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Chapter Text

1950 - Miss Emerald City

All Galinda could see of the women lined up on stage was their feet, as a harsh ray of sun shone against the towers holding up banners above them. Miss Emerald City was a Nationwide event, and people from all over Oz gathered to engage in the festivities. Whilst Galinda could see the appeal of various fireworks being set off, the abundant amount of party food scattered about, she knew the real reason most were in attendance. As she sat with her legs sprawled out over the picnic blanket her family has brought, she gazed around at the men surrounding her, taking note of how they gawked at the Women standing on the stage, giving each other elbows in the stomach as they flashed each other predatory smiles. 

Her friend, Milla, was calling her name from somewhere, but she couldn't see her anywhere.

Milla had been her bestest friend since diapers, as they were both born in a small town in Gillikin. They didn't really have much in common, but to girls of their age, it didn't really matter so long as your parents were civil. Galinda's parents had encouraged their friendship throughout the years.

"You should keep on Milla's good side, Galinda, If you know what's good for you. Her parents are very successful people around here." Her mother had said to her one frosty morning, as she peeled a bag of potatoes and plopped them into a pan.

"Me and Shenshen are going to make our own Miss Emerald City, come on!" Galinda felt the cool dampness of Milla's arm as it trapped her upper arm and pulled her up, along the grass. She frowned as she looked back at her parents, but they were too busy making new connections around them. Galinda sighed and put on her brightest expression as she skipped after Milla.

When Galinda and Milla reached ShenShen, they all sat down to decide their roles. Galinda had never really been interested in playing pretend with her friends, but of course she would never express this.

"How about I be the judge?" Galinda offered, almost desperately.

"No way! We can be a joint act" Milla returned, hooking her arm through Galinda's. The blonde couldn't help but feel a rush of affection for her best friend. She relished in the fact that she could always rely on Milla to choose her, even as they sat afront their other friends. Galinda agreed to this proposition rather sheepishly, and stood up in suit of Milla.

As they 'prepared for the stage', which involved Milla hooking up Galinda's dress in the most scandalocious of ways, she noticed that others had begin to join in with their activities, some making up new roles, and others begging Shenshen to be a contestant.

As Galinda stood on their makeshift stage, she fiddled and tugged at the hem of her dress, which was now showing off the curve of her right knee, and some ankle of the left. She looked around bashfully at the surrounding parents, hoping no one around knew her parents, surely they wouldn't think highly of this 'game'.

As all of the children stood in a line, Milla with her arm hooked through hers, Shenshen with her critical gaze surfing over all of them, a few men began tot urn their heads, wondering what all of the commotion was. Galinda pinched her eyes shut. This was utterly shameful.

"Thankyou all for coming," Shenshen started with a faux presenter voice on, now hushed because the actual Miss Emerald City announcements had now begun. "I am please to announce that this years winner is... Miss Milla and Miss Galinda!". 

Milla shrieked with giddiness, but Galinda couldn't quite grasp what she was so happy about- Shenshen was their friend, of course they'd choose them. Nevertheless, Milla took a spot next to Shenshen, tugging Galinda along with her as she began her acceptance speech.

A couple clock ticks later, a much louder, more professional voice had announced the winner of this years Miss Emerald City title, and Galinda watched out of the corner of her eye as a beautiful woman in a lime green dress accepted some flowers and unfolded a piece of paper that she had grabbed from under her dress.

Chapter Text

September, 1954

Galinda and Milla sat side by side in The Shiz Gazette, a newspaper company that Milla's parents owned. They were folding up paper bags, preparing them for distribution when the newspapers were to go out later that morning. 

"I think I'm going to sign up for the dance comittee this year, it will look good on my application to Winkie University." Milla had been rambling for 20 or so minutes, so Galinda had began to tune her out as she often did this, but after a moment of silence she ntoiced the piercing gaze she was recieving from her friend.

"yeah, that sounds good," She responded halfheartedly, but Milla ripped her current paper bag from her hand, crossing her arms as she continued to bore into Galinda.

"G, you need to figure out what you are doing for prom. I heard that Boq is looking around for a date." Milla wiggled her eyebrows after she said this, and Galinda sighed. She had never dated before, and she didn't intend on it now. She didn't see the appeal, and her parents would surely marry her off shortly after graduation, with little to no input from her. What was the point?

Milla sighed harder. She always had to outdo Galinda, in everything she did. As Galinda began to worry whether she should apologise or not, Milla abruptly stood, her chair scraping harshly against the tiled floors.

"I'm gonna head over to Polly's and get a sandwich," She said, looking rather defeated as she swung her bag over her shoulder and left Galinda staring as the front doors as they fluttered behind her.

Assuming Milla wasn't going to return anytime soon, Galinda began to insert the large stack of newspapers into their handmade paper bags by herself, and she thought to herself that maybe completing this task for Milla would win her forgiveness by the time she had gotten back from the store. 

As she packaged the newspapers, her eyes skimmed the headlines noncommittally, mentally filing away some articles to bring up with her business fanatic father when she got home.

One headline gave her pause, it was shoved onto the back page, as if it was meant for only those that sought it out. It was a miniscule advert that laid beside an article about a local business shutting down. She was sure she recognised the business, but in that moment she didn't care, because the advert was drilling into her brain. In the picture, a man- no, a woman? stood perched on a stage, her leg bent onto a stool as her hands gripped the collar of her suit vest, giving the photographer a classy wink. Galinda felt as though her brain had short circuited. The title of the Ad read:

'Come down to the Ozdust Club - Our house-male-impersonater will show you a good time'

Male Impersonater? Galinda had never heard of such a thing. Back in Gillikin, everyone was rather religious, and the closest establishment to a 'nightclub' would host 6pm bingo nights, and close at 8pm. A silent excitement bubbled up within her as the scanned the woman's features over and over again. There was something so timeless and dazzling about the woman, and now that Galinda had the knowledge that she was infact a woman, and had been merely dressed up as a man, she could not help but be intrigued.

Of course, Galinda would never even think of attending such an event. Galinda could already hear her mother's chastising voice as she ridiculed Galinda for even thinking about it. She shuddered at the thought, and looked around the empty storeroom, suddenly overcome with the feeling that she was being watched- even though she knew this was impossible.

She eyed the scissors that were resting by Milla's station, and rushed to grab them before she could even think properly about it. Galinda clumsily snipped a jagged line around the advert, before stuffing it in her pocket with one last look at the woman. 

She pushed the image to the back of her mind as she continued to package newspapers for the rest of the morning, but she could never fully erase the excitement that has conjured in the pit of her stomach at the idea of attending the club, even just for one night.

---

Galinda stood by her locker, gazing in at it's contents with no real goal but to wait out the school bell. 

"Galinda!" The blonde spun around, slamming her locker shut with a force she didn't know she had. Before her stood Boq Woodsman, a short ginger boy that had transferred to Shiz High mid-year, from Munchkinland. She had seen Shenshen and Pfannee talking to him a couple times, but she never really made any effort to engage in conversation, and she was sure he had a crush on her.

Galinda stared at the boy as he stuttered over his invitation to prom. Galinda knew it was coming, as Milla had all but given it away yesterday morning, but she still felt a prickly sensation crawling up her neck as she waited for Boq to get to the end of his sentence. As she had tuned him out, the only indicator she had that he had finished was the hopeful smile that he had on his face, a light orange tinging his upper cheekbones.

Galinda panicked. Not only had her parents strictly forbidden her to date, but she had no interest in attending prom with a boy by her side. She briefly reminisced on her junior prom, back when it was socially acceptable for her and Milla to attend arm in arm, giggling together for the whole night about a tv show they had both watched earlier. She smiled at the thought, but quickly swallowed it down, as she saw Boq's  expression brighten at her display. She had to shut this down, or atleast give herself some more time.

"I- I don't-" Her face flushed, and Boq's smile dropped, his gaze dropping to the floor.

"I think I need some time to decide." Galinda flashed him a dazzling smile, as she'd been taught to do by her parent's. always be perfectly good and nice to others.

Although Galinda thought her display of bashfulness was royally halfhearted and obvious, Boq took this answer as though he had been handed a golden ticket, and nodded at her as he frolicked back down the hallway. Galinda let out a heavy breath that she didn't realise she had been holding.

Althroughout the school day, Galinda was on her highest alert to avoid Boq, doing full 180's whenever she saw a lock of curly ginger hair in the crowded hallway's, excusing herself to the bathroom when her friends met in groups at break. One time, at lunch, Milla had decided to follow her. She always knew when Galinda was hiding something.

"What is wrong with you today?" Galinda flinched at Milla's harsh tone as she locked the bathroom door behind them. what was wrong with her?

Galinda had never been able to keep a secret when it came to Milla, they were best friends after all- and Milla was just trying to help her, she always made sure Galinda was on her best behaviour. And so, Galinda told her about her encounter with Boq.

"Well? Are you going to say yes?" Milla said incredulously, as if she couldn't even fathom the idea that Galinda was going to reject him. Galinda wondered for a few moments what Milla would think of the advert she had seen yesterday. Would they look at it together as if it were a photo of their favourite movie actor and giggle about it? Galinda knew the answer to that. 

"I don't know." Galinda bit her lip as she dropped her gaze to her feet, clad in light pink loafers.

Milla gripped a strand of her own hair in distress, twirling it in thought as she gazed at Galinda in silence for a moment.

"well," She dropped the strand, and Galinda watched as it fell perfectly back into place over her friends shoulder. "You'd better not mess this up- the whole friend group will suffer if you and Boq have issues with each other, and I don't think he is going to like it if you say no." 

Although Milla uttered these words as if she were giving Galinda the choice to decide, she wasn't really. What she was really saying, was that Galinda had better say yes to Boq. Otherwise they would no longer be friends.

Galinda gave Milla a desperate smile, but it didn't quite reach where it should. "of course, I'm just being silly. I was just nervous, that's all." She offered, and a wave of relief washed over her as Milla unlocked the bathroom door, muttering a nonchalant 'alright', before stepping out.

---

Later that night, Galinda lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling as the latest episode of her favourite podcast played on the dingy speaker on her nightstand. She thought about the situation at school, how Milla had been so concerned for her, how Milla had offered her a ladder when she had almost messed up everything for herself.

She didn't want to go to prom with Boq. She didn't want to go with anyone. She did not want to go.

As she listened to the familiar mans voice drone on and on about some historical topic, she mindlessly reached for her coat, which she had strewn on the floor in distress when she had returned home from school that day. She felt into the right pocket, and felt like she had struck gold when she felt the rough newspaper clipping at the bottom. 

Galinda gazed at the image for a long while, imagining what the woman was like. What foods did she like? What music did she like? Did she take a boy to prom? Her mood soured at the thought. She was sure that the woman wouldn't have even thought about missing her prom for as silly of a reason as having to go alongside a boy. 

The woman looked perfect- and in the privacy of her own room, Galinda allowed herself to stare. She allowed herself to take in all of the woman's features, the way her short clipped hair was styled in neat waves, the cinch of her waist that lead into the thick boxy structure of her suit pants. A woman wearing a suit was so preposterous to Galinda, but a woman wearing a suit that was tailored to her body so perfectly, as if it were made specifically for her, made Galinda feel hot.

As she clutched the picture in her had, Galinda's hand mindlessly slipped under her blanket, under her nightdress. She imagined the woman speaking to her, showing her attention, and the thought alone made Galinda desperate. Any thoughts of shame had left her mind in that moment, and it was just her and the woman. She fell asleep that night with sweet dreams of a domestic life alongside a woman, and utterly satisfied.

Chapter Text

Galinda's history professor droned on and on. It was the start of the year, so he was going over some of last year's examinations, ones that Galinda had no interest in paying attention to. She wouldn't be able to attend further education anyway, her mother had made it very clear that she was to marry shortly after graduation, and had told her her she was lucky to be finishing high school at all, a privilege that her mother had never gotten.

This year, she had been sat next to Elphaba Thropp. Of course, she knew who she was, the woman was green for Oz sake! Various rumours were circulating throughout her year group about the girl, but Galinda had never been one for gossip. While she didn't know the exact details, she knew that Milla and her friends had a real problem with her, so Galinda did too.

But as she sat in the class, she remembered that none of her friends were actually in this class, in fact, she and Elphaba were the only girls at all. History was a male-dominated subject, and this was a very well-known fact. When Galinda had ticked off history on her sign-up sheet for the year, Milla had gawked at her, spilling whisperings she had heard about the type of people that study history. it's no place for a proper girl like you she had said then, not-so-silently silently hinting at Galinda to change her mind.

The blonde supposed it was her way of defying Milla in a way, choosing to study history. She and Milla had always been in the same class, not really paying attention and instead doodling silly comics in the back of the classroom, resorting to Ozian Sign Language when their teacher had scolded them. Now Galinda was alone in her class, and she didn't know what to do.

So she turned in her seat, gazing at the girl next to her. She took note of the contrast between the boys around her and Elphaba. Her skin had a glow to it that the boys could never dream of exhibiting, and the swell of her shoulders didn't quite reach the same height as the boys, even with their uniform-appointed shoulder pads stuffed into her blazer. The thought warmed Galinda's stomach in a way she did not understand.

"Do you have a problem?" Galinda flinched, although Elphaba had been whispering. She felt like she had bene caught doing something utterly scandalocious.

"n-no, of course not." The blonde flushed, turning back to face the front of the classroom, but she could feel Elphaba's eye's piercing into the side of her head. She turned back to the green girl, determined to make a better first impression, Milla be damned.

"It's a shame we are the only girls in this class, isn't it? I heard that last year not one girl had even applied." Galinda forced out a pathetic chuckle, the same one she used to lighten the mood whenever Milla chastised her for her bad behaviour. Elphaba did not seem impressed.

"You may have 'heard' that, but it doesn't make it true" The girl replied, rather prickly. She must have noticed the way Galinda's smile slightly dropped, because she was quick to continue;

"Although, I'm pretty sure that is correct, yes." A light blush appeared on the tips of the girls ears as she admitted this, and Galinda found it so endearing she struggled to find her words. It was rude to not respond when spoken to.

"What are you going to do after to graduate?" It was a stupid question, Galinda recognised that as soon as it left her mouth - she couldn't even contribute to the conversation, her future had been decided for her.

"I'm thinking of applying to the Emerald City University, they seem to like history graduates." Elphaba had said it with such certainty, Galinda admired it.

"that's amazing, so prestigious!" She mused, fascinated by the academic lifestyle that had been off limits since she had been born. 

Galinda had dreamed of going to university to study historical architecture for as long as she could remember, sneaking newspaper clippings as she stumbled behind her mother in the shops, purchasing podcasts that interested her with her saved up pocket money after school. She remembered once, going shopping with Milla, as she had to find a dress for an event that her mother was making her attend. Galinda had stopped in the window of a small building, admiring the arch of the windowsill, the way it caved over the glass and enveloped the interior in th emost enchanting way. Milla had pulled her away, mumbling about airheaded you can be sometimes.

"It's nothing, just a silly dream," Elphaba looked down at her exercise book bashfully, as if she had never been paid a compliment in her life. Then, Galinda supposed she hadn't, with most of the student body blinded by silly rumours that were probably conjured up and altered by Pfannee before circulation.

---

Everyday after school, Galinda, Milla, and Shenshen would walk home together after school, parting along the way when necessary. Today, Shenshen had been absent, something to do with the flu, Milla had said with a wave of her hand. After Galinda and Milla had parted ways, the blonde was left on her own for the rest of the walk, which felt unusual but oddly freeing. With the absence of Shenshen, Galinda allowed herself to ponder on the arch of some of the building's rooftops.

The blonde strolled into the chemist just before the turning for her street, as she had promised to pick up some allergy medication for her mother on her way home. Her mother always spoke of her hay fever as if it were the spawn of the devil himself, accusing it of being un-ladylike and stunting her marriage plans. She had applauded 4-year-old Galinda when she failed to get the sniffles during one particularly aggressive autumn, and Galinda had smiled as her mother told her this was a gift that she had been given by Oz himself, helping her to become a proper lady.

The lady behind the desk gave Galinda a small smile, as she told her it would be a ten minute wait for packaging. Nodding, Galinda turned to examine the shelves of the chemist. maybe they will have some interesting architecture books, she thought, although she knew she did not have enough pocket money to purchase one, nor did she have the guts to bring one into her home, Oz forbid her mother catch her reading it.

The books were dusty, and sat on a small spinning rack at the very back of the shop. As Galinda span the rack around, a book titled 'midnight fantasies' caught her eye. Not for the reason she had originally been looking for, though.

On the cover of the book, there were two women, which was already unusual, given the rest of the books in this section had raunchy photo's of women in provocative dresses, leaning into a tall, strong man. One of the women wore a long dark red dress, with a slit that was high enough to cause a heat to ripple through Galinda's body. Her breasts were held up by a laced corset, pushing them together in the most disgraceful way. Disgraceful, she echoed her thoughts quietly to herself as she continued to study the image. To the left of the woman, was another. She had slightly shorter hair, and it was blonde, as opposed to the other woman's long ginger locks. She wore suit, which had caused a flash of the newspaper clipping to reverberate in Galinda's thoughts. The blonde shrugged her cardigan off of one shoulder, she had suddenly become positively scorching. 

Galinda shyly gazing at her surroundings, and found that no one had seen her, thank Oz. With a newfound confidence Galinda picked up the book and opened it to a random page;

Carol was enraged, running away from her husband with a slam of their front door. She thought back to Jane's kind eyes, the way she had held her that night, as she cried into her arms. With that thought, Carol stormed through the streets with a newfound purpose, dodging citizens as all reminders of the argument she had with her husband dissipating, and were clouded over with memories of how Jane had touched her, cherished her in a way no one had before. She was desperate for even a small taste of what the woman had to offer, even if it meant that she would have to make amend with her husband later on.

She pounded relentlessly on the front door of the house she had grown so accustomed to over the last couple of months. She felt as though she couldn't breathe, there was no more oxygen left on the planet.

And then Jane opened the door, looking as devastatingly beautiful as she remembered. Her clipped hair was up in a ponytail, her nightdress ridden up to her thigh as her yawn was cut off into a look that Carol couldn't quite decipher. She looked so painfully domestic, and Carol allowed herself to dream of a life where she and Jane could live happily ever after, in their own home, married to each other.

"What are you doing here, Carol? Where is Anthony?" Despite herself, Jane cupped Carol's jaw, her eyes searching for the answers that she knew she wouldn't get. Tears brimmed her eyes as she soothingly ran her thumb over the higher part of Carol's cheek.

"I don't want him, Jane." Carol paused for a moment, a tear slipping out before she could dry it out, and Jane's thumb swiftly brushed the offending droplet away. "I want you."

Jane smiled at this. and Carol envied her. Jane was so free, she was everything that Carol wanted to be, she didn't have the weight of her family or expectations weighing her down, she simply just, lived her life how she saw best fit. She was everything Carol had wanted, does want.

Their lips met in a searing kiss, and Jane pulled Carol rather roughly into her apartment, clicking the door shut with the heel of her foot. They kissed for what felt like hours, Carol biting down on Jane's lower lip, Jane licking her way through her wet mouth, and it was intoxicating. 

"Prescription for Larena Upland!" Galinda slammed the book shut, almost tripping over herself to put the book back where it belonged. Her heart was racing, and she felt like she had run a thousand miles in just a short ten minutes. As an afterthought, she picked up the book and tucked it behind another, in her mind, she told herself she was doing the next person that decided to pay a visit to the book aisle a favour. Surely everyone would have the same reaction she did, and it was positively humiliating! She brushed her hands over her hair, trailing them down to smooth out her skirt as she turned on her heel to reach the register.

As she reached the desk to pick up the medication, she imagined a woman coming up to the register, putting down the book, and handing over her money to the woman. Her face burned at the thought. How improper! She couldn't imagine that anyone would have the guts to purchase such a book, without melting into a puddle on the floor at the looks they would receive.

As she walked home, thoughts of Carol and Jane swirled in her mind. She wanted to know their story, and she now regretted opening a random page. How had they gotten to that point? Maybe Galinda had misunderstood what had happened- the idea of two women kissing was absolutely absurd! Surely she had read it wrong.

Even as she told herself that her eyes had deceived her, she couldn't help but day-dream about the story on the way home, ignoring the way a hot ache pooled between her legs at some of her improper thoughts. She told herself that she had simply been deprived of the chance to engage in such activities, so she had been affected by this story in ways she shouldn't have been. 

---

This time, Galinda wasn't stood by her locker when Boq approached her. They were both stood in the lunch line, the boys speech interrupting her fantasies of a hot traditional Gillikin meal.

"hey.. Galinda, have you put some thought into my proposition?" Galinda froze. She didn't want to break the poor boys heart, neither did she want to give the impression that she intended to lead the boy on. She was utterly hopeless.

In the moment, she thought about how Milla would handle this situation- she would do it so gracefully, that when she rejected the boy, he would like her even more! Galinda could only dream of being as elegant and proper as her best friend, and she event entertained the idea for a second that her mother would have been much more happier if Milla had been her daughter instead of Galinda.

"Yeah, I... cant go to the dance with you." There, she had said it. She couldn't help but realise the fact that they were in a very public area, with students all around them that would surely be gossiping about this 'scandal' already. The thought became increasingly more alarming when she took in Boq's expression, which had morphed from being hopeful, into something much sadder, angry even. The blonde panicked, desperate to redeem herself- Milla's words echoed in her head you'd better not mess this up.

Galinda tumbled over her words, not even really sure what she was saying in the moment. 

"I mean, I cant, because I'm on the dance committee with Milla! I wont have time to have a date, we will be so busy on prom night!" To finish it off, she flashed Boq with a practiced, dazzling smile. 

Although he was obviously disappointed, Galinda knew that he wouldn't push any further, otherwise he would become the bad guy in the situation. Satisfied with herself, she turned back toward the food infront of her, and began to pick out various assortment's of vegetables.

Later on, when Galinda, Milla, and Shenshen were walking home, Milla inevitably brought the situation up. Galinda couldn't make out how Milla felt about the subject, her tone accusatory and suspicious.

"so, Pfannee tells me that you rejected Boq's advances, earlier at lunch." Milla narrowed her eyes at Galinda, who held her head high as they walked, determined not to let Milla see through her.

"Yes, I suppose news travels fast around here, doesn't it?" Galinda replied, giving a small nervous smile to Shenshen, who had decided to stay out of the conversation altogether, Galinda silently appreciated her.

"I wasn't aware that you were also on the dance committee?"

"Yes, well, my mother suggested I join, to assist you. It's a rather big endeavour, you know." Galinda worried for a moment that Milla would be angry, accusing Galinda of stealing her spotlight, as she so often does. But after a short pause, Milla squealed, and Shenshen seemed to let out a puff of relief at the display.

"This is such good news! You can come over mine to co-ordinate activities!" 

The rest of the walk home consisted of Milla rambling about her plans for prom, pausing every so often to get Galinda's input, which often turned out to be a small hum of approval, or a nod littered with feigned excitement, but it was enough for Milla to continue her ministrations. Galinda was happy to let her friend go on, as it meant that she could be left alone with her thoughts for most of the walk.

Every so often, her thoughts drifted to dangerous territory, imaged flashing through her mind of the Ozdust club, imagining what it would be like to be in attendance, to see the woman-turned-man in person. She shook the thoughts away with a physical jolt of her head, a pool of shame building in her chest, heavy with the weight of what she had read, what she had felt, what she had enjoyed.

Chapter Text

Each day, Galinda grew more and more excited to attend her history classes. Yeah, she found the topic interesting, but more importantly, she was able to chat with Elphaba some more, who was warming up to their unlikely friendship.

Free from the restraints of keeping up appearances, the two girls would sit near the back of the class, by the window, discussing their interests and giggling at tourists that passed by the school.

One particular day, Galinda strolled in, flashing a giddy smile towards the brunette as she walked in, causing a chain reaction of dark green blush to tickle her cheeks.

Taking a seat at her desk, Galinda pulled out a tape recording of her favourite podcast to borrow to Elphaba, as she had been interested in it.

To her absolute horror, as she pulled out the tape, along with it came a small newspaper clipping of the woman she had been staring at for hours on end every day.

Panicking, the blonde reached for the picture, but before she could grasp it, Elphaba plucked it from the desk. She had an incredulous expression on her face.

This is it, Galinda thought. This new friendship she had begun to cultivate was going to come to a crashing halt. Elphaba was surely going to tell someone about this, which would then get back to Milla. Galinda’s breathing grew shallow, and the voices around her began to dissipate. 

“Is this Nick Chopper?” Elphaba whispered, peering closely at the image on the advert. Galinda’s eyes snapped to focus on Elphaba’s hand that gripped the clipping.

”I.. don’t know? Do you know who it is?” Galinda should be horrified, she should be coming up with an excuse as to why she even had this image in the first place- but she couldn’t think straight, and the idea of Elphaba judging her seemed so ridiculous she almost laughed out loud.

”Yeah, I think so. He puts shows on down at the Ozdust” Elphaba turned to Galinda now, handing the print back to her, much to her relief.

”How do you know?- Have you been?” Elphaba seemed amused at Galinda’s eagerness, but she didn’t care if she was making a fool of herself. She needed to know.

”Yeah, I went a couple of weeks ago with a friend.” Elphaba’s tone seemed to falter when she mentioned the word friend- and Galinda briefly considered the rumours that had circulated.

”Isn’t that place somewhat scandalocious?” Galinda replied, and she felt like a child. She knew she shouldn’t show so much interest in this silly club, Milla would go insane if she knew Galinda even thought about it!

“It depends what kind of crowd you run with.” Elphaba’s paused for a moment, and considered Galinda. “A lot of women go there, to meet other women.” Elphaba whispered this, and Galinda felt lightheaded at the admission.

Women meeting other women, the implications of the brunette’s tone. She felt hot all of a sudden, that familiar heat rushing through her body, collecting at her head and buzzing with life.

Their conversation, much to Galinda’s relief, steered to more appropriate topics. They chatted for the whole hour about their interests. And Galinda couldn’t help but observe Elphaba as she went on a ramble about the history of Animal rights.

It was nothing like when Milla would ramble about her shoes, or last week’s airing for her favourite show- Galinda was utterly entranced, and she could listen to Elphaba’s voice all day. She even chimed in with some thought-out responses every now and then, and found that she actually anticipated the brunette’s response.

”Could you imagine a world where Animals are locked in cages, and they never learn to speak?!” Elphaba shrieked at one point, catching the attention of the professor. 

The clack of the man’s leather shoes was like a devastating jingle that you’ve heard on television too many times. Elphaba now feigned being busy, writing nonsense in her notebook.

”Miss Elphaba, I would appreciate it if you would not speak on matters that do not concern you in the future. Especially not in my classroom.” He spat, pointing a ruler toward her desk before returning to the front of the room.

Galinda observed the girl beside her, her posture had slumped, her eyes not as bright anymore. She looked utterly defeated.

The blonde leant over to the girls desk, whispering with a sad smile,

”I couldn’t imagine it; we shouldn’t have to.” Elphaba returned her gesture with a soft smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

—-

After school on the last friday of the term, every student was buzzing in anticipation of the dance. Chattering of people confirming arrangements, last minute date changed, and groups of girls fawning over each other’s accessories.

Galinda didn’t have a very nice dress for the dance, but she didn’t mind- besides, she couldn’t outshine Milla, not when this night was so important to her.

As she sat on the end of Milla’s bed, watching her friend fiddle with a clasp on her necklace, she couldn’t help but be in awe of the stitching throughout the dress. The intricate sequence of sequins that adorned the corset with nothing short of gorgeous.

She considered her dress in return, a pale yellow. She’d bought it last year, in the basement of a boutique her mother’s friend owned. 

“Oh Oz, isn’t this the most excitifable event ever?” Milla exclaimed once she had successfully attached her necklace, coming over to grip Galinda’s hands as she shook them side to side.

“yeah, it sure is,” She replied, a wide grin taking over he face. It’s not that Galinda wasn’t excited, she just had a lot occupying her mind.

She wondered briefly whether Elphaba would show up- and if she did, would she want to be seen with Galinda? Would Galinda be allowed to see Elphaba?

She shook those thoughts away as she swung her bag over her shoulder. Although Milla had protested, she had decided to stick with her trusted school messenger bag. 

—-

The dance went by slowly for Galinda, she stood by the drinks table, her gaze anxiously flicking from the dance floor to the large arched doors at the back of the hall.

All around her, students were dancing and singing, some girls being whirled around by their dates, some girls fluttering their eyes as they convinced their date to bring them a cupcake back from the stand.

It was overwhelming, the amount of people that had been stuffed into one room. Every now and then, Galinda had to remind herself to breathe, the automatic habit briefly pausing for a reason unknown to her.

After an hour of waiting, serving drinks to people, and staring longingly at the entrance, Galinda waves over to Milla, as she mouthed that she was going to take a break.

She didn’t wait for Milla’s thumbs up before she left her station, she needed to flee as soon as possible. 

Alongside the hall there were some wooden gym benches, and Galinda recognised them from her Junior year, when Gym class had been mandatory. 

As she perched on the bench, she allowed herself to focus her attention on the entrance. She knew the chances of Elphaba showing up were slim, but she still hoped anyway. 

She had more questions about the Ozdust, and she itched to talk to the brunette about it. She was the only person Galinda could confide in.

After around 20 minutes, Galinda saw a figure resting against the back wall of the hall, obscured in the darkness. Her heart leapt as she focused her eyes to get a better look.

Much to her advantage, the lights on the dance floor flashed a bright pink, and illuminated the whole hall for a split second, and Galinda knew then that the figure was in fact Elphaba.

The pink light accentuated her features beautifully, shining against her green skin, almost giving it a brown tinge, and her eyes were illuminated with the reflection of the shimmering streamers. She looked utterly gorgeous, and Galinda found that familiar heat again, low in her abdomen.

She made her way over to Elphaba without another moment to spare, dodging students that she didn’t even recognise.

”I need to get out of here.” She said quickly, grabbing Elphaba’s upper arm. It was surprisingly firm, and Galinda dropped her hand as if she had been burned. 

“Are you sure?” The brunette replied, shooting Galinda a concerned look, she hadn’t even been able to get a single word in when the blonde approached her.

”Yes- come on, let’s go, quick.” Galinda glanced around the room, sighing with relief when she saw that Milla had been chatting with Pfannee.

The doors made a large creak as they opened them, but it was nothing compared to the obnoxiously loud music booming over the speakers of the hall. 

Both of the girls were giggling now, running down the stairs at the side of the hall, hand in hand as they made their grand escape. It all felt so silly.

Eventually, their giggles dissipated, and they slowed to a walk, hands still tangled together. Neither made any move to separate.

”You came,” Galinda said, after she had a moment to collect her thoughts.

Elphaba lightly swung their hands in the air as she responded, and it reminded Galinda of times when she was a kid walking through the park, her parents each gripping one of her hands as they walked.

”I did in fact. Didn’t want to miss the event of the century!” She joked, and Galinda raised a brow at her.

They fell into comfortable conversation, as they so often did. Elphaba chattering about her Animal history, and Galinda rambling about her fascination with architecture. 

“I’d love to pursue it as a career, you know? Design buildings.” Galinda made an attempt to ignore the sparkle in Elphaba’s eyes, the way she listened with such interest.

”well, why don’t you? There are plenty of courses that would take a good student like you.” Galinda blushed at her statement, turning her head to gaze out at the river.

”it’s… complicated, I guess. My mother says that I am to marry after graduation.” Galinda couldn’t have hidden her solemness if she tried, her eyes connecting with the concrete below her feet.

Elphaba came to a halt, silently gesturing for Galinda to take a seat on a metal bench they had approached.

It was such an amazing view, overlooking the bank of waves and the occasional duck that stuck its head out of the water. Galinda admired the quiet wildlife for a moment before starting again.

”I want to go.” She said, turning to Elphaba with a decisive determination lacing her expression. “To the Ozdust, I mean.” She clarified.

”You do?” Elphaba replied, not surprised at this request, but still questioning Galinda.

The topic was so outlandish, all that she could do was nod her head at the other girl, staring down at her lap as she played with her fingers.

”Well, I could take you,” Elphaba went on, as if it was the most normal offer in the world. Galinda’s intrigue piqued, and she let out a squeal of excitement.

Elphaba smirked down at the blonde, continuing. “I’d have to get you a fake ID, but my friend knows someone. We could go.. friday?” 

Galinda froze. The idea of Galinda Arduenna Upland owning a fake ID, thinking about it even, was preposterous.

And yet, she couldn’t find it in herself to reject the offer. It wasn’t like Boq Woodsman asking her to the dance, or Milla asking her for an opinion on a dress- she didn’t have to think at all. Galinda wanted to go to the Ozdust.

Where women seek out other women, for comfort. For the first time, the idea didn’t seem so bizarre anymore. It felt comforting, like a blanket had been gently placed over her, tucked in at the corners. She smiled at Elphaba bashfully, and they began to walk back to the hall, chattering about their plans.

—-

When they arrived at the entrance, Milla had been waiting outside for her. She looked absolutely disgusticified. 

She felt Elphaba flinch beside her, and she was suddenly muttering about how it was past her curfew, she simply must go home. 

“I’ll see you on friday?” She whispered to Galinda, quiet enough that Milla couldn’t hear, as she tapped her foot impatiently.

Galinda nodded, and the exchanged soft smiled before Elphaba turned her back and began to walk away. Galinda took a deep breath.

”Where have you been?! The drinks table is absolutely swamped! And was that Elphaba Thropp I saw with you?” Galinda didnt care about the dance, but she physically recoiled when she took in the sharp tone that Milla had used when speaking Elphaba’s name.

”What about it? She is in my history class, and she is perfectly nice.” Galinda crossed her arms, mirroring Milla. For once in her life, she wasn’t going to bow down to her best friend.

Milla threw her arms up in the air, exasperated.

”Are you kidding me, Glinda? She’s friends with that dyke!” 

Galinda flinched at the word, uttered with such disdain. She didn’t even know what it meant, but she could take a good guess.

That all familiar shame encompassed her again, burning through her body and resting at the tips of her ears. Milla continued rambling, as she always does.

”I don’t know if you’ve heard- but last year, Pfannee caught one of her friends, Nessa, doing… unspeakable activities- with a girl”

Galinda stood before Milla, stunned. At the new information she had been given, at the way Milla spoke about it, but most surprisingly, at the fact that she did not even care. 

“It’s Ga-linda. with a Ga.” She spat back at Milla. Turning on her heel and walking back into the cold night. 

She turned back after a moment, watching as Milla retreated back to the hall.

She knew it was harsh, and she knew she should have just apologised and gotten it over with, but she couldn’t give up her newfound friendship that easily.

For the first time in her life, Galinda felt like she had been seen by someone, really seen, in a way that Milla, or her parents, or Shenshen had never gotten close to doing.

She knew that she had just turned her back on the one friendship that held her life together-

But she also knew that by doing so, she had allowed another to enter her life comfortably, and the thought left her with such a nervous excitement in her stomach, she felt like she could walk across the ocean to get to her home.

Galinda, of course, took the pavement route home. She was excited, not delusional.