Galinda rolls her suitcases into the dank little dorm room. For the very first time, she actually isn't looking forward to another year here at Shiz. This room, for one, looks like an honest to God homeless shelter (the smell of weed included) but she concedes that she can't really expect any better after applying to dorms only a week before the start of the semester.
She scans her eyes across the miserable sight and slumps down on the bed closest to the window. At the very least she needs to be able to get some fresh air.
So, it's been a week since Fiyero broke up with her. She sighs. Two weeks since he leaned awkwardly on their shared kitchen counter, eyes shifting everywhere but on her, and said " You have to admit it, babe, it's just not working out between us." Galinda had just got back from spending the summer with her parents, and she stood in the doorway, speechless. Nothing more than a brief hello before he broke it. She hadn't even had the chance to put her keys back into her purse.
They were supposed to be trying harder, for goodness sake, that's what he'd blabbered to her over the phone just days earlier. They were supposed to follow a certain path. Galinda wouldn't admit it out loud, but there are… expectations she sets for herself. It's not like anyone gets married straight out of school these days, but she's always had a certain idea of what her college experience would yield.
And for a good three years, it looked like it was going that way.
Soon enough after that day, she had found the culprit: a string of horribly flirty texts on his phone (what kind of guy leaves evidence like that out in plain sight - she's almost relieved she isn't with someone that dumb anymore), followed by a feeble explanation from Fiyero. Galinda had felt numb. It was that weird green girl, of all the possible girls in the whole university - oh, what was her name? Eugenia? Edith? Something ridiculous and drab like that. She read those messages over and over again. She could practically hear Fiyero's simpering, even through those tiny little bubbles of text. Of course I'll be at the demonstration. We have to do something for those underpaid janitors.
Galinda rolls her eyes. Like Fiyero has ever cared about anyone except himself, let alone the freaking cleaners on campus. Clearly, he wanted to be with her enough to pretend.
Had he ever done anything like that for her?
She scoffs at the thought, the fact that she was foolish enough to think he cared about her. It's not even about love, really, because she can deal with that. She's had more than her fair share of clueless boys professing their love to her to know not to let it get to her. No way. That's not it at all.
It's the sheer disrespect - who decides to kick someone out of a shared apartment the week before classes start? What about her studies? That's the part that hurts her most - that he would be careless enough not to give a crap about the logistics of her life.
She had gone to her parents immediately, of course, but not even they could help on such short notice. Shiz isn't really overflowing with properties, being the tiny college town that it is. So - here she is again. Back in these glorious dormitories, something she hasn't had the pleasure of experiencing since her first year.
Galinda tries not to pout, staring down into the mucky grey carpet. (Is it supposed to be blue?) There's a spider trying to crawl in vain up the leg of the bed frame. She could cry. Two years of apartment maintenance between herself and Fiyero have certainly set her standards very (very) high.
No matter. She needs to get herself together. She's got two more semesters left of her degree. MBA, diverse enough. Then she can get out into the real world. Not that she won't miss the thriving social scene here at Shiz, but she's excited to be in the buzz and glamour of the city, to actually be in the midst of things. She's already been working at Mom and Pop's hotel up in the Uplands, and Daddy had said that this year, if she really wanted to prove her worth, he'd put her in charge of events management over winter break. With experience like that on her resume off the bat, from where anyone with half a mind for these things would know is the best country hotel anywhere, she's going to have the perfect headstart when she gets to Emerald City.
So. Focus. She smooths down her dress, slips off her summer wedges and wriggles her toes in the air - better get out some slippers first, before she steps on this carpet.
And the first thing after she unpacks - decorate this hovel.
There's a key jostling in the door.
Galinda looks up expectantly - she's expecting some unkempt first year, someone who surely doesn't care enough if they left their room allocation late enough to get a dump like this.
A wary-looking green face peeks through the door. She only looks alarmed for a second, before her face is quickly set again. "This is room 306, right?"
No. Way.
Galinda's heart sinks.
She narrows her eyes immediately. "Yes, it is."
The girl steps forward and through, dragging a massive fabric suitcase behind her with difficulty. It looks ancient.
"I - it looks like we have to room together." She sets her backpack down decisively on the other bed. It's the same dull black as her jacket and her jeans and her hair, but adorned with a litter of highly mismatched little badges. "I'm Elphaba, by the way."
Right. Elphaba, that was it. Well, she seems very matter-of-fact.
"Galinda." She replies coolly, forcing herself not to grit her teeth. She gladly lets Elphaba simmer in the awkwardness - they both know that she already knew Galinda's name.
"I heard - I mean, aren't you living off campus? You are in your final year, right?"
Elphaba shifts and scratches her forehead briefly. "Well - I was. But my sister is starting this year, and my dad wants me to stay on campus so I can keep an eye on her better." She adds bluntly, "She's in a wheelchair," when Galinda looks dumbly at her.
"Huh." Galinda says, nodding. She doesn't sound as shrill as Galinda always thought. Her voice is low - rich, mumbling almost, like she's boxing herself in. Well, the most Galinda had heard of it before now was screeching something or the other during Students' Union meetings. By now knows better than to spend her time getting mixed up in those.
The air feels stagnant, and not just because of how damp this little room is. Galinda shifts on her bed and clears her throat.
"Well, I hope we get through the year without killing each other!" She chirps. Her laugh is icier than she would like, icier than she can control at the moment.
"Yeah," Elphaba returns her sentiment with a quick smile that looks painfully forced. "Nice to meet you, I guess."
So they aren't going to address the elephant in the room?
So be it. Galinda prides herself on keeping a friendly exterior, and if she can do it in the presence of the person who stole her boyfriend, well, all the more credit to her.
"Who knows, maybe we'll even be friends," she says, voice syrupy.
Elphaba turns and nods shortly to her from where she's digging into the main compartment of her backpack, and - what was that? - does she think Galinda can't see her rolling her eyes?
Ugh. She grabs her keys and shoves them into her side bag, slipping the long leather strap over her shoulder. In the space of ten seconds, she finds herself out of the room, and having skipped almost all the way down to the bottom of the steps, out into the reception.
She looks down at her feet, and sees two little cutesy cat faces staring back at her over shiny plastic. Damn it. She forgot to change back into her outdoor shoes.
She fists her hands with half a sob, before shaking her head and taking her phone out.
12.14PM. August 29th.
Five notifications, three new messages (all from Mommy), and a reminder to hand in her re-registration forms.
Galinda jams the home button. She needs to change her background from this stupid selfie with Fiyero. She takes a deep breath. Okay. Shopping - that will cheer her up. She knows the perfect little stationery boutique that's going to help liven up that hideous room.
She'll graduate in May. It's a nine-month lease. She can do it.