She saw a figure moving across the room towards her and had to stop herself from visibly flinching. The situation was already bad enough as it was; she had thought about quickly making for the exit, but there was hardly enough time for that. And it would just be an act of cowardice that would further ruin her reputation. If it could get worse, at this point.
The unknown shape was still moving, but becoming more focused with each passing second. Elphaba's heart dropped the instant it came within view.
This could not be happening.
It was too late to try and run now, but there was no way she was about to face her. There must be something she could do. Elphaba's mind raced frantically, searching for a last resort to get her out of this predicament she had wound up in, but glancing around the room, she could find nothing that could save her from her doom.
So she pretended not to have noticed, and instead tried to ignore her surroundings as she threw all her pent up rage into these ridiculous dance moves that most likely sent another tear through her image each time she moved. She knew she would hate herself for this later, however in this moment it was all she could think to do.
Her heart involuntarily started thumping even harder when she felt a tap on her shoulders, and she turned slowly, trying desperately to keep the emotion off her face, as she stared at the blonde who seemed to be haunting her every move.
"May I cut in?"
Elphaba's life had never been predictable, and even less so once she had started here at Shiz, but these were four words that she had never dreamed, even once, she would ever hear anything like. It disoriented her; caught her off guard.
And it took her a few moments to comprehend that Galinda had actually asked her a question and expected an answer. That had certainly never happened before. She couldn't seem to be able to find any sufficient words, so instead opted to remain silent, staring blankly at the girl next to her.
At first it felt like mockery, the way Galinda copied what she had been doing. She felt heat rushing to her face, but despite the appearance of the situation, it seemed that something was different this time. This wasn't the same senseless teasing she was used to; the notion seemed absurd when she thought about it, but in a way, it felt like Galinda was trying to communicate a deeper meaning.
And so it was without hesitation, without so much as a second thought, that Elphaba joined in.
This could all be a trick, or a way to humiliate her further, but for once Elphaba wasn't thinking about that. All she knew was that something had completely changed, and it would affect the rest of her life. And this time, possibly, that wasn't such a bad thing.