"Your very first party … EVER?"

Elphaba winced at Galinda's shrill tone, and put up a hand. "Calm down, Galinda. Do funerals count?"

Galinda sat down on her bed, her eyes large in shock. After the dance had ended, she had dragged Elphaba out of the Ozdust Ballroom (with Fiyero in tow), ignoring the pointed stares and whispers. Once back in the dorm, Fiyero was sent "off to bed, darlingest" and Galinda proceeded to thank Elphaba for the training wand, plus interviewing her on her history of parties in the same breath. Needless to say, the discovery that the Ozdust Ballroom had been the site of Elphaba's first party had sent Galinda into the throes of surprise and indignation.

"Your very first party …" Galinda said again, shaking her head. Suddenly, she brightened. "Hey, I know! To commemoraterize this special occasion, why don't we tell each other a secret! ... Something that we've never told anyone."

Elphaba's smile disappeared as she mentally ran through the rather ... extensive ... list of secrets she kept. Unfortunately, Galinda mistook her hesitation for shyness and began bouncing on her bed with an encouraging smile.

"Never mind, I'll go first!"

Galinda took a deep breath and said in a loud whisper, "Fiyero and I … are going to be married!"

Elphaba watched in bewilderment as Galinda gasped at her own confession before burying her head into her pillow to let out a muffled scream of excitement.

"He's asked you already?"

"Oh no," Galinda corrected, popping back up. "He doesn't know yet." She patted her mussed hair back into place, and grinned. "Now, you tell me a secret."

"Like what?"

"Like …" Galinda mused, standing up to sashay closer to Elphaba's bed. "Why do you sleep …" Her hand darted out and grabbed something from under the pillow, "– with this funny little green bottle underneath your pillow?"

No! Elphaba's mind went into blind panic as she scrambled forward, trying to snatch the bottle back.

"That's private – Give it back!"

"Come on, tell me!" Galinda said, blithely dancing out of Elphaba's reach.

"Give it to me now!"

"Tell me!"

"It was my mother's!" Elphaba shouted, finally grabbing the bottle back. Galinda's mouth opened in a small 'o', and Elphaba sat back on her bed, tucking the bottle under the pillow once again.

"That's all."

A few seconds of silence passed before Galinda gave a small huff. "Well, that's not fair! I told you a really good one!"

Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "You want a 'really good' secret?" She's already seen Mama's bottle … what other secret is worth keeping?

"Yes!"

"Fine! My father hates me."

Galinda gasped.

"That's not the secret," Elphaba returned drily. Sighing, she lowered her voice. "You see … he has a good reason. It's …" She swallowed and finally admitted something she'd always harbored at the back of her mind. "It's my fault."

"What?" Galinda breathed. "What is?"

"That my sister … is the way she is." Galinda inhaled sharply, and Elphaba began to speak faster. "You see, when our mother was carrying Nessa, my father began to worry that the new baby might come out … Well …"

"Green." Galinda nodded.

"He was so worried, he made our mother chew milkflowers day and night." Elphaba paused as a memory surfaced of her mother's grimace after eating those weeds. "Only, it made Nessa come too soon, with her little legs all tangled." She was far away now, in that dark cold room, shaking her mother. "And our mother … never woke up."

Mama! Wake up, Mama!

"None of which would have ever happened," Elphaba resumed, rubbing her arms. "If not for me." She looked down at her crossed legs, a little scared to look directly at her roommate, and instead traced the veins that zigzagged under the green.

"But … that was the milkflowers' fault. Not yours," Galinda said softly, scooting over to Elphaba's side. "That may be your secret, Elphaba, but it doesn't make it true."

Elphaba gave a small smile to Galinda, which she returned. Patting her shoulder, Galinda stood and up and stretched. "Oh look, it's tomorrow!" she squealed, pointing at the clock, which read 12AM. "And, Elphie – is it alright if I call you Elphie?"

"Well, it's a little … perky."

"Then it's settled!" Galinda beamed. "And you can call me … Galinda."

Elphaba rolled her eyes and watched as Galinda bounced over to her nightstand and began removing her makeup, talking rapidly as she did so.

"You see, Elphie, now that we're friends, I've decided to make you my new project! As in, I'll give you a makeover! That's what friends usually do, anyway."

Elphaba eyed the various instruments that cluttered Galinda's vanity table with no small amount of trepidation. They were shiny and mostly made of metal …

Looks more suited for surgery than for beautifying purposes.

"That's nice, Galinda, but you really … don't … have to do that."

"I know!" Galinda smiled as she wadded up the stained mascara wipes and threw them gracefully into the bin. Turning around, she launched herself onto Elphaba's bed and slung an arm around her. "That's what makes me so nice."

"Oh, I'm sure," Elphaba muttered sarcastically.

"Elphie, lighten up," Galinda chided. "You see, whenever I meet someone less fortunate than I, and – let's face it – who isn't less fortunate than I?" She put a hand on her bosom dramatically. "Oh, my tender heart tends to start to bleed!"

"Galinda …"

"And when someone needs a makeover I simply have to take over!" Galinda steamrollered on, ignoring Elphaba's weak protests. "I know I know exactly what you need."

"Don't forget, the last time you gave me something I 'needed', the whole Ozdust Ballroom had to watch us dance," Elphaba muttered.

Galinda deflated a bit, and sighed. "Elphie, I am sorry for giving you that hat as a joke. If you want, I could … take it back?"

"No, no, it's fine," Elphaba reassured her. "Just don't do it again. Okay?"

"I won't!" Galinda promised. "Now, back to the makeover – oh, stop moaning, Elphie. Besides, even in your case," she took off Elphie's spectacles, tilted her head for a bit, and put them back on. "Hm. Though it's the toughest case I've yet to face … don't worry, I'm determined to succeed! I've never failed in anything before, so trust me – Follow my lead, and indeed, you will be popular! Like me!"

"Um, I'm not sure if …"

"Popular." Galinda repeated, her eyes glinting in excitement as she jumped off her bed and began rummaging through her drawers. "Oh, Elphie, you're going to be popular! Just wait. I'll teach you the proper ploys when you talk to boys with little ways to flirt and flounce!" She held up a hand and began ticking off her fingers. "I'll show you what shoes to wear, how to fix your hair – Everything that really counts to be with the crowd."

"'The' crowd?" Elphaba raised her eyebrows. "And when have I exactly mixed around with 'the' crowd? Like, Shenshen and Pfannee?"

"Oh, you don't have to," Galinda dismissed the names of her two accompaniments with an airy wave. "Did you hear the awful things they were saying about you – and me – at the Ozdust? They don't deserve to be your friends. Plus, they're only in The Crowd because of me."

"Galinda, I …"

"But you can hang out with me, and that's enough!" Galinda squealed as she pulled out a huge bag of makeup. "I'll help you be popular – You'll hang with the right cohorts, and you'll be good at sports … but of course, you'll need to know their slang. So, let's start … because let's be honest, Elphie, you've got an awfully long way to go."

"You mean we have to start now? It's nearly 1AM in the morning!"

"So? 'Beauty waits for no one'," Galinda quoted, before frowning. "Or something like that … Anyways." She placed the bag carefully on her vanity table before flinging open Elphaba's wardrobe.

"Elphaba, these dresses are horrendulous!"

"What? Why?" Elphaba asked, a little bit hurt. "They fit me well enough."

"Oh, Elphaba, I didn't mean it that way," Galinda apologized. "But I've got to be honest now, so don't be offended by my frank analysis – Think of it as personality dialysis! Since I've decided to become a pal … a sister, of sorts. You won't blame your sister for telling you the truth, right?"

"Um –"

"Well, I'm not sure I won't," Galinda muttered, as she appraised the insides of the wardrobe. "Okay, I'm bringing you out to shop on our next free weekend. No excuses."

Elphaba flopped down on the duvet and groaned. "Galinda, I'd rather watch paint dry than shop for clothing."

"That's absolutely sacrilege, Elphaba," said a shocked Galinda. "Why on earth would you say that?"

"Because it's true!"

"Leave the shopping to me, then. You'll just have to stand there."

"Galinda, my goal in life is to meet the Wizard. I don't think celebrated heads of state need perfect makeovers!"

Galinda snorted. "Oh, please don't make me laugh. Don't! They were popular; it's not all about the brains or knowledge."

"Well –"

"Elphaba." Galinda placed her hands on her hips with a serious expression. "You can't possibly think that way anymore. Your whole life is about to change, and it'll be all because of me! But first off, you must learn how to toss your hair."

"What?"

"I'm serious! I swear it's like the magic ingredient in the potion that you're always nattering about. Here," Galinda patted her hair and proceeded to shake her head carefully, causing the golden strands to fly around in a perfect halo.

Elphaba eyed said hair in slight trepidation. "This is never going to work."

"Aw, c'mon," Galinda whined. "Alright, you practice. Secondly, I must practice changing your frock into a magnificent ball gown. Ball gown."

Nothing happened.

"Um…"

"Ball gown!"

The seconds ticked by.

"Is this thing on?"

"Do you want me to try?" Elphaba offered drily.

"Oh, no." Galinda hurriedly put the wand away. "Just wear the frock, it's pretty!" She sat down with a small sigh, seemingly deflated at her lack of ability to transform a dress. Looking at her, Elphaba felt a twinge of sympathy. She wasn't experienced in these kinds of situations – or having friends, for that matter – but something told her that this was the moment to offer some … reassurance?

"You know, it's okay if you can't do magic at the first time," Elphaba started hesitantly. "Madame Morrible says that transforming a large object is really difficult."

"But you can, can't you?"

"No," Elphaba admitted, watching surprise flit across Galinda's face. "I can't. It's only during moments of extreme emotional – um – intensity when I can do great heaps of magic. Other than that, I'm still learning how to use the powers I have in a normal and controlled way, like channeling it through a wand. Even I can't transform ball gowns."

This seemed to cheer Galinda up massively, and she gave a wan smile. "It's just that … I don't think Madame Morrible likes me very much," she ventured, picking on a random spot on her pink quilt.

"I don't think she likes the general student population at all."

"Except you," Galinda countered, a teasing grin on her face. "She loooves you."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Yes, because I nearly blew up the main foyer on the first day of school."

"Details, details," Galinda dismissed, waving her hands. "Anyway, you're now the best student on campus, like it or not."

"Are there any other steps left for my 'makeover'?" Elphaba interrupted, growing uncomfortable at the praise. She wasn't used to having people acknowledge her achievements, and it was a little unnerving hearing it for the first time. "Or is it time for us to finally sleep?"

Galinda's eyes lit up. "Oh, Elphie, that reminds me!" She hopped over to the discarded makeup bag on the vanity counter before pausing and shaking her head. "No, you're right. It is late, and I never like to start on makeup without a fresh and clean palette. So we'll do it tomorrow!"

"Galinda, I –"

"Makeup is allowed on campus, Elphie. I did read the rulebook, you know." Galinda said smugly as she kept the makeup bag. Glancing into the mirror, she furrowed her brows. "But maybe …" Smiling, Galinda quickly twisted Elphaba's hair into an up-do, leaving a few curls framing her face. With one hand holding it in place, she plucked out the flower clip from her own hair and used it to pin up Elphaba's hair.

"Pink does go good with green!" She pronounced with a satisfied expression, guiding Elphaba to the mirror. "Why, Miss Elphaba," she said with a faux Ozian accent. "You look be-oo-tiful."

Elphaba stared at her own reflection. The face looking back at her was oval, but with sharp angles softened by the gentle curls around her face. The flower lent a decidedly feminine air around her, and without her usual glasses, she actually looked – well …

No. This wasn't natural. This wasn't her. She wasn't made to look like pretty.

"I … I have to go."

A/N - creeps around - Hello? Anyone remembers me?

Yes, I'm finally back - And with a new chapter that I'm not quite sure how I feel about. Really, really sorry for the long absence ... what fanfic authors usually term Real!Life has caught up to me, and Real!Life usually means schoolwork and my other activities, chiefly dance. But to "commemoratize" Willemijn Verkaik's opening night as Elphaba on Broadway, I decided to finish up this chapter and post it!

Please let me know what you think of this, and I know it ends on a cliffhanger - something I usually hate. But I'm planning to write more of the "after-Popular" scene, instead of it cutting to Dr. Dillamond's last class as usual. In fact, Dr. Dillamond's last class is tad long from here ... Anyhoo, reviewers get tea/coffee/drink of their choice with a nice rainbow cupcake! If it's your birthday, said cupcake comes with a lit candle on top ;)