Prologue: The Love Between Us
Chloe Beale woke up, thinking it was just another regular day. Sure there was the activities fair and all with Aubrey around noon, but it didn't feel like anything special was going on that day. She climbed out of bed and shut off her alarm before going to get dressed into some workout clothes.
Chloe was one of those bubbly, close-talking, friendly girls that was fairly popular in high school. However, choosing to do a cappella in college wasn't really the greatest choice She didn't really if she wanted to stay on top of the social food chain. She didn't care though, she just enjoyed living everyday to its fullest. She had bright ginger red hair and piercing light blue eyes that entranced anyone who looked upon them, boy or girl. She headed over to the gym and did her workout before taking a shower.
For the activities fair, Chloe had decided to wear a cute blue dress that brought out her eyes. She and her best friend Aubrey were really hoping to find some new Bellas, because they truly needed to bounce back after the disaster last year at the ICCA Finals. Chloe had suggested looking for good singers at this point, because anyone who knew about their little incident a few months ago wouldn't even think about joining.
For Beca Mitchell, today was anything but a regular day. Her entire life was going to change, all because of one word: college. No matter how many times she begged her father to let her go to Los Angeles, he refused, insisting that she should at least try college for a year because of the whole "I teach here which means you get to go for free" deal.
Beca's father's house wasn't far from the campus of Barden University, where Beca was inevitably going to spend the next 12 months of her life until she fulfilled her end of the bargain. Once she made it through those 12 months of misery, her dad had promised he would give her enough money for a one-way ticket to Los Angeles and enough Taco Bell to last until she started to pay her dues.
Beca woke up at 8:00 am sharp, determined to avoid her father and her evil stepmother, Sheila. She had packed her bags the night before, and after eating a Pop Tart for breakfast, she called a cab and waited on the front porch. The small yellow car pulled up to the curb in front of her house, and Beca turned around, a small smile crossing her face as she bid her farewells to the hellhole she had been living in since her parents divorced.
Chloe and Aubrey set the Bellas booth up and stood there for an hour without anyone stopping by to show their interest. Chloe just wanted the Bellas to stay as a group so all she really wanted were good singers. "Aubrey, we really just need to find good singers. All the Bellas that were with us last year who were in this group, they don't have the nerve to come back. So we really just need to pick good singers, no matter what their body type."
They stood there for another twenty minutes or so before a young blonde girl from Tasmania came up and introduced herself as Fat Amy. After that, it took a while for them to find anybody who seemed interested. Chloe was on the verge of giving up when suddenly a girl caught her eye.
Chloe's eyes locked on a young girl with medium length brown hair. She had a couple tattoos and a shit ton of piercings in her right ear. But despite all that, she had to be the most beautiful girl Chloe had ever laid her eyes on. Chloe smiled softly and watched the girl, her heartbeat speeding up a little bit. Her world completely aca-stopped for a moment, and Chloe smiled at the girl. "What about her Bree?" Chloe asked once she came back into reality.
Aubrey took one look at the girl and immediately cringed. "Ooh, Chloe I don't know. She looks a little too alternative for us," Aubrey told her best friend. Whatever she said went in one of Chloe's ears and out of the other, because as soon as the alt girl walked up to the table, Chloe just had to speak to her.
"Hi, would you have any interest in joining our a cappella group?" She asked, handing out a flyer to the young girl with a friendly smile on her face.
Beca looked up when she heard someone address her. She saw two girls standing behind a table, the blonde looking at her skeptically while the redhead was sporting a beaming smile and a flyer in her hand, which she was trying to give to her. Beca took the flyer from her hand and looked it over, restraining a laugh when she saw the ridiculous outfits these "a cappella girls" were wearing.
"Oh, so this is like, a thing now?" Beca asked, chuckling and looking back up at the girls, who both had serious expressions on their faces. "Oh...you're actually serious about this, aren't you?" Beca said, unable to contain her laughter.
"Oh totes." Chloe said smiling widely. "We sing songs without any instruments, it's all from our mouths." She seemed pretty proud of herself for not stuttering when she talked to the beautiful alt girl. She could feel herself sweating a little under her dress.
Beca cringed at the redhead's word choice. "Yikes," she said, forcing a rather unenthusiastic smile. She looked back at the flyer. "Look, I'd love to join your little friendship circle where you guys sing crappy covers of songs and make friendship bracelets while braiding each other's hair, but this seems pretty lame," Beca said, handing the flyer back to the redhead.
Chloe felt her heart drop a little at those words. "It's not lame." Aubrey said. Chloe looked down for a moment. Aubrey nudged her. "Tell her it's not lame, Chloe."
Chloe looked at Aubrey and then back at the short brunette. "She's right. It's not lame. We compete all over the world and at national championships. Not to mention we've been backup choirs for famous singers." She said trying to sell the group to the young alt girl, who she felt a strong attraction to, which is odd because she had never felt that for a girl before. "It really isn't as lame as you think it is. It's also like a second family, we become super close and we make lifelong friends." She said, then waiting for a response from the young girl.
Beca sighed. "Look, it was really great to meet you both. I have more important things to do and better places to be. And, I don't even sing. Good luck with your flyering or whatever," she said, turning around abruptly and walking away from the two girls.
Chloe stood there, bummed that they couldn't even get her interested. "What the hell are we going to do?" Aubrey asked through gritted teeth. Chloe's focus wasn't on Aubrey, but the young alt girl as she walked away and looked at the other tables. She watched her leave and sighed. Were they ever going to get anyone to at least try out?
After the activities fair, Chloe searched for that young brunette. She wasn't going to give up on the alt girl because she knew that with a little persuasion, she could get her to audition. However, no matter where she looked, Chloe couldn't find the young alternative girl and it was starting to drive her crazy. When the week of auditions came around, Chloe had almost given up all hope completely of finding that one girl and convincing her to join.
Chloe was taking a shower with her fuck buddy Tom two days before auditions when she heard someone singing in the shower. She stopped kissing Tom and turned around. It was a female voice, and she had to find out who it was. She was desperate at this point so she got out of the shower and followed the voice.
After being busted by her dad for skipping her philosophy class, Beca went to the communal showers to get ready for the day. It was late in the morning, so she wasn't expecting anyone to be in the showers. She was humming the tune to one of her favorite songs, "Titanium" by Sia and David Guetta. She took off her robe and pulled the curtain shut behind her, starting to softly sing the lyrics while turning on the water.
"You shout it out, but I can't hear a word you say. You're talking loud, not saying much. You criticize but all your bullets ricochet. You knock me down, and I get up." Beca started to rinse her hair when she got to the chorus. "I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose. Fire away, fire away. Ricochet, you take your aim. Fire away, fire away."
Chloe opened up the shower curtain to where the sound was coming from and she smiled. It was that alt girl from the activities fair a month ago. She smirked and then couldn't help but say. "You can sing! I knew it!" She said chuckling as the brunette jumped.
"Jesus Christ!" Beca yelped, pulling the shower curtain around herself as she looked up to see who had entered her shower stall. Her eyes widened when she saw it was the same redhead from the Barden Bellas table at the activities fair. Beca tried to hold her soap bottle, but it slipped out of her hand, and she quickly bent down to get it, trying her best to cover herself.
"How high does your belt go?" Chloe asked turning off the girls shower before stepping back to where she was standing. She smirked a little as the young girl tried to cover up her nude body. Chloe, on the other hand, had no problem with the other girl seeing her in her birthday suit, the redheaded senior was super confident. "You have to audition for the Bellas, or at least consider it. We sang back up Prince once. His butt is so tiny that I can hold it with like, one hand." She realized that was off topic and then said. "But that's not the point. You have to audition."
"I would think about considering it, but this is kind of an inappropriate place for that. Please, get out of my shower," Beca said, trying not to let her eyes wander down the redhead's body.
"You were singing 'Titanium' right?" Chloe asked, remaining in the shower stall. She smiled a cute smile, that was the song she got herself off to.
Beca looked up at the redhead in surprise. "You know David Guetta? I didn't think he was really your style," Beca replied.
Chloe chuckled. "Are you kidding? I love that song, it's my jam." She said smiling at how nervous the younger girl looked. "My lady jam." She added just to tease the younger girl a little bit. "The song really builds." She said before winking at the brunette.
Beca shuddered at the thought. "Ew. Gross. I really didn't need to know that," she said, avoiding eye contact. A few moments passed, and the redhead was still standing stark naked in her shower stall. "Uh, can you go now?"
"Nope, I'm not leaving here until you sing it for me." Chloe said, putting her hands on her hips and and then pretending to look at her watch before sighing softly as she waited for Beca. "And if you sing, I'll leave." She added.
"Dude, I'm not gonna sing the song that you…" Beca said, trailing off awkwardly. She realized the girl would stand there all day if she had to. Beca sighed and took a deep breath. "I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose. Fire away, fire away."
Chloe smiled and started harmonizing with her, instantly realizing how well their voices went together. "Ricochet, you take your aim. Fire away, fire away. Shoot me down but I won't fall. I am titanium." She focused on the girl's midnight blue eyes and body language as they continued to sing together. The young girl started to relax and this made Chloe smile widely. They sounded like a pair of angels as their voices harmonized with one another.
"Shoot me down, but I won't fall. I am titanium," Beca said, a small smile spreading across her face as they finished the last line. Beca then looked down awkwardly at her feet. "So…"
Chloe noticed the girl look at her body and this made Chloe smirk a little bit. She then gestured to her body and said, "Yeah, I'm pretty confident about all this." She said before handing Beca her towel.
Before she thought about her words, Beca blurted out, "You should be." Beca immediately blushed, feeling her cheeks burn. Beca wrapped her towel around her body when she saw a tall boy with short brown hair poke his head into the shower stall.
"You have a lovely voice." Tom said. Chloe's eyes nearly popped out of her head and she turned around to see Tom.
"Tom!" She said pushing him out of the stall before turning back to the young girl. "I'm sorry about all this. Have a nice shower. I'll see you at auditions." She then started to leave before saying. "I'm Chloe by the way. And I hope to see you there."
In the next two days the auditions took place, and Chloe was super happy when the young alt girl who called herself Beca showed up. That night at the hood night initiation party, Chloe noticed Beca standing by herself in one of rows higher up. She looked like she was annoyed with one of the boys who was trying to talk to her. So she decided to walk up to Beca and keep her company. "Hi," Chloe said smiling. She grabbed onto Beca's arms and pulled her close so their lips were a mere set of inches apart. "I am so glad that I met you," she said quietly. "I think that we're gonna be really fast friends."
Beca was surprised by Chloe's sudden action, but she quickly recovered. "Well, you saw me naked, so," Beca said flirtatiously, throwing in a wink at the end. Her gaze briefly flickered from Chloe's eyes to her lips, but she focused in on her eyes once more, pushing down any feelings that had started to rise up in her chest.
Chloe took notice of the little movement on Beca's eyes, seeing her look at her lips. Chloe smiled softly and stayed close to the brunette. "And don't worry too much about Aubrey. She's a good girl. Her parents just sheltered her her entire life until she got to college, and she just wants to impress her dad." Chloe bit her bottom lip softly. She really wanted to lean in and kiss Beca right then and there, but she didn't want to freak Beca out. The young freshman might not even swing that way. "Anyways, I'm glad you auditioned. Because I know you're more talented than you let on." She said sweetly.
Beca blushed at Chloe's compliment. "Thanks," she said shyly. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jesse, a movie nerd that she met at her radio station internship, walking towards her with a drink in each hand. "It was nice to talk to you," Beca said, smiling at Chloe before going to Jesse and taking one of the drinks from him.
Chloe's eyes saddened when she saw Beca and the way she looked at Jesse. No one had ever looked at her that way before. She walked over to Aubrey and said, "I'm gonna head out early." Chloe stated.
"But the party's just starting." Aubrey whined, not wanting her best friend to leave.
Chloe shrugged, "It's okay sweetie, we will party plenty this year. I'm just not in the mood right now." She said before giving Aubrey a hug. She went and grabbed her jacket before looking back over and Beca, who was talking close to Jesse, smiling at him. Chloe turned away, trying to hide her tears before she walked with haste up the aisle and out of the amphitheater.
Beca noticed Chloe make a swift exit, and her eyes followed her before turning back to Jesse, who was in the middle of his "I'm an aca-boy, you're an aca-girl, and we're gonna have aca-children" speech. Beca couldn't help but roll her eyes. "In your dreams, nerd," she said, playfully punching his arm.
"What? It's inevitable?" Jesse insisted.
"Oh, I bet it is," Beca replied sarcastically..
A couple of months into preparing for competition, Chloe was studying for one of her classes in the meeting area building where students hung out and worked on homework. She liked studying by herself, that's when she got the most work done. But one person was on her mind and that was Beca. Damn, she couldn't get that girl out of her head, and every time Beca smiled or walked into the room, Chloe's heart would flutter as fast as a bird's wings.
She was working on her Advanced Calculus homework when she saw Beca walking by. Chloe instantly tried to look like she was busy. Chloe was struggling to do so when she saw Beca smile at her, then Chloe was done for.
Beca was walking through the student center to grab a bite to eat when she saw bright red hair out of the corner of her eye. Sure enough, it was Chloe. Beca started to walk towards her, smiling when she caught the redhead's attention. Beca sat down in the chair opposite to Chloe's. "Hey," she greeted with a friendly smile.
"Uh, hi." Chloe said with a soft smile. She set down her pencil and calculator on the table. "How are you? You did well at Bella rehearsal this morning." She complimented.
"I'm good. How are you? And thanks," Beca said, her smile growing wider when Chloe complimented her.
"I'm pretty good. You're timing is perfect, actually. I needed to take a study break." Chloe said with a smile, she just looked at Beca and smiled, she just loved to gaze at Beca. And how beautiful she was, because she truly was the most beautiful girl in the world to Chloe. She sighed happily, "How have your classes been?"
"Not too bad. I mean, it's learning, so I always end up zoning out anyways. How about yours?" Beca asked, feeling her phone buzz in the pocket of her sweatshirt. She checked the screen and saw a text from Jesse.
Chloe chuckled and smiled a little bit at Beca. "Hey Beca," she said smiling hopefully. "I know you're not really into movies, but I was wondering if you would want to have a movie night this weekend at my place. We could just sit and talk through the movie and we don't really have to pay attention to it." She suggested, hoping the young, beautiful girl would say yes. "I just want to get to know you, since you're in the Bellas now."
Beca smiled, then read the text from Jesse. "Actually, I already have plans. I promised Jesse I'd watch the Breakfast Club with him," Beca said apologetically.
Chloe's heart dropped a little but she managed not to show it too much. "Oh, that's okay." She said, trying to not come off as super disappointed, even though she was devastated that Beca already had plans with Jesse. "Some other time then." She said, nodding before smiling half heartedly at Beca.
Beca nodded. "Some other time. I'm gonna go grab a bite from the Taco Bell in the food court. Wanna come with me?" Beca offered.
"I'd love to, I just have a lot of studying to do." Chloe said, looking down and trying not to show her sadness. "You go ahead, I'll see you later at the riff off."
Beca was a bit disappointed by Chloe's answer but she didn't show it as she walked away from the redhead. She then paused and turned around. "What the fuck is a riff off?"
Chloe chuckled and explained it to her. They did a really good job that night but still ended up losing.
A week later Chloe was sitting in her dorm when she heard a knock on her door. She opened up. "Hi Beca," She said smiling softly.
"Hey, Chlo," Beca said, smiling when the older Bella opened the door. "Mind if I come in?"
Chloe opened the door, "come on in." She said smiling and closing the door behind Beca. She offered Beca some pizza she had ordered. "What's up?" She asked, sitting down on the couch and patting the cushion next to her for Beca to sit.
Beca sat down and handed Chloe a flash drive. "I know Aubrey's really uptight about the setlist, but I made a few mashups I think we could do really well if we mixed it up a little," Beca told her.
Chloe took the flash drive over to her computer. "I didn't know you were into this sort of stuff." She said with a smile as she brought her laptop back over to the couch. "Do you mind if I play one right now?" She asked with a sweet smile. "I just want to hear it."
Beca shook her head. "I don't mind at all," she said, unable to say no to Chloe's adorable smile. "And making mashups is kinda what I do. If I'm not sleeping late or being a pain in the ass to Aubrey, I have my headphones on and I fiddle around with different tracks," Bea said.
Chloe chuckled and then pushed play on one of the mash ups, which was a mashup of "Five Hundred Miles" and "Titanium." As she got into it, she smiled. Beca seriously had no end to her talents. Chloe's head went along with the beat and she sang along with it, harmonizing perfectly. That was one of Chloe's specialties.
Beca smiled while Chloe was listening to the mashup and singing along with the lyrics. She twiddled her thumbs, waiting to hear what Chloe had to say about the mix.
After Chloe was finished she set her laptop down and smiled at Beca. "Beca, that is incredible." She said, truly amazed by the things that the young short brunette could do. "Like seriously. You can do anything you set your mind to." She added, smiling her beautiful smile at Beca. "I think you're really amazing." Chloe confessed, blushing a little.
Beca smiled sheepishly at Chloe's comment. "Thanks. It means a lot. I just thought that we might perform better if we sang songs other than Ace of Base. Last time I checked, being a Nazi wasn't considered to be cool anymore," she said wittily.
Chloe chuckled. "Believe me, I've tried to convince Aubrey to try something new. She is just scared of disappointing her dad." Chloe explained before a moment of silence. "That said, I still completely agree with you. You're mash-ups could definitely give us that extra edge when it comes to competition." She said smiling at Beca. "Like I said, you're really amazing."
Beca blushed, her cheeks turning bright red. "It really means alot to me to hear you say that. I've always dreamed of becoming a music producer. Nobody's ever really listened or cared about my music before," she said.
Chloe shrugged in a cute way, bringing her shoulders up to her ears and then dropping them before she said, "I just don't think someone as talented as you should have your ideas ignored." Chloe smiled before playing with her hands nervously for a little bit as a short silence fell between the two girls. Chloe could swear she could hear her heart beating it was so quiet, but then again it didn't have to be very quiet at all to hear Chloe's heart beating like a hummingbird's wings whenever she was around Beca. "It's just stupid that Aubrey never gives you a chance, I try to have her let you share your ideas but she's so focused on her plan that she isn't open to listen to others. But i hope you know, that I will fight to have your ideas heard." She said staring into Beca's deep blue eyes, feeling her heart pound at a million miles per hour.
Beca smiled and looked down. "Uh, I should probably get going. Jesse wants to continue my 'moviecation' today. We're gonna watch Jaws," Beca said with an added eye roll.
"Oh, okay." She said smiling somberly, really wishing Beca would stay and spend some time with her. As much time as they spent together in the Bella's, Chloe felt like she hardly knew Beca. "Have fun. Jaws is a great movie." She said smiling the best she could. It had been more than a week since Chloe had mentioned them hanging out and getting to know each other, but Beca hadn't mentioned it once since then so Chloe figured she had forgotten about it or just wasn't interested. "And I'm sure that Jesse will be happy that he's educating you." She chuckled weakly.
"This is a part of some master plan that he has which will result in me being his girlfriend. I think it's a ridiculous plan, but he's persistent," Beca said with a chuckle, "I'll text you later, okay?"
Chloe nodded quickly, even though she knew Beca probably wouldn't. "Yeah,okay." She said before standing up and walking Beca over to the door. "Have fun with Jesse, he really likes you." Chloe said with a smile. She gazed into Beca's eyes, "but then again, who wouldn't like you? You're a catch, and whoever is lucky enough to have you is one lucky person." She stated, trying not to cry as she said that.
"Thanks, Chlo. You're full of compliments lately. Talk to you later," Beca said, waving goodbye before leaving Chloe's dorm room and walking across the campus to Jesse's, where they spent the rest of the day watching Jaws and all of the sequels to it.
Chloe sat in her dorm room for the rest of the day crying into a pillow. She had it bad for Beca. And by bad, we mean to the point where Chloe felt like she was self-destructing. She knew that there was no way that she and Beca could possibly be together, because it was obvious that didn't feel the same way. She liked Jesse, and Chloe was just going to have to deal with that harsh reality. But if Chloe had no chance at all, then this would be the end. However, it was just the beginning.
Hey guys, I am co-writing this story with one of my good friends Gabi. It is based off our stories on Instagram. This is called: The Love Between Us
Hope you enjoy the prologue!
Sincerely, Youngstoryteller.007 and or another nickname she chooses lol