Memorable

by starnumbertwelve

Summary:

Elphaba Thropp, the prodigy piano player, is one of Shiz Music Conservatory's biggest prides.

Glinda Upland, ballet dancer, has won several awards for the Shiz Academy of Dance with her grace and talent for the arts.

The two departments, when decided to make a huge artistic festival, wanted to put their two biggest talents together in a memorable performance, trusting them to create their own composition and choreography.

The two girls, however, are pretty different - and they'll have to deal with such differences in order to create the perfect show.

Chapter 1: Glinda

She could hear music reaching her ears from a distance. It wasn't a playback coming from the sound box she was used to listening during some of her classes. It wasn't Professor Bobbin either - she knew her style pretty well, once she would play for them all the time. Plus, she knew it was a piano sound - and there wasn't any in the room.

Whoever it was, this person surely was a highly skilled musician. 

The sound caught her attention. It was smooth, calm music; one she didn't remember reharsing to before. Completely new. And when she closed her eyes, it was as if she could actually see the fingers running through the piano keys with ease. 

It was beautiful. 

Glinda leaned backwards, her back touching the cold barre while her hands held it tightly. She had arrived at the reharsal room not very long ago, and was stretching first thing as she would always do when the sound started. Surprisingly, she felt the urge to dance to it - and it wasn't something she would do often. She wouldn't dance to any music she heard. 

In her own opinion, the music that accompained a performance needed to be touching; otherwise, the dancing moves just couldn't have the heart and passion they needed to show. The audience, for instance, would admire the company, or the solo dancer, in awe. And she believed the people watching should always be impressed. If she felt the emotions herself, they would too.

Of course she has danced to many different types of music: the several beats chosen by her coaches would vary depending on the needs. They loved focusing on the festivals and their themes, as well as anything that was necessary to impress the judges watching the performances. 

And Glinda didn't like that. She didn't always enjoy the choreographies and the music she danced to, but as she supposed (and as she was told many times before), it was part of the career. 

But this sound, this music she was listening to, was not any music. It wasn't any beat. 

This music was passionate. She needed to dance to it.

Eyes still closed, she took a deep breath. Letting go of the barre, she started moving herself around, en pointe, and using every movement she knew that was beautiful to her. 

She started spinning. And when she did, she had practically forgotten the world around her. It was just her and the music playing, which brought her an enormous sense of peace. 

"Well, that's really good" she stopped immediately when Professor Turtleheart's voice reached her ears. She looked at the man; tall, skinny and serious as he always was staring at her, hand holding his chin. "Created this yourself?" 

"P-professor" Glinda murmured, standing still and hands now playing with each other awkwardly. She never liked to be caught dancing freely like this. Besides being on her very own moment, it was embarrassing because it was not perfect as it should be. "I was just..."

"It was lovely, really" a side of his mouth went up a bit. It wasn't really a smile - Professor Turtleheart never actually smiled - but he seemed rather satisfied. "You should continue"

"I was just..." she pursed her lips, as if thinking of the perfect words. "The music was so touching. I felt like I couldn't just stand still and wait" 

"Well, that's one of your biggest talents, Miss Upland" he said flatly, letting his bag drop on the linoleum floor. Unlike her own, his feet didn't have ballet shoes on. He was now barefoot after taking off his flats, something Glinda always found awkward, but it was common sense among dancers in general. "The heart you put to everything"

She was silent for a while. Such compliments normally didn't affect her, but her coach wasn't the kind who would praise her very often. Of course he would, but not randomly like this; so she didn't know what to say when it happened. 

"Where did the music come from?" 

"Very good question, that one" Glinda simply nodded, going back to her stretching routine while the man analyzed his sketchbook, probably studying their next new choreography. She could her the pages flipping back and forth, sometimes furiously. 

Her coach wasn't mean, he was just way too serious - and a perfeccionist most of the times. Sometimes, Glinda wondered if she was wrong on being as bubbly as she was when she wasn't reharsing, once practically everyone around her seemed way too serious. Yet, she realized, it was a commom characteristic between dancers. 

The hard, long routines would make people less fun to be around. It was a cruel world, the competitive dance one. Even so, she was used to it. "I think it might be one of the students from the Conservatory" 

"Isn’t the Conservatory in another building?" two blonde brows were now furrowed, and the girl's thin arms were crossed. The Academy of Dance and the Music Conservatory belonging to Shiz University campus were in different buildings, even though they were close. The Academy of Dance was closer to the health students' buildings, while the Conservatory was closer to the arts and fashion ones. Funny to say the least. 

"It is, but you'll soon find out why they're here. I think you'll like it" 

Glinda was now puzzled. She went back to the position she was when she's started dancing to the mysterious music, wondering who this piano player was. Her mind wandered to a girl with long fingers, but there was no way she could now who it was - and she didn't know many people from the Conservatory to tell. 

Even so, if they would be spending some time with them, it was someone she would like to meet and congratulate for the beautiful song. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by her peers and friends all going inside the classroom at the same time. The quiet place soon became noisy, and the girl smiled at the sight of her friends. 

"Early as per usual, Glinda Upland" said the burnette who popped up by her side. Glinda smiled at her. "And all prepared before anyone else" 

"You know me, Milla" she chuckled, sitting down on the floor to look at her friend doing the same "I like to do my best, always"

"Yeah, I know" the girl touched Glinda's shoulder and pressed it gently. It was an affirmation that she liked. "But isn’t it funny?"

"What is?"

"That everyone was called here for this...announcement" 

"Oh, I completely forgot!" she then remembered hearing Professor Turtleheart telling everyone not to be late that day. He never wanted anyone to be late at any day really, but judging by his constant reminders throughout the week, it seemed like this announcement was something really serious and important. "He's been talking about it all week" 

"I hope no one's retiring" the girl laughed, and Glinda followed. They noticed very soon that a lot of people they didn't know started to come inside the room. 

There were younger and older people of all sorts; and most of them carried huge bags and containers she had absolutely no idea how to identify. 

These were probably the Conservatory students and their professors. 

"Some people from other dance categories are here as well" Milla whispered to her, and Glinda spotted her friend Pfannee, who danced tap. He waved at her, smiling. "Oh, look, it's Headshiztress Coddle. This must be pretty serious!" 

Both of them looked at the short, chubby figure of Headshiztress Coddle, waiting for everyone to settle before waving her hands to call the crowd's attention. Her coach, as well as other professors she knew (and some she didn't) were standing by her side. When everyone was reunited like this, everyone knew it was an important matter, and Glinda started to wonder what it could be. 

"Attention, dear students! Please!" the many voices that were before filling the whole room now started to go low as people went quiet "We have a very exciting announcement to make!" 

Glinda stood up. She urged Milla to get up with her, so they could see everything that was happening with a lot of details. Even though she had no idea about what was going to happen, it was exciting to try to imagine what could be going on. 

"The Shiz Academy of Dance, as well as the Shiz Music Conservatory, decided to unite their talents for a big show at the end of the term - and it will be worth most of your grades" the woman giggled as everyone started whispering again. "Now, please! More than grades, we want to see you work together to make a beautiful music festival. We have a period of 10 weeks to put everything together, and I believe it's going to be incredible."

"10 weeks?" Glinda whispered to her friend who turned to look at her "That's not a lot, is it?" 

"You will work either in pairs, trios or small groups. All of this has already been decided by your professors, of course" 

Glinda took a deep breath. It suddenly made her nervous, to work with someone she didn't know. Of course it's happened many times, and she had to adjust to new partners frequently, but she danced alone mostly, and she enjoyed that. She had her own way of doing things. And pairing with a musician? What would she do?

"And we already know who our biggest talents are working with" Professor Turtleheart's sight found Glinda's as Miss Coddle smiled and nodded at his words.

Glinda bit her lower lip. She had no idea who the Conservatory's biggest talent was. 

All she knew is that her coach, as well as other professors, would always tell her she was one of the biggest talents of the Academy of Dance - and for the first time, this made her feel a bit terrified.

Chapter 2: Elphaba

The room was smaller than she thought it would be. And it was empty. She found it weird, once Professor Morrible said they would be going somewhere in the Dance Academy department to find out about the big arts festival the professors are working on. 

Still, when asked about where her piano was placed when arriving at the Academy building, Elphaba was guided to this small room with highly scratched wooden floor - and she could absolutely tell it wasn't because her study piano was dragged there. 

Dancers, she thought. 

She didn't like them at all. More often than not they were full of themselves, bragging about their insanely incredible abilities; as well as trying to take one another out of the way just so they could have their heavenly solos. Most of them simply wouldn't know how to show how good they were without making their peers seem miserable. 

Some musicians were like that too, of course; but not all. And music allowed one to work alone if they wanted to, so that's what she tried to do. Whenever she performed in concerts of big orchestras she would simply sit and play, interacting as little as possible with the other musicians around her. It was just the way she was: people have always been too mean to her during her entire existence, so she was better off by avoiding contact unless it was highly necessary. 

Tired of waiting for anyone else to arrive, Elphaba decided to go search for either her mentor or anyone else that could tell her where to go. Then...

 It happened.

She stretched her fingers, twisting them a bit. Elphaba knew that feeling very well; she's felt it her entire life. There was something in her gut that dragged her to the piano, as if her heart and brain were telling her to compose. She just had to sit and play, knowing very well that she would blame herself all day if she didn't. 

She took a deep breath, staring at the piano in front of her. Sitting on the bench, her fingers ran through the keys and she smiled lightly. She didn't know exactly what to play, it was just her hands guiding her through black and white, feet pressing on break, sound reaching her ears. Not something that happened often, that was certain. Not recently at least. Indeed it was an opportunity she couldn't miss. 

She was totally immersed in her own world, remembering the feeling that led her to want to play until the end of her days. The feeling of pure joy that brought comfort to her heart, mind and soul. 

A feeling that only her instrument was capable of bringing her.

"Miss Elphaba, what is that?" said the familiar voice, making the girl stop playing suddenly. 

"Professor" she said, feeling her cheeks burn. Elphaba was very careful when such moments happened, never playing so passionately in public. Hence the surprise of seeing her mentor by her side, watching every move of hers. 

"I had no idea you were composing" the older woman got closer as Elphaba stood up, hand still touching the keys fondly "It's a lovely piece"

"I am not" she placed both hands in front of her, straightening her position "I just felt like playing something. I was tired of waiting; no one showed up"

"That was my own mistake, I'm afraid" Morrible said while looking at Elphaba, as if studying her expression. She knew the girl pretty well, being her coach and mentor for the past two years, when she started her studies at the Conservatory. "I forgot to warn you that your piano was brought to the wrong room"

"Wrong room? Are they going to move it again?" 

"Yes. We were supposed to be elsewhere, along with Headshiztress Coddle, Doctor Dillamond and the others from both departments."

Elphaba sighed. She didn't like it when other people put their hands on her piano like this. Even if this one wasn't her favorite one, still it was her own. And it was very precious to her. Yet, with no protests to be made, she followed the woman. 

They didn't go far, the room they were supposed to be was on the same floor, only a few steps away. When they went inside, the worst fear to ever cross Elphaba's brain happened. 

That's why being late was never a good thing.

All eyes landed on them. Many curious stares, the looks of the ones that didn't know her were suddenly turned to her face at the same time. A lot of them started whispering. Dancers, of course. Her peers knew her, and they knew what she looked like. She knew why the others - the dancers, presumably - stared (as well as she could totally imagine the contents of their comments). 

"My apologies" Morrible said while walking towards the other faculty members. Elphaba followed along, green eyes running across the room to see what was expecting her. "Miss Elphaba's piano was placed somewhere else, so she thought the meeting would be there" 

"It's alright, Professor Morrible" Headshiztress Coddle said, turning to look at Elphaba, who was now in a corner of the room. She greeted Fiyero, one of the only people who was willing to actually speak to her, and just stood still to listen. "Now that you and Miss Thropp are here, we can finally finish with the groups" 

Elphaba knew about the arts festival the departments have been organizing for the end of the term. She didn't like it because, of course, she didn't have any idea of what could possibly be done in a partnership with a dancer of any kind. And she was told by Morrible herself that she would be paired with the Academy of Dance's biggest talent, their most award-winning student - and Elphaba didn't know who this person was. Just the thought of it made her head spin, because whoever it was, they would certainly be bratty.

While immersed in such thoughts, she's heard her name. 

"And of course, we have Miss Elphaba Thropp, our most skilled and most applauded student" said Morrible, reaching out for her. She came closer, looking around to try to guess her partners face. "Speaking with Professor Turtleheart and Doctor Dillamond, we came to realize that it simply couldn't be anyone else. And..."

"Exactly, Madame, exactly" the tall man interrupted, making Elphaba raise a brow. She wasn't used to this. Professor Morrible was high authority. But they were friends, she supposed. "Our biggest talents, Glinda Upland and Elphaba Thropp, will be the ones closing the memorable night" 

Glinda Upland. She's heard that name before - maybe in a conversation about medals and awards her mentor was having once. 

While scanning the place trying to figure out who said person was, her gaze found a pair of big, brown eyes and blonde hair neatly tied into a bun. They stared at each other, knowing perfectly that they would have to work together for the next ten weeks. 

Morrible guided Elphaba to where Professor Turtleheart was standing, now beside Glinda Upland. The girl was the typical stereotyped figure of a ballerina: skinny, seemingly perfect posture, pink clothing, pinkish cheeks and pristine appearance even in a moment when she should be more relaxed. 

Elphaba wasn't feeling relaxed herself, she was terrified. 

Not terrified of composing. Not terrified of playing. She was terrified of dealing with a person she knew she would loathe - and she would absolutely never speak to if it weren't for such circumstances. 

"Miss Thropp, Miss Upland" said Turtleheart, smiling widely, eyes looking at each one of them as he spoke "We are trusting you to create the music and dance that is closing our event"

"What?" Elphaba turned. Of course this girl's voice was like this. She was getting angrier each second. "We don't have to just reharse and perform? Put a song and a dance together?"

"No, Miss Upland, you and Miss Thropp are creating" Morrible looked at Elphaba as if understanding her cooncern, but being her absolutely polite self. "We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't trust your talent"

"Adding something to Professor Morrible's words" Turtleheart now moved closer to Elphaba, touching her shoulder and patting it, which caused the girl to twist her lips and wrinkle her brows a bit. "I can feel you two are doing something beautiful. My gut tells me it will be incredible"

"We'll now leave you two to talk" said Morrible before fleeing, side by side with Professor Turtleheart, discussing what probably was the greatness of the result of the festival. 

Of her and Glinda Upland's work. 

"Well..." the blonde girl said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. She then gave a light, polite smile. A smile that showed a single dimple on the side of her lip. "Nice to meet you" 

Glinda kept her hand raised. Her brown eyes now were landed on Elphaba's face, as if expecting a reaction. 

Elphaba sighed, raising her own hand to shake the other girl's. If they were going to work together for the next months, they needed to get along - which she wasn't completely sure that would happen. 

She could only hope that she was wrong.

 

Notes:

Here's another chapter! I'm new to writing alternate povs, but I'm really excited about it. 💖💚

Chapter 3: Glinda

It was hard to tell what Glinda had actually thought of her work partner for the next following months. She was...different. 

"I'm not talking about appearance" said the girl while sipping a cup of coffee. She kept the rim close to her face, feeling the warmth of the steam coming out of it.

"Glinda, she's literally green" Pfannee was still shocked. He gasped and seemed to be frightened when he saw Elphaba going into the room, as if she were some kind of non-human creature that could murder them. And she noticed that most of her peers acted in similar ways, all curious about the Conservatory's biggest star having an unlikely skin coloration "Her appearance matters." 

"Well I don't think so." she crossed her arms, shifting a bit on her seat. "She's just way too serious. That's what I saw."

And indeed she was. When they were left alone to talk, Glinda tried her best to be friendly and cordial, making Elphaba comfortable in the situation both of them were put in. The girl barely said a word, not sharing any idea so they could start working together. The blonde found it terrible that she didn't want to speak - being her bubbly self, it was, of course, strange to say the least. 

"That's true" Milla added while looking at the two friends, hands fluttering as she spoke. Her gaze, however, met Glinda's face - and her finger pointed at it too just as she finished "And she definitely hated you." 

Glinda's expression scrunched, her brows furrowing. She crossed her arms, staring at her friend. They haven't spoken. She didn't even know about this girl's existence before they were introduced.

Of course she's heard the rumors about a Shiz student with green skin, yet Glinda never cared about it. 

"How can you be so sure? We barely spoke. She doesn't know me."

"Have you paid attention to her face? It's like she hates literally everything and everyone around her." 

"I didn't notice that. Just...a lot of seriousness"

Both Milla and Pfannee laughed. Glinda's lips twisted in a pout, her mind wandering to a few hours earlier when she and Elphaba were shaking hands. Of course her now work partner wasn't happy, but neither was Glinda, if she were to say the truth. It was hard enough to pair up with someone completely unknown, even if it was a common practice in the dance community.

"I mean, I am used to working with mean people. You guys know I had lot to deal with." and it was true. Glinda has seen a lot of beings during her entire career, people who were nice and many others who weren't at all - and by saying 'not nice', she was using the kindest words to ever exist.

She knew how to deal with people of all kinds, from crabby to rude, from nice to harsh. And if she knew all that, it meant she knew how to work with that girl as well. 

However she was. With any type of personality. 

"I advise you to be careful, Glinda" the boy tucked his glasses up his nose, staring at her seriously. He seemed genuinely concerned, as if the blonde was in some kind of danger. "You don't know why she's like this. And she might be a pain to work with"

"You mean green or crabby?" Glinda got her coffee cup again, wrapping both hands around it to feel its smooth warm surface on her palms. A sigh came out of her lips.

"Both" 

"You're getting her worried, Pfannee. Stop that" the boy rolled his eyes as he received a little push on his shoulder. "Either way, it'll have to work out well. They're counting on both of you. We all are" 

"Great!" she laid her cup on the table, getting up from her seat in irritation. "The success of this event doesn't depend on me or her only, Milla." 

"Oh, come on, Glinda!" her friend held the blonde's forearm, urging her to sit down. Glinda huffed a little, getting back to her initial position and crossing her arms again. "You know you are the Academy's biggest star. People will come to see you. Seeing me or anyone else in the festival is just a consequence."

As much as she hated to admit it, Milla was right. She didn't like the pressure of being the best; of being considered the most award-winning student of the school at this point.

People would buy tickets to see her dance, as it has happened many times before. And as far as she was concerned as of now, there would be others going to see Elphaba as well. 

Rubbing her temple and hiding her face between her hands for a while, she let out a deep breath. 

"I know it'll have to work out well." she said after a few seconds, raising up her head again to stare at two nervous friends in front of her. "But remember that this is an event worth grades and not medals. I'll work hard on it because I want it to be beautiful"

"And it will be" Pfannee offered, patting Glinda's shoulder a little bit while smiling at her "On your part, of course" 

Glinda could only shake her head, shoving a piece of a brownie inside her mouth. While allowing the sweetness of the cake to calm her down, she thought about Elphaba again. 

They needed to make things work. Not because of the others, but mostly because she knew she would condemn herself her whole life if she was blamed for the failure of the event - even if it was only (or mostly) for grades. 

When she got back to her apartment, she could only lay down on the couch and sigh. She then grabbed her phone, searching for information on her companion. Once they didn't speak, she was curious to know her style abd start thinking ahead of how she would dance. 

There weren't many things avaliable; mostly videos of her performing with big orchestras. Going through them all, she could notice how easily she blended; how her own music created a pleasant harmony with all other instruments.

Then she found a solo. A video of Elphaba playing one of her favorite songs to dance to; a piece belonging to a great classical Ozian musician; a rabbit, whom Glinda admired too much to be true. She observed the video carefully, replaying it once, and then twice, to pay closer attention to it. The girl's fingers moved with grace through the keys, and her expression of focus while making magic-like sound was serene and passionate. She knew that expression; she's been in the field for far too long to recognize it. 

Elphaba was extraordinary. No doubt she was talented, and that she could make something incredible. 

The only issue was how to get to her. 

Upon Glinda's insistence, they exchanged numbers; it was necessary so they could get in touch to meet up and start preparing. Elphaba didn't say anything against it, yet one couldn't say she was happy, either.

Even so, when Glinda handed her phone so she could type her number, the girl seemed to freeze for a few seconds, as if rethinking her entire existence. Maybe, the blonde thought, it was that kind of hateful look she carried that Milla was talking about. She liked to be positive at all times possible, but this was one of them that she couldn't, even if she tried her best. 

It was common knowledge she would be the first to text, of course. And so she did, first thing the next morning. 

Hiii it's me Glinda

When and where we meet up to start discussing our compositions? xx 

She didn't expect an answer soon, once her work partner didn't seem the type that would be on the phone a lot. And she wondered if, and when, she would get a response. It needs to be soon. We need to start, she thought. 

There was a blink of surprise when, not a minute later, the response came. 

Good morning.

Indeed we have matters to discuss. 

My piano is at the same room we had the meeting yesterday. 

Glinda waited for something else. Talking about where the piano was didn't make much sense to her, once that wasn't even the initial question.

Clicking her tongue quite a few times while waiting rather impatiently, she was just in the process of writing a new message when another one came. 

My afternoon class today was cancelled with the intuition of working on the festival. 

I can imagine yours was too. So I'll be waiting there. 

Elphaba didn't know her schedule and was setting a time for their meeting.  

When is your afternoon class? 

...

The same time as yours, presumably. See you later. 

Glinda rolled her eyes and put her phone aside as she finished reading. 

"That's rude" she whispered to herself, shifting to stare at the ceiling. She didn't know what to expect.

It would be a difficult journey. 

Chapter 4: Elphaba

"Hello there!" greeted a voice with a singing-like tone, the type that she usually disliked. "So I got the timing right." Elphaba turned from her seat as she heard a light chuckle, green eyes giving the girl behind her a once over through her glasses. She was, as a ballerina would, dressed in a dancing outfit: stockings, collant, a skirt over it all and the blonde hair tied into the most perfect bun she's ever seen. And everthing was pink from head to toe, in various shades.

This would be a constant view, she thought, so she needed to get used to it. Elphaba couldn't say she didn't find the girl pretty, because she did; but that was it. Just another pretty girl pretending not to see her verdigris, even though there wasn't a single reaction - or question - about it, as people often did. 

But she knew better, and it was very highly likely that she was thinking about it and cared about it too. Who wouldn't, after all? Her own family did, so why not a stranger? In other words, in Elphaba's mind, every girl like Glinda Upland was the same. They shared the same thoughts when it came to her skin.

"I imagined our classes had a similar schedule." she turned her attention back to the piano, twisting the pencil she held between her fingers. "So there wouldn't be any other time for us to meet." she reached out for a sheet above the keys and went back to her composition (which hasn't actually started because she simply wasn't inspired enough). A few seconds have passed and there was a terribly awkward silence in the air, which wasn't all that uncomfortable. 

"So..." the voice said once again, making Elphaba stop her analysis on the blank composition sheet "Do you have anything in mind? Any music ready that we can use? Or..." 

"What? We're starting from scratch." she responded flatly, interrupting the blonde who wasn't able to finish her sentence, and then turning her body completely while still sitting on the stool. Glinda was standing up and hasn't moved an inch, tilting her head a little to the side and blinking in thought. She's opened her mouth to speak, yet no words came out of it. "I would never just grab something and reuse it. It's ridiculous."

"I didn't mean that." the girl now moved, shifting a bit on her feet and crossing her arms while raising a blonde brow "Don't you have anything you like and feel like using? It's just so we can have an idea of where to go." 

Elphaba's eyes rolled. Even though she knew dancers weren't lazy because of their crazy movements and endless practices, it was a lazy thought the other girl had. And if there was something that she absolutely hated was a person that had lazy thoughts. If she was asked to create, she would. And it would be good. Glinda clearly didn't want to work with her, or if she did, she wanted to do the bare minimum to get her grade. 

"What's the matter?" 

"Do you really think I am the kind of musician that just puts old works together when asked to do something completely new?" 

"I didn't say..."

"Well, I am not. And if you didn't understand the assignment, we have to create something new. We need to compose for the festival"

"What's wrong with you?" Glinda interrupted, seemingly angry and with a much louder voice. Not angrier than herself, of course, but still angry to the point of having her cheeks flushed. Her expression had closed; brown eyes wider and bulbous, the fists clenched. "You're shoving words into my mouth!"

It was now time for Elphaba to be silent. Looking at the girl now in front of her, she blinked in surprise. People usually would listen to her when she spoke angrily like she had just now. They didn't know (or didn't believe) that she was just a regular human being and wouldn't destroy them. Of course it was something she wasn't actually proud of, yet it came in handy sometimes. And it helped her with being frustrated over people in general. They wouldn't be willing to see who she was past the green; so she's learned to mimic her angriness sometimes. This time, of course, the feeling was real - way too real to be true - but this girl didn't respond the way she expected. Her expression was irked. 

"I didn't didn't say a thing about recycling works, or using anything old" now, her singing-like tone was rushed and different. It seemed way more serious. "I just meant that sometimes we have ideas. And we write them down, or we...practice them, or record them, or do anything to keep them." her arms moved while she spoke, hands fluttering along with her words. "I know we have to create together. I've spoken to Professor Turtleheart about the faculty's expectations."

"You did?" of all things, Elphaba didn't expect that Glinda would do that before they even begin to work. The girl huffed, twisting her lips. 

"Yes. I'd never do anything without knowing what's expected of me." 

"And what did he say?" now she was genuinely curious. It never crossed her mind that a girl like that one would do such a thing. But then, she quickly remembered that Glinda was a ballet dancer, and as far as she knew, they were typically perfectionists. Not all, and not always, of course. And she quickly realized that Glinda was one of them.

"That we have the freedom to surprise them. They don't want to see it or make any corrections until the presentation." 

"What did you just say?"

"Exactly what you've heard. We have to correct ourselves and present something perfect." 

"Hell and Oz." she murmured, averting her eyes to stare at a random spot on the floor. Deep in her thoughts, she let out a sigh escape. 

She knew she was trusted, yet not to this point. Never in her wildest dreams she'd think Professor Morrible would allow something like that. 

Elphaba was a prodigy, a star, and - in Morrible's words - a perfect performer. And perfect performers needed corrections. That's why she practiced so much, spending hours and hours sitting down on a piano stool, either practicing her songs or creating compositions that would be checked afterwards. And after checked, they would be corrected, and recreated, and corrected again. Not only that, but her posture, her clothing, her hair. When she was playing, she was the crafted figure of a stereotyped classic musician - something that she never argued over, of course. That's what she's been listening to her whole life, with mentors previous to Morrible, still at her hometown in Munchkinland. 

The sudden idea of freedom was new to her. 

"Well, I like it" said Glinda, shaking the green girl out of her thoughts. She was now sitting on the floor, legs stretched, each to one side. Her body bended to the left with grace, and she touched her foot. It seemed very easy by watching. "We just have to figure out a way of agreeing." 

"Aren't you an award-winning dancer?" 

"I...I am."

"Then create a choreography. I can come with a melody afterwards, according to your movements." 

She saw the girl roll her eyes and stand up, going in the direction of the barre to grab it and move her feet up and down in a confusifying way. There was no reply. Glinda remained silent, stretching one of her legs backwards and bending it, her toes nearly touching her head. She seemed elastic. At the same time that she was in awe, Elphaba's gut was churning with anger. 

"Well?" Elphaba insisted "Aren't you going to say anything?" she still didn't reply. Glinda ran to the center of the room, positioning herself like a little doll inside a music box. Eyes closed, the girl licked her lips and exhaled through the nose. Completely silent, she was now also completely still.

How full of herself, Elphaba thought. 

The next second was surprising. The blonde stood on the tip of her toes, spinning three or four times on her axis before she started to dance. 

Elphaba's brows furrowed as she watched, her head moving along with Glinda as she danced in spins, skips and steps she had absolutely no idea how to name. 

It was, for sure, something beautiful to watch.

She went on with her dance for Lurline know how long. Elphaba, of course, just watched - wondering why on Earth she was showing off like this. 

Suddenly, the girl stopped. She was positioned on the center of the room again, head hidden beneath her arms that were spread on the linoleum floor. 

"Did you see it?" Glinda said, breathing heavy and tiredly as she stood up, going towards her direction and standing by the side of the piano. Crossing her arms, her serious expression was one she didn't really expect to see in a girl like Glinda. 

"I did. It was..."

"Good." she interrupted abruptly, making Elphaba angry again. How full of herself. "I've just created my own dance. Now create a composition." 

Chapter 5: Glinda

The arms were still crossed, and the eyes fixed on the instrument beside her - as well as in the person sitting in front of it.

Glinda had heard all things imaginable during her time as a ballet dancer so far. That she was good and that she wasn't. That she was gracefully beautiful, incredibly talented and the most hard-working student in the dancing schools she attended in Gillikin as a child and teen. 

But things in life are not perfect as many of her teachers, coaches and even her own parents liked to convince her to be; and despite her efforts to always be good in every sense and deserve all the praise and compliments, she's also heard many of the most shattering, horrendible insults someone could have ever heard; if not all of them. Some were directed to her with grace, full of pompous words to make them not seem as awful. Others were straight to the point, with the type of language that definitely should not be directed towards anyone. Things that made her cry in bed for hours straight, sometimes in the bathrooms too. And some were ignored, like she's learned to do along the years.

She was in a cruel field. And she was used to it - but that didn't mean she had to like it, or handle bearish words and attitudes from someone she'd just met. 

That girl was loathesome. And for some inexplicable reason, she's got anger out of her at first words exchanged.

Nothing was said directly to her, just the same as she had done moments before.

The melody coming from the piano was rushed, fast, and almost cheerful if it weren't for the situation the two were in.

Elphaba's narrow fingers were running through the keys with ease considering the speed she was playing. It seemed to her that it was an easy thing to do, even though she knew it was not.

The blonde stood still, eyes fixed on the green hands that created a rushed and loud melody so beautifully despite the anger. It was also noticeable that she was staring at her on the pheripheral, as if defying her somehow. 

Glinda's cheeks felt hot in an angry blush. Shifting on her place, she waited for the girl to finish, breathing in and out slowly not to show how pissed she was.

When Elphaba was done, her face turned to look at her own, and the two stared at each other for some seconds. Such time seemed like an eternity, therefore Glinda had no idea how long has passed. 

"Here's my melody, Miss Golden Medal." tucking some hair behind her ear, Elphaba was smiling triumphantly. It seemed to her that this was the exact effect that she wanted to cause. 

Brown eyes rolled again, and this time she didn't bother if her companion saw it or not. Not wanting to loose her nerve again, she took another deep breath. 

"That was great. Really. Congratulotions." her voice was flat; she didn't want to show any of her emotions. "But I'm afraid it doesn't fit my choreography." 

Whatever game that girl was playing, she could play it too. 

"Indeed it doesn't." the smile on her face was now lighter. She got up from her stool, getting now closer to Glinda as she rounded the instrument. "Yet I can display my anger just like you did." 

"And why in Lurline's name are you so angry?" Glinda's eyes followed her, setting on the pair of emerald-like irises now staring at her directly again. 

On Glinda's mind, it didn't make any sense for that girl to be so angry to the point of speaking to her the way she did. Elphaba scoffed, shaking her head. 

She's loathesome, the blonde thought. Absolutely loathesome.

"You're a ballerina. And that's enough to make me mad." she replied simply, as if the answer was the easiest thing to conclude. The blonde remained still, watching as her work partner now walked towards her belongings, grabbing piles of papers, a pencil and a notebook to shove inside a black leathered bag.

Since when that simple fraction of her life was enough to make someone dislike her like this? Elphaba could be a bright performer, but Glinda wondered what made an artist like her so sour and small-minded. 

She closed her eyes, massaging her temples with her fingers. That girl was not going to win. And she would calm down not to act like she wanted her to. 

"Well, you'll have to live with that." sitting down on the floor to remove her dancing shoes and put on her sneakers. "We still have ten weeks to put something together."

"I will speak to Professor Morrible to ask..."

"It will have no use." she kept focused on her task of tying her shoes while she spoke, so she wouldn't get annoyed again by just looking at Elphaba "Both Turtleheart and Morrible are not changing their minds."

"Hold on, how do you...?" 

"Professor Turtleheart said so when I spoke to him earlier." she held her knees and tilted her head to the side, observing the green musician ready to leave, holding the strap of her bag with both hands. She looked kind of cute, but Glinda ignored that. "They presumed one of us would go and ask to change, or even quit. But they won't change their minds and we are working together."

Elphaba took a deep breath, her gaze now meeting the floor. Of course she could not tell what the girl was thinking, yet it seemed to her that it was related to the Professors' words. She looked the kind of person that not only knew that a mentor like hers was an authority, but took it to a whole higher level, not having any say in any decision made about her. 

Glinda had seen many people like that before. 

"Listen, I..." the blonde stood up, grabbing her backpack and also walking around the room. She was going in the direction of the door, turning to stare at her peer as she let a sigh escape her lips "I'm not happy about that either. But we have to make this work, Elphaba." 

She took a beat to respond. 

"I know." she said finally, again tucking some braided locks behind her ear. "I will be here tomorrow to...compose." 

Glinda nodded, her lip curling a little bit to the side. Elphaba now stared at her; and for the very first time, she did not seem angry. 

"Just...record the melody and send it to me." Glinda offered, rubbing the back of her neck "I'll come up with something, and when it's ready, we can reharse separately. Deal?" 

Elphaba was still staring at her, blinking and seemingly deep in thought. She then shook her head. 

"This is never gonna work."

"I know. That's why I told you to record and..."

"No, I meant this." she insisted, shaking her head and running a hand through her hair, scratching her scalp. "Long distance. It doesn't work."

"I don't like the idea either." she kept her tone low and firm, awkwardly moving her feet a bit as she looked down, then to Elphaba again. "But it'll be even worse if we keep that spirit." 

"I agree." 

"I know we are..." Glinda sighed again, wondering why they were placed together for this project. They might be their schools best students, yet their personalities were so different it seemed like their souls were yelling at each other nonstop. "We are different. Way too different." she chuckled "But let's...let's try at least?" 

The girl in front of her shook her head. Glinda smiled.

"I would never want a festival I'm a big part of to be a failure." 

"I wouldn't, either. For the sake of art?" she raised her hand, just like she had done the day before while greeting her. Before she knew her work partner drive her crazy. This time though she didn't wait much. 

Elphaba promptly took the blonde's hand, squeezing it a bit and then giving it a light shake. It was a soft touch, sealing the forced partnership between two two women that were different and loathed each other. That was much clear, to Glinda at least; they would respect each other's work and that would be it. 

At least, on Elphaba's part. Because Glinda was her bubbly self, and she liked to see the best in people. That girl ought to have a good side that she was yet to discover. 

"For the sake of art."

Both of them left the room at the same time, turning to opposite directions without looking back or saying a proper goodbye - just the most polite and serious partnership she had ever done. 

When she arrived at her apartment, she immediately went to the shower. She's spent a good time there, allowing the warm water to try to soothe her mind and give her ideas. And when she left, her phone wouldn't stop beeping. 

She chuckled when her eyes saw the many messages her friends sent her, all crazy curious to know how their meeting went. 

Glinda for Lurline's sake tell me every single detail!!!!!! read one of them. 

Did she try to kill you? said another. 

She had to laugh. Elphaba didn't try to kill her; but maybe she would have if she could. 

And Glinda herself would have done pretty much the same. But she would try her best not to, for the sake of art.

Chapter 6: Elphaba

"It was truly one of the worst situations I've been in." she looked at her friend, who was paying the most attention to her. "That girl is so full of herself it made me sick." 

Fiyero nodded along with her words, trying to take all the situation in. He scratched his chin, exhaling through the nose as if lost in his thoughts. 

Him and Elphaba have been the best of friends for quite a while. In truth, he was literally the first and only person that got interested in her romantically - which turned him into Elphaba's first times in a lot of things. He was a really nice young man, yet as time went by both of them realized they were actually better friends than lovers. In the very beginning she thought he wanted to make fun of her, but he really meant everything he said; including being always there for her and that the color of her skin never, ever was an issue. She liked him a lot, and they would tell each other everything. 

"Maybe you drove her nuts as well." he offered, turning his face to stare at her. She rolled her green eyes, shaking her head. "You can be quite stubborn sometimes, Elphaba." 

"What do you mean? She literally started an angry dance in front of me."

"Yeah, but you weren't happy to be there. Perhaps she wasn't too, and she still tried to come to terms with you. For the..." he moved his hands and snapped the big fingers, making some noise as he seemed to try and remember what his friend was saying.

"For the sake of art, Fiyero." 

Her head leaned backwards a tiny bit and rested on the trunk of the tree they were sitting under. Silence took over for a while as she didn't have a proper reply. Fiyero also remained silent, probably allowing Elphaba her own time to think. Feeling the comforting breeze of the afternoon on her cheeks, she took a deep breath as her thoughts were full of a lot of stuff: what to do with Glinda, how to deal with her, how she would find inspiration to compose. Of course she just couldn't have any, having so many troubles just at the beginning of everything. 

"I still think this partnership is ridiculous." she said after a while, fixing her eyes on a couple sitting on a bench not too far from them. "Why not just make two different shows, anyway?" 

Her friend was now laying down, arms crossed under his head. He turned his eyes on the direction the girl was staring, noticing the couple on the bench as well. He smiled and looked back at Elphaba.

"Have you even seen her perform? It's hella crazy you know, what she can do." The green girl turned her attention to him, arching a brow. She had no idea he had ever seen her on stage. 

"Have you?" Fiyero sat down again, as if getting excited to share his story. One of Elphaba's favorite things about him - as well as the one that always made her go crazy - was how passionate he always was about pretty much anything he liked. 

"More than once actually." he said flatly, going through his bag to search for something. He found an apple and bit it, leaving it in his mouth while going back to whatever he was searching. "Ah, here it is. Check it out." 

He handed her a creased piece of thick paper. Looking closely, Elphaba noticed it was a program. She went through it, reading and trying to understand why she was handed that things. Then, she saw Glinda Upland's name as one of the main attractions of the show. 

"Glinda Upland and Gillikin Animal Orchestra?" Elphaba frowned, looking at Fiyero a little bit confusified. "Ok, so what about it?" 

"It was one of the sickest dance performances I've ever seen, Fabala. You should look it up." 

"Well, I know she's good, Fiyero. I've seen an exclusive snippet." the boy chuckled at her words, tapping her shoulder a little bit while still biting on his fruit. Instead of looking at him, she found the couple from the bench one more time. They got up, walking hand in hand and seemed to be really in love. Elphaba tilted her head to the side a bit, and her lips curled.

It was a lovely couple of women. 

"I'd like to work with her myself. But guitars and ballet wouldn't make such a nice combo. Besides, you two are the stars here at Shiz." 

The girl scoffed, shaking her head once again. Even though she knew, it was hard for her to believe she was that good to the point of being considered a star. She was, in her own mind, a hard-working musician that practiced and studied way more than she should - and then would be applauded for doing the bare minimum, which was what she was doing. Music should be beautiful, and it was necessary to be as perfect as she could. 

She took Fiyero's program home so she could have a better look at it - and use it to try and find videos of said performance. When she did, she saw all of the ones that came with her research. There were many, showing the most different points of view from various moments of the show. 

Glinda danced gracefully in a huge, fancy theater. Behind her there was one of the most amazing Animal orchestras she had ever seen: a cat playing the piano, a hummingbird on the flute, a pig on the cello and a shepherd dog on the harp (among many other Animals in different instruments). 

What caught her attention the most however was how easily that girl moved, and how it seemed that she was sometimes floating instead lf dancing on a wooden surface. She received a well deserved standing ovation, and made sure to leave the stage so the musicians could get credit as well. 

She was that good. Not simply good, she was incredible in what she did. 

Even so, Elphaba disliked her. And she still disliked ballet and ballet dancers. Like Glinda Upland, they were all full of themselves. And it would be hard to work with her, even if they had promised each other to try their best not to argue again. Distracted in her own thoughts, she saw some messages pop up on her phone. 

Hiiii!

Same time same place tomorrow? xx 

The way the message was written made her roll her eyes. It was silly to her, to act so bubbly even through written messages. Plus the lack of punctuation made Elphaba crazy, even knowing it was probably - and hopefully - for the phone texts only. 

Good night, Glinda. Yes. Same time, same place. 

I'll be there. 

And indeed she was. At the same room, exactly on time, she was sitting on her stool, feeling the keys on her fingertips, music sheets and pencil already in front of her. That day however, she's had an idea - and while waiting for Glinda to arrive, she wrote it down. While reading it, as it usually happened, her fingers moved in the air and her mouth hummed the melody she thought of. It wasn't much, really, just a very simple piece of less than ten notes, but she liked it. 

"It's pretty." said the voice that took her out of her focus, bringing her back to the real world. Standing gracefully in a corner of the classroom, Glinda's hands held the barre behind her, and her feet were already on her dancing shoes. Elphaba's eyes caught the pink and white outfit, a change in the color pallette this time. She also thtought she would never in her life see Glinda without a bun. The girl was, as she previously had been, in a completely pristine appearance. The smile on her face made her look a little nicer, too. 

"I didn't notice you were here." Elphaba tried not to seem surprised. Glinda tilted her head, leaning forward as her strong arms stretched and the blonde kept the same usual expression. 

"You were so concentrared when I got in." the girl chuckled a little bit, going back to her straight position. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I just...took the time to put on my shoes while listening." 

Elphaba blinked, still staring at the pretty girl in front of her. She couldn't deny the fact that Glinda was attractive; but remembering that dancer's bratty attitude the previous day quickly took any other thoughts away from her mind. 

"It's really nice, Elphaba. You should consider it for your new piece." the smile remained, and the girl kept looking at her. Elphaba gulped, not being used to hear compliments from people other than her mentors. 

"I...thank you." Glinda said nothing, merely walking to get a little closer to her. She positioned herself, and Elphaba knew she was going to start dancing. Like the day before, she licked her lips before starting. Would that be her pattern? Her way of focusing? 

"Let's see if you agree." and leaving Elphaba with no time to react, the blonde started to dance. It was different from the previous day, where it was almost possible to hear a heavy, angry soundtrack in the background. Her slow, delicate steps and movements fit perfectly in the rhythm that was created not many moments before. The green girl was speechless, both by not knowing much about her field, and by being somehow impressed. 

When she stopped, Elphaba opened her mouth to speak, yet no words came out of it. She knew it was possible to create a dance based off her compositions, but she thought it was a lot harder to do. Inside her brain, where she could only visualize notes and keys, Glinda's steps made a lot of sense when combined with her music; she just couldn't say how or why. She simply knew they did. 

"It makes sense." she said exactly what she's thought of, because it did - and she had no other words. "Your...dance..." she cleared her throat before continuing "It fits well. With this melody at least." 

Glinda kept smiling, but much wider this time. She squealed, jumping a little in a celebratory way. That made a dark brow raise. A completely unexpected reaction. 

"Finally! We're finally agreeing, Elphie!" 

"Yes, we..." she blinked again, her brain trying to process the amount of information happening in a very short time preriod. Had Glinda just called her a nickname? "Elphie?" 

"Can I call you Elphie?" the blonde blushed slightly, smiling still. It was a shy one this time, and Elphaba noticed her feet moved awkwardly on the floor. "I think...it suits you."

"It's a little perky..."

"I know! That's why I picked it. You probably have a soft side, Elphie." 

"I don't think I like..." 

"Let's not quarrel!" she said, giggling and lifting a finger that showed pink nails. Of course it was pink too. Elphaba sighed, knowing it would be difficult to change that sparkly girl's mind. 

There was no time for awkward silence. Glinda quickly walked towards her, leaning in the piano and crossing her arms on its shiny surface. Elphaba frowned, because she didn't like anyone touching her stuff, her instrument especially. Yet for some reason she couldn't react. She just stared at the girl beside her, waiting for something to come off her mouth. Her head rested on the arms, the expression was playful and serene. A look she didn't know how to identify. 

"Do you have any other lovely piece?" 

She was silent for a beat. 

"I...I don't." when she finally spoke, Glinda walked to the stuff she had dropped on a chair, grabbing a glittery pink-cover notebook from her bag. When opening it, she flipped through the pages and, when stopped, she started to write.

"That's alright." she replied, still looking at the notebook. All that shiny glitter made Elphaba want to barf. "Did you know we also compose?" 

"What? You..."

"Not actually compose, like you musicians." Glinda laughed, smiling at Elphaba again. "But it's a bit similar. We just take notes of our steps. So we know where to go. And...what to do." 

Elphaba could only nod. It was interesting hearing this different point of view on composition. 

"It makes sense." there was a little silence, and she noticed Glinda was still smiling, notebook clutched close to her chest. "We should all have a guide."

"Indeed." she replied simply, tilting her head and still smiling. 

Perhaps it wouldn't be that bad to work with that girl. 

She would just have to find a way to get rid of that silly nickname. 

Chapter 7: Glinda

Good morning.

I was wondering if we could skip the reharsal meeting for the rest of the week. 

The message got Glinda by surprise. They haven't talked much, but as far as she was concerned, Elphaba was not the type of person that would just skip a reharsal. She was about to start typing to ask if everything was fine when the next texts came. 

The reason is I haven't been inspired enough. And I need some time alone to try to compose. 

Glinda nodded at the message. It made sense to her, getting some time alone to think and try to work. Even though she and Elphaba had agreed to work in peace, it would be nice to think of something for herself. Of course they needed to do this together, yet she would try and come up with some movements and steps and present them to her work partner in order to analyze them and crete a melody over them. Would it be difficult? Definitely. Elphaba wouldn't enjoy that, she could sense it. But she had some ideas, and giving up on something that would also have her personality was not a possibility. 

Hiiii

That's ok I understand

Sometimes we need a me time!!

See you Monday then? xx

Putting her phone down, Glinda got up and went on with her morning routine. She felt like she needed to study, so she prepared herself to go to the school's auditorium to reharse. In fact, the only thing she actually needed to do was practice for the presentation, once her other classes for the week were done. And once Elphaba cancelled their meeting, she was left aloje with not much to do. So she decided she would call her friends. 

When she picked her phone up again to message Milla and Pfannee, she saw the last message from her partner, as polite as usual.

Yes. Alone time. 

Hopefully by Monday I'll have something ready. 

Have a nice weekend. 

The blonde chuckled at Elphaba's message. In her own mind, it looked like the girl was writing to someone really important. When she imagined her sitting down to write, she could picture the image perfectly: legs elegantly crossed, the straightest posture to have ever been seen, and head slightly tilted to the side as she typed. Then, as she finished, she supported her head with a hand while proofreading. Laughing again and shaking her head at the thoughts, she spoke to her friends and they insisted that they went out for a coffee instead of studying. 

Glinda didn't like the idea of not practicing for more than a day, and it was Friday already. She would rest on weekends (mostly Sundays), yet she knew how both mentally and physically tired she felt. So, not so willingly, instead of changing to her usual dancing gear, she decided to put on her favorite clothes (comfortable jeans, a high-collared pink blouse, and her beloved pink heels; all combined with jewelry and loose hair) and wear some make-up. As she did, se went out to meet her friends. 

"I have a feeling this will be great." said Milla while adjusting herself on her seat. They had already ordered, and their foods and coffee cups were already placed, taking over the small table of the place they like to go. "That boy from the Conservatory we're working with is really cool. And my other dance partner is easy to deal with." 

Glinda grabbed a fork to take a bite of her cake, listening to her friends bragging about how well and smooth things are going for them. 

"Same with us." Pfannee was wearing the widest smile. "We have already decided our song and now we just need to practice. Ten full weeks of reharsal is leading to perfection." he said as he gestured a chef's kiss. That made Glinda giggle. 

"And you, Glin?" both of them were now staring at her, expecting for a whole report on her meetings with Elphaba. "Has she tried to kill you again?" 

Glinda rolled her eyes and scoffed, looking down at the food in front of her. As her eyes met both curious friends, she pouted a little. 

"I...I'm not sure." she sighed, and then tucked some blonde locks behind her ear. "We agreed on trying not to argue, yet she's really hard to deal with." 

"Well, at least she isn’t trying to impose things on you." thr boy said, adjusting his glasses and crossing his arms. 

"He's right, Glinda. Tibbett said she's always bossing around." 

Glinda remained silent for a beat. Elphaba was bossy, that much was real. But for some reason she found her interesting, both physically and personality wise. 

"She's truly loathesome." the blonde held her cup, taking a sip before continuing. Her mind wandered to Elphaba, and she imagined the green girl sitting on her stool at that exact moment, forcing her brain to create any kind of melody. "But we don't have a choice. Besides..." she stopped and hesitated before opening her mouth again. Her friends looked a little puzzled, trying to figure out her thoughts. Milla, knowing her well since childhood, wrinkled her brows and widened her eyes.

"Oh no, Glinda." she gasped, slamming a hand on the table that made the dishes tremble a bit. "You think she's pretty." 

"What?" Pfannee looked at Milla, who positively nodded. The boy, seeming astonished, placed a hand over his mouth in a dramatic reaction. "No way, Glin. You're not attracted to that mean girl." 

Glinda felt her cheeks burn. She didn't think she could be actually feeling physically attracted to Elphaba.

"I...well..." she hesitated again, shaking her head and drinking from her cup. Milla laughed, looking at her with the most mischiveous smile on her face. "Stop looking at me like that's a big deal!" 

"Glinda, that's the most unexpected thing ever." the girl laughed again, which made Glinda blush a little more. "You don't feel attracted to any type of girl." 

"Yeah, I had no idea green, mean and bossy turned you on. It's the total opposite of you." 

"Oh stop, you two!" she didn't know what to reply, because she really didn't think about that. 

Of course Elphaba was pretty. The skin that everyone seemed to fear was really one of the prettiest things she's ever seen, and the day before she's noticed she had freckles on her cheeks. And in her opinion, freckles were always adorable. On practically any girl. But she wasn't physically attracted. 

"You can't play dumb with me, Galinda Arduenna. I've known you since you thought you weren't gay." her friend threw a ball she made out of a napkin on Glinda's face, laughing once more. They had been friends since childhood and Milla indeed knew her very well. "I always know when you have a new crush."

"Well, you're wrong this time." Glinda shook her head, and turned her attention to her food. Thinking someone was pretty didn't mean having a crush, so of course the girl was wrong. "Besides, as I told you before, she's literally loathesome." 

"Right. Let's pretend I'm wrong." the girl turned to Pfannee and poked his arm, getting his attention. He seemed to be having fun with the whole situation, laughing and nodding to agree with Milla's every word. She whispered something in his ear, he gasped and did the exact same in hers. Glinda arched a blonde brow, rolling the brown eyes once more. 

Whatever this secret was, it was about her. And for her own sanity, she's decided it would be best not to ask about it. 

They changed subjects, both her friends turning their attentions to what they had started working on. As she finished her food, Glinda paid attention to every word and even gave them some ideas. She felt bad she could not use any of them, once her own performance was still a blur and a mystery. 

As they left the coffee shop and parted ways, Glinda started to walk home and think about her number again. She decided she would go to the auditorium to practice the following day, to decide what she would do. She's had some ideas and needed to put them together. 

"Damn it!" she said to herself as she went through her purse and noticed she's forgotten her notebook to write them down. Because of that, she started to hum the names of the steps as she walked. For others, it would probably seem she's a loon - but it helped her not to forget an idea in the absence of something to write it in. 

Distracted by her thoughts, se saw a familiar figure looking at her. The figure in question was wearing an all black outfit and the hair was pinned in a cute half-bun. Slowing down to have a better view, she smiled and waved at Elphaba, who gave a polite nod. 

"Elphie!" she walked in her direction, greeting the green girl with a wide smile. It was strange seeing her away from that room and her instrument, but it was interesting at the same time. "Nice to see you." 

"Good afternoon, Glinda." the blonde noticed Elphaba's green eyes moving up and down, as if giving her a once over. She's also noticed her work partner's outfit, the same style she wore the previous days. "Practicing much?" 

"Not today. I was tired and went to meet some friends." she chuckled, crossing her arms as she stared at Elphaba holding many papers in her hands. 

Sheet music?

"Had lots of ideas?" 

"Ah, I..." the girl rubbed her neck, pursing her lips as if she felt shame. This reaction made Glinda blink while waiting for her to continue. "Not many." 

"Well, I've had some. I wanted to write them down, but I forgot my notebook at home. I've been naming my steps while walking, so I won't forget them." she laughed, and this time it was Elphaba who blinked. She smiled at the sight, who was actually cute. 

"Well, I...I better be going. Professor Morrible is waiting for me." 

"Oh. That's alright. See you on Monday then?" 

"Yes. It's scheduled." the girl gave a polite nod and a wave of hands and walked away, not giving Glinda much time to say anything. 

She's a little awkward, she thought. But for some strange reason, Glinda found it nice to run into her - and it got her wondering how their next meeting would be like. 

Chapter 8: Elphaba

The weekend was good to Elphaba. She sat by herself in her living room, sheet music in hand, keyboard in front of her, and composed. There wasn't any acual inspiration that led her to that result (for some reason, she was thinking of flying and wings); and it wasn't common for her to force her brain to take music out of it - but the outcome was good in her ears. Maybe, she thought, being away from a certain huffy blonde's presence while trying to be focused helped. 

There was only a single detail, the one that was the most concerning: Glinda would have to approve it. 

Elphaba was used to showing her compositions to great musicians and conductors, as well as professors and mentors, and those specialists were the ones to say if the music was good or not. It was the first time ever someone who wasn't a professional would tell whether it was good or not. And that scared the hell out of her, because Glinda was a ballet dancer. She knew they should have knowledge on music, but every single time she played for ballet performances both dancers and producers would go only to the most obvious and famous choices of songs. The thought of having to write a song that wouldn't be incredible, different - and why not memorable - made her feel frustrated in anticipation.

When Monday finally came, she had all those thoughts spinning on her head like Glinda spun on their first meeting. And with that she headed to the classroom designated especially for them. 

She was positively surprised that, upon arriving, the blonde was already there, in the usual fully pink dancing attire, already skipping and fluttering around the room. The surprise came because Elphaba was the one that normally arrived first.

"Good afternoon." she said flatly, walking to her piano and promptly organizing her suff. "Sorry if I interrupted." 

"You didn't." the girl answered, going to Elphaba's direction to greet her. "Did you get some rest, Elphie?" 

Elphaba blinked. It took her a second to get to answer her. She still needed to think of a way to either get rid of that nickname her companion insisted on, or get used to it somehow. Yet it wasn't that reason that stopped her; it was the person who said it, that was standing in front of her. She paid attention to Glinda's figure as a whole, and one more time, looking at the flushed cheeks from dancing and the narrow hands resting on the hips, once again, she thought that the girl was pretty. 

"I...not actually." Elphaba shook her head, turning her gaze to look at the sheets placed in the shiny wooden piano, then grabbing them to show Glinda what she's done. "I mean, I did a little. But I needed something ready for today or I would go crazy." 

She's heard the blonde chuckle while staring at her. The girl now played with her fingers awkwardly, and walked a little closer to her. 

"I also had some ideas over the weekend. I took notes of them as soon as I got home that day. And I got to practice." 

Elphaba remembered when she ran into Glinda at the street. It was the first and presumably only time she would see the girl dressed in something other than a collant and stockings. 

"And did they work?" 

"I guess so. We need to see if our ideas match." she smiled, positioning the hands on her hips once more. "Can I show you?"

"Oh, yes." Elphaba motioned with her hand, nodding. She was genuinely curious to know what the girl had prepared. She imagined Glinda was feeling much like herself in the end, not knowing very well what to do for being a bit afraid of what she would think of her work. "Please do."

And without a hesitation, the blonde ran to the center of the room, just like she did that first time. The difference was that she wasn't angry this time. As usual, she licked her lips after positioning herself, and started a series of movements that contained skips and spins, along with many other steps Elphaba wasn't able to recognize. She danced fastly, making every single hop and bend of legs and arms seem like they were the easiest things to do, when she knew, in truth, they weren't.

That girl was just as graceful as everyone said she was - even more when seen so closely.

Her moves were nice on her eyes, however there was something wrong with them. Because they didn't fit the melody she worked so hard to create. 

"What do you think?" said a tired Glinda, now a bit sweaty and puffing for dancing so fast. She got closer to the piano again, and Elphaba scratched her head slightly. 

"It's really...good." she replied, sighing right afterwards. "But it doesn't go well with the music I created." 

Glinda didn't reply immediately. She stared at the girl, blinking cluessly as if trying to come up with something to say. It was clear to her that she wasn't happy at all with that fact. 

"Why not? What do you have?" 

Instead of answering with words, she simply shifted on her seat and moved her fingers a little before straightening herself to begin playing. Eyes closed, she moved her hands around the keys creating the melody she had worked on, which was slower and much less energetic than the type of dance Glinda had created. 

Elphaba could notice the huffy girl had her arms crossed while observing her play. She wondered what she was thinking as her fingers touched black and white, creating the calm melody that would, at least in her opinion, fit a ballet dance very well - of course, according to Glinda's style, that she has seen on the videos Fiyero told her to watch. When she was done, it took her a little while to turn and face her work partner again. 

"That was good." she said, smiling softly and looking at Elphaba with arms still crossed. "Beautiful, actually. But you're right, it doesn't go with my dance." 

"Indeed it doesn't." she sighed, rubbing her neck and looking at her companion again. "What are you gonna do?" 

She saw Glinda's expression scrunch, blinking a few times as if she did not believe in her words. It took a beat, but the girl laughed a bit awkwardly. 

"Wait a second. Me? What am I gonna do?" the look in her eyes was one of disbelief, as if Elphaba had just offended her. "Why do I need to fix anything?" 

How full of herself. What in Lurline's name was she thinking?

"Well, normally it's the choreography that needs to be adjusted to the music, and not the other way around." she replied simply, arching her dark brows and staring at Glinda, who laughed and shook her head in what looked like pure indignation. 

"It doesn't work like that, Miss Thropp. We have to work in this together." 

"Well, and aren't we?" Elphaba stood up, holding the edge of her piano with one green hand. She was about to get angry. "I have composed for you. And your dance doesn't fit. You have to adjust." 

The blonde shook her head again, pressing her eyes and huffing. 

"The headline of the show will have both our names, Elphaba. It's not you composing for me, or just me dancing for you." 

"I know!" she barked, in just as much indignation as her companion showed. Elphaba could feel her own cheeks heating up, the green getting darker with the reddish tone they should acquire. "And that's why we need to fix this."

"Ah, now you've finally said it right. We have to fix this." Glinda threw her arms to the side, getting closer to Elphaba so they were eye to eye. The girl's brown irises were wide and glassy, and she could practically feel the loathing come out of them. "Not just me. You and me." she pointed to Elphaba and then to herself, still staring right into the green eyes. She wouldn't ever admit it, but at that very moment, the blonde scared her the slightest bit. 

Glinda Upland wasn't just bratty. She was bossy and full of herself. Elphaba thought she would never get used to working with her, and that she would drive her absolutely crazy. She would end the ten weeks more tired than she had ever been. 

"The professors were clear, Elphaba. We have to work together. If I have things to fix, so do you." 

Now it was Elphaba's time to laugh, shaking her head. She had the utmost respect for any professional who would tell her something she wrote wasn't good, but she wasn't going to have a stubborn ballet dancer tell her it wasn't good. At least not using the words she just did. 

"Ok then, Miss Golden Medal." she crossed her own arms, staring at Glinda while keeping an expression that was serious and angry at the same time. Her feelings were something she simply could not describe. Her pulse was rushing, her head was reeling, and her face was flushing. What was this feeling? "What's your brilliant idea to complement, or change, something in my classical piece?" 

The girl in front of her didn't answer. Her expression was still closed, and her eyes looking a bit down this time. She was expecting some yelling, like a child throwing a fit. But instead, she was surprised with the most unexpected reaction to a conversation like the one they were having. 

Glinda held Elphaba's face and pulled her closer, smashing their lips together in a deep kiss. She was, of course, taken off guard; a kiss wasn't at all what should be happening. And Elphaba should have pulled apart immediately, but something inside of her didn't let her do it. 

The contact was filled with utter loathing from both parts. Elphaba then reciprocated, tilting her head and parting her lips so she could taste Glinda's sweet anger. The blonde explored her enemy, entering with her tongue in pure exasperation. Her inner lips felt warm and tender. Elphaba's hands grabbed the narrow waist, feeling the girl lean her backwards to touch the wooden surface of the piano. 

At the same time that she was hating Glinda with all her being, she was also indulging. The girl had the sweetest taste, the softest touch and the richest smell. And she hated herself for enjoying a contact she should have despised. 

In an attempt to deepen the contact a little more, Glinda moved and shifted Elphaba's body along. Her hips hit the piano keys, creating a loud sound that got them to pull apart immediately. 

Giving a few steps back, the blonde didn't say a word. She simply stared at Elphaba with wide eyes, and the expression unreadable. Elphaba herself was pretty much the same.

Her work partner turned her back, quickly grabbing her things and running towards the door with her dancing shoes still on. 

"I'm really sorry." she said as she passed by, leaving the classroom and not looking back. 

What had just happened? 

Elphaba's head was spinning. The work would be even worse from now on.

Notes:

Hehehehe 👀

Notes:

Hi all! I've been thinking of this plot for a while, and now I've finally started to work on it. I love dance and arts and Gelphie. 💖💚