A/N: Thank you so, so much to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed! You guys are amazing!

There was no talk the next day of what Elphaba had done, just as she had expected. To tell others about it would be to admit that she was afraid of the green girl, and Galinda Upland simply couldn't do that.

Still. It wasn't fair to torment just Galinda. Elphaba had to think of something for all the girls. And she couldn't keep pretending to do magic, either. Despite all the evidence, she had a feeling that Galinda had her moments of intelligence. They were rare and most likely wasted, but present nonetheless. Elphaba didn't want to risk them finding out about her lack of control. Things would get…well, out of control.

"Good morning, Miss Elphaba," said a voice. The green girl turned around, surveying the classroom she had just entered.

"Ah, the lovesick Munchkin," she greeted him. Normally she would have said nothing, but they were the only two in the mathematics room. "And how are you today, Master Boq?"

"Simply splendid," he answered. "And you, Miss Elphaba?"

"Oh, just peachy," she said. But then she looked down at herself, holding her arms out slightly. "Actually, on second thought, I believe that's one adjective that could never describe me."

"Unless the peach was covered in mold," Boq offered, but the amusement in his eyes was kind, not mocking. Elphaba found herself smiling at the remark.

"That's it then," she said, clapping her hands together. "From now on, peachy will mean wonderful for the rest of the world, and covered in mold for me. I'm so glad we had this conversation. It's a day-maker for sure."

"Happy to be of service, Miss Elphaba," Boq said with a chuckle. "Does this mean you believe me that we were childhood friends?"

"Friends?" Elphaba scoffed. "Maybe we played together, but I had no friends. My memories consist of a group of children constantly trying to get a rise out of me."

"Are you talking about your childhood memories, or all of your memories in general?" Boq asked with a grin. Elphaba raised an eyebrow, but otherwise made no reaction. "Because it seems to me you could have been describing anything that happened last week."

"How observant of you," Elphaba said, striding over to her usual table in a corner of the room. Before the Munchkin could respond, more students filed in. They cast dirty looks at Elphaba and greeted Boq with various amounts of enthusiasm.

"Boq! Dear old chap!"

"Crope. Tibbett." Boq nodded at the two boys who sat next to him.

"Always so formal," Crope said with a curt nod.

"That's our Boq," Tibbett added with his own nod.

"We haven't seen you in the library lately, Master Boq," Crope said, pouting. Tibbett nodded stiffly again. Boq smacked him lightly on the head, but all three boys were grinning.

"I took the weekend off," Boq said.

Elphaba raised an eyebrow, glancing over at the table of boys. Boq worked at the library? It was the one at the boys' college, obviously, but still. Maybe the Munchkin wasn't so bad after all. Of course, he was hopelessly smitten with Galinda, a fact that became even more obvious when she walked into the room and he blushed furiously. Crope and Tibbett elbowed him in the ribs and whispered in his ear. Elphaba could only imagine the things they were saying. She smirked as Boq's blush deepened.

The professor finally quieted the room and began the lesson. Just like every other class in every other day, Elphaba was answering almost every question. She took to circling her answers in her notebook and counting to ten, slowly, before raising her hand. But even with all her delaying, she was still the only one who seemed to answer. It irked her to no end. She knew her classmates could come up with the solutions, but they just chose not to. Most of the girls were busy gossiping with each other, and most of the guys were busy watching the girls. The worst bunch, of course, was Miss Galinda and her friends in the center of the room.

Galinda was bored. She didn't want to pay attention to the lesson, but she figured it was necessary. It was a delicate balance, really. She didn't want to seem too smart, or as if she enjoyed her classes, but she couldn't let her grades suffer, either. Especially not this early in the year. So she took her notes and half-listened to the teacher, just like in every other class. It would probably come back to haunt her later in the semester, around final exams, but for now she was content in her ignorance. After all, what was a couple of failed tests compared to social ranking?

Still, there was a part of her—a very small part, thank you very much—that actually enjoyed math. It was vital in architecture.

Not that it mattered, of course. She cared about makeup and dresses and high society, not dusty old buildings.

The blonde pouted slightly, although she wasn't sure whom she was pouting at. She shook her head and glanced sideways at her friends. None of them were paying attention. Shenshen was drawing loops across the top of her page, and Pfannee and Milla were giggling under their breath about something or other. She turned her focus back to the newest equation the teacher had written on the chalkboard, and then down to her notes. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she brought her pen to the paper, moving numbers around and mouthing directions to herself.

Take that nine and multiply it by the seven, okay, now…oh, this is one of those impossible numbers, so let's move that to the bottom of the fraction. Now these go together to make…

After a moment, she looked up again. The classroom was quiet except for the scratching of pens against paper and a few girls' quiet gossip.

"Come now," the professor said, "Does anyone have a solution yet?"

Slowly, making sure her friends weren't watching, Galinda circled the answer on her page. She knew she was right. All she had to do was raise her hand. No one else had solved the problem yet. Her hand twitched slightly…

But no. Her fingers curled into a small fist on her page. She couldn't. What would her friends think? She could imagine the look of horror on their faces. They would call her a nerd, a know it all. No man would ever date her. No one cares for a smart girl. It was about looks, social standing—not who can solve a mathematic equation.

Still, someone should answer it. The blonde looked around the room, feeling a strange sort of anticipation. It had only been a minute or so since the teacher had given them the equation, but surely that was enough time. Surely someone besides Galinda could find the solution. What were they waiting for? Come on, people, someone raise your hand already!

And there it was. A green hand in a small corner of the room. "Forty-eight and two tenths." Elphaba's voice was quiet and tinged with a slight impatience. Maybe she'd been waiting for someone to answer, too, Galinda thought, glancing over at her roommate. Then she shuddered, horrified at herself for relating to the green freak. Ew ew ew ew ew!

But still. She was glad that someone, at least, had finally answered.

The rest of her classes that day did not come so easily.

Elphaba once again proved herself to be a complete history nerd, answering Dr. Dillamond's every question without hesitation and, more often than not, furthering the discussions past the point where anyone else could follow. At one point, Galinda had had enough. She raised her hand with a huff.

"Ah, yes, Miss Glinda?"

The blonde scowled. "It's Galinda, professor. And what does this have to do with the lesson?"

Elphaba glared at her, but Dr. Dillamond simply nodded. "Right. Forgive me for my tangents. Now, as I was saying…"

Literature proved to be just as confusing, although Galinda caught a slight break, since she did little more than gossip with Milla during the lecture. And then in physics, she was forced to sit alone as none of her friends were in that class. That Munchkin boy, Biq or Boq or whatever, sat behind her. She could hear the stifled laughter coming from his two friends, and she only imagined what they were saying behind her back.

But worst of all was her sorcery class.

They had moved away from learning theory and basic rules and were starting to actually cast spells. Galinda walked into class practically skipping with excitement, but it didn't last. Madame Morrible glared at her, freezing her in place, and started barking instructions.

"Today, class, we'll be working on moving objects with magic. Observe." Morrible squinted at a table in the middle of the room and, with a casual wave of her fingers, sent it crashing into the chalkboard.

Galinda stared. That's what she had done to the green freak the other day, when she was pinned to the wall. It had been so simple. She didn't even think about it—it just happened. Her heart started pounding. This was her chance. Here was a spell she already knew. It would be all too easy—and now Morrible would finally realize how talented she was!

But her excitement was short lived. It soon became apparent that she struggled with this spell just as much as the others. She glared at the wooden chair in front of her, pouring her every fiber into moving it, but nothing happened. The chair stayed absolutely still—except for the time when she lost control and just kicked it.

"That doesn't count, Miss Galinda," Morrible called from across the room. The blonde repressed a shriek. It didn't make any sense! How could she throw her roommate across the room without even trying, yet she couldn't move a stupid little chair?

It wasn't until she was walking back to Crage Hall after class—shoulders tense and head hung low in a painful mix of frustration and shame—that an explanation came to her. When she had first cast the spell, she wanted nothing more than to throw Elphaba back. It wasn't a conscious thought, but instinct. And it had worked. But when she focused on moving the chair, nothing had happened. The one and only time she magic had come easily to her was when she was hurting someone.

No. I was defending myself, Galinda thought, crossing her arms over her chest. And even if it did hurt her, the vegetable deserved it.

So she pushed away the guilty feelings before they could even fully form. This wasn't the time to worry about her vile roommate. She was exhausted and frustrated and wanted nothing more than to walk into her grand bedroom back at her home in Frottica, maybe sink into a warm bath her Ama had drawn, and not worry about her failed attempts at sorcery ever again.

Instead, she stumbled into her dorm room, pointedly looking away from the green monster sitting on the bed nearest the door. The blonde dropped her purse and sank into her desk chair with a small groan.

Elphaba glanced up from her book and raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong, Miss Galinda?"

"Nothing of your concern," Galinda snapped.

"Then you would do your best to suffer in silence."

"Oh, you heartless old toad!"

Elphaba's dark eyebrow knit together. "Why is it you people are always calling me a toad? Toads are usually more of a brown color. I do believe you meant to call me a frog."

Galinda jumped to her feet, her small hands curled into fists at her sides. "Whatever you are, it's no surprise all of Shiz calls you names! It's one thing to pull pranks on each other, Miss Elphaba, but to tease a girl so mercifully when she's already upset—"

"Oh, I'm so sorry." The green girl rolled her eyes. "Forgive me for not recognizing your petty little dramas. Shall I take a moment of silence for whatever shoe you broke this time?"

"I do not have petty dramas," Galinda seethed. "My suffering is just as real as yours."

Elphaba threw her book to the side and stood up to tower over Galinda. The blonde glared up at her, refusing to move an inch.

"You know nothing of suffering." Elphaba's voice was almost too quiet to hear. "You're a spoiled little brat who gets everything she asks for. Don't you dare talk to me about suffering. You don't know the meaning of the word."

She turned and headed back for her bed, but Galinda wasn't about to admit defeat so easily.

"At least I'm not asking for it!" she cried. The green girl froze. Slowly, she looked over her shoulder.

"Excuse me?"

Galinda's hands were trembling, but she held her ground. "Every problem you have, you brought on yourself. You're rude and bitter, a know-it-all, and you pull wicked pranks—why would anyone like you? Maybe you have more problems than I do, Elphaba Thropp, but it's no one's fault but your own!"

The blonde thought for sure that her roommate was going to kill her right then and there. Elphaba glared at her viciously, the dark eyes searing holes into her, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she turned on her heel and walked out, slamming the door so hard that the entire room shook.

Galinda knew she had won, but if anything, it only made her feel worse. She crawled into bed distractedly, forgetting to even change into a nightgown. She blew out the lamp, wondering what was waiting for her when her roommate returned.