Hey, I hope you like it! I'm not American so sorry if some things aren't quite right :) This is sort of an introductory chapter so there's a lot of off topic so yeah... :) Please feel free to leave a review!
Will turn into Chaubrey..
Warnings: contains child abuse and self harm..
I obviously own nothing...
"Again girls!" Aubrey commanded, hurrying into her opening position. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Fat Amy lying on the floor, her feet slightly in view from her hiding position behind the piano. "Amy!" Aubrey hurried over, "You asked to go to the bathroom twenty minutes ago."
"Well actually I asked to go to the restroom and well you took it as like toilets, bathroom whatever, whereas I mean, literally, rest-room... And this was as close as I could get to any rest room without dying of heat exhaustion."
"Get up." Aubrey shook her head as she returned to the rest of the group. "Girls! I said again!" Aubrey raised her voice even more this time, making practically everyone jump at its harshness. Chloe took one last sip of water before approaching the pacing blonde calmly.
"Maybe they could have a five minute break? I think everyone needs it.", the red head smiled warmly.
"No Chloe," the other girl's smile dropped as did the majority of others in the room, "we will practice until you all have this part down perfectly, be it all night. Yes, you should be sweating, getting to the ICCAs is work but to actually have a shot at being crowned best collegiate a cappella group in the country you have to actually get off your ass and deal with the blood, sweat and tears. From the top girls!"
They all followed, fearing having to deal with any more of their leader's rage. Coming back from spring break to the news of them making the finals sure was good, however to Aubrey it seemed to be such a mix of emotions all at once it was unreal. Chloe could have sworn that the amount of times she had had to calm Aubrey down to prevent her from vomiting in this first rehearsal back was alone, more than throughout the rest of the year so far. Chloe could say she had definately noticed changes in Aubrey since spring break, what with the pressures of preparing for the ICCA final. She always found that the blonde, her best friend, could always be quite up tight and stressed during Bellas rehearsals, but other times she would let her self go more, especially when with Chloe, but those hysterical laughs that normally occurred between the two of them on a nightly basis over one thing or another, had disappeared, replaced by Aubrey pacing around their small kitchen-living room, for a good few hours at a time, humming everyone's parts religiously, and then recited every individual's choreography with her hands, and as the first few days went on, on particularly bad days she would perform every part as full out as she could, dancing and all, to ensure that she would not screw anything up this time.
"Aubrey..." Chloe walked in with a warm plate of food, watching as the blonde stared meticulously at her lap top screen, watching the video from the semi-finals, critiquing each individual in her note book every time they did something wrong.
"Chloe, you were late passing the microphone in The Sign" she stood there tall, her hands held in front of her body, fiddling with her fingers. Her voice shook and her eyebrows rose, her eyes glistened over- her body mimicking all the symptoms that made Chloe think that Aubrey was either about to throw up the contents of her stomach or burst into tears.
"We never set a time."
"Well I am now, because that," she pointed at the laptop screen behind her, "that was wrong."
"And if you read the score sheets, I can assure you that they didn't criticise the time I passed the mic. I made you dinner..."
"I'm not hungry," Aubrey dismissed, turning back pressing play on the video once more.
"You need to eat."
"Let me finish here first."
"Aubrey you've been doing that for three hours now."
"I just need to finish with you, and then watch me."
"Okay well I'll put your dinner in the microwave- you can reheat it when you're ready. I'm going out- we need to restock the fridge." Chloe disappeared round the corner to the microwave, returning with her coat and keys seconds later. "I'll see you later." The shorter girl placed her hand gently on Aubreys back for a moment, afraid to disturb her too much.
"Thanks for dinner," Aubrey turned, her back slightly aching from being stood, hunched over to see the screen of her laptop, resting on the window sill. She smiled gently, the panic still obvious in her eyes. "Oh, Chloe, before I forget, I need to talk to you."
"Sure" Chloe smiled back.
"I'm really sorry but my father has a new job closer to the University and so he is buying a new house and he wants me to stay with him a couple nights a week. It won't be all the time and I'll still be here as much as possible it's just I can't really say no. I'll still pay all my part of the rent and split grocery costs, but I just won't be here all the time. I'm sorry Chloe."
"Don't worry I get it." The other girl smiled. "Sure, I'll miss having you around all the time but we'll still have some time. See you in a bit."
"I was proud of you today." Chloe smiled as she walked through their front door followed by Aubrey.
"It was nothing.."
"Yes it was. I know how hard it was for you, giving up the control of the Bella's, even though it may not seem it now, soon you'll realise that it is the best thing for the new Bella's group and most of all, it's the best thing for you." Chloe passed Aubrey her jacket as she hung them both up. "Now come here you" Chloe pulled Aubrey into her arms as she held her tight. The blonde smiled into ginger hair. "I think Aubrey's back."
"I'm really sorry about what I said to you... And for throwing up everywhere..." Aubrey laughed as they both collapsed onto the small sofa.
"No worries. And I'm sorry for everything I said... But that was some pretty spectacular puke... You could like vomit for America..."
"I'm pretty sure that's not a thing." Aubrey grabbed a DVD off the shelf, putting it into her laptop, set on the little table in front of them.
"Damn it!" Chloe mocked surprise, "It so should be... I'll go grab popcorn."
The two sat on the sofa for the rest of the night, snuggled up under a blanket watching a marathon of chick-flicks, rom-coms and musicals, enjoying their last night of each other's company for a while. A popcorn fight must have broken out around 2am, the pair then both being completely covered in popcorn so they changed into their pjs, returning to their position moments later. Neither had an idea what time they had fallen asleep; only that the sun had begun to rise before they slept and that when they awoke, the title Menu of 'Mamma Mia!' was blaring from the laptop.
"I'm going to miss you." Chloe muttered into slightly messy blonde hair, staying in the position of being enwrapped in each other's arms, which they had subconsciously fallen into during the night.
"Me too." Aubrey muttered, enjoying the others warm, friendly embrace for possibly the last time.
By that Saturday evening, the majority of Aubrey's clothes and possessions had been moved into her father's large house about 30 minutes away from her and Chloe's homely flat. The red-head spent several hours there, helping Aubrey unpack her belongings. It was around half nine when she left. It wasn't long until Chloe had shut the door behind her that the first punch collided with Aubrey's face.