I'M NOT THAT GIRL

It was Saturday and the two girls had decided to spend the rest of the day inside their dorm. Elphaba was reading a book, as usual, and Galinda was sitting in front of the mirror on her bedside table, combing her hair.

Elphaba sighed. She turned another page in her book and suddenly, she caught a glimpse of her roommate, whom she envied that much. She's pretty, for a fact - her blonde curls are always at their finest unlike her long raven hair that is always tangled-up; she has a fair complexion, unlike her green skin; and most of all, everybody wants to be her friend because she is popular and admirable, unlike her who everyone despises.

Galinda caught her roommate staring at her, so from the mirror, she gave Elphaba a questioning look. Elphaba then shook her head and continued reading her book. A sad smile was drawn on Galinda's face. She is well aware of her pretty face and everything but she can't help but get envy of her roommate's wit and determination. She envied how Elphaba can stand out from the class because of her outstanding knowledge about things, how she is so determined to keep going to school even if everyone hates her. The blonde girl knows for a fact that she can't do all those things, she can't survive without her friends, without the admiration of others and she knows that she can't be like Elphaba when it comes to being an outstanding student.

"Elphie?"

"Glin?"

Both of the girls call the other in unison. Elphaba grinned and Galinda produced a soft chuckle.

"Okay, you first", the blonde suggested.

Elphaba shook her head. "Hmm... Not gonna happen. You first!"

"Okay", Galinda started, feeling slightly awkward about it. "How about we do an open forum?"

"What?", Elphaba was shocked, that's what she's going to say too.

"You know, share our thoughts about each other."

"No, I mean, yeah, that was what I was gonna tell you too", Elphaba replied.

"I'll go first!", Galinda started. "Remember that time we had a History test and you got a perfect score, I envied you that much because my score didn't even reach half of the total score. I failed the test and my parents got to know it. They were so upset and disappointed with me. I was with myself too".

Elphaba was shocked. "Wow, Glin, I didn't know you feel envy about someone too. Especially to someone like me. I mean, you're Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands, everyone admires you."

"Yeah, but I'm also slow and shallow."

Elphaba gave a sad smile. "You're not. Remember when Shenshen almost killed herself when her boyfriend broke up with her?"

The blonde nodded.

Elphaba continued, "You spent the whole week being with her. Helping her to move on with her life and giving her encouraging words. Being smart isn't just about academics you know. It's also about being aware of serious things like suicide, knowing what to do to prevent it, and help people not to do it."

"The truth is, I envy you too. I think most Shiz students do. You're pretty, rich and everyone wants to be your friend."

"Elphie, you're beautiful, you're the only one who says you're not", the blonde said genuinely.

"Who can be beautiful with this green skin?"

"Yeah, your complexion is green", Galinda started. "But that's the thing that makes you, you. It's the thing that makes you special and unique among others so you don't have to be hard on yourself for being extraordinary. You know, the things that make us strange are the ones that make us powerful."

Elphaba smiled. "See, you always know what to say. You're smart."

Galinda chuckled and Elphaba continued, "I just realized, everything's just so complicated around here. I mean, you envy someone because she has something that you don't, and that person also envies you for possessing something that she doesn't. We wish to be the person that person that we envy so much but the truth is, our traits and talents alone are enough to help us stand out. Our lives would be a lot better if we stop comparing ourselves among each other, instead be contented and focus on what you're good at."

Author's Note: I hope you got that quote I used from Ben Platt's speech when he accepted his Tony. All credits go to him, by the way. Also, I'm planning to write a new story about Wicked again. I hope you'll read it too. :)