May I Cut In? (8)
The day had finally arrived. The whole of Shiz was in a hustle and bustle. The energy of the campus could not be over looked by any person. Even Elphaba was feeling the effects of excitement.
It was just past noon on Saturday afternoon, when Galinda burst into her dorm room in a wiggly flurry of blue and laughter. Misses Pfannee and Shenshen were just behind her, but she quickly turned and blocked their entrance with her hands positioned on either side of the door frame.
“Now girls, you wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise of my dress for this evening, so I must keep you out,” Galinda said with a practiced grin, even as the girls moaned with disappointment.
“Oh come now, Miss Galinda, the surprise is for Master Fiyero,” Shenshen groaned, obviously yearning to see the glorious gown Galinda had been speaking of for the last week.
“No, no, no,” Galinda tsk-ed. “You’ll see me tonight ladies.”
And with that, she shut the door and smiled widely. There was nothing that could bring her down on this day; the day of the dance at Ozdust.
She nearly skipped to her closet and threw open the white, painted doors. There, directly in front, was the pink gown she had her parents ship from the Gilikin and Galinda was quite sure it was the most magnificent article of clothing she had ever owned. It was pink and ruffled and a true work of genius.
“You’ll ruin your vision if you stare at the pink for too long,” Elphaba’s snide remark seemed to echo in the quiet of the room.
Galinda yelped and turned quickly, making a show of slamming her closet’s doors.
“Elphaba!” Galinda growled with a frown, stomping her heeled foot into floor. She could almost see the smirk behind Elphaba’s book. “No one was supposed to see this dress until this evening! You’ve completely ruined my…”
“Galinda,” Elphaba hissed, “please save your breath. You have nothing to worry your pretty little head over, for I will not be attending the dance and therefore, no one who will be in attendance at the Ozdust this evening has seen your dress.”
Elphaba couldn’t help glancing over her the rim of her glasses when no reply came from her perky, blond room mate. She had assumed the girl would be satisfied with her answer, but instead, Galinda was frowning even more. The green girl mimicked her frown with confusion.
“What do you mean?” Galinda asked suddenly, her words nearly tripping over one another. She wasn’t sure what she should focus on, the fact Elphaba had called her pretty or the fact Elphaba was not going to the dance.
“What?” the girl asked, her dark brows furrowing.
“You aren’t going to the Ozdust?”
Elphaba stared blankly at the her room mate, not sure if Galinda was going to burst into tears or try to kill her. She couldn’t help the way her body tensed at the intense gaze Galinda was giving her and for the first time, Elphaba nearly feared what her room mate was going to do.
“Well?!” Galinda demanded, causing Elphaba to startle.
Looking bewildered, Elphaba continued to stare at the blond girl. “I am not going to the ball,” she said slowly, watching Galinda closely.
“But, but, but…”Galinda stuttered as she tried to find words. She hopped onto her bed, looking at Elphaba with confusion. “Why are you not be going? Elphaba, this dance is-is going to be the biggest event of the entire school year!”
Seeing that Galinda was clearly distraught over the matter, Elphaba sighed. She glanced at the girl once more, before pinching the bridge of her nose between her index finger and her thumb.
“Galinda, I will only tell you this once, so listen closely. This green girl is not welcomed at social events, even if I had some inkling of a want to go AND I would rather go for a jog in the rain, then spend an entire evening with the imbeciles that attend this school,” Elphaba explained, her dark eyes boring into Galinda’s.
For a long few moments, there was complete silence in their room. Their eyes were locked and Elphaba could feel beads of sweat form on her hands. She quickly looked away, heat flushing her cheeks. Standing, she moved over toward her desk and attempted to avoid the look Galinda was giving her.
“Elphaba….That’s not…” Galinda tried to say, a deep sense of guilt burning in her chest.
“No, Galinda don’t,” Elphaba replied firmly. Her fingers wrapped around one of the may books that was stacked neatly on her desk. “You know it’s true and I don’t want to argue about it.”
“Miss Elphaba, your attitude is much to negative! Maybe if you - well, made an effort, you would be as welcomed as any student!” the blond girl cried, leaping from her bed and approaching her room mate.
Elphaba nearly growled out of frustration. “Is that so? Then why do you suppose, Miss Galinda, I have yet to have anything close to a friend?” she shot back, whirling around to face Galinda.
The two would have been standing nearly nose to nose had Galinda not been a good deal shorter than the green girl. Their fiery glares locked in a collision of blue and brown.
“Because you’re too damn stubborn!” the smaller of the two shrieked.
“It’s hard not to be when no one sees past my skin,” Elphaba hissed, her voice deathly low. “You think life is so easy…” she growled, stepping toward the girl before her.
Galinda could do nothing, but step back to avoid Elphaba. She could nearly feel the heat of her anger and it made Galinda shiver from head to toe.
“Everyone loves you, everyone worships you, everyone does everything you ever want! You have no idea what the real world is like…You are caught in some fantasy world!”
Elphaba’s voice steadily rose till Galinda cringed at the volume. Each sentence took her a step closer to Galinda and each time, the blond girl would back away. Even her attempts at being brave could not hide the fear that glittered in her baby blue eyes.
Elphaba had backed her up to the edge of her fluffy, pink bed and Galinda squeaked as she was forced to sit back. Galinda was fuming. Her face was hot with a pink blush and her manicured nails dug into the comforter of her bed. She would not let Elphaba overpower her like this.
“You don’t love me,” she announced as if it were the most obvious statement in the world, and she even managed to keep her voice from shaking.
The green girl loomed over her. Galinda gulped at the menacing look on her room mate’s features. Suddenly, Elphaba pulled back and cackled.
Her laugh was the only sound as Galinda stared at her confusion.
“It seems I’m an exception to most rules,” Elphaba said finally, a smirk still playing on her thin lips.
Galinda jumped to her feet, pointing an accusing finger at Elphaba. “You are the most infuriating human being I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting!” she roared.
With another smirk, Elphaba moved back toward her bed and took up the book she had been reading when Galinda enter. There was something about driving Galinda up the wall that just gave her such a satisfied feeling. Feeling triumphant, she buried her nose in her novel and proceeded to ignore her room mate’s presence.
X
Galinda was in a rage. She couldn’t recall a time she had been so absolutely and totally furious. Moving to her closet, she threw open the doors once again, not even cringing as the handles collided with the wall. Elphaba wasn’t even acknowledging her, but that was about to change.
“I’ll show her, that ungrateful toad…” Galinda mumbled as she tore through her closet.
In the back, behind all of her dresses she found an all to familiar box. A smug smile curved her lips as she wrestled to remove it from the closet. “No one crosses Galinda Arduenna.”
After freeing the decent size box, she removed the lid and carelessly shucked it back into her sea of dresses. Inside was just what she was looking for. It had been a present once upon a time, from an aunt or a cousin, she couldn’t quite remember. It was the most hideous thing she had ever seen and it was perfect pay back for her room mate’s rudeness.
“Oh Elphaba,” she sing-songed, plucking the hat from its case and holding it behind her back as she turned to face Elphaba.
Elphaba seemed to hesitate, but she did look up, her eyes just barely visible above the top of her book. She narrowed her eyes looking at Galinda like she could possibly be a criminal.
“What?”
“You said that you are not welcomed at social events, but I know how to change that,” Galinda said, slowly moving toward her room mate.
That caught the green girl’s attention and she slowly lowered her book, her eyes scrutinizing Galinda.
“Thank you for the sentiment, “ Elphaba replied sarcastically, “ but I don’t need that to change.”
“Oh, but Elphie,” the blonde cooed, “ don’t you want to see what it’s like to be accepted. Just for a night?”
The question sounded innocent enough, but it sent Elphaba into a panic. Her eyes widened and her heart clenched. How could this silly girl from the Uplands possibly know that that is what she longed for? Shaking her head, she took a deep breath. She tried to convince herself it was just a question. Galinda couldn’t possibly have the brains to figure out what she wanted.
“No, Galinda, I do not….Did you call me Elphie?” Elphaba asked, one brow quirking.
Galinda looked nervous for a split second, but quickly regained her composure. “Elphaba, you must be hearing things. Now pllleeeeaassse, just humor me?”
Elphaba looked at her critically. She had no need to fit in with the other students, but she couldn’t help being curious at what Galinda’s feeble mind had cooked up. Her finger tips drummed against the spine of her book as she concerned the situation.
“Fine.”
“Good!”
“So if I humor you,” Elphaba said, cutting how Galinda’s triumph, “what is it that is going to make me sooo accepted among your comrades?”
Galinda had advanced so that she stood at the foot of Elphaba’s bed. It took all her self control to not smirk. She grinned innocently, before producing the hat from behind her back and declaring, “This!”
The artichoke stared blankly at the hat before her. It was a rather pointy thing, with a wide brim, and black as night. She could almost immediately feel an attraction to it, but she made no move to take hold of the afoul thing. It is was from Galinda, she wanted nothing to do with it.
“A hat…”
“Yes, a hat!” Galinda squealed, before bouncing onto the end of Elphaba’s been.
Elphaba nearly recoiled as Galinda moved toward her, but she managed to stay put and continued to level a glare on the hat in her pale hands.
“It’s really…uhm…sharp, yes sharp, don’t you think?” Galinda asked, pretending as though she was admiring the head covering.
“And?”
“Well, you must know, black is this year’s pink,”
“I was unaware,” Elphaba deadpanned.
Galinda glared at her and cleared her throat.
“You see though, I could never possibly wear it. After all, pink is definitely my color. But you! This is perfect for you. And you deserve to have it Elphaba,” Galinda explained.
Oh, her plan was going all too perfectly. She could see the way Elphaba’s eyes traveled over the hideous accessory. Elphaba wanted this hat and Galinda would make sure she got it.
“Galinda, I really don’t think….”
“Nonsense, try it on,” Galinda said dismissively.
She offered the hat to Elphaba, watching carefully as the girl considered taking it. It took her a moment, but finally her green hand snaked out and took the hat. Galinda couldn’t stop a little smirk from turning up her lips.
“I don’t know, Galinda,” Elphaba said, fingering the brim as she stared at the hat. She wanted to put it on, just to see really. The hat was truly her style, that was for sure. But her mind could not wrap around what Galinda was trying to do, there was no way she was doing this simply to help the toad.
“Just try it,” she pushed, grinning.
Sighing, Elphaba spun the hat a few times, before haphazardly placing it on her head.
Galinda’s breath caught.
Even with it askew and the green girl frowning, the hat fit Elphaba perfectly. It seemed to bring out her sharp features, giving her a exotic beauty that Galinda feared. Her jaw hung open for just a moment as she studied the girl. Even the nearly healed scars from the water incident disappeared with the glory that the hat brought Elphaba.
“Well?” Elphaba finally said, not sure how to gauge Galinda’s reaction.
Had Galinda not been so absorbed in Elphaba’s new look, she would have picked up on the slight insecurity that rang in Elphaba’s voice.
“Elphaba,” she said slowly. Galinda slowly reached up, her hand shaking slightly, and straightened the hat just a bit. “You’re beautiful.”
The toad nearly croaked and the next moments were simply chaos.
Elphaba pushed off the bed, tearing the hat from her head and hissing something about lies. Galinda reeled back and nearly fell off the bed as the weight of her words hit her. Neither girl looked at each other as they attempt to regain some control.
Elphaba’s heart was pounded, blood rushing through her veins and pounding in her ears as she stormed toward the bathing room. “How dare she?” she mumbled angrily, kicking open the bathroom door. She couldn’t place the feel in her stomach. Those two words not only made her pulse race, but caused her stomach to flip several times over. For a moment, she a had a glimmer of hope that maybe she wasn’t just an ugly, green thing, but she snuffed out that feeling before it could come back to hurt her. “Imbecile…”
Galinda was now standing, she hand gripped the window sill on the far side of the room. Her other hand was placed over her heart. She didn’t understand. What in Oz would have compelled her to say such a thing? Elphaba beautiful, hah! The very thought was impossible. But she couldn’t deny the feel in her chest when the terrible hat was placed upon her room mate’s head. The only feeling she could find it akin to was when she had first seen Fiyero and that made her sick to her stomach.
Her plan was a complete back fire and she slumped against the wall.
X
Galinda had been gone for hours now and Elphaba relished the quiet of the room. She was seat at her desk, a book laid out before her. But her focus was not on the book, but rather the hat that sat just next to it. The cursed thing had been haunting her ever since Galinda has left.
“Why?” Elphaba questioned, her eyes surveying the hat yet again. “Why she say that?”
“A prank, a cruel prank, for certain,” her mind reasoned.
“Maybe she was sincere. You saw the look in her eyes,” her heart seemed to reply
With a frustrated growl, she slammed her fist into her desk. She had been coming up with the same two possibilities for the last three hours and the whole situation was starting to get on her nerves. She was just about to stand when the door creaked open.
It was Galinda.
She slid into the room nearly silently and immediately. The blond was careful not to look at Elphaba as she move about and she busied herself with retrieving her dress. The moment the gown was removed, she sped into the bathroom and securely locked the door.
Elphaba looked over her shoulder at the bathroom door, wishing that there was more then just wood between her and Galinda. With a deep breath, she stood and moved toward the door, with the hat in her hands.
“Galinda,” she called softly, standing a few feet from the door.
There was silence.
“Galinda…” she said a bit louder.
“Yes?” came the shaky reply.
“I don’t think I can accept this,”
There was a long pause.
“Don’t think anything of it.”
“I can’t…”
“Take it. Out of the goodness of my heart.”
Galinda stood, her forehead leaned against the door, waiting for Elphaba’s soft reply.