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Galinda stared at the crowd of students, and took a moment to steady herself. Even for her, this was a tad intimidating. But people flocked to meet her, already looking for her approval, and she fell into old habits easily. Smiling and greeting everyone who glanced in her direction, brushing off the people who stared too long. She would always have admirers, of course, but she could entertain them another day. The first day of school was not the time for romance.
“Galinda, wait for us!”
She looked through the crowd until she saw Pfannee and Shenshen rushing towards her, and she finally let herself to relax, just a bit. Shenshen pulled her into a hug. “We missed you!”
Galinda tossed her hair. “Of course you did.” They both laughed. Pfannee and Shenshen were her dearest friends — a little shallow on occasion, but loyal and well-intentioned, and really, what more could she ask for in a friend? “Now, tell me all about your summers.”
Shenshen started rambling about her sisters, and Galinda gazed around the courtyard, nodding at all the right times, only half-listening. Then her friends gasped in unison, pulling her back to the conversation. “Oh. My. Oz. Who is that?”
Pfannee scoffed, staring at something over Galinda’s shoulder. “Uh, I think you mean what is that?”
Galinda turned, and her breath caught in her chest. The girl across the courtyard had the most brilliant green skin, worthy of every bit of their attention. Like a forest, she thought, or maybe an emerald. Yes, an emerald, rare and beautiful. The girl was talking to someone in a wheelchair, and when the corner of her mouth lifted into a smirk, Galinda forgot every word she’d ever heard — an impressive feat, because she did pride herself on her vocabulary.
“I…will be back.”
She almost floated across the courtyard, drinking in every detail. The green, green lips. The sharp eyes. The freckles dotting her cheeks. Oz, Galinda was enchanted. “Hi.”
The girl crossed her arms, unimpressed. “What? Do I have something in my teeth?”
“No, it’s just, you’re—”
“Green? Yes, I know. And no, I’m not seasick. No, I didn’t eat grass as a child. And yes, I’ve always been green.”
Galinda couldn’t help but smile. “I was going to say beautiful, actually.” She held out her hand. “Galinda Upland, of the Upper Uplands.”
The girl raised an eyebrow, which was just horrendible for Galinda’s heart rate. “What’s the play here, Galinda?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Just tell your joke and get it out of the way.” Galinda’s jaw almost dropped. “No one calls me beautiful.”
“Well, I do, and I don’t see why anyone else matters.” She turned to the girl in the wheelchair. “Galinda Upland. And you are…?”
“Nessarose Thropp. You’ll have to forgive my sister. She mostly socializes with books.”
“I am perfectly—”
“This is Elphaba.”
“Elphaba,” she repeated slowly, testing it out. “What a wonderful name.” She held out her hand again, but Elphaba just raised one of her stupidly perfect eyebrows. Well then, desperate times and all that. Galinda took her hand, lacing their fingers together.
Elphaba tried to pull away, but Galinda would die before letting her go. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Well, you weren’t shaking my hand, so I decided to escalate. And don’t argue, I always get my way.”
“You know,” Nessarose said, “I think I need to talk to Father about my bags.” She wheeled away, ignoring Elphaba’s glare, which was so precise that Galinda wondered if she practiced in the mirror.
“Now, Elphaba—”
“Why are you touching me?”
“Oh, do you not like being touched? I’m sorry, that really was terribly rude of me.”
“It was.”
“Do you want me to stop?”
“…no.”
Galinda beamed. “Excellent! Now, come with me, I must introduce you to my friends.” But Elphaba wasn’t looking at her; she was tracking her sister’s path through the crowd. “Or we can follow Nessarose!”
“We don’t have to do anything.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m going with you. I’ve decided that I’m keeping you.”
“What?!” Elphaba yanked her hand away, and Galinda tried not to pout. “I’m not a pet, Galinda. I— you can’t just keep people!”
“Of course I can.” She smiled and took Elphaba’s hand again, and Elphaba didn’t even pretend to hate it. “And Elphie, you should know that I would choose you over any pet.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why not?”
“It’s perky.”
“So am I.”
“And I don’t like you either.” But her fingers curled around Galinda’s, sending a pleasant thrill down her spine.
“Well, that’s just devastating, because you’re stuck with me.”
“What do you want, Galinda?”
She blinked. “To kiss you senseless, and quite possibly plan a wedding by the end of the year. But I thought we could build up to that slowly. Oh! Unless you want to get married now. But I do need at least two months to prepare, dresses can take so long sometimes.”
“What?!”
“You’re adorable when you’re confused.”
At that moment, Nessarose rolled up next to them again. “I hope I didn’t miss anything important.”
Elphaba opened her mouth, no doubt to say something ridiculous, so Galinda rescued her. “Of course not. I was about to take Elphie to meet my friends. You should join us.”
“Elphie?” Nessarose asked, following them through the courtyard.
“Yes, I think it suits her quite nicely.”
“Perky,” ElphabaElphie muttered.
“Yes, I’m sure you’ll learn to love it. I must warn you, my friends can be a little, well, you’ll see.” She stopped in front of them, still holding Elphie’s hand. “Elphie, this is Pfannee and Shenshen. Pfannee, Shenshen, this is Elphaba. And that’s her sister, Nessarose.”
“Uh, Galinda,” Pfannee said, “have you lost your mind?” He gestured between her and Elphie. “I mean, hello? You’re probably going to catch it.”
Galinda tightened her grip on Elphie’s hand. “Elphie, can you go through that charming little speech again?”
“You’re unhinged.” Galinda nodded happily. “Fine. No, I’m not seasick. No, I didn’t eat grass as a child. No, I’m not contagious. And yes, I’ve always been green.” Galinda wondered if it would be too forward to kiss her cheek. Then she did it anyway.
“Again,” Pfannee said, “have you lost your Oz-loving mind?”
“No, of course not.”
“You might have,” Elphie muttered, but her cheeks were flushed the most delightful shade of green that made Galinda want to kiss them again. “You approached a stranger, demanded my name, and started planning our wedding.”
“See? Perfectly reasonable.”
Elphie pinched the bridge of her nose. “You think we’re getting married.”
“No, I know we’re getting married. But I can wait for you to catch up, darling.”
She scowled at Nessarose’s burst of laughter — this was no laughing matter — but Nessarose waved her off. Nessa, she decided. Nessarose was much too long, and they’d be family soon enough anyway. How delightful. She’d always wanted a sister. “Oh Fabala,” Nessa said, “Father is going to be furious.”
“I haven’t agreed to anything.”
“You haven’t turned her down.”
“And,” Galinda said brightly, “you’re still holding my hand.” She swung their hands back and forth, earning a scowl from Elphie, and she smiled.
“Galinda,” Pfannee said carefully, “she’s green.”
“Isn’t it just the most beautiful color? Pink is still my favorite, of course, but that might not last very long.” Elphie was, after all, the most fitting shade of green, more vibrant than any emerald. “You didn’t mean that as an insult, did you?”
“Of course not,” Shenshen cut in quickly. “It’s just so…unusual.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to get used to it. I’m keeping her.”
“Again, you can’t keep—”
“Elphie, I told you, I always get my way, so you should really just accept it. You’re mine now.” Elphie opened her mouth, but Galinda raised an eyebrow. She really was very serious about this. “You don’t get a say in this, darling. Just let me know when you’re ready to get married, hmm? Like I said, two-month lead time. At minimum. But I’ll accept your declaration of undying love whenever you’re ready. Preferably accompanied by roses, chocolate, and a place for me to faint dramatically, of course, but I can be flexible for you.”
Elphie blinked. “I, uh— Excuse me.” She grabbed Nessa’s hand and pulled her away.
“For the third time,” Shenshen said, “are you insane, Galinda?”
“I’m so in love,” she sighed.
“You don’t know her! And she’s green.”
“You need to stop with those comments, or I won’t invite you to the wedding.” Oz, there was already so much to do — designing their dresses, buying a pink and cream binder, making sure she was ready when her future wife agreed.
She caught Elphie’s eye and smiled, and hoped she wouldn’t have to wait too long.