Control Freak ✔️

03 trophy wife

"There you are," his headset buzzed once he got settled in his comfy chair.

"Sorry it took me so long," he replied.

"Everything okay, my love?"

"Everything is shitty, like always. So relatively speaking, yeah, everything's okay."

She laughed, making sure to stifle the sound with her fist. As she raised her arms, the electric blue of the screen cast a harsh light over the bruises she had attempted to conceal on her arms with makeup and long, loose sleeves.

"Anything noteworthy happen at school?"

"No," she flatly declared. "What about you?"

"Nothing I was a part of," he replied casually. "Everybody's going around hugging and taking pictures and signing each other's yearbook. They're all just so in love with this high school thing."

"I know what you mean. It's like they think it's the most important thing in the world going on."

"Exactly. And I don't think any of them really realize that none of it matters. None of it. Not graduation. Not high school. None of it matters. None of them matter."

"Don't you have any real life friends?"

"Not really. I literally hate everybody."

"I see."

There was a silence belying the simulated smattering of gunfire.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Why'd you get so quiet then?"

"I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"I dunno, I just had a weird thought. What if we go to the same school?"

"What school do you go to?"

"You're not supposed to ask me that! What if you're a serial killer or something!"

"Then how would we know, Knives..."

"It's just hypothetical. What if we met and became friends in real life."

"That would be cool, I guess."

"And like, what if, well, I mean, you're a guy, I'm a girl...Don't you ever think about stuff like that?"

"I mean, sometimes, I guess, but not really. I mean, I don't really talk to too many girls in real life. It could be weird."

"Would it be so different than it was now? We'd be friends."

"I guess you're right."

"I mean, it's not like we'd get married or something."

"HA!" Caleb exploded.

"What was that laugh huh?"

Caleb kept laughing.

"Who would you marry, then, huh!"

"I dunno," he hissed with a blush. "I guess I'd just have to meet the right person. What about you? Aren't there any guys out there where you live?"

"There are."

"So?"

"They all suck."

"I hear you. The girls at my school don't like me. And I don't like them, either. Well, except for one, maybe."

"Oh?"

"It's no big deal."

"What's she like?"

"Forget it."

"I wanna know!"

"It doesn't matter," he groaned. "Come off it, okay? I'm sorry I brought it up."

"Fine," she pouted. There was silence again, all except for the sound of his furious button-mashing.

"Hey! Hey!" he yelled. "Knives, pay attention! I'm getting killed from behind! What are you doing!"

"You like her more than me!"

"What're you talkin' about!"

"You're not allowed to admit to your online girlfriend that you like other girls, dumbass, that ruins it."

"You asked me!"

"Stupid!"

"Just play the fucking game, okay!"

"Bet she doesn't even game," she continued to grumble under her breath, ignoring his constant squealing on the other side of the headphones.