Disclaimer: I do not own Pitch Perfect. If only.
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"FASTER FASTER FASTER!" Chloe Beale, co-captain of the Barden Bellas yelled at her teammates. "That means you actually have to run more quickly, which is the opposite of slow, Amy!"
The Bellas were running laps around their rehearsal space, and the larger blonde girl had ceased to run with her teammates. Instead, she had come to a complete stop with her arms crossed as she panted to catch her breath.
"Amy," Chloe admonished the other girl, holding a stopwatch like her most cherished possession, "You have to keep going! We all agreed to up our cardio so we can keep up with Das Sound Machine at Worlds!"
"How do you know I'm not running right now? I could be traveling at the speed of life and making laps so quickly that your beautiful little ginger brain can't even register my activity," the Australian reasoned with her signature level of blind confidence.
"It's speed of light, actually," Emily Junk, the newest recruit and youngest Bella called out as she huffed and puffed on her lap around the auditorium.
"She's right," Stacie, the only Bella studying astrophysics, added from behind Emily as she ran in long strides at a comfortable pace. She opted not to mention her four years on the track team in high school to the other girls who were not experiencing the same ease with their conditioning. Amy's brow furrowed as she looked annoyed at her teammates.
"Alright, double mint twins, I don't need you two ganging up on me along with this Aca-dictator over here," Fat Amy muttered sarcastically, and began moving to find her phone.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Chloe asked indignantly, stepping directly in Amy's path.
A hush fell over the rest of the Bellas as they stopped running and gathered near the front of the auditorium. Each girl braced for the impact of a Fat Amy/Chloe showdown. They were few and far between, but when they did happen, they had a tendency to quickly tumble out of control. Ever since the Bellas had been stripped of their ICCA championship titles at the start of the school year, Chloe had been hell-bent on winning Worlds to reinstate their status as a cappella royalty. Beca, their other co-captain, had also been determined to win, but was noticeably distracted this year. And even more peculiarly, was no where to be found yet again although practice had already started.
"Ever since you found out we have to win Worlds this year, you've lost your mind." Fat Amy stated bluntly, as she moved toe to toe with the redhead. "I haven't sweat this much since Aubrey was cracking the whip around here, and you know what? I don't care for sweat. It's like tears coming from my skin, begging me to stop moving."
Emily struggled to hold back a giggle at Amy's last comment, which earned her a nudge from Stacie.
"Legacy, you do not want dragged into this," Stacie whispered, placing a hand on the freshman's shoulder. "Trust me."
Emily nodded, and instinctively took a step closer to the other seniors so she could be protected. She wasn't sure exactly what was about to happen, but if her time in the Bellas had taught her anything, it was to expect the unexpected.
Right now, Emily was expecting a rumble to break out, like in West Side Story.
Or a homicide, also like in West Side Story.
Wow, that's actually a really violent musical, she mused.
"Alright, you nerds! Let's remix this- what's going on?" Beca Mitchell's voice rang out in the room, snapping Emily out of her Sharks and Jets daydream. Beca dropped her bag on the floor and joined the girls in the staging area. Her hair was falling out of her already messy bun, and her make up was beginning to smear. She looked tired, but was determined to put a stop to whatever chaos had found her friends this time.
"Are you wearing a blazer?" Ashley asked suspiciously.
"Can't a girl look nice for rehearsal?" Beca shot back defensively. She sidled up to Chloe and Fat Amy, taking advantage of her own small frame to squeeze in between them. She pulled Chloe away from Amy, knowing that that would likely be her better chance of breaking up the conflict. "For real, what's the issue here? You're scaring Legacy."
"Are not," Emily heard herself protest, and immediately regretted her childish response.
"Amy says I'm pushing the Bellas too hard at rehearsal," Chloe said, as she looked to her co-captain for support. "She called me a dictator."
A shocked laugh flew out from Beca's mouth and she instantly clapped a hand over it to silence herself. Chloe raised her eyebrows in disbelief, clearly not happy with her reaction.
"That's funny," Beca admitted. Chloe's lips were force together in a thin line, she was not happy at all. She turned to Amy, working hard to keep a straight face. "But, like, that's also not cool, dude. You know Chloe is just trying to help us keep up with the other groups at Worlds."
An appreciative smile replaced the look of betrayal that had been on Chloe's face moments before. Beca felt a rush of relief wash over her and hoped that for once they could avoid some kind of epic meltdown. She loved the Bellas, truly, but they could be a lot of work- inside and outside of rehearsal. Everyone joked that she and Chloe were the parents of the group, which used to drive her nuts, but after two years of leading the group, she begrudgingly had to admit that it wasn't totally off base. Who else would make sure these girls stayed alive when they constantly seemed to be working against that effort?
"I don't see either of you running laps with us right now," Amy challenged. The rest of the Bellas exchanged tentative glances. Amy did have a point. Chloe had yet to hand over her stopwatch and run a lap that day.
"We'll do our cardio later," Chloe reasoned, sensing the tension in the air.
"Too much information," Flo said under her breath, shaking her head. Behind her, Jessica and Ashley discreetly slipped two crisp twenty dollar bills to Cynthia Rose, who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
"You know that's not what I meant," Chloe laughed it off, while Beca's cheeks burned bright red. Cynthia Rose's smile vanished, clearly disappointed to have lost a bet, and passed the money back to Jessica and Ashley. "I know you all think I'm crazy for pushing so much, but I won't apologize for loving you and wanting you to be your best!"
"Let's dial it back a notch," Beca patted Chloe's arm, trying desperately to prevent her from launching into one of her signature team spirit speeches.
"Listen, all we're saying is it's pretty easy to raise the bar for everyone else when you don't have to participate," Stacie said, earning nods from several of the other Bellas.
"Is that really what you think?" Chloe asked, visibly hurt. "You think we just sit around and think of ways to make you all miserable? God, Beca, did you know that we're actually the worst?"
Emily grimaced as Chloe's words rang out in the auditorium. This was exactly what she did not want. She hated when people fought and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her first few months at school had been rough, but ever since her disastrous first riff-off, the other Bellas had really stepped up to make her feel included and safe. She'd never doubted that Stacie and Beca had her back from the beginning, but Chloe especially had made an effort over the past several months to make sure she was enfolded into the group. That's what made this so excruciating. It was like watching her family fight, and she just wanted to disappear.
"Chloe, no one thinks that." Jessica spoke up, trying to keep everyone on track. "I just think you guys sometimes forget how hard it is for the rest of us to keep up with rehearsals and performances while balancing our classes, jobs, etc."
"Not to mention actually having fun once in a while," Flo added.
"Like arson," Lilly murmured, earning a worried glance from Emily, who had overheard her.
Beca surveyed the expressions of her friends, trying to comprehend what they were saying. This had to be a joke.
"We literally have to balance all of the same responsibilities" She remarked, earning a groan from her Australian roommate.
"You have the cake job," Amy snorted. "You two pick all of the songs, you choose the rehearsal schedule, and you get to plan every little detail to fit your needs. We have to deal with it."
"And lets not forget the house rules you instated," Cynthia Rose spoke up for the first time. "Can't a girl let loose every once in a while?"
"Not fair!" Chloe pushed back, "We all voted on those rules when we got the house. And I think everyone can agree that they were necessary, since Amy almost burned down the house the day after we moved in."
"At least I didn't totally trash it like Legacy did last semester," Amy pointed at the freshman.
"That was ONE TIME! And it was just candy!" Emily protested, unable to prevent herself from reacting to the Australian's insult. Chloe reached over to pat Emily's arm reassuringly.
"Well at least back then we got to decide on something together," Ashley mused, "Sometimes I wonder if we should've just stuck with that after Aubrey graduated."
"You guys really think you'd survive without us?" Beca asked in disbelief. "Wanna bet?"
Cynthia Rose whispered something to Stacie, whose eyes widened, then nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, actually, I do." Stacie smirked, with a glint of mischief lighting up her eyes.
"What? That was a rhetorical question." Beca protested.
"Too bad. Let's make a bet," Cynthia Rose agreed with Stacie, earning confused looks from the rest of the Bellas. "We'll prove we can survive without you two in charge or needing your help for anything. You and Red will try to prove that you can last without trying to take over or intervene. Whoever holds out the longest wins."
Beca glanced at Chloe, trying to gage how she felt about this option. The redhead was lost in concentration. There was no way she could actually be considering this, Beca thought. No way. Not a plan this idiotic.
"Define anything." Chloe spoke up, studying Cynthia Rose carefully. "You said you're going to prove you don't need us for anything. What exactly would that include?"
"The house, food, Bellas stuff-"
"Keeping Em alive," Stacie teased, pinching Emily's cheek. Emily pushed her hand away, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She was so not the baby of the group. Okay, she definitely was. But she could survive without Chloe and Beca to watch out for her, right?
"Deal." Chloe nodded seriously. "You're on."
"WHAT?!" Beca squawked. "You cannot be serious."
"Oh, I'm serious." Chloe's eyes lit up, clearly excited by the prospect of another competition. "One condition: the winning team gets final say on the set list at Worlds."
The other Bellas mouths hung open in disbelief, shocked that such a prize would be gambled away on a simple bet. Stacie let out a loud whoop in celebration and Amy was grinning from ear to ear. Beca clapped her hands to her face, and peered through her fingers. This had to be a dream. Scratch that, a nightmare. If Amy won, they would be making fools of themselves singing a Charo medley or something equally obnoxious at Worlds. She just knew it.
Sensing her co-captain's panic, Chloe pulled her off to the side of the auditorium where they were just outside of earshot from the other girls.
"I need you to trust me," Chloe said firmly, putting her hands on Beca's shoulders.
"I swear every single time you ask me to trust you its for something totally insane. You'll be the death of me, Beale." Beca rambled as Chloe chuckled to herself.
"So is that a yes?"
A moment of silence passed as Beca weighed her options. Chloe flashed her most convincing smile. Finally, Beca let out a loud sigh and Chloe knew she had won.
"Ugh yes. Fine. But if we end up singing Shakira at Worlds I will kill you."
"Trust me, Becs. They won't even make it through the weekend. They have no idea whats coming," Chloe grinned as she walked back through the auditorium. After agreeing to a few final stipulations, the bet was officially in play. Beca and Chloe picked up their things and left, promising to meet the other girls back at the house after they made a quick stop at the library. Waiting until the two girls had officially left the building, the rest of the Bellas began plotting what to do with their newfound independence.
"Think they'll make it?" Jessica wondered, nodding in the direction of the doors Beca and Chloe had just used to make their exit.
"Not a chance." Stacie grinned confidently. "I give it three days, max."
"They have no idea what's coming," Cynthia Rose nodded confidently. "Let the games begin."
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How will the rest of the Bellas fare without Chloe and Beca to keep everything running? Can Chloe and Beca resist the temptation to rescue the girls when they inevitably get into trouble? Stay tuned to find out.
Reviews, feedback, suggestions, etc. are all great! If there is anything you'd like to see happen in this story let me know.
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