Disclaimer: I don't own anything Wicked. Just borrowing the characters.
Galinda's back was beginning to ache. Despite fluffing up her dress as much as dress code allowed, she could still feel the cold metal from the metal chairs provided for the high school convocation. Restlessness drifted through the airs as students couldn't help but buzz in excitement. Lingering thoughts about switching to a more prestigious high school, where surely more comfortable seating would be available to its privileged students, floated from the back of Galinda's mind. But, Galinda knew she had to stick it out. It was all a part of her big plan. The best revenge ever to a certain somebody who happened to ruin any change of glory at every turn. She would make Elphaba Thropp fall in love with her. Then she would promptly dump her and reduce her to a weeping mess. Galinda could not wait.
"In the next three years, I hope we can all learn to live meaningfully and become active citizens of Oz," a detached voice echoed throughout the auditorium.
Galinda groaned, causing some heads to turn. Thropp really needed to work on her interpersonal skills. This had to be the most uninspiring speech ever.
Yet, when Elphaba finished speaking, all the students and teachers rose to their feet to deliver their standing ovation. Perhaps, Thropp's words themselves were beautiful, but Galinda would never know because of the atrocious metal chairs used for seating.
Soon students began to file out into the courtyard to line up for the free food provided. Luscious sandwiches and scrumptious cakes decorated each table around the courtyard. Galinda gave them no attention, however, and before she could be approached by any admirers, Galinda scanned for the familiar luminescent skin and and made a beeline for its owner.
Elphaba Thropp was seated with her back against the trunk of the leafiest tree in the courtyard, munching on an apple from one hand and holding a book in the other. Even under the shade, her spectacles managed to reflect light, hiding any emotion her eyes dared to show. Galinda could not decide if her presence looked more disinterested or more intimidating, but approached her otherwise.
"Thro...Elphaba! How nice to see that we are attending the same school...again!" Galinda greeted. Upon no reply, Galinda assumed that Elphaba had side-eyed her, but it went unseen due to the light.
Careful to fold her dress neatly beneath her, Galinda took a seat next to Elphaba. This action incited Elphaba to at least raise an eyebrow. Progress!
"I see you're still alone as before," Galinda jabbed. "Even in high school, you've still managed to make no friends."
Elphaba looked up now. "I see no reason to have meaningless conversations when I can be much more productive with my time by reading books."
"Poor you, having to resort to books as a substitute for friends," Galinda cooed, and pouted in a way she knew guys fawned over. "You know, I could go out with you...out of mercy."
Galinda winked.
Elphaba frowned. "To where?"
Galinda wanted to hit something. To where? Galinda didn't intend to take her to a different location...although that would be part of the dating experience. Galinda had implied the courtship ritual. Apparently, it had never occurred to Elphaba that dating was a part of normal life. Then again, who would ever ask anybody with green skin out?
"The school dining hall. Tomorrow," Galinda responded firmly. She would not be swayed by Elphaba's cold exterior. Somewhere under her metal facade, was a heart that Galinda needed to crush.
"Why?" Elphaba questioned.
"I'll...umm...buy you a meal!" Galinda exclaimed.
"Done," Elphaba responded. She opened her book, and resumed reading, indicating that Galinda was dismissed.
Galinda, fazed that she had managed to secure a "date" with Elphaba, disappeared into the crowd to mingle with her new classmates. Appearances still had to be upheld after all and since there were some new faces in the crowd Galinda could not let them get the wrong idea.
The next morning, Galinda could not help but feel giddy. She even managed to remember some of her classmates names...at least she definitely knew she got the first letter right.
Yet, sitting across from Elphaba Thropp, the green montrosity of the school, Galinda could not help but wonder what was she even doing? This lunch date went against everything Galinda had ever been told by her parents. Elphaba wasn't a rich, handsome boy with charm. She was a gawky nerd who happened to be green. Although, it was probably for the best that she was green in the Emerald City than anywhere else.
"I don't have to have meal set A. I usually get meal set G," Elphaba protested, as Galinda ordered the most expensive meal the cafeteria offered its students.
"Nonsense," Galinda waved off and threw her most charming smile towards the fidgeting girl. "I said I would buy you a meal. I never said you got to choose. Besides, if you're going to be in my presence, you have to eat like my people."
Elphaba's trademark eyebrow-raise made a reappearance. "You mean the rich, snobby folk uptown who probably don't know how much a banana costs."
"Psh everybody knows how much a banana costs...a gold coin each," Galinda casually replied, as she unfolded a napkin onto her lap. When only silence followed, Galinda looked up to see Elphaba's raised eyebrow still in place. Heat rose to Galinda's cheeks.
"First off, princess, nobody buys a single banana. You get them in a bunch. Secondly, have you ever step foot into a grocery store?"
Galinda scoffed. "Why would I? I have people to do that for me."
"And I'm sure the rest of 'your people' do too. Which further proves my point," Elphaba pointed out.
"Just eat, you mean thing," Galinda snapped, realizing too late that was not something a proper suitor would do.
Elphaba deliberately picked at the tray of food, until she settled on eating some of the beans. Galinda internally snickered at the irony of the green bean picking to eat green beans before anything else. As Elphaba munched on the vegetable, her eyes slowly lit up.
"It tastes good," she commented. "Thank you, Miss Upland, for treating me to a delicious meal. However, I don't wish to be your charity case."
"You aren't my charity case!" Galinda protested, setting down her fork that had yet to touch any food on her own tray.
"Then what is this?" Elphaba questioned, directing her gaze directly to Galinda's blue eyes. Taking Galinda's silence as a confirmation to her suspicions, Elphaba continued, "Well, what would you like as a return gift? I refuse to be in your debt."
"What?" Galinda sputtered, completely taken aback. Did Elphaba not understand what Galinda was trying to do?
"I will do one thing for you, now that I am in your debt. But I would prefer you avoid any requests for times after school. I have to work at my part-time job," Elphaba supplied a bewildered Galinda.
"A job?" Galinda forced out.
Elphaba gave a sarcastic smile. "Yes, I imagine it would be a strange concept to someone of your status. It's where I perform a labor, and I receive money in return for the time."
Bristling, Galinda retorted, "I know what a job is! I meant where do you work."
"At a convenience store."
"Well, you don't work there anymore," Galinda stubbornly replied, still feeling insulted that Elphaba thought so lowly of her.
Elphaba frowned, "I don't remember ever needing your permission to work."
"Our school policy clearly states that you aren't allowed to hold a part-time job. Or did the great Elphaba Thropp think herself above those rules?" Galinda sneered.
"Those rules exist under the presumption that students cannot handle both a rigorous academic lifestyle and a part-time job. Besides, I've still managed to place first in our class despite working. You, on the other hand, have always come in second and don't even work."
Elphaba had just hit Galinda on the head with the touchiest subject of all. Galinda forced herself to take a deep breath. If she wanted Elphaba to like her, she needed to stop provoking arguments.
"Fine, I'll admit that you are probably the only capable person of breaking that rule," Galinda relented. Elphaba nodded, and returned to eating her food. Galinda patiently waited for Elphaba to take a large bite of her sandwich before continuing. "But! For you to pay back for this lunch, I want to buy your time. You seem to have your part-time job to make money. I want you to quit. Instead, you will make the same amount of money by spending time with me."
"Why would you want to spend time with me?" Elphaba questioned after swallowing.
Galinda's mind reeled as she grasped for an excuse. "I've...been interested in your study methods for a long time. Isn't this a wonderful deal? You no longer have to work with the common people and spend time with me, a person of high class and beauty! And, if you don't like cash, I can just treat you to lunch everyday like now! That way you're still saving money!"
As Elphaba thought this over in her mind, Galinda could not help but be proud of herself. On the spot, Galinda had just created the perfect plan that allowed her to spend prolonged time with Elphaba. This way, Galinda could try to seduce Elphaba while lessening Elphaba's study hours. Then, she would break Elphaba's heart and get first place! You are a genius, Galinda happily thought.
"Ok," Elphaba began, and paused, as if to contemplate her decision. Galinda could feel her heart beat quicken. If Elphaba didn't agree, she would have to think of a new plan, that couldn't possibly be more perfect that her newly devised plan. "I'll consent to this for a week. Then we can reevaluate from there."
"Excellent!" Galinda squealed, jumping out of her seat to give Elphaba a hug. "What is your number? So I can, you know, get in contact with you easier..."
Elphaba peeled Galinda off her uneasily, and smoothed out her uniform. "I don't have a cellphone."
"Impossible. Every girl our age has one!" Galinda rolled her eyes.
"Father asked me to buy one, once. But I don't think its necessary. It would just be wasteful..."Elphaba reported.
"Idiot!" Galinda growled. "For a single parent family, it's too risky to only use a landline. What if something happens?"
"Nothing ever happens. Crime rates in the Emerald City are low, and my Father and I both know how to take care of ourselves. I've made it this long without a phone, I don't see why I would need one now."
So you and I can communicate outside of school! But Galinda didn't voice that. Instead she said, "We will buy you a cellphone this Saturday. Before that, ask your father for permission. I'm sure he'll say yes, because he's normal. And then meet me at the Grand Station at noon. We will speak no more of this matter until then."
Galinda promptly stood, taking her half-eaten tray with her to the trash. Whether this went well or not, Galinda knew for sure that this Saturday, she would have a real date with Elphaba Thropp. Thropp just wouldn't realize it until she got there.
Galinda glanced at her golden watch again. It was now 15 minutes past noon, and Galinda knew for a fact that Elphaba was not one to be late. If anything, Galinda had expected to find Elphaba waiting for her.
Galinda's ears perked at the hushed whispers of a few young men passing by her, none attempting to hide their blatant interest in her body. Galinda had chosen a rather minimalist outfit: white sneakers, torn, light-blue jeans, a white shirt, and a grey cardigan. She finished off the look with some black shades to give off a "movie-star" vibe. Elphaba ought to be impressed. Her outfit clearly represented Galinda's nice taste in clothes and living standards. While she could only wear her uniform to school, Elphaba was certainly going to fall for Galinda's casual look. Check for plan one: Miss Casual Beauty.
"Sorry I'm late," drifted the familiar monotoned voice from Galinda's left.
Galinda's eyes widened at the sight of Elphaba. Elphaba wore a long flowery skirt, a white collared shirt, and a blue cardigan. Overall, she looked rather preppy.
"Father stopped me before I left," Elphaba continued, sensing most of Galinda's attention towards her attire. "Miss Galinda?"
"Call me Galinda," Galinda murmered, before clearing her throat to speak more clearly. "I had no idea you would dress so formal for a simple outing!"
"Father refused to have me look 'unsophisticated' and insisted I display what proper Unionist wears out in public," Elphaba continued, a slight irritation creeping into her low voice. She clearly looked uncomfortable, or disliked, talking about being a Unionist. Suddenly, Elphaba began to look Galinda up and down, causing Galinda to feel some heat rise to her cheeks. "Why are your jeans broken? Galinda are you short on money?"
Galinda blushed furiously. "It's called torn jeans! Its a fashion trend!"
"I don't get it," Elphaba nonchalently commented.
Eventually, the two girls made their way through the street. Both attracted a lot of attention from the crowd. Many could not help but stare at Galinda's natural beauty, while others could not help but gape at Elphaba's unnatural greenness. Once they arrived at the store, Galinda saw Elphaba's shoulders slump in relief of being out of the spotlight. It was cute.
After roaming the cellphone store for a while and examining a multitude of phones and their features, Elphaba began to grow slightly irritated.
"There are so many cellphones here and I can't even tell the difference between them anymore. I'm sure any of these is fine," Elphaba groaned.
Galinda held up her hand. "Elphaba some of these cellphones have nicer features than others. Take the model ABX that includes 5 functions more than the typical cellphone you see on the street. No commoner could afford this."
Galinda happily explained all the "in-phones" and how to separate them from "out-phones." Check for plan two: Miss Knowledgable.
Apparently Galinda had bored Elphaba, for she now realized she was conversing with air. Behind her, she heard Elphaba ask one of the staff for some cheap phone options. Galinda hastily grabbed the ABX and shoved it into Elphaba's green hands. They were surprisingly soft.
"But this one," Galinda recommended. "I'll pay for it!"
Check for plan three: Miss Generous.
Elphaba examined the phone in her hands, not looking very pleased.
"Elphabaaaa, please? I'm the one who suggested you buy a phone, and I have plenty of money. Let me buy it for you!" Galinda pouted.
Elphaba looked up coldly into Galinda's eyes. Galinda could not help but shiver at the look. "But I am the one who decided to buy one. You don't need to pay for me."
Galinda knew she wouldn't be able to force the already stubborn Elphaba into anything with the death glare she had just received, so Galinda begrudgingly allowed Elphaba to purchase a basic cellphone.
Despite spending a decent amount of time phone shopping, Galinda prolonged the "date" by insisting she treat Elphaba to lunch. Elphaba glumly agreed and they both agreed on a small coffeeshop hidden away in the quieter part of town. While waiting for their orders, Elphaba scanned through the pages of the phone manual, a small frown placed in its usual corner of her narrow face.
"This is a rather thick manual for such a small device," Elphaba reflected, as the waiter stalked back to the kitchens.
"A lot of it you can figure out by tinkering with the phone," Galinda briefed. As much as Galinda loved her phone, she wasn't overly enthusiastic about having to explain every detail Elphaba seemed to seek out. "Elphaba, you want your dad to live a better life right?"
Elphaba blinked, averting her eyes away from the book to settle them on Galinda's. Then she let out a cold laugh. "My father became obsessed with Unionism after Mother and my siblings died. It's as if he thinks that will help free him of his guilt. It also gives him something to be occupied with, I guess. I just hoped, that if I do something outstanding, he would stop being so obsessive over his work. The earlier I start making the money, the more he can relax and live a peaceful life instead of preaching some dumb religion around town."
Galinda nodded, afraid if she spoke that Elphaba would stop talking. She had never really heard Elphaba willingly speak about her personal life.
As the silence began to grow awkward, Elphaba continued to speak in an attempt to ease the awkwardness. "He used to be a scientist, you know. He specialized in pathology of diseases. He used to try to come up with the newest drugs, and a lot of them were super effective. But then I ruined that too."
"Is that why you're green?" Galinda blurted before she could filter her thoughts. She internally slapped herself for her oafishness.
Elphaba grew deathly still. Then slowly nodded and took a long sip of her tea.
Although curious about how exactly Elphaba's skin became green, Galinda knew it was inappropriate to ask when they had such a fragile relationship already. Now desperate to change the subject to something lighter, Galinda inquired, "Elphaba, have you ever dreamed about marrying someone rich and good looking?"
Elphaba's eyes furrowed in thought as she stared at Galinda across the petite table.
"Oh, I don't mean myself!" Galinda nervously laughed. She knew her face had taken on a nice rosy pink by now.
Elphaba, meanwhile stayed unperturbed by Galinda's uneasiness and calmly stated, "A rich partner is not my goal."
"What do you mean? You just talked about money so that your Father could live a peaceful life," Galinda challenged.
"You didn't fully understand my story then," Elphaba easily retorted. "Yes, you can easily get money by marrying into a rich family. However, that is not how I intend to free my Father of his Unionist ways."
"But it would be easier..." Galinda stumbled.
"I want to repay my Father with my own power. He, who I know wanted to die along with the rest of my family, endured his pain and lived so that I wouldn't be alone in this cruel world. He now fears to do any research because of what he did to me. It would be meaningless if I could not repay him with my skill to show him that he didn't mess up and there is something still worth living for. It would allow him to move on from the past."
Galinda sat, stunned and lost for words. Elphaba had such pure motivations. Yet, in the back of Galinda's mind, she could not help note that Elphaba didn't necessarily care about falling in love with a person becaus of a family name or appearance. It seemed she would only like someone only for themselves and their internal qualities. That person would be so lucky...
Thud!
Galinda slammed her head on the table. What am I thinking? I don't want to be liked by Elphaba! I'm supposed to be making her fancy me!
After leaving the coffeeshop, Galinda began to walk Elphaba back to the Grand Station.
"So, do you think you'll be able to use your phone?" Galinda giggled, skipping giddily alongside Elphaba's long and purposeful strides.
Elphaba continued to look at the manual before replying, "Perhaps. It seems a bit difficult, but I think I'll get the hang of it."
Galinda laughed. "Imagine if you couldn't! Our number one can't even use a simple cellphone!"
Elphaba turned to glare daggers at the blonde. "I wouldn't speak so soon, second place."
Galinda fumed, but instead replied, "Let me help you save my number! Send me a text when you get home! I'll be waiting for your reply!"
Back home, Galinda snuggled in her favorite armchair besides the fireplace while fervently gazing at her phone.
"Did something good happen to day, little one?" Ama Clutch inquired, as she dusted a nearby bookshelf.
"You are in a good mood," her mother's voice merrily floated in. Galinda turned to watch her mother take a seat in the opposite armchair.
"It was a rather ordinary day actually," Galinda breezily replied, not wanting to reveal that she had spent time with someone so below her class to her mother.
"Then why have you kept checking your phone since you returned this afternoon?" Ama Clutch cheekily questioned.
"I'm not!" Galinda bristled.
At that moment, Galinda's phone vibrated. With lightening speed, Galinda snatched her cell off the armchair and fiercely inspected the message: 'I am Elphaba. Text is sent. Good bye.'
Galinda had waited six hours for this! Galinda chucked her phone across the room, unaware of the bemused faces of her mother and caretaker. Why was her heart beating so quickly? She didn't care if Elphaba sent her a text or not.
Composing herself, Galinda walked across the room, picked up her phone, and fell back into her chair.
"She doesn't even know how to properly text..." Galinda spoke to herself smugly. "I'm in no mood to reply. If she begs me to help later, maybe I'll consider teaching her myself."
"Who are you talking to, darling?" Mrs. Upland asked, slightly concerned.
Ama Clutch leaned in the Mrs. Upland and whispered, "I think she's hit that age...if you know what I mean."
Miss Upland smiled knowingly and gazed fondly at her only child.
Over the next couple of weeks, Galinda slowly came to the conclusion that Elphaba was not human. Whatever he Father did to her, seemed to make her a robot or something, because she seemed blissfully unaware of every advance Galinda pursued. Galinda herself had not realized how much time she had put into her revenge mission until she was approached by another classmate after music lessons.
"Galinda, can I ask you something...a bit personal?" a timid brunette questioned.
Galinda smiled. "Nothing is too personal for me! Ask away!"
"Ok...um. Are you and Elphaba dating?"
"What?" Galinda screeched. This question came out of nowhere.
The girl hastily continued, words spewing out of her mouth rapidly, "It's just...you two are always together. Some rumors say you've known each other since primary school and even though you could've gone to fancy schools, you followed Elphaba here. Is it true?"
Galinda smiled and laughed nervously. Galinda was actually trying hard to gain a chance to dump her. "Of course not! Elphaba and I...that's impossible. She's not dating material at all. No. I would never consider somebody who consider books as friends as dating material!"
After school, Galinda slowly trudged beside Elphaba as Elphaba ran through her mental list of anything she needed to buy from the market. Galinda examined Elphaba's pointy and untraditional features. Her stoic face, as she made her way through the crowd, only changing to that of annoyance if somebody walked to slowly or abruptly stopped walking in front of her. Galinda couldn't help but marvel, not for the first time, if Elphaba had any other facial settings besides cool an annoyed.
It wasn't completely true, though. When Elphaba spoke of her father and her family, she showed a wider range of emotion. She almost looked vulnerable at times.
Elphaba's phone began to ring, with the default tone Galinda dryly noted.
"Hello?" Elphaba intoned.
Galinda looked on curiously, as Elphaba made subtle affirmative grunts into the clunky device. After clicking her phone shut, Elphaba's eyes skirted all over the street. She looked completely lost.
"Elphaba? Are you okay?" Galinda prodded, placing a comforting hand on the taller girl.
"Father...he had an accident...and was sent to the hospital..."Elphaba murmured quietly, gripping her phone tightly. "What do I do?"
Galinda's heart truly reached out to Elphaba for once. Here was a girl who had lost her whole family and was working tirelessly everyday to make sure her last surviving family member could live happily. And in one phone call, everything could suddenly disappear.
Abruptly, Galinda knew she had to take charge. Elphaba was at one of her lowest points and obviously was not functioning properly.
"Elphaba, listen to me," Galinda commanded. "Calm down! We are going to the hospital and your Father is going to be alright. You have to trust me."
Elphaba continued to examine her hands before jerking her head into one nod.
Galinda waved her hand up to hail a cab. As it approached, she noticed Elphaba still disoriented on the sidewalk. Without hesitation she grabbed the green girl's hand, compelling Elphaba to finally look up.
Galinda had never seen such a terrified face in her life. Elphaba seemed to look younger than Galinda ever remembered her. Perhaps even younger than when Galinda had first met her. Elphaba's eyes somehow expanded past her thick glasses, her eyebrows raised in concern. She seemed on the verge of tears.
The drive to the hospital was completely silent. Galinda gazed steadfastedly out the window, determined not to look at Elphaba. Seeing Elphaba display emotions so openly made Galinda feel as though she was intruding. Galinda felt like an outsider in a way she never felt before. She had no idea how to connect to Elphaba. She had never lost a family member before. She had never lost anything.
So Galinda grabbed Elphaba's hand and gave it a tight squeeze to let her know she was there. That Elphaba was not alone.
"Sorry...I was too reckless."
Galinda didn't care that her mouth hung open and made her look dense. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or annoyed.
Apparently, Mr. Thropp had been hit by a bicycle after he had forgotten to look both way before crossing the street. He had fallen on the the side of the pavement and fractured his leg.
It was the first time Galinda had seen Mr. Thropp. While his broad features gave off a stern image, even in the hospital bed, his dark eyes warmed at the sight of his green daughter.
"How was school today? Who is this girl with you?" Mr. Thropp inquired, smiling at his daughter.
Galinda finally achieved one of her goals: to see Elphaba cry.
Galinda finally understood why Elphaba worked so hard not to cry. It was not a pretty sight. Apparently Elphaba had an allergy to water. She could drink water with no issue, but if her skin were to touch water, it would burn. Most likely a side-effect of Mr. Thropp's medicine, Galinda presumed.
After loitering in the corner uncomfortably while Elphaba made sure her Father was fine, Galinda was eventually left alone with the man of the day when Elphaba rushed off to the hospital cafeteria to grab some food for Mr. Thropp.
"So, are you Elphaba's friend?" he curiously asked, an eyebrow raised exactly like his daughter's so often did.
Unsure of what to say, Galinda mumbled, "Sort of."
Mr. Thropp's face markedly relaxed, as he shut his eyes. "That's wonderful."
For a while he just lay in his white pillow, his dark hair splayed all over. Galinda almost thought him asleep before he slowly lifted his head to return Galinda's gaze.
"For years she's bore all burdens alone and has never once complained outright to me. Sometimes she'll grumble and sometimes she'll roll an eye, but she' never verbally sparred with me in a way she used to when she was little. I was really worried about her." Mr. Thropp disclosed. Then he smiled at Galinda, eyes crinkling into thing curves so that Galinda could no longer see the dark brown eyes. "Now that she has a friend, I can be more at ease. Thank you, for being a good friend to Elphaba."
Galinda's eyes widened. She didn't do anything to earn this amount of trust and praise. "No...I'm not..."Galinda stammered.
Thankfully, Elphaba stalked back into the room with a tray of the stalest food Galinda had ever laid eyes on. Guess the rumors about the hospital food were true, Galinda dully noted.
Outside in the hallway, after Mr. Thropp had dozed off on his medication, Elphaba informed Galinda that she would be staying with her Father at the hospital until he was released.
"Okay...that sounds good. At least nothing serious happened!" Galinda smiled. "I'll be going then..."
Galinda took a few steps back, keeping her eyes on Elphaba's dull, brown ones.
As Galinda turned her back and began to take her first real step away, she heard Elphaba stammer.
"Galinda, wait."
Galinda spun around to give Elphaba her full attention. This had to be the first time Elphaba initiated a conversation.
"You've helped me so much...I mean, I couldn't do anything without you," Elphaba struggled with her words. It was unnerving to Galinda to see Elphaba exert efforts to sprout words from her mouth.
Elphaba looked nervously to the floor. "I guess, I just wanted to say..."
Elphaba lifted her face to grant Galinda's secret wish to see a new emotion: happiness. Elphaba's face flushed slightly purple, her lips curved into a small smile, and her eyes, finally, displayed joy. Galinda could not help but grin back stupidly.
At that moment, after holding Elphaba's hand and discovering her more vulnerable side, Galinda actually began to realize that Elphaba was not a robot. She was in fact attractive, in her own unique way.