Hey everyone! So, I've seen Pitch Perfect like eight times in the past two weeks. That movie is the best. I've also been reading a ton of Beca/Jesse fanfics and I finally decided to write one of my own. Sorry if it's awful, but I wrote it at three in the morning. Also, did I mention I'm in love with Benji? He's the sweetest person ever! But anyways, on with the story!
Beca angrily pushed the end call button on her phone before tossing it onto her bed. She ran her hands through her hair, pushing the dark strands out of her face as she groaned in frustration. Why wasn't he picking up? She had called him a dozen times in the past couple of hours. She growled again, earning a glare from Kimmy Jin, who was sitting in her usual spot at her computer. Giving up, Beca swung her bag over her shoulder and headed outside. If he didn't want to talk to her, that was fine. She didn't care. Really.
Yet as she stopped at her spot, their spot, she couldn't help the uncomfortable twist in her gut. She remembered him laying his towel down, joining her without waiting for an invitation. He did have a habit of making himself at home; she had told him that once. It was something she liked about him, though, and she found herself feeling lonely without him next to her.
Beca pulled her headphones out of her bag, eager for a distraction, and put them on, cranking the volume up and positioning her bag so she could lay her head down on it. Right before she closed her eyes and leaned back she caught a glimpse of familiar dark brown hair across the park. Sitting up straighter, Beca craned her neck, trying to get a better view. Yes, it was him. And he was with… someone. A girl. She looked a lot like Aubrey, Beca pondered, but dismissed the thought immediately. Aubrey strongly disliked Jesse. The girl in question had the same blonde hair, though; a bit longer and with more curl. She was sitting next to Jesse on the grass, and Beca didn't have to look to know that they were on his towel. That stupid blue towel that he took everywhere. She could feel her cheeks begin to redden and her palms got sweaty. No. No, she wasn't jealous. Absolutely not. Jesse could hang out with whoever he wanted. She had no claim on him. You were the one that made it clear where you two stood, Beca reminded herself.
She still felt awful about that night. He had only been trying to help and she had treated him like shit. Her hands clenched in anger. If only she had kept her stupid mouth shut, had thanked him for helping her like she should've, then she could have been the one sitting with him instead of by herself, wallowing in self-pity. Beca stole another look of the couple. A purple laptop was resting on Jesse's knees, and they were both laughing at something on the screen. Beca gritted her teeth and turned away. She didn't want to – couldn't – watch anymore.
Facing the opposite direction, she caught sight of Benji walking down the sidewalk, shuffling a deck of cards.
"Benji!" She called out, waving her hand in the air. The magician saw her and smiled widely, moving to meet her.
"Hey, Beca! Want to see my new card trick?" He greeted her. Despite whatever feelings she was having about Jesse and the new girl, Beca couldn't help but smile when she was with Benji. The boy was always smiling and fun to be around. She patted the ground next to her.
"Let's see it." She agreed, angling her body to face his.
"Alright, pick a card, any card." He fanned them out and she slid one from the end, cupping her hand around it to block his view. The four of clubs, of course. Seemed fitting.
"Just slide it back in the deck, anywhere." Benji instructed, drawing Beca out of her thoughts and back into the trick. She followed his instructions and folded her hands, waiting for the magic, but Benji just tucked the deck back into his pocket and mirrored her actions.
"So what did you want to talk about?" He asked her. Beca gaped for a moment. How did he know?
"What makes you think I didn't just want to enjoy your company, Benji? She questioned, feigning innocence.
"Pretty girls don't usually talk to me unless it's for a specific reason." He admitted. Beca smiled back and bumped his shoulder playfully.
"Aww, thanks!" She blushed involuntarily.
"Yeah. So what was it?" He pressed, and Beca debated whether or not to ask him. Curiosity won out, however.
"Do you know who that is?" She turned to face the spot that Jesse and his lady friend were still occupying and pointed. Benji's eyes scanned the park for a moment before settling on his friend.
"With Jesse?" She nodded.
"That's Grace, she's part of the drama club. Jesse met her when he helped score their musical a couple of weeks ago. Apparently she's really into movies too, so they've been hanging out together a lot recently." Benji shrugged and turned back to Beca.
"Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason." If he didn't know, then she wasn't about to go spilling all of her stupid girly feelings.
"Yeah. She's really nice. She came over to the dorm last night and watched Rocky with Jesse and me. She even brought brownies." Benji's eyes drifted back to the girl, Grace, and Beca saw his eyes glaze over just a bit. It was the way Jesse used to look at her.
"You like her, don't you?" She teased him.
"Wha- no! That's- no, of course not." Benji's cheeks turned bright red and he fidgeted nervously.
"Mmhmm, okay." Beca nodded, giving him a look that said you're not fooling me. Benji just blushed even more and stood up.
"I have to go. I've got class in a couple of minutes. Bye, Beca." He turned to leave.
"Wait! What about the card trick?" Beca called after him.
"Look in your bag!" He replied. Tugging her bag to her side, Beca dug around until her hand felt a small card. She pulled it out and turned it over. The four of clubs.
So there you go! Chapter one! Don't hold your breath for chapter two, though, because I go back to school on Tuesday and I have a horrible track record when it comes to timely updates. I'm going to try extra hard to get this going, though, because it's really fun to write. Feel free to leave suggestions in that nice little review box below. I don't really have a set plan for this story so they'd be appreciated! Also, the four of clubs thing is an old playing card superstition. Look it up if you're curious! Hope you enjoyed and I'll try to update soon!