It had all started with Galinda's Ozdamned puppy-dog eyes. They were a lethal, hypnotic weapon that had most likely been used in the past to get her parents to buy her a pony. Those huge eyes had been turned on her at every opportunity in the days before Galinda's trip to the banks of the Gillikin River, accompanied by pleads of "Come on, Elphie, you should come too! It'll be fun!"
As she followed after Galinda and her posse (one was ShenShen, one was Pfannee, and she couldn't tell which one was which to save her life) while they piled out of the carriage, she cursed her lack of willpower. She could've been at Shiz right then, in bed with a book instead of having to carry all the bags and picnic baskets everyone else refused to pick up.
Perhaps it was scientific curiosity that had finally lead Elphaba to roll her eyes one day in their dorm room and tell Galinda, "Fine, I'll go." A friend had invited her somewhere. A friend. That wasn't related to her. That wanted to spend time with her. She used to wonder what that would be like. Perhaps that was what drove her forward that morning as she packed her lunch and even put on her bathing suit under her clothes.
She shouldn't be here. Why did she ever think that day would be different from the rest of her life? Throughout the carriage ride to the river, Galinda's friends hadn't said much. They hadn't needed to. They simply stared on with narrowed eyes and lips curled up in disgusted anticipation while Galinda pretended not to notice and prattled on about something unimportant. They were undoubtedly waiting for an insult to be thrown, a prank to be revealed, or any other logical reason as to why she had suddenly dragged the green girl along after hating her all year before the OzDust.
Elphaba promptly dropped all the blankets and baskets that had been unceremoniously shoved into her arms, leaving them behind right in front of the carriage. Enough of this. Favors for others only went so far between people who despised each other.
"Be careful! If my picnic blanket gets ruined, you're paying for it," said Pfannee (or was it ShenShen?) as they snatched their things off the ground and carried them the rest of the way. Galinda mouthed a "sorry" to Elphaba as she hefted her blanket and a picnic basket under her arm.
She trailed after them through the high grasses leading towards the river bank. "I wasn't aware I was your servant. What, are your arms broken to where you can't carry a blanket?" Elphaba replied to Pfannee with an eye roll. It'll be fun, Galinda had said. You'll all get along, she'd said. When dirt gave way to sand, they'd reached their destination. After the other girls set their towels down right next to the river, Elphaba crossed her arms. ShenShen and Pfannee only glanced at each other. The glares on both sides had not gone away.
"Come on, what are we waiting for?" asked Galinda as she cut in between them, smile toothier than usual. She reached into the water and lightly splashed Pfannee. Only a few drops landed on her arm, which wasn't enough to do any major damage or, Oz forbid, ruin her makeup.
"Ooh, I'll get you for that!" Pfannee exclaimed with a giggle. The three girls hurriedly shed their blouses, shoes, and ruffled skirts to reveal swimsuits. The languid, barely-moving surface of the river was disrupted when they ran in, their heels kicking up sprays of foam with every step. Before long, the water was up to their chests. Elphaba watched from a distance as the other girls splashed each other and squealed at frequencies only dogs could hear.
"Elphie! Aren't you coming in? The water's perfect!" yelled Galinda, motioning to her.
Elphaba hesitated. She took a step towards the river, but was unable to move any further. Going in the water in her heavy skirt and jacket was not an option, for it would slow her down in the water and look ridiculous next to the others' bathing suits. She'd have to wear her own suit. Said suit was old, ill-fitting, and made her look disproportionately gangly. There was also the issue of it exposing her chest, legs, and arms, which was far too much green out in the open for comfort. Elphaba's long sleeves and boots were like her armor. Without that, she felt practically naked. That settled things, then. There was no way she would be seen in public with only a bathing suit on. "No, I...I don't want to swim right now!" she called back to Galinda.
Galinda opened her mouth to say something before ShenShen chimed in with, "Maybe it's for the best. We wouldn't want the water to turn green, would we?" Pfannee snickered at that. The comment was not meant to reach her ears, but it did nonetheless. With a sigh, Elphaba laid her towel on the ground and sat down. Galinda had let the subject drop for once and stayed out in the water, preoccupied with her other friends. There was nothing else for Elphaba to do besides wait and watch the tiny ripples of water come close to her, but never make contact with her feet.
...
Years later, after Pfannee had graduated university and taken up residence in her family estate, a maid dropped the newspaper in her lap, as she did every day. As Pfannee unfolded the paper and prepared to flip to the society pages, an article on the Wicked Witch of the West caught her eye.
She shuddered a bit at the name. If word ever got out that she'd willingly associated with the Witch at Shiz, her reputation would be ruined. They were never close, but the gossip circles would run wild anyway.
Still, she wondered what the newspaper had wrote about the Witch this time, and skimmed the paragraphs. It was basically a wanted poster, detailing her crimes and weaknesses. "Her soul is so unclean pure water can melt her?" she read out loud. Her mind flew back to that one particular weekend at the lake. "Well," she mused, "That sure explains a lot."