A/N: So the time jumps here are going to be about 3 years!
Remix-this - I was really trying to get the characterization right, so I'm glad you like it!
TacoxocaT - Aww! I'm blushing again!
Guest - Who knows what these two weirdos might get into!
spikkels8 - Sad? More like awesome! and I have had this song stuck in my head for like 2 weeks!
xcombixgirlx - Well, I mean it is Bechloe!
You're circling the atmosphere
Unsure if I'll disappear
I'm not going nowhere
Open your eyes
"Alright campers, welcome to Camp Maple Lake!" A woman in a bright pink t-shirt and a name tag that read 'Ms. Debbie' yelled out over a megaphone.
Fifty 10 year old girls screamed in excitement. Chloe glanced sideways at the small brunette standing next to her, irritated expression firmly in place. Make that 49 girls.
She bumped shoulders with the younger girl. "Come on Becs!" She whispered. "It'll be fun!"
Beca gave her a skeptical look. "Whatever you say, Red."
Chloe smiled at the nickname, Beca was the only one allowed to call her that. Everyone else was too scared, mainly because the story of Beca punching Tommy had given the girl quite a reputation; and sent a clear message - nobody messes with Chloe Beale.
The megaphone rang out again. "Please go stand by the camp counselor that I point to when I call out your assigned cabin number! This is Megan! She is in charge of cabin number 1!"
There was a pause as ten of the girls sorted themselves out to go and stand by Megan.
"Becky is in charge of cabin number 2!"
"Cabin number 3, you've got Taylor!"
"Cabin number 4, head on over to Michelle!"
"That's us Bec! Come on!" She pulled Beca over to the growing group of girls.
"And Stephanie has got cabin number 5!"
Once all of the girls were settled in the groups, Ms. Debbie called out again.
"Alright campers! Your counselor is going to show you to your bunks and give you a tour! Then we'll all meet back here to learn the camp song!"
"There's a camp song? Really?" Beca's voice was a whisper in her ear.
"Don't sound so excited, besides, you love singing!" Chloe whispered back.
"I like singing with you, not with 50 other girls whom I've never met!"
"It'll be fun!" She insisted but Beca just sighed.
"Alright, girls! My name is Michelle! Who's ready to have some fun?!"
Nine girls screamed back.
"Awesome! Now the first rule of Camp Maple Lake is stay safe! That means no swimming or canoing without myself or one of the other counselors present. Also, no wandering outside the camp boundaries without a guide! It's very easy to get lost! The bugle sounds at 7:30 in the morning for roll call, and lights out is at 9:30 so that's plenty of time for all sorts of fun camp activities! Now everyone follow me and we'll take a quick tour!"
As they made their way around the camp, Chloe could see Beca getting more a more interested; the arts and crafts room did nothing to wipe the scowl from her face, but the boathouse filled with canoes sparked her interest a little. Next was the archery range, and she did smile a little at that; but the music room - complete with all sorts of instruments- that was definitely her favorite; Chloe could tell. And she had to admit, she was more than a little excited about it herself.
Their cabin was small, with five bunk beds lined up across the back wall, and shelves for their backpacks and supplies. The walls were unpainted wood, but each bed was covered with a colorful quilt.
"Everybody pick a bunk!" Michelle called out and Chloe immediately grabbed Beca's hand tugging her towards a corner bunk.
"Top or bottom Becs?"
"Uhhh, bottom."
"Great! I was hoping I could have top! I always wanted bunk beds like Mike and Charlie!"
"I'm sure your brothers would much rather have their own rooms."
"Why? Sharing is so much fun!"
Beca gave her a weird look before pulling out a pillow and a stuffed rabbit and sticking them on the bottom bunk. Chloe did the same before stashing her bag next to Beca's.
"Everybody! Back to the main camp!"
The rest of their first day passed in a blur, there were so many new people to make friends with and so many fun activities to try. Beca was quiet, but she could tell the smaller girl was having fun, even if she didn't want to admit it. It was an exhausting day for everyone, and when it was finally time for bed, Chloe climbed up into her bunk and collapsed.
"G'night, Becs." She called down.
"Good night, Chlo."
She fell asleep quickly, the sounds of crickets and frogs acting like a lullaby.
"Chlo, Chlo. Are you awake?"
"Mmm." She opened her eyes to see Beca's staring back at her; the younger girl dangling from the top bunk from her elbows. The moon made her look paler than normal, and if she didn't know any better, she would say that Beca Mitchell look scared. But that must be wrong, because in the three years that she had been Beca's best friend she had never seen Beca scared. Nervous maybe, shy, but never scared.
"I'm awake."
"Can I, uh, can sleep up there? With you? There's a lot of noises."
"Yeah, come on."
Beca's head disappeared as she dropped to the floor and moved to the ladder. She pulled back the covers and the younger girl scooted in, clutching the rabbit.
"Thanks."
"S'no problem."
She snuggle back down into the blankets and quickly drifted off to the sound of Beca's soft breathing.
Reverie sounded extremely early, and it was no surprise that Beca slept right through it.
"Becs! Come on! Wake Up! We get to go canoeing today."
"Ok, ok I'm up." Beca wiped the sleep out of her eyes and crawled to the ladder.
Canoeing was just as fun as Chloe thought it would be, even thought they spent the first half hour going around in a circle. They went swimming after that, where there cabin one an epic splash battle against one of the other cabin. After lunch was free time, and Beca insisted that Chloe go play kickball with the other girls and she would be fine by herself. After her team won, Chloe was a master at kickball, she made her way to the music room where she assumed she would find Beca. Sure enough, the brunette was bent over the piano, fingers pressing the keys in an unfamiliar melody.
"Whatcha playin' Bec?" She dropped onto the piano bench beside her friend.
Beca shrugged. "Just, making it up."
"It sounds good!"
"Thanks." a blush spread up the shorter girls cheeks and she smiled.
"Now come on! You don't want to miss archery class!"
Saturday came faster than Chloe expected, and while she had fun, she had to admit that she was a little homesick. The week had been filled with nature hikes and kickball tournaments, more crafts than even Chloe's mother could have though of, and enough archery class that they were finally able to hit the target. It had taken some doing to get Beca to try the rope swing over the lake, but after she tried it once it was her new favorite thing. The last night they got to stay up late and have a campfire, complete with roasted hot dogs and s'mores. One of the counselors even told a ghost story that had them screaming in terror. Despite the adrenaline rush, she was so exhausted that she fell off to sleep immediately, only to be woken by Beca once again.
"Let's go look at the stars."
"What?"
"Let's go look at the stars, I've always wanted to see how the stars look away from the city. Dad's always talking about them but you can't see much from our backyard."
"But what if we get in trouble?"
"We're not going to get in trouble, I promise. And if we do then I'll take the blame."
It was a promise that Chloe had heard before, whenever Beca was trying to talk her into doing something risky. True to her word, on the rare occasion that they got caught, the younger girl always took responsibility; although Chloe was sure that their parents knew she was at least a little bit at fault for their schemes.
"Ok."
"Ok? That was easy."
"Well, I wanna go see the stars too!"
They climbed quietly down to the floor and Beca grabbed a flashlight and started for the door but Chloe reached for the quilt on the bottom bunk.
"It's gonna get cold!" She explained at Beca's eyeroll.
The grass was wet with dew, and she could feel it soaking into the hem of her pajama bottoms. They walked to the edge of the camp and Chloe spread the quilt out before they lay down at it and pulled the extra over them.
"Wow." She whispered, staring up the massive expanse of sky above them uncluttered by city lights.
"Yep," Beca said smugly, "Told you it would be nice."
The cool night air shifted through their hair as Chloe listened to Beca tell the myths behind different constellations, stories that she assumed the younger girl had read in her father's books. Silence eventually fell over them as the night got darker, and Chloe could feel herself getting sleepy again. She was just about to suggest that they head back inside when Beca's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"So, umm. I want you to have this." Beca dangled something between them and she shifted to a sitting position to get a better look. It was a woven band of yellow and blue, and Chloe recognized it as one of the bracelets that they had crafted the day before.
"It's my favorite colors!"
"Yeah, well you know, it's supposed to be a friendship bracelet and uh, well you're my best friend, so you know, I figured you should have it." Beca cleared her throat and Chloe could see the unsure look in her eyes.
"I love it!" She exclaimed, wrapping the younger girl in a bear hug. "It's perfect!"
Beca was limp at first, but she finally lifted her arms up to hug Chloe properly.
"Wait, I have something for you! I was going to wait until we got home, but you should have it now." She pulled back to dig in her pocket and pull out a matching purple and red bracelet. Beca's smile got bigger than she had ever seen it.
"I've never been somebody's best friend before!"
"Yeah, well you're mine, so I guess that means you're pretty much stuck with me!"
