A/N: So this is a one-shot that leads up to the moment of the hat wearing incident at the Ozdust during the musical. Slight Fiyeraba. Look for my next full length story later this week. Thanks and Enjoy!
Disclaimer: The song below, "Glamour Puss" belongs to KT Tunstall. I suggest you check out her albums.
Glamour Puss
By 18lzytwner
Elphaba Thropp was in her room studying on her bed, as usual, when her roommate Galinda Upland of the Upper Upperlands burst into the room giggling and laughing with her friends, as usual. The two gave each other dirty looks and hardly ever exchanged more than that other than to say things like "the shower is available" or "turn off the light, I'm trying to sleep".
"How can you room with the Artichoke?" One of Galinda's friends, Shenshen, asked, loud enough for Elphaba to hear.
"Madame Morrible thought it would be a good idea. It certainly wasn't by choice," the blonde replied just as loudly. Elphaba bit back the caustic remark she had planned and ignored the bubbleheaded idiots, renewing her focus on her homework.
"We're going to be late! The dancing has already started and I have my eyes on stealing Avaric away from whatever girl he happens to be dancing with," Pfannee smirked.
"You're horrible but I will be dancing with Fiyero so you can do what you want," Galinda giggled. Elphaba sighed. Fiyero. Despite the fact that he'd almost run her over with his carriage, she had grown to notice little things when he would stop by to pick up Galinda for a date. For example, he always managed to pick a time that she was there when coming for Galinda. He didn't speak to her, which was better than being insulted, and more than once she caught him rolling his eyes at the blonde when she wasn't looking. She often wondered if she should extend an olive branch of sorts and tell Galinda but on the other hand, she'd never had a boyfriend so how did she know if that wasn't just something boyfriends did?
"I found it!" Galinda squealed as she held up the very pink lip gloss that she had been looking for.
"Finally! Let's go!" Shenshen pleaded. Yes, please, Elphaba thought to herself.
"Let's go! I'm sure Fiyero is waiting anxiously for me," Galinda heaved a sigh and with that the three left the dorm room, slamming the door as they went. Books fell off of Elphaba's shelves and she cursed under her breath, getting off of her bed to scoop them up. Putting them away, she noticed what time it was and she cursed again. She'd be late for her job down at the bar, if she didn't get moving. Galinda had been very late, considering that usually she was out and about partying around ten o'clock in the evening. Now as it was closing in on eleven, Elphaba quickly got dressed in her usual outfit and headed out the door of the dorm room.
"Ah there you are Miss Elphaba," the bartender, a sweet man by the name of Nick, smiled at her.
"I'm not late am I? What's going on? I don't think I've ever seen it so busy," she had to practically shout over the noise in the bar; the band was trying to keep things lively too. It was near Shiz and usually they packed in a good crowd but not typically the younger crowd. That's why she had chosen to work there. No one from school ever went there and she was free to be herself.
"The Ozdust had to close due to a plumbing problem. We've been getting overflow all night. You going to be ok to go on tonight?" Nick asked.
"Do I have a choice?" She wanted to know. Nick smirked and the green girl shook her head before heading off to the backroom. She'd only taken this job so she could have some money for herself. Her father would send Nessa all the money she needed but when Elphaba would ask to purchase something that wasn't strictly school related, he never sent any, telling her she could manage without it.
"Isn't this crazy?" One of the guitarists, a young man by the name of Dustan, asked. He had taken a break to throw back a beer.
"Very. I don't think our usual fare will suffice," she said nervously.
"Good thing me and boys have been working on that new song you wrote," he smiled. She gave him a horrified look.
"Oh come on now. You think we wouldn't find those lyrics that you were working on? Nick brought them over to us after he found them on the floor, thinking we were working on something but we knew that it was your handwriting," Dustan said.
"We haven't practiced it together. I didn't even have a melody to go with them. It was just something popped into my head!" Elphaba was getting upset, realizing that she hadn't even noticed they were missing.
"The boys and I have been working on it. We'll do a quick run through when they take their break in five minutes. We need to stir up the younger crowd," he said. Elphaba swallowed hard. They didn't have much of an option. The bar was raking in the money and the boss would want the entertainment to keep the money rolling in.
Meanwhile, out front, Fiyero was leading Galinda along with Avaric, Shenshen, Pfannee, and a few others into the bar. They had decided since the Ozdust was closed, they would barhop around the establishments near campus. One way or the other, they were going to have a good time and get drunk.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen! The band is back from our short break and we'd like to get the party started with a song that one of our own wrote. Hope you like it!" Dustan announced about fifteen minutes later. There was a collective gasp from some in the crowd when Elphaba stepped up to the mike but she ignored them. Looking over at Dustan, she nodded and the group began whistling. Elphaba took a deep breath, let it out, and started to sing.
"Long legs ... taking you somewhere; Catch your reflection in the window pane; The universe is startin' to feel ya...; Drinking tequila like it's the name of the game..." the boys continued to whistle as they worked their instruments.
"Oh Oh; Well I know it hasn't happened yet; You're relying on the next check...; I know that you're a glamour puss; And your explanation's useless...; So you chew, chew on the root; In your beautiful high heeled shoes...; Miss Glamour Glamour Puss," Elphaba continued, starting to really feel the music and the whistling.
"Baby juggles fire in a blindfold; Riding a motorcycle; Through a hula-hoop but it; Sounds like dust on your record; You're showing the pressure; Of doing loop-de-loop-de-loop-de-loop-de-loop,"
"Oh oh; Well I know it hasn't happened yet; You're relying on the next check...; I know that you're a glamour puss; And my explanation's useless...; So you chew, chew on the root; In your beautiful high heeled shoes...; Miss Glamour Glamour Puss, Ah hoo hoo" the words were freely flowing and the audience was forgotten which would have been all right except by now Galinda was paying attention to the words a little more closely through her tequila haze.
"Push a little longer; Dance a little harder; Never give yourself away…; Love a little less; To keep yourself together; Everything will come your way," Elphaba sang as the boys joined in the background, "Yeah yeah."
"Push a little longer; Dance a little harder,"
"Yeah yeah!"
"Never give yourself away…,"
"Yeah yeah."
"Love a little less; To keep yourself together,"
"Yeah yeah!"
"Everything will come your way; Oh oh,"
"Yeah yeah."
"Well you know it hasn't happened yet?"
"Yeah yeah!"
"You're relying on your next check..."
"Yeah yeah."
"I know that you're a glamour puss,"
"Yeah yeah!"
"And my explanation's useless useless...,"
"Yeah yeah,"
"I know it hasn't happened yet,"
"Yeah yeah!"
"You're relying on the next check..."
"Yeah yeah."
"I know that you're a glamour puss,"
"Yeah yeah!"
And my explanation's useless...; So you chew, chew on the root...; In your beautiful high heeled shoes...; A Miss Glamour Glamour Puss,
"Yeah yeah!"
"Glamour glamour puss,"
"Yeah yeah!"
"oh oh oh yeah,"
"Yeah yeah!"
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh yeah,"
"Yeah yeah!"
"Oh oh oh glamour, glamour!" with that the song ended with Elphaba's exclamation. She expected silence or things getting chucked at her but instead the crowd went crazy. A big smile, something rarely seen on Elphaba's face developed. Everyone was rocking as Dustan cranked up the band. Lost in the moment, however, was the look on Galinda's face.
"She meant that for me!" She was hot under the collar.
"Feeling guilty?" Fiyero asked. It might have been the tequila talking but he was beginning to realize that the feelings he had were not for Galinda. The statement made Galinda whip around and give him one of the dirtiest looks she could muster.
"Oh now you've done it," Avaric chuckled.
"Who knew the Artichoke was so talented?" Shenshen asked.
"Her name is Elphaba," Fiyero corrected.
"Whatever!" Shenshen laughed before downing another shot. Galinda looked at her boyfriend and stamped her foot down.
"She'll get what is coming to her!" With that the blonde was off and exiting the bar, the girls not that far behind.
"Should we warn the Artichoke?" Avaric asked.
"Elphaba? About what?" Fiyero was confused.
"She just pissed off the blonde and her cronies. The last girl I heard who did that had to not go out in public for a year," his friend commented.
"Elphaba will be fine. She's a lot tougher than she looks," Fiyero had a smirk on his face.
"Try to hide your feelings for the Green Bean when Galinda's around huh? After all, your folks would prefer her to the Munchkin," Avaric chuckled and downed his last shot of tequila before leaving Fiyero to pick up the tab. Maybe he was right but Fiyero knew that he never really cared about Galinda like he thought he should. She was fun but she was also not that bright. Elphaba was smart, pretty, and had been hiding her talents from everyone. Settling the tab, he quickly moved out into the night, deciding he better find out what Galinda was up to, and that he better sort out his feelings for the green girl.
The End