Why is this strap so abrasive on my shoulder? I could have sworn the saleswoman told me that this "state of the art" laptop carrier wouldn't cut into my skin when I walked around with my precious equipment. What a lie. Beca sighed and tried to wriggle her thumb underneath the linen strap to lessen the pain as it chafed her skin. The sun was blindingly bright and warm to a suffocating degree. Not the ideal weather day for a girl like Beca, who regardless of how high the sun was in the sky, how much rain was pouring down, or how much snow was piled up in the ground, decided to wear her usual dark-washed jeans, combat boots, a tank-top, and an unbuttoned plaid shirt.
The temperature was just one of Beca's worries; not only was it ridiculously early in the morning (the last time Beca remembered being up this early was when she went to Barden University for a year to end the constant pleas from her father to get an education. That idea failed terribly.), but her station manager Luke had given her a last minute assignment since her co-worker and friend Jesse could not do it. She was supposed to be searching for new talent on Youtube, or wherever singers desperate for the limelight were.
Approaching her favorite coffee shop, Beca sighed as a woman dressed in generic business clothes stepped in front of her and did not even bother to hold the door. Rolling her eyes, Beca pulled open the door with a noise of struggle and stepped inside. When a blast of cold air breezed over her face, a small smile tugged at one corner of her lips. Letting her eyes flicker around the small space, she was relieved to find that her usual table was open. Weaving through the morning masses of people shouting out coffee orders, Beca placed her bag on the table and slid into the double person booth that faced away from the window. She looked at the leather bag with disdain, for the fact that her shoulders felt much better after she had taken the bag off, and gently opened the velcro flaps and pulled out her laptop. Oblivious to the conversations around her, Beca became immersed into her own little world of music and such as she typed in random search terms to hopefully find some talent on the internet.
Hm. This group seems pretty good. They've got decent equipment too, which either means rich parents or perhaps they're working citizens. Searching their profile, Beca saw that they only lived a few hours away and she could easily get them all up here. Sending Luke a quick message with their Youtube channel name, Beca resumed her searching.
It was only when the two voices next to her started rising in pitch that Beca snapped back to reality. Looking up, she found that the café had emptied out and the workers behind the counter were lounging casually as they had small talk. Looking to the right through her peripherals, Beca saw a flash of red hair as a woman shook her head vigorously denying whatever the other woman had just accused. Having the sense to not stare directly at the two fighting, she pretended to be typing something on her laptop as she listened in.
"Chloe, I have been constantly suggesting that you expand out to rap! I've heard you in the car, you could handle it."
"Me? Rap? Are you serious! Look at me, I'm a human puppy." Chloe protested, trying to ignore how ridiculous a suggestion like that even was.
"See? This is exactly what I mean. You never listen to me at all. I tell you to calm down with the nightclub visits, you go on a weekend binge! Paparazzi shots everywhere, scandalous headlines as someone snaps a picture of you with some bimbo, locked lips. You're running yourself into the ground." Ouch, that must hurt to hear.
"Oh, come on. I'm a bit promiscuous and a bit obvious about it when I'm drunk. I'll tone it down."
"No, you won't. You always say that," there was a pause as Jane must have taken a sip from her coffee – no doubt some crazy order, espresso with no foam and three shots of flavoring. You know, the order that pisses off every barista when they have to make it. "but you never follow up." There was another lull in the conversation as Chloe silently agreed with the woman.
"Okay, I'll give you that. But I don't understand how any of these small things make it okay fort you to stop being my manager." Chloe said, her voice loud towards the end, almost spitting the words.
"Because you blow me off when we try to discuss my pay. You ignore me when I try to get you gigs, you want to go out and party. You hardly listen to the executives when they ask you to make your new album in a specific direction. And I hear rumors about what you say about me. How I'm insufferable, and you'd trade me for another manager in a heartbeat. Is that what you want Chloe? Because I'm fine with that."
"It was never like that, Jane, ever! I'd never gossip about you…" The redhead squeaked, obviously uncomfortable that she was almost shouting in a small coffee shop. She almost seemed intimidated by the other woman.
"Chloe, don't play dumb with me. Your treatment of me has been atrocious and I'm not going to sit here and manage you with a fake smile on my face as you repeatedly ignore my decisions and suggestions, and I repeatedly have to continue cleaning up your messes."
"Oh, come on! I've never mistreated you ever, Jane. You picked me up off the streets and got me signed with Atlantic Records. I'm eternally in your debt. God knows where I'd be if you hadn't. I'd probably be singing in some shady hole in the wall bar with guys making grabs at me all night. I realize that ignoring your suggestions is rude, but I want to keep the new album how I want it to be, make my own choices. I have this… this gut feeling that this album will change a lot. Please, you must understand that." Beca didn't even have to be looking at the two to pick up that the girl Chloe's voice was faltering. The situation was affecting her deeply. A deep exhale of breath sounded out from Jane as she drummed her nails on the linoleum tabletop.
"I understand that. I do. But you're just not going anywhere Chloe. Nobody wants to pay to see you, and the execs have been discussing dropping you from the label. I don't want to drag my career down with you." When Jane stood up and walked out from behind the small divider that separated Beca's table and theirs, she was not one bit surprised when she recognized the woman. It was the rude person who hadn't bothered to hold the door for her and made it her personal goal to get inside the coffee shop before her as if her life depended on it. Yes, the small act of not being courteous shouldn't matter much to Beca, but it was so early in the morning and she was a crabby person until she got her coffee. Her typing was much slower now and it just seemed like she was some crazy person tapping random keys, trying to focus on the other two instead.
"I… I can't believe you'd say something like that." The redhead said meekly, not yet moving from her seat at the table. It was another moment before the sound of wood scraping on tile signaled to Beca that both women were standing now. "Jane, don't do this. What am I supposed to do without a manager? You've heard the stories about the managers that Atlantic Records lends out, they're horrible and mean and rude." Chloe pleaded. Beca was slightly disgusted that the poor girl was begging for Jane to not quit being her manager, especially after the manager had just told Chloe she was nothing.
"I'm sorry Chloe. I'll write up the official papers releasing you from any legal contracts and then I'll be on my way." Jane said with brevity, turning on her heels to leave the shop. A defeated Chloe sat back down and cradled her head in her hands, pushing her ginger locks back with a sigh. Beca could hear something being mumbled inaudibly, watching Chloe shake her head sadly.
This is my chance. I could get my foot in the music industry. And at Atlantic Records! God, the places I could go and the people I could meet if I worked with them. I should offer to manage her. Yeah, I should. Beca internally reassured herself, scribbling her number on a napkin before sliding her laptop back into her bag. Slipping the strap over her shoulder again with a small frown, she approached Chloe.
"Uh, hi." She started off. There was no way she was going to just smoothly slide in front of the clearly upset girl and offer her managing services. It pained Beca when the redhead looked up with slightly red eyes, wiping them with a sniffle.
"Oh, hello. Sorry about… all this," Chloe motioned to her face swiftly with a flick of her hands, "just lost my manager."
"I was listening." Oh god, that sounded creepy. Backtrack, Mitchell, backtrack! "I mean, I overheard. You guys started getting loud towards the end. She had no right to say that to you, about your current career point." Beca consoled softly, giving a soft smile. Chloe sniffled again and gave a weak smirk at Beca's embarrassment for admitting to eavesdropping.
"Thanks. I guess she's kind of right though, I haven't gotten any collaboration offers or anything. Anyways, do you need something?"
Beca cleared her throat and held onto the napkin with a tight grip. It was crinkled quite a bit by now, but still legible. "I work for a small radio station-slash-recording studio. You appear to have a pretty solid idea for your album, which is good. I'd like you to maybe come down some day this week and check it out? I could manage you. I know some stuff about managing and the music industry." Beca held out the napkin with her number on it, hoping to god that Chloe would take the sign and take it from here. Chloe looked at the number and back to Beca.
"Thank you, really, but I think my recording label is going to temporarily give me a manager. Plus there is a lot of legal work to bring in someone not related to the label, which is probably why Jane left in such a huff. She's got a lot of work to do to get away from this cleanly."
"I overheard that too. Sounds like the managers there are rough. Are you sure?" Beca tried once more, giving a hopeful grin, tilting her head to the side. She didn't really have the appearance to pull the puppy-dog card, but she could try.
"I need to talk to my label first to see what they want to do, and of course get all the legal papers worked out with Jane." Chloe admitted, giving a small nod.
"So you mean that there's a chance then?" Beca asked, giving her trademark smirk.
"I guess so. I'll call you when I hear something new about all of this."
"Awesome. Alright, thank you. It was a pleasure talking to you." The brunette awkwardly stuck out her hand and shook Chloe's. Turning away from Chloe, she slid her bag further up her shoulder and approached the counter to buy a muffin, making small talk with the barista. She was absorbed on her phone when the chocolate chip muffin, her favorite, was placed in front of her.
"Hey, were you just talking to Chloe Beale?" The lanky man behind the counter asked. He had a bit of an acne problem and his apron hung on him like a curtain. Beca took pity on him, what a terrible job it must be to be barked at all day.
"Yeah. Why?" Beca asked, intrigued. Maybe he knew her?
"I'm a huge fan of hers. I listened to her first album, it was really great. Do you know her?"
"Not really, but I may become her manager. The woman you saw storming out a few minutes ago is her ex-manager." Beca didn't dare share much more. Chloe's life was private, or at least it deserved to be.
"That's awesome! Tell her I said hi for me or something? She deserves more recognition. Maybe one day I could tell people that Chloe Beale visited the coffee shop I worked in, and they'll all be envious." Beca was slightly creeped out as she watched the boy daydream, sliding him a five before leaving the shop, feeling rather confident about how things went with Chloe.
Jiggling her keys in the lock, Chloe groaned as the door would not relent. The door had been deteriorating lately. This showed by the way it made a horrendous creaking noise when opened, or like just now, how it was a struggle to unlock it. When she got inside, she expertly tossed her keys towards the kitchen, pausing a moment to see if they would land on the counter and not slip to the floor. When they stilled on the countertop, Chloe pumped her fist and gave a semi-silent cheer. Going through her purse to look for her phone, her perusing fingers stopped when they came across a napkin. Pulling it out of her purse, she turned it in her hands examining it. A number was scrawled across it. Oh, it was that hot brunette at the coffee shop today. She had offered to be my manager. I should look into that…
Sighing, Chloe looked around her apartment. It was a steal, truly. After her first album had a huge success, she decided to splurge and buy herself a nice place. She had always lived in dingy areas, with always flickering yellow lights and chipped paint. But now she had a nice, modern home. Her walls were decorated with various indie albums, and a framed picture of when she was nominated for a Grammy for Best Song of the Year. She hadn't received much recognition since that, due to her partying habits.
One could say Chloe liked to party. A lot. It was often that the ginger woke up to find her place trashed. Nightclubs were like her second home. There was something so thrilling and electrifying about dancing with a bunch of strangers. Her partying habits had recently got in the way of her career, though, and that wasn't good. Instead of going to the recording studio to try out some ideas, Chloe would be sprawled across her bed hungover. Speaking of hungover, alcohol was another close friend of Chloe's. It pushed back bad thoughts and brought forward the good. It loosened her up and made her feel free. This pissed of her ex-manager Jane to no end. Paparazzi loved taking pictures of a drunk starlet as she tries to make her way home. It gave Chloe a bad reputation that would take weeks of smoothing over as she appeared at events and supported charities to better her appearance.
Looking down, Chloe realized that she still held the napkin in her hand. Walking carefully over to her phone, she called up one of the executives at Atlantic Records and asked about the work that would be involved if she brought in an outside manager like Jane. There was going to be some paperwork it seemed, but that was fine. Hanging up, she poured a rum and coke and drifted her way towards the couch. Plopping down, she turned on the T.V. in front of her and pulled her phone out of her back pocket. Why she didn't just call the mysterious girl when she was near her house phone was beyond Chloe. Dialing in the number, she waited for a moment before a familiar voice answered.
"Hello?"
"Hi! It's Chloe." There was a silence. On the other side of the line, Beca was doing a small victory dance, trying to keep her excited squeals muffled. "…Chloe Beale?" Chloe added, thinking that Beca had no idea who she was.
"Oh, hi! So, have you thought about my offer?" Beca asked.
"I have. I called up my label and there's some paperwork in the future but it all looks pretty easy to figure out. Jane usually did all of this, but it's about time I became a little more independent."
"Awesome! Do you need me to come in to sign anything?"
"Actually yeah, I think they're going to fax over the papers soon. If you want to head over to my place, we can get this all ironed out. I live on 250 Livire Avenue."
"Alright, I'll see you in a bit. Thank you so much for choosing me as your new manager! I'm honored to have this chance." And with that, the two ended the phone call On Chloe's side of the line, she had a pleasant smirk on her face as she sipped her drink, reclining her legs up onto the table in front of her. On Beca's side of the line, she was whooping and cheering.