luxken27 | Sweet Valley Sophomores | 4: Love is a Battlefield

Title: Love is a Battlefield
Fandom: Sweet Valley High
Universe: Pre-canon (sophomore year)
Genre: Drama
Rating: T
Warning: Language, innuendo
Word Count: 4,178
Summary: Roger Collins leads a double life.

Links: DW | FF.net | AO3

Written for the "play" prompt on my 2014 Summer Mini Challenge table.

Ah, Mr. Collins, the young-Robert-Redford English teacher who is the subject of many a crush at Sweet Valley High =) When I turned my attention back to my SVH Sophomores project, I knew I had to find a way to fit him in, especially after reading his "bonus" profile in the back of SVH #6:

I found the contrast of his seemingly perfect reputation at school vs his hardships at home very intriguing. Obviously his wife doesn't think of him in the same adoring terms as his students - and why would that be?

Hence, fanfic.

I decided to follow Mr. Collins from school, to picking up his son from preschool, to home, where his troubles have reached the boiling point. He resents his wife basically leaving all of the hard work of marriage to fall on him, even though he's the one holding down the full-time job and supporting the family in basically every other way. It bothers him that she seems to not care for Teddy, and that is basically his line in the sand. In the series, Mr. Collins is devoted to his son, and I don't see why that would be any different beforehand, either, even to the point of choosing him over his marriage.

Even in 1983, when divorce was far more taboo than it is now.

It was trickier than expected to flesh out the character of Mrs. Collins. Obviously, she has problems, as outlined in the bonus profile, but it was important not to completely demonize her. Obviously Mr. Collins married her for a reason, and apparently their divorce battle was hell, which meant there was some sort of passion. I can't see him marrying someone out of obligation (he's not that noble, not even in St. Liz's eyes), nor can I really see him knocking up some random chick one-night-stand style, so there had to be a basis for love.

He might not be a saint, and he might have married her because he genuinely cared for her, but I can totally see him thinking of himself as her savior, at least for a little while. He's gallant enough to want to save her and take care of her and shield her from her problems, until she starts neglecting their kid. And if she can do that...?

I ended up shaping her into a very narcissistic person. Maybe she didn't start out that way, but that's what emerged when she fell off into her haze of drugs/sex/alcohol. She cares only for herself, and would readily use anything and everything against anyone she perceived to be hurting her cause. If that means trying to dangle their son's wellbeing over her husband's head to maintain the status quo, then that's what she'll do. It's how she can so easily go from tears to hissing hatred in the space of a breath. Manipulation is the name of her game, and it is very, very difficult to extract oneself from such an intimate relationship. The narcissist needs that attention and will go to any lengths to get it - even kidnapping her own kid.

This is the story that I was talking about last week on Twitter when I said that I'd finally finished something (yay!) but that it had depressed me (boo!). I know where it came from, and it was a very powerful and engrossing writing experience, but all the same, this sort of drama depresses me on a human level. I guess I'm past the point in real life where I can deal with this sort of thing with any semblance of patience. It makes for a great read, though, and I became completely attached to Mr. Collins in a new and different way. I'm definitely planning to write more about him; I have one fic outlined and another one planned...it's like he's become my new SessMom, LOL.

I wrote this for the "play" prompt in my SMC table - in the sense that Mr. Collins feels as though he's playacting his way through his marriage, and possibly in the persona he presents in his professional life. And yet, in that role of counselor/mentor, he's had to face some difficult truths about himself and his own life. He can't, in good conscience, continue on in this role without at least attempting to clean up his life. He is the gallant savior, after all :)

The title comes from the Pat Benetar song:

"" (Watch on YouTube)

which I found incredibly poignant, and striking exactly the tone I was going for with this piece. The lyrics are evocative, especially these:

You're begging me to go
Then making me stay
Why do you hurt me so bad
It would help me to know
Do I stand in your way
Or am I the best thing you've had

Believe me
Believe me
I can't tell you why
But I'm trapped by your love
And I'm chained to your side

...

When I'm losing control
Will you turn me away
Or touch me deep inside
And when all this gets old
Will it still feel the same
There's no way this will die
But if we get much closer
I could lose control
And if your heart surrenders
You'll need me to hold