A/N: I'm not gonna lie. I just love posting chapters. Happy Monday everyone, enjoy chapter 12!

But when Galinda arrived back at her room at Crage Hall that night, the green girl was nowhere to be found.

"Hiding, Elphaba? Good. You can stay gone, for all I care!"

The blonde fumed around the room, looking for something to take her anger out on. She wanted the freak to come back so she could yell at her. But at the same time, she never wanted to see her roommate again. Eventually, Galinda settled for flopping on her bed and crying into her pillow.

Today was supposed to be perfect. And it was, until her despicable roommate had interfered. Couldn't she let Galinda have one day of peace? One perfect day to spend with her friends without being reminded of the horror she was forced to live with?

The blonde eventually fell asleep, figuring that if Elphaba was half as smart as she thought herself to be, then she wouldn't come back that night.

But Elphaba couldn't hide forever. It was with great reluctance that she put out her candle the next morning and packed up her things. She snuck out of the library through a back door and made her way back to Crage Hall. It was late Sunday morning, and most students were still lazing around in the dorms.

Not particularly wanting to go back to her own room, Elphaba stepped into the café on the way for a glass of cider.

"You're an early riser, aren't you?" said a deep voice as she walked in. She turned to see a Gorilla behind the main counter.

"I enjoy the times when few people are around," she replied, handing him a few coins. "Just a glass of cider, please."

"You're that Elphaba lass, aren't you?" the Gorilla said. "Dr. Dillamond has spoken rather favorably about you."

Elphaba blushed, her cheeks turning a shade or two darker green. "That would be me. And what's your name?"

"Rakuul," he said.

"It's nice to meet you, Rakuul," she said. He handed her the glass of cider. "Thank you," she said, smiling. "Have a nice day."

"You too, Miss Elphaba," he said as she walked out of the café. She went over to one of the chairs outside and settled down in it, pulling out a book. But her moment of peace was not to last.

Galinda's friends had knocked on her door early that morning, demanding to see the green girl. When she wasn't there, the four of them had gone out looking for her. Pfannee looked ready to kill. Galinda was a little nervous, but then she remembered her ruined dress and purse and all doubts disappeared.

"Miss Elphaba," Pfannee said coolly, marching up to the green girl. "Would you care to tell us where you were last night?"

Elphaba closed the book she was reading and slid it back into her bag. "Stalking me now, are you? I'd be careful, Miss Pfannee. Your obsession with me is getting a tad bit unhealthy."

"Stop making excuses, freak," Milla said. "We know it was you."

The green girl tilted her head to the side. "Why, whatever did I do now?"

"You sabotaged our dinner!" Galinda all but shrieked.

"Did I really?" she asked. "I don't remember this. Miss Shenshen, do you remember seeing me there?"

Shenshen was too horrified at being addressed directly to respond, but Pfannee spoke over her anyway.

"Maybe you weren't there, but we know it was you! You used the same glue on our booth that you used on Galinda's things back at the beginning of the year."

"Why, Miss Pfannee, I must congratulate you! It appears you have half a brain after all!"

"Shut it, green bean," Galinda said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Really," Elphaba said, pouting a little. "That's getting a bit old. Can't you all come up with a new insult for me?"

"How does 'moldy bitch' sound?" Pfannee spat. Elphaba's eyes narrowed.

"How unladylike," she muttered.

Pfannee went on, ignoring her. "The point is, we know last night was your doing. What are you playing at? Are you trying to start a war with us? Because I assure you, you will lose."

"I don't believe I started this one," Elphaba retorted. She stood up and grabbed her bag. "Besides, I don't start fights with those who are intellectually inferior," she said smoothly. Her eyes swept over the girls and landed on Galinda. Her dark lips turned up into a smirk. "I will, however, finish them. Good day, ladies." With that, the green girl strolled away, headed for Crage Hall.

But Galinda wasn't through with her roommate yet. While the others fumed and went inside to get some breakfast, she claimed to not be hungry and made her way back to the dorm.

"Ah, great, my own personal blonde demon has returned to haunt me," Elphaba said as Galinda stepped into their room.

"You can't get away with this," Galinda said, shutting the door behind her. "You can't just treat people this way and expect nothing in return."

The green girl raised an eyebrow. "I knew you were stupid, blondie, but I didn't think you were that dumb. You started all of this, remember?"

"I started this? I just wanted to live in peace here! I wanted a nice education and a great experience here at Shiz, but instead I got a repulsive, vicious green freak as a roommate!"

"Well this repulsive, vicious green freak wanted the same thing!" Elphaba cried, whirling around to face her. "I would have left you alone at the beginning of the year, but no! You just had to be seen as Galinda the martyr!"

"I'll admit it," Galinda said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I wanted people to like me. But how else was I going to make friends when I was stuck with someone like you?"

"I would assume the way you usually do," Elphaba replied, clenching her fists. "Or do you always manipulate everyone around you to get them to like you?"

"Oh, what would you know about making friends?" Galinda all but spat at her. "As if a soul in this world has ever cared about you!"

"Is this your only payback, blondie?" Elphaba asked, sounding bored all of a sudden. "Because I've heard this all before, and I've got better things to do today."

"Like what? Ruining more people's lives?"

"Oh, please. I did not ruin your life. Your life is perfect. You're a pampered, adored, spoiled little brat. I doubt anyone has ever treated you badly in your life."

"Only you, freak."

"Good. Someone ought to remind you that you're not perfect."

"You know, Shiz would be the best place in Oz if you weren't here."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "You people keep saying that, but I wasn't the one who started all of this. Don't you pathetic little girls get it? I was perfectly content with staying out of people's way and keeping to myself. But no, you all had to make me a target, and now none of us can get a day of peace!"

"You were a fool to think you could live peacefully at Shiz! You're revolting and cruel, and everyone knows it just by looking at you. If you're half as smart as you think you are, then surely you would have known that long before you came here."

Elphaba grit her teeth. "You're right, Miss Galinda. I only came here to make your life miserable. Which reminds me." She stepped closer to the blonde, towering over her.

Galinda, however, refused to cower this time. She took a step even closer to the green girl, stretching until she was nearly on her toes and their faces were inches apart. She could have sworn she saw the green girl flinch a little. "What, Miss Elphaba?"

Elphaba recovered from the sudden close contact and smirked down at her roommate. "How's that Winkie prince doing? Did he like your new dress color?"

Galinda felt the blood rush to her face and bit back a shriek. Her fists clenched at her sides and, behind the two girls, the window banged open. Elphaba looked over, a little shocked, but the blonde barely noticed.

"I hate you, Elphaba Thropp!" Galinda tensed after she threw the words at her roommate. It was the first time she had told someone that since she was a little girl. Her Ama had always taught her not to hate anybody, no matter how terrible they were.

Elphaba, on the other hand, had heard that phrase countless times before, and it didn't faze her in the slightest. She just turned and grabbed her bag from her desk and, without another word, left the room.

The open window shuddered behind Galinda. She jumped a little; she had almost forgotten that it was there. Distractedly, she moved over to shut it.

Did I really do magic? she thought. Her brow furrowed. How come she could move things around in her room so easily, yet when it came to her sorcery class she couldn't cast a single spell accurately?

Was it just the room? Maybe being in her own dorm relaxed Galinda, allowing her to perform magic more easily.

Or maybe…

The blonde stared out the window, lost in thought. It was getting too dark for an early Sunday afternoon. There must have been a storm coming. Subconsciously, she shuffled away from the window and sank onto her bed.

Every time she had performed magic without thinking about it had been when Elphaba was around. She was angry or scared, and she reacted instinctively, throwing the green girl back or banging open windows.

Was that it? Was that the secret? Her magic was violent and harmful, and so it only came out when she wanted to hurt others. She was never purposefully violent or mean unless it came to her roommate. And she was never good at magic…unless it came to her roommate.

Galinda reached behind her and gripped one of her pillows. She pulled it to her chest and hugged it tightly, clinging to it as if it were a lifeline. There were countless legends of evil sorcerers who performed magic only to benefit themselves and bring others pain. Was she one of them?

She shook her head, immediately pushing the thought away. She wasn't a bad person. It was the green freak. Her vile roommate brought out such terrible reactions from her. Obviously she wasn't at fault here.

So why did she feel so hollow? I hate you, Elphaba Thropp! The blonde flinched at the memory of her own words. She had thought she meant them at the time, but now she wasn't so sure. In fact, now that she thought about it, she couldn't even remember what had started this entire feud against them. Surely the green girl had done something, had wronged Galinda in some way. But for the life of her, the blonde couldn't remember anything of the sort. All she could remember was first laying eyes on Elphaba and shuddering at the sight of unnatural green skin.

Had she really been so shallow?

No. The green bean must have done something. If not to her, then to Pfannee or Milla or Shenshen. And even if she didn't start this entire thing, she had kept it going. It was far too late for Galinda to back down now. She and Elphaba were enemies now. That's how Shiz viewed them, that's how her friends viewed them, and that's how they would remain.

But even though she was steady in her resolve, Galinda still felt empty and unsettled. To make things worse, the storm was upon Shiz, the thundering sheets of rain pouring down on Crage Hall.

She buried her face into her pillow and tried to block out the sudden fury that was beating against the windowpane.

Elphaba rushed blindly out of Crage Hall, trying to steady her breathing. She didn't give a damn about her pathetic, self-centered roommate. She knew no one at Shiz liked her, least of all that pack of rich girls.

So why did it matter so much?

I hate you wasn't a new phrase to her, not in the slightest. Of course, it wasn't usually said so bluntly. Normally it was conveyed in disgusted looks or insults. Her own father would say it between every word he said to her, especially when he got into one of his rants. Even Nessarose used to scream it at her all the time, although she hadn't for some odd years now.

But somehow, Galinda's words had stung in a way Elphaba hadn't experienced in years. They had trickled through her hardened shell and shaken her up. The green girl had thought herself impervious to petty insults thrown from such pathetic people, yet now here she was, trembling from head to toe, heart pounding furiously.

She made her way outside and began walking down a sidewalk. She had no clue where she was going, just that it was far away from her dorm room. Before she could get too far, however, something made her stop and look up.

Sure enough, the sky was darkening. The air grew thick with a strange, metallic sort of energy. Elphaba felt her heart drop. She needed to get inside quickly, but where? She refused to go back to Crage Hall.

The library, she thought suddenly, turning in its direction. It wasn't too far away. And it had never failed her as a refuge before.

She slipped through the front doors just a couple of minutes before the rain began and made her way to the back of the empty building. The old wooden shelves surrounded her, stretching from floor to ceiling, filling the air with the smell of dust and old parchment. The green girl immediately began to relax. She found the corner she had occupied last night and curled up in the armchair. After a few deep breaths, she was able to look back and think clearly over everything that had happened in the last half hour.

In all honesty, she had been expecting much worse from Galinda and her friends. A few biting words were nothing.

So why did it hurt? Because as much as she wanted to deny it, the things they had said did hurt. And it wasn't just today, it was all year. Elphaba had thought herself indestructible to verbal attacks, but she couldn't lie to herself anymore. She just wished she knew why. It wasn't as if the girls mattered to her. She couldn't care less about them. She didn't even care about the rest of Shiz.

Shiz.

Elphaba sat up straight, her eyes widening as the realization sank in. That was it.

Her time at Shiz was supposed to be different. She hadn't expected friends, but she had at least expected someone to be a little more open-minded than they were in Munchkinland. She had thought someone would judge her by her intellect and personality rather than her skin color. Of course, it wasn't like her personality was all that charming. But in a scholarly environment, she was a natural.

That's why it hurt. Not because the girls' opinions mattered to her, but because her experience at Shiz did. It was like she had told Galinda: all she wanted was an education and a life here at the college. But the blonde and her friends had taken it upon themselves to ruin any chance of that happening for her.

That was clearly the answer, but even now that she had an explanation for the ache in her chest, she still didn't feel any better. Elphaba couldn't even bring herself to pull a book out of her bag. So she settled for hugging her bony knees to her chest and staring out the window. Outside, the rain poured down, effectively keeping her in the library and in her thoughts.