A/N: Happy Thursday guys! (It's past midnight. That counts, right?) You know the drill: thanks, you're awesome, hope you like the chapter. :)

Glinda woke Saturday morning—after a restless night of flipping over and shivering in covers and pillows that just wouldn't sit right—to the faint sound of pen scratching paper. The noise used to bother her to no end, but it was soon becoming somewhat comforting. She rolled over to look at her roommate.

Elphaba paused when she heard the rustling of sheets. She glanced up, almost apologetically. "I didn't mean to wake you. I'll go to the library."

"No," Glinda said quickly. She propped herself up on her elbows. "It's fine. I need to get ready anyway." She hopped out of bed and went to her wardrobe, only halfheartedly tugging on dresses and shoes to figure out what to wear.

Elphaba watched, raising an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic lack of excitement. "Glinda…are you sure you want to go with them today?"

The blonde kept sorting through her clothes. "Why wouldn't I? It's shopping, which I love. And my friends, who…" She trailed off, her fingers hesitating on the dress she was holding. "Um, anyway. What are you doing today?"

The green girl shifted her papers a little, tucking them further out of sight. "The usual," she said casually. It was Glinda's turn to raise her eyebrows. The roommates just stared at each other, neither one of them quite understanding the other.

Glinda broke eye contact first, turning back to her wardrobe and pulling out a fluffy pink dress. "This'll do," she said to herself.

"Mind if I go in first?" Elphaba asked, standing up and pulling a random outfit out of her wardrobe. "I don't want to wait for the next hour to change."

"Hey, I don't take an hour." Glinda crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. The green girl grinned.

"Fine. Fifty minutes, whatever." She ducked past the blonde and slipped into the bathroom. Glinda couldn't help but giggle a little as she set her outfit down on the bed and waited.

Something on Elphaba's desk caught her eye. It was that old journal, the one she'd been clinging to since Dr. Dillamond left. Glinda bit her lip, glancing at the bathroom door. A thousand reasons not to look ran through her head—Elphie would be out soon, she would notice if the journal was moved, she respected her roommate's privacy, she was terrified of how Elphaba would react—but somehow that didn't stop her from tiptoeing to the desk and leaning over.

The bathroom door rattled. Glinda squeaked and jumped to her wardrobe, pretending to dig through the rows of shoes.

"All yours, blondie," Elphaba said, sitting back down at her desk. Glinda watched her out of the corner of her eye. The green girl made no reaction; she simply picked up her pen and began working again. Glinda bit back a sigh of relief and, grabbing her clothes from her bed, slipped into the bathroom to change.

Half an hour later, the blonde came out of the bathroom fully dressed and complete with curled hair, makeup, and simple emerald earrings. Elphaba watched her slip on a pair of heels, vaguely remembering the night with the sticking solution. That led to thoughts of her mother's bottle, and bugs between sheets, and magic humming through the air of their room as they glared stubbornly at each other, each of them ready to kill… She stared at her tiny blonde roommate and, for a brief moment, barely recognized her.

Glinda noticed Elphaba shaking her head. "What is it?" she asked, grabbing her clutch.

The green girl looked distracted. "N-nothing."

"It'll be fine, Elphie. Just a nice, peaceful day of friends and shopping."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Nice and peaceful. Right."

The blonde started to look offended, but then her face fell. "You don't get it, okay? I don't want to just shove them out of my life and never speak to them again. I still want us all to be friends. Is that so bad? Besides, if I can change, they can, too."

But you're different from them, Elphaba wanted to say. Instead, she just shrugged and went back to her desk.

"What, you don't think so?"

Elphaba barely looked up. "They're your friends. You know better than I do." When the blonde just stood there, Elphaba sighed. "Just go, Glinda. Have fun. Don't spend too much time with your tongue down Fiyero's throat."

"Fiyero and I broke up."

Now the green girl really looked up, just in time to see Glinda's cheeks reddening as she turned away. Before Elphaba could piece together something—anything—to say, the blonde had marched out of the room.

Elphaba turned back to her desk, cursing herself.

Glinda took deep breaths, calming herself as she headed for the café. She didn't want to be mad at Elphaba—after all, how was the green girl supposed to know?—but the remark still hurt.

She let the morning wind cool down her face as she walked through campus. It wasn't Elphaba's fault. It wasn't hers, either. Fiyero wasn't what she wanted anymore. And even if he was, she thought to herself, she certainly wouldn't be sticking her tongue down his throat.

"Galinda, finally. What took you so long?"

Glinda was waved over by Milla. The café was mostly empty, and her friends had taken up a long table in a corner. To her disappointment, Fiyero and Avaric were sitting with them.

"The boys wanted to come with us, especially since Avaric missed the last time," Pfannee said. "You don't mind, do you?"

As a matter of fact, Glinda did mind. She didn't want to spend the day awkwardly avoiding Fiyero, and Avaric was…well, Avaric. But she also wanted to have a good time, so she just smiled sweetly and took the seat next to Shenshen. "Not at all."

Fiyero smiled tentatively at her from across the table. It was better than glaring at her, she supposed. She returned the smile with only a little hesitancy.

The lack of other students seemed to excite the group, and the conversation drifted louder than usual. Avaric drawled on about some exaggerated story, raising his voice whenever someone tried to break in. Pfannee giggled loudly, batting her eyelashes and hanging on to his every word. Eventually someone asked Fiyero something about his life in the Vinkus, and the dark-skinned boy took over, with Avaric inserting snide comments and the girls giggling and swooning.

Glinda was content to just sit quietly and watch them all. She entertained herself for a while by trying to guess how much of the boys' stories was true and how much was made up for the girls' sake. But her peace didn't last, for eventually someone had to make a jab at her.

Pfannee, of course, was the first one. "So, Galinda, what are you going to get in town? A new dress for your green bean charity project?"

"No, I don't think so," the blonde replied easily. "I guess I'll just look around and buy whatever catches my eye."

"The green bean charity project?" Avaric snickered. "I thought Pfannee was joking when she said the two of you were friends."

"The freak would do well with a new dress," Milla said thoughtfully. "New clothes, a makeover, something to make her less hideous."

"Don't tell me you're taking pity on her, too." Pfannee rolled her eyes. "It's bad enough that Galinda over here's been bewitched."

"What would you know of bewitching?" Glinda replied. "You barely know anything about your general classes. Oz knows how much you'd struggle with sorcery."

Shenshen covered her mouth to stifle her laugh. Pfannee shot her a look.

"Galinda's getting feisty," Avaric sniggered. "Just the way we like 'em, right Fiyero?"

The prince rubbed the back of his neck and avoided the question. "So where do you all want to go today?"

Glinda took a breath as the attention was diverted away from her. She was suddenly unsure if she could make it through the day—and they hadn't even finished breakfast yet.

"What about dinner at the Peach and Kidneys?" Milla asked, then she turned to Glinda. "Or has your roommate sabotaged the place again?"

"We've done nothing to her lately, so she has no reason for revenge," the blonde answered.

"What, are you defending her actions now?" Pfannee's eyes narrowed, but Glinda just sighed.

"All I'm saying is that it's in the past, and we should leave it there."

"That's no fun," Avaric said with a mock pout. "I barely got the chance to torment the vegetable. And here I was hoping I could figure out some more of her secrets."

"Her secrets are none of your concern, Master Avaric." Glinda struggled to keep her tone even.

"That doesn't stop my curiosity," he answered. "For example, exactly what does a green bean look like naked? I mean, she claims to be a girl, but with those loose fitting dresses it's hard to tell."

"You are vile, Avaric," she said tightly. "And what you're suggesting is despicable."

Avaric smirked. "Oh come on. Are you telling me you're not the least bit curious to see whether or not Elphie is green all over?"

"Don't call her that!" Glinda snapped. A surge of anger swept through the blonde. The silverware in front of her rattled, and she clenched her fists, forcing herself to calm down.

"Oh," Milla whispered loudly to Pfannee. "Can you imagine the freak's reaction to—"

"We should go," Fiyero said quickly, cutting her off. "Why waste time here when the city awaits?" He stood hastily and began ushering them to the door.

Glinda trailed behind the group, her stomach twisting into little knots with every step she took closer to the campus gates. She could feel, faintly, the tug of magic travelling through her. Maybe today wasn't a good idea, she thought to herself. In fact, by the time they reached the main square near the entrance, she was sure that going to town with the group would be a huge mistake. But how could she excuse herself now?

"I just don't know why she gets all defensive." Pfannee's voice drifted back to her. "If it were me, I'd be all for whatever drives the moldy bitch away."

That was it.

"All right, look." Glinda planted her feet in the middle of the square and waited for the others to stop and face her. "We planned today so that we could all hang out and be friends again, but you're purposefully trying to get a rise out of me, and I'm sick of it. Why is it so hard for you to just have a day of peace?"

"No one's disturbing the peace but you, Galinda," Pfannee said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Glinda's hands curled into fists. "That's such a lie! All morning—no, the last few weeks—you've been saying these things about me and Elphaba, all these snide remarks about us being friends, and it's obnoxious! I never said you had to like her. I never said you had to get along with her. All I'm asking is for you to stop treating her so awfully, and stop taking it out on me when I'm around!"

Avaric opened his mouth to protest, but Glinda spun around and pointed at him. "And you. I don't know why anyone thinks you're so charming or attractive, when in fact you're nothing but a foul, loathsome, disgusting excuse of a human being." She took a deep breath and glared at all of them. "I can't believe you all. You think you're so high and mighty, simply because you push down everyone else. Well, I can't stand acting like that, and I can't stand being around others who act like that. Not anymore."

The blonde stopped and looked around. Avaric and Pfannee were staring daggers at her. Milla and Shenshen had a shocked sort of scowl on their faces, and Fiyero looked like he was torn between defiance and embarrassment.

"I don't mean to hurt you all," Glinda spoke again, her voice and face softening. "I never wanted any of this to come between us. Please, we can all still be friends, can't we?"

"With that awful green—?"

"I'm not forcing you to get along with her. But still," the blonde said, almost pleading, "If you just had a chance to get to know her, she's—"

"No!" Pfannee all but snarled. "What's gotten into you, Galinda?" The blonde's eyes flashed. "Seriously, what's the meaning of all this? Being her friend, defending her! If it's pity, then you're wasting your time. If you're actually her friend, then—then—that's just disgusting!"

"It's Glinda." She crossed her arms. "And Elphaba is a better friend than any of you ever were."

With that, she turned on her heel and stormed away from the square, quite literally leaving everything she had thought she wanted behind her.

"What a bitch," Pfannee muttered. "Come on. The carriage will be more comfortable with just five people, anyway."

Milla sighed. "I just don't understand. What kind of person would give up their popularity like that?"

Shenshen nodded sadly, following the others toward the gates.

Fiyero hesitated, staring after the blonde. Avaric clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Master Fiyero. She was a nice catch, but she's hardly worth all this drama. We'll just get you laid some other way."

The Vinkan turned to see everyone watching him, waiting. Maybe Avaric was right. Maybe it wasn't worth all the drama. With a slight sigh, he followed them away. He didn't even look over his shoulder as they climbed into the waiting carriage.

"Before you say anything, don't."

Elphaba looked up at her roommate's sudden entrance. The blonde was trembling from head to toe. Her fists were clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white, and her eyes—though obviously holding back tears—were a brighter blue than she'd ever seen. Elphaba leaned back slightly, torn between awe and fear.

Glinda slammed the door behind her and marched to her side of the room. The green girl watched her, wide-eyed, but she stayed uncharacteristically quiet. Glinda sat down on the bed and tugged off her heels. She looked up at Elphaba. "Okay, you can say something. Just don't say I told you so."

Realization flashed across the green face. She cleared her throat nervously. "W-whatever happened…I'm sorry."

Glinda sighed. "It's not your fault."

"Was it about me?"

"Well…sort of, yeah."

Elphaba nodded, but Glinda scowled at her. "That doesn't make it your fault, Elphie."

The green girl brought her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. "Please. If you weren't trying to be my friend—and we both know the consequences that brings just by itself—then they wouldn't treat you this way. If you weren't nice to me, then they'd still be friends with you."

"Maybe I don't want to be friends with them anymore."

Elphaba blinked and looked up at her roommate. The blonde flopped onto her back and sighed up at the ceiling. "I thought I could have everything. I-I thought I could bring out the best in everyone, and then we'd all get along."

Elphaba sat very still, wondering what to do. "It's not your fault, Glinda. It's not that you don't bring out the best in people. It's just that I bring out the worst."

Still laying down, Glinda shook her head. "I just wish…" she trailed off, then let out a choked laugh. "I wish I wasn't this upset over them. I'm the one who told them off and walked away, yet where did we all end up? They're laughing about it in a carriage on the way to go shopping, and I'm in my room, trying not to cry in front of my roommate for fear that she'll laugh at me, too." Her voice cracked and by the end she was indeed crying.

"I'm not laughing," Elphaba said quietly. She didn't know why, but the sight of her roommate's tears made it hard to breathe. She stood and walked over to the bed. Glinda looked up at her as she sat down. Instinct took over and Elphaba held out her arms.

Glinda climbed into her embrace, crying even harder. The green girl stroked her hair and brushed the tears from her cheeks, barely noticing the sting. "Don't. You'll smudge."

A mix between a sob and a giggle escaped her lips, and she clung even tighter to Elphaba. One green hand moved to Glinda's shoulder blades, rubbing soothing circles and scratching gently. After a moment, Elphaba started humming quietly, some gentle melody that Glinda didn't recognize, but calmed her down all the same.

Some time passed before Glinda pulled away slightly. She wiped her cheeks and sniffled a little. "Sorry I'm such a mess," she murmured.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Believe me, I've seen worse."

Glinda laughed shakily. The green girl gently disentangled herself and retreated to her own bed. "And um, for the record…"

The blonde looked curiously up at her. Elphaba cleared her throat nervously. "I do think you bring out the best in people. At least, you did for me."

Glinda didn't know what to say, so she simply hugged her knees to her chest and smiled.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Elphaba asked, her face still full of concern.

The blonde shrugged. "What's there to talk about? They were horrible at breakfast—Oz, it made me sick to my stomach, some of the things they said—and I didn't want to spend the day like that. So I told them off for being terrible human beings and I came back here."

There it was again, that awe and admiration Elphaba suddenly felt for her roommate. "You make it sound so casual," she said.

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Glinda asked sadly. "It's something I should have done weeks ago."

Elphaba shook her head. "You didn't want to hurt them. This can't have been easy for you. That makes it a big deal."

The blonde looked away, biting back more tears. Just like that, the green girl was seeing right through her again, in a way no one else had ever been able to.

Elphaba stood. "Don't cry, Glinda."

"I'm not."

The green girl wrung her hands together. "I-I'm gonna let you have the room to yourself. Just for a little while," she added as the blonde looked up at her. "You know I'm no good with emotions, and this way you can scream or cry or just breathe a little without worrying about how I'll react. If you need me…you know where to find me." She offered a small smile, and Glinda couldn't help but return it.

"Thank you, Elphie."

Elphaba took her hand and squeezed it gently, then grabbed her bag and left before the blonde could hear the ridiculously loud pounding of her heart. Once the door shut softly behind her, she pressed a hand to the wall and took a shaky breath. Oz, why was she blushing all of a sudden? Before the thoughts could completely take over, she started off, heading for the library.

Glinda was stretched out on her bed, fingers drumming on her stomach, staring at the ceiling. She tried not to think of where Pfannee and the rest of them were. She tried not to think of the Owl waitress at the Peach and Kidneys, and how badly she was being treated if she had to serve them. She tried not to think of how many people would snicker at her if they saw her in that moment, wearing her old, cozy sweater with no makeup on and her hair sprawled messily across the sheets around her head.

Instead, she thought of her green roommate—slender fingers gripping hers gently, the soft humming that steadied her, the rare, almost shy smile she had offered Glinda. How many people did Elphaba genuinely smile at? Was she one of the only ones? She grinned up at the ceiling. Who needed those shallow fools when she had a friend as sincere and heartfelt as Elphie?

But then she sighed. No matter what she told herself, this wasn't going to be easy. Getting out of bed and facing the rest of the university again would hurt. They would talk about her, stare at her, judge her. Just the thought of it caused panic to bubble up in her chest. She had always been at the top of society: rich, pretty, fashionable, sweet. Never had she been the social outcast; she didn't know what to do. Sure, she had Elphie. But everything else she knew here at Shiz was gone.

No, not just gone—turned against her.

The door opened and in stepped Elphaba. Glinda turned to look and found her holding a steaming mug. The blonde sat up as Elphaba put down her bag and walked over to the bed.

"I got hot cocoa," Elphaba said, holding the drink out uncertainly. Glinda squealed happily and took it, breathing in the thick, sweet smell of chocolate.

"Wait," she said, looking back at the green girl. "You didn't get any for yourself?"

Elphaba shrugged. "The cafeteria makes it with water."

Glinda stared at her for a moment, taking in the slightly darker shade of her cheeks, the way her eyes stayed down, how her fingers wrung together in front of her. It was such a small thing, really, but at the moment it seemed like the kindest thing anyone had ever done for her.

Glinda thought of this new side of her roommate, and that's when she realized. Her life had changed so much the past couple of weeks, but not all the changes were bad. She thought of how her magic had improved, and how much she'd learned in her classes. She thought of the day out by the canal, talking and laughing with Crope and Tibbett and Boq. She thought of Elphaba, who was far, far more than just a green girl who she was forced to room with.

The blonde smiled again and reached out, stilling anxious green hands.

"Thank you, Elphie."