The dulcet tones of Metallica broke the innocent stillness of the early morning. It took a while for Beca Mitchell to realize that it was coming from the phone she carelessly placed on the nightstand, and even longer to remember that she let Lily have free reign over her phone last night. "Metallica?! Lily, I'm gonna kill you and sell your gills to the chinese restaurant in town." She has nothing against Metallica, not unless they wake her up from her much needed sleep. She thought of letting the call go to voicemail, but relented because she didn't want to suffer a headache for the whole day. Ignoring the caller ID, she answered the call.
"This better be good." Beca said in greeting.
"Oh, God! Beca, I'm so sorry. I forgot about timezones and I was freaking out and I just really wanted to - " Beca's still sleeping brain couldn't register the voice, so she peeked at the screen.
"Chloe?" Beca didn't trust herself this early in the morning, especially when the voice on the other end of the line didn't sound like the Chloe she has come to know and like.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you'd still be asleep. Gosh, I'm really sorry, Beca." Chloe sounded frantic, her voice breaking and she sounded like she was in tears.
"Whoa, Chloe. Slow down." Any thought of sleep or annoyance was replaced by concern over her friend. It wasn't like Chloe to be this way. Beca remembered the whole ordeal of the redhead's nodes and her concern grew. "What's happened?"
"I'm sorry. I don't know why I called you… Well, I do. But it seems so silly now and I'm really sorry. I just didn't know who to call. But now I called you and woke you up and I'm sorry." If possible, Chloe sounded even more frantic."
"Chloe! Chloe, slow down. Breathe, okay? Deep breath, come on." Beca shifted in her bed while waiting for Chloe to comply. When she heard the tell tale rush of air, she felt herself exhale, too. "Now, tell me what's wrong."
"I…. I just… It's nothing. Nothing important. I'm sorry."
"Chloe, stop saying sorry and tell me what's wrong." Beca said in her most authoritative voice.
The command seemed to work, because Chloe kept silent on the other end for a few moments. "It's silly. I'm just… I guess I'm just nervous. I'm in my car waiting for my interview and I worked myself up in a panic."
Beca's mind worked overtime with the information given and came to three conclusions. One, no one was dead, dying or in mortal danger. Beca felt herself sigh in relief at that. Two, Chloe is panicking over a job interview. And three, of all the people in Chloe's life, she called her. She didnt know what to do with that bit of fact, but she felt a warmth and sudden rush of affection for the older girl. "Oh, Chloe! You are gonna be fine. You are gonna be brilliant!" Beca surprised herself, she was not this positive this early in the morning. She was even more surprised at that she meant it.
"You think so?" Chloe's small voice tugged at Beca's heart and she wanted to wrap the girl in her arms.
"I know so. You're smart, Chloe. And I know this will sound like a cover of a self-help book, but you can do anything and everything you set your mind to. And I mean that."
The conviction in Beca's voice sent a wave of emotion over Chloe, and in that moment, she believed the younger woman. "Wow. I never… Nobody ever said that to me before.. I guess what I'm trying to say is.. Thanks, Beca."
"What? Well, they should have. Chloe, you're a beautiful, strong, smart and capable woman. I know we don't know each other that well, but I know that much about you. You sell yourself short and you don't give yourself enough of credit for everything you've accomplished. Be confident, you have every right to be. Anyone would be lucky to have you." Beca was never good with pep talk, the Bellas know that much. But she finds that it was easy with Chloe because it was all true.
"Aww, Becs. I'm… " Chloe was speechless.
Beca couldn't help the pride that she rendered the much loved older woman speechless. "Are you okay?" She asked belatedly.
"Yeah. Yeah.. I.. Thanks, Becs." Chloe did sound better, still a little overwhelmed but in a good way. She laughed. "Thank you. And, I'm really sorry I woke you. I was just sitting here and giving myself pep talk but it didn't really work. So I just grabbed my phone and blind-called my contacts." Chloe laughed again, feeling so much better now. "I'm glad it was you, Beca."
Beca smiled despite herself. "I'm glad it was me, too." She was sure she hit her quota of the mushy stuff for the day with that line alone, but she didn't really care. "Now, get out of your car and get that job. It is your duty as a Bella to kick some ass. I'd wish you luck, but you don't really need it."
Chloe laughed again, feeling so much lighter. She felt a rush of confidence go through her. She will fly through this interview and get this job. "Thank you. For, for everything." She hoped her voice conveyed her sincerity.
"Anytime, Chloe. Anytime." Beca smiled to the phone. "Oh! And if you call me Becs again, I will hunt you down."
The sweet sound of Chloe's loud laughter was all Beca got as answer before the line was cut off.