Chapter Text
Galinda Upland found it increasingly difficult to not bounce on every springy surface in her immodest Los Angeles home at the thought of being in New York for Shiz University’s five year reunion in just under ten hours. She’d had the date marked on her calendar, and set as a reminder in her phone for the last six months! Her suitcase—perfectly pink and outstandingly arranged—was sitting by the door, where it had been for the last seven days. She bounced her foot on the floor as she waited for the clock to strike 1:00pm… Just 30 more seconds, she told herself. 12:59 was too early to leave, but 1:01 was too late… so 1:00.
The ticking of the “Time Dragon Clock” as she called it because the time telling ornament hung just over her front door, and was impeccably designed to resemble a golden dragon, ticked one last time before the hand swung right over the roman numeral I. Galinda jumped up with a high-pitched squeal, nearly toppling over her feet as she barreled towards the door.
Los Angeles in the fall wasn’t nearly as autumn-feeling as the season was in New York. The sun shined brightly, casting eighty degrees of heat over the vast city streets and strategically placed palm trees which Galinda enjoyed in her day to day life. It was a great selling point when she was deciding where to settle down after Shiz. That and the fact that there was no better place to maximize the benefits of her career than one of the biggest cities in the US, second only to NYC.
Five years since she’d last been at her alma mater meant five years away from the happiest years of her life. Shiz was a nearly flawless experience for Galinda. She’d made life long friends (who’d come with her to Los Angeles), obtained a degree in Architecture (minoring in Fashion Design) that propelled her into a career she absolutely adored, and she got to do it while on the most stunning campus in the country. While she did suffer from certain challenges and hurdles like every other person, she believed that to be a result of life rather than Shiz specifically. In any case, with or without those challenges, the “nearly” remains. Despite all the wins afforded to her by way of university, she lost something too.
Elphaba Thropp.
They were enemies turned friends—best friends for three and a half years. Towards the end of their tenure at university, Galinda became busy with focusing on her future and Elphaba did the same. They stopped having sleepovers because they needed their rest for the days ahead, stopped waiting in the cafeteria for each other because the meetings started to pile up, and stopped checking in on each other because… well, Galinda wasn’t entirely sure why that stopped, but she regretted it. Losing Elphaba was her life’s greatest failure. She felt a piece of herself went with Elphaba to Seattle. If she was even still there. It was the last place Galinda knew her to be.
Sometimes, much like now, when Galinda was in a car or had a moment to herself to think, her mind drifted to Elphaba. She wondered how she was doing and if she was happy in the end. She hoped. She wanted Elphaba to have all she ever wanted, and she wished to be there for her through it. The version of Elphaba she created in her mind was powerful… and so so beautiful. The kind of beauty that transcended the laws of attraction. Of course, to a young adult Galinda, she was already ethereal. Her shiny emerald skin as a backdrop for her enchanting green eyes and mirage of freckles Galinda’d spent so many nights counting. She remembered every single thing about Elphaba, right down to how the very tip of her pointed nails felt when they raked across her skin absentmindedly.
It wasn’t until the two year anniversary of the last day she spoke to Elphaba, that Galinda realized she’d been mistaken in her belief that Elphaba was merely a friend to her. So, naturally she started her journey to getting in contact with Shiz’s planning committee to create what is now the five year reunion weekend! Usually, the reunions are one night of a mundane party that alumni hardly remember, but this—this was very far above the previous standard of reunions. The Shiz reunion as it stood was about to be Galindafied!
If you asked Galinda what exactly her motivation was for planning this extravagant weekend, she’d say “for Shiz”, but the words would leave her mouth with faux truth and her lips would twitch in the slightest when she spoke, giving her away entirely. It wasn’t for Shiz at all, it was for her.
For her Elphie, always.
Galinda dragged her slightly overweight suitcase over the curb of domestic terminal 1. It knocked against her ankles and she was close to landing face first on the pavement, but the smile plastered across her face never faltered. The fact that the suitcase was half her weight didn’t deter her one bit as she checked her bag and went on her way.
Galinda marched through the airport with a purpose, easing through TSA and down towards the gates. She adjusted her sweat jacket over her very cute, tight fitted crop top, paired with matching leggings. Then she set her sights on finding a seat. As she approached the gate, the screen read in big, fat letters “delayed”. She rolled her eyes and made her way over to a restaurant instead. She wasn’t excited to be blowing money on overpriced airport food, but with an additional two hours to spare (even though she’d left at the perfect time to only be sitting at the gate for the reasonable time of twenty minutes) she settled.
She pushed through the packed airport, being bumped a number of times before her eyes landed on the most flattering shade of green she’d only ever seen in one place. Galinda’s whole body seized movement—breathing included. It felt unreal that Elphaba, for some reason, was here at LAX. Galinda, regaining her mobility, shuffled through her purse for her favorite vanilla scented perfume. She’d used the same one since she was at Shiz, more specifically since Elphaba had told her she loved the scent on her. Galinda dabbed the perfume on her neck, wrists, and across her chest abundantly. She twirled around in the misty air with a muted squeal, then she cleared her throat and pranced up to where Elphaba sat at the restaurant’s bar.
To say Galinda was nervous was an understatement. This girl was her first love after all, even if neither of them knew it at the time. She was Galinda’s big lost love that she thought about every single day. After a multitude of therapy sessions filled with “unpacking” and “realizations”, Galinda could never quite erase Elphaba from her heart’s desire. She could push her really far down and if she tried very hard, she could come close to one whole day without thinking about her, but that progress—though Galinda wouldn’t ever call it that—vanished the second Galinda’s eyes landed on her.
“Hey, watch where you’re going,” an annoyed man said. “We don’t all want to smell like clouds.”
One thing Galinda learned from being in LA for the last five years was that everyone here had a chip on their shoulder, and they’d walk all over you if you let them. She wouldn’t. “You sure? My nose thinks you could use a break from the onions anyway,” she quipped with a wink.
He snarled at her.
Moving from the crowded walking area, to where the plethora of restaurants were, Galinda’s nerves heightened in an instant. She was truly here… with Elphaba… half a day earlier than expected. She wiped the moistness from her palms on her thighs and walked right up to Elphaba.
“Elphie! Hi!”
Her braid swung around to her back with a quickness, but her expression remained neutral.
One of Galinda’s favorite things to do back then was try to make Elphaba smile as much as she possibly could. She noticed early on that the girl rarely did unless she had a book in her hand. Galinda felt immense pride every time she was able to get Elphaba to bear her gapped smile to her and even more if it was accompanied by her kindhearted laughter. Galinda could hear them so prominently, the shy giggles and secret snickers she often pulled from Elphaba’s tender throat. She missed them terribly—she missed all of Elphaba really. There wasn’t a part of her that escaped Galinda’s need to have her.
“Galinda, hello. What a surprise,” Elphaba said.
Plopping herself down next to Elphaba, Galinda got a look at her features, more mature, but still so much like the Elphaba she remembered. Her full lips—lined in black, but so gorgeously green—turned up slightly as though she was unimpressed, as she often was back at Shiz.
Galinda propped her elbow up on the counter and rested her head against it. “A good one, I hope! Do you mind if I sit with you?”
Elphaba clicked the side button on her phone that Galinda hadn’t even realized she was using, and set it face down on the counter. Then she angled her body towards Galinda. “I don’t see why not.”