Work Text:
I wanna talk.
Becky never knew three words could make her blood freeze. She stared at the notification on her phone, not wanting to click on it, prompting the “read” notification to be sent to her lover. Those three simple words could mean a lot of things, none of them leading to anything good.
Their relationship had been on the rocks for a while, that wasn’t a secret to anyone. It wasn’t always like that, though- in the beginning, things were great. Becky and Linda started dating during their junior year of high school, much to the surprise of everyone. Linda would always complain about Becky, so when they came to junior prom together in matching dresses, the entire school was stunned. Their vastly different personalities fit together like two puzzle pieces.
I wanna call you and talk.
The next year went great. They were inseparable; Becky thought she had already found the one. They were so lucky, finding each other at such a young age. It seemed like nothing could ever come between them; they were on top of the world.
That’s when Becky got a letter in the mail.
She didn’t mean to get into the University of California- it was her dream school with one of the best nursing programs in the country. She never thought she had the grades to get in, but her hard work actually paid off. Of course, Becky was ecstatic and immediately called her girlfriend to tell her the good news. Unfortunately, they weren’t on the same page.
“Fucking California ? Are you kidding me?” Hearing those words from who she thought was the love of her life made Becky’s face fall. “You’re leaving me to go to that hippie shithole ?”
“No, Linda, I’m not leaving you- I’ll only be there for four years and even then it’ll only be for a few months at a time! And when I get to grad school I can-”
“ Grad school? That shit’s going to take you like, eight years! Do you really expect me to just wait around for eight fucking years while you’re on the other side of the country doing God knows what?” Becky was taken aback; she knew Linda would not take the distance well, but she never thought it would be this bad.
“Babe, please, this is all I’ve ever wanted! And it’s six years, I’m only planning on getting my Masters. You can come visit me! I know you’ll be busy with being secretary of the boating society, but-”
“ You want me to take time out of my busy schedule so I can go to a state filled with Democrats ? You must be joking. You’re joking!”
“Linda, stop freaking out! If you don’t want to come, then we can just, I don’t know, call as much as possible or something!” Becky was on the verge of tears. Linda wasn’t the nicest person ever, but she had never yelled at her like this before. “I can make time for you, I promise. It won’t be that bad!”
“Fine. Obviously, you’re so hell-bent on leaving me, I guess I can settle for a pity phone call or two. You better answer me when I call you, Becky.”
“I have class, I can’t just answer you whenever-”
“Goodbye, babe. I’ll see you at Charlotte’s.” And with that, she hung up.
Becky was stunned. Linda, despite her abrasive personality, had never treated her like this before. Maybe it was a one-time thing? Maybe she was just in a foul mood? Whatever it was, she was sure that this was just a minor bump in the road, nothing more, nothing less. She shook it off and went to the other room to tell her parents.
That was the beginning of the end. After that call, everything went back to normal until Becky left in the Fall. Linda was still upset, but she begrudgingly accepted Becky’s offer of calling whenever they could. However, “whenever they could” soon turned into “every night,” and “every night” turned into “whenever Linda demanded it.”
It wasn’t that bad at first. Sometimes Linda would call while Becky was studying in the library, but that wasn’t something a quick walk outside couldn’t fix. Soon after, though, she would start calling her during her lectures, her tests, her exams- Linda reached levels of clinginess Becky had never seen before. This unpredictable schedule annoyed Becky, but Linda would get incredibly upset if she ignored her calls, even if she promised to call her back later. Of course, she would also find something to be upset about if she answered too, something Becky chalked up to be stress from their new long-distance relationship. Her new college friends, however, were concerned, calling the relationship toxic and telling the redhead to break up with the blonde. But Becky loved Linda. She couldn’t just throw their relationship away over a few clingy calls; it could always be worse, after all.
I want your company. I need your company.
Still, Becky couldn’t avoid the way she felt inside. Was this anxiety, or was it something else? She had a midterm coming up, so it was probably just a side effect of being worried about that. Linda still brought her joy and happiness, even if she was a bit… much.
Her phone buzzed again, but this time, Becky laid it face down on her desk. It wasn’t a voluntary reaction; something in her subconscious told her to stop looking. Her Roommate, Jane, looked over at her in concern. She knew about the situation, of course, but was powerless to do anything. Becky was envious of her- she, too, was in a relationship, and it seemed to be going much better than hers. She wondered what she was doing wrong.
Rich Girl by Gwen Stefani started playing- that was her ringtone for Linda (who, of course, picked it out herself). She involuntarily sighed and looked over at her roommate, who still had a look of concern on her face. “I’m gonna go take this, okay? I’ll be back in a few,” she said with a weak smile. Jane frowned back at her but simply nodded.
Becky rose from her desk, anxiety welling up more and more inside of her. Somehow, she reached their balcony without trembling too hard. She lifted the phone to her ear, putting on the best fake cheerful voice she could. She just wanted to do the best for Linda; after all, she was her puppet.
“Hey, babe! I miss you. How was your day?”
You control me.