AN: So here it is - the first chapter of my new Wicked fic Dances with princes! :D

This story is dedicated to Elizabeth, because she is the most amazing, sweet, understanding, and altogether completely wonderful person and twin sister on this planet; because it will be her birthday soon; and because I am so happy that she'll (hopefully) finally have time again (for now, at least) to follow and review my stories. I've really missed you and I love you! 3

Hope you all like it, and reviews make me happy! :)

Chapter 1. The height of annoyance

"How can you like him?" Elphaba demanded. "He must be the most impossible, obnoxious, annoying… jerk I've ever met in my life!"

Galinda calmly continued to brush her shiny, blonde hair as she replied. "He's not obnoxious, Elphie. A little spoilt, maybe… but aren't we all?" She shrugged lightly. "I thought he was pretty cute."

Elphaba snorted. "You just liked the way certain parts of his anatomy looked in those white trousers he was wearing," she muttered, before adding sarcastically, "Those way too tight trousers, if you ask me."

"Elphie!" Galinda flushed and turned around. "You can't talk about those things like that!"

Elphaba quirked an eyebrow. "What? Don't bother denying it, Galinda. You've been ogling his backside every time he turned around."

Galinda let out a nervous giggle. "Oh, you just meant his backside! I mean… I thought you were talking about…" She cleared her throat nervously. "Anyway… alright, yes, so maybe I just liked him because he is handsome and charming."

"There you go." Elphaba closed the book she was reading and peered at her blonde roommate over her reading glasses. "So it's not really a relationship with substance, then, is it?"

"Substance?" Galinda shook her head, another giggle escaping her. "Oh, Elphie, sometimes you can be so funny! Of course there's no substance!" She pursed her lips at her reflection in the mirror and applied some lipstick as she spoke. "It's not even a real relationship. We danced last night, we kissed last night, and that was all. We're not a couple, or anything." She sniffed. "And besides… even last night, when his attention was supposed to be all mine, he kept on staring at you and trying to get you to talk to him."

"By making rude remarks, teasing me about my hat and calling me vegetable names," Elphaba retorted. "Gee, isn't he a nice guy."

Galinda stuck out her tongue. "You just need to take the time and effort to get to know him, Elphie." She curled her eyelashes and applied some mascara to them. "Who knows? Maybe you'll like him. Oz knows you could use another friend."

Elphaba just crossed her arms and huffed. "I'm fine by myself, thank you very much."

The blonde shook her head sympathetically. "Oh, Elphie," she said. "Everyone needs friends."

Elphaba shrugged. "I have you."

"Friends, Elphie. That's plural."

"I'm surprised you even know what 'plural' means." Elphaba grabbed her bag and swung it over her shoulder. "And besides, I also have Nessa, and Boq… I have plenty of friends. Are you done?" she changed the subject. "It's almost time for class."

Galinda looked irritated. "No, I am not done!" she protested. "I still need to pick out the right shoes to go with this outfit, I need to apply some more blush and mascara, and I need to straighten my hair and throw in some hairspray in order to make sure it stays perfect all day… I'm not even nearly ready! Besides," she added as she picked up her hair straightener, casting a glance in her green roommate's direction, "I still don't understand why you feel the need to always be everywhere at least fifteen minutes early. What's wrong with showing up at the last minute?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes, not answering that. "I'll see you in class, then." She gave a quick wave and disappeared out of the room, leaving the dormitories and walking across campus to the low, stone building where she had her next class.

As always, she sat down in the front, watching the other students as they trickled in. Pfannee and Milla were giggling about something as they entered, taking a seat way in the back of the classroom in order to be able to do other things while the professor was teaching – like paint their nails, or gossip about the cutest boys on campus. Avaric soon joined them, boasting about his ability to charm a girl. Shenshen, who usually sat with them, clearly couldn't be bothered to come to class today.

The professor nodded at Elphaba as he came in, and she returned the nod, her notebook and pencil already in front of her. This was the part she enjoyed most about going to college – the lectures, always taking notes and learning new things, studying until her head was reeling and her vision was blurring. Ever eager to know as much as possible about a subject, Elphaba Thropp could never get enough of learning.

Galinda did not show up for the lecture, which did not really surprise the green girl – knowing her roommate, she would most likely take at least another hour to do her hair and 'perfectify' her looks before venturing out into the world. She didn't expect the blonde to show up until their next class of the day.

What did surprise her, however, was that Fiyero Tiggular entered the classroom, about ten clock-ticks before the lecture was supposed to start. He cast a quick glance around the room, ignored Avaric's enthusiastic waves and Pfannee and Milla's equally enthusiastic squeals, and walked over to where Elphaba was sitting.

He slipped into the seat next to her, comfortably dropping his arm around the back of her chair.

"Hey."

She did not let her surprise show as she briefly looked up, eyed him up and down, then focused on her notes again. "Hello, Fiyero."

He whistled between his teeth. "Wow. That must be the coldest greeting a girl has ever given me."

"That doesn't really surprise me," she said, not looking up from her notebook, "given the fact that every female student on campus swoons at your feet the moment you so much as blink at them. But then again, I don't suppose you've called all those girls 'artichoke' and 'asparagus', have you?"

His cheerful grin faded and his face turned solemn. "Yeah… sorry about that," he said apologetically. He sounded sincere, too.

She wasn't sure what she could say to that – she had expected him to tease her further or make another snarky remark, not apologise, of all things; but thankfully, she was saved from answering by the professor, who announced that he was going to start today's lesson.

She bent over her notes again, but she could feel Fiyero's eyes burning in the side of her head as he kept on looking at her, clearly not paying any attention to what the professor was saying – let alone taking notes.

"Shouldn't you be writing something down?" she asked him irritably after half a minute or so, still not looking up from what she was doing.

"Well, excuse me," he said, pretending to be offended. "What makes you think I can't pass this class without ever taking notes?" He tossed his head, mimicking Galinda. "Maybe I'm smarter than you seem to think, Miss Elphaba."

He was talking just a little too loudly and the professor looked up, disturbed.

"Master Fiyero?" he said in a tone of voice that was almost bored. "Is there something you'd like to share with us?"

Fiyero laughed a bit nervously. "No, no," he said, holding out both hands. "I'm good."

"Very well." The professor sighed and gave the boy another long, searing look before continuing with the lecture.

The Vinkun prince managed to stay still and silent for two entire minutes – two whole minutes filled with peace and quiet – before he started bouncing his leg, his foot hitting Elphaba's calf every time he did so.

She gritted her teeth and tried to control her annoyance.

She lasted the better part of a minute before she turned to him, eyes flaming, and snapped, "Do you have a problem?"

He looked at her with a dazed expression on his face. "What? No." He shook his head. "Why would I have a problem?"

She just glared at him until he shrank back in his seat, slumping and putting his elbow on the table so that he could rest his cheek in the palm of his hand.

"This is so boring," he complained after a while.

Elphaba ignored him.

He nudged her with his elbow. "Galinda is not here and I'm the only one trying to be nice to you," he informed her. "You might want to be nice to me in return."

"Why in Oz would I want that?" she asked, her pencil still flying over the pages in order to note down everything the professor was saying.

He frowned. "If you don't want to be friends, you could have just said so," he said.

She sighed impatiently. "I thought I had made that pretty clear," she said, her brow furrowed, "but apparently, you're very bad at reading between the lines, so I'll spell it out for you." She poked him with her pencil, her eyes only flicking up to his face for the briefest moment before falling back to her notebook again. "I don't want to be friends."

He grinned that horrible, infuriating grin of his. "I think you're lying."

"I think you should shut up."

He rubbed his foot against hers. "Aw, come on, Elphaba. Indulge me."

She pulled her foot away. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you like me."

"In your dreams."

"I didn't say like me like me. I just stated that you like me. As a friend."

"No, I don't."

"I think you could use another friend."

"I think you could use a muzzle, given the fact that you don't seem to be able to shut up."

"Technically," Fiyero pointed out, "a muzzle is used to keep an animal from biting, not to keep it from making noises. I don't bite."

She sighed. "Right."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Unless you want me to."

Elphaba was just about ready to explode when the professor suddenly said irritably, "Master Fiyero and Miss Elphaba, this is your final warning. Another word and you will be removed from class."

Elphaba's eyes widened. "What?!" She looked at the professor imploringly. "Doctor Gaeryevel, I swear, I was trying to pay attention, but –"

"It was my fault, sir," Fiyero interrupted her swiftly, giving the professor his most charming smile. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

The man eyed them both suspiciously for a few moments before finally nodding. "One more word, Master Tiggular," he warned the boy, "and you're out. Miss Elphaba, if you want to keep your perfect presence record, I suggest you keep quiet as well."

Elphaba nodded vigorously and Fiyero just leant farther back in his seat, crossing his arms.

"You're welcome," he whispered when she didn't say anything.

She penned down another note. "Shh."

"I could still betray you, you know."

Her eyes snapped up to meet his. "Betray me?" she demanded in a furious whisper. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

He brought his finger up to his lips in an exaggerated gesture. "Shh," he reprimanded her. "Didn't you hear the professor? Another word and he's going to kick you out!"

She pressed her lips together.

Fiyero smirked. "And what did I hear just now?" he whispered to her. "You have a perfect presence record?"

She wrote down something else. "All throughout primary and high school, and for the past four months since the school year started, yes." She looked up at him through her eyelashes. "My goal is to maintain said perfect presence throughout my entire college career, so if you would just shut up and leave me be, that would be very much appreciated."

"Very well." He leant back in his seat, folding his arms behind his head.

She caught the smirk on his face and glared at him. "What?"

"Nothing." He sniggered. "Just… the fact that your goal in college is to maintain a perfect presence record." He shook his head, still smirking. "Unbelievable. You're young, Elphaba. You're supposed to have fun in college, not act like the professors themselves, all boring and responsible and stuff." He shook his head again in mock pity. "What are you, sixty?"

She was boiling with rage by now, but she didn't say anything else. Instead, she just returned to her notes and hoped Fiyero would indeed shut up and let her pay attention for the remainder of the lesson.

"Elphie!" a voice called from across the courtyard. She looked up. When she saw who was running towards her, waving at her with one hand, she quickened her pace. He was the last person she wanted to talk to.

"Elphie, wait up!" He eventually caught up with her, panting slightly as he tried to catch his breath. "Whoa. You walk fast."

"Yes," she agreed. "That's usually what people do when they are trying to avoid other people."

He frowned. "You're trying to avoid someone?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. Sometimes she wasn't sure if he was only pretending to be stupid in order to agitate her, or if he was really as dense as he acted sometimes.

"Hey." He looped his arm through hers and grinned at her. "I was joking."

She shook him off, crossing her arms to prevent him from taking a hold of her arm again.

"Elphie, come on," he pleaded, looking at her with large puppy-eyes. "Why are you avoiding me?"

She glared at him. "First: stop looking at me like that," she ordered irritably.

He dropped the puppy look, quickly pulling his face back into a normal expression. "Elphie –"

"Second: don't ever call me that. Galinda calling me 'Elphie' is bad enough, but she's allowed because she's my best friend. You, on the other hand, are not."

He frowned. "Then what am I supposed to call you?" he wanted to know. He started thinking out loud. "I could call you 'Phaba, maybe. Or El. Or –"

"You may call me," she said prickly, "Miss Elphaba."

He pouted. "Well, you're no fun."

"No," she agreed crossly. "I'm just a boring sixty-year-old, after all."

Fiyero grinned. "I was just teasing you, you know."

She sighed exaggeratedly. "What do you want from me, Fiyero?"

"Nothing," he said, suddenly serious. "Hey." He stopped her by taking her arm – not in an obtrusive way, like he had before; it was merely a gentle gesture in an attempt to draw her attention.

She stopped and looked at him.

"I don't want anything from you," he said, and she could read the sincerity in his eyes. "All I want is to be your friend."

She opened her mouth to reply, but he was quicker.

"You don't need a friend," he nodded. "I know. You said that. But maybe I do."

She closed her mouth and blinked.

"I'm new here," he reminded her. "I only arrived yesterday. The only friends I have so far are Galinda and Avaric." He said it in such a pathetic tone of voice – and with a matching facial expression – that Elphaba actually grinned a little. The thought of having no other friends than bouncy, sparkly, pink-obsessed Galinda and arrogant, annoying Avaric was indeed horrible.

"How did that happen, anyway?" she wanted to know as they started walking again, his hand still on her arm. "I know you're rich and handsome and that you love to party, and all that; but frankly, I had thought you were smarter than that. Befriending Avaric?" She shook her head.

"I never said I was smart," he said, grinning at her. "He met up with me at the OzDust, after you and Galinda had left, and we had a little afterparty together with some other boys. We got drunk, then we danced and sang a little, and we had fun." His shoulders rose and fell in a half-shrug. "That's all, really."

"That's all," she repeated flatly.

"Yeah." He looked at her. "And though I'd like a friend with some more substance," he offered, "I also like having a friend to just hang out with, you know? Discuss hot girls, drink, boast about the girls we've had…"

He hadn't noticed the fact that the look on Elphaba's face had changed. She was scowling now, disapproval written all over his face.

Fiyero, however, was still talking, using wide arm gestures as he did so. "It's like I always say – you just got to continue dancing through life!" he said brightly. "No worries, no stress – just dancing, drinking, sex and laughter. What else could a guy like me wish for?"

"Brains," Elphaba snapped as she yanked her arm away, causing his hand to slip off and fall limply to his side. She sent a death glare in his direction. "Have fun dancing, Fiyero."

With that, she turned around and strode off, leaving Fiyero staring after her open-mouthed.

"Hey!" he called after her. "What did I do?"

She did not dignify that with an answer.