AN: You guys are amazing, thank you so much for your reviews! :D And yes, Fiyero is completely brainless once again... but this time he has a good reason for his behaviour, which you will find out about later :).

Moreanswers24, I love how you can threaten my life and give me love in a single sentence.

BlueD, your review left me in stitches.

Musicgal3, I LOVE YOU TOO AND I'M GLAD YOU'RE MY TWIN, TOO! Couldn't ask for a better one! 3

The part about Fiyero's tight white trousers is especially funny since the other day I logged in on Twitter and I got the following message: "Jeremy Taylor's Butt is now following you" (Jeremy Taylor currently plays Fiyero in London). I laughed so hard, you have no idea.

Chapter 2. Galinda's torture

"…and then she just stalked off!" Fiyero complained. "I don't even understand why she suddenly grew so cold and everything! Do you think it was something I said?"

Galinda shrugged. "Just because we became friends, doesn't mean I know what's on her mind all the time."

Nessarose, who was sitting right next to the blonde, sighed. "It probably was, Fiyero," she said wearily. "Fabala can be so hot-headed sometimes. She probably took offence at something you said, but what, I can't possibly say. Though it could have been the mention of sex," she said, her eyebrows coming together in a disapproving knot. "Really, Master Fiyero, it's not appropriate to talk about such things – let alone to a lady – and it is certainly not proper to actually do such things."

"I don't know what it is about Elphie," said Galinda, shaking her head. "Sometimes I just don't understand her."

"You're not the only one," Fiyero muttered, and Nessa nodded in agreement.

"Well, anyway," Galinda said, changing the subject. Her face brightened. "Are you two going to that party Pfannee is throwing for her birthday next week? It's in town, at a bar called the Orchestra – it's supposed to be really awesome."

Nessarose shook her head. "I wasn't invited," she said.

Galinda immediately felt bad for the girl. "Oh, but you can still come!" she tried to cheer Nessa up. "Everyone always brings along friends and other people they know – the more, the merrier!"

But Nessa just shook her head again. "I'm not really one for parties, anyway," she said. "The OzDust was one thing, but that's not something I want to do every week."

Galinda pouted. "Oh, but Nessa –"

"I'm sorry, Galinda," the girl cut the blonde off before she could start pleading. "The answer is no." She tilted her head a little to the side. "But maybe Fabala will want to go," she suggested. "She should really go out more, get to know other people… she's always cooped up inside a classroom, her dorm room or the library."

Galinda's face lit up. "Ooh, that's a great idea, Nessa!" she squealed, clapping her hands. "I could take her shopping this afternoon! Ooh, and then I'll give her a makeover again, like I did after the OzDust party the other day… and Fiyero, would you dance with her? Please? Maybe that way, she won't just slip away to sit down in a corner somewhere and read the book she'll undoubtedly sneak in."

"Sure," Fiyero agreed easily. "I'll dance with her."

Just then, Galinda spotted her green roommate walking by outside, her nose in a book, and the blonde squealed. "Oh, there she is! I'll go and ask her right away!" She patted Fiyero's cheek. "Fifi, dearest, you'll pay for us ladies, won't you?"

Before the prince could even respond, Galinda bounced out of the café, running over towards Elphaba. "Elphie!"

Elphaba looked up from her book. Before she could say or do anything else, Galinda had linked her arm with Elphaba's and pulled her in the direction of the main street of Shiz town.

"Come on, Elphie, we're going shopping!"

Elphaba suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. "What?!"

Galinda huffed. "Oh, don't be dramatic about it. You don't have any classes this afternoon, do you?" Without waiting for an answer, she pulled the book from Elphaba's hands and stuffed it into her roommate's bag. "There you go. Now, Elphie – Fiyero, Nessa and I were just talking and we all agreed on the fact that you should totally go to that party Pfannee is hosting next weekend."

She chattered on as she started dragging Elphaba in the direction of the blonde's favourite boutique. "Pfannee is turning twenty, which is, of course, a big milestone, and so it's reason for a party! So, anyway, we're going to the Orchestra next Saturday to celebrate; and we think you should come, too. Before you say no," she said when Elphaba opened her mouth to protest, "I'd like to remind you of the fact that there is more to life than lectures and books and libraries; and that I would really, really love for you to come."

Elphaba closed her mouth and looked at Galinda, clearly torn. The blonde widened her eyes and pouted.

"Pretty please?"

Elphaba sighed. "Glin –"

"Fiyero really wants to dance with you," Galinda added. "And you would make me so happy if you'd let me give you an eensy-weensy tiny little makeover and come along with me to the party. You won't even have to stay for long; just promise me you'll come."

Elphaba gave the blonde a long look before caving.

"Alright," she sighed. "But no pink and no sparkles for the makeover… and no more than two hours of shopping," she said sternly.

Galinda spluttered for a while, but then she grunted and gave in. "Okay, fine."

"And at the party," Elphaba added, "you will not complain if I pull out a book, and you will not try to make me stay when I want to leave."

"Fine," Galinda conceded. "But you can't leave until you've stayed for at least four hours."

"One," Elphaba argued.

"Three."

"Two. And not a clock-tick longer."

"Two," Galinda agreed. "Unless you're having fun."

Elphaba snorted.

"Don't be so pessimistic, Elphie," Galinda chided her friend. She pulled the green girl into a store and immediately started collecting dresses.

"Every girl needs a little black dress," she decided, pulling one out. "Or, well, every girl but me – black makes me look like someone just died." She grabbed some more short, black dresses and piled them on top of one another in her arms. "And at least you won't object to black."

"I won't," Elphaba said warily, "but I will object to extreme short skirts, sequins, ruffles, bows or ribbons, cleavage, and showing too much skin in general."

Galinda huffed. "You're no fun." She shoved her friend into a fitting room with the dresses she had already found. "Here, try these on. I'll go find some more colourful ones!" She skipped off.

"No pink!" Elphaba called after her, though she wasn't sure if the blonde could still hear her – and if she could, if she would actually listen.

Elphaba begrudgingly tried on some of the dresses. One of them was strapless and didn't reach any lower than halfway down her thigh, clinging to her forms a little too tightly, so she hung that one aside. The next one had a see-through bodice – no way she was ever going to wear that.

Soon the pile of dresses she was not going to wear was enormous, and she only had two dresses left to try on.

"Elphie?" Galinda asked from outside the fitting room. "How do they look on you?"

"Horrible," the green girl replied, pulling one of the remaining dresses off the clothes hanger and putting it on.

"I have some other ones here, if you want to try them," Galinda offered. "I've got blue, and purple, and red, and bronze…"

Elphaba glanced at herself in the mirror. Hmm. Not bad. "I guess this one is okay."

"Can I see?" Galinda asked excitedly.

Suddenly, Fiyero came walking through the door, looking cheerful.

"Hey, Glin," he greeted the blonde. "I thought I would find you in here. Listen, you disappeared so suddenly back at the café and I just wanted to ask you about -"

Just then, Elphaba hesitantly stepped out of the fitting room to show her friend the dress, which had spaghetti straps, a corset-like bodice and a flowing skirt that just reached her knees.

Galinda immediately started squealing, interrupting the Vinkun prince. "Oh, Elphie! It looks gorgeous on you! You just have to buy this one!"

Elphaba, however, was staring in complete shock and horror at Fiyero – who was just as speechless, but for a different reason.

"I – whoa," he finally managed. "I can only agree."

Elphaba's face was flushed and she all but ran back into the fitting room in order to escape his eyes. "What in Oz are you doing here?" she demanded in a high voice from the other side of the curtain. "You're not supposed to see me like this!"

Fiyero raised an eyebrow and exchanged a look with Galinda. "What? Why not?"

"Elphie," Galinda pointed out patiently, "if you're going to buy this dress and wear it to Pfannee's party, he would see it soon, anyway."

"Then I'm not buying this dress and wearing it to Pfannee's party!" came Elphaba's voice. "It's too short, anyway – it exposes way too much skin. Do you think anyone wants to look at all that green?"

"Well," Fiyero said honestly, "I can't say I would mind."

Galinda smirked at him before looking at the curtain again. "Elphie, you're exaggerating."

"No. I'm not buying this dress."

"Elphie, please."

"Yeah, Elphie, please," Fiyero added. "It looks really gorgeous on you."

She huffed. "Shut up. And don't call me that."

Why did he insist on bothering her all the time? She didn't want him here, and she certainly didn't want him to lie to her about the way she looked. Was he trying to make fun of her, or something? Even now, after he had told her he wanted to be friends?

Her first impression of him had been right – he was nothing but an arrogant, careless, spoilt prince who used girls like they were doormats, sleeping with the pretty ones and making fun of all the others. He was just like Avaric and the rest of that popular clique.

When Elphaba didn't come out, Galinda asked a bit worriedly, "Elphie?"

The green girl sighed. "Tell Fiyero to leave."

He frowned. "There's no need to be rude," he muttered. "I'm going." He turned to face Galinda. "What I came to ask you," he said. "Considering the fact that it's a birthday party… do you have any tips regarding a present for Pfannee?"

Galinda giggled. "I bet your mere presence at her party will be the only present she wants from you," she teased him.

He grinned at her. "Right. Well… good luck shopping." He looked at the curtain. "You, too, Elphaba."

"Shut up."

He left, and Galinda heaved a deep sigh. "Elphie, why do you have to be so hostile towards him?" she wanted to know. "He's just trying to be nice."

"He's not trying to be nice." Elphaba poked her head out of the fitting room to glare at her friend. "He's trying to humiliate me."

Galinda looked at her friend in confusion. "What? That's ridiculous." She shook her head, sending her blonde curls flying around her head. "Why would he do that? And more importantly, how? All he said was that he thinks you look gorgeous in that dress – which, really, you do."

"No, I don't." Elphaba disappeared inside of the fitting room again for a moment and Galinda could hear her shuffling around. Then the curtain was shoved open and Elphaba appeared, dressed in her own dark blue frock again and with the pile of dresses on her arm. "Where can I leave these?"

"Just dump them in that chair," Galinda said, waving at a chair in the corner of the room. "The shop assistant will put them back where they belong. You are buying that one dress, aren't you?"

Elphaba sighed and nodded. "I guess," she said reluctantly.

"Yay!" Galinda squealed and threw her arms around her best friend, squeezing tightly. "This is going to be the best party ever!"

"You say that about every party," said Elphaba, rolling her eyes, but she was smiling a little. Who knew? She might actually end up having some fun.

"Let me guess," Fiyero said as he plopped down in the seat next to Elphaba. "You hate this party?"

Elphaba glanced up from the book she had been reading in a corner of the room, where the other students would leave her alone. Her shoulders rose and fell in a half-shrug in response to his question.

"Parties aren't really my thing," she said.

He laughed. "I thought Galinda said you've only ever been to one party in your life."

She actually smiled a little. "True. But that party was horrible, too."

He bumped her shoulder with his. "It wasn't that bad, was it? Certainly it got much better after I started talking to you?"

She slammed her book shut, an irritated expression on her face. "Why are you always being so cocky?" she asked him. "I'm serious – I genuinely want to know. Sometimes you're almost nice; but then you always say or do something incredibly stupid or arrogant again."

He shrugged. "It's what people like most about me," he said. "I'm handsome and I know it." He winked at her.

She just scowled.

He shook his head. "Okay, my turn," he said. "Now I have a question for you." He inched closer to her. "Why do you seem not at all affected by my irresistible charm?"

"Gee, I don't know." She tapped her chin, pretending to be thinking about the answer to that question. "Oh, I do know!"

She jabbed her finger in his chest. "Maybe," she said, "just maybe, not all girls immediately bow down to kiss your feet the moment you walk by. Maybe some girls are actually looking for some substance in a person. Maybe some girls loathe arrogant party boys who drink until they burst and take home a different girl every night."

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "Maybe," she sneered, "some of us are different."

He barely batted an eye. "No kidding, huh."

She narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded hotly.

He shrugged. "Nothing," he said. "Just that I already noticed you were different."

"Yes, that's pretty hard to overlook, isn't it?" she spat at him, her dark eyes flaming. "Given the fact that according to you, your driver confused me with a traffic light, I suppose you really did notice that I am different. Congratulations on being so observant, Master Tiggular." She stuffed her book back into her bag with an angry movement and rose to her feet. "I think I'm going back to my dorm room now. Goodbye."

"Hey, wait." Fiyero caught her hand, tugging on it until she stood still. He looked up at her, a serious expression on his face for once.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said.

She snorted. "Sure you didn't."

"No, I really didn't!" He ran his fingers through his hair.

"I wasn't talking about your skin," he said. "I just meant that you're… I don't know." He cocked his head a little to the side. "You're just… different," he said, shrugging. "Smarter… more independent. I like that." He gave her a cocky grin. "It makes you a challenge."

She eyed him warily, not saying anything. A challenge. What was she supposed to make of that? That he wanted to hang out with her just because he wanted to see if he could get her to sleep with him, or something? Was that all?

"You're interesting," he added, tugging at her hand again until she reluctantly sank back down into her seat.

He looked at her with a smile on his face, rather than his usual grin or smirk. "And besides," he said, sounding casual, but his eyes were burning with intensity and they never left hers. "Did I tell you that you look very beautiful tonight?"

She bristled. "Look, those tricks may work on any other silly girl you want to talk into coming home with you tonight, but I don't –"

"Hey!" he interrupted her, irritated himself now. "I'm not trying to talk you into anything! I'm just trying to give you a compliment!"

"By lying to me?"

"Why would I be lying?" he wanted to know. "You just look beautiful. Sorry for noticing."

She scowled, crossing her arms. "I'm not beautiful," she insisted, "and you know that as well as I do."

"Why not?" he demanded. "Because you're not Galinda?"

"Because I'm green!" she almost shouted at him. Did she really have to spell that out for him?

He stared at her. "You think you're not beautiful because you're green?"

She didn't respond, just huffed and looked away.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you you're beautiful?" he asked her, clearly baffled. "Don't all parents tell their children that?"

She glared at him. "Goodbye, Fiyero."

He threw his hands up into the air in submission and watched as she, for what felt like the thousandth time since he had met her, stalked away from him.

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