Disclaimer: Wicked is not mine.
A/N: Thank you to Elphaba1fan, who reviewed the second chapter! I really appreciate it! This chapter is a bit more angsty than I intended…perhaps I should change the description of the story? Enjoy!
Elphaba pulled on her shirt again. It was simply too short for her lanky frame. She would have to talk to Galinda before the blond forced her into any more of her tiny clothes. Elphaba felt like a green-painted clown.
She sighed as she entered the history classroom. She blushed a deep red as the room became hushed at her entrance. Honestly, was she that important that they had to stop what they were doing just to make fun of her? For once she was thankful that Galinda had left her long black hair out of the braid. She held her head high but let her hair fall across her face gently as she clunked her way to her seat. The high heels were a little more than ridiculous and made Elphaba's already tall frame even more statuesque.
She heard laughter as she pulled out her seat and plopped into it. Giggles erupted from different parts of the room, and Elphaba could make out various whispers. She blushed a deeper crimson and allowed herself to wallow in self-pity. If only she had never begun to like that insufferable blond, then none of this would have happened…But Elphaba couldn't begin to dislike Galinda now. Galinda was simply too nice to hate. And besides, she was the best friend Elphaba had ever had, and Elphaba could never forget her kindness at the Ozdust.
"Galinda's handiwork, I'm assuming?" Fiyero's voice made Elphaba jump and give a little gasp. Fiyero grinned widely as Elphaba's face darkened into a fierce scowl.
"Yes, your girlfriend has quite the eye for disaster." Elphaba's tone was bitter.
"Oh, you know you love her."
Elphaba's face softened. "Do you think I would put myself through this if I didn't? She will owe me for this, however…" Elphaba grinned wickedly, thinking of how she could make the blond pay…cleaning the room for a month, laundry for two months, breakfast in bed…
"So…why did you agree to this?" Fiyero's questioning voice brought her out of her devious planning, and she scowled again, brought back to reality.
"Well, I kind of got myself into an awkward and unprecedented disaster."
Fiyero's eyebrows shot up. "Oh?"
Fiyero waited for Elphaba's reply, and the green girl sighed. "I may have agreed to something I shouldn't have…"
Fiyero's gaze didn't leave her frustrated face, and he waited patiently for an answer. When the girl remained silent, his face took on a slightly amused expression. "And what is that?"
Elphaba frowned at him. "Really, Fiyero, you're going to make me say it? It's bad enough I have to do it. Can't you wait for Galinda to explain it to you?"
"Okay, okay," Fiyero said, throwing his hands up in defeat, a sheepish expression on his face. "But consider me sufficiently curious."
"Look who finally found a dictionary," Elphaba mumbled as Fiyero took his seat in the row behind her.
The lecture was completely boring, even for Elphaba. Ever since Dr. Dillamond left, Elphaba's fire for history had been extinguished. To fill the void that Dr. Dillamond's absence had left, Elphaba had started to delve more into Animal rights. She was sufficiently disgusted by all of the terrible information she had found, and she had resolved to dedicate her life to fighting for the underdog. After all, wasn't she an underdog too?
Elphaba rose tentatively when class was over, grabbing each of her books individually. She was teetering on the high heels as she made her way out of the classroom, and she managed to embarrass herself to the brink of death by tripping just outside of the door. Her books flew out of her hands in a very comical manner as her feet flew out from underneath her. She landed with a terrible plop on the hard tile floor.
"Ouch," she croaked, needing to cover her embarrassment with some sort of comment.
The other students turned to look at her, the green disaster. They laughed and giggled loudly, not bothering to cover up their delight at her decidedly ungraceful moment. She groaned and lay in the floor, content to melt into the tile. She groaned again as a helpful hand started gathering her books.
"Can't you just leave me in my misery?" Elphaba asked, comfortable to a certain extent in said misery. At least she knew what to expect from it.
"Well then I wouldn't be a very good friend, would I?" was Fiyero's not-so-helpful reply. Elphaba could tell he was holding back a laugh.
"Go ahead, laugh. I'd just like to see you try to parade around in these silly shoes. I don't understand why women subject themselves to such misery."
"That's easy," Fiyero said, offering her a hand. "Heels make women's butts look good."
Elphaba rolled her eyes, accepting his help from the floor and dusting her skirt off. "You would say that."
He grinned, handing her the disheveled books. "Well, I've got to go catch Galinda before her class, but I'll see you later?" Elphaba nodded, clutching her books like a shield. "Eyes on the road," he threw over his shoulder as he walked in the opposite direction.
Elphaba weaved through the traffic of students, making a beeline for her dorm room. Once her feet were cozy in her flats and a more modest frock replaced her outlandish Galinda outfit, she grabbed her books and headed out again.
She walked confidently across the campus, her head held high. If she didn't feel confident, she could at least act the part. She felt every bit the awkward teenager she no longer was when she trudged into the dining hall. She had left her tender teenage years not even a year before, but the unfortunate gangliness still remained as she had yet to grow into her angular frame.
She felt the stares as she stood in the lunch line. She hated being the center of attention, and she wished she could just disappear into the background. She grabbed the first thing she could reach and headed off to find a table. She seated herself in an out-of-the-way table, content as she opened her book and began to read. Someone clearing their throat broke her out of her concentration.
She looked up to find Galinda glaring at her. "What?" Elphaba asked, taken aback by Galinda's serious expression.
"What happened to your clothes?" Galinda asked, taking a seat across from Elphaba.
The green girl looked down at her frock guiltily. "I changed."
"I can see that, Elphie! How am I supposed to get you ready to model if you won't even practice walking in heels and a nice outfit?"
Elphaba grunted. "I'll just practice in our room."
"And how will you confidently model my pieces if you haven't put yourself in public?" Galinda's eyebrows went up, and she crossed her arms.
Elphaba sighed. "Isn't there anything I can do that won't result in my total humiliation?"
Galinda considered this, and eventually her face erupted into a beautiful smile. "Of course, Elphie! I can't believe I didn't think of it before! Oooh, this is going to be so good! I'll teach you how to be popular yet!"
Elphaba groaned. "For some reason I still don't like the sound of that."
"Oh, don't be so pessimistic! Trust me, Elphie, when I'm through with you, you won't even recognize yourself!" Galinda bounced in her seat, happy in her plan to make Elphaba the perfect model.
"That's what I'm afraid of…" Elphaba muttered under her breath, not totally confident in Galinda's abilities to make Elphaba likeable. Elphaba would always be the green outcast, and no amount of perfume or makeup would ever change that.