The weekend finally came. Melanie was singing and dancing all around the castle. She was very jumpy and excited. She was so excited that she couldn't stop shaking at the dinner table.

"Melanie, dear, I know that you are excited, but please stop shaking," Elphaba sighed.

"Melanie, what are you so excited about?" asked Glinda, who didn't know about the sleepover.

"Mother said that I could have a sleepover this weekend," said Melanie, who managed to stop shaking long enough for Glinda to understand her.

Glinda gasped, "You're very first sleepover! This is one of the biggest moments in a girl's life, next to having your first kiss, getting married and having your first baby…"

"Glinda!" interrupted Nessa. Melanie was, after all, only ten years old.

"What? It is!" Nessa's frown did not go away. "Fine, we will discuss all of that other stuff later. But right now, I'm going to teach you how to be popular."

"Oh, no! Not this again," complained Elphaba.

"You, on the other hand, Elphie, need a review. You have not been practicing."

"Toss, toss!" joked Fiyero.

Elphaba gave him death look. "Watch it!" she warned.

Fiyero laughed.

"Fine, if you think that it will help," Elphaba said.

"It will! You are never to old to learn how to be popular." Glinda smiled

"I'M NOT OLD!" screamed Elphaba.

Glinda stayed silent, because she didn't want to anger Elphaba and make her change her mind. After dinner, Melanie and Glinda went up into Glinda's room for Melanie's first popular lesson.

"First, hair. This is how you toss your hair." Glinda demonstrated a perfect over-the-shoulder hair toss. Melanie copied Glinda. "Well done!" praised Glinda. She did it again. Glinda and Melanie were toss-tossing and laughing until they saw Elphaba and Nessa standing in the doorway.

"Aunt Nessa, you try it!" encouraged Melanie.

"Toss, toss!" said Nessa, as she tossed her shoulder length dark brown hair over her shoulder and laughed. Glinda and Melanie applauded her and Nessa joined the girls laughing on the floor.

"Come on, Elphie! You remember! Toss, toss!" Glinda said as she pulled Elphaba into the room.

"Glinda, I can't," protested Elphaba.

"You can, and you will! Or do I need to give you a make over, again?" asked Glinda as she put her hands on her hips. Elphaba sighed. Glinda-one. Elphaba-zero.

"Toss, toss!" said Elphaba, as she smiled and tossed her long, black hair over the shoulder.

"You have been practicing! I'm so proud of you!" Glinda hugged her best friend.

Elphaba joined the girls on the floor and laughed. They were laughing and toss-tossing for the rest of the evening.

The next day was Saturday, the day of the sleepover. Luciana came over early to help Melanie set up. They took out the extra beds and blankets. Melanie showed Luciana how to toss her hair. Luciana didn't get it at first, so Melanie told her to keep practicing. With everything set up and the sleepover only a few hours away, Melanie was starting to second guess herself.

"Are you sure that this is a good idea?" she asked Luciana, doubtfully.

"Of course! Kill them with kindness! That's what my mother always says," Luciana replied.

"I'm just going to take your word for it," Melanie responded.

The few hours went be really quickly and the sleepover party would start in a few minutes. There was a knock on the door. Nessa answered it. The girls were starting to arrive.

"Hello, and welcome to our home," Nessa greeted the girls as they walked in.

Melanie inhaled. This was going to be a long night, and she knew it.