Chapter One

"And I can't wait until you meet Aubrey, oh! She's going to love you. How amazing is this, Bails? The Beale sisters taking on Barden University together, as Bellas!"

Bailey had managed to tune out her sister's obsessive chatter some time ago as she unpacked her clothes and belongings into her dorm room. She looked around briefly once more, taking in Erin's side of the room. She had been moved in for weeks by the time Bailey got there, considering she was on the soccer team and had preseason. She felt like a hurricane touching down in Erin's tidiness when she had started carting in totes and suitcases and backpacks alike. After nearly an hour, she had almost all of it unpacked. She couldn't help but already appreciate Erin for having given her alone time to get settled in- it was certainly more than she could say for her sister.

"Chloe," she giggled, finally turning to face her. The redhead had settled in on Bailey's bed, her painted toes pressing into the white comforter, her eyes fluttering around the room as she babbled.

Chloe cocked an eyebrow, "what?"

Bailey giggled once more and shook her head, turning to place her makeup mirror on the desk at the foot of her bed.

"Acapella doesn't even start up for another couple of weeks, right? So don't I have time to focus on other stuff like, I don't know," she shrugged, "getting settled at college?"

Chloe pursed her lips and the sisters stared at one another.

"If you want me to leave, then just say it." Chloe sucked in her lips and turned her cheek to Bailey, though she showed no signs of lifting herself off the bed.

"Oh my God," Bailey groaned, rolling her eyes and chuckling dryly, "you are so dramatic."

"I'm not the one kicking my big sissy out of my room when she just wants to help." Chloe huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. She still refused to meet Bailey's stare.

"I'm not kicking you out! I just," she paused, taking note of Chloe's childlike pout. She shook her head and sat at the desk, "nevermind." She shrugged. "Forget I said anything."

In just moments, Chloe began talking again. Her one-sided conversation had switched topics to that of the "Treblemakers," another acapella group on campus.

"And you cannot fraternize with the trebles, they're nothing but-"

"Trouble?" Bailey supplied.

She giggled at her own joke.

Chloe didn't notice.

"Exactly! They're nothing but trouble. That's why Aubrey says we are to have no romantic nor sexual relations with any of them."

"That shouldn't be too hard for you, now, huh?" Bailey giggled to herself once more, absentmindedly hanging up a sweater in her closet.

Chloe's cheeks glowed hot.

It wasn't a secret that she had come out as a lesbian, but it certainly wasn't something she was used to being said out loud, especially not by her "baby" sister. She was still having a hard time even accepting and processing the fact that her little sister wasn't all that little anymore. She had always taken her big-sisterly duties seriously, always looking out for Bailey, always standing up for her. Afterall, Bailey was the most inherently good and kindhearted human that Chloe had ever met. She marveled at her sister's sunshine personality from the time they were kids, and she had vowed to herself that she would never let anyone dull that sunshine.

"Bails," Chloe began, her eyes laying heavy on her sister's small form, "I just want you to be careful."

Bailey turned, a light eyebrow cocked slightly, "Be careful?"

Chloe nodded, standing up and leaning against the edge of the bed. "College is just different," Chloe shrugged, "this is where you find yourself and the people you're supposed to be with. I just want to make sure you aren't disappointed."

Bailey wiggled uncomfortably under her sister's direct attention, it was a strange occasion for her to be so serious.

"Chlo, I, I know." Her lips twitched, "Everything's going to be fine!" She smiled lightheartedly, closing the distance between them and lightly hugging Chloe, "Especially when I've got my big sister here to look out for me."

Chloe smiled and returned the embrace from her sister.

The two had been best friends nearly their whole lives. While Chloe was older, now a senior in college when Bailey was only a freshman, they had been raised with all the love and affection in the world. They loved hard and fiercely, and it didn't seem like there was a thing in the world that could interfere with that love.

"Lucky for you, I have a meeting with Aubrey about you and the new Bella auditions." Chloe smirked and tapped a gentle finger on Bailey's nose. "Which means you get a break from your big annoying sister."

Bailey found herself wandering about Barden's campus, light eyes fluttering about and taking in everything around her. She stopped at a fountain within a courtyard, hip jutted outwards and head tilted.

"Magnificent, isn't it?"

She turned towards the voice, an eyebrow raised.

"Magical, even?"

The boy speaking to her smile nervously, his eyes weary but still shining out from beneath a mop of chestnut curls.

Bailey smiled and shrugged, "I guess I could call it magical."

Her smile widened as she noticed this answer pleased the boy. He smiled at her with relief, daring to step closer and hold out his hand.

"Benji Applebaum."

"Bailey Beale, nice to meet you, Benji."

Though she couldn't deny the boy clad in a magician's cape was a little strange, Bailey also couldn't deny that she could see a friendship forming with him. He listened to her chatter about leaving home and her family, albeit Chloe, and she entertained him and watched his magic tricks.

"I have more stuff in my dorm, if you want to come see? It's totally okay if you don't, I'd totally understand-"

"Benji, Benji," she giggled, "I'd love to see! Let's go."

He smiled and nodded with her reassurance and begin towards his building, continuing to describe different tricks he had seen at various magic shows. She listened faithfully and nodded and asked questions, and she could practically feel Benji growing less nervous and more confident in her presence.

"And this one time, I went to this convention where it was all aspiring magicians like myself," he unlocked his door, stepping inside and holding it open for Bailey, "and we all got…"

His words died in his throat as his eyes landed upon his newly moved-in roommate.

The brown-eyed boy turned to them, attention still held on the various "magic" instruments littering Benji's side of the room.

Bailey bit her lip as she took in his handsome features.

"Hi! I'm Jesse," he closed the distance between himself and Benji, holding out a hand to shake, "I'm guessing you're…" he looked expectantly at Benji as he awkwardly returned the handshake.

"Benji," he finally stuttered out.

He turned back towards Bailey in the doorway, Jesse's eyes following and landing on the small girl.

"This is Bailey, we just met!"

Bailey smiled nervously and nodded, "I'm gonna go, you guys can get to know each other and stuff. Bye Benji!"

She was no more than five feet down the hallway when she stopped and inwardly cursed at herself. Boys never made her nervous in high school, so why was Benji's roommate suddenly making her flee the very room?

"Dammit," she mumbled to herself, hopping down the stairs to the first floor.

Neither high school nor her big sister could've ever prepared Bailey for the adventure that awaited her in the years to come at Barden University.