A/N: (insert witty author's note here)
Enjoy!
"Everything is going downhill lately," Pfannee announced at lunch one day.
Shenshen and Milla looked at her curiously. Galinda wasn't there yet, and Pfannee was seizing her opportunity to gossip about the blonde.
"What do you mean?" Shenshen asked.
"It's Galinda. She's been more and more distracted by her classes lately, and she's stopped giving us good information on the vegetable."
"You're right," Milla said, pouting slightly. "How can we torment her when we don't have any new gossip?"
"I'm sure Galinda's not doing it on purpose, though," Shenshen reasoned. "Besides, she's also been focused on Fiyero lately, which is completely understandable."
Milla smiled and nodded at that. "They would be so cute together. Don't you think, Pfannee?"
"Yes, of course," she said, pushing away the scowl that threatened to come up. "I don't really blame her, of course. But things have gotten quite boring without our fourth partner in crime, don't you think?"
The other two nodded. "What do we do then?" Milla asked. "We don't have someone on the inside anymore."
"No," Pfannee began slowly, "But I might have an idea. A theory, at least."
"What is it?" Shenshen leaned forward eagerly.
"Remember that day a couple of weeks ago, with the mud?" Pfannee asked. "She acted sort of funny when we pushed her in."
"Of course she did," Shenshen said. "It's mud." She shuddered a little.
"Yeah, but this is the green freak we're talking about. She doesn't care what she looks like, and I doubt she's the type to be afraid of getting dirty." Pfannee shook her head. "No, I think it was something else. It was almost like it was…hurting her."
"What do you mean?" Milla asked, her eyes widening.
"I mean that the mud seemed to be causing her pain—physical pain. Like a reaction or something."
"Like what?" Shenshen nearly scoffed. "Allergies?"
"Exactly."
"Who in Oz is allergic to mud?"
"Not the mud," Pfannee said, a malicious glint appearing in her eyes. "What's in the mud. Have you noticed that she never drinks water? She's always got juice or milk or something."
"Don't be ridiculous, Pfannee." Shenshen rolled her eyes in exasperation as she caught on to what her friend was saying. "People need water to live, how could anyone be allergic to it?"
"I don't know," mused Milla. "I remember reading about it once in the doctor's office back home. When I asked, the doctor said it was extremely rare, but it was possible."
"Maybe it has something to do with that awful green skin of hers," Pfannee said airily.
"Sh!" Milla giggled suddenly, her eyes darting to the front door. "Look who it is."
The subject of their discussion had just walked into the café. As usual, the green girl's lips were turned down in a slight frown and she walked with an air of defiant authority. The girls all avoided each other's eyes and snickered as she walked by, but Elphaba barely noticed. Then Milla gasped in horror. Galinda had just walked in, right behind the horrid green monster.
"Miss Galinda!" Pfannee exclaimed as their small blonde friend joined them. "Miss Galinda, what on earth were you doing with that abomination?"
Galinda shot her a look. "What? I wouldn't be caught dead with that—" She caught herself, remembering the events of last night, and swallowed back the harsh remark, even though Elphaba was already on the other side of the café and couldn't possibly have heard. "I wasn't with her," she started again, shrugging and hoping her friends couldn't see the blood heating her cheeks. "We just happened to arrive at the same time."
"Oh, poor thing," Pfannee said suddenly. "I'm sorry. I never meant—I mean, I can only imagine how hard it must be to share a room with that…"
Galinda cut Pfannee off. "It doesn't matter. Who cares about her? Let's talk about something else. In fact, I think I'll go get my food now."
"I'll go with you, Galinda," said Shenshen, getting out of her chair.
"That sounds lovely, Miss Shenshen," Galinda giggled, hooking her arm through her friend's. As soon as they were out of earshot, Milla and Pfannee leaned in.
"So if she is allergic to water," Pfannee started, continuing their previous conversation, "What happens if she touches it?"
"It burns her," Milla said. "Why Miss Pfannee, that is a devilish grin you have there. Whatever are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking," Pfannee said, casting a glance over her shoulder, "That we shouldn't involve dear Miss Galinda in all of this. She's become something of a pacifist lately. And besides, we wouldn't want to distract her from her classes."
"You two are evil," Shenshen decided later that day. They were walking across the grounds, stopping at the fountain that stood near the main square of campus. Elphaba was trailing a few yards behind the rest of the class, not at all interested in the crowd that constantly followed the rich girls around Shiz.
"I'm not going to do anything," Pfannee protested. "I just want to see something." She cupped her hands under the spray of water as Elphaba approached and brought them to her lips, drinking delicately. "Mm," she hummed, smiling. Milla mimicked her, and, after only a brief hesitation, so did Shenshen.
Elphaba raised an eyebrow at the crowd around the fountain. Everyone was taking drinks from the clear water, all smiling and laughing.
"Oh, Miss Elphaba!" a voice called out. The green girl slowed down, looking warily over at the trio of girls. "Miss Elphaba, isn't the fountain just beautiful?"
Elphaba rolled her eyes, still amazed at how airheaded people could be. She decided, however, that her classmates weren't even worth the time of a sarcastic remark at the moment and continued to walk past them.
"Would you like a drink, Miss Elphaba?" Boq held out his cupped hands and gave her a somewhat shy smile. Elphaba tried hard not to wince as he offered her the water.
"No thank you, Master Boq," she said stiffly. The Munchkin boy just shrugged, trying to hide the hurt that passed over his face. Elphaba turned away without another word, feeling slightly guilty. Boq was the only one who at least attempted to tolerate her, even after how she had treated him the other day. Maybe it was only because of his longing to get closer to Galinda, but that was still more than anyone else. The green girl shook her head and continued walking away, telling herself that even if she wanted friends here at Shiz, it was far too late.
Pfannee smirked as Elphaba walked away. She shared a glance with Milla and Shenshen. "Do you believe me now, Shenshen?"
Shenshen stared after the green girl. "I suppose I do."
"Where is Miss Galinda right now?" Pfannee asked.
"Oh, her class goes through dinner," Milla answered. "She won't be around for a while."
"Perfect."
"What are you thinking?" Shenshen asked, grinning in spite of herself.
"You'll see, Miss Shenshen. You'll see."
Back at the café, Elphaba didn't feel like eating. She had considered going to the library, but figured a drink wouldn't be a bad idea. She sat alone at a table in the corner farthest from the door, staying as far away from everyone else as possible. She drank lazily, letting her mind wander as she stared out the window. She sorted through the day's lectures and thought of how to start the essay Dr. Dillamond had assigned. Although many Ozians today believe otherwise, the limitations of Animal rights haven't always been around. In the days before the Great Drought…
Still thinking, she stood and placed her cup in the dish window at the end of the room. "Miss Elphaba," the Gorilla behind the counter said, nodding his head toward her.
"Good evening, Rakuul," she said with a smile, slinging her bag over her shoulder and leaving the café.
"Miss Elphaba." This time, the voice saying her name was much less welcoming. Elphaba turned to face the girls that were leaving the café behind her.
"Pfannee, Milla, Shenshen. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Elphaba bit back all further sarcasm when she saw the glass of water in Pfannee's hand. Her heart sped up and she glanced around. Milla and Shenshen stood on either side of Pfannee, and a few other teenagers were with them, all holding cups of water. More of their classmates were gathering around to watch. Elphaba took an involuntary step back, but the ring of students closed around her, trapping her.
Damn it. I knew I should have just gone to the library. Elphaba struggled to control her features and kept her mouth shut. She refused to give them the pleasure of her frightened voice.
"Always so bitter," Milla said, shaking her head. "You know, maybe someone could look past your hideous exterior if you weren't such a hideous person on the inside, too."
Elphaba glared at her. How many times did she have to say it? She had done nothing but try to stay out of everyone's way at the beginning of the year. She would have gladly lived in quiet peace among her fellow students, but they had insisted on making her the target of the entire university. Elphaba wasn't the instigator; she was forced to fight back. She had always been forced to fight back.
But she stayed silent, bracing herself for the agony she was about to endure. She would survive. She always had.
Boq hurried toward the café, his head down and his eyes focused on his feet. The rest of his class was far behind him, as he had run ahead of everyone to get out as soon as possible. Finally, after weeks of building up the courage, he had tried to ask Miss Galinda out. He could still hear her high-pitched voice.
I'm sorry, dear, but I'm just not interested.
He knew she only meant well, but the pity in her face was humiliating. Crope and Tibbett had spent the remainder of the class making faces at him and whispering words of sickening endearment. I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry, darling. I don't love you, Bokky-poo.
How could he have been so stupid? He knew that Galinda was crazy about Fiyero. He knew he didn't have a chance. Why couldn't he have just kept his mouth shut?
Gritting his teeth, Boq turned the corner and crashed into someone. "Sorry," he mumbled, but the person barely glanced at him. Confused, Boq looked around him and peered through the crowd. Pfannee was grinning at someone, her eyes cold. Boq knew everyone saw her as the beta, the second in command of Galinda's crowd, but he couldn't stand her. She was arrogant and cold and just plain mean. At least whatever faults Galinda had came from her naivety, not her cruelty.
Boq took a few steps to the side, trying to see the rest of what everyone was staring at. His eyes widened as he took in the half dozen teenagers surrounding one tall, lanky, green girl. He didn't know what was about to happen, but he knew it must have been bad. For the first time in his life, he could see a hint of fear in Elphaba's eyes.
Boq turned on his heel and ran back across campus, toward the building he had just left. It wasn't long before he came face to face with the rest of his class. Crope and Tibbett called out when they saw him, making kissy faces again, but he ignored them. He wove his way through the crowd and grabbed the arm of the petite blonde he had been looking for.
"Miss Galinda," he panted. "Miss Galinda, I—"
Galinda looked upset. "Boq, I-I told you…"
"No!" Boq nearly shouted, and he could see the shock in Galinda's clear blue eyes. He swallowed, searching desperately for the right words to say. He wasn't even sure why he had gone for Galinda in the first place. "It's not me, it's—it's Pfannee. Her and the others, outside the café, they—"
Galinda's eyes widened even more as she gripped his arm. "They what, Boq? They're not hurt, are they? What's wrong? Tell me!"
Boq shook his head. "No. Elphaba. They're going to hurt Elphaba."
Galinda hesitated, blinking. Boq all but snarled in frustration and dragged her behind him, pulling her into a run. Once they had started moving, she woke up and ran ahead of him, toward the crowd that hung around outside the café.
"A toast, Miss Elphaba," Pfannee grinned, showing perfectly white teeth. "To you."
Elphaba couldn't help it. She turned her head and cringed as the water was thrown at her. Luckily, Pfannee was a terrible shot, and most of the liquid hit her jacket. Still, her hands burned as the water rolled down her sleeves and onto her green skin. She bit her lip and looked up just as Milla's water hit her, completely soaking the fabric. With a tremendous amount of will, she held back a cry and tore off the jacket, leaving most of her arms bare.
"So it does hurt," Pfannee said quietly, so no one but her two friends and Elphaba could hear. "How much, I wonder?"
"Bring it on," Elphaba spat. Her arms and torso burned from where the water had seeped through the jacket, but she set her jaw and glared defiantly at her classmates.
"What's going on here?" a small voice demanded. The crowd parted to let a tiny blonde through. Elphaba's heart sank slightly as she saw Galinda. Of course her roommate was involved. "Pfannee, what's going on? Milla? Shenshen?"
The others who were holding their glasses hesitated, looking between Pfannee and Galinda. Pfannee looked shock, while Galinda was glaring daggers at them. Slowly, they all lowered their eyes and backed away, disappearing back into the café or other parts of campus. A brief, quiet murmuring passed through the crowd as everyone began to disperse. Boq glanced around, then followed the crowd away. Soon only the five girls stood there, Shenshen still holding her water.
Milla smiled innocently and smoothed her skirt. "Why, we're just hanging out with our favorite green classmate. That's all."
Galinda looked from her friends, to Elphaba and her soaked jacket, and back again. "What…?" She shook her head. "Pfannee, did you start this?"
"I believe she started this," Pfannee said coldly, "Or have you forgotten that she's been a devil to us all year?"
The comment didn't faze Elphaba in the slightest. But at that moment, Pfannee wrenched the cup out of Shenshen's grasp and stepped around Glinda to get closer to the green girl. Elphaba threw her arms over her face and shut her eyes. A shriek rang through the air…but it didn't come from Elphaba. Nothing hit her. She looked up and saw both Pfannee and Galinda drenched in water. Pfannee was screaming, looking down at her soaked dress and frantically tugging at her unraveling curls. Galinda looked just as shocked, although she stayed still and quiet.
Milla grabbed Pfannee and began pulling her away before anything else could happen. Elphaba could have sworn she heard Shenshen giggle as she followed them. Galinda shook her head suddenly, coming back to reality, and looked at Elphaba. "Well, I wasn't going to bathe tonight, but…" The smile faded as she took in her roommate. "Elphaba? Are, uh, are you okay?"
"What did you just do?" Her voice was barely audible.
Galinda looked offended. "I took a glass of water for you. It was quite heroic, actually. You could do more than just stand there, you know."
Elphaba did do more than just stand there. She turned and walked toward the dorms, wincing slightly as she moved.
"W-wait!" Galinda called, grabbing the black jacket from the ground. "Don't you want your—"
"I can't touch it," Elphaba said through her teeth.
"I-I'll carry it for you?" Galinda stammered, thoroughly confused.
"How very thoughtful," Elphaba remarked, but her heart wasn't entirely in it. She just wanted to get up to her room and her burn cream and forget about everything that had happened. Elphaba was used to public humiliation, but never before had a group of people found out about her water allergy. She flinched, suddenly afraid of the advantage her classmates had over her. How did they know?
"What?" Galinda asked. Elphaba mentally cursed herself for thinking out loud.
"Nothing."
"Elph—"
"How did they know water hurts me?" she demanded, not at all expecting an answer.
"Water hurts you?"
Elphaba stopped, glaring at her roommate. She shoved her arm in front of her, revealing the puckering red patches that now stood out violently against her skin. "I'm allergic to water. What did you think they were doing?"
Galinda stood with her mouth open. She had thought the girls were just soaking Elphaba to humiliate her. She didn't realize anyone could ever be so cruel as to actually physically hurt the girl.
"Elphaba, I—"
"Don't you dare say you're sorry," Elphaba hissed, hurrying once more to Crage Hall. In her mind, Galinda had started all of this. She had thought that, after the frock and the burn cream, things were starting to at least calm down, but now she realized how foolish she had been. Galinda would never stop trying to make her life miserable. And sure, Elphaba wasn't innocent in tormenting her roommate right back, but at least she kept it to herself instead of recruiting the entire school.
Who would you talk to about it anyway? Dr. Dillamond? You have no friends, idiot.
She got to the room before Galinda and hurried in, not bothering to close the door behind her. She went straight to the bathroom and pulled out a white jar about the size of her hand. Her burnt palms screamed in protest as she unscrewed the lid. She dipped her fingers into the creamy oil and, hand shaking, began rubbing it into her upper arm, just as Galinda had done the other night. A groan escaped her lips as the pain flashed through her skin.
"Elphaba?" Galinda stood in the doorway, concern rolling off of her tiny body. Elphaba ignored her, though, and continued rubbing the salve into her burnt skin. "Elphie, please, I—"
"Elphie?" The taller girl looked up, annoyance mixing with a hint of amusement on her face. For a moment, she looked like herself again. The relief in Galinda's smile was evident. "I'm fine, Galinda."
"I can't believe Pfannee would—and Milla and Shenshen right with her! Oz knows what they were thinking!" Galinda continued to rant as she went to lock the bedroom door and settled down onto her pink-clad bed. Elphaba just rolled her eyes, knowing perfectly well what those girls were thinking. It was the only thing anyone ever thought of her.
"Wait," Elphaba said suddenly, cutting her roommate off and looking into the bedroom. "Why were you there, anyway?"
Galinda looked at her, a little hurt. Elphaba glanced down and frantically returned to applying the salve. "I mean, if you didn't know what was going on…"
"I ran ahead. Boq saw what was happening and came to get me."
"To get you?" Elphaba asked sharply. Galinda looked as if she'd been struck. Elphaba sighed. "I didn't mean…it's just…well, we're not exactly friends, now, are we?"
"That doesn't mean I want to see you get melted by a bucket of water."
Elphaba made a noise of exasperation. "It wouldn't melt me. It would just burn me—like acid."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize. That sounds so much better."
The two girls fell silent. Elphaba finished on her arms and pulled a dark nightgown from her dresser before heading back to the bathroom. Once she was alone, she scowled in the mirror. Her hands were still trembling slightly, just barely revealing how shaken up she was. She knew how awful people could be, but she never imagined something like this to happen—especially by girls her own age. She bit her lip anxiously, but then ran a hand over her face, taking a deep breath to compose herself.
Gritting her teeth, she gently lifted her blouse, hissing in a painful breath as the fabric clung to her scorched skin.
"Elphaba, are you—" Galinda froze in the doorway to the bathroom, staring in horror at her roommate's torso. Angry red streaks covered most of her left side and stomach. Parts of the green skin were bleeding from where the wet shirt had torn away. Elphaba closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Stop staring at me," she hissed. Galinda gulped, still frozen. "Galinda!"
"Let me help," she said suddenly, her eyes flashing to her roommate's face.
Elphaba hesitated, unsure if the offer was genuine or not. "In the top drawer of my desk," she said quietly, not looking at Galinda, "There is another jar like this, except it has some bandages in it. Will you bring them to me?"
Galinda was gone before Elphaba had finished talking. She turned back to the mirror, wincing at her reflection. As if being green wasn't bad enough, her entire upper body looked like some half-burnt corpse. She shoved her pathetic thoughts away and began rubbing the burn cream into her wounds.
"How are you not crying?" Galinda demanded, walking back into the bathroom.
"What?" Elphaba found herself focusing intently on her roommate's voice, trying desperately to distract herself from the pain.
"You look like you just took a bath in a fireplace—"
"—I basically just did—"
"—Yet you're acting as if it were nothing more than a couple scrapes."
Elphaba stayed silent for a moment. She was retreating back into herself, pulling up the walls she had always held. She didn't want Galinda to know about her. She didn't want to be friends with the girl who had initiated this hell. "Just because you overreact to everything doesn't mean I have to, too."
"If anything, Elphaba, this is underreacting."
"That's not a word."
"I just said it, didn't I? That makes it a word."
"No it doesn't, you—" She bit back her response. There was no need to be cruel toward Galinda.
"Elphaba…" Galinda's voice was soft. "Can you cry?"
The green girl rolled her eyes as she took the bandages from her roommate. "Of course I can cry. Don't be stupid."
"I'm not stupid," Galinda said, a little upset. "And I didn't mean are you physically able to cry. I meant, does it hurt you?"
Elphaba looked down, focusing on wrapping her torso. When she was finished, she slipped her nightgown on, trying not to irritate the wounds. She grabbed her things and went back into the room. Galinda stared after her for a long moment, but then decided wish a small sigh that her roommate wasn't going to talk and went about getting ready for bed. She went into the bathroom to change. For the first time in her life, she avoided looking at her reflection in the mirror. When she crawled into her bed a few minutes later, Elphaba was still fumbling with the jars at her desk. The green girl exhaled.
"Thank you," she said quietly, her eyes focused on what her hands were doing. "I know standing up for me took a lot of courage, and it certainly saved me from a lot of pain, so…thanks."
"You're welcome." Glinda's voice was soft.
Clearing her throat awkwardly, Elphaba closed her desk drawer and crawled into her own bed. Just before she turned out the light, she caught a glimpse of something dark hanging on the bathroom door. Her jacket. Galinda had carried it home and hung it up for her.
Furrowing her eyebrows, she blew out the lantern and lay back in bed, scowling slightly at the ceiling. For a long time, she didn't say anything. Then, "And…yes. Tears burn my skin."
Galinda didn't say anything, but Elphaba knew she was still awake. Still scowling, the green girl rolled onto her side, turning her back on her roommate.