Galinda sat in class taking notes…well more along the lines of staring out the window in deep contemplation while making circles with her fountain pen in a notebook absentmindedly.

She was thinking about her and about Elphie and that confusing knot that was seemed to be tying her heart to her lungs causing them both to be especially fluttery. She thought about how different they were, about how she came from a totally different past.

She was Galinda Upland of the Upland manners. Elphie was Elphaba Thropp of the third Thropp Descendings. They both had prestige she guessed, Elphaba was suppose to inherit Colwen Grounds and be Governor to Munchkin Land, but Elphaba grew up in quadling country with…. Quadlings. They were a group of very vulgar, very crude people. She on the other hand grew up with the sophisticated, worldly citizens of Gillikan.

What was she thinking even talking to Elphie? In fact, the more she thought about it the more she felt like it never really happened. It was just a dream that had gotten away from her. She never really held Elphaba's hand. She never felt the soft Emerald skin beneath her pale tingling fingers. She had never instigated a pillow fight that had left her with Elphaba on top of her causing a feeling inside of her she had never felt, well at least in a waken state. Nope it had never happened.

She went back on trying to concentrate on what the teacher was saying but after ten minutes of trying and trying to focus, realizing it was too late to join the discussion, she felt her thoughts follow back to that same girl. She looked at her hands; they tingled with a sensation that only emerald skin could cure.

'Shit' She looked around trying to notice if anyone had noticed that she had not taken one single note the entire class, but everyone seemed to be wrapped up in their own selves. Fiyero was diligently taking notes as the professor mumbled on about…. Something. Nessarosa was staring at Boq intensely with a pained look in her eye. Boq was writing something in his notebook totally oblivious to Nessarosa's stares. Shenshen and fhanne were deep in conversation, smiling and was Pfanne's hand on Shenshen's leg twiddling her fingers.

Whoa what is that? No, they were just friends. Both came from extremely well to do families. They would never even think of a same sex relationship. Besides they were always flirting with Fiyero. She, just all of a sudden, was extremely confused as to what was going on inside her head.

She had to ignore the feelings she had every time she looked at the girl. She had to ignore the need and want that rose inside her. It had been rising ever since she laid eyes on that emerald skin. The way her eyes intensely grew darker when she was talking passionately about animal rights or yelling at Galinda. Two things Elphaba did quite often. She had to ignore the way the light from the fire bounced off Elphie's exotic cascading hair as she sat reading her books.

No she had to just finish with class and hopefully focus more in the next class. If she kept this up she wouldn't have to face Elphaba anymore, Glinda would be expelled.

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Elphie sat in class ignoring what the teacher was saying. She had read several books on this specific topic on Oz's history. She defiantly knew more about Munchkin land's history then the professor. She could afford to space out a little and focus on her main problem right now.

There was awkwardness between her and her roomy. There was also a strange closeness that she had felt last night and Glinda pulled her out of her frightening dream. She brought her back to safety and had held her hand.

Before that night Glinda had not so much as touched Elphie. In fact Glinda had gone out of her way to stay clear of Elphie's touch. She seemed to stay a good five feet out of reach afraid of what Elphie didn't know.

She was pretty sure it was due to her green skin; it always seemed to go back to that.

Elphie had always been made fun of and mistreated due to the change of pigment in her skin compared to everyone else in all of Oz. Her own family treated her as though she had no feelings or emotions. That was when Elphie decided it would be easier to face the world without them. She could live her life without her emotions or the love of people.

She could suppress her feelings during the day but at night is when her past would come back to haunt her and her emotions would get the better of her. She would remember her father's way of showing her love. It was the only way he could show her love. No, she had to suppress these feelings. If only she could make herself not feel anything at night.

But she had felt something last night and Galinda had been there to hold Elphie. She had been there to help and the real question is why? And why had she allowed herself to feel feelings she wasn't sure about for Galinda. She had never had these feelings before.

She felt them the first time she laid eyes on the petite blonde girl. She knew the girl hated her so on behalf of her own feelings she tried to hate Galinda as well. It had been quite a successful front until last night, which lead to the events of that morning. Oh, those stupid dreams always caused her so much trouble.

She had to ignore everything again. The blonde girl had probably forgotten all about there little pillow fight and was now focusing in on her new obsession with a boy that was sure to fall madly in love with her. It always happened and then Galinda would lose interest and the boy would stalk her for the next week or so.

The movements of chairs and the sounds of voices laughing and talking, signaling the end of class startled Elphie out of her thoughts. She had zoned out the entire last thirty minutes of class. 'Oh god,' she thought, 'that blonde is really wearing off on me.'

She quickly tried to push back any thoughts of the bubbly girl but found that much like Galinda in real life, in her head she wanted to be the main focus. She had to just suppress her as much as she could and focus on her studies.

Her studies were her savior. She had to remember why she was here. She got to be away from her family. From her sister's blaming eyes to her father's… well she didn't want to go there. She couldn't go there.

Elphie finally made her way out of the building and headed across the lawn. Winter was finally over and the grass seemed to be as lush as ever. Elphie had the desire to take off her shoes and stockings and run her feet through the grass. She stopped for a moment and couldn't fight the urge any longer as she knelt down and ran her fingers across the blades of grass.

Elphie looked up to see two green eyes meet her brown ones, and though they were at least a hundred feet apart she felt an almost shocking jolt of the intensity that spread across her body.

Just then she heard a voice, "miss Elphaba what in Oz are you doing." Realizing she was still kneeling on the grass she got up and brushed herself off trying to disregard the sudden heat in her face and the feeling of embarrassment that she was not only caught kneeling on grass but was caught in the middle of an intimate moment with a certain popular blonde. Well she hadn't exactly been caught. I mean no one noticed the eye lock that had been held between the two. It in fact only had happened for a couple seconds.

"Master Boq, what are you doing here?" She said trying to ignore the smirk that was plastered on his face. She looked back to where Galinda had been standing but the girl was gone.

"Well you are in the middle of the commons if you haven't forgotten. And I was going to class when I saw you kneel down on the grass and knowing how out of character this is for you…well I had to know what's up. So…"

"Well I... umm…" Elphie scanned her mind for an excuse coming to a blank…project? No even she couldn't pull that off. Well she had no other choice. " I love grass. I don't know why. It may be because I blend so well with it. And it's been just so cold and snowy the last few months. The grass looked so lush…" She was rambling she realized. Elphie didn't ramble. Rambling lead to mistakes and truth and showed vulnerability. Elphie was anything but vulnerable.

She quickly stood even straighter held her hand out "well I really must be going Master Boq. I have to get to class so I bid you good day."

He grabbed her hand out of instinct looking very much confused. He went to speak, to ask the most obvious questions, but before he had the chance Elphaba was dashing away with a look of almost panic. And just like that she left a very mystified Boq to sit there and wonder what went on in the bizarre green girl's head.

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Galinda was coming out of class when she noticed Elphie out of the corner of her eye. And turned her head to see the girl stop in the middle of the grounds. She saw a look of desire in the girl's eye. A look she had never seen in this girl's eyes. Galinda watched as she agilely lowered her knees onto the lush lawn and slowly plunged her hands into the verdant emerald grass caressing the blades. She felt a sensation grow over her own body and her knees suddenly felt a little weaker. Damn she wished she hadn't skipped breakfast.

Then she saw the head come up and brown eyes lock with her green ones. She felt a shocked at first. She realized she had just watched Elphie at a very intimate and vulnerable moment and felt a little unworthy of viewing something so beautiful.

That feeling was soon forgotten as the gaze deepened and she could feel her breathe catch in her throat. So for a few seconds as she stood fixed on this beautiful girl she couldn't help but hold her breath.

She didn't know how long it had been; Seconds, minutes hours, years, but the lock was finally broken as Elphie looked around to talk to the annoying munchkin boy Boq who was in her first class. She felt a sudden jealousy for him that he could just walk up to the green girl with no shame and just talk to her.

She suddenly remembered why she was standing there and twirled around just in time see Pfanne and Shenshen walking towards her. She plastered on her fake smile wove her hand to greet them. They returned the smile as they barreled over to her.

Shenshen was the first to speak. "Oh my god can you believe how boring class was today. Who knew you could have an hour lecture on chromatics."

'So that's what he was talking about' thought Galinda, with a sudden sigh of relief. "Well I like that class, and I'm getting pretty descent grades in it."

"Oh yah, ok" Pfanne chuckled. "You looked quite engrossed in the study today." She said sarcastically.

"And besides the only reason your taking that class is because it's a demanded class if you want to take sorcery. And we all know how much you want to be a famous sorceress" Shenshen added in a mocking over exaggerated tone.

Galinda felt a defensive anger pull into her hands as she clenched them. "Well it didn't look like you minded the class or Pfanne's hand caressing your leg that much." Galinda shot back smoothly knowing she had hit on something when Phanne's face turned as white as snow.

Shenshen only grinned back knowing the blonde had beaten her at her own game. "Well we have to go to class. Meet us for lunch?" Shenshen put on a big very phony smile that even she could not pretend to believe herself.

"Of course." Galinda said smiling back with as much of a smile as she could muster. "Wouldn't miss it."

The two girls hugged as Shenshen kissed Galinda on the cheek. Galinda returned with a kiss on the cheek she could reach and backed away hugging Fhanne.

'Oh what great friends I have.' Galinda thought to herself bitterly as the two girls walked away blending into the crowd of people rushing to her next class. 'I have given up for so much for what; Popularity, the limelight, the need to feel appreciated and admired?'

Galinda ignored the sudden rise in morals and self pity and quickly turned to head to her next class. She had them as friends because they were expected to be her friends, nothing more nothing less. She knew she had no choice to where her life had taken her. Well the choice she had had a choice, she still did in fact. She just didn't know what to do with it.

Well now at least she had a good reason to focus on her studies, besides the fact that she needed to pass. She walked into class and brushed off everything. Brushed off Shenshen and Fhanne, brushed off Elphie and grass and all the sensations that came with the two hand in hand. She was determined to not let anyone get to her. She in fact was Galinda of upland Manners and that meant she could do anything she set her mind to. At least that's what she told her mind.

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They both sat there in the room with a silence and tension that you could almost cut with a knife. Elphie sat her bed a book in hand, as usual, reading.

Galinda was sitting on her bed under the covers staring at the fire burrowing herself into the blankets. The days were warming up but the nights were still chilly and the heat of the fire rarely made it over to Galinda's side of the room when it was as small as it was tonight.

Galinda looked over at Elphie and couldn't help but stare at her a little too long. She was focused on her lips now a new obsession she could add to the list of things she loved about Elphie. They were a dark purple with a tint of green and looked very soft. Looking at them drove her mad. But you know in a good way.

Elphie not even looking up from her book asked, "What is it Galinda that you find the need to stare at me?"

Galinda a little shocked that her roommate had caught her staring could only say "I saw you today."

"I know I saw you too" said in a deep almost hushed voice. She looked up from her book and caught the eye of Galinda with a determined look within her smoldering brown eyes that caused Galinda's own eyes to water at the intensity.

The saddest part is Elphie didn't even know what she was determined to find. But she knew what she was looking for, she could find in Galinda.