Beca Mitchell has been best friends with Chloe Beale since they were kids. They grew up neighbours, and have gone through the good, the bad and the ugly stages of life together.
Starting with Beca's parents' divorce and, most recently, her "coming out" in Freshman year. Everyone teased and mocked the girl, only for Chloe to step up for her. Chloe was happily dating her boyfriend Tom when Beca explained why she said no to every boy that ever asked her out. She didn't want a boyfriend. She wanted a girlfriend. She wanted the most popular girl in school that year, Elizabeth Tanner. Elizabeth was the first in their grade to develop, and all the boys wanted her.
Elizabeth also happened to be the first of many to mock Beca when she girl came out. Calling her names and expressing how she'd never be a lesbian.
Chloe fixed this though, because in Beca's eyes Chloe could fix everything. Chloe made her being a lesbian ok, and finally, by the year's end, it became a trend.
Sure, Beca didn't want girls to be lesbians as they would decide on flannel for a season, but it did mean she got picked on less and less until it was the norm as they grew up. So she took what she could, namely a certain Elizabeth, whom decided that being a lesbian for a week would be fun, and Beca had no intentions to let the girl get away from her.
Beca wouldn't say she was a great person, in fact she took advantage of these girls' flings and curiosity as much as she could. She slowly turned into the bad girl of the school. She had a reputation by her senior year. The girl that could rock your world, if you dare. She recognised that some of the girls genuinely liked her and wanted to date her, but she wasn't interested in settling down when there were all these other confused, or simply curious, girls to enjoy. She did however manage to get herself a particular fan girl, but she'll come up later.
This story really kicks off when a certain redhead and her boyfriend break up in the beginning of senior year.
"He's leaving." Chloe explained simply as Beca hugged her close.
"I'm sorry Chlo'" Beca offered as best she could as they sat outside the school.
"I can't believe he's leaving. He's been my everything these past three years. He was going to take me to prom. He was going to be my first," Chloe listed as she cried and Beca couldn't help but sigh. It's true, Chloe Beale was probably one of the only remaining virgins in their senior class. She's been with Tom for so long and they had wanted to wait until the time was right. Eventually, that right time seemed to slip them at every opportune moment. Now, Chloe felt lost without her one true love. "I love him Beca."
"I know you do. It's going to be alright. I'm right here," it was more a promise than a statement as Beca wouldn't dare leave Chloe's side. She would be with her through fire and ice, even as a new girl was staring at her with predatory eyes. Nope. She was going to stick it out and stay with Chloe until Chloe feels better.
Beca had to endure months of a depressed Chloe. It took her a month to stop crying over Tom, and give up on the possibility of long distance. A venture Beca had warned her not to bother with. The second month Chloe had actually started to hang out as normal with everyone and eventually spent time after school with her friends too. Now we reach month three, the big decider as Beca sat with Chloe while she read a text from one of the boys.
How about dinner Friday?
That's all it said, following a lot of back and forth between him and the redhead.
"What do you think?" Chloe asked Beca as she let her read the conversation again.
"Seems simple enough, go out for dinner and see where it goes," Beca shrugged. Simplicity was her forte. Direct. To the point. She admired and appreciated it. Chloe however had to think it all through. Determine every possible meaning. Read and reread until what was a simple phrase has now turned into a novella.
"What if he means as friends?"
"So go out as friends. Then see where it goes," Beca smirked, once again simplifying it all to a do or die approach.
"I don't know, Ben's nice-"
"So go out and see wher-" Chloe slammed her hand over Beca's mouth. She could feel the brunette's lips twist to a smirk with no other advice to offer than the repetition of 'seeing where it goes'.
"Thanks, Bec." Chloe slowly retrieved her hand. "But I don't want to waste my time with a guy I don't have feelings for," Chloe sighed. "I still like Tom."
Beca knew this was an improvement. Chloe was adamantly in love with Tom and only Tom, but now… She likes him. She had to use this opportune moment to advise her to just move on. If there's one thing she hates, it's an antisocial and depressed redhead. "Chlo', no one is telling you to stop having feelings for Tom. You going-out with someone doesn't belittle that relationship. You're allowed to move on though, and you'll meet someone new and fall for him," Beca offered sincerely, until she just had to persistently add, for her own humour, "so you'll just have to go out there and see where it goes."
Chloe couldn't help but giggle at how adamant Beca was with her one liner advice. "Thanks… I guess I'll tell him dinner is on Friday."
Friday night
"You suck!" Chloe stormed into Beca's room late Friday. In no ways surprised that she walked in on the brunette with a blonde girl in an almost risqué situation.
Chloe just looked the blonde up and down. The previously acclaimed "religious" homophobe being in Beca's bed wasn't much of a shock. The brunette loved a challenge.
Beca wasn't fazed by the visit either. The blonde however, was flustered beyond belief as she collected her things. "Hey Chloe, I'm going to go home. It's getting late." She explained herself quickly to scatter off as Beca re-buttoned her flannel shirt casually.
The brunette donned a winning smirk as she watched Chloe roll her eyes. "I'm never surprised anymore," the redhead admit as she plopped down on the depravity ridden bed.
"Thanks- Why do I suck?"
"Dinner with Ben wasn't at all what I expected!" Chloe exclaimed as she laid flat on the bed, arms extended in mock surrender.
"How so?" Beca knowingly pried.
"Ben thinks I'm great and awesome and so mature. He's so happy to be dating a girl that knows how to be a relationship…" Chloe blushed as she didn't know how to phrase her main point.
"Wait. Now you guys are dating?"
"No, yes, point being!" She swerved the conversation back. "He thinks that Tom and I… And that's why he's asking me out."
"That Tom and you… Are over?" Beca sighed, ready to give Chloe some tough love lecturing. "Chloe it's been three-"
"No!" Chloe shot up to talk to her friend seriously. "I know that's over. But he thinks that we…" This time she insinuated more with a roll of her hand and a gesture to the bed.
"Oh!" Beca's lightbulb clicked. "He thinks you two fucked!"
"Yes, and now I feel like a total loser virgin chick," Chloe's exasperation was evident as she got up and started pacing Beca's room.
"Being a Virgin doesn't make you a loser Chlo'" Beca couldn't help roll her eyes at how over dramatic her redheaded friend was being.
"But it explains so much. It explains why half the guys are so touchy feely while the other half are too intimidated to be with some with actual experience." Chloe listed as she thought through every interaction she's had with guys she liked the past month.
"No, it doesn't. You're being crazy." Beca had to get up at this and still the pacing girl across her room. "Just drop the big hint that you and Tom didn't go there." Simplicity is so beautiful.
"No one will believe it. Not after 3 years. Plus…" Chloe couldn't help the way she bit her lip, faking innocence in all this.
"You told him you did, didn't you?" Beca groaned. "Why do you always let society run your life Chloe." It wasn't a question as Beca walked backwards to her desk to lean against. "You always do this. Hell, you dated Tom mainly because everyone thought you two looked good together and it made everyone else excited, now this. Are you seriously going to pull an 'easy A' in your senior year?"
"What? No!" Chloe shook her head at the insinuated movie scenario. "I don't plan on sleeping around, or pretend to be sleeping around. I just don't think my virginity is a physical thing anymore. It's become this social entity that everyone thinks I did anyways. Denying it will just make it worse."
"But what happens when you do end up with someone, and things go there?" Beca finally brought the realism of the scenario to Chloe's mind. "Are you going to fake it? You can't just expect a guy to take it slow or do it right. It could hurt, you could bleed, and to cover all basis, you could very well suck 'for an expert'" Beca listed the evidence she herself have come across. "Do you really want to lie to your first, let alone risk them finding out and you know… Hating you for it?"
"You make a good point…" Chloe was in her head now, Beca could tell when the redhead was listening and thinking things through. A great time to really advise her.
"You shouldn't lie about this Chloe."
"Says the girl who manipulates girls to sleep with her."
"Manipulation doesn't always require lying," Beca tutted with a wag of her finger. "I've slept with my fair share of girls, but I've never lied about my virginity or even my intentions," she shot back evidently.
"You already have that reputation though. Our resident bad girl," Chloe phrased as a lightbulb flashed in her head.
"That's… true." Beca was taken aback by the sudden grin on Chloe's face.
"And you've probably slept with more girls than any guy in our entire class." Chloe was now walking over, a hunter stalking its prey.
"I guess…" Beca almost squeaked once Chloe had reached her. Hands on either side of the brunette, grasping at the desk's edge.
"I bet you know exactly how to take someone's virginity." Chloe smirked suggestively, which made Beca's eyes grow wide in fear. She had no comeback to that, no witty remark as she just stared at blue eyes full of mischief. Blue eyes that disappeared as Chloe drew closer until her breathes tickled Beca's ear. "Will you take mine?"
AN: I finally published this on FF. Took me a while, but I hope you enjoy it! -Ren