Author's Note: I'm not the most consistent person around, but I was definitely burnt out on writing towards the beginning of summer. Still, I felt recharged enough to write a quick little story, featuring my favorite cast of weirdos.
Distance
Staring intently at her phone, it was proving increasingly difficult for Becky to drown out the quiet murmurs of her friends in the background, their voices carrying a mixed bag of concern, impatience, and overall confusion. Well, Charlotte and Sami were quiet, at least - AJ, not so much.
"The hell's she doing? I'm freakin' starving over here!" AJ was practically lying down, leaning as far back in his seat as he could without tipping over. Becky almost wanted to give his chair the tiniest little nudge. Honestly, just because the show was over didn't mean he had to act like he owned the place!
Sami, bless his heart, responded with a simple shrug, not wanting to give AJ any excuse to keep talking. When it seemed like the Georgia native was going to regardless, Sami decided to cut him off at the pass. "She's waiting for an important call."
Becky could hear the scoff slowly bubbling in AJ's throat before it hit her ears, his hunger undoubtedly putting him in one those moods. "Yeah, I don't think making googly eyes at your phone makes it get calls any faster." Though he'd said it as a reply to Sami, he'd obviously meant for Becky to hear it as well, his already loud voice raising another decibel. Still, she kept on with her foolproof plan of ignoring him outright. This was a far more important use of her time, even if it was only minutes upon minutes looking down at an unchanging, uncaring screen. Besides, she was already planning on paying for dinner - what did the man want out of her? Her soul?
Luckily for her, Charlotte was always there to take control - one of those perks of being a queen, she supposed. Becky didn't see it, but the sound of Charlotte's palm connecting with the back of AJ's head made her smile in sadistic, satisfying glee. "Could you shut up for two minutes?"
"We were supposed to leave an hour ago!"
"She's, erm… busy. See?" Unbeknownst to Becky, the three bystanders shifted their gaze toward her, Sami awkwardly scratching the back of his head while AJ immediately rolled his eyes.
"She's real 'busy,' alright." AJ responded, sarcastic undertones causing a scowl to appear on Charlotte's face. "Well, whatever. All I know is, if she ain't done in ten minutes, I'm eating his hat."
Sami quickly sprung to life at the mention of his headwear. "Why my hat? You're wearing your own - eat that instead!"
"Yours looks stupid. I'd be doing you a favor."
"Heh, okay. Clearly you do not understand the significance behind this piece of headwear," Sami began. Though she was thankful for not being the center of conversation for a brief moment, Becky couldn't help but shake her head as the redhead continued on.
"See, this hat was actually made in the great country of Canada, which - if you don't know - is the place where I happen to be from. Not only is this hat stylish and trendy for any season, it's a way for me to represent Canadian brands. The truth is that you, sir," Sami paused for a fraction of a second to point at AJ. "You just don't know much about fashion."
"Your hat's still stupid, man."
"Look, maybe we got a little lost in translation here. This hat-"
Charlotte groaned loudly, cutting of Sami's impending speech. "God, do you have to antagonize him?"
"Me?" AJ sat up in disbelief. "You're talking about me while he's ranting about hats like a lunatic?"
"I'm right here."
"Shush." The blonde put a finger to Sami's lips, shutting him up instantly.
AJ chuckled at the display, their behavior as a not surprising him at all. "At least you're better at handling Sami than you are at handling a controller."
"Oh, you've been dying to bring that up, haven't you?"
"It's not my fault you suck at Rocket League."
"I miss one goal and this is what I get."
"Guys!" Becky, having had to endure their entire conversation, could finally take their bickering no longer. "I appreciate the fact that you all waited for me-"
"You said you're paying for dinner, right?"
"But," she continued, ignoring AJ yet again. Sometimes, she really did want to slap him across the mouth. "She's probably going to be calling soon, and I'd prefer if she didn't hear psychopaths mouthing off to each other in the background." She didn't bother to elaborate on who 'she' was. They already knew.
"Can I say one teensy thing?"
"Sami, you sweet, sweet child. No." Becky quickly shooed them out of the building, fishing her pocket for her car keys and handing them over to Charlotte, the most trustworthy of the three. They were, in fact, irritating, but she couldn't let them freeze out in the cold. "Now, be good little lads - and lass - and wait for me in the car, before I take all of your arms off and start high-fiving myself with them." With one final, not-so-thinly-veiled threat, the trio of friends bolted for the car.
Becky sighed heavily as she closed the door behind her. While her friends could be a bit too much to handle at times - things only getting more hectic with Charlotte now on Smackdown - her mind was hardly sparing them a second thought. No, her mind was constantly thinking about the woman that had apparently ascended to godliness during her stint on Raw.
Charlotte had been skeptical at first when she pictured Becky being with someone like Alexa Bliss, especially when she stopped to consider their previous history. Becky couldn't fault her - it wasn't as if she and Alexa were best buddies throughout the majority of their time together on the blue brand. It wouldn't be entirely inaccurate to say that she absolutely despised the smaller woman for a long while. Yet, love was weird around here. Many of the superstars could attest to that.
Most of them, however, were fortunate enough to be on the same show every week. Ever since the 'Superstar Shake-Up,' both Becky and Alexa now had to deal with a sudden long distance relationship. It wasn't the most pleasant news she'd heard that evening, being separated from her significant other without any prior warning. 'I'd like to shake you up, Vince. With my hands around your throat,' she recalled herself saying, once or twice. Or ten times. It definitely was not pleasant news.
It was a struggle keeping things together. She'd taken maneuvers in the ring that paled in comparison to the pain that she felt being away from her girlfriend. Many late nights were spent tearfully wondering if any of this was even worth it. Was the heartache worth it? The ridiculous amounts of time and energy spent to coordinate these perfectly timed calls? The anxiety of not knowing whether or not the person she loved was changing, or forgetting about her, or anything else without being able to say or do anything about it?
She honestly didn't know. It was something she wanted to speak to Alexa about personally, or as 'personally' as a conversation could be over the phone. It was why she was so intent on taking this call. Unfortunately, Alexa was late, as per usual. It upset her beyond belief - 'She can't take three minutes out of her day to call me like she promised?' - but the last thing she wanted was to fight with Alexa and leave it unresolved for days, or weeks, or worse. If it weren't for the few friends she'd been lucky enough to make here, she'd be drowning in the water.
Becky smirked to herself. She wondered what those clowns could possibly be doing in that cramped car. AJ was probably complaining, again - or was it 'still?' - about his hunger, maybe making remarks about Sami's fashion choices. Sami, in turn, would be rambling on and on, pointing out AJ's lack of imagination and 'sticking to the status quo!' Becky wouldn't be surprised if Charlotte was silently plotting on a way to kill them both without getting caught.
What did she do to deserve them? She didn't know, but she was thankful every day for their ever-growing presence in her life. They were practically family, and the beacon of light that she needed during these dark times in her relationship. And how did she repay them? By constantly blowing them off to make these silly calls. As she sat there alone - her eyes finally leaving her phone, staring straight at the smooth, white ceiling - she again found herself asking the same question she always did.
Was this worth it?
"Becks, I know you're busy, but I swear I'm going to actually kill them if I stay there any longer."
Much like AJ before her, Becky nearly fell over in her chair at the sound of Charlotte's voice. "Jesus, Charlotte. If you keep popping up like that, you'll end up killing me too. Unless that's been your secret plan all along!"
Charlotte giggled at the gasp that left Becky's mouth. "Nuh uh. You already know how 'Thelma and Louise' ends."
"Right. Car over the cliff and all." Becky groaned. She desperately wanted to tell Charlotte that she'd only be another minute, but she couldn't. "What am I doing?"
"You're waiting for Alexa to call you."
"No, I meant, like… on a spiritual level, you know?"
"You're not spiritual about anything, Becks."
Becky grumbled under her breath. "Would you stop being so good at derailing me?"
"Okay okay. Back on the tracks we go." Becky watched in silence as Charlotte performed the most intricate - and terrible - pantomime of a train conductor she'd ever bared witness to. Although, she did recognize what it was supposed to be. Either it was actually pretty good, or she knew Charlotte far too well for her own health.
"Easy there, conductor. What I was getting at, before your weirdness took over, was that I have no idea what I'm doing anymore."
"With Alexa?"
"Yeah. I feel like," Becky stopped herself. She wasn't always the best with words that weren't directly related to puns, but she wanted to make herself clear. "I feel like this has consumed my life, you know? I'm always thinking about when I'm going to talk to her, if our relationship is going to survive, if it's even worth doing this. And as an added bonus, I've been abandoning my friends to get in that smallest window of Alexa time."
Charlotte placed a hand onto Becky's shoulder, rubbing it gently to offer some sort of comfort. "None of us think of it like that."
"You sure? I've been a pretty crummy friend. I mean, you're all going to die of starvation because of me!"
"You're being dramatic." She gave Becky's shoulder another reassuring squeeze as she spoke. "We want you to be happy, and you're happiest with Alexa."
"Well lately I've only been happy when I'm with you guys."
Becky wasn't sure if that comment warranted it, but she wouldn't in her wildest dreams argue against a hug from Charlotte. As soon as her friend - hell, her saving grace - wrapped her arms around her, everything felt right. There was little else that made things feel okay like a royal hug from Charlotte did.
They broke apart, only once the blonde noticed a familiar ringtone. "Hey, I think that's for you."
Becky snatched up her phone, the name 'Apple of my eye' appearing in bright lettering - a phone call from Alexa. Her thumb immediately moved to answer, but hovered over the green button without tapping it. Without another second of hesitation, she shoved the device into her pocket and turned to address the woman beside her. "So. Dinnertime?"
She received a bewildered look from Charlotte, before that look on her face became a knowing smile - a proud smile. "You seem pretty eager for someone who promised to pay."
"About that. I don't exactly have the money. I-It was one of those things I said to shut AJ up," Becky stammered when the once smiling face of Charlotte now became a smirk.
"Fine. AJ and Sami won't like it but," Charlotte pulled out her wallet, its gems sparkling under the lights of the room. "Dutch?"
"Oh no, sorry. I'm actually Irish, but thank you so much for asking."
"You know what? Just for that, you're on your own."
While Charlotte briskly walked back to the car, Becky thought about how it was time to start regaining some of her life back - thought about how lucky she was to share moments like these with people who genuinely cared for her. As she chased down her friend, begging and pleading with her to split their future bill, Becky remembered to check her phone one last time before entering the car.
She switched the volume to 'silent,' intent on spending the entire evening with her friends.
End