Title: I'm not that Girl
Author: Hermione Eveningfall
Fandom: Wicked (this is book verse, not musical verse, since I haven't seen the play)
Rating: NR
Summary: Elphie hates Valentine's Day, but that doesn't stop the boys from visiting anyway.
Bunny: #2

It was pouring rain when Valentines' Day arrived, which suited Elphalba Thropp just fine. She sat in the corner of her dormitory, her nose buried in a book, while Galinda and her group of friends prepared for a night on the town. "It is so depressing to be single on such a day," Pfannee said sadly as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a silk dress of shocking pink, and a white, wide-rimmed straw hat.

Galinda sat at her vanity, applying a pale peach lipstick, and turned her head to the side to admire her profile. She was of remarkable beauty; Gillakanese at birth, and near completion of her first year at Shiz University. Her long, blonde curls bobbed as she moved, and she brushed them daintily.

"Well, no doubt we'll attract men at this club we're going to," Shensen replied, walking past Elphalba and completely ignoring her.

"Oh, don't worry yourselves!" Galinda exclaimed, after she finished putting on her make up, and stood. "I would be absolutely shocked if anyone ignored us in this gorgeous outfits!"

They jumped when a crash of thunder and flash of lightening broke through the thick grey clouds.

"I wish it would stop raining!" Pfannee wrung her hands. "We're going to be dreadfully soaked!"

Elphalba let out a snort of laughter, and the three girls turned to her with icy glares.

"Excuse me, Elphie dear, did you have a comment?" Galinda asked, and Elphalba lowered her book, just enough so they could see her eyes.

"Since when does what I have to say matter?" Elphalba asked, as Shensen spritzed her wrists and neck with a heavy-scent of rose water.

"Oh but you know it does," Galinda replied, her voice sickeningly sweet. Her friends giggled behind their hands, and Elphalba sighed, revealing her full, bright-green face.

"I think the entire holiday is ridiculous, if you really want my opinion," she replied. "I'm personally sick of hearing everyone giggling and squealing over boys."

"You're just saying that because you've never had one to speak of in your life," Shensen snapped, and Elphalba put her hands on her hips.

"Oh? Really? And how many have you picked up?"

The girls rolled their eyes, and Galinda waved her hand. "Ignore her," she said. "Elphie's such a spoil sport. She'll turn any pleasant occasion sour. Well, girls, shall we?" They shot satisfied smirks over their shoulders at Elphalba, who had gone back to her reading, and, linking arms, walked out of the room.

When they were gone, Elphalba shut her book with a loud BANG, and set it on the floor. She stood and crossed the room to the window, peering out.rain was pouring down the windows. She could see other students leaving the dormitory building despite the weather; some were meeting boys, and others were alone.

Elphalba didn't mind being alone. Because of her.difference, she was used to being ignored, and actually enjoyed it. She spent the long afternoons (after classes ended, that is), wandering through the Shiz University library, or taking tea with Dr. Dillamond, the goat. Even Madame Morrible, the headmistress, called her into her office on occasion.

She heard another peal of laughter from a distance, and rolled her eyes, flopping face-first onto her four-poster bed.

Across the river, the rain was not coming down any lighter. The boys of Brosque Hall were preparing themselves for a night of fun as well. Boq and Tibbet were finishing the last of their valentines, editing each other's poetry and sprucing their clothes and their hair.

"How do you even know Miss Galinda will be at the campus?" Tibbet asked, brushing his blonde bangs away from his eyes, and biting his lip as he erased the last line from his green heart cut-out. He'd followed Boq to the Shiz campus several times on his golden girl escapades, and found his own heart going out for the strange green lass that everyone else seemed to shy away from.

"If I know Miss Galinda," Boq began, folding his own heart and putting it carefully in his tunic pocket, "she'll probably prefer to spend the evening in front of the fire."

"Which is what I wish we were doing," Tibbet replied, and Boq raised an eyebrow.

"But you're hoping to see Elphie, aren't you?" he asked, and Tibbet blushed crimson, staring at his valentine.

"Of course, Miss Elphie," he replied. "Her skin is as smooth as a fresh cucumber."

"You are deliciously daring," Boq chuckled, fetching his cloak from his dresser, and wrapped it around himself. "Come, we'll go before anyone catches us."

Tibbet, in his rush to follow his friend, left his cloak behind, and the boys tried to loose themselves in the crowds of other boys on their way out to clubs or resturaunts nearby. The boys hid themselves behind a suit of armor when a professor walked past, and Boq was the first to peer out from behind it to clear the path. When outside, they ran through the muddy grass, knowing for a fact that they'd look ridiculous when they arrived to Shiz.

Tibbet was immediately drenched, and cursed loudly when he realized he was cloakless.

"You dolt," Boq chortled, though he was no less dry than his friend with his cloak.

"What can I say?" Tibbet asked, clutching his hand over his heart, raindrops streaming down his face, making him appear as a drowned rat. "My mind.as well as the rest of me.. has gone aflutter with the thought of her."

Boq gave his friend a playful punch on the arm, and the boys reached the fence diving the Shiz property from their university. It was so cold at this point, that Tibbet was beyond mere shivering. His lips were slightly blue by the time they arrived at Crage Hall, and he had his arms wrapped around himself.

"How are we planning to get in, then, mate?" he asked, his voice hoarse, and Boq stared up at the tiny slits of windows, blinking. "I'll hope you know I can't feel my body at all. Miss Elphie had better heed me."

"Is it my fault you're such an airhead?" Boq teased as he led the way towards the back of the dormitory, towards the garden in which he'd first met Galinda. "And I don't even know how far you'll get with Elphie. She's about as cold as the icicles in your hair. I doubt she'll have you, but you can try your luck."

"How can she resist this strapping lad?" Tibbet asked through chattering teeth, and watched as his friend found his footing on the apple tree. "You've got to be kidding."

"There's a window a few feet up that we can crawl through," Boq said, just as another crack of thunder pierced the land. Tibbet sniffed, half-hoping the tree would be struck with lightening while his friend was in it.

He coughed a little, cursing under his breath as he grabbed hold of the nearest branch, hoisting himself up. The boys climbed as fast as they could, nearly slipping from the wetness. Tibbet sneezed so loudly at one point, that the boys had to duck out of sight, hoping no one noticed.

They slipped through the kitchen window, and were grateful to find the room empty. However, their stomachs rumbled with hunger at the scent of freshly baked rasin bread (well, Tibbet could hardly smell a thing at this point).

"Do you have any idea where you're g-going?" he asked, and Boq thought for a moment.

"Follow me," he said, and Tibbet rolled his eyes.

"And a lot of good that's been doing me," he said, and Boq shushed him, leading the way into the great corridor.

Elphalba continued to lay on her bed, dozing lightly. The rain hadn't slowed down at all, and though she hated water beyond anything else, it was actually a comforting sound. She sighed heavily and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling.

Crage Hall was nearly silent now; everyone was out with their beaus, or trying to find some. She was finally about to consider taking a nap, when she heard a rather loud sneeze from outside of her dormitory door.

"HEKSHUUUU!" a curse followed it.the voice was certainly not feminine. Elphalba sat upright, her dark eyes wide.

"You idiot," she heard someone hiss.definitely a male's voice.and another reply,

"Can't choose when I sneeze, mate, sorry!"

"Keep your voice down!" the second intruder snapped quietly.

Elphalba gulped, and immediately hopped down from the bed, tiptoeing over to where Galinda kept her tennis racket. She picked it up and held it with both hands, edging her way towards the door.

There was a light knock and she wrenched the door open rather forcefully, raising the tennis racket high above her, prepared to strike.

"Miss Elphie, it's us!" Boq cried, and the racket paused literally an inch or so above Tibbet's head. Elphalba growled and lowered the "weapon", and sagged with relief.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked, backing away when she realized how drenched they were.

"Coming to call on a Miss Galinda and a Miss Elphalba, if you please," Tibbet replied, sniffling and wiping drops of water out of his eyes.

"I don't please," Elphalba snapped, and Boq gave Tibbet a look of satisfaction. "You know you'll get youselves and me into plenty of trouble if you're found!" she felt her heart pounding as her eyes followd the water that dripped after Boq squeezed the dampness out of his cloak.

"We are much too infatuated to stay away on such an occasion," Tibbet replied, bowing low.

"Might we come in?" Boq asked. "We're more liable to be caught just standing here gabbing in the corridor."

Elphalba rolled her eyes, stepping back, and let the boys into the room. Tibbet immediately made a beeline for the fireplace, rubbing his hands and sitting down on one of the chairs. "Is Galinda around, Elphie?" Tibbet asked, and Elphalba shook her head.

"It's just me, I'm afraid," she replied. "Galinda's gone man hunting."

Boq's disappointment was evident, and she raised her arms. "Oh come, Boq, you seriously can't have expected much else!"

"EhSHhhhh!" Tibbet sneezed again, and Elphalba gave him a disapproving glance.

"And now you've gotten your friend sick with your dellusions," she said, still standing a good distance away from the boys.

"It was my c-choice to c-come," Tibbet replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his soggy green valentine. "I was the idiot who forgot his cloak. But never mind." he stretched out his hand. "I actually have something for you. I come bearing a gift."

Elphalba stared at the soggy mass of parchment. "Oh you're barmy," she laughed. "You actually made a Valentine?"

"Green like the fresh color of your beautiful skin," Tibbet replied, his teeth still chattering. "I'm afraid it's a big wet, but."

"You boys are just as ridiculous as I expected!" Elphalba exclaimed. "Honestly, Tibbet, I appreciate the gesture, but I'm not that kind of girl."

"Go on, Elphalba," Boq insisted, rubbing his own nose and sitting in a chair opposite Tibbet. "Give it a go."

"I most certainly won't," Elphalba spat.

"Well, really!" Tibbet huffed. "If you won't come to the poetry, then the poetry, I suppose, must come to you."

"You wouldn't dare," Elphalba growled, covering her ears.

"I can tell she's not a fan of Valentine's Day," Boq sniffed, and Tibbet looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You weren't kidding," he said, coughing. Elphalba lowered her hands, and watched the boys from where she stood by the window.

"Look," Elphalba began, "I appreciate your gesture, Tibbet, I do. I just.I don't believe in the whole.wooing thing. It's sickening to me, actually. If I weren't green already, I'm sure I'd be turning green at the very thought of it. Oh.would you like a blanket or a towel or something? You two are dripping all over the place."

Tibbet nodded, his face scrunching up at that moment. "Keshhhheh! Ehkshhhh! Yes.thanks," he croaked, and Elphalba found spare quilts in the closet, tossing them literally across the room.

"Well there you are," she said, and Boq smirked.

"Not much of a hostess," he said with a laugh, and went to pick the quilts up. "Honestly, Elphie, water won't kill you."

Tibbet shivered again and gratefully accepted the blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders. "So you're alone, Elphalba?" he asked, as the green girl sat on the chair by the window; the one she'd been in before the girls left.

"Congratulations.you've answered correctly," Elphalba replied haughtily. "Yes, I am."

"Does that not bother you?"

"No," she replied. "Honestly, no. I'm used to being alone. In fact, I prefer it." She sighed. "I'm.you'll have to forgive my sarcasm, but it's the only language I tend to speak," she said, and Tibbet shook his head, watching as Boq pulled his own valentine from his breast pocket.

"Do you have any idea when Galinda will return?" he asked, and Elphalba folded her arms.

"I'm not her babysitter, so I don't," she replied. "But given Tibbet's condition, I don't think it would be wise to force you both back to Three Queens."

"I appreciate your hospitality, Elphalba," Tibbet replied. "Though I do wish you would not brush me off, so."

"Oh?" Elphalba raised an eyebrow. "You're still trying your luck, mmmm?"

He smirked. "Why are you sitting all the way back there?" he asked. "Pull up a chair by the fire with us."

Elphalba folded her hands on her lap, and shook her head vigoursly. "I'm fine right here," she insited, and Boq blew out his breath.

"It's no use, mate," he said. "Be lucky I stopped her before she pelted us with the racket."

Elphalba grinned to herself; she wondered what Galinda's reaction would be when she returned, to find the boy she despised the most sitting in her room. It was actually a delicious act of revenge upon her roomie, keeping them here. She was grateful the side of the room she sat in was cast in shadows, so the boys couldn't quite see her expressions.

"So, Boq," she began, after silence filled the room again. "What have you come up with to sicken Galinda tonight?"

Boq craned his neck to look at her. "What?" he asked, and Tibbet rapped his friend on the knee.

"She means what poetry have you come up with, mate," he replied. "Come on, you love machine.it was your idea after all."

Elphalba laughed. "I thought so," she replied. "I should have known that you were behind this, Boq."

"Forgive me for being a romantic," he said. "and Elphie, I would read you what I've written Miss Galinda, but I'd rather not be subject to your scorn, thank you."

Elphalba leaned against the wall; it was hard to believe, but Tibbet and Boq did look rather handsome in the glow of the firelight. Especially damp and wrapped in blankets. If she was not so terrified of water, she would have done more for them, but she preferred to keep a distance. Besides.she didn't want them to think she was at all interested.

"Is Dr Dillamond making anymore break throughs?" Boq asked after a while, and Elphalba looked at him.

"Oh, every day he seems to be," she replied. "I've been to visit him quite often this term."

"HehCSHHHHH!" Tibbet snapped forward again, and Elphalba raised an eyebrow.

"You're sounding a little worse," she admitted, clucking her tongue at his coughs, and he shook his head.

"Doe." he sniffed. "No, I'll be fine. Though everything's still half frozen. But I thank you for your concern," he added, and Boq smirked.

"You're still shivering," she said. "Here, have another blanket." She tossed a throw blanket from the dormitory couch at him, and it landed on his head. Boq snorted with laughter, and glanced at Elphalba.

"Honestly, what is your fear?" he asked. "Afraid of getting a little wet?"

"In fact, yes," Elphalba snapped.

"You won't me.eh."

"Hit the deck," Boq hollered, and Elphalba rolled her eyes.

"HehKESHHHH! EhKESHHHH!" Tibbet groaned, his head pounding from the pressure. "Boq, I really think we should go back soon," he said softly. "We've already taken up enough of Miss Elphie's time. And I don't think the other's'll be appreciative to find us here.as breathtakingly gorgeous as I'm sure they are."

Elphalba raised an eyebrow. "Would you like me to give Galinda your Valentine?" she asked. "Would it make you feel better about yourself?"

Boq eventually stood up from his chair, and Tibbet did the same, letting his blankets fall. He still was rather wet, but not nearly as drenched as he had been when they first arrived. "I couldn't ask you to do that," Boq said quietly, and Elphalba pointed to Galinda's bed.

"Oh, I insist, Master Boq. What kind of a friend would I be?" she added, and he went to hug her, but she leapt back again.

"Don't touch," she warned. "I will hit you with the racket."

Tibbet sniffed and watched as Boq went to set Galinda's Valentine on her bed, gazing longingly at the silken comforter and sheets. How he longed to crawl into them, beside her.

Elphalba watched as Tibbet stood gazing at her, and finally gave a groan of irritation. "Oh, all right, all right!" she exclaimed, leaning against her bed post. "Humor me."

Tibbet and Boq looked at each other, and Tibbet laughed. "I wouldn't do such a thing to torture you, Miss Elphalba. Please let it be known that someone at least cares for you," he said, and she smirked.

"Well, you may leave the Valentine for me, then, but leave it by the fireplace so it'll dry off before I can pick it up," she said, and Tibbet agreeably set it on the chair.

"Come on, mate," Boq insisted, "so we can get you to the infirmary before you end up getting influenza, and giving it to me. Because you know, that's always how it happens." He looked at Elphalba, who was watching them closely.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Elphie," he said, before shoving Tibbet through the door. Elphalba watched as the door shut behind them, and she stood in the center of the room, her eyes focused on the green Valentine heart that sat on the chair. She waited until the boys were gone completely, before edging her way towards the fireplace.

She picked up the Valentine once she was certain it was safe, and peered at the smudged writing. It was a bit difficult to read th the water maks, but Elphalba was determined to try.

To My Green Fairy Princess:

Tibbet's letter began, and she squeaked with laughter, grateful no one was in the room at this time.

Every night I think of you;
In my bed I dream of you;
Your emerald skin,
Your silk black hair,
Attacked my heart.
Caught me unaware.
Elphalba Thropp of Muchkinland,
I do not plan to ask your hand.
I want to know I care for you so.
I hope you'll consider,
And not be too bitter,
To accept a friendship.
Someone does care,
Elphalba dear.
Cares for you all of the year.

Elphalba finished reading Tibbet's poem, and was not quite sure what to think or feel. She barely knew him; and it shocked her that he would take the time to write such a thing.

"Oh Tibbet," she said, folding the heart-shaped paper and putting it under her pillow, "I'm not that girl.I'm not that kind of girl." She apologized to the roaring fire, before flinging herself back onto the mattress again, wanting to sink through it and disappear.

Tibbet, meanwhile, sat in front of the fire at the Three Queens, nursing his oncoming cold with a mug of chamomile tea. Boq sat with him, too sore and tired to take a trip to the Philosophy Club with Aravic. "So, what did you think of Elphie?" he asked, and Tibbet looked at his friend.

"Truly? I think under that rough exterior there's a woman inside," he replied, sipping from the hot liquid. "and I'm determined to get to her."

Boq smirked; he had no room to argue, because he felt the same way about Galinda.