FACEBOOK LIKES
"Galinda, how come that you always get a ton of likes?", Elphaba suddenly said as the two girls check their facebook accounts in the library.
*click* *click* *click*
"Galinda?", Elphaba repeated.
"Hmm?", asked the busy blonde. Apparently, she can't even manage to talk to anyone at the moment because of the SO MANY notifications that keep popping on her account every second. "Just a minute, Elphie".
Elphaba sighed. She peeked at her roommate's computer and saw comments like, "Ur so fab!" "How do I become like u?" "Can you teach your roommate how to be that gorgeous too? lol"
She felt a growl in her stomach at that last comment. Her account is black as well as her profile picture. It simply has an "Elphaba Thropp" name in it and that's all it. But people keep messaging her things like, "Ur so ugly!" "Hey, artichoke. Why is ur profile black? Isn't it supposed to be green?" "Frog!" "I bet you only eat cabbage everyday. Oh, wait. Also artichoke! lol"
She tries to not mind all these. But sometimes, you just can't help but think about what other people say about you.
That night in their dorm room...
Galinda arrived holding paper bags filled with new cute dresses. She found her roommate reading a book.
"Uhm. Elphie, are you okay?", asked the worried blonde.
Elphaba looked from her book and said, "Uh, yeah. Why did you ask?"
"You're reading your book upside down", hearing this, Elphaba immediately closed her book and told her roommate that she is now going to sleep.
Galinda sighed while putting her paper bags on her bed. She went to her roommate's side and said, "Okay. Spill!"
"What? Who gets cyberbullied again?", Elphaba said out loud nervously. Her roommate did a worried smile and said, "Just as I thought."
Elphaba gave up and told her friend the details. "It's just that, how come people always love what you do or what you post even if 90% of it don't even make sense".
Galinda glared at the green girl who just shrugged.
"You know, you're not fabilicious like me", the blonde started as she fix her hair ceremoniously.
"But you're smart", Elphaba looked at her roommate who ended her sentence with, "and sarcastic".
Elphaba only managed to say, "okay", still not getting the sense of what her friend said.
"Meaning, you can use that strength to have people love you. Post something funny, interesting or whatever. There are so many people who use social media, Elphie, and not all of those people only appreciate amazeball photos like mine", Elphaba was suddenly star-struck with Galinda's wit. Sometimes, people shouldn't judge those blonde heads, you know.
"Thanks. What would I ever do without you, friend?", Elphaba said sarcastically but almost mockingly, her lips forming a grin. Apparently, it's a mockery of Galinda who always says those exact groups of phrases when Elphaba helps her with her homeworks.
"Not now Ms. Thropp", Galinda warned.
One week after that conversation...
The two girls are in the library again checking their accounts.
Elphaba snorted a laugh. "This is too funny for my brain."
Galinda looked at her roommate's computer screen and Elphaba continued, "I mean, how can people be this shallow headed? I posted about how lame the fashion trend is and I got crazy responses!"
The blonde read her friend's post:
I'd rather dress my cat black than any color today's fashion trend has to offer.
Elphaba's post got 5k likes and earned responses like, "You dress your cat? I do too!" "What's the name of your cat? I love your account by the way" "Can we hangout sometime?"
"I don't get it! What's with the cat?", the blonde demanded which made her friend snort a laugh again.
"It's a figure of speech. You don't directly state what you want to say. You creatively make sentences. It's like sarcasm at it's finest", Elphaba explained to her friend who seemed like still isn't getting the sense of it.
"But, you're right, Galinda", the green girl continued. "Maybe posting on social media isn't a lame thing after all."
They both agreed at that.
Elphaba's posts kept gaining likes and responses which the green girl found amusing.
2 weeks after that conversation.
Elphaba shared another post:
How can someone say that he is brainless when he doesn't even have a brain to think that he is?
The post earned popularity, as usual. And Fiyero commented, "Ouch!", which made the green girl laugh loudly. She continued scrolling through the comments and found a response that is quite offensive.
From an unknown user:
These nonsense posts may make u popular, but they will never change the FACT that ur still a creepy green veggie.
It's the same account that keeps posting rude comments on her posts lately. At first, she just ignored the account's comments, but as she keeps posting, it keeps commenting as well.
The account has no icon and when Elphaba tried to visit the account's profile, there are no information or even a name that will help her know who it is.
"Seems like the user only made this account to bash people", Elphaba thought. Then she let it pass away, again.
The next day after that, Elphaba headed to their dorm room after her classes had ended only to find Galinda already doing something on her side of the bed.
"Wow! You're early. What's up?", Elphaba greeted. The blonde looked at her, closed her laptop and hurriedly went to the bathroom signaling to the green girl that she will be right back.
Elphaba shrugged. Her roommate has been acting very strange lately. They haven't talked for a while.
Her train of thoughts got interrupted when a loud noise suddenly buzzed the room. It was from Galinda's laptop.
Out of curiosity, Elphaba opened the laptop, only to find that her friend just got a new notification on Facebook. But she was shocked when she realized that the account who got a notification wasn't Galinda's. It was the unknown user that keeps replying rude comments on her posts. Is she...?
Elphaba's shocked face got even more shocked when Galinda went out of the bathroom. The blonde looked horrified.
"Galinda, are you the one whose running that unknown account that keeps commenting rude comments on my posts?", Elphaba said after a while when she finally found the will to say so.
Galinda gulped. She didn't know what to say. "What are you saying, Elphie?"
"How could you? I thought you were my friend", Elphaba is still in wild shock. Galinda was the last person she thought would do such thing to her.
Galinda was turning pale and having short breaths. Elphaba kept talking, "Why? Cause you started losing likes while I begin gaining? You're jealous cause you think I am stealing your spotlight? Grow up, Galinda!"
After saying all these, Galinda passed out. The next thing that happened, Fiyero and their friends were rushing the blonde to the hospital.
Elphaba went to Fiyero, "What is happening?"
"Pfannee and Shenshen poisoned her lunch and that's the only information I got. We immediately rushed to your dorm room when we found out about it", Fiyero answered with a worried voice. He hope Galinda's okay.
Now, Elphaba felt guilty, worried and curious about what really happened. She knew one person can only answer all these - Galinda. When her friend wakes up, she'll immediately ask her what happened instead of judging her. That is, if Galinda will ever wake up.
After a day, the blonde woke up to Elphaba's relief. Elphaba visited her friend and thought not to rush things yet.
She found the blonde resting on the hospital bed.
"Hey, Elphie! I'm glad you're here", the blonde greeted. Elphaba smiled and rested the fruits she brought on a table nearby.
"I just want to explain what happened last-", Galinda was cut by Elphaba's fast reply, "You don't have to explain that to me on this situation. There is a place for that."
"But, Elphie, this is important", Elphaba looked at her friend after hearing that last word. Galinda took a deep breath, " It was a few days ago when I got an email from my parents that they found out about my failing grades here in Shiz, probably through Madame Morrible and they told me that if I didn't make things right until next semester, they're going to pull me out here in Shiz."
"So. That's why you've been acting strange lately", Elphaba said and the blonde nodded.
"Then, this morning, I went to the library to email my parents back, when suddenly, I saw Pfannee and Shenshen doing something on the other computer in the library. They were laughing really loud and I was so curious so I peeked at their computer screen. They were running this unknown account that you said have been commenting rude comments on your posts. I told them to stop it and we began to fight. We were summoned to leave the library and before I could go, I got the account's password so I can report it or deactivate it when I get to the dorm."
Galinda continued, "But then, at lunch, I saw Pfannee and Shenshen in the cafeteria. They gave me a muffin as a peace offering. I accepted it but after eating it, my stomach began aching really bad. I didn't finish my class with Dr. Dillamond because he sent me straight to the dorm. When I got in the dorm, I immediately logged the account on my laptop and then you came. When you asked me what's up, I suddenly felt the need to vomit so I hurriedly went to the bathroom. I was declining, then you started saying these things and I don't know how I can explain it with my situation. The next thing I know, I was in the hospital."
"Fiyero said your muffin was poisoned," Elphaba said guiltily. She took a deep breath, "I'm sorry for saying all these, Galinda. I just really thought..."
"I understand, Elphie. And I accept your apology. We really say things we don't really want to say when we're mad. The lesson is, you should not react that abruptly after finding out about a stuff, know what happened first because words are so powerful that they can change or break anything," Galinda said smartly.
"You know, you're more smart than I am", Elphaba said and the blonde's face brightened. "In some things", the green girl continued and Galinda just chuckled softly.
"Come on, I'll help you not fail on your class that is?"
"Sorcery", Galinda said and both of them laughed loudly.
Author's Note: What do you think? Follow, favorite and review! xoxo