Miss Nessarose, I'm sure you had your reasons for what you assumed. If you will allow me I will tell you exactly why I am here."
Galinda absolutely detested being so subservient to anyone, it made her skin crawl in a very distasteful manner, but she was determined to get this unpleasant dialogue over and done as quickly as possible so she chose the method that seemed to ensure that aim – making Nessarose feel like she was in control of the conversation. As she predicted as soon as Nessa felt that she was in command she became much more gracious and less disgruntled.
"Of course, Miss Galinda, please go ahead and speak your piece."
"I'm sure you would not appreciate any attempt I might make to sugar-coat what I'm going to say so I shall come straight out and say it. I am here to say that I'm sorry that I encouraged Master Boq to invite you to Fiyero's party because I did not want him following me around all evening.
You seemed to be having so much fun at the party that I didn't think anything of it but it has been recently pointed out to me that your new acquaintance with Master Boq has not turned out as well as I, and you I would suppose, expected it to."
She really did put him up to it, thought Nessa in dismay. I was hoping there might be something, anything, else she could want to talk about. Still I'm not going let her see how upset I am, as if she needs a reason to make fun of me. No one will know anyway, it's not as if she's going to tell people about something that makes her look so spiteful.
"Thank you for your honesty, Miss Galinda," said Nessa, with perfect posture and an icy polite tone. "I accept your apology."
"I'm pleased that we were able to sort this little misunderstanding," replied Galinda with equally polite formality. She stood up and smiled politely, but not warmly.
"Good day, Miss Nessarose."