Chapter 1: The Activity Fair
CONTAINS SWEARING AND SOME MENTIONS OF SEX.
Beca is pretty sure Luke is trying to sabotage her life. It's 9pm and she has been demanded to run the night-shift... on her first night back at Barden.
Beca is mumbling curses under her breath as she slams the door shut to the studio and she continues to angrily grumble as she chucks her bag down in the booth. She peers at the laptop and finds Luke's fill-in playlist is nearing it's end.
She can't be all that bothered tonight so she sticks in her hard-drive, finds one of her playlists and lines it up on the player - being sure to add the regular ads between the tracks. She's not entirely sure what playlist she put in but she knows it had some of her mixes in it and a few other songs - pre approved by Luke because god forbid she played anything that wasn't covered by the license.
She decides to roam the studio as the playlist eventually reaches her additions. She sees two large crates sitting on one of the tables and groans. "I found tomorrow's work." Of course she'll only have to sort one. The other is for Jesse.
Jesse.
It had technically been a month and a half since she had seen him. He visited her in New York half way through summer and that had been the extent of their physical contact. Of course they texted, e-mailed and Skyped at ridiculous times of the night. It wasn't the same and knowing that he was arriving tomorrow was making her anxious. Beca didn't do anxiety. General anger and sarcasm, sure. Never anxiety.
The kiss at the ICCA's was the spark that ignited their relationship. They spent the last few weeks of school getting to know each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. He attempted to keep her movication going but nine times out of ten it ended up in make-out sessions. She didn't mind, he didn't mind. Everyone was a winner.
The night-shift drones on and eventually it comes the time to leave. She walks almost zombie like to her new dorm and collapses on her bed. She falls asleep instantaneously.
...
She wakes the next morning at 11am. A sharp knock on her door gets her out of bed and she walks to the door. A smiley blonde looks back at her.
"Beca, right?" The blonde asks and reaches out her hand. "I'm Jenn. Your dorm-mate"
"Oh! Oh I forgot you'd be here today." Beca laughs, fussing over her bed-hair and accepts the girls handshake."Yeah I'm Beca."
Beca stands back to let her enter. Jenn pulls one suitcase in and makes one more trip outside for a duffel bag and a purse.
"You travel lighter than most girls." Beca notices as Jenn hauls the case onto her bed.
"Yeah." Jenn chuckles. "I figured I'd just buy anything else I needed while I was here. I brought far too much last year. i had no space. I guess I learnt."
"Smart." Beca states as she dumps herself down onto her desk chair. "It's strange having a dorm-mate who talks."
"Did your last dorm-mate not talk?" Jenn asks, surprised. Beca laughs and nods.
"Yeah, you know a Kimmy Jin?" Beca asks.
Jenn grimaces and Beca takes this as a yes.
"Don't be offended. I've had better greetings from snowmen." Jenn sighs and Beca laughs.
"BECA MITCHELL COME AND LET YOUR FAVOURITE AUSTRALIAN BUDDY IN." Beca hears yelling from the other side of her door. She shoots a look of apology at Jenn and crosses to the door. She opens it to find Fat Amy beaming at her.
"HOW'S MY FAVOURITE SHORT ASS?" Fat Amy yells once more and Beca grimaces at the level of noise.
"Suffering from a lack of sleep. Quiet noises, Fat Amy." Beca replies as she hugs her but her voice doesn't suffer from much severity. Jenn stares at the two.
"Oh Fat Amy this is Jenn. Jenn this is Fat Amy." Beca introduces the two blondes and they smile at each other.
"Em, are you really called Fat Amy?" Jenn's face is contorted into deep confusion. Beca knows Jenn would have a problem with this. She appears to be one of those "Wouldn't hurt a fly girls."
"Yeah." Fat Amy replies, smiling. "Well not on my certificate. How fucked up would that be?"
Beca snorts and walks over to her closet in attempt to find her shower bag and her house coat.
"As much as I love you, you gotta clear." Beca announces when she finally appears from her closet.
"Well I'll see you at the activity fair later right?" Fat Amy enquires as she ponders to the door. "We have some freshmeat to recruit."
"Of course. Half twelve right?" Beca asks, following her to the door. Beca waves bye to Jenn and follows Amy out.
"Sure thang." Fat Amy starts to walk towards the exit. "See you later, bitch."
Beca laughs. She's glad to be back.
...
She returns to the dorm about half an hour later. Her hair is wet and down over her house coat and her shower bag is draped on her arm. She's humming some dubstep song she heard over summer break and she walks into her dorm.
By the looks of it, Jenn has set up her side of the room in this time. Her deco is purple apparently and this doesn't bother Beca. It's a change from the clinical look of Kimmy Jin's last year. Jenn is sitting at her desk, scribbling a note.
"Oh Beca you're back. Some dude dropped by. Told him you were showering but anyway he said to tell you he'll see you at the fair. His name was Jesse I think." Jenn crumples up the note and chucks it at the bin. "And speaking of the fair I'm going to drop by the coffee shop on the way there so I'll see you later."
Beca nods and waves bye again. She plonks herself in front of her mirror and starts to dry her hair. She smiles softly now that she knows he's here and by god is she excited to see him. And anxious. Very very anxious.
...
She left the dorm at quarter past. This left her time to have a chat with the rest of the girls and help set up the Bella's table.
She makes her way across the grass to the fair and scours for a while till she finds Lilly and Ashley trying to hoist up the flag for the table. She makes her way over and grins at their struggle.
"Hey nerds." Beca smiles and both Ashley and Lilly turn to grin.
"Beca!" They chorus. "Ready for another year of aca-domination?" Ashley asks finally getting the flag in place.
"Of course!" Beca smirks and dumps her bag behind the table. When she pokes her head up again Jessica, Fat Amy and Cynthia-Rose have arrived.
"Wassup bitches." Cynthia-Rose greets them. They engage in chat for a few minutes and finally Denise and Stacie arrive.
They decide to do another one of Beca's arrangements that she taught them before last years finals. The girls share out Chloe and Aubrey's solos between them and quietly practice.
The performance was mainly to show that Barden Bella's was not the same as last year and because she knew fine well the Treble's had something under their sleeve. Of course they did. Jesse runs them now that Bumper and Donald have graduated.
Beca coughs and the girls arrange themselves around the table. She whispers their count in and the girls begin the ambitious mash-up of "Revolver/I Like How It Feels/Can't Be Tamed"
The audience that gathers start to bob their heads and even dance along. Beca grins half way through her "Revolver" solo as she spots the familiar wave of burgundy hoodies approaching their table. Jesse stands in front with Benji beside him. The whole group are dancing along which makes Beca laugh as she sings the final chorus.
It melts into "I Like How It Feels" with Stacie taking lead. Beca steps back and joins in with the whistle bridge smiling brightly at her boyfriend up front. The song eventually fades into Can't Be Tamed which - very fittingly - Fat Amy decides to handle. Beca and Jesse don't break eye contact until it comes to her time for another solo.
She wraps it up and the audience burst into applause. She can't help but laugh at the Treblemakers as they catcall and whistle.
Fat Amy steps forward and curtseys before adding, "Thanks. We're here till two."
The rest of the girls laugh before standing behind the table and start to dish out flyers to the eager freshmen who have gathered. Beca walks forward to meet Jesse.
Beca hates PDA and she knows that if she saw what she was about to do from outside her body, she'd cringe. She kisses Jesse with such force he stumbles back.
"Easy there, tiger." Jesse mumbles against her lips. "Did'ya miss me?"
"No." Beca deadpans as she moves back. "I kiss everyone hello. It's a serious problem."
"Sounds like some sort of... sex addiction. I say you're giving Stacie a run for her money." Jesse whispers the latter in her ear making Beca laugh.
"Don't you have some a cappella magic to bestow upon us mere mortals, nerd?" Beca asks before kissing him once on the lips again.
"Ah yes." Jesse remembers. "Better get back to the..."
"Beca, hey!" Jenn's voice comes up behind them. Beca turns and smiles at her roomate.
"That was awesome. I had no idea you did the Bellas." Jenn laughs and looks at Jesse. "See I know your name but you don't know mine. I'm Jenn. I'm not usually this rude."
Beca expected to feel jealousy when they shook hands but she didn't. She seemed to have already clocked Jenn as being harmless. Sweet and harmless.
"No problem. As I was saying, better get back to the guys. I expect you and the girls will support us as well?" Jesse raises his voice so the girls can hear him.
A chorus of Sure's and Obviously's come from the small group and Jesse waves goodbye.
"See you after the fair?" Beca asks before he walks off.
"Of course." He leans down and leaves a lingering kiss. Beca sighs as he walks off and turns back to the booth.
Fat Amy snorts and mines a whip while making the corresponding noise. Laughter rises from the girls as Beca flips her off. She gathers a stack of flyers, paints on an overly happy grin and walks back in front of the table.
"Would you like to be a Barden Bella?"
...
The Bella's gather in a group to watch the Treblemakers. Beca has no idea what they'll sing. Jesse steps forward begins "Beggin'."
The Bellas are soon dancing along and they clap the loudest when they finish.
...
AN: Idk I think that essentially the Trebles and the Bellas would probably put their bullshit behind them after the Finals. I mean all of the Trebles stood up and clapped for the Bellas. I think it was really Bumper that made the Trebles so "disrespectful." Mind you, while I don't like Bumper some of his lines did make me chuckle. Oh and if you think they'll be all happy and buddy when it comes to competitions then you're wrong MWAHAHA. I don't want you all to think they'll sit around a campfire and sing songs on a guitar. Shit ain't gonna happen.
Due to the lyric rule on FF I'll be uploading the Riff-Off somewhere else and if you want it you can tell me. Anyhoo. if you want to review then please do. Can people give me Riff-Off category suggestions? I am all out.
Songs mentioned are: Revolver by Madonna vs. David Guetta, I Like How It Feels by Enrique Iglesias, Can't Be Tamed by Miley Cyrus and Beggin' You by Madcon.
Hannah.