Secrets

Summary: Everyone has a past, including the very bubbly Chloe Beale. Normally the life of the party, Beca Mitchell starts to notice something is off about her perky crush when, during a game of "Never Have I Ever", someone says "Never have I ever killed a man", and Chloe reacts oddly. Beca starts to believe Chloe is hiding something from her friends, something big, and she wants to find out what it is. Is Chloe Beale really the bubbly redheaded college girl she seems to be? Or is it just a mask used to hide a dark secret in her past?

Chapter 1

"What a show!" Commentator John Smith said into his microphone.

"I think we have just seen some a cappella history being made, John." Gail agreed.

"And from an all-female group, Gail." John said in surprise. "I could never have called this one."

"Never." Gail deadpanned. "Well, you are a misogynist at heart, so there is no way you would have bet on these girls to win."

"Absolutely." John agreed.

"Weren't they incredible?" The host said as he stepped back up on the stage. "Wow! Ladies and gentlemen, let's give it up again for the BARDEN BELLAS!"

They'd done it. With Beca Mitchell's setlist and surprising leadership, the Barden Bellas had become the first all-female group to win the ICCA's in history.

...

"Beca, I just..." Aubrey closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I know I've been especially hard on you all year, and that was unfair of me. So... I just wanted to say... I'm sorry. And thank you. Thank you for helping me-... us. Thank you for helping us win the ICCAs, and thank you for helping me redeem myself." She said softly.

The Bellas were back in their hotel room, celebrating their victory at the ICCAs when Aubrey decided to talk to Beca.

"Wow... um... thanks..." Beca said awkwardly, not expecting this. "I-I mean you're welcome... I mean, I... I'll be honest, guys, when I first signed up to be a Bella, I was just doing it to satisfy my dad. I had a deal with him that if I joined a club and participated in school for one year, then he would help me move to Los Angeles. I didn't expect... this. I didn't expect to become friends with all of you nerds. I didn't expect to actually like being a Bella. I came into this group fully intending to not like any of you and to hate doing all this, just counting the days until I move to LA. But then, somewhere along the way... I just stopped counting. I don't even know when it happened. I just... I just stopped counting the days. And I actually started listening to all the crazy stories you guys all had. And I found out that I actually really love spending time with you guys. Truth be told, you guys are probably the only real friends I've ever had." Beca admitted. "And Aubrey, I know we've had our differences, and you've been a real aca-bitch..." Aubrey chuckled at the "aca-ism". "But I actually consider you one of my best friends, too."

Aubrey smiled and wiped a tear away.

Stacie smiled, then chuckled. "Okay, it's getting too heavy in here, bitches, it's time to drank!" She shouted out, holding up two bottles of tequila.

At that, the Bellas cheered, cranked up their music, and started to celebrate for real.

...

They'd been drinking and dancing with the music Beca pulled up on her laptop for a few hours when Stacie turned to the rest of the grouod excitedly.

"Oh my god, we should totally play Never Have I Ever!" Stacie said to the others.

"Yeah!" Some of the other Bellas agreed with grins. Aubrey simply nodded in agreement. Drinking games weren't really her thing, but tonight wasn't just about her.

"What's never have I ever?" Beca asked with a frown.

"Are you for serious?" Stacie exclaimed.

"Yeah, how can you not know that game?" Cynthia Rose asked.

"Don't worry, Beca, we'll pull you out from under that rock." Amy said.

"Okay, so never have I ever is a drinking game in which someone says something that they've never done, then everyone who has done it does a shot." Chloe explained to Beca.

"So... if I were to say I've never barged in on someone in the shower?" Becca asked teasingly.

"Right, then Chloe and I would do a shot." Stacie said, earning questioning glances from the other Bellas. "What? That really shouldn't be a surprise to you guys." She said.

Chloe chuckled. "Anyway, if you say something that you've never done, and no one else has done it either, then no one else drinks, and you have to do a shot instead."

"And if someone else says something you've done, and you are the only one who's done it, then you have to tell everyone how or why it happened." Stacie said.

"So if I were to say I've never thrown up on national TV?" Beca smirked as she teased Aubrey, who flushed.

"Shut up, Beca." Aubrey snapped, though she knew Beca was joking.

Beca chuckled. "Alright, well lets get you nerds drunk." She said as they all started sitting in a circle.

"Okay, so who wants to go first?" Chloe asked.

"Never have I ever... wrestled a dingo." Beca smirked at Amy, knowing no one else had done that, so Amy would finally be forced to tell them all how the hell that happened.

Amy chuckled. "It was actually a dingo and a crocodile. Simultaneously." She said as she downed a shot of tequila. She didn't evven wait to see if anyone else was going to drink before starting the story. "Okay, so I was visiting some of my aboriginal friends, you know, the ones I did Fiddler On The Roof with? Anyway, I was visiting my aboriginal friends, and we were fishing, and this dingo came up and started trying to steal our fish. My friend, Adoni, tried to shoo the dingo away, but then a crocodile came up and started snapping at him. So I jumped in and trapped the crocodile ina headlock and wrestled him to the ground. Adoni was trying to get away from the croc, so the Dingo took advantage of the distraction and went for the fish again. I grabbed it by the tail, dragged it back and pinned it and the croc to the ground and choked them out til they passd out." Amy said proudly.

Beca chuckled, fairly sure that no one actually believed the story, but it was fun to listen to.

"Alright, never have I ever had sex with another girl." Amy countered.

Beca chuckled as Cynthia Rose downed a shot, and was about to start telling the stoy when Aubrey surprised everyone by downing a shot, blushing.

"Wait a second..." Stacie said. "Aubrey, you've slept with a girl?"

"Actually, yes. For your information, I hav had sex with a girl before. However, since Cynthia Rose has also done so, I do not have to share that story." Aubrey said. "So I will not be divulging when or why I had lesbian sex."

Beca chuckled. "Well, hell, I guess if even Aubrey can admit to something like that, then I guess I should, too." She said, downing a shot.

"No way!" Chloe exclaimed with a surprised grin. "You?!"

"Pint sized?!" Amy said.

"Even Beca?!" Stacie said.

"What, it's more surprising that the resident alt girl has fucked a girl than it was for Miss Stick-Firmly-Wedged-Up-Her-Ass?" Beca asked.

"Okay, hold the phone." CR said. "Now look, y'all already know I'm gay. So when in the hell did Miss Posen and the midget jump on the train?'

Beca chuckled. "I'm actually bisexual." She said. "I actually lost my virginity to this girl in high school who was really into indie rock. We were at an Imagine Dragons concert, and we ended up sneaking off to the bathroom to have sex. And that, you pervs, is the one and only time I have ever had sex with a girl." She said.

"Just because the midget is in a sharing mood does not mean I am telling you guys my story." Aubrey said, still blushing.

"Alright, never have I ever used a strap-on." Stacie said, looking to see how kinky her friends were in bed.

Aubrey blushed even redder as she downed another shot, much to the surprise of the rest of the group. Luckily for her, Cynthia Rose also took a shot, so shee was again saved from having to tell the story.

"Damn, Bree!" Chloe chuckled at her friend. "I had no idea."

"How long have you two known each other, anyway?" Beca asked Chloe curiously. "You guys seem like you've known each other a long time."

"Believe it or not, Bree and I didn't actually meet until freshmen year right here at Barden." Chloe said. "We just grew really close really quickly."

"Still though, you'd think that in four years, 'I like sex wth chicks' would come up in conersation." Stacie said.

"Yeah, how can you not know your best friend gets freaky with a strap-on and girls?" CR asked with a wink to Aubrey.

"For your information, therre was only... five incidents involving a strap-on, and they were all long before I met Chloe." Aubrey blushed, crossing her arms. "Never have I ever dyed my hair." She said, trying to get the attention off of her.

"Wait, you've never dyed your hair?" Stacie asked.

Aubrey cursed. "No, I've never dyed my hair. This is my natural hair color."

"Damn, so the carpet matches the drapes? That's hot." CR smirked, looking Aubrey over.

"Alright, can we please focus? Has anyone here ever dyed their hair?" Aubrey snapped.

Chloe shrugged and downed a shot.

Beca frowned and looked at Chloe. "Wait... so is red your natural color?" She asked.

Chloe sighed. "No, believe it or not, I, too, am a blonde." She said. "As for why I dyed it, let's just say it was out of necessity." She said.

Beca frowned. "Damn. I was hoping that was your natural color." She said.

"Wait, Beca, shouldn't you already know?" Stacie asked. "Didn't she walk in on you in the shower? Shouldn't you have seen the difference then?"

"I wasn't really looking that far south!" Beca said, blushing. "No, I didn't see the difference then."

"So, Beca, how were you planning on finding out if it was my natural color?" Chloe smirked.

Beca blushed even redder and glared at Aubrey. "This is your doing." She growled.

Aubrey was just relieved they weren't all focusing on her anymore as she smirked at Beca.

"Never have I ever planned or thought about seducing one of my female friends." Chloe smirked at Beca, who blushed and took a shot. She looked to Cynthia Rose, waiting for her to take a drink, but CR just chuckled.

"You on your own, Beca. I flirt, but that's as far as it goes with my friends." Cynthia chuckled.

Beca bit her lip nervously as she realized she'd hae to reveal how she really felt about Chloe in front of everyone.

"Don't worry, Beca, I'll save you." Stacie said as she downed a drink. "Hey, it's college. Everyone has thoughts." She admitted.

Beca sighed in relief. "Who's next?" She asked.

"Alright. Never have I ever killed anyone." CR said as a joke, figuring Lilly would drink just to creep them out. Which she did.

Beca chuckled and glanced to Chloe, seeing her looking down at the glass, her face pale. Beca frowned. "Chloe?" She asked, her frown deepening when Chloe didn't respond. "Chloe, you okay?"

Chloe sighed and downed a shot before standing up. "Okay, we have an early day tomorrow, Bellas. We need to hit the road around seven in the morning if we're going to have the bus back to the school by noon."

Beca gaped at Chloe's sudden need to end the game. It hadn't escaped her that Chloe had done that shot. "Wait, Chlo, what the-?"

But she was cut off as Chloe ignored the obvious question. "Jessica, Ashley, since neither one of you have been drinking, you two will have to rotate driving tomorrow, ince the rest of us will be too hungover."

Beca watched Chloe in silence as the bottle readhead started getting ready for bed. Something wasn't right with Chloe, but no one else seemed to notice.