"3, 2, 1, I'm coming!" A voice called from the other side of the house.
The little girl tried to hold her breath to suppress the giggles from bubbling up her throat, but as the footsteps got closer, her nervousness grew stronger, and the laughter escaped from between her fingers, her hand pressed to her mouth. She could see through the small keyhole that he was coming. She closed her eyes and concentrated really hard to try to make herself invisible, but he found her easily because she couldn't stop giggling.
"Found you!" he sang, helping her get out of the wooden toy chest she had snuck in.
"That's no fair you're too good, I'm not playing with you anymore." she called out, pouting.
He chuckled lightly and put an arm around her little shoulders, waiting for her to put her arm around his waist like they always did. She didn't, instead she folded her arms, and he sighed, taking his arm off her.
"It's not my fault, I'm just bigger than you, and you always hide in the toy chest!" he said, almost begging with his eyes for her to forgive him for something he couldn't control.
"But that's the best place to hide!" she replied, and he had to agree.
"Come on Beca, let's go play in my tree house." He suggested, immediately being answered with a huge grin from his friend's face.
When they passed the living room, Beca's mother was having a coffee with her friend's mom, and as usual, they didn't pass under the radar.
"Jesse! Where are you going?" his mom asked, and Jesse murmured his answer, already knowing they would be forbidden to go alone.
"There is no way the two of you are going in that tree house alone, your dads are out to get everything we need for the barbecue tonight, you'll go when they get back." Beca's mom said, and the kids knew it was final.
Last time they went by themselves to the tree house, Beca fell down the ladder and broke her arm. Their parents insisted they have surveillance every time they went up there. Tonight it was Jesse's dad birthday, and they were having other friends with kids over. Their moms thought it was cute how, in kindergarten, the two of them would always hang out together and ignore the other kids, but now that they were in school and in different classes, Beca still hadn't made any friends, nor did Jesse. They'd play together during recess and eat together at lunch, but they didn't really talk to anybody else in their class.
Their dads were already planning their wedding, but their moms were a little bit worried about this friendship. Jesse was older than Beca ― by a few months ― but still, he always had the game ideas and it would often end with injuries or trouble. What nobody knew, though, was that Jesse always took the blame for the ideas, but really, it was Beca who was the reckless one. Jesse followed her in her tree climbing adventures, in her spying the old neighbor missions, and any other plans she came up with.
They knew that, tonight, even though they'll be about a dozen other kids to play with, they'd sneak in the tree house, filling it with snacks they'd get from the barbecue, and play there until everybody was gone. They'd probably fall asleep there and it would be their dads who would bring them down. It was their favorite place to be, because the adults were too big to fit in, and it was really comfy; their dads had built it for them when they were four. It had been two years now, and they still found the same pleasure in coming up here than before.
"How could you do this me, Richard!"
"I didn't do this to you, you did this to yourself, Janet!"
Beca covered her ears with her hands, pressing hard to stop the screaming coming from downstairs. For six months now, this is what she'd fall asleep too; her parents fighting like she never heard them before. She picked up the aluminum can hanging from her window and called Jesse. A thread of wool was running between their two houses, a direct line to Jesse's bedroom. One time, Beca really couldn't sleep because the yelling was too loud, and Jesse climbed in the tree between their houses, swinging himself through her window.
He hugged her tight, doing what his daddy always did when her mom was sad; stroking her hair and telling her everything was going to be okay. He promised that, as soon as they were old enough, they'd get married. The eight year old girl nodded, liking this idea. They had fallen asleep on the floor, near the window, and the next morning the tree was trimmed down so the boy couldn't pull a stunt like that anymore. That's how they came up with the idea of the tin cans and thread of wool.
"Jesse?" she asked, pressing it to her ear after.
"I'm right here, Beca." He replied, and she could feel the tears stinging in her eyes.
"I wish you were really here, Jesse."
"I wish I was too. Get in your bed, I'll read you a story." He said, and she did so, hearing the scrambling of the books before he settled down and read to her.
"I love you, Jesse, promise me we'll never fight like this." Beca pleaded and her voice was small and broken as yet another round of screams and shrieks began downstairs.
"I promise, Beca. I love you too, and when we're married, I'll take you far away from here and we'll live happy. Ok?"
"Ok."
She put the made-up telephone beside her bed and rolled on her side to sleep.
"Beca? Beca! Where are you?" her mom called in the backyard, but the little girl wouldn't come out of the bushes where she'd been hiding for the past few hours.
"Beca, come on, we're leaving." She pressed, and that made the tears run down even faster on her face.
She heard the screen door slam and her mom walk toward her. The protective leaves weren't protecting her anymore, and her mom's face blocked the light from coming in.
"Beca, baby, come on now, we have to go, the moving truck is waiting for us."
She took her by the arm and helped her get out, seeming oblivious to the fact that her daughter was crying. Janet was angry, and heartbroken, and she didn't know how to handle all this. When Beca wiggled away and ran to Jesse's backyard instead of the car waiting in front, she ran after her. She grabbed Beca's arm before she could get in and made her turn to face her.
"Beca, you listen to me right now and good. You get in that car because we're going. Men will only break your heart, don't let them get to you, baby, you'll only get hurt. Now let's go." She didn't let go of her hand even when Beca pleaded and begged for one last goodbye to Jesse.
"Mom! Mom! Stop, he's not a man, he's a boy! Mom, I love him, stop, you can't make me go! I want to here with him, Mom please!" tears were falling down on the ground, leaving a trail of hurt and sadness as she was dragged to the car.
"Jesse will grow up and he'll be a man someday, and all he's ever going to do is break your heart. So you stop this right now and you get in the damn car, Beca. There's no way I'm letting you stay here. This is not our home anymore, baby." she sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Beca climbed in the car, silent, and twisted her body so she could see behind her. Jesse had ran out the house and was running after the car, screaming for her to come back.
"Turn around Beca, and forget him, it's better that way. Trust me."
Because she didn't know what else to do, Beca listened to her mom and sat back in the backseat, sniffing. She was going away, forever, and she might never get to see Jesse again. They had sworn to write to each other every week, but she knew that wouldn't be enough. He told her they'd get to see each other during summer break, and he'd come walking if that's what it took. Somehow, though, the raw and plain disgust in her mother's tone had made an impression on her and her words slowly sank in. He's only going to hurt you. She didn't want to look like her mom, she promised herself at that moment that she'd never let nobody make her feel like her mom felt.
Little did she know that meant closing herself up to a point where she couldn't even tell what she was shutting out anymore.
A/N : so guys this is my new story! Of course it's Jesse/Beca, and I want to know what you thought of that first chapter! I will be updating once a week, probably on Wednesday around 8pm Montreal time. I have quite a few chapters already written and I hope you'll like it even if it's not Bechloe! Feel free to send me your opinion and review on it! :D