Chapter Text
They don’t talk about it.
Elphaba wakes in her own bed the next morning to Galinda already going through her normal routine, a determined glint to the girl’s eyes that tells Elphaba that Galinda would like to pretend last night never happened.
That’s fine with Elphaba, really. She has no idea what she would even say. She’s still too busy processing it on her own.
The last day of classes passes in a trance, Elphaba unable to stop herself from watching Galinda out of the corner of her eye. It’s almost impressive how easily she goes about her day as if nothing at all ever happened.
The sight of her smiling and laughing and bustling about makes something slick and slimy curl in Elphaba’s gut. She can’t help but wonder how many nightmares Galinda has had that Elphaba hasn’t woken up for. How many times has the girl’s restless nights been covered up by concealer and fake smiles?
Elphaba has a feeling Galinda knows she’s being watched, but she does an admirable job of ignoring Elphaba despite the fact that they sit together in most of their classes now. Neither of them mentions how Elphaba has her next sorcery lesson with Morrible later today.
No distractions, Elphaba had promised. She takes a deep breath outside the classroom door, trying her best to shove all things pink and blonde from her head. Galinda hadn’t say anything to her this time, but the look she gave Elphaba as the older girl walked away lingers in Elphaba’s mind.
“We’re going to try something new today,” Madame Morrible explains when she enters.
“Something new?”
“Yes. Levitation is a good place to start and something we’ll certainly return to, but there are many types of magic, my dear. I, for example, am strongest at weather manipulation. Perhaps we just need to find what you’re strongest at.”
That perks Elphaba up a little, the idea of trying out new types of magic. Struggling to lift a coin every lesson was going to grow old very quickly, and while she knows it’s what Morrible started with because it’s the talent she showed in the courtyard, the prospect of discovering new areas of magic intrigues her.
They begin with weather, Morrible summoning a breeze that coalesces into a tiny white cloud right there in the classroom. She makes it look so easy, so effortless, but even Elphaba’s light studying of the subject is enough to know that what she’s seeing surpasses nearly every other magic user in Oz.
For Elphaba, they start much smaller. Air, she thinks. Just enough to push the cloud.
She lets herself get lost in it, the concentration pushing all other thoughts aside. They run through several small exercises, each one a different type of magic, from lighting a candle to growing a flower to changing the color of a book. Despite her repeated failures, Morrible compliments her efforts.
“This isn’t something you master overnight,” the sorceress explains. “It took me many years to get to where I am today.”
Elphaba still feels disappointed in herself, but she tries not to let it show in front of Morrible. It’s just…Elphaba knows she has power. She’s seen herself launch rocks and break glass and even hold the weight of her sister in the air. Why can she do that, but she can’t lift a coin?
“It’s about control, my dear. All the power in the world means nothing if you don’t have control. Not just of your magic but of your feelings as well. You have to know how to channel them into giving you the best outcome.”
Control. For some reason, the thought brings Galinda back to her mind. The easy way in which Galinda can move the student body, shaping perception to her will. Galinda is always in control of herself and her emotions. Or at least- she tries to be.
***
That night, Elphaba watches closely as Galinda gets ready for bed. When she leaves the bathroom with her makeup all washed off, the older girl can clearly see the bruise-like bags under her eyes, her chest tightening as she thinks about what is causing it. She doesn’t know how to bring up her suspicion with the other girl, their friendship still too fragile and new. But she wants to help.
“I could make you something,” Elphaba offers. Galinda startles at the sudden voice. “To help you sleep, that is.”
Galinda’s brow crinkles slightly. “Like tea? I’ve tried it before, but I’m not a big fan of tea before bed.”
Elphaba shakes her head. “No, not- not tea. Um. My favorite flower is poppies, and the pollen from poppies, it tends to--”
But Galinda is already shaking her head. Vehemently. She’s tense all over, shuffling backward as she says, with no room for argument, “No.”
Elphaba stutters to an awkward stop, mouth still parted around her cut-off words. There’s some strange expression twisting across Galinda’s fair face, and Elphaba can’t quite figure it out.
Just when I thought I was understanding you.
“It’s perfectly safe,” she explains. “I’ve had it before myself.”
Galinda just shakes her head harder, fingers curling into trembling fists that she presses to her thighs. “No, Elphaba.” Her voice comes out deeper than usual, nearly a growl. It takes Elphaba aback, not used to hearing Galinda sound like that.
The blonde seems to catch herself, closing her eyes and taking a steadying breath. “Sorry,” she says after a moment. Her eyes are hiding something when they reopen, looking just to the side of Elphaba instead of right at her. “I- I appreciate the offer, Elphaba, I do. I just…don’t like the idea of my body being forced to sleep that way.”
There was something about that wording, something that stuck out to Elphaba, that didn’t seem right. She tucks it away to consider later, for now just nodding and apologizing for offering.
“It’s fine,” Galinda waves away. “You meant well.”
They leave the conversation there, moving easily to lighter topics. But it lingers in Elphaba’s mind nonetheless. She does want to help in some way- because that nightmare had scared her. It really had. And she never wants to see Galinda like that ever again.
***
The weekend is supposed to be relaxing. Fun. A time to chill out and not have to worry about class for a moment. Elphaba is supposed to be able to enjoy the weekend.
“Supposed to” being the key words.
The problem--as is becoming the standard in her life these days--is that Galinda seems to have taken exactly none of Elphaba’s warnings to heart. Elphaba wakes to an empty dorm on Saturday--still baffled by how Galinda has suddenly become so quiet in the mornings--and another hot mug of tea and pale pink note.
Galinda’s calendar is propped up by her desk, and from what Elphaba can tell by looking at it, the blonde hasn’t canceled a single thing despite being so wrung out from this past week. Elphaba doesn’t know if she should feel appreciative or hurt by the fact that Galinda didn’t even try to invite her along this time.
The breathing room is nice, and Elphaba knows setting boundaries is important for a healthy friendship, but the worry that itches under her skin with Galinda out of sight for so many hours makes relaxing and enjoying the time alone almost impossible.
Is this what being a friend means? Constantly thinking and worrying about someone other than yourself? It’s a bit exhausting, if Elphaba is being honest.
Thankfully, Galinda’s calendar is expertly organized, and Elphaba is able to track the girl down without much issue. It will be lunchtime soon, and Elphaba knows the only way Galinda is going to actually remember to eat anything is if she can drag her away from her friends long enough to shove food in front of her.
“Galinda,” Elphaba calls out, interrupting whatever fascinating conversation a club about knitting, of all things, could be talking about. The blonde whips her head around, eyes widening when she sees Elphaba standing behind her.
“Elphaba? What are you doing here?”
“It’s lunchtime. You said you would eat with me, remember?”
She feels a little bad manipulating Galinda like this, especially when she sees the panicked look that floods the girl’s eyes as she tries desperately to remember making such a promise. But she knows that Galinda’s innate desire to please will win out, even against her previous obligation to the knitting club.
“R-right, of course, I must’ve lost track of time.” She packs her things quickly, spilling apologies to the other girls as they reassure her that they don’t mind at all. Elphaba waits patiently, even offering her hand out to help the blonde to her feet.
She lets Galinda hold onto it as they walk to the dining hall; she can tell the younger girl takes comfort from the small action. She’s still trying to apologize, this time for forgetting about lunch, and Elphaba has to squash the twinge of guilt she feels.
“You’re good, Galinda; you don’t need to apologize.”
“I-I just, I usually write things down, I’m not always so forgetful, I promise, it must’ve just slipped my mind, and I didn--”
“Galinda,” Elphaba breaks in, forcing the rush of words to cut off so the other girl can take a much-needed inhale. “I said you were good.”
Galinda snaps her mouth shut and a short shiver runs through her for a second, but she does seem to calm down a little. And she doesn’t apologize again- so Elphaba will take that as a win. The blonde’s free hand is playing with the strap of her pink satchel, and Elphaba doesn’t think she’s even aware of the way she’s squeezing Elphaba’s hand.
She shifts slightly to bump her shoulder against the shorter girl, hoping to jostle her out of her thoughts. “Come on,” she says, trying to put as much lightness in her voice as possible. “Nessa said they’re serving pecan pie for dessert today.”
Galinda’s nose scrunches up slightly as she tilts her head. “Pecan?” she questions.
“Hm. Guess you don’t have pecan trees this far north. Trust me- you’ll love it. It’s very sweet.”
Galinda tips her head back to glance up at Elphaba. “How do you know I have a sweet tooth?”
Elphaba almost laughs out loud, but it seems the girl’s question is genuine. “We eat together almost every day, Galinda. You always pick the sweetest desserts first.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“Wh- You don’t have to apologize for that, silly. There’s plenty to go around.”
“I didn’t realize you noticed.” There’s a curious dusting of pink across Galinda’s cheeks, as if she’s embarrassed to be found liking sweets. Interesting.
Elphaba shrugs, not really seeing the big deal. “I pay attention. You’re my friend.” It’s crazy how easy it’s becoming to say that word.
When she looks down again, she sees Galinda staring back at her, eyes wide and dark and glittering with emotions that Elphaba is only just starting to define. The pink of her cheeks is even brighter, and when she ducks her head with a shy smile, her dimple pokes out on one side.
Cute. Elphaba’s lips twitch, her own grin spreading wider. By the time they reach the dining hall, Galinda seems to have forgotten her earlier anxiety, and Elphaba feels a warmth curl under her ribs, pleased to have been the reason why.
***
Galinda doesn’t eat much actual lunch, but she does predictably love the pecan pie. Her feet kick under the table and she beams at Elphaba with bright eyes, and it’s all so stupidly sweet that Elphaba can feel her teeth rotting. From the pie, of course.
Galinda rushes off pretty much the moment she’s finished, three-quarters of a pie slice still on her plate, eager to get back to her busy schedule. Elphaba frowns as she watches her leave, wracking her brain for any ideas of ways to make Galinda cancel all her plans tomorrow. In the past few weeks of studying Galinda, Elphaba has learned a lot about the younger girl.
She’s learned she likes her tea hot enough to scald. She likes her blankets as thick and heavy as possible. She likes her room clean and her desk cluttered and her clothes organized in a system impossible for anyone to understand.
She’s learned Galinda’s shampoo smells faintly like roses. She enjoys long showers but prefers long baths. She sorts her heels by height instead of color, her stationery is all pale pink with personalized G's, and her giggle sounds the happiest when it’s nearly midnight and Elphaba has managed to crack some sort of dry joke.
Galinda is a much better roommate than Elphaba expected, and she’s also a really good friend. Just the other day, when a Munchkin boy had thrown some nasty remark at Elphaba, Galinda had whirled around and come down on him like a thunderous storm, ensuring that no one would so much as look at him for the rest of the day.
The sight of tiny little Galinda going toe to toe with someone over a full foot taller than her as she verbally tore him to shreds had done funky things to Elphaba’s heart, her magic twisting and sparking and tingling in her fingertips as her cheeks and ears burned.
Galinda is dramatic and antsy and a bit (a lot) of a worry wart, but she is also kind and generous and thoughtful. She doesn’t deserve to have the rest of the student body be running her into the ground, taking advantage of her goodness to get her to do all these events just because she’s too nice to say no. Elphaba won’t allow it.
She has a lifetime of experience standing up not only for herself but for Nessarose as well. Elphaba may not know what it’s like to have a friend, but she does know what it’s like to care about someone. And crazy as it may seem, in just such a short amount of time, she can honestly say she does care about Galinda.
Elphaba drums her fingers along the table, her knee bouncing as she tries to come up with a good idea. She catches sight of a wisp of purple out of the corner of her eye, glancing over in time to see Madame Morrible disappear down the hall, likely having just finished lunch herself.
Morrible. Elphaba’s mind thought back to the lesson a couple of days ago, Morrible’s advice on trying to control her emotions. The way it made her think of Galinda. A grin spreads across Elphaba’s face. That’s perfect.
***
Later that afternoon, Galinda touching up her makeup in preparation for dinner, Elphaba enacts her genius plan.
“Hey, Galinda?” she asks, the gentle humming from the other side of the room halting at her words. “I was wondering if you had some time to help me out tomorrow.”
Galinda turns in her chair, a tiny worried wrinkle between her brows. “What do you need help with? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just…you know how Morrible added an extra sorcery class next week? Well, I really want to show her that I’ve improved, and I was hoping you could help me.”
Elphaba glances over to see Galinda watching her with wide eyes, face a touch paler than usual. “Me?” she asks. “But I-I don’t know anything about magic.”
“You applied for her sorcery seminar, didn’t you? I think she mentioned something about your essay on wands.”
“W-well, yeah, I mean- I did, but I don’t- I’ve never--” Galinda swallows visibly, fingers tangling together.
“I know she isn’t your favorite. But you must’ve studied sorcery before, right? In order to write your essay? I’ve never even looked into it prior to coming here.”
Galinda looks up at that, head tilting. Something like curiosity brushes the nerves away. “Never?” she questions. “But- you must’ve known you had magic.”
Elphaba cringes. “I did, but…I didn’t really want anything to do with it except…make it go away.” Her voice trails off, barely more than a whisper by the end of her sentence. She shakes herself, steering the conversation back on track. Now is not the time.
“Anyway, that’s not important. Morrible had me working on different exercises yesterday, little bits of various types of magic, but she said I needed to work on control. Not just of magic but also of, of myself. And I was hoping you could help with that.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. You have studied sorcery, right?”
Galinda gapes at her, mouth opening and closing like she’s looking for a valid reason to say ‘no.’ She must not find one because she ends up giving Elphaba a tentative nod. Elphaba sends her a smile, just to try and help calm the increasing nerves she can spot in the way Galinda has her nails pinched down and pulling at her own skin.
“Most of the exercises are easy to replicate here in the dorm. It’s like- it’s homework, right? Just like any other topic of study. And since you’ve studied it before, maybe you have some tips for me. Or maybe just some overall ideas on how to be in better control?”
Elphaba feels her pulse pick up as she waits for Galinda’s answer. She can see the blonde’s eyes flick toward her calendar, several glittery pen marks denoting she does not, in fact, have any free time tomorrow. But Galinda’s had this whole weird energy around Morrible’s seminar and the topic of sorcery all month, and Elphaba has a feeling this is one request the other girl really won’t want to turn down.
“I…guess I can move some things around. If you really think I can help.”
“I do,” Elphaba says quickly, relief seeping through her. “I need you.”
Galinda drops her chin with that same shy, pink smile on her lips, something joyful and soft that curls around her cheeks and makes Elphaba’s own smile deepen. Around them, the lights flicker, pink shadows flashing, and Elphaba almost laughs at the irony.
Control, indeed. She hadn’t even felt that one. Clearly, she has a lot of work to do.
***
This time, Elphaba wakes when Galinda does, eyes blinking open to dusty morning light as she hears Galinda slip out of bed and start puttering around. Galinda had managed to shuffle a lot of things around, going to table after table at dinner yesterday to tell everyone her updated plans and apologize for backing out last minute. Elphaba had barely managed to get two bites of pasta in the girl before she was hustling off to someone else.
She hadn’t canceled everything, of course, just enough things to clear her afternoon. This morning, she still planned on attending a brunch with some of her Gillikenese friends. And Elphaba, Oz help her, had agreed to tag along.
“Good morning, Elphaba!” Galinda chirps, grinning at her as she breezes past in a blur of pink. She’s already dressed and starting on her hair when Elphaba leaves the bathroom, and she hops up in order to present the still-lagging girl with a cup of warm tea.
Galinda likes her tea nearly scalding. Elphaba likes hers at a comfortable warmth. Somehow, Galinda gets it perfectly right every single time.
Elphaba sits on the edge of her bed and lets the caffeine start to kick in as Galinda finishes up her hair and makeup. She’s a bit more dressed up than usual, wearing a soft pink dress with short puff sleeves and strappy heels. She points toward a trunk of hers with the end of the makeup brush, prompting Elphaba to follow her line of sight.
“I set something out for you. Just an option, that’s all. In case you don’t have a brunch dress.”
Elphaba hides her chuckle at the way Galinda says ‘brunch dress’ like it’s a completely normal part of everyone’s wardrobe. She walks over to the trunk in question, pushing it open so she can see the pretty grey dress laid out for her.
It looks almost black in the shadows, but the thin top layer is clearly gray with the slightest shimmer in the light. It’s a touch longer than Galinda’s with a higher neckline and full-length sleeves and a belt that cinches at the waist.
One black skirt was surprising. But two? However- Elphaba fingers the delicate fabric and realizes it is very Galinda. It’s actually quite similar in build and material to the one she has on, although Galinda’s pink dress is covered in a light floral print.
“It’s not really my usual style,” Elphaba mumbles. Elphaba’s outfits are often layered and stiff, made of a thick opaque fabric with high collars and sharp angles. Something light and flowy is more Nessarose’s type than her own.
“You don’t have to wear it,” Galinda says. “But I think it would look really pretty on you.”
Pretty. Since when is that an adjective that describes Elphaba?
“Hmm.” Elphaba figures she may as well try it on. She slips into it easily, marveling at the fact that it fits her so well. Though it must be a floor-length dress on Galinda with the way it brushes down past Elphaba’s knees.
It feels strange. Something different than her usual clothes. But she steps up to Galinda’s mirror and admires the way the smooth fabric flows across her skin. “We match again,” Galinda giggles, pushing out of her chair to stand beside her, her own dress like a shorter, pinker version of Elphaba’s. “Though that one usually looks better with flowers, too.”
Elphaba rolls her eyes fondly. “Not everything needs flowers,” she teases, pulling lightly on the shorter girl's puffy sleeve until she bats her hand away. “You look like a bouquet threw up on you.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment; thank you very much. Now come on. I have the perfect hat for you!”
***
Galinda’s hat is black to match the belt and Elphaba’s shoes, a wide brim and rounded top. It’s very summery, very brunchy, very girly. Elphaba feels slightly better seeing Galinda don her own version. Hers, of course, has a cluster of pink flowers on the front.
“We look ridiculous.”
“We look great!”
Galinda’s hair is fully down under her hat, her curls bouncing as they make their way to the gazebo where they’d had breakfast just last weekend. Brunch goes fairly smoothly, even if Galinda spent most of it sipping tea and chatting about inane things that honestly just go in one ear and out the other for Elphaba.
She manages to get the girl to stop gossiping long enough to eat half a crepe, at least. Galinda barely even seems to notice the plate nudged her way until Elphaba practically shoves the fork in her hand, at which point she blinks at her several times and then breaks out giggling. She barely swallows her first bite in time to gasp loudly at something ShenShen says.
That girl. She has got to get her priorities straight!
Elphaba is happy to tune out most of the drabble, but one of the girls--Milla, she thinks--keeps prompting her for responses. It’s almost annoying at first until Elphaba realizes- she’s actually being friendly. She’s including Elphaba in the conversation, drawing her into small talk without Galinda needing to steer it. The blonde is fully invested in something ShenShen is saying, and Milla seems totally content to engage with Elphaba instead.
Huh. Right. The students here actually….tolerate her. Like is probably too strong a word, but they’re polite, at minimum, and that is already far more than Elphaba is used to. She ends up talking to Milla about Munchkinland, the other girl interested in hearing about Elphaba’s homeland since she’s never traveled outside of Gillikin before. When Elphaba glances over to see how Galinda is doing, she finds the other girl beaming back at her, the blonde sending her a quick wink before diving back into her own conversation.
A pleased buzz hums under Elphaba’s skin. Belonging. It’s not a feeling she’s familiar with. But she thinks she’d like to learn more about it.
***
“Do you think I need a wand?”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“A wand.” Elphaba waves her hand vaguely, twirling it through the air. “You know. To help channel my magic.”
Galinda blinks back at her like she just asked if the Emerald City was purple. Elphaba feels her cheeks darken, ducking her head away from the incredulous gaze. “Never mind.”
“No, no I was just-- No, I don’t think you need a wand.”
“But nothing else is working.”
They had returned from brunch hours ago and barely any progress had been made since. Elphaba had tried everything: calling a breeze, lighting a candle, floating a coin. Nothing. She barely got a wisp. Barely a spark. Barely a wobble.
It didn’t help that Galinda’s sweet, rosy scent was invading her senses every time she turned around. The blonde was eager to help, gently coaching Elphaba through grounding herself and trying to find her inner pool of magic and draw it to the surface. Elphaba could tell she must’ve read similar books to Morrible, must’ve really been keen on the sorcery idea at some point.
It makes her curious why she dropped it, though. Which makes her think about Galinda’s negative reactions to Morrible herself and her assurance she has no magic of her own. The thoughts tumble around and around, pulling her focus, distracting her from her goals.
She sighs heavily, leaning back in her chair after a solid ten minutes of them both staring at the little pink figurine on the desk that Elphaba had been trying, and failing, to get to change color. Frustration bubbles in Elphaba’s gut, and she hates that it’s that feeling, of all things, that has her magic bubbling under her skin. She doesn’t want to have to lose control in order to make anything happen.
“I think that was a good attempt!” Galinda tries, but she shrinks under the weight of Elphaba’s frustrated glare. “Sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry. You’re just trying to help.”
Galinda leans her hip against the table, fingers rubbing over the wooden texture. “I’m sorry I can’t do more. I know it must be frustrating. But I saw you in that courtyard, Elphaba. You are incredible. It’s just going to take time.”
“But why? Why can I do things like that but not even get this stupid coin to lift?”
“I-I don’t know…”
Elphaba is on a roll now, though, and she keeps going, ranting to Galinda about how frustrating it is to finally be told her magic isn’t something to be afraid of, isn’t something terrible and wrong, but to be so completely, entirely unable to do anything to prove it. She just wants to show Morrible that she didn’t make a mistake.
“Believe me, she didn’t make a mistake. You are a wonder, Elphaba.”
“You don’t even like Morrible.”
“Yes, but I’m not blind. I can see how talented you are even without her acknowledgment.” Galinda scoots closer, gazing down at where Elphaba is still sitting, her fists clenched in her lap. “Elphi-Elphaba, you don’t need to prove anything to Morrible. This is your body. Your magic. The only one who matters is yourself.”
Which is all well and good, except Elphaba’s been letting ‘herself’ down for years. This one time, this one time, she wanted someone else to be proud of her.
“You don’t get it,” she mutters, shaking her head. She catches Galinda wince in her peripheral, but she can’t bring herself to apologize. Not when she knows she’s right. Galinda wouldn’t understand what it’s like to feel like this. And Elphaba can’t really explain it to her.
Growling under her breath, she suddenly shoves to her feet, chair scraping on the floor. Her magic stings and simmers, growing more with every second, itching under her skin, pressing against her lungs, and Elphaba finally slams her fists against the table, loudly declaring, “It’s not fair!”
The way the light bulbs burst isn’t even a surprise at this point, though Galinda startles hard with a gasp. The ring of lights around Galinda’s mirror is now nothing but shattered glass, sparking distantly as electricity still tries to flow through them.
Elphaba drops her head with a sigh, all the air and tension gusting out of her. She feels the sting of magic evaporate, leaving her empty and exhausted. This is exactly what she didn’t want to happen.
“Sorry,” she mumbles, eyes closed as she leans on the desk. Silence reigns for a moment before Elphaba moves to start cleaning up. Sparks flash in a bright rhythm. She reaches for the mirror, intent on searching for the off switch, when Galinda suddenly surges forward, slamming into her and yanking her outstretched fingers away.
“Don’t touch it!” she yells, pushing on Elphaba until the taller girl is forced to take a few stumbling steps backward. The snapping sparks reflect off the jagged edges of broken glass.
“What the-- Galinda! I need to--”
“No, you can’t touch it! It’ll hurt you!” Galinda is breathing hard, her face pale as she spins around and presses her back to Elphaba’s front, staring at the mirror like it’s the devil himself.
“I’ll be careful to avoid the glass, Galinda, I just need--”
“No!” She can feel the blonde shaking, her body leaning heavily on Elphaba until the other girl is forced to grab onto her, lest she push them both to the floor. “The electricity will shock you, and, and, and, it’ll hurt, and you- you, it’ll, it can--”
“Breathe, Galinda, my Oz. You’re freaking out over nothing. I was going to turn the lights off before I did anything; I’m not an idiot.”
Galinda barely seems to hear her, though, mumbling still about how it’ll ‘hurt.’ As if Elphaba is a child who isn’t fully aware of how electricity works. She sighs, indulging the girl for the moment because she’s learned that letting Galinda ride out these moments of hers is the best way to get them over with.
The other day, Elphaba had spilled a bit of her fresh pot of tea on her hand, wincing at the burn of the hot liquid, and she thought Galinda was about to have a conniption. She’d fussed over Elphaba’s barely stung hand as though she’d shoved the whole appendage in a fire or something. She could be a touch dramatic that way, always blowing things out of proportion.
‘Making mountains out of molehills’ as Dulcibear might say.
“You alright, now?” Elphaba asks after a moment when Galinda has dropped into silence and is simply leaning on Elphaba, her trembles easing and her breathing slowing down.
“I’m fine,” Galinda says, though she sounds a lot more tired than just minutes ago. “I’m sorry.”
“All good. Just- can I clean up now? I will turn the lights off, I promise. But we need to get this glass picked up.”
Galinda nods wordlessly, finally stepping aside so that Elphaba can tentatively step closer and reach for the switch on the side of the vanity. The flashing bulbs still make Galinda flinch hard, but they stop sparking once the power cuts off. Elphaba digs around in Galinda’s things until she finds a pink broom and dustpan, sweeping the broken shards up and dumping them in the trash with a mental note to dispose of them safely.
“I’m sorry about your mirror,” she offers. Galinda hasn’t moved, just standing there swaying slightly from side to side.
“It’s okay,” she whispers. “I’ll fix it.”
“Guess you can see why I need to work on my control,” Elphaba jokes, trying to lighten the mood. It gets the tiniest quirk of Galinda’s lips, but the other girl otherwise doesn’t respond.
Elphaba stifles her sigh, letting the moment slide away. It’s not Galinda’s fault she’s got such a nervous disposition. Her gaze tracks the girl when she finally moves to her side of the room, a faraway look in her eyes that reminds Elphaba of her nightmare the other night. Her heart sinks, her teeth biting down on her tongue.
See- a part of Elphaba thinks she’s figured Galinda out. She has thought long and hard about the nightmare, and she thinks she finally has a word to explain that strange, almost-sad look she keeps seeing in Galinda’s eyes. Her clinginess. Her nervousness. The way she sometimes stops herself from doing or saying something and her eyes flick to the side as though she’s looking for someone who isn’t there.
It’s not sadness. Not really. It’s grief.
There’s no other explanation for the way she’d clung to Elphaba that night. The tears that had poured out of her like they’d never stop. Elphaba remembers grief. She remembers losing her mother, remembers the look on her father’s face, remembers the way everything in her life had changed after that.
Her mother’s ghost used to haunt the house that she grew up in. Elphaba wonders whose ghost is haunting Galinda.