A/N: Thanks to everyone for the messages and reviews! You all are absolutely amazing!

This chapter's a bit longer than usual. As Caliax so wonderfully put it, "Here comes the BOO! part of Unadulterated Loathing!"

Enjoy!

It wasn't long before all of Shiz knew the Vinkan boy's name. Fiyero was being whispered in every corner of every dormitory, dining hall, and classroom. Elphaba would have enjoyed the fact that the attention was no longer on her if it weren't for one little problem.

Her roommate never shut up.

"And those eyes!" Galinda sighed and collapsed onto her thick pink bed. The Winkie prince was everything she had ever dreamed of. Tall, exotic, gorgeous—not to mention, a prince.

"Miss Galinda, if you insist upon drooling like a doe-eyed mutt, at least keep it to yourself. Some of us are busy with more important things."

The blonde propped herself up on her elbows and glared at her roommate, who was bent over a stack of books and journals at her desk. "I don't see why you're so worried, Miss Elphaba. What's the point of studying when you're already an obnoxious know-it-all?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. She knew she should have gone to the library. Being in her roommate's presence was getting more difficult each day, a fact not helped at all by the visits of the rest of those girls, which were growing more and more common.

A knock on the door caused Galinda to squeal and leap from her bed. "Speak of the devil," Elphaba muttered, turning back to her work.

"Besides," Galinda continued as she went to the door. "Even you must be at least a tiny bit interested in Master Fiyero."

The green girl chose not to respond. Whatever eagerness she had felt at the Vinkan's arrival had long since vanished. Instead of a well-educated, seasoned traveler, the prince had turned out to be as arrogant and dimwitted as the rest of Oz's upper class society. It was no wonder the blonde swooned over him so.

Galinda opened the door and hugged her friends. "Give me just a moment, ladies. I'll be right out." She scurried off into the bathroom to touch up her makeup before going out, leaving her three friends hovering uncertainly in the doorway. They cast uneasy glances at Elphaba, who refused to look up from her work.

"What are you doing here?" Pfannee asked.

"Miss Pfannee," Elphaba sighed without turning around, "We've been through this before. You see, I live here."

"Funny," Pfannee replied, "I thought you lived at the library."

"Believe me, the company is a lot better there. But unfortunately, it is against the school's policy to let people sleep between bookshelves."

"What a shame."

"Now that, my dear Miss Shenshen, is something we can agree on."

Shenshen looked disgusted, but before any of them could respond, Galinda was back and shooing them out of the room. "Come along, leave the green bean to her…whatever it is she does. We've got a prince to go meet up with!"

The door shut behind them, and Elphaba let out a sigh of relief. While they hadn't gotten into a fight as bad as the one the night Fiyero arrived, the roommates still despised one another, and they still took every chance they had to show it. The bubbly blonde's presence was enough to make Elphaba feel sick after a while.

And she still hadn't thought of a way to get revenge on them for taking her mother's bottle. If she didn't fight back now, they'd never leave her alone. She needed to teach them that messing with her would be a serious mistake.

But how? The green girl jumped up from her desk and began pacing the room, eyeing Galinda's side with mild disgust. She didn't want to actually hurt the girls. She wasn't cruel. But simply scaring them wouldn't work, either. They'd strike back, and the entire thing would never end. And to add to it all, the entire school was on their side.

Elphaba shook her head, then grabbed her key and slipped out the door. She needed to think, and being cooped up with all of her roommate's things wasn't helping.

It was a gorgeous afternoon, fading slowly into a lovely evening. No wonder the girls all wanted to go out. Elphaba wondered vaguely if, had she been born with normal skin, she would be with that group.

Oz, I hope not, she thought to herself. She liked to think that her intelligence and her morals would still be her two greatest assets, vegetable or not.

Just as she was passing the café, a voice pulled her out of her musings. "Miss Elphaba!"

Had it been any other voice on campus, she would have kept walking. But something about the Munchkin boy intrigued her—he was tolerable, at least—so she altered her path to walk closer to his table.

"Master Boq," she greeted him. "Tell me, have your friends put something in your water? Why else would you dare call out to Shiz's most hated resident?"

As usual, Boq didn't know quite how to respond to her. So instead he cleared his throat and gestured at the other two boys sitting with him. "This is Crope and Tibbett, and I assure you they did not poison my water."

Crope pouted a little, turning toward Tibbett. "We didn't? How boring of us."

"Thanks for the idea, though," Tibbett said, winking at Elphaba. The green girl fought the urge to smile. It wasn't exactly pleasant conversation, but it wasn't hateful or bitter, either.

"Where are you off to tonight, Miss Elphaba?" Boq asked.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Why does it matter? Or are you actually trying to figure out my dear roommate's plans for the evening?"

"Perhaps I am genuinely interested."

"Yes, and perhaps I am not Shiz's most hated resident."

"Perhaps not," Tibbett said, rubbing his chin as if thinking hard. "Let's think. Who here is loathed even more than the green bean?"

Crope grinned. "Perhaps that dear Madame Head? Morrible?"

Elphaba glared at them, despising the idea of being compared to Morrible. "Yes, well, I thank you for this less than delightful conversation, but I must be on my way." She strode off, gritting her teeth. Curse her roommate, curse all those girls, curse every student in this Oz-damned school. She couldn't hold a decent conversation for more than twenty seconds without the words green bean or vegetable or—

"Elphaba!" A hand touched her elbow, but she jerked away. "Miss Elphaba, please let me apologize for their behavior."

For some unknown reason, Elphaba stopped. Boq stepped forward so that he was facing her. "Crope and Tibbett mean no harm, I assure you. That's just how they are. You should hear half the things they say to me."

"Why are you justifying them to me? Why should I care?" Elphaba spat the words at him. She neither wanted nor needed an apology. It's not like she would ever talk to those fools again.

Boq sighed, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "I don't know. Maybe I just wanted to be a decent person."

She snorted. "Those are rather rare, Master Boq. Don't you think?" Then another thought occurred to her. "You dropped the honorific."

"What?"

"Just now, you dropped the honorific on my name. You called me Elphaba."

It was Boq's turn to roll his eyes. "That is your name, isn't it? But if it offends you so, I won't do it again."

Elphaba didn't quite know why this revelation mattered to her. In fact, this entire conversation was bordering on something she didn't quite understand. So she smoothed out her skirt and stepped around Boq.

"Either way, I must be going now. Apology accepted for your friends' behavior. But from now on, it might be best for both of us if you didn't try to…well, do whatever it is you're trying to do."

"Be a decent person?"

This time she couldn't quite hide her grin. "I suppose so." She began to move away, but then stopped and turned around again. "I must ask, Master Boq."

"Yes, Miss Elphaba?"

"My dear roommate and her friends are running about tonight. Why in Oz are you not chasing after them?"

The Munchkin scowled down at his feet. "Ah, see…well, they're with that Winkie fellow, and…"

For a moment, her face softened. The Munchkin was as smitten with Galinda as Galinda was with Fiyero. Elphaba couldn't help but feel sorry for him. After all, she knew what it was like to be on the outside.

"I may not be an expert on the female race," she began, "But I've never heard of a rule that there can be only one male in a social group. In fact, that seems quite absurd. Besides, that Avaric prat has been wandering around with them, has he not?"

"I suppose I could…"

Elphaba shrugged and wandered off before any more could be said between her and the Munchkin. Boq was too preoccupied with the possibility of seeing Galinda again to pay her any attention as she wandered down the sidewalk and out of sight.

He had, however, given her an idea. If only she knew how to make it work…

Galinda knew that life at Shiz was going to be perfect, and here was the proof. It was a gorgeous day. The lake was sparkling in the sunlight, the breeze was just enough to keep her cool without messing up her hair or dress, and Fiyero was walking right next to her!

"So you're from Frottica?" he said. Galinda smiled at the sound of his rich, smooth voice. "That's pretty high society."

She giggled and waved her hand nonchalantly. "Oh, yes, I suppose we're a ways up there. My parents are Lord and Lady, you know, and we've always been pretty well off. But I'm sure that's nothing compared to a prince."

Fiyero chuckled, pushing his hair back with his hand. "Actually, it's a bit different in the Vinkus. Sure, I'm royalty. But my life's not that different from everyone else's in the tribe. Well, except for when we go up to Kiamo Ko."

"Kiamo Ko?" Milla asked, staring at him longingly. Shenshen had to suppress a giggle at the look on her face.

"It's our castle, in the northern part of the Kells. But we rarely go there anymore."

"Why ever not?" Pfannee said, blinking her eyes innocently. Galinda resisted the urge to scowl at her. What did she need to hang all over Fiyero for? She'd been hanging on Avaric all afternoon.

But Fiyero just shrugged. "It's just not our way, I suppose. We're needed more in the tribes."

A noble prince, Galinda smiled to herself. He was perfect. But she shook herself out of her thoughts. "So, Master Fiyero," she said sweetly. "Is there anywhere else around Shiz we can show you?"

Fiyero looked up at the setting sun. "Actually, I'd love to see the town. Seems to me like there's nothing to do on this campus but lie around in the grass all day."

"That doesn't seem so bad to me," Avaric said, smirking down at Pfannee. Galinda did her best not to gag.

Fiyero, however, appeared not to have heard him. "I'm guessing we'll have to wait for another time, though."

The other three girls pouted, but Galinda jumped at the chance to get out and about. "That sounds lovely! We could plan a daytrip for this weekend. Oh, we could rent a carriage to pick us up, and—"

"And we could go shopping!" Milla squealed, clapping her hands together.

Shenshen nodded. "I heard Shiz always has booths full of wonders, especially on the weekend!"

"And we can eat at the Peach and Kidneys afterward," Galinda finished.

"Or we could go to the Philosophy Club," Avaric smirked.

"Absolutely not!" Galinda exclaimed. "No proper citizen should ever step foot in a place like that!"

"Oh, relax Galinda," Pfannee said. "Avaric was just kidding."

The blonde relented, but as they were walking away she could hear Avaric very clearly, whispering in Fiyero's ear. "Don't worry, Master Fiyero. Me and the guys will get you there sooner or later."

Now that a date was set, Galinda couldn't stop bouncing with joy. She talked about it nonstop—what should she wear? do these heels go with this dress? how should she do her hair?—to anyone who was in the room, including her deeply disinterested roommate.

Normally, Elphaba would have found a way to shut the blonde up by now, but an idea was brewing in her mind. If the others were even half as excited about this as Galinda was…

Later that week found her sitting in the mathematics room twenty minutes before class, scribbling furiously into a spare notebook. She could get more of the sticking solution easily enough. But how would she know which table was theirs? She would have to scope the place out beforehand. And their food… was there any way she could sabotage their meals?

I bet there's an easy spell that could take care of that, she thought. Her fist immediately clenched around her pen. No, absolutely not. She wouldn't use magic in front of her roommate ever again. Not if she could help it.

"Why Miss Elphaba. You're here awfully early."

The green girl quickly shut her notebook and looked at the newcomer. "Ah, Master Boq. How goes the winning over my roommate's heart?"

A sour look crossed the Munchkin's face. "She's head over heels for that Winkie prince. I never stood a chance."

"It's just as well," Elphaba said snidely. "Even you could do better than that pompous, overly manicured blonde."

"Don't insult her!" Boq crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at her. "Miss Galinda is a fine lady, and she deserves the best in the world."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "We'll have to agree to disagree on that, Master Boq."

Boq looked like he was going to protest, but instead he shut his mouth again and looked at the table she was sitting at. "What's this?" he asked, eyeing her closed notebook. "You seemed rather frantic when I walked in. Surely you're not finishing your homework at the last minute?"

"Don't be absurd," she said easily. "I'm just working on some extra credit for Dr. Dillamond."

"Of course," Boq said, shaking his head with a smile. "I should have known. You and the old Goat seem to work well together."

"He's a brilliant scholar," Elphaba replied coolly.

"Did I ever say he wasn't?" Boq asked. "He's a genius. I daresay that class is my favorite."

The green girl raised one dark eyebrow. "Even if it's taught by an Animal?"

"Do you really think me so narrow-minded?" Boq asked, his eyes widening. "Miss Elphaba, I'm insulted!"

"Insulted? Come back when they're all pointing at your skin."

He nodded, his face suddenly serious. "I used to think being short was bad enough. But at any rate, it's my belief that the appearance of a teacher matters little compared to what they know and how well they can teach it." With that, the Munchkin turned and went to his own desk a few rows up.

Elphaba watched him go, trying not to admit, even to herself, how much she'd underestimated him. "Master Boq?" she questioned, hoping that it would still be a couple of minutes before the rest of the class arrived.

"Yes, Miss Elphaba?"

She hesitated, unsure of how to ask her question without giving herself away. "I was… curious. My roommate appears to be going on some sort of outing this weekend with her friends. Were you going with them?"

Boq looked at her strangely, but if he was suspicious then he didn't mention it. "Avaric has mentioned it a couple of times, but I turned down his offer. I'm, uh, not ready to be around Miss Galinda yet."

Well, that was something at least. But as she looked at the Munchkin, she felt something close to pity. While she was starting to think that Boq deserved much better than the airhead that roomed with her, she hated seeing someone give up hope so quickly.

"You know, Boq, she hasn't chosen Fiyero yet. Oz, she's only just met the fool. Don't sit down while the race is still on."

The Munchkin shook his head, but he gave her a smile. "Not all of us have the same drive as you, Miss Elphaba." He turned to sit down, and before she could form an answer the room was filling with other students. The green girl leaned back in her chair, watching the back of the Munchkin's head closely. What in Oz did he mean by that?

The Peach and Kidneys was a charming little café near the center of town. Its somewhat dusty glass window and old wooden doorway caused it to blend in with the rest of the tiny shops and bustling booths that made up Shiz. The perfect place for an outing with friends, Elphaba concluded as she walked through the front door.

It was the day before Galinda and her friends were supposed to go out, and Elphaba was still desperate for ideas. Why she was putting so much effort into this, she didn't know. But she had three jars of sticking solution in her bag and a large package of Ozcar's Invisible Staining Powder. Ozcar's line of "harmless" pranking supplies was just one of the many useful things she had learned from the children who had tormented her growing up.

Still, it didn't seem like enough. And she didn't even know how she was going to get everything on the right table. The green girl stood uncertainly near the doorway, looking around the room. It was surprisingly large compared to what the outside seemed like. Still, she doubted she could sneak in and out while Galinda and her friends were here.

What to do?

Before she could get too frustrated, she spotted something that distracted her completely. An Owl was moving from table to table, sweeping dirty dishes into a cart with a quick brush of her wing or gripping handles of platters and pitchers with her talons. She flew about the restaurant so expertly, taking orders without needing to write them down and bringing out plates faster than Elphaba had ever seen any human server.

Even so, it was clear that some customers were not a fan of being served by an Animal. A particularly hard-faced man was glaring at the Owl. She flew by, and with a quick, almost imperceptible jerk of his hand, his drink went off the table, shattering at his feet.

The room fell silent, everyone turning to look. The man jumped to his feet, a stream of curses flying from his mouth.

"You stupid beast! Look what you've done! That was a perfectly good bottle of beer, and now it's all over my shoes!"

The Owl hovered uncertainly in midair. "I'm very sorry, sir. I can bring you another drink right away, and a towel for your—"

"No, no!" he growled. "I want no help from some dumb animal! I demand to see the manager at once!"

The Owl clicked her beak anxiously. "The manager's gone for the day, sir. But I assure you, if you just let me get a towel, there will be no harm done."

"No harm done? Oh no! You won't get away with—"

"Enough!" Elphaba strode over to the table, ignoring the audible gasps that sounded around the café. "Why are you torturing this poor Owl? It's not her fault—I saw you knock over that bottle. She's clearly an excellent server. What's your problem?"

The man was too shocked to form a coherent response. "You—you're—green!"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Really? I hadn't noticed."

"What in Oz are you?"

The green girl clenched her teeth. She was a who, not a what. But to point this out would be a waste of time, so she just glared at the man with all the bitterness and rage she could muster. "Your worst nightmare. Now pay for your food and get out."

Surprisingly enough, the man frantically dug into his pockets, poured a handful of gold onto the table, and scurried off. Even more surprisingly, the rest of the customers soon went back to their meals. After a few moments, the hum of conversation was back to normal.

The Owl landed on the table and cocked her head to the side. "Who are you?" she asked.

Elphaba looked away. "No one of consequence." Great. Here she was, trying to booby trap a booth, and instead she was having a conversation with one of the workers.

"Well how can I thank you if I don't know your name?" the Owl asked quietly.

"…Elphaba."

She dipped her feathery head. "Well, Elphaba, that was very kind of you. While the Peach and Kidneys is, for the most part, still free of outright prejudice, I doubt very many people would stand up for me like you did." She looked down at the table and picked up a piece of gold. "I also doubt anyone could scare a man like that into leaving twice the amount he owed."

Elphaba's lips twitched. "Did he really?"

"Well, it's not every day you meet a self-proclaimed nightmare, now is it?" The Owl's eyes twinkled kindly. "I'm Ayla, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you, Ayla," Elphaba said, dipping her head.

"You as well. Now, how can I help you? Will you be dining alone this afternoon?"

"What?" Elphaba looked around. "Oh, no, I'm not eating. I was…um…"

Ayla cocked her head to the side again. "If you're not here to eat, then what brings you to the Peach and Kidneys?"

If she didn't think of something now, she would miss her chance completely. In that split second, Elphaba decided to go out on a limb. "It's kind of a long story. You see, a…well, someone I'm not too fond of is going to be dining here tomorrow, and…"

"Let me guess, you're a university student?" Ayla clicked her beak at Elphaba's stunned expression, but this time it seemed more out of amusement than annoyance. "You're not the first one to come around here looking to pull a prank. However, I daresay you're the first one to pull an act of kindness first. May I ask what you're trying to do, or should I leave you to your own devices?"

Elphaba shut her mouth to keep it from hanging open like a fool. "You mean…you would just leave me here to wreak havoc?"

Ayla winked. "I owe you one, don't I? Besides, my guess is this is more revenge than instigation."

"You could say that," Elphaba muttered. Then an idea struck her. "Wait, would you be willing to help me?"

Ayla's wings fluttered nervously. "That…would depend on what you wanted to do."

Elphaba pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Well, I don't know what table they'll be at or anything. I need someone on the inside, you know? Besides, I have no doubt in my mind that you'll want to do something. This group is sure to be as rude as that man."

"Elphaba, while I'm sure you're trying to do what you think these kids deserve, I can't help you. I don't want to mess with innocent customers."

Elphaba thought hard. "Okay, how about this. I mess with one table, and you just make sure that's the table they end up sitting at."

Ayla considered it for a moment. "This group…they've hurt you before, haven't they?"

Elphaba crossed her arms over her chest and made her expression smooth. "They don't matter enough to hurt me."

Something in the Owl's face told her she didn't quite believe her. Still, she sighed. "Alright. This table right here will work. Have at it, and I'll make sure the next person to sit in it is this enemy of yours. What do they look like?"

Elphaba started digging through her bag. "There will be four girls, all as pathetic and giggly as you can get. One of them will be a tiny, bubbly blonde. You'll know her when you see her; she's unbelievably annoying. Oh, and there'll be a Vinkan with them."

"A Winkie?" Ayla asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Dark skin, with blue diamond tattoos. If you can, make sure he doesn't have to deal with any of this."

Ayla's eyes narrowed. "Trying to win him over?" she asked.

Elphaba snorted, pulling out supplies and leaning under the table. "He's already proven himself to be a brainless oaf. No, I'm indifferent toward him. But he hasn't done anything against me." Yet, she added mentally.

After a few minutes, she straightened up and stuffed the leftover trash back into her bag. "That should do it," she said. "I apologize in advance for whatever way they treat you."

"Well, if I need to, I'll just add a few pranks of my own. It might not be the first time." With a wink, she stretched out her wings and lifted off the table. "Have a good day, Elphaba. And thank you again." Ayla flew off, back toward the kitchen. Elphaba watched her go, wondering why it was easier to be around Animals than it was her own classmates.