Chapter Text
Elphaba
Elphaba sat at her small desk in the corner of her room. Shiz was fairly generous when it came to its libraries and classrooms, and the dormitories were no exception. Papers scattered around her, and yet her gaze remained fixed on the spaces in between. Madame Morrible’s words ricocheted off every odd angle in her head. She’d said she was going to write to the Wizard. She’d never seen magic like Elphaba’s before. She’d been certain Elphaba could work side by side with the Wizard himself.
The Wizard.
Her head felt light. Her? With the Wizard? Learning under the greatest master of magic known to all of Oz? Being beloved by all?
It sounded far too good to be true.
It was enough of a shock to be receiving private lessons from the headmistress herself. But to find out that the vice that reared its ugly head at the worst of times could be an asset to the most powerful man in Oz… It was as liberating as it was paralyzing.
As Elphaba’s thoughts ticked past, so did the minutes on the clock. The afternoon was almost over, darkness creeping over the citrus-streaked sky. Plenty of students would be out and about, visiting friends or study groups or dates. But what did that matter to her? She didn’t have anywhere to be. She studied just fine by herself, thank you very much. Not to mention the thought of anyone inviting her anywhere made her want to laugh out loud. She was lucky if somebody spoke up to ask her to move seats.
She knew the truth behind their uncomfortable silence. They were afraid of her.
They all thought she’d turn them into frogs or newts or some other kind of scaly creature.
They all thought she’d lose her mind one day and wreak havoc on the land of Oz.
They all thought she’d become fed up with all of the taunts and glares and whispers and finally get some well-deserved revenge on all of those small-minded Munchkins that delighted in her ostracization and misery.
Alright, maybe one of those thoughts came from Elphaba herself, but she just knew that other students thought the same.
They all thought she was wicked.
But not for long.
There it was again. That hope. That ridiculous fantasy. The silent prayer that she’d never let past her lips.
That yearning to be adored.
To be wonderful.
And with the Wizard, Elphaba finally had the chance to be.
Well, it’ll never happen if I sit around staring at the work I should be doing. Madame Morrible said that if she kept her grades up and stayed out of trouble, Elphaba would have a clear shot at becoming the Wizard’s apprentice.
Just thinking it felt like a dream come true.
But dreams were for sleeping. This was real.
Elphaba had to study like everything depended on it. Because it did.
She picked up her pen and began organizing her papers from Most Urgent to Least Urgent piles. Water purification spells, healing elixirs, food multiplying cauldrons… none of which were actual school projects. She shuffled those into the Least Urgent pile, though she considered them to be quite important indeed. However, the proper structure of a thesis, a mathematics assignment, as well as an essay concerning the origins of the Emerald City? Those were for school. They were placed on the very top of the Most Urgent pile.
Maybe Elphaba bit off more than she could chew, but she’d just have to choke it down. This- all of this- was worth something. If she seized this opportunity to work for the Wizard, she could be respected and appreciated. She could make a difference.
She was going to fly high over the heads of the people who doubted her.
Galinda
Galinda practically pranced down the halls of Shiz. Well, she “practically pranced” everywhere, with blonde curls bouncing and a puffy, thigh-length dress trailing behind in the whirl of movement she made. “Walking” simply wasn’t enough for Galinda. She had to skip, float or glide, as told to her many, many times by her parents.
It hurt her feet.
There’s no room on an Upland’s face for a frown, she told herself, lighting up another one of her signature smiles. You’re only as good as your attitude.
And yes. She was an Upland. Of the upper Uplands, in fact.
Since she was a child, she’d been terribly spoiled. Her darling parents gave her everything she’d asked for. In return, all she had to do was be a perfect, doting daughter- which she executed flawlessly, of course. If that made her a bit entitled, could you blame her?
Galinda continued down the halls, waving to fellow students. Her smile was what won most people over. Who could resist such a face?
It was undeniable. Galinda was terribly popular. She was a paragon of charm and kindness. Everyone that met her adored her.
Well, almost everyone.
There was one person, one single person, in the entire school that didn’t like Galinda. In fact, she probably hated her.
Elphaba. The girl who just so happened to be her roommate.
Elphaba was… well, it was hard to find words to describe Elphaba. She was cold. She was intelligent. She was sarcastic and stoic. She was a mystery to all of the students at school.
Most students turned that mystery into rumors.
Some said Elphaba was an evil witch, and Galinda couldn’t exactly disprove that theory, other than maybe the “evil” part. She had seen Elphaba get frustrated with her homework and dodged more than a few floating books and paper daggers. From what Galinda could tell, magic spilled from her, and her emotions only heightened her power. It was an outburst of this emotion that had caught Madame Morrible’s attention.
Galinda was a little jealous.
Jealousy gives you wrinkles, she reprimanded herself.
But… really, her? How impressive was her magic, anyway? How was it enough to grant Elphaba not only a place at Shiz, but private lessons with the Madame Morrible herself? Was Galinda’s paper on the importance of magic wands simply… paper? Did she not deserve a chance to learn magic as well?
She could recall the look of distaste the headmistress had given her the moment she’d asked. It still made her feel all squishy and wriggly inside.
Perhaps this was what it felt like to not get her way.
It felt awful.
So when it seemed as if the whole school hated Elphaba as much as she did (though likely not for the same reasons), Galinda wasn’t in a rush to stop them.
Regardless, whether or not there was any proof behind them, rumors seemed to multiply everyday. “Elphaba will turn us into frogs when she gets the chance,” or “Elphaba is plotting to overthrow Madame Morrible and torture us all,” or even “Elphaba is plotting to kill the Wizard and take over the Emerald City!”
Even to Galinda that last one seemed far-fetched.
But so what? Elphaba was just a grumpy stiff who enjoyed stealing the spotlight. And taking over half of her private suite. And answering every question in class. And pointing out every single mistake her roommate made.
Yes! Galinda made mistakes! What did that matter? So did everyone!
So why did Elphaba feel the need to add her snide little comments with that smug smirk of hers?!
Just thinking about her had turned Galinda’s smile into a frazzled pout. Realizing this only made her frown deepen.
Hand it to Elphaba to infuriate her without even being in the same room.
Well, she would be in just a few moments.
Galinda reached the doorknob. For a moment she only stared at it.
If you don’t say anything, she won’t say anything back.
Since everything the two girls discussed turned into debates, which turned into arguments, which turned into someone (namely Galinda) stomping out of the room in a huff, the social butterfly had gotten into the habit of keeping their interactions to a minimum. With another flash of annoyance, Galinda realized that they hadn’t ever had a proper conversation. Not once.
Galinda refused to think about it any longer. She turned the knob and opened the door.
Elphaba
Elphaba heard the door click, and her eyes darted up to the source. A pearly white school uniform and a head of fluffy blonde curls were the first things that registered in her vision. A familiar burning sensation stirred in Elphaba’s gut as Galinda walked into the room they shared. She couldn’t define the exact emotion she felt when she was around the all but self-proclaimed Princess of Shiz, but it was so intense she could only assume it was something close to absolute loathing.
Galinda glanced over at Elphaba. She opened her mouth just slightly, as if to say something, but pressed her lips tight together and strutted over to her side of the room. The way she walked could really only be compared to a strut. Vibrant and captivating.
In that way, Galinda was sort of like a bird. Graceful and sweet.
She was also loud, preening, and slightly obnoxious.
Elphaba looked down at her math worksheet. As always, her focus was broken, and she knew who to thank for that. The sound of a pencil scratched through the flow of concentration Elphaba had carefully constructed. She looked over to see her roommate hunched over her sketchbook. She was only drawing, but it was somehow the ultimate distraction. Galinda had a funny way of grabbing anyone’s attention once she was in the room.
Elphaba hated that about her.
It was ridiculous how many times she caught herself glancing at the other girl for some reason or other. A sneeze. A yawn. A cough. A small snort as she read a book Elphaba didn’t know (and didn’t care to know). No matter what she did, Galinda was always under a spotlight.
Elphaba wasn’t complaining. In fact, she received similar attention, though she wouldn’t consider it a good thing. When Galinda got smiles and waves and even gasps of admiration, Elphaba got sidelong glances and hurried footsteps and hushed whispers.
Everyone was always so happy around her. She was some sort of goddess to them. Elphaba couldn’t even object. Her skin was always flawless. Her curls were always puffed (Elphaba had never been up early enough to see her do her hair). Her teeth were always white and sparkling. Her eyes were always wide and bright. Her clothes were always ironed and pristine.
She was gorgeous.
Maybe Elphaba hated her because, aside from being green, Galinda had given her more things to be self conscious about. If Galinda was a goddess, Elphaba was Medusa.
The green girl caught herself glaring at Galinda, and hurriedly looked away.
“You’re back early,” was all she said.
She heard Galinda suck in a sharp breath, seemingly shocked that Elphaba decided to talk to her. Her pencil paused on the paper for a moment before scribbling once more.
“Uh, yeah. Mollerna canceled.” It was clear Galinda was avoiding speaking too much.
Elphaba kept her face stone, scribbling down a few more answers. Mollerna Flonne. She shrieked when Elphaba tried to tell her she dropped her pen. She also happened to be the biggest gossiper in the entire school, and the main reason everyone in Biology looked at Elphaba when they were told to dissect frogs. It wasn’t hard to guess they were silently asking, Who are we dissecting, Elphaba? Somebody who got in your way?
“She’s a peach, isn’t she?” Elphaba grumbled.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Galinda shoot a glare at her over her sketchpad.
“Actually, she is. Maybe you should get to know her better,” Galinda shot back quietly.
Elphaba scoffed. “Yeah. Tell her to treat me like a person instead of a pit of poisonous snakes, and I’ll get to know her better.”
Galinda huffed. “Well maybe if you stopped glaring at people like you were a pit of poisonous snakes, you’d get some positive feedback.”
Elphaba set her pencil down, though she still wouldn’t look at the blonde. “What do you suggest? Smile until my cheeks are sore, like you do? Skip and bound through the halls? I’ll pass. I’d much rather keep my dignity.”
Galinda gasped, clearly offended at this point. She set her sketchbook on her desk, her full attention on Elphaba. She crossed her arms, pouting.
There was something thrilling when it came to fighting with Galinda. It wasn’t pleasant as much as it was energizing. Elphaba assumed it was some form of adrenaline. Sure, she wasn’t exactly proud of their squabbles, but she definitely didn’t try to avoid them like Galinda did.
Fighting with Galinda somehow felt… natural. It was a calm medium within the chaos of school.
Galinda
She tried. She really, really tried. But, like always, Elphaba managed to rile her up. She had unmatched accuracy when it came to pushing every button Galinda had.
So here she was, glaring daggers, and Elphaba wouldn’t even look at her. Alright, yes, Mollerna spread a few tiny rumors. Yes, she was a little scared of Elphaba. Other than that, Molly happened to be a lovely person! Most of the time. Other times she wasn’t the nicest. She also happened to call Elphaba “the Witch,” but who didn’t at this point? Elphaba’s reputation seemed to be an entirely different person.
Honestly, Galinda thought the person across the room was much worse.
It wasn’t like she had a choice about how she’d be born or how she’d look, but it wouldn’t kill her to be nice now and then. But no. Elphaba was always grumpy. And when she wasn’t grumpy, she was smug. It drove Galinda abso-tively posi-lutely bonkers whenever Elphaba came back to their room with the spellbooks Madame Morrible had given to her for her studies. Just another reminder that when it came to magic, Elphaba was gifted and Galinda was…
Inadequate.
And inadequate was the absolute worst thing an Upland could be.
None of these grievances were directly Elphaba’s fault (apart from being overall impossible to deal with). Some part of Galinda knew she was being unreasonable when she blamed her roommate for things far beyond her control. And perhaps some of her bitterness came from acknowledging the merit behind Elphaba’s ego.
Despite what people said about her, Galinda knew Elphaba was smart and compassionate. She excelled at Shiz- her grades were undeniably at the tip-top of the class. History, arithmetic, magic (especially magic)... whatever it was, Elphaba was better at it. She was brilliant.
She was actually kind of pretty, too.
Of course, Galinda couldn’t really think about all of those wonderful things when she also wanted to throw her sketchbook at the back of the girl’s annoying head.
“You can be so infuriating, Elphaba!” Galinda cried, her voice rising. “Why is everything I do such a problem to you?!”
“I never said it was,” Elphaba replied with that ridiculously calm voice Galinda recognized. It was a voice she used when other students began teasing her and she spoke up to cut them off. She used it when her emotions threatened to boil over and she cut them off altogether. Stiff and impervious, it was the closest Galinda got to talking to a wall without her nose pressed against the brick and mortar.
It drove her up the wall and through the ceiling. Nobody should need to guard their heart so closely.
Not even Elphaba.
Especially not Elphaba.
Not when her emotions were so beautiferously powerful.
And yet she hid them. Anger, sadness, joy, fear- Galinda wasn’t sure she’d seen anything close to those in all the time she’d known Elphaba. Galinda yearned for just a shred of emotion (other than frustration or annoyance) from Elphaba, just to prove that she truly had a soul. Something close, at least.
But that wouldn’t happen now. Not when Elphaba had put on her voice. This meant war, and she’d just fortified her defenses.
When there was a lack of feeling from her roommate, Galinda found herself doubling her own.
“Then what are you saying?” she growled. Elphaba sighed as if Galinda was a child asking innumerable questions. She turned around in her chair, an irritated look on her face. Her wire glasses sat low on her nose.
“I’m saying it’s not my style. Flouncing around school and acting like… bubblegum. No one would take me seriously,” she said casually, though the jab was clear. Galinda scoffed.
“Excuse you! People most definitely take me seriously! And I do not act like bubblegum!” Galinda squawked, fairly close to yelling now.
Elphaba shrugged. “It seems like a waste, is all. Those friends of yours aren’t going to get you passing grades or test answers.” She paused, and narrowed her eyes. “Unless they do.”
Galinda turned a darker shade of red. “They don’t have to! I am perfectly capable of getting good grades! At least I don’t have to act like a hermit to get them!”
Elphaba snorted. “A hermit?”
“Yes, a hermit! I can balance my social and academic life perfectly! You just hole yourself up in here and grumble!”
“And what perfectly perfect balance you have in your perfect life, Princess.”
Galinda stopped short.
Princess? Did she just call me Princess?
Elphaba blinked, almost surprised. It was like the name simply escaped from her.
Galinda tried to pull back at the anger she’d felt before, which was currently ebbing away. Something in her heart was fluttering. Her heart should not be fluttering around Elphaba.
“Well- w-well…” she stammered, searching for words. “At least I have a life! With friends!”
Elphaba blinked again, seemingly broken out of her daze. Galinda swore she could see a darker shade of green on her cheeks. She cleared her throat and turned away. “Friends will only ever confuse you. They aren’t half as important as self-fulfillment.” She spoke with mechanical assurance. Her head tilted toward the window. “Where would I be if I spent the time you do with other people?”
“You know what you’d be, Elphaba? Happy!” Galinda cried. Elphaba whirled around, her eyes a bit wider as her roommate yelled. “You’d be happy for once. Instead, you’re bitter, and selfish, and rude, and cynical, and smug and cruel and heartless and wicked!”
Elphaba visibly flinched, and she turned to face her papers with haste.
But Galinda wasn’t finished. Her assault was just beginning.
“You’re awful, do you know that? You’re just so- UGH! You spend all day locked up in here. You ignore everyone and everything, acting like you’re on some higher level of intelligence. You know why people say you’re evil? Because you act like it! You can’t even be bothered to say hello to me, your roommate! You could end about half of those rumors if you just took the time to smile at someone! But NO! You insist on acting like some kind of- some kind of- some kind of witch!” The word flew out of her mouth, and Galinda clapped her hand over her lips in vain. It was too late to take it back now. She’d already stepped on the landmine.
Galinda had never called Elphaba a witch. Not to her friends, and certainly never to her face. But one tiny little blow up, and Galinda may have ruined any chances she had befriending her rival.
Elphaba’s shoulders began shaking. A tiny gasp escaped the brick wall.
It sounded like a small sob.
Galinda felt her face flush with shame as her stomach twisted. “Oh... Oh, Oz, Elphaba… I- I didn’t mean to- well, I never-... I’m-”
“Don’t. Just stop.”