Chloe is confused.
She doesn't know where she is or why she is here.
She doesn't know why there is a blinding white light aimed directly at her face. She doesn't know why her entire body feels as though it was crushed in a garbage compactor. She doesn't know what's going on. She just doesn't know.
There is movement in her peripheral vision, but she can't seem to rotate her eyeballs enough to see what it is that is moving. She tries to ask someone, anyone, what is happening, but no sound comes out of her throat. Her lips don't even part. She tries to reach for someone, anyone, to help her, but her limbs won't budge. Her pinky won't even shift a fraction of an inch. She supposes there is sound around her, but it's incredibly muffled. As if she's underwater.
She's not sure how much longer she can take this.
Chloe is afraid.
She can't figure out what is happening and she is in so much pain and where is Beca when she needs her?
The light finally goes away, and for that, she is grateful. But she is still in immeasurable amounts of pain and she still has not gotten any answers. She tries to concentrate on flicking her fingers, or curling her toes, or blinking, or any kind of bodily movement at all, anything to prove that she's not completely paralyzed, but she finds that she cannot move a single muscle and her efforts only make the pain worse.
As the pain worsens, she screams. Or, at least, in her mind, she screams. Because her vocal chords don't vibrate and her lips don't part and no one attempts to help her. She feels trapped inside her body and completely, utterly alone.
She's not sure how much longer she can take this.
Chloe is nostalgic.
Her mind is getting fuzzy, but she decides to take a trip down memory lane anyway.
She remembers her parents. She remembers all the blood, sweat and tears they put into raising her. She remembers kisses and Hello Kitty bandaids on scraped knees. She remembers coloring with her mother. She remembers baking cookies with her father. She remembers hugs and kind words when her heart was broken by that boy in the eighth grade. She remembers her mother and father singing to her at nap time.
She remembers the first time her parents caught her stealing their liquor. She remembers their anger rolling off of them in waves. She remembers calling them the worst parents in existence.
She remembers her little brother. She remembers holding him and promising him that she will always protect him. She remembers dressing him up in her old dresses and giggling like mad. She remembers fighting over toys and the last popsicle. She remembers the first time he said he loved her.
She remembers the first time she couldn't protect him. She remembers their first big blowout. She remembers the first time he said he hated her.
She remembers the first time she met Aubrey. She remembers her nervous energy. She remembers her tight smile and cool demeanor. She remembers the first time Aubrey threw up from nerves. She remembers doing homework and studying together. She remembers late night conversations and shared secrets over green tea.
She remembers the first time she stood up to Aubrey. She remembers telling her she was a control freak. She remembers the look of betrayal in her eyes.
She remembers the first time she met Beca. She remembers realizing right off the bat that the toughness was just an act. She remembers barging into the shower and making her sing. She remembers not-so-subtly checking her out. She remembers seeing Beca do the same. She remembers the girl's sarcasm and wit. She remembers how she led the Bellas to win Nationals. She remembers falling in love with her somewhere along the way.
She remembers the first time she wasn't there for Beca. She remembers her biting words and the sting of her treachery written all over her face. She remembers being avoided for weeks.
She remembers little things and big things. She remembers everything. She remembers everything and it feels entirely too bittersweet.
She's not sure how much longer she can take this.
Chloe is content.
She feels light and remarkably pain-free and that makes her so happy.
She feels complete in a way she's never felt before. She doesn't know what happened but she's okay with that now. She knows that whatever it was, it's over. She can't think very well, but she finds that she doesn't mind very much. She used to think a lot, but now she guesses she doesn't need to.
She feels Beca rest her head on her chest and wrap an arm around her middle and she sighs happily as the world goes black.
ATLANTA – A 19 year-old woman was killed late Friday night when she was struck by a fast moving vehicle just across the street from Barden University.
The victim was reportedly walking along the sidewalk towards her home at 11:48 pm when a man lost control of his 1993 Sonoma GT and veered off of the roadway, slamming into her at an estimated 50 miles per hour.
The victim was Chloe Beale, a well-known, well-liked Barden University student and a member of the national champion a capella group the Barden Bellas. Beale sustained several injuries, including severe head trauma, numerous broken bones, and massive internal bleeding. She died on the scene.
The driver, 22 year-old Zander Holloway, was found to be highly intoxicated and was taken into custody. Holloway sustained only minor injuries. He was taken to Atlanta Medical Center and released. He will be charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, and driving while intoxicated. Bail is set at $500,000. His trial will take place Monday morning at 9 am at Fulton County State Court.