The taxi pulled up outside Barden University and Beca Mitchell looked out the window, trying to refrain from rolling her eyes or making any sarcastic comment. She had promised her dad that she would give college life a try, so she was at least going to wait until she was inside to start criticising it. All around her were students either saying tearful goodbyes to their parents or not being able to get away fast enough. The building itself didn't look too bad; it was huge, so hopefully that meant there was a good chance of becoming invisible against the crowds. From what her dad had told her you were only somebody in Barden if you really excelled at something which was great news for Beca. It wasn't that she didn't excel at things; she just wasn't the type of person to stick her essays up on the fridge or put her name forward for awards.

"Er… Miss? We're here," the taxi driver cleared his throat awkwardly from the front of the car. "I can see that," Beca replied. She took in a deep breath and opened the door, not appreciating the sudden rush of sound that surrounded her. Annoying chatter and squeals from friends reuniting after summer break pierced her eardrums, making the walk to get her equipment even more urgent. She couldn't wait to get put her headphones on and fill her ears with music. The driver tried to help but she waved him away after giving him some cash for the ride. As she loaded all of her bags onto the cart, her attention was drawn to the family standing by the car next to her. She wasn't exactly eavesdropping, but they were talking so loud that it was hard not to hear them.

The mother had a particularly shrill voice and it was apparent that she probably owned three houses in the Hamptons before she was twenty. "Now darling, I don't expect you to call us all year because I know you'll be studying so hard. It's your final year, so you don't have much time for socialising if you want to do well." Her husband stood beside her nodding repetitively, whipped beyond belief. "Yes… I know…" the young girl seemed to repeat those three words over and over, but her mother wasn't listening. "… and no extracurricular activities. I know you love your singing but at the end of the day it won't get you a job. You were part of that group last year, and I think that's why you fell behind. No drinking, although I don't have to tell you that as I know you can't stand the taste of alcohol…"

Beca watched the girl's eyebrow flick up and a smirk play at her lips for half a second at the mention of alcohol, and she couldn't help but laugh and shake her head at the mother's seemingly perfect daughter. As she flung her remaining bag over her shoulder she glanced over at the family one last time, only to see that they had stopped talking and the older woman was staring at her with pursed lips. Evidently they had heard her laugh and were less than impressed, but Beca kept a smile on her face. "Can I help you?" she said unfalteringly. The woman smoothed down her blazer and said stiffly, "I don't appreciate your manner, young lady. Judging by your excessive piercings I can only assume that you are nothing more than a delinquent, jealous of my daughter's success."

"Well," Beca began, making sure to put on a mockingly posh tone, "I'm sure I am jealous of your perfect, tee-total daughter. Let me just stick a pole up my ass and I'm one step closer to being worthy of your presence." She bent her legs in an exaggerated curtsy before grabbing her bags and turning to get her new key from an over-excited usher. "What dorm?" the girl asked with a smile that was unmoving to the point of being creepy. "Er… Baker Hall I think," Beca replied. "Okay! So what you're gonna do is…" But Beca had already stopped listening. She couldn't stop thinking of the redhead behind her and that there was a lot more to her than her mother thought. Beca had already sussed that she drank, but couldn't fight the urge to find out what else she was hiding.

Her hand curled around the luggage cart and she pulled it behind her as she walked over to the dorm she would be living in for the next year. Her first port of call was setting up all of her music equipment, despite the fact that she was majoring in philosophy this year. Kimmy Jin, the new roommate, had already made it crystal clear that she wasn't a sociable character which Beca was more than okay with. She had just begun working on a mix when there was a knock on the door, followed by an incredibly un-funny joke. Beca rolled her eyes and braced herself for the entrance of her father. "It's just your old man making a funny," he joked, walking over to the desk. "Chris Rock everybody. What do you want, dad?"

"I just wanted to check that you got here okay."
"Well I did. So you can go now."
"Come on, Becs. I know you would rather be in LA making music but I want you to get a college education first. For free, I might add. I thought we were past this and you were going to give it a go?"
Before Beca could respond, Kimmy Jin stood up and announced her departure to the activities fair. Beca wasn't one for activities or any form of social participation, but she had an opportunity to escape her dad and she was going to take it. "I'm going to the activities fair with my super good friend, Kimmy Jin," she said and headed out the door without another word, trusting her dad to let himself out.

She walked across the quad and a grin spread across her face when she saw the redhead standing in the middle of the activities fair, evidently enjoying rebellion. Beca looked around to see if there were any other groups worth joining, but apart from Quidditch Club there was nothing particularly interesting. She decided to wander over to the redhead and her friend to see if she could find out anything else about her, but unfortunately they were just trying to recruit new members for a singing group. Beca headed over to various tables, trying to give her father time to get as far away from her dorm as possible before she returned. One sign caught her eye for Barden Internships and she walked over in the hopes of finding a music related job.

Once she had signed up to work at the radio station she headed to a patch of grass where other students were sitting, but isolated herself by a tree with her iPod and closed her eyes. By the time she opened her eyes again, the activities fair was all packed up and most of the students were in their dorms. When music was playing in her ears it wasn't unusual for Beca to lose a few hours like this. She stood up, brushed the grass off herself and began to head back to her laptop and equipment. Maybe after a few weeks at the station she would be able to give some of her mixes to whoever was her new boss and she could get her music played on the college radio. With that thought playing on her mind, she walked back across the quad and only managed to notice a certain redhead when they were inches apart. Neither of them had time to stop themselves walking before crashing into one another, and Beca began mumbling an apology until she realised exactly whom she had bumped into. "Hi," she said with a grin on her face.
"Hello," the redhead said and extended her hand, "I'm Chloe."

"Beca," she replied, still trying to suppress the eager grin on her face. "So I'm guessing your mothers rules are already out of the window then? Cos I'm pretty sure she said no singing groups."
"Yeah… Sorry about that by the way, she shouldn't have said anything to you."
"It's okay, I'm a big girl. By the way I didn't mean it about needing a pole up my ass to talk to you. It was more for your mother's sake that I said it."
Chloe laughed and said, "Don't worry - I won't hold it against you. So where are you staying?"
"Baker Hall. I'm just heading there now actually."
"I'll walk with you – I actually stay in the block next to you. I live with my friend, Aubrey."
"The blonde from earlier?" Beca asked, keeping it to herself that she was pretty sure that girl had a pole up her ass, even if Chloe didn't.
"Yep, that's the one."

They spoke for a while longer until they arrived outside Baker Hall and Beca swallowed her fear before saying, "Do you want to go out tonight? I mean, you'd have to pick the place because I have no idea where anything is, but I'd like to take you out."
"Like on a date?" Chloe said with a teasing gleam in her eyes.
"No! Not exactly… I mean, sort of. Well yes, but only if-"
Chloe silenced Beca with a laugh and said, "Yes, Beca. I would like to go on a date with you tonight." She pulled out her phone and entered the information for a new contact before passing the phone over to Beca, watching as she smiled sheepishly as she entered her number before handing it back. "Perfect," Chloe said, "Be at mine for six; I'm in room 503."
"See you then," Beca replied and walked into Baker Hall. As she walked up the stairs and along the corridor to her dorm room, she couldn't help but feel almost glad to be at Barden. However, she wasn't about to let her dad know that she'd made a friend; as far as he was concerned this year would be a hellish experience for his daughter, and he should feel pangs of guilt every day for sending her there.