The Five Times Elphaba Didn't Tip, And the One Time She Did

"Just one small black coffee. Please," the voice was quiet, but assertive. It caught Galinda's ear and she looked up from her phone to reply. The moment she properly caught sight of her latest customer, however, both her jaw and phone dropped.

When the customer saw this rather shameless expression, a resigned look flickered across her face and her shoulders slumped in irritation and defeat as she gave a very loud, and rather impatient, sigh.

"Oh, alright, fine, let's just get this over with," she deadpanned softly, half talking to herself and half talking to Galinda. "No, I'm not seasick. Yes, I've always been green. No, I didn't chew grass as a child. There. Satisfied?"

"Uhhhhh..." Galinda could only gawk at the strange student and her even stranger skin.

"Oh, come on, you can't be that blinded by my looks, can you?" the girl demanded in exasperation.

"Uhhhhh..."

"Look, can I just get my small black coffee, please?"

Upon hearing the order, Galinda finally seemed to wake up again.

"Right," she muttered embarressedly, ringing the green girl up. The physical exchange between the two of them was brief, but the green girl made the fallout last by making a big deal about collecting all her change from Galinda and refusing to tip even a single cent. Galinda felt a bit irritated by such a petty move, but she could not deny that she probably deserved it.

"May I have a name for that order?" she asked, not even bothering to acknowledge the green girl's petty display.

"Elphaba," came the curt reply. "Elphaba Thropp."

And that was the last thing the green girl said to Galinda for the rest of that day, waiting in silence for her coffee and then not even offering up a verbal thanks (only giving a short nod instead) before taking her drink and leaving the café at once. Galinda watched her go with a sigh, both of annoyance and embarrassment, but she found that she remembered the green girl's name long after its owner had left the shop.

ooo

A few days later, the green girl returned.

"Small black coffee." Oh. So this time, she wasn't even saying please.

"$1.79," came the brisk reply. Elphaba surrendered the exact amount. No tip this time either. Galinda didn't allow a single emotion to cross her face. Instead, she only gave Elphaba a receipt before turning back towards the kitchen to make the coffee. Two minutes and 38 seconds later, she was back, a small, steaming cup in her hand.

"You sure you didn't want a green tea instead?" Galinda dared to snark. Even though she typically wouldn't have been brave (or dumb) enough to be so blatantly rude to a customer, the defensive vibe Elphaba was giving off was infectious.

"Didn't want to order something too complicated for that blissful blond brain of yours," Elphaba sassed back without missing a beat, scowling terribly that Galinda. Galinda physically recoiled in outrage and shock at how quickly Elphaba had made up that comeback, and just how stinging it had been.

"Isn't judging someone based on appearance a bit uncouth?" Galinda growled.

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? Or green?" Elphaba asked back with a sneer.

"At least I made no judgment about your intelligence!" Galinda hissed, crossing her arms.

"You made a judgment about my taste though," Elphaba replied, causing Galinda to get even angrier (although it was true).

Before she could speak, however, Elphaba turned away from the register and sat down at the table farthest from the counter.

"Good riddance!" Galinda muttered before turning her attention back to her register, still scowling. What she did not notice, however, was that the second she looked down, Elphaba looked up and spent the entire rest of her visit to the café watching Galinda.