Glinda would be lying if she said that she didn’t cry for most of the month, mourning over somebody who was very much alive. It was her escape, thinking back to when times were simple.
“You have to get rid of that soon. It’s jarring.” Shenshen said, waving her arm towards Elphaba’s side of the room. She was going to get rid of it, she just needed time. Every time she looked at it she was reminded of her, the time she lost due to Elphaba’s recklessness. A part of her wanted to defend her, to tell everyone who she truly was.
“I’m going to. I- I just need time,” Glinda said, fidgeting with her hands. That was the only excuse she could give whenever she was asked to remove Elphaba’s belongings. The actual reason was that she was afraid. Taking her stuff down meant she was gone, she had left her.
“We can help if that’s the problem. We have a place to burn the-” Pfannee chattered, getting interrupted by a nudge from Shenshen. He’s trying to be supportive in his way. Everyone was shocked when Elphaba turned out to be wicked, and everyone moved on. Everybody but her.
“He meant we could help clean her side and store her things!” She spouted, trying to reword Pfannee’s sentence so Glinda wouldn’t immediately burst into tears. “Right, Pfannee?” She hinted, her voice loaded with sarcasm.
“Right, Right.”
“Can you guys just-” Glinda asked quietly, unsure how to ask them to leave without sounding like she was going to sob. “I- I’m tired. I would like to sleep. Alone.” She asked, practically shooing them away and leaving her alone. Pfannee almost opened his mouth to protest before Shenshen began to drag him out of the room. They said their goodbyes before rushing out.
“I’m sorry, I know how close you were.” Pfannee managed to squeeze out, poking his head in her room one last time. That sentence broke her. People could see how close they were but nobody truly understood how close they were. How much they loved each other. And nobody can grasp how hurt she was when Elphaba left.
~~<3~~
It had been almost a month since she’s been anywhere near Shiz since she saw Glinda. She told herself that she left something in her room at Shiz and that she needed to grab it before they torched everything she touched. Or maybe she needed an excuse to do something reckless.
Elphaba had managed to sneak into Glinda’s room, careful not to wake anyone inside. She set her broom down before scanning the room; she needed her diary. She found it and grabbed it, being careful of the floor below her. She looked over to Glinda, who slept in her bed nearby. Her side was adorned with less green than she remembered and unusually plain for Glinda. Was this her trying to move on? This hurt Elphaba, she couldn’t blame her, but it still hurt. She pulled a letter from her pocket and placed it on Glinda’s dresser. She turned to leave but the floor had creaked, and she froze.
Glinda turned over, wiping her eyes. “Who is that?” She asked groggily, trying to make out the figure in her bedroom. “E-Elphie?” she called hesitantly, wondering if this was another dream of hers. The room went silent for a minute, the figure relaxing before responding to her,
“Glinda,” Elphaba said, walking towards her bed. Elphaba kneeled, capturing her face, “It’s me, I’m here.” She whispered, letting the immense joy of seeing her again curse through her veins.
“You’re here! I- I can’t believe it,” Glinda cried, letting a few tears fall from her eyes. She never thought she’d see her again. She was sure to be a war, and they would be on different sides. But this was her chance to convince her to stay. “Are you coming back?” She asked, eyes lighting up with hope.
Elphaba can only sigh, “No. There is no coming back, not until the animals are free.” She stated. She wanted to come back and forget all of this stuff was happening but she can’t. What they are doing is inhumane and she has to stop it, even if it means sacrificing her happiness.
Glinda can only pull away in anger, sadness, and frustration. “Then why are you here? If it is not to come back to me?” She asked, placing Elphaba’s hands in hers. Glinda believed her when she said ‘You are everything to me.’ but why can’t she be everything now?
“I came back for a few things,” She said, walking to grab the letter from Glinda’s dresser, and handing it to her. “And I wanted to leave this, for you.” Glinda inspects the letter, looking at the envelope's neat handwriting, nice decoration, and pristine condition. She put care into it, just for her.
“Thank you.”
Elphaba squeezed her hand, almost as a ‘You’re welcome.’. “I have to go,” She said, standing up and walking towards the window she entered. Glinda trailed behind, placing the letter on her dresser.
“Elphie. Can’t you drop this whole thing? Can you come back to me?” Glinda pressed, pulling Elphaba’s arm. She looked at her with desperation, seeing the avolition in her eyes. She wants to throw that broom away and keep her here. But she can’t.
“Glinda, you know I can’t stay.” She reiterates, her voice shaking with every word. “But, you can come. You can be with me.” Elphaba exclaimed, gripping Glinda’s hands, arms, and face. “You can come and we can be together.” Glinda’s face scrunches, pulling away from Elphaba.
“I can’t. What you’re doing is-”
“Is what?”
“I’m not going to leave our last words on a bad note.” Glinda insists. She wants to say this is a foolish movement and she should stay here. Live a simple life with her, be her everything. Elphaba looks at her, nodding.
“You’ve made your choice. I made mine. That doesn’t have to stop us from loving each other.” Elphaba said, leaning closer to Glinda. She connects their lips in a kiss, savoring every bit of each other. Then Elphaba pulls away, getting on her broom and flying away. Abandoning Glinda with nothing but tears. She made her choice, was it the right one?