Bellas rehearsal was no easy feat with Aubrey running the floor. Every waking moment not spent in classes or doing homework was devoted to perfecting the routine due to their leader being an unapologetic slave driver.
On this particular afternoon, the Bellas were going over their choreography again, attempting to tighten up the dancing and fix any little issues that arose. Chloe was focused on her moves when she misstepped somehow. Her right ankle twisted over to the side and within moments she was dropping to the floor, holding the offending ankle in her hands as she hissed in pain. The Bellas, noticing Chloe's movement, stopped the rehearsal. All eyes fell onto Chloe.
"Are you alright?" Beca didn't hesitate to get down on the floor with her, her hand falling on top of her girlfriend's.
Midway through the semester, Chloe had drunkenly confessed her feelings for Beca and the freshman returned her sentiment. Aubrey had watched disapprovingly as the two of them exchanged sloppy, inebriated kisses, disgusted at the sight. But now it was several months later and even Aubrey was okay with the now established relationship between Beca and Chloe. They didn't let it distract them from practice and it solved the Treble issue, so long as they could keep Stacie away from the guys as well.
On the floor beside of her, Beca pushed Chloe's hands away from her ankle so that she could get a better look. Inspecting the joint, she noticed that it was already looking red and swollen.
"I should be fine!" Chloe all but shrieked, desperate to continue the routine.
Beca looked sternly at her, knowing that despite her eagerness to continue where she'd left off that Chloe's ankle was in bad shape. She winced guiltily before she pushed her fingers hard against the redhead's ankle, causing her to scream out in pain.
"Yeah, I don't think you're fine. You should sit out and ice your ankle. Missing a day of rehearsal won't set you back; you've got the routine down anyway." Beca reassured her, her hand moving to push her girlfriend's hair out of her face.
"Um, excuse me, Beca, but you don't call the shots around here." Aubrey butted in, her hands on her hips as she looked down at the two of them on the floor. "Chloe, you okay?"
"I think I can—"
"Great! Places, everyone!" She clapped her hands together excitedly.
"Uh, no." Beca stood up, moving daringly toward Aubrey with a serious glint in her eye. "Chloe's not going to continue with rehearsal. You heard the sound she made when I touched her ankle, she has no business dancing on it."
Aubrey chuckled. "Oh, Beca. I get it. You're trying to be the protective girlfriend and all that. It's cute, it is. Really. I mean that." Why did Beca not believe her? She didn't seem very sincere and Aubrey hadn't really been a fan of her from day one. Even though she and Chloe have been dating away, she doesn't think Aubrey is necessarily too fond of her.
"Chloe said she thinks she can do it." She said with a sense of finality.
Her eyes flickered to her friend on the floor, who nodded slightly. Aubrey leaned down and extended her hand to help Chloe up. The girl wobbled a little bit on her ascent.
"I just don't think it's a great idea." Beca stood her ground.
"Are you a doctor?" Aubrey prompted in her usual flippant manner.
"Obviously not, but—"
"If she wants to power through it, then she will. End of discussion."
Beca crossed her arms to her chest, hating the way she and Aubrey had to clash all the time. She wasn't the type to back down, and the only reason she ever did was for Chloe's sake. It was just her luck that her girlfriend would have to have the most uptight best friend of all time.
Attempting to walk, Chloe let out a low moan, the pressure on her ankle being entirely too much for her to bear. She gazed nervously at Beca and Aubrey.
"Actually, I'd rather sit." She paused, her eyes on Audrey as she silently begged for permission. "If that's okay…"
Noticing that Chloe really was hurt, Aubrey sighed. She didn't make a scene though, because Chloe was her best friend and if she couldn't stand then she couldn't dance. She dismissed her off the stage and turned to Beca.
"Go get her an ice pack and a pillow to elevate her foot on." She demanded.
Beca nodded, she was doing this for Chloe, not Aubrey.
"While you're out can you get me a bottle of water too? My throat's kind of scratchy." Chloe asked. Beca helped her into a chair and grabbed another, propping her leg up on it.
"Anything for you. You know that." She told her quietly, leaning down and giving her a quick kiss on the lips.
Fat Amy approached the end of the stage and grinned down, batting her eyelashes at Beca.
"Could you maybe pick me up a bag of Cheezeles?"
"What the hell are Cheezeles?" Beca mused as she gazed up at her.
"You know, those puffy styrofoamy cheesy things. In Tasmania they're called Cheezeles. Boy, you guys got a lot to learn about proper snack foods."
"No, we have those here, they're called Cheetos." Cynthia Rose explained.
Cynthia Rose and Fat Amy then proceeded into a discussion about the respective size and shape of Cheezeles versus Cheetos. Apparently Cheezeles were like Cheetos, but were in a circular formation with a hole in the center.
"Like Funyuns!" Stacie added.
Beca grimaced at the exchange. "This is all very fascinating, but I need to get some ice for Chloe's ankle. I'll try to find some Cheetos. That's the best I can do." She offered, grabbing her bag and returning to Chloe's side. "Can I get you anything else?"
Smiling appreciatively, the injured senior shook her head. "Ice and water's great. Thanks, Bec."
They stared lingeringly at each other for a moment before Beca hurried out of the practice space. She was determined to get an ice pack in record time. The less time wasted, the more time Chloe could spend icing her ankle and the more quickly it would heal.
Once Beca had scurried off, Aubrey stood before the girls and instructed them to start the routine over again, indicating that she would be watching and critiquing their every move along with Chloe. As the rest of the Bellas began to dance, she hurried down to join Chloe, settling into the chair beside of her.
"You know, I really should've had you ask her for a latte." Aubrey said to her friend with a wry smile.
Chloe laughed lightly, watching the girls start the number. "She probably would've gotten me one if I'd asked."
"Yeah, I know. You've got her whipped." The blond smirked before turning her attention to the Bellas on stage. "Stacie, your hands do NOT go there. Lilly, why do you have that look on your face while you're dancing? You look like you're constipated. Oh and all of your voices sound flat."
"That's not fair! You said this was a dance rehearsal and that our voices wouldn't matter." Jessica complained loudly.
To be fair, Chloe did recall Aubrey saying something like that, but she knew her friend well enough to know she'd never admit to having said it. She shot back something about how their voices always mattered and told them to take it from the top.
The girls were just finishing the run through when Beca returned toting her bag and a pillow. She shoved the pillow under Chloe's foot and then pulled an ice pack out of her bag, securing it around her girlfriend's ankle. Once she'd done that, she handed her a bottle of water and then sat the bag of Cheetos on the stage for Fat Amy and the others.
"Ooh. Cheeto break?" Fat Amy asked hopefully.
Aubrey let out a long sigh. "I guess so."
With glee, Fat Amy plopped down on the stage and opened the bag with a loud pop. She took a handful of Cheetos and passed them around while the other three girls watched them with amusement.
"I don't understand how they can eat those things. It's not even real cheese." Aubrey muttered, disgusted.
"That's the best part!" Beca argued, Chloe agreeing with her.
Aubrey pulled her hair tie out and let her hair down, shaking her head slightly to let her hair fall to her shoulders. She glanced back at the Bellas on stage then to Beca and Chloe, who were being nauseatingly cute with one another.
"Alright! I'm going to end practice early. Bye! See you bitches tomorrow." She announced before grabbing her bag and heading out the door before anyone could form a response.
It wasn't like Aubrey to dismiss the group hours ahead of schedule and they all couldn't help but wonder what had caused it. Beca shrugged, taking it upon herself to direct Chloe to her dorm. Helping her up, she put her girlfriend's arm around her shoulder and then did the same for her, instructing her to keep her leg partway bended and not to walk on the injured ankle. It took them an exasperatingly long time to reach Chloe's dorm room and once they did, both of them were exhausted.
"Why don't you stay over and keep taking care of me?" Chloe asked, jutting out her bottom lip when Beca was about to leave.
"Okay, you convinced me."
All it took was puppy dog eyes and a protruding bottom lip and Beca was putty in her hands. Chloe loved how easily she could get Beca to do what she wanted. It was such a change from the way she'd been at the beginning of the year, so mysterious and antisocial. Beca was still hesitant to let people in, but it wasn't that way with Chloe anymore. Chloe had a way of letting herself in, whether someone wanted her to or not, and that, in essence, was what made their relationship function so well.