The Erstwhile Club was dimly lit, dark jade bulbs casting everything in a soft green glow. Galinda loved it instantly. Elphaba did not. She crossed her arms over her slender figure, feeling too exposed in a dress she'd borrowed from Galinda, a plain purple one with long sleeves that cost hundreds more than it should have, she knew.

The minute she stepped through the door she regretted it.

I don't wear pretty things, she'd told Galinda when her roommate insisted on trying on that ridiculous hat. And this was why. She felt ridiculous. Pretty things were a curse, they were not meant for a green girl like her.

Galinda was already floating around the room like she did, laughing and smiling and charming her way into everyone's good graces. Elphaba watched her with envy, the graceful way she said hello to strangers, the way the lamplight gave her a soft, almost ethereal glow. Elphaba found herself holding her breath, but for what, she did not know.

Pfannee and Shenshen burst through the doors seconds later, and upon seeing Galinda, practically squealed with delight. Elphaba shrank further against the wall but found herself, suddenly, with a hand upon her wrist. Her first instinct was to freeze, to conjure up magic, to do something anything to save herself.

But it was only Galinda.

"Miss Elphaba, you're being no fun," Galinda said, adding back the honorific in front of her friends. "Come, let me introduce you to my friends and we can dance."

"I don't dance, Miss Galinda," Elphaba said, trying to slow her heart, quell the fear and the magic already racing through her veins.

But Galinda pretended like she hadn't heard her, so Elphaba let herself be dragged into the center of the room where Galinda's friends were waiting—Pfannee, with her eyes large and owlish, and Shenshen, her lips painted a bright, almost orange-red. Elphaba consoled herself with the thought that neither looked as lovely as she thought they would, and certainly not as lovely as Galinda did.

But that was a wicked thought.

"Miss Elphaba, may I present my friends, Miss Pfannee, of Colwen Grounds, and Miss Shenshen of Frottica."

Both girls curtsied like they were at a ball. Elphaba had to do all she could to stifle a laugh, since each girl's dress was so frilly she feared they would topple over.

"And I am Miss Elphaba the Delirious," Elphaba said, and Galinda caught her eye and a smile grew on her face before it was quickly snuffed out.

"Pleasure," Pfannee sniffed, but neither girl moved to shake Elphaba's hand.

No matter.

The music quickly started up again and Elphaba turned to see a band in the corner—an Animal band, no less, with a Raccoon on mandolin and a Goat playing some sort of strange drum. A man was with them, playing the violin, probably for the best since he had fingers. The music was a lively sort of Quadling waltz, one that sounded almost like something from Elphaba's childhood, and before she knew it she was swaying to the music. Pfannee and Shenshen were standing off to the sides, giggling, but for once in her short life, Elphaba didn't care. The room was hazy and smoke-filled, the light was green, and here in this dress she felt almost—

beautiful.

Galinda watched her friend as she twirled, and those feelings started up in her gut again.

"I daresay she has nerve," Pfannee said, lip curling. "Ozness knows if it was me who looked like that I'd never leave my dorm."

Galinda bit her lip at the cruel comments. She thought Elphaba looked lovely, thought the way the soft light looked on her skin turned her a beautiful, effervescent shade of emerald. She looked like a dream. She didn't look human, and Galinda wanted to reach out and touch her to make sure she was real. Her hand almost floated out from her side, and then—

A boy came up. He was handsome, she supposed, in that way boys from the city could be—light brown skin, almost silver hair, his expensive coat a deep, rich purple. She felt Pfannee and Shenshen shift beside her, nervously giggling.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asked, and the girls tittered, but the stranger was staring directly at Galinda.

She couldn't see Elphaba anymore. And she realized, then, how foolish she'd been—what? Would Elphaba dance with her, here? With her friends and all these people around? Would she dare dance with her?

"That would be lovely," Galinda demurred, and the stranger smiled and signaled for two drinks.

Elphaba's eyes were closed, and the music was pouring through her, and she felt—alive. Full of Life, full of something she hadn't felt since she was small, since she sang.

And then it was music had stopped and she opened her eyes and Galinda was at the bar with a man—a boy?—a man, drinking and laughing and touching his wrist and—

She'd been so stupid to come here. Stupid to think Galinda invited her because she wanted her here, and she kept the pain off her face so Pfannee and Shenshen wouldn't see. Not like they were paying her mind, anyhow. Their eyes were fixed on the stranger with Galinda.

Stupid girl, she thought to herself. Stupid, fickle heart.

She left the club without looking back, and walked home, so furious she didn't even notice when it began to rain.

The man's lips were warm against Galinda's skin, though not unpleasantly so, and her head was fuzzy.

Oz, how many drinks had she had?

No matter. The kissing was pleasant enough. Pleasant enough she didn't even notice the rain.

But then his hands started to wander, and Galinda felt her resolve weakening—how many drinks?

"No," she mumbled against his ear, but his hands continued to wander.

"No," she said again, but his hands were fumbling with her bodice, and she had the sense still to thank Oz she'd worn something difficult to get undone.

The rain was coming harder now, and she was chilled, and slowly becoming more sober—

Where were Pfannee and Shenshen? Hadn't they promised to walk her home after Elphaba left? For Oz's sake, where was Elphaba?

"Let her go," said a voice, a husky one, low. Galinda thought it might have been the wind, but then the man's hands were gone. And there was a sickening crack and a low "you bitch" and then his lips were gone and Galinda was wet and cold and shivering and too, entirely sober.

"Come on, up you go," the voice husked, and Galinda found her arm slung over a thin, bony shoulder.

"Elphaba?"

"Shh," the green girl muttered. "Don't talk until we get back, all right? You're not well."

But she was—just drunk, just—

The green girl's weight felt nice against Galinda's own, and she found herself leaning into her more until Elphaba stumbled.

"You are going to have to walk, you know," Elphaba said, not unkindly.

"Sorry," Galinda murmured, and took a few hesitant steps forward, Elphaba wincing along beside her. She didn't notice the green girl's burns until they got back to the dormitory, in the light of their small room.

"Elphaba, you're hurt!" Galinda cried, all trace of her earlier fuzziness gone.

Elphaba jerked her arms away, but Galinda could see the burns through the gauzy sleeves of the dress she'd lent her, and dark bruises in the shape of fingerprints where the man had grabbed her.

"It's Miss Elphaba," she snapped. "And I'm fine."

"Elphie…"

"Don't," Elphaba said harshly. She turned her back to Galinda. "Please close your eyes so I can get these things off of me. I'm sorry I ruined your dress."

Galinda waved a hand. "Please. It's not like I don't have others." She smiled what she thought was a kind smile at her roommate, but after a severe stare from Elphaba, she closed her eyes.

Curiosity overcame her then, however, and she opened them. She immediately wished she hadn't.

Elphaba was thin, thinner than Galinda thought, faded silvery scars crisscrossing her shoulders, with red blotches—Oz, had the water done that to her? The criss-crossing scars were too exact, though. And she was staring, and those thoughts were creeping in, even now—

Stop it, she admonished herself..

Elphaba pulled a thin, dark shift over her head, quickly retying that silky black hair into a thick braid before pulling it over her shoulder.

"Elph—Miss Elphaba…" Galinda started, though she didn't know what she was going to say.

"Don't," Elphaba said again, before settling herself on her bed with a book hiding her face.

Galinda stared at her. "That's all you have to say? Don't?"

"What else do you want from me?" Elphaba said, looking up, her eyes meeting Galinda's. "You invite me out to this club with your awful friends, put me in some frilly frock like I'm some kind of spectacle to be laughed at, and then you abandon me for some—some—and I have to come rescue you from some alley—"

"I didn't ask you to rescue me! I didn't need you to save me, just because you're too frigid—"

"Do not," Elphaba growled, "make this about me."

"I don't see why you're so upset!"

"Oh, don't you? You brought me out like I was just some—some thing didn't you? So your friends could laugh at me, let's all have a laugh at the green girl," Elphaba spat.

"That's not—"

"Then what is it, then?! Why in Oz would you ever—"

"Because I like you!" Galinda shrieked. "You know for someone so clever you sure are blind."

Elphaba laughed, a cruel sound. "Blind?"

"Yes, blind, you daft idiot if you can't see—" how I feel about you was what almost came out of her mouth, but she stopped herself in time.

"If I can't see what?" Elphaba asked.

Galinda shook her head. "Just that… that tonight didn't go the way I wished it, either."

Elphaba snorted. "I'd say it went about exactly how you planned."

"Just because the world has treated you cruelly doesn't mean everyone will—"

"Oh, doesn't it?" she spat.

"No," Galinda said softly. "No. It doesn't. And I'm sorry if I—if I treated you cruelly, at first, because we… we are friends, aren't we?"

The word took Elphaba by surprise.

Friends. Friendship. With Galinda, who was her opposite in about every way possible.

Were they friends?

Did she even want them to be friends?

Oz's sake, was friendship even possible for her?

She'd been told it wasn't. Told all her life no one would want her, want to be near her, desire her or her company. It was better if she was left alone, and time proved that to be true. No one wanted to be near her, even Nessarose, and as time went on she didn't want to be near anyone herself.

But here was Galinda, offering friendship.

Elphaba could not dare hope for more.

"I suppose we are—friends," she said carefully.

And then Galinda squealed, running towards her and hugging the taller girl with a strength Elphaba was surprised to find she possessed. "Oh Miss Elphaba, I am so sorry for tonight—I'm sorry for abandoning you, and I'm sorry for my awful friends—well they aren't really my friends—and I…" Galinda swallowed. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't found me in that alley."

Elphaba shuddered. She knew what would have happened to Galinda, she knew it all too well.

"Good thing I did, then," she said, carefully extracting herself from Galinda's embrace. She was suddenly too aware of how long they'd been holding onto each other and how close Galinda's face has been to her own and how loud the thump of her own heart in her ears was.

She resisted the urge to wrench back, purge the ugly thoughts heading through her brain.

Not now. Not now.

"Seriously," Galinda said, settling herself on the bed next to Elphaba, legs almost-but-not-quite touching. "Thank you. What… were you doing out there, anyway? It was raining."

"I was going home," Elphaba said. " I left early and I was walking away but then something told me to turn around and I did and—there you were."

Galinda swallowed. "What did you do to the man? The one I was with?"

Elphaba knew she couldn't bring herself to answer that question.

"Don't worry about him, love," she said, the term slipping easily from her mouth. It was one she had used with Nessa, when she was smaller, but with Galinda it felt different. It felt right, and the weight of it felt…

Right.

She felt Galinda tense beside her. "Miss Elphaba—"

"I shouldn't have said that," Elphaba said quickly, standing up. "I'm sorry."

"No, Elphaba—" Galinda reached out, grabbed her hand. Something like magic, like a spark, passed through Elphaba's skin when she did, and she wanted to jerk away.

But she didn't.

"Aren't you tired of hiding?" Galinda asked, voice so soft Elphaba thought she might not have heard her at first.

"I'm green, Miss Galinda. I don't exactly hide."

The use of the honorific caused Galinda to drop her hand, and Elphaba cursed in her head for being so stupid.

"We need to sleep, it's been a long night," Elphaba said, and Galinda got up from her bed without a word and crossed to her own side of the room. She changed wordlessly and Elphaba didn't turn around to look at her.

But when she turned the bedside lamp off, she said "Good night, love."

And in the darkness, Elphaba Thropp smiled.