Disclaimer: Wicked belongs to Gregory Maguire. The musical verse belongs to Stephen Schwartz and Universal, I believe. I am but a mere fan. I own nothing.

A/N: Once again: reviewers? You rock my socks.

And of course, this chapter wouldn't be what it is without The Wolfinator's great beta work. Thanks, Wolfie!

Now, on to the chapter:

Chapter Three:

"Of rumors and propositions"

Galinda was, yet again, very pleased with herself. Things were progressing quite nicely, with only minor setbacks. Shiz's attitude towards Elphaba was slowly, but surely, bending to her will. People had stopped looking at Elphaba with loathing and had begun regarding her with mild apprehension instead, and no one threw anything at her anymore.

Fine, so people weren't crowding to talk to Elphaba yet. Give them time.

Poor Elphaba was, naturally, completely bewildered by these changes, although she tried very hard not to show it. That very morning, a boy had approached them and had actually greeted Elphaba. Nicely. Elphaba's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head.

Galinda had almost passed out from the effort of holding in her laughter at the sight of Elphaba stammering a response, blushing profusely, and finally walking into a wall.

The only thing that worried Galinda a little were some rumors which her "confession" might or might not have caused. She fervently hoped Elphaba wouldn't hear them, because some of the rumors were getting way out of hand:

"Those books she carries all the time- they aren't just old, they're antiques. They must've cost a fortune!" She'd head some girl in her year say.

"I hear she has a wardrobe full of gold!" another girl had responded.

Galinda had thought the ridiculous rumors very funny at first. However, the worry had started when she heard the rumors that were flying around at lunch:

"I heard she is going to be married to a Vinkus Prince!"

"She can turn her skin into any color she wants. She just likes green better; told me so herself."

"..has a sister who has no arms. Elphaba levitates her food to help her eat!"

And the rumors just kept getting wilder and wilder at dinnertime:

"I heard her magic is so powerful…she can fly!"

"Of course she can! She is the secret daughter of the Wizard!"

"She is the wizard."

Galinda couldn't believe people would actually believe that kind of nonsense, so she assumed that the most ridiculous rumors would simply dissipate with time. Wouldn't they?

Still, all in all, her plan had been an absolute success. She should be dating Elphaba in no more than a month. First, though, Galinda needed an opportunity to initiate stage three of her fabulous plan.

"I don't understand a single world of this," said Pfanne the next morning in their chemistry class.

"Me neither. This thing is absurd. Look at these strange numbered letters. How can we ever hope to understand this? It's gibberish!" ShenShen sighed, looking at her notes with pure unadulterated loathing.

Galinda almost sympathized. Almost, but not quite, since this was exactly the opening she needed.

"Oh, girls, don't worry," Galinda said sweetly, reaching into her bag for her notebook. "You can just copy my homework."

She passed the notebook to Pfanne, who looked at it as if it might be possessed.

"You understand this?" asked ShenShen.

Galinda didn't know if she should take offense at her friends' evident astonishment. She chose not to, because she actually didn't understand chemistry at all.

"Oh, of course I don't. Miss Elphaba helped me finish this," Galinda answered, waving the notebook a little.

Pfanne, ever the ringleader, hesitantly moved her hand towards the notebook and took it.

"Elphaba helped you with your homework?" Milla questioned in disbelief.

"Yes. It was rather nice of her, don't you think?" said Galinda, looking briefly to Elphaba. Elphaba was at her usual place in the darkest, most secluded spot in the whole classroom. Galinda wondered how Elphaba managed to understand this class at all; she probably couldn't even see the board from there! "She saw me struggling and offered to help."

Naturally, it was a lie. Galinda had pleaded and pouted and huffed for hours (or twenty minutes, according to Elphaba)to convince the green girl to help her. Her friends needn't know that, however.

Besides, she feared that if she started talking about mean-Elphaba, hot-Elphie would inevitably creep in, and with her would come fantasy-Elphie who did things with her tongue that-

"I think we've lost her."

"Wave a hand in front of her face or something."

"Galinda."

"Galinda!"

Oh, Elphaba looked gorgeous in silk…although Galinda was sure she'd look even better withou-

"Galinda!" Her fantasy was cut short by Milla screeching in her ear. How impossibly rude!

"Galinda, are you all right?" asked Pfanne.

"Yes, thank you. It's just…stress. I was thinking about the exam next week," Galinda muttered, trying to hide her furious blush by busying herself with tidying her desk.

"Don't remind me," groaned Milla.

"I'm never going to pass," ShenShen added.

"Of course you aren't!" retorted Pfanne.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence!"

"You are welcome, my friend. Now, we should just start packing. We're never going to pass," sighed Pfanne, closing her notes-free notebook.

"Unless…" Galinda began pointedly.

"Unless?" prompted Pfanne.

"You aren't actually suggesting what I think you are suggesting, are you?" said Milla in disbelief.

"I do believe I am, Miss Milla," Galinda replied mysteriously.

Milla slowly, as if in pain, turned her head in the direction of Elphaba's desk. "She would never," she declared, looking at Galinda.

"Who would never?" asked Pfanne, confused.

"Elphaba," Milla explained.

"Elphaba?" ShenShen echoed.

"Elphaba," Galinda interjected, "can explain this to you. She really is a great teacher, you know."

"She would never!" repeated ShenShen.

Galinda restrained herself from smacking them in the back of their thick skulls with something extremely heavy. One of Elphaba's books would do rather nicely.

"She would," Galinda argued before dropping her voice to a whisper. The teacher didn't appear all too pleased that the four girls weren't actually paying attention. "She would, if you ask her nicely. I can convince her for you."

"We have to be nice to her?" Pfanne clarified. She looked positively revolted by the suggestion.

"Yes, if you want to pass this test," retorted Galinda. "You can do as you prefer, of course. I am merely offering helpful advice. Elphaba knows this subject well."

"I suppose it makes sense." Milla looked pensive. "I heard she is the lovechild of a crazy scientist and a talking tree."

Galinda concluded she would need to do something about these rumors after all.

"No. Absolutely not."

Elphaba couldn't believe Galinda would do something like this. Granted, Galinda had had her share of moronic ideas before, but this was a whole new level of idiocy.

"But, Elphie!" Galinda whined. "I promised!"

"You promised?" hissed Elphaba. "You promised your friends - your friends who despise me - that I would help them pass this exam. You promised I would study with them!"

"Well, yes," responded Galinda, pouting. "I don't see why you have to be so difficult about it. I was just trying to do something nice for you, so you could show them that you aren't as bad as they think you are."

Don't look at the pout, thought Elphaba. Don't look at the pout, just don't.

"Something nice for me," Elphaba echoed. Great, just great. Galinda had managed to turn her into a damn parrot. Not even a Parrot, just a plain, dumb, green, echoing parrot.

"Yes," Galinda sighed. Elphaba made the grave mistake of looking at Galinda. She was pouting and looked on the verge of tears.

How does she do this?Elphaba though miserably. She hated this, this…this hold Galinda seemed to have over her. A second ago, she wanted to murder her, and now, she would agree to just about anything if it would make Galinda stop looking so miserable.

"Alright, you were trying to do something nice," Elphaba stated conciliatory. "I, however, still stand by my conviction that this has to be the worst idea in Oz's history."

Elphaba sat on her bed and sighed. She knew she would probably agree to this moronic idea in the end. Still, she liked to pretend she needed to be convinced, if only to retain whatever ounce of sanity had stuck this long.

"Please, Elphie, please? For me?" begged Galinda, kneeling in front of Elphaba.

"Galinda, my sweet, your friends hate me. They want to see me dead," Elphaba noted, trying to make Galinda understand. One didn't form study groups with people who would dance on her grave. It wasn't a great idea.

"They don't want to see you dead!" Galinda argued.

"But they do hate me." Elphaba said reasonably.

"No they don't…well, hate is such a strong word, isn't it? Please, Elphie? You said you'd try for me, remember, to get along with some people?"

Elphaba groaned and hid her face in her hands.

"I'll do it," she finally mumbled with her face still hidden.

"What was that, Elphie?" Galinda asked softly. Hopefully.

Elphaba looked up from her hands, sighed, and repeated her earlier statement. "I'll do it."

Elphaba was awarded with the loudest squeal she had ever heard and a bone-crushing hug from Galinda.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" squealed Galinda, bouncing. "Thank you! Oh, you'll see Elphie, this'll turn out great!"

Elphaba seriously doubted it, but it didn't really matter anymore, because Galinda was smiling -the most brilliant smile Elphaba remembered ever seeing – at her.

How does she do this? thought Elphaba for the second time in twenty minutes. Galinda would simply smile at her, and instantly, Elphaba would forget about everything.

She hated this.