"Beca! What the hell was that about?"
Beca's mouth fell open as she turned to face an indignant Aubrey. Upon finishing their set at the ICCA semifinals, Beca felt quite proud of how the Bellas performed, even if she had to add something new to keep them alive on the stage.
"What do you mean? We had to do something different; everyone was practically falling asleep during our set! Couldn't you see that?"
The Bellas all gathered backstage, watching as the dispute between their teammates escalated.
"Well, why don't you ask everyone what they thought of your little improvisation?"
Beca glanced around at the familiar faces, ones she now considered friendly. Some of them looked away, too scared to speak up in Aubrey's presence, but after Beca looked to Amy for support, she took a small step forward.
"It was cool," Amy said, "but it did take us a bit by surprise…"
Cynthia Rose nodded in agreement and added, "I wish we could've known about your idea sooner, y'know so we could come up with a plan and rehearse it for tonight. It sounded tight for improv though."
Aubrey glared at the both of them for a second and then returned her gaze to Beca. They stared each other down for a while longer before Chloe chimed in, "Aubrey, Beca, please! This isn't the time for bickering! We'll be fine, everyone did a great job tonight. I was really impressed with what you did, Beca. Plus, your voices work quite well together, so you shouldn't be worried."
Aubrey's eyes widened after hearing Chloe's comment. "What the hell? Does no one here see that she probably ruined our chances of getting through to the finals?" The blonde looked over at Chloe and continued, "I told you she isn't a true Bella! I knew that from day one." She turned back to face Beca, who raised her hands in protest.
"Okay, Aubrey, I get it, I—"
"No! You don't get it!" Aubrey's face reddened and tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, "You are a serious pain in my ass, and I know you're hooking up with Jesse. You know what, that's part of the problem! You're distracted therefore you aren't thinking about cooperating with the rest of us! You're so damn obsessed with impressing him, aren't you? You're so consumed by that that you'd neglect your friends and our chances of winning! If it's not important to you, then why are you still here?"
Before Beca could get a word in edgewise, Aubrey stomped away, leaving the remaining Bellas in shock. Normally, Beca would just brush off an insult like that, but this time it felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. A tap on her shoulder woke Beca from her state of shock, and she looked over to see Jesse staring at her with concern in his eyes.
"Beca, are you okay? That was pretty harsh…"
Beca pushed his hand away. "Oh my God, I'm fine! You don't have to worry about me so much. This happens all the time, it's not a big deal!" She turned on her heel and left the backstage as the Treblemakers were called to the main stage to perform. Beca didn't care to look back as she walked down the quiet hallway; her mind was still replaying everything Aubrey said. She hated the thought of having to apologize, but that was the first thing that popped into her head. Maybe searching for Aubrey right after their disagreement wasn't the smartest idea, but that was all Beca could think of.
Upon making her way outside of the building with no luck, Beca kicked lamely at a stray rock on the cement. The crisp night air bit at her cheeks as she took a few steps forward, looking around. Her eyes passed over the quiet scenery, taking in the sight of cars in the parking lot, and eventually spotting who she'd been looking for. Beca watched for a moment as Aubrey sat on a bench a few feet away, her head in her hands. She was probably plotting revenge on Beca for what she did, but that didn't seem to worry the brunette at all. Beca walked over to the bench as quietly as she could, making sure not to step on any stray rocks or other objects on the grass that separated them.
Suddenly, Aubrey looked up in Beca's direction. Beca froze for half a second, one foot elevated in her now failed attempt to tiptoe over to the bench. Aubrey looked at her, puzzled, as Beca stepped over to stand at her side.
"Aren't you cold sitting out here by yourself?"
Aubrey shrugged. "It's not so bad. What are you doing out here?"
Beca thought for a minute. Was she really there just to apologize? Did she want to hear an apology from Aubrey, or was there something else that needed to be said?
"I… I don't know. I guess I wanted to make sure you're okay, and… I want to apologize."
Aubrey looked over at Beca, wide-eyed, but allowed Beca to continue.
"I'm sorry I threw you and the others off with what I did. I just want you to know that I had everyone's best interests in mind. I don't get any pleasure from seeing you like this. I-I mean… the group. I don't get pleasure from seeing the group torn apart like this…"
"I see," Aubrey said carefully. "I… I should apologize, too." Aubrey said. Beca looked at her in shock as she moved over, gesturing for Beca to sit on the bench with her. Beca carefully did so and stared up at the night sky. For once, they weren't at each other's throats. It was a nice change, Beca thought, although it was a complete change from how they'd been minutes ago. She almost looked over at Aubrey, but decided to keep her eyes on the stars.
"I shouldn't have yelled at you back there. Not in front of the others, not at all. I'm just so…"
Aubrey's voice trailed off and they sat together in silence for a few minutes before she continued, "What I said was wrong. None of it was true. I was just so… caught up in the moment. You know how that is, right? You just get so passionate about something, or maybe just angry over it, that you'll say anything. But I don't know… the more I think about it, I know I'm making up excuses. I guess I've been jealous this whole time and there's something about you that I…" Her voice trailed off and Beca stared at her, raising an eyebrow. Aubrey swallowed hard and shook her head.
"Forget it. You know we might not even qualify now because of this, right? I'll never get to make up for what I did last year… and the Bellas will never be number one…"
"But we don't even know if we've been eliminated yet!" Beca interrupted, almost shouting. She stood up and looked down at Aubrey, pleading. "I know I probably don't have any right to say this, but you need to have more faith in us as a group! We can't move forward if our leader is stuck on past failures. If one of us stays behind, all of the Bellas feel it. Aubrey, I… I respect the hell out of you, and maybe I'm not showing that in a way that you understand, but… I'm doing what I'm doing in order to help you! You put so much stress on yourself, and everyone else, too. It's insane!"
Aubrey processed Beca's words for a while before speaking up. Her voice was quiet and uncertain, which surprised Beca. "If you want to help me so much, why do you try to undermine everything that I do? Maybe it's just me… I'm the reason why we butt heads all the time." She laughed to herself, "It almost seems like I enjoy it though, doesn't it…?"
Beca bit her lip, knowing she would have to choose her next words carefully in order to avoid lighting another angry spark between them. "Aubrey, I'm not trying to undermine you. Even if you don't want to admit it, you're not perfect. But that's what's so awesome about you. You're not perfect, so you have tons of opportunities to grow and change! If we find new songs to work with and maybe ease up a bit at rehearsals, then that might just be the change we need to be on the cutting edge of a capella!" Beca took a step back, astonished. "Oh my God, did I really just say that? I guess I really am in it to win it now…" She heard a laugh escape from Aubrey and she blushed in response.
"You're serious," Aubrey observed. Beca nodded sheepishly and the blonde stood up from the bench to face her. "Beca… I'm sorry. I didn't know you cared so much. Or perhaps I just didn't want to believe it, when it's been obvious for so long. I have to admit though, when we first met I didn't think you had it in you."
"Surprise," Beca said, smiling widely.
Aubrey smiled back, but her features quickly became serious once more. "Thank you… for this. I'm still worried, but that's just who I am. Another excuse, I know…" She closed her eyes for a minute, gathering her thoughts before speaking again. "Anyway, because of that, and for the sake of the Bellas, I think we should… collaborate. I would like to hear your ideas in more detail, as long as I am allowed some creative input."
"Of course," Beca replied without a moment's hesitation. She felt as if there was something else that needed to be said, but the words wouldn't form in her mind or on her tongue. Instead, Beca reached for Aubrey's hands and held them. Aubrey looked at her quizzically and Beca blushed again, shifting her gaze away from the blonde.
"I, uh, just thought this might reassure you. The Bellas are going to be all right. Since we'll be working together now, we're just going to get better and better… with whatever time we have left…"
Without thinking, Beca began rubbing circles on the back of Aubrey's hands, relieved that they were able to come to some sort of agreement. Aubrey made a sound, like she was clearing her throat, and Beca blinked, waking from the trance she lulled herself into.
"S-sorry," she mumbled, gently dropping Aubrey's hands. The blonde looked hurt for a second, but quickly took a step forward.
"I don't mind at all. In fact, it feels nice. Being one on one with another person like this isn't one of my strong suits…"
"Well, we have that in common," Beca said with a nervous laugh, her gaze shifting between Aubrey's eyes and her lips. The suspense was beginning to drive her crazy. Maybe this is what Aubrey had been alluding too, that the reason for their apparent dislike of one another was to cover up some kind of attraction between them. She watched Aubrey bite her lip and shiver slightly as a sudden breeze passed by them. In that moment, she made her move. Beca's hands shot out, pulling Aubrey into a kiss. She stood on tiptoes, her hands on either side of the blonde's face. Aubrey sighed softly, her tongue brushing against Beca's slightly chapped lips. Her hands slowly moved to Beca's waist and from there almost to her breast, but the sudden sound of footsteps caused them to separate.
They looked over in the direction of the sound and watched as people began to depart from the school building. The semifinals were officially over, but Beca and Aubrey looked on, unconcerned. They were more focused on each other, and as they glanced back in each other's direction the pair smiled and laughed nervously, topping it off with a not so subtle blush on their cheeks.
"Beca! Aubrey!"
The Bellas rushed over to them, excitement on all of their faces. Beca and Aubrey looked back at them expectantly, and Amy decided to speak on behalf of the group.
"So, did you finally kiss and make up?"
Both girls coughed, and Aubrey shifted her stance nervously. "Sure did," Beca replied, hoping that the blush on her cheeks was no longer as obvious as it felt. "Are you going to explain why you're looking at us so crazily or are we going to have to guess?"
"We did it!" Chloe exclaimed, smiling widely. "We barely made it past the Footnotes, but we got second place! We're going to the finals!" She flashed the little trophy they won in front of her, and Aubrey and Beca nodded in recognition of their success.
"It's so small," Aubrey said, sounding disappointed.
Beca frowned. "Was it really necessary for us to get one? Especially if it looks like that…"
Amy snatched the trophy from Chloe's hands and waved it out towards the parking lot. "Alright, alright, let's get out of here. Gotta start preparing for the finals so we can smash the Trebles into the ground! Oh dammit, they're our ride back, aren't they?"
The Bellas began making their way to the bus, and Beca and Aubrey stopped a few paces behind the rest of the group.
"So what are we doing?"
"What are you talking about?" Aubrey asked, smiling at the brunette.
"I'm talking about what just happened. It felt… right. I… like you, Aubrey… "
Aubrey nodded and with one swift, confident sweep of her hand, she took Beca's for a second, squeezing it gently. "And I like you. Maybe we can plan some extra 'brainstorming sessions' outside of group rehearsal. Just the two of us."
"Works for me," Beca said, staring at their hands as they separated. They picked up the pace again, almost catching up to the rest of the group when Beca took a step back. Aubrey looked back and frowned when she saw the uneasiness on Beca's face. "They're gonna think something's up eventually, aren't they?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Aubrey said with a sigh. "Right now I just want to enjoy this weird feeling of relaxation I'm having. I can't remember the last time I felt this way."
"Hm, same here. I'm glad we had that talk, Aubrey," Beca grinned. "I can't wait until the next time we get to kiss and make up."
Aubrey looked over at the brunette and laughed, shoving her gently. "Me too, Beca. Me too."