Wedding Bells
Glinda couldn’t believe her eyes as she carefully opened the envelope. Despite her tireless efforts, she would not be the first of her friends to be married. She huffs, placing the wedding invitation on the table and running over to her bed to contemplate. Fiyero was getting married. Before her. How incredibly, frustratingly, mind-bogglingly unfair.
She knows she should be happy for him. And deep down, she is. After all, she loves it when people are happy. And she certainly enjoys a good party. She’d wear a beautiful, sparkling dress that would steal the attention from the grooms. She’d dance until her feet fell off. And she’d take full advantage of the open bar. So, there was no reason to be this upset about something so wonderful.
And yet, she couldn’t help but be bitter. After all, she had been dating for far longer than Fiyero had. And as much as she adored him, she was a catch. It was confusing and more than a little frustrating that nobody had swooped her off her feet yet.
It had to be that. There certainly wasn’t any other factor contributing to her dejected attitude. And even if there was an underlying reason, which there wasn’t, it didn’t matter. None of it did. She would, of course, rise above it. She would simply have to attend, and she’d have to have a good time.
———————————————————————————————————————
Elphaba watches as Fiyero glides over to her, raising an eyebrow. “You seem awfully concerned for someone watching a guy effortlessly ballroom dance.”
“I was looking at the guest list,” Elphaba replies. Helping Fiyero plan his wedding had never been a desire, but how was she to say no? It’s not as if she could throw away her one friendship because of one party. But then again, as her finger traces over Glinda’s name on the guest list, she contemplates leaving right then and there.
Fiyero sighs, sitting down next to her. “You guys haven’t been together in over three years. And I’m friends with both of you. This isn’t a problem, is it?”
Elphaba stares at him. She takes a deep breath, shaking her head. “No, it’s not a problem. I can survive a night.”
“Happy to hear. Don’t worry, I’ll seat you two at opposite ends of the room. With enough luck, you won’t even have to see her.”
The thought of not seeing her was somehow just as dreadful. If she’s there, Elphaba has to see her. She has to at least try to clear the air, right? “That’s alright. I don’t need to avoid her.”
“Well, you’re more mature than me, that’s for sure.”
“That was never in question.”
Fiyero laughs, shaking his head. “And remember, we’ve got a week of festivities before the wedding. So if you need to have a catfight with her, do it then, preferably.”
“I’ll try my best.”
“And that is all I ask.”
Fiyero gets up and goes back to dancing. Elphaba twirls her pen in her hand, frowning as she tries to ignore the dread creeping up on her. It wouldn’t be that bad. After all, this wasn’t about her, it was about her friend.
And that friend is very lucky that Elphaba is as kind as she is.
———————————————————————————————————————
If there’s one thing in this world that Glinda enjoys, it’s a good vacation. She could already taste the margarita she’d happily enjoy on the sandy beach as she overlooked the ocean. She would watch the other girls on the beach, and maybe even get a number or two. She’d get a massage at the resort that would dissipate the tension in her body. And most importantly, she would be at peace. Even if a certain something, or someone, threatened to disrupt it.
She grins with excitement as she boards the plane. First class as usual, though she’d have to thank Fiyero for it this time. He truly was a wonder. Perhaps it made sense that he was one of the first to get hitched. All that charisma and personality did him wonders, that’s for sure.
Glinda sits down in her seat, eagerly fixing her hair and staring at herself in her phone’s camera. “Well, hello,” she whispers, giggling as she takes a picture. “I still amaze myself sometimes.”
As she distracts herself with…well, herself, she doesn’t notice the person putting their bag up next to her. She lets herself giggle once more before turning and gasping. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding.”
Elphaba stares at her as she sits down. “It took you this long to notice me?”
“I was busy,” Glinda replies, running her hand through her hair. “I should really— I should see if someone would like to switch seats with me.”
“That’s a bit childish, don’t you think? We’re going to be spending a week together, so we might as well get comfortable with it now.”
Glinda laughs uncomfortably. “As much as I like the idea of spending a five-hour plane ride with my ex, I simply don’t know if my heart can take it.”
“Glinda.”
“Elphaba.”
Elphaba sighs and pulls her book out. “I am simply going to sit here and read. Is that acceptable?”
“...I suppose that would be fine, yes. But don’t even think about talking to me, because I am still very mad.”
“I’m sure.”
Elphaba starts reading. And for some reason, this pisses Glinda off further. She huffs and stares out the window. When this doesn’t work, she sighs wistfully, glancing over to see if Elphaba notices. And for some infuriating reason, she doesn’t. Glinda sighs again, this time louder. Elphaba grumbles and puts her book down. “What?”
“I’m not over it.”
“Glinda, it’s been three years. Can’t we at least try to get past it?”
“I hold grudges.”
“Shocking.”
Glinda frowns. “You left me, lest we forget. I am the victim in this situation.”
“I asked you to come with,” Elphaba argues. “You had every chance in the world to follow me. You just didn’t want to.”
“Well, I— it was a lot for me! It was a lot to spring a whole…thing on me. You moving across the country and all that. You chose a job over me and that’s the truth of it all.”
“I didn’t choose a job over you. I chose my dream and you chose not to follow me. And that was perfectly acceptable to me. Sad, yes, but acceptable. We just had different ideas for what we wanted our lives to look like.”
“But I— you— you should’ve— I wanted to be a part of your dream.”
Elphaba sighs. “Look, we are never going to see eye to eye on this. We are both ridiculously stubborn. I just want to move on.”
Glinda frowns. “I think you’re saying this because you’re wrong and don’t want to admit it.”
“Gee, I wonder why we didn’t work out.”
Glinda gasps. “That was a low blow.”
Elphaba smiles. “One I enjoyed taking. But seriously, I don’t have any negative feelings towards you. I don’t want to fight.”
“But what if I do?”
“Then that makes you…childish?”
Glinda huffs. “Read your book.”
Elphaba nods, picking it back up. “Gladly.”
As Elphaba starts to read, Glinda peers over at the pages. “This book seems boring.”
Elphaba sets the book down again. “It’s actually rather fascinating.”
“I doubt that. Was the author alive in this century?”
“Do you want me to read or not?”
“I want you to have it out with me! Get mad, bounce off me! You’re making me feel silly! I can’t be all— I can’t be mad and annoyed alone! That’s not how a breakup is supposed to work! We’re both supposed to be miserable!”
“You have a fascinating outlook on life.”
Glinda crosses her arms. “How are we going to survive a week together if you feel neutral about me?”
“You hear the words you’re saying as they leave your mouth, right? I think me feeling neutral is a good thing.”
“It’s not! Because again, here I am, the only one still visibly upset. And that’s just not gonna fly. I need people to think that we’re both equally upset! And we should be! Curse me out! Curse me out right now.”
“I’m not doing that.”
“Elphie!”
And then they both pause. Glinda clears her throat. “Or go back to your reading. I don’t care.”
“Glinda—”
Glinda waves her off, staring out the window again. She sighs wistfully again as the plane takes off. No amount of beach margaritas could save her now.