A/N: Hi! Thanks for reading. I'd like to apologise in advance for any mistakes in my English, it's my second language. And also, this is the first thing I've ever published, so please don't be too hard on me.
This story is inspired by Midnights by Rainbow Rowell. All credit goes to her and Universal Studios. I do not own Pitch Perfect nor Almost Midnight/My True Love Gave To Me (Midnights is a short story featured in both books.)
Happy New Year, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!
December 31st 2015, almost midnight
She leant back against the house.
"IT'S ALMOST MIDNIGHT!" Chloe shouted downstairs in the basement.
Beca sighed contently. No one was going to come find her here, especially not Jesse. Jesse. She wondered whether it was all her fault, or if he should take some of the blame as well.
She finished her beer. Time to open the second one. The countdown started.
"Ten!"
She finished her nuts.
"Nine!"
No one would come to find her here.
"Eight!"
She was going to miss the whole thing.
"Seven!"
Did someone just come into Chloe's room?
"Six!"
Maybe she just imagined it.
"Five!"
Nope, someone was definitely there.
"Four!"
Now the person was trying to open the window.
"Three!"
He stuck his legs out of the window and went through it.
"Two!"
Jesse.
"One!"
"Owh, that hurt," he said.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Beca couldn't do anything but look at Jesse in surprise.
December 31st 2010, almost midnight
It was her first ever high school party. She wasn't even in high school yet, she was in eighth grade, but she still got an invite. Chloe and Dylan Beale hosted a New Year's Eve party every year. Chloe and Dylan both invited all their friends (they had a lot) and those friends were encouraged to invite their friends and/or siblings. Beca's dad and her stepmother had forced her stepsister Aubrey to take Beca. She didn't really want to go, but it meant she could look at Luke Sanders all night, so she agreed to it.
Luke Sanders was Dylan's best friend slash the coolest kid in town. He was a hot bad boy DJ. Beca had a tiny crush on him. She wanted to be a music producer, it was her big dream. Rumours were circling around the middle school community that Luke had already had a few gigs at the local club. Beca really looked up to him. She spent the entire night quietly standing in a corner, sipping her Diet Coke from a red solo cup, following his every move.
"Hey!" someone shouted.
Her sight got blocked by a boy her age. She sighed.
"We're probably the youngest people here, so we should be friends," the boy said.
"What?"
"You're Aubrey Posen's stepsister, right? Aubrey talks a lot about you."
Now she was a tiny bit interested. Just a tiny bit. "How do you know Aubrey?"
He shrugged. "I don't. She's one of my sister's best friends. You might know her - Megan."
Beca did know Megan. Aubrey, Chloe and Megan had formed a trio for a long time, long before Beca even moved to Barden.
She moved to Barden, Georgia, a year and a half ago. Just after her mom's second wedding. Her dad knew some people at the school and had been able to pull some strings, getting Beca in immediately without being on the waiting list. She didn't have many friends there, but she didn't mind. The education was good and the teachers were nice.
"Hello?"
She'd completely zoned out while the boy was talking.
"You weren't listening to me at all!" He looked upset for a second before he smiled again. "I asked whether you could sing."
"Uh..." She was thrown by the question. "No."
"You can't sing?"
"I can't sing."
"Why are you here then?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, it's an acapella party. What are you doing here if you can't sing?"
"This is an acapella party?"
Of course she knew that Aubrey, Chloe and Megan were in an acapella group, they were always talking about it. Beca thought it was pretty lame, and she almost always had her headphones on, so she usually didn't listen to what they were saying. She had, however, listened when Aubrey was talking about this party. And she hadn't mentioned anything about an acapella party. Although... they were singing a lot of karaoke…
"You really didn't know this was an acapella party? What time did you get here?"
"Around nine, why?"
She'd played board games with her dad, Sheila and their three and five year olds, because that was tradition. Afterwards, her dad brought her to the party. It was already in full swing when she got there.
"There was a Riff Off before you got here."
"A what? Actually, never mind." She pushed herself off the wall, about to walk away.
But then she saw him.
Luke Sanders was walking towards her. He casually leant against the wall with one arm. She looked up in awe of him. He was way taller than she was.
"Hi. It's Becky, right?"
"Actua-"
He didn't let her finish. "Is this guy bothering you?"
"I-"
"I'm not," the boy interrupted.
Both Beca and Luke looked at him as if they'd forgotten he was there too.
"Bothering her. I'm not. We know each other."
"He doesn't know me," Beca intervened.
"I really do."
They'd both been talking to Luke, but now she turned to the boy.
"No, you don't."
Luke frowned. "Why don't you guys figure that out?"
He walked away and went back to his friends.
"Dude! We don't know each other."
"We do. I sang to you. I remember because I could never forget that amazingly scary ear spike."
Then she remembered. Oh, she remembered. She was in the car with her dad and Sheila. They had to stop at a traffic light. There was a car next to them. This boy was in the backseat. Carry on My Wayward Son by Kansas was playing. He started singing along and playing an air guitar. She'd cocked an eyebrow up and almost laughed when the car suddenly accelerated and the boy fell backwards. Almost.
A smile crept onto his face. "You remember me."
"No, I don't," she said defensively.
He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Kelly. She was a high school freshman. From what Beca had heard, Aubrey, Chloe and Megan didn't like Kelly.
"Come dance with me!" Kelly yelled.
"I'll be right there," he responded.
The last karaoke singers jumped off the thing (Beca wasn't even sure what it was) that functioned as stage and joined the others on space that had been designated as the dance floor. Jesse looked at Beca.
"It's almost midnight!" Chloe shouted from the table top she was dancing on. The countdown began.
"Ten!"
"I'm Jesse."
"Nine!"
"Beca."
"Eight!"
"Jesse, come on!" Kelly's annoying voice disrupted the conversation.
"Seven!"
He threw an apologetic look at Beca.
"Six!"
He made his way to Kelly.
"Five!"
They were each other's hands.
"Four!"
Kelly was annoying, Aubrey always said. Beca had to agree.
"Three!"
Why did she want to hang out with a middle schooler when being surrounded by juniors and seniors?
"Two!"
Why did Beca even care?
"One!"
They were kissing.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
She put her solo cup on the bar and left the basement.
Everybody behind her was hugging, yelling, kissing, singing, dancing. The music had been turned up again.
She called her father to pick her up. He did so, asking whether she was okay. Just tired, she responded. That was only half a lie.
December 31st 2011, almost midnight
Well here she was. Her first official high school party. And it was an acapella party.
Out of all things, she never would've expected to be in an acapella group in high school. An acapella group. Jesse joined one too, the Treblemakers. They were the rivals of Beca's group, The Barden Bellas.
Beca and Jesse were in the same school now, and they both did a full honours programme, so they had all of their classes together. Except for the two AP classes Beca was already taking. Jesse took honour classes because he wanted to become a doctor, Beca took them because she was intelligent. Highly intelligent.
They were best friends. He gave her moviecation, making her watch hundreds of movies. She let him listen to her remixes.
The Riff Off had just ended and they were all in the basement. The Trebles and the Bellas were there, as well as the Barden Harmonics, the other acapella group. Barden High was a big school. As the only high school in Barden, everybody went there.
There were also some other friends that didn't have anything to do with acapella. Beca didn't know how Chloe and Dylan did it, be acapella nerds and still have a good social life outside of that. Luke wasn't into acapella, he thought it was lame. Beca kind of did too, but she'd promised her dad to join something, and this was honestly her best option.
She and the other new freshmen Bellas stood awkwardly together, watching other people dance to drunkenly sung karaoke songs. Jesse was hanging in the lounge area with Kelly. They weren't together, but they were flirty with each other. Beca rolled her eyes and started a conversation with Jessica, another Bella.
"Hey!" Chloe said, joining them. "Are you enjoying yourselves?"
Beca shrugged. "Sure."
"We should sing something!"
"Chloe, no."
"Chloe, yes! Come on, Bec, it'll be so much fun!"
"No thanks."
Beca walked to the bar to grab something to drink. Kelly joined her, grabbing a beer. Beca thought it was a stupid, attention wanting move, Kelly was only a sophomore. She was two years younger than Aubrey, Chloe and Megan, and one year older than Beca and Jesse.
Jesse took the stage. "Hi, everybody, this is for my girl."
He made eye contact with Beca and pointed in her direction.
"He means me!" She heard behind her. Kelly was talking to a friend, some dumb blonde.
"Omigod, he's talking about me. He pointed at me! He likes me!"
Beca cocked an eyebrow up and turned back around to watch Jesse. He was singing Carry on My Wayward Son. She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile.
"You guys should bang."
Beca jumped up in surprise. Fat Amy had joined her. She was in the Bellas as well and was kind of weird. She said stuff like this out of the blue.
Beca drowned her solo cup, even though she was still just drinking Diet Coke. Come on, she was fourteen. She shouldn't go crazy with beer.
"There's nothing going on between me and Jesse, Ames. I don't see him like that. And besides, it'd be against the rules. We took an oath."
"Like that has ever stopped me," Fat Amy muttered.
"What?" Beca said.
Amy cleared her throat loudly. "Nothing."
Beca narrowed her eyes.
Jesse had just finished his song. He was trying to come to her, but Kelly already jumped on him.
She shook her head and went to the bathroom. She didn't really need to pee, she just wanted a moment for herself.
She took a few deep breaths and washed her hands. Then she had to go back to the basement. There was no other place for her to go.
When she got back, Chloe immediately spotted her.
"Beca! Come on, we're singing!"
"No!" she protested.
"You're singing, Beca," Aubrey said.
The other Bellas pushed and pulled her onto the stage. They were singing Toxic with a select group of Bellas. It was just Chloe, Aubrey, Megan, Stacie, and Beca. Jesse was laughing at Beca the whole time. She just glared at him and kept singing.
Afterwards, Jesse clapped the loudest. He gave her a quick hug, knowing that she hated hugs, but wanting her to know that he was proud of her. Aubrey was glaring at her, but Beca didn't care.
"You were great, Bec," Jesse told her.
"Thanks, nerd."
They walked to the bar to get something else to drink. She poured herself some more Diet Coke, he took Sprite.
They leant against the bar, watching the party. Kelly looked angry.
"You should talk to her," Beca said, taking a sip of her Coke.
"Maybe I should," Jesse responded, taking a sip of his Sprite.
"She's mad."
"We're not even together, and she knows you're my best friend."
"You should still go over there, you know. Who else will you get your New Year's kiss from?"
Jesse rolled his eyes, but went to Kelly anyway.
Aubrey joined Beca.
"I know you have a toner for Jesse."
"I have a what now?"
"A toner. A musical boner. I can see it."
"That's not a thing, and there's nothing going on with Jesse and me."
"Can you proof that?"
"Can I proof that?"
"IT'S ALMOST MIDNIGHT!" Chloe shouted from her same table top. "COUNTDOWN TIME."
"Ten!"
"I'm serious, can you proof it? You guys are alone in your room together all the time!"
"Nine!"
"Yes, we're alone in my room together all the time. Making calculus homework."
"Eight!"
"I don't trust you."
"Seven!"
"You're drunk. You're seeing things that don't exist."
"Six!"
"I don't think I am."
"Five!"
"If you really don't have feelings for each other, then prove it. Kiss someone."
"Four!"
"You want me to kiss a stranger?"
"Three!"
"Yes."
"Two!"
"Okay."
"One!"
Beca locked eyes with the guy closest to her that was 1. Not a Treblemaker and 2. Kind of hot.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
He leant down and they kissed. She pulled away after a few seconds.
"Does that do it for you or do you need a full make-out session and a sex tape?" she asked Aubrey.
She power-walked away, leaving the party just after midnight for the second time in a row. She walked home this time.
December 31st 2012, almost midnight
It was her sophomore year. She was still in the Bellas. Actually, she was in the Bellas again. Yeah, she had some big screw ups last year. But in the end, all of her relationships were better than ever. She and Aubrey were almost friends, she and Jesse were closer than before, and she and her dad finally started stitching the wounds he'd left her with after her parents' divorce.
Aubrey and Chloe were in college now, and the unofficial acapella party at Chloe's house had become an official acapella-only party at Stacie's house. She lived on the same block and had almost the exact same house.
They'd changed up the traditions a bit. They now had a Christmas Riff Off, where they sang Christmas songs and where they had a newly introduced duet round, and a New Year's Eve Karaoke Sing Off, where Bellas and Trebles took turns singing karaoke. The winner was whoever sang the last note of the year, so planning was key. They'd flipped a coin, the Bellas had to start. Beca was the new leader, so she started off. She sang P!nk's Get the Party Started to... get the party started.
She did well. The Bellas gave her high fives. Jesse was up next. She grinned at him.
He was her best friend, he really was. They'd fought, but it only brought them closer together in the end. The other Bellas often wondered why they didn't date. Since Aubrey was gone, the Treble boning oath could easily be lifted, and there was nothing between them anymore.
What they did not realise, however, was that that was exactly why Beca had kept the rule. If it wasn't restricted anymore, she and Jesse could talk about their true feelings for each other. She felt something more. She knew he felt something more, too. But she was scared.
She was scared of ruining a perfect friendship over a relationship that would most likely crash soon. Either because she was too insensitive and closed off and because she pushed him away, or because he pushed her too far, or because they simply moved away for college and things started getting hard.
She and Jesse danced together a while later. Two younger Trebles were singing a slow and romantic song. Beca and Jesse just laughed through it. Then Amy took the stage, singing a Black Eyed Peace song. They could really dance to this, it was much more upbeat. Near the end of the song, Beca felt the need to drink something, so she walked to Stacie's bar. Like at the Beale's house, all the alcohol had been taken out and replaced by soda. However, there were always some guys that brought beer. Someone had brought beer with grapefruit. Beca opened a bottle and drank some. It actually was pretty nice.
"IT'S ALMOST MIDNIGHT!" Stacie shouted. She had taken over Chloe's role and even stood on a table top. "This means that the Barden Bellas have won the first ever New Year's Eve Karaoke Sing Off. Fat Amy, congratulations!"
Everybody clapped for the Bellas and Amy did some ridiculous winning dance.
"LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN!"
And it began.
"Ten!"
Beca made eye contact with Jesse from across the room. He'd stayed there to keep dancing.
"Nine!"
He was trying to make his way over, but there were too many people.
"Eight!"
Alice Samuels, a girl from the Barden Harmonics, another acapella group, blocked Jesse's way, flirting with him.
"Seven!"
Beca met the eyes of a gorgeous Harmonics member.
"Six!"
The guy approached Beca. She felt lightheaded because of the beer.
"Five!"
"Hi, I'm Adam."
"Four!"
"Beca. Nice to meet you!" She could see Jesse watching her from the corner of her eye.
"Three!"
"Nice to meet you too."
"Two!"
Alice had cupped Jesse's face, forcing him to look at her.
"One!"
Adam smashed his lips into hers.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Alice kissed Jesse.
Beca didn't love kissing Adam. He stuck his tongue way too far down her throat.
Alice tasted like the salty snacks the parties always had but Jesse hated.
Beca walked home that night, just like the year before. It was a few minutes after one, it had taken some time to say goodbye to everyone. It was late and dark, but the suburbs weren't dangerous and she found that the cold night air was a good way to clear her thoughts.
She didn't know how to feel anymore. Kissing Adam had been everything and nothing at the same time.
Everything because she could feel his rock hard abs when she lay her hands on his chest.
Nothing because their teeth clashed together and it hurt her.
Everything because she finally felt liberated, not caught inside of some spider web of a boy who was with other people and who she could never be with.
Nothing because she knew Jesse was watching and she knew she'd hurt him. She didn't know how, but she knew she did.
When she came home, her dad and Sheila were sitting by the fireplace, drinking hot cocoa.
"Do you want some?" her father asked.
He didn't ask anything else. He didn't ask what happened tonight, he didn't wonder why she was always home early.
She gratefully accepted a hot mug and sat next to her dad on the couch. He wrapped his arm arounds her.
"Did you have fun?" he asked.
That was always the only thing he asked.
She nodded. "Yeah, I had fun."
"Good."
He kissed her hair and she closed her eyes. She didn't know why, but she suddenly wanted to cry. Her dad must've realised.
"Beca? Are you okay?"
She couldn't stop the tears from falling. She wiped them away. "I'm fine, Dad."
"You don't look fine."
"It's just… I feel like I did something tonight that hurt Jesse."
"It's Jesse, Beca. From what I've heard, whatever you do, he'll always be ready to forgive."
She wiped her newer tears away. "Thanks, Dad."
What a great New Year's Eve she had that year. She did get Adam's phone number. He wasn't that great of a kisser, but at least he was hot and not completely retarded.
She felt bad about Jesse, though. She might've ruined or almost ruined her relationship with her best friend again. She sighed. Her dad was probably right, Jesse forgave people easily. Sometimes too easily if you asked Beca.
December 31st 2013, almost midnight
She sat on one of the couches, eating chips with Fat Amy. The Karaoke Sing Off was still on. Beca had already sung a duet with Stacie. She'd be up soon to sing a group number.
She watched Jesse from the other side of the room. He was talking to a mixed group of people. A few Trebles and Harmonics, a Bella.
She sighed.
At the New Year's party last year, she exchanged phone number with Adam from the Harmonics. They dated for a few months, then he moved away for college and they figured it wasn't even that serious and they should probably just break it off.
Jesse dated Alice, also from the Harmonics, but they broke it off in August because Alice had cheated during summer break.
Beca and Jesse's relationship had changed since last year. They grew apart. Sure, they still had almost every class together and they made homework and saw each other a lot, but it was different. It was just different.
She missed him, she did. Although she'd never admit that to anyone.
It was her turn to sing, so she sung her heart out, belting all of her feelings away. Since she and most of her closest friends were in junior year now, everybody was drinking alcohol and everybody was a little tipsy, and they danced back to the couches they were sitting before.
Her glance fell on Jesse, who was on the other side of the room. His eyes met hers.
He walked towards Beca, swiftly drinking from his beer. He put his empty bottle on the table.
"Hi," he said, as he sat down.
"Hi."
"How are you?"
"I'm fine!" She laughed it off.
"I don't think you are. You haven't been yourself."
"You're drunk," she whispered.
"I'm not! Everything is just a little... blurry."
She rolled her eyes.
"Dance with me, Rebeca Mitchell."
"Don't ever use my full name again."
He got up and pulled her up from the couch and onto the dance floor. The later in the night, the more furniture got used as dance floor too.
It wasn't that late in the night yet.
They danced to drunken karaoke songs, but they didn't mind. He twirled her around.
"Hey, Beca!" He was shouting so that she could hear him above the noise of people dancing, singing, talking, laughing. He twirled her again, so she was in his arms, her back to his torso.
"I really like you," he said in her ear.
She turned around to face him, her eyes wide.
"BECA!" Stacie yelled. "YOU HAVE TO SING WIHS US!"
Beca shook her head slightly and walked to the stage, where all the Bellas were waiting for her.
They sang a stupid song Beca didn't even like. She searched for Jesse with her eyes, but couldn't find him. She was worried.
Stacie interrupted the song halfway through. She ran off the stage and jumped on her table top.
"Hey, aca-bitches! IT'S ALMOST MIDNIGHT. This year's New Year's Eve Karaoke Sing Off winner is... The Barden Bellas!" She cheered. "LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN!"
Beca spotted Jesse. He just came walking around the corner, probably from the restroom.
"Ten!"
Her eyes met his.
"Nine!"
There were people blocking their way, like always. But this time, they pushed them aside, only having eyes for each other.
"Eight!"
They were halfway through their way to each other.
"Seven!"
Just a few more steps.
"Six!"
They were face to face.
"Five!"
"Hi," he said.
"Four!"
"Hi," she responded, a hint of a smile on her lips.
"Three!"
They didn't break eye contact.
"Two!"
She took step closer to him, so that they were almost touching.
"One!"
She cupped his face and kissed him.
It felt amazing.
At that moment, Beca felt like they were the only ones in miles.
Jesse felt the same.
When they broke apart, everybody was looking at them.
Beca blushed and looked down at the ground.
"You owe me twenty dollars, Stace," Fat Amy said.
Beca spun around on her heels and saw people handing Fat Amy money.
"You bet on me?"
"Of course," Fat Amy said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We have been since freshman year."
Beca rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you. I can't fucking believe you."
She then turned around to face Jesse again and kissed him forcefully, knowing everybody was watching.
She didn't care. She truly didn't.
They would be okay, she realised. All this time she had been worried about a romantic relationship ruining their friendship, but it was the other way around. Not having a romantic relationship was what ruined their friendship.
She realised that now.
She still went home soon after.
"We'll talk. Tomorrow," she told Jesse.
"Okay." He gave her quick kiss.
Beca said goodbye to the Bellas and Trebles and left.
In the doorway, she ran into Benji.
"Uh, hi," he said, stuttering a bit.
"Hey, Benj."
They were friends. Good friends. Beca liked Benji. Maybe her relationship with Jesse would ruin her friendship with Benji. She shook the thoughts out of her head.
"Congratulations, Beca. I'm really glad you and Jesse are happy together."
Although Beca thought Benji's word choice was kinda off, it was really sweet of Benji to say that. And thoughtful. And true. Because it was Jesse. It was Jesse. She blinked, realising that. Why had she worried before?"Thanks, Benji. Happy New Year."
"You, too."
Beca walked home again. She rarely ever walked anywhere in Barden. New Year's Eve was an exception.
She breathed in the cold night air and reflected on what happened tonight.
She was okay with it, very okay.
December 31st 2014, almost midnight
Senior Year. The party was in full swing downstairs. Beca and the other senior Bellas had left around eleven. They were on the roof. Stacie had a big roof what was easy to get on and off.
"It's our last year of high school," she said softly.
"It's weird, huh," Fat Amy said.
"Next year, we're all going to be in different places."
"I'm going to miss you guys."
"I love you awesome nerds."
"We love you, too."
"Can't we just... stay up here?" Stacie asked. "Watch the sunrise together."
"It'll be hours before that happens, Stace. We'll freeze up here. And besides, it's probably our turn to sing by now. We need to crush the Trebles. We have a winning streak to uphold."
In four years, the Trebles had always won the Riff Off (aside from it being a little rigged, the Bellas just seemed to have bad luck). The Bellas had always won the Karaoke Sing Off. That was just luck too, really.
"C'mon guys. One last New Year's karaoke song together as high schoolers."
They helped each other up and got off the roof. The Trebles were just finishing up their song.
Beca chose We're All In This Together from High School Musical. It was cheesy. It was oh so cheesy. But Beca didn't really care anymore. This was their moment. So they sang their hearts out.
Beca was going to miss these people when she left for university. She'd grown to love them, all of them. Leaving them behind... She knew she shouldn't think about that stuff. They were only halfway through the year. They had a lot of time ahead of them. But Beca couldn't help but worry. What would happen after high school? To her friendship with the Bellas? To her relationship with Jesse? What were they going to do? It made her sad to think about it. She didn't want to lose him. Or the girls. But it was going to happen, so she tried to cherish her time with them.
She had tears in her eyes by the time the song was over. The Bellas hugged each other.
Jesse helped her off the stage, even though she didn't need help and he knew that.
"You were great, Beca."
"Thank you."
"You're going to win."
"I know."
"Stacie will announce any second now."
"You can still get up there and sing."
"I know, but I'm not going to."
"You know I don't need your help, right? I'm a big girl, I can handle losing."
"I do know. Stacie asked me if I could stall a bit so the Bellas would win."
"She really did that?"
"Yes. I guess she just wanted you guys to have a last moment of victory."
"We can still win at semis and finals, you know."
"I know, but it's our last New Year's party that'll be like this."
"I know."
"Whaddup aca-people! IT'S ALMOST MIDNIGHT. Once again, The Bellas have won. Whoooh! Happy New Year everybody. LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN."
"Hey, Jess," Beca said. "Do you want to go to the roof with me? Just the two of us?"
"Sure, let's do that."
He looked worried, but he didn't say anything.
"Ten!"
They walked up the stairs, holding hands. Beca went first.
"Nine!"
Beca opened the window in Stacie's room and climbed outside, onto the roof.
"Eight!"
Jesse joined her.
"Seven!"
He wrapped his arm around and pulled her close.
"Six!"
It was amazing that you could hear the party in the basement up on the roof.
"Five!"
"I'm scared, Jess. Scared and worried."
She looked at him.
"Four!"
"Beca, why?"
"Three!"
"We're all gonna grow apart. We're going to college in completely different places. It's college!"
"Two!"
"I don't want to break up, Beca. Not yet."
"I don't either."
"One!"
They still kissed. Even though they were having a serious discussing, he leant forwards and pressed his lips to hers softly.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
There were tears in her eyes when he pulled away. She blinked them away. He saw.
"Beca..."
"Can we make an agreement?" She sighed. "In summer break, we'll break up. We'll discuss it, and decide that it'd be best to part our ways. Then we have a free life in college. Okay?"
He frowned. He didn't want to break up with her.
"I just... I don't want to end our relationship in December next year when I find out that you've been cheating on me. I just... I can't handle that. And I think that our relationship is better than that. So I'd rather end it before we leave."
He swallowed and nodded. "Okay. Okay, let's do that. But I have one condition. We will not let this get in the way of our relationship until then, okay?"
"Okay."
She wanted that moment to last forever. In the dark up on Stacie's roof, with Jesse's arms wrapped around her and her head safely against his chest. She felt safe. She felt safe.
Fireworks were going off. Beca and Jesse watched.
They didn't leave the roof until much later. Long after the fireworks were over. Long after the first people left. Long after the karaoke machine got fired up again and the Bellas and Trebles sang together.
It was too cold. It was January, she couldn't feel her legs. He'd grabbed a blanket earlier, but it wasn't enough. He lifted her onto Stacie's bed and lay beside her, pulling the comforter over them. Stacie probably wouldn't mind.
Beca was tired and fell asleep soon after, just enjoying Jesse's arms around her.
December 31st 2015, almost midnight
Somewhere in Barden, there was an acapella party going on. Somewhere in Barden, they were singing karaoke, competing in a sing-off. Somewhere in Barden, an acapella-girl was kissing an acapella-boy.
That wasn't here. That wasn't at this party.
This party was at Dylan and Chloe Beale's house, and it was the aca-reunion party. Chloe had been hosting this party ever since she left for college. All the ex Bellas and Trebles were there. They still had a Riff Off, Bellas vs Trebles. Because there were only two groups, the rules got changed. They did three rounds. Whoever won the most, won the game.
It felt good to be in the same group at Aubrey and Chloe and Megan again.
Jesse arrived on the late side with his older sister Megan. Aubrey yelled at Megan for being late, but Megan just rolled her eyes and didn't seem to care.
While Aubrey was yelling at Megan for being late, Jesse took his opportunity to give Beca quick hug.
"Hi!" he said.
"Hey."
They hadn't seen each other since summer break. Since they broke up. Since they both moved out of the state.
"How's USC?" Beca asked.
Jesse was following his dream to become a composer at the University of Southern California. All through high school, he'd taken an all honours programme because he thought he wanted to become a doctor. Dreams change, he told his parents when he said he wanted to go to USC.
"It's great! How about you?"
Beca went to Harvard. She'd discussed it with both her parents. Her father was willing to pay half of her tuition. Her mother, a lawyer herself, was willing to pay half of her tuition if she went to law school. Beca decided to just give it a shot. She was intelligent, she didn't want to be a music producer anymore, and she would go to college for free. And she got into Harvard Law School. It was tough, but she liked being challenged for the first time in her life. Even her honour classes had come easy to her.
"It's amazing," she told Jesse.
"That's... That's great, Beca. I'm glad you're happy."
Something seemed off about him, but she couldn't quite but her finger on it.
"Rebeca! Come here, now!"
Beca rolled her eyes and Aubrey's voice.
"Well, I better go. Good luck."
"You too."
Jesse joined his Treble team and Beca joined Aubrey and the other Bellas.
"Let's do this!" Chloe said.
The Bellas lost the first round, they sang "it's" instead of "it", which Beca thought was stupid rule. The next round was TV show themes, and Benji forgot the lyrics mid-song.
The final round was the ultimate show down. Whoever won this round, won the game. Tension was heating up between the two sides.
Chloe and Dylan were up against each other, and so were Megan and her ex, and of course Beca and Jesse. In the final round, the rivalry between them peaked.
"Guys," Megan started. "We need to win this thing."
"Hands in!" Aubrey said.
"One, two, AAHHH."
Jesse laughed at Beca from his side. She glared at him.
After a lot of songs, the Bellas won. Finally. They'd won the normal Riff Off several times, but the Christmas/New Year's battle never seemed to swing in their favour.
"Suck it, Dylan!" Chloe yelled at her older brother.
Beca laughed at her friends while making her way to Jesse. He was talking to Benji.
"Hey, Jess, can we talk? In private."
"Uh, sure."
They went out in the hall.
"Bec, what's up?"
"Is something wrong?" Beca cautiously asked.
"What would be wrong?"
"I don't know. You're acting... different."
"Maybe because I am different, Beca. We haven't seen each other in months. We've texted here and there, but not very often. We. Never. Talk. Anymore. So of course I've changed!"
"Are you seriously mad at me right now?"
"Yes. Yes, Beca, I am mad at you. This was your idea. You wanted this. I didn't. I wanted to stay together. Relationships like this can last. Look at my parents."
She rolled her eyes at the parents argument. "Your parents aren't exactly the universal standard, Jesse. Look at mine."
"NOT EVERYBODY IS YOUR PARENTS."
That hurt.
Yeah, that really hurt. Especially coming from Jesse. He knew about the problems her parents had had. He knew everything. And he still used that argument.
At the same time, she realised that if he wanted to hurt her so bad, she must've hurt him worse.
"Jesse-" She took a deep breath and tried to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks, only to fail miserably.
He took a deep breath also, she assumed he was trying to stop himself from comforting her.
"Just leave it, Beca."
He went back to the basement, where the party had just started.
After last year, Beca got a new idea. She went to the party to grab a beer and some nuts to eat.
"Beca! Sing with us!" Chloe said, clearly drunk.
"Chloe, don't. I'm not in the mood."
"Nooooo, Beca, you have to sing! It's tradition. And it's almost midnight! Don't you guys have a game with that stuff?"
"Chloe, it's half an hour until midnight, okay. Go sing with Aubrey and Megan. The world needs to see you as a trio. You guys are like, the OG Bellas."
Beca breathed out in relief when that seemed to work. Drunk Chloe didn't seem to realise that this wasn't really Beca talking.
Beca continued with her plan. She grabbed another beer and another handful of nuts, since she already ate the old ones while talking to Chloe.
And then she went upstairs. Stacie was making out with someone op the top of the stairs.
"Gross," Beca muttered.
She went into Chloe's room and climbed on her roof. She shut the window to block out the noise a bit. It of course didn't work. She could hear Chloe belting her heart of from here. Why no neighbour had ever filed a noise complaint was a mystery to Beca. Surely there were some young kids around somewhere that were trying to sleep.
She ate her nuts and took a sip of her beer. It was nice out here at night. Dark. Quieter. Almost peaceful. She could see other people partying in their houses. Parents playing board games with tweens. Young couples having adult parties. Two thirty something year old friends passing a bottle of wine between them. Parties with entire families, with grandmothers and great grandkids.
Jesse was singing now. With Benji. Beca almost laughed when she heard. Almost.
Stacie was next, probably with the older Treble she'd been making out with earlier. Beca didn't really know him. They sang a sexual song and Beca could imagine them doing inappropriate things.
She laughed at the image, and drank some beer.
She never planned for it to turn out this way. Any of it.
Eight grade Beca wanted to be a music producer. She wanted to date Luke Sanders.
Nowadays, she wanted to become a lawyer and she wanted to date Jesse Swanson.
She never wanted to join an acapella group.
She never wanted to be Jesse's friend.
She never wanted to live in Barden in the first place.
But it all happened. It all happened so subtly she barely noticed. So subtly and yet so sudden. She didn't understand how that worked. How everything could change so slowly and yet so fast.
"It's funny how day by day nothing changes, but when we look back, everything is different". That was her favourite quote, because it was true. It was so true.
She wondered when she and Jesse stopped texting every day. She wondered when she became the person she was today. Someone she knew everything about, and at the same time knew nothing about.
She leant back against the house.
"IT'S ALMOST MIDNIGHT!" Chloe shouted downstairs in the basement.
Beca sighed contently. No one was going to come find her here, especially not Jesse. Jesse. She wondered whether it was all her fault, or if he should take some of the blame as well.
She finished her beer. Time to open the second one. The countdown started.
"Ten!"
She finished her nuts.
"Nine!"
No one would come to find her here.
"Eight!"
She was going to miss the whole thing.
"Seven!"
Did someone just came into Chloe's room?
"Six!"
Maybe she just imagined it.
"Five!"
Nope, someone was definitely there.
"Four!"
Now the person was trying to open the window.
"Three!"
The person stuck his legs out of the window and went through it.
"Two!"
Jesse.
"One!"
"Owh, that hurt," he said.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Beca couldn't do anything but look at Jesse in surprise.
"Hey, Becs," Jesse said.
"Jesse, what are you doing here?"
"I'm just here to talk."
"I don't want to talk to you. I'm here because I don't want to talk to you."
"I know, and I'm sorry. I'm a dick, okay?"
She laughed. She couldn't help it. They'd been friends for so long... They knew each other so well.
"How did you know I was here?"
"I just figured. You liked it on Stacie's roof last year. It just clicked. So I went to find you. I would've come earlier, but Benji wanted to do a duet."
"I heard." She smiled.
"Beca, look, I'm really sorry about what I said back there. That was low, okay?"
"You had a point, though." She sighed. "In the back of my mind I always knew you wouldn't want to break up. There's a lot between California and Massachusetts, Jesse. I'd figured you'd just cheat on me, and I didn't want to get hurt. I've been scared to get hurt by you from the very first night we met."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"It's really not your fault. It's mine, it's always been mine."
They sat in silence for a while, listening to the others partying their hearts out. The fireworks were starting.
Then, she had a crazy idea. It was insane. It was a terrible idea, and she was crazy for even thinking of it.
She was looking down and the fireworks were too loud, so he couldn't hear her when she mumbled it out loud.
"What was that?" Jesse said. "I couldn't here you."
"I said I could transfer to Stanford."
She looked away immediately after she said it.
"Beca, are you serious? You're willing to give up Harvard for me?"
"I'm willing to give everything up for you, nerd. Mom's alma mater is Stanford, she'd love for me to go there. Dad won't mind either."
"But you wanted to go to Harvard! That was your dream."
"Well, dreams change. You're my dream now, nerd. There's five hours between Stanford and USC, but we can make it work. It's much closer than USC and Harvard. Now, why do you keep trying to talk me out of this?"
"If you're sure then I'm sure."
"Well, I'm sure."
At least she thought she was. It was an impulse decision, but sitting there with him, with the fireworks going off above them and the party in full swing below them, she realised there was not another person in the world she wanted to share this moment with. Even when they were fighting. Even when they hadn't seen each other in months.
It was a crazy idea. It was nuts to transfer from Harvard to Stanford. Their relationship would probably fail anyway.
But at that moment, it didn't matter.
At that moment, she just wanted to be with him.
At that moment, he was her dream.
At that moment, she didn't care about Harvard, or any of it, as long as she had him.
Maybe it was naïve.
Maybe it was stupid.
Maybe it was giving up her dream.
She didn't care. Dreams changed. She loved him.
They wrapped their arms around each other and she nuzzled her nose in the crook of his neck.
They watched the fireworks.
They heard people sing.
They heard people yell.
They kissed. It felt like they were the only ones within miles.
This was all that mattered.
Their moment got broken just a few seconds later, when the entire party walked out the front door, led by Chloe.
"IT'S PAST MIDNIGHT!" Chloe shouted. "LET'S LIVE TONIGHT PEOPLE."
Beca rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but laugh. Below them, people were cheering and toasting to 2015. Somehow, Beca knew this would be the very last acapella party to be hosted at the Beale's house.
Jesse grabbed Beca's empty beer bottle and put it against the bottle she was drinking from.
"Let's live tonight!"
He pretended to drink from the empty bottle. She shoved him.
"You're such a weirdo."
Then she kissed him.
"Happy New Year, nerd."
"Happy New Year, Becs."