Hypocrite (Pre-Defying Gravity, Gelphie hate/friendship)
Elphaba and Glinda flee the Wizard's guards, climbing stairwells and barricading doors, making promises they cannot keep and speaking words they will forever regret. Based on some cut dialogue from an early workshop version of the musical.
"Guards, guards! There is a fugitive at large in the palace – find her, capture her, and bring her to me!"
Hand in hand, they fled.
"Elphie – Elphie, wait –Elphie, stop -!"
She made no answer, only tugged her friend faster. Ducking through archways. Scrambling up stairs. Scurrying down corridors. Twisting and turning and tumbling through chambers Glinda was absotively positive they had no right to be in.
"- Elphie, where are you going –!"
Elphie's fingers, slippery with cold sweat, curled around her's like a bird's claw, pulling them along at a frightful pace. Glinda gasped for air, feet tripping over one another.
"Elphie, I – I can't keep up -!"
Elphie didn't answer, but paused a second, just long enough to scoop one arm under Glinda's and half-drag her up the last flight of stairs, heave her through another locked door, settle her gently on the grime-encrusted floor of the attic they had entered. Glinda clutched at the gnawing stitch in her side with one trembling hand, dusting off the filth from her skirt with the other – how had they made it all the way up here so fast -?!
"No more stairs!" Elphie was hissing as she whirled from wall to empty wall, one hand clutching at her hair, mottled over her clammy forehead and escaping in gnarled tangles from under her hat. "No more stairs, Oz-damnit, what are we going to do -!"
"Elphie." She stumbled up to catch her hand again – she needed that hand, that familiar grasp of safety, of security, now more than ever. "Wait – Elphie, what are you doing -?!"
"Barricading the door, of course!" she shouted, a hysterical edge to her voice that sent a sliver of icy terror down Glinda's spine. She'd never seen Elphie like this before; worked up to a frenzy, set loose upon the world – was that something to fear, or be thankful for? Sweet Oz, she didn't know! Elphie's hands drew attic paraphernalia from every direction, fingertips glowing as she levitated benches into a stack, braced broomsticks under the bolts, tangled ropes around the handle – Glinda yelped as a rug twitched under her feet, desperate to join the fray.
"Elphie, stop – help -!"
"It's all right – Glin, it's all right!" she soothed, dashing over to detach the rug and then reaching for her, arms outstretched. "Don't be afraid, we'll be fine, you'll be fine, I won't let those – imbeciles hurt you –"
BANG. A gunshot.
"Hurt me?!" Glinda's fear finally spluttered out of her, three octaves too high and three floors of the Wizard's palace too late. "Sweet Oz, Elphie – it's the Gale Force, the Gale Force, we'll be lucky if they don't kill us as soon as look at us -!"
"I won't let them," she vowed, pulling her close, those bony arms safe and familiar as breathing, but not safe enough, not safe enough…! "I won't let them touch us, Glin – Glin –"
But she wouldn't answer; only wrenched herself away, lower lip trembling – there was anger, now, as well as fear, pulsing through her veins and rasping through her lips as she struggled to get a hold of herself but she couldn't, she couldn't and oh sweet Oz she was so frightened – frightened for Elphie, frightened for herself, frightened for her reputation, for what her parents would say, for what the wizard would do to them after what they'd…after what Elphie had…!
"Why –why!" The words choked out of her as she fought back the tears suddenly stinging in her eyes. "Why did you have to do that horrendible spell for him!"
She wanted to take the words back the instant they were out, but they were true, they were true and oh, how she wished they weren't…
Elphaba blinked, all urgency stilled to a sudden standstill. "What sort of a question is that?"
"You just had to – had to -!"
The words were there, the accusation was coming, the anger and fear boiling and bubbling its way up her throat and out into –
"- had to – show off for him, didn't you! You just had to – had to have your moment in the spotlight – had to do that silly spell because you wanted him to notice you…approve of you…admire you…!"
Elphie's face was darkened by shadows, cast from the little light that there was in the dilapidated attic…but her eyes burned, even through the darkness. Glinda's voice caught in her throat and she choked into silence again, burying her face in her hands as the tears spilled over. She was going to regret that.
When Elphie finally spoke, her voice pierced like a white-hot poker.
"You little hypocrite."
Glinda flinched. The truth in that statement tied her stomach into knots. She squirmed against it, spitting before she could stop herself, "Well – w-well, he's noticed you, all right – got what you wanted – so I'd say you're the real hypocrite around here!"
"You think so, do you?"
The words simmered with such anger, suppressed under years of careful self-control – Glinda did not dare move, did not dare lower her hands to meet her friend's gaze, did not dare say another word, and yet – and yet -!
This is based on some cut dialogue from an early workshop version of the musical. It led into a pretty great song called 'For Goodness' Sake' which basically consisted of Elphaba and Glinda exchanging insults and hissing snarkily at each other for two minutes flat (to the delight of Gelphie fans everywhere, I'm sure). It later became the 'I Hope You're Happy' portion of Defying Gravity instead.