A/N: Thank-you so much for the reviews, they're incredibly motivating! Thank-you.
Dinner is nice, although her dinners aren't something to go off of. She can recall the nights she went without dinner or the times dinner was a bucket full of fried chicken or pizza.
Fat Amy is a riot even if her stories are a bit far fetched, it makes for an entertaining time.
"And that's how you properly wrestle a croc." Amy finishes, taking a drink of water.
"Thanks Fat Amy..." Casey trails off.
Jesse just chuckles.
"So where are you from Beca?" Chloe asks.
Beca is thrown by this because no one really asks her any personal questions. She pokes around at her food before answering.
"Uh Seattle, Washington."
"That explains the urban look." Fat Amy butts in.
"Hey," Beca starts defensively, "I'll have you know, this is the look of a true badass." She gestures to her body.
"Well around here, an all-around cowboy trophy is badass." Casey says, putting up finger quotations when she mentions 'badass'.
Beca furrows her brow, "All around what?"
"All around cowboy!" Jesse looks at her, "It's when a participant places highest in two or more rodeo events. Monty here, is a legend. I aspire to be him some day."
Monty just chuckles. "Only here."
Jesse shakes his head, "No way, all of Oregon knows who you are."
"So, does everyone do rodeo around here?" Beca looks at the others, her brow still furrowed.
Chloe nods her head, "Casey used to participate in hunter jumper. But yeah basically everyone does rodeo around here."
"Yeah she was amazing!" Jesse beams.
"Used to, as in no longer? Why not?" Beca asks, digging into her food.
She must have asked the wrong thing because suddenly everyone is very quiet and their food has become quite interesting.
"I'll do the dishes tonight." Casey says suddenly, standing from her chair and grabbing her empty dishes.
The rest of dinner is eaten in silence and Beca makes a mental note to ask Jesse about it later.
The party itself is awfully tame. Most people are gathered around the bonfire with a bottle of beer in hand, others are walking in and out of the house with a plate of food. There's music playing; although is soft and Beca's pretty damn sure it's country. There's not much going on if Beca's being honest. She decides that this is good, there's less of a chance of her getting into some sort of trouble.
Beca follows Jesse at first, not sure where to go, "Hey Jesse, what the hell happened during dinner?"
"Uh Casey just left for New York." He shrugs.
Beca scoffs, "Okay, Jesse, I'm not stupid. Clearly more than just leaving for New York occurred because suddenly the food was more interesting."
Jesse turns around to face Beca, handing her a bottle of beer. He scratches the back of his neck again, "Casey's trainer died when she was in high school. Stopped riding after that and after…" he trails off and then shakes his head, "Nope, you'll have to ask Casey or Chloe for the rest."
Beca isn't sure what to say, especially since Jesse is suggesting there's more to it than just a trainer dying. She nods and makes a note not to bring it up around Casey but to maybe ask Chloe about it. Maybe. Probably not.
She takes a swig of the beer and makes a face of disgust and she can hear Jesse chuckling.
She looks up at him and narrows her eyes, "What the hell is so funny?"
He smiles, "Have you never had beer before?" His tone is almost mocking.
"No, I have but this is just crap beer." She takes another drink to persuade herself it's not so terrible. It's still gross.
Jesse's attention is taken away and before Beca can say much more, he's gone. She looks around and sees Chloe and for a moment, the two make eye contact. She's not wearing her black hat anymore. Great, now she's being waved over. She's not sure why she doesn't leave, instead, she just walks over to Chloe who is surrounded by several girls.
"Hey Beca, this is Stacie Conrad and Jessica Jakel." Chloe gestures to each girl.
Stacie is tall, like really tall; maybe five ten or something. She looks friendly, and she must be because she can't imagine Chloe being friends with someone who isn't friendly. She's wearing a jean like button down and the sleeves are rolled up. She's got a cowboy hat on. It's dark out so Beca's not entirely sure why the girl is wearing a hat. Chloe wears a cowboy hat better if Beca's being honest. Wait. What? Where the hell did that thought come from?
Jesus Christ what's wrong with you?
Beca brings her attention to Jessica. She's wearing a simple white t-shirt and a jean jacket, thankfully no hat.
"Nice to meet you Beca." Jessica says, tipping her beer towards Beca a bit.
Beca forces a smile, "You as well."
"So Chloe tells me you're from Seattle." Stacie states, although it sounds like a question.
Beca tenses. What exactly did Chloe tell these two girls? "Yep." She pops the last syllable.
"I bet this is a big change then." Jessica says, taking a swig of her beer.
"That's a huge understatement." She looks down at the bottle again and grimaces before taking a sip.
"Bree! You made it!" Chloe suddenly runs off and tackles a tall blonde. The two pull a part and that nearly makes Beca spit out of her beer. It's the waitress. Aubrey, Chloe's 'BFF' is the waitress from Murphy's. How does that work? Great. The two are headed back over and Aubrey has that same look she had when Beca walked in.
"Aubrey this is Beca, Beca this is Aubrey." She says this with a smile, her arm wraps around Aubrey's, leaning against the tall blonde.
"Yes, we've met." Her expression doesn't change and her tone reeks professional or business like. It's disgusting in Beca's opinion. She has her hair pulled back in a tight pony tail and she's wearing a short sleeved teal sheer top that reminds her of that fancy wear Beca can't be bothered with.
Beca scoffs and plays with the spiral in her ear again, biting back a sarcastic comment. Again.
"Oh?" Chloe says, looking to Aubrey, who finally drops the look.
"At Murphy's, I went in and asked if she knew if anyone was hiring." Beca explains.
"Oh, hey! Gavin's Grocery is looking for a new bagger." Stacie buts in, quickly adding, "And I hear Luke is going to be looking for help."
Beca raises her brow, "Yeah, I went to Luke's. I start Monday."
She ignores the fact that Aubrey didn't tell her this, for whatever personal reason Aubrey has. But what she can't ignore is the tension building that could be cut with a knife. She prays someone will change the subject. She looks to Chloe hoping she will.
She does.
"So, Jessica have you decided on a major yet?" Chloe looks from Jessica to Aubrey and then back at Jessica.
Jessica sighs, "I don't have a single clue. Team roping with Stacie kind of got me thinking about continuing in the rodeo circuit."
Stacie smiles, "Well you're super amazing at it. So I fully support you!"
"Stacie, it's called team roping for a reason. If I'm amazing, that makes you amazing too."
"I agree Stacie. You're an amazing heeler." Chloe adds.
None of this registers with Beca but she makes the attempt to keep listening. Not that her presence matters to any of these girls. Actually, she doesn't even know why she's still here and not leaving to find something better to drink.
"Yeah but my parents won't let me go into rodeo." Stacie takes a long drink of her beer.
"Well, they have a point Stacie. The rodeo can be unpredictable. With a degree you have a better chance of stability." Aubrey states matter-of-factly.
Beca furrows her brow, she's not sure what any of this means, "What's team roping?"
She mentally smacks herself on the forehead. She doesn't care, so why is she asking? It's not something she's going to be interested in. Ever. But she finds herself curious anyway.
"It's an event where there are two riders, a heeler and a header, rope a steer as quickly as possible." Jessica says looking at Beca, "To put it simply."
Beca nods and gives a tight lipped smile, "Sounds fun." Truthfully, it sounds kind of lame.
"It's totes fun. Aubrey and I do it occasionally but Jessica and Stacie are a force to be reckoned with. They beat most of the boys."
"Yes but, I prefer to focus on hunter jumper events." Again, said with a proper tone.
Chloe nudges Aubrey, "Come on, you love roping. It gives you a break from riding English." She smiles nudging Aubrey again.
"Fine." Aubrey gives in, crossing her arms. "So Beca, what is it exactly that you do?"
Wait. What? No. This isn't what she wanted. She doesn't want attention directed at her about her personal life. Wait. What exactly does Aubrey mean by that? A million other questions run through Beca's head and she's brought back to reality by Chloe's voice.
"Bree, she doesn't ride." There's a small smile on her face and she looks from Aubrey to Beca.
"Oh." Aubrey furrows her brow, "Then what are you doing here?" Her tone is almost accusing and Beca can't pinpoint why.
Beca looks anywhere but the girls. She looks up at the sky and the amount of stars she sees astonishes her for a moment. She looks back at Aubrey then at Chloe because part of her hopes the red head will save her again. But she doesn't and Beca takes that as a cue to go find a better drink.
"I'm gonna go get a drink." She looks down at the bottle of beer and mentally shakes her head, "Uh, a better drink." She quickly glances at the other girls before leaving.
She internally groans and finds where the beverages are. She empties the contents of the beer bottle and then tosses it, grabbing a Coke.
"Hey." It's Chloe.
Beca smirks, turning to face the other girl. Chloe is gently running her hands up and down Beca's arms. And that's weird because Beca usually pulls away from touching. She's not one for touch simply because Beca doesn't really know softness. Touch is usually rough; tackling hugs, fists, or tight grips are what she's used to. And maybe there are softer people but Beca never lets them get close enough to do so. But there's something different about the way Chloe touches. It's slow and soft. Of course she's also wearing a leather jacket. But it's still odd and it makes Beca internally cringe.
"Hey Beale." Beca tenses and she watches as Chloe get's a little too close to her face. She can't help but glance down just a bit at her lips. No. What the hell is she doing? She immediately looks up, meeting blue eyes.
"Sorry about Aubrey."
"Oh?" Beca raises a brow.
"Yeah, she's…" Chloe trails off and shakes her head, "Her parents are strict and that's kind of rubbed off onto Aubrey. I mean she's a super best friend, I promise. She's wary of new people and isn't the best at socializing."
Beca's not sure why Chloe's assuring her but suddenly Chloe's hands are in her own and Beca does her best not to pull her hands away. The hand holding makes her feel uneasy. It's not the bad uneasy. It's the uneasy that causes her insides to feel fuzzy and she hates it. She feels weak and if there's one thing Beca cannot stand, it's feeling weak.
"I think we're going to be fast friends." She smiles and Beca can't help but smile.
"Yeah well, you saw me before eight so…" She makes a clicking sound.
Chloe laughs lightly, "What's with you and mornings?"
Beca pulls her head back a little, "Haven't you heard? Sleep is important."
Chloe just smiles again, "Come join us?"
Beca sighs, "I was actually just going to lea-"
"Please Beca? Just stay, it'll be fun." She's begging and she's… pouting? Oh great.
She doesn't know why, for the umpteenth time, but she finds herself half smiling. She's pretty sure she's got the same dopey grin Jesse gives her sometimes. God, she really needs to reel it in and not be such a damn push over. But the words are flying out of her mouth before she can think further and she hopes to whatever possible higher power, that may or may not exist, that she won't regret agreeing to stay.
They're all sitting in lawn chairs. Beca is listening to Stacie complain about some guy she slept with Friday night. Apparently the girl was really into this guy who had been giving compliments since the beginning of her senior year. To be honest, Beca's kind of grossed out by the details and she tunes out most of it, occasionally sipping at her Coke.
"Jessica, Beca's got a motorcycle, I'm sure she could help with your dad's."
Wait. When did the topic transition to motorcycles? Motorcycles are Beca's forte. Although she's not entirely sure where Chloe got the idea that Beca can actually fix a bike. She doesn't recall mentioning it but perhaps it slipped out at some point.
"You have a bike?" Stacie asks, "That's hot."
Beca plays with the spiral in ear. Again. "Yeah, uh it's a Triumph." She looks to Jessica, "What's wrong with your dad's bike?"
Jessica shrugs, "He said something about the engine. I don't think you could help…" She trails off.
"Yeah, I totally didn't rebuild the Triumph myself." Beca mumbles, looking down at the can.
"What?" Aubrey asks.
"No, I was just saying that I rebuilt my bike. Motorcycles are kinda my thing." She taps the can with her fingers, looking up at the others.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I just thought-" Jessica starts.
"No, it's okay. It's kind of surprising to hear huh?" Beca looks down at the can of soda again. She looks back at Jessica, "So, what's up with the engine?"
Jessica shrugs, "Sorry I don't know other than it's an engine problem. Do you think you could take a look at it?"
Beca looks to Chloe wondering if she should really be offering help. She barely knows this Jessica.
Chloe smiles, "Yeah Beca can totes help."
Beca looks back at Jessica, "Just tell me the time and place."
Jessica can't because suddenly Chloe is leaning over the chair and her hands are on Aubrey, "Bree! It's our song!"
Our song? Beca listens, it's light but Beca definitely recognizes the song. She knows it's by some blonde and it features that other blonde from that one tv show where people audition to make it to Hollywood. The one with the legs. She's not sure though because country isn't something Beca regularly listens to. She really only hears it when she's around Lou.
And then Chloe starts to sing and wow, can the girl sing. And it's not like she's okay, no, it sounds like Chloe could really make a living off of it. Okay, maybe that's a bit extreme but Beca can see this girl singing in a coffee shop on a regular basis.
"Pulled up to the church, but I got so nervous
Had to back it on up, couldn't make it to the service
Grabbed all the cash underneath my mattress
Got a real good feelin' something bad about to happen"
Chloe's smiling and singing to Aubrey and soon is pulling the girl up out of her seat. It's amusing to say the least. Stacie and Jessica are laughing a bit at the red head's antics. And then Aubrey is singing and Beca, while she wouldn't admit it out loud, thinks she sounds pretty damn good as well.
"Ran into a girl in a pretty white dress
Rolled down a window, where you headed to next?
Said I'm heading to the bar with the money out the mattress
Got a real good feeling something bad about to happen"
The music gets louder up and the two are starting to draw attention. Others are starting to sing 'ohs and woahs' and Beca wonders if this is normal for these people. Just breaking out in song in the middle of a party. And then they're both singing and boy, can those two harmonize.
"Stand on the bar, stomp your feet, start clapping
Got a real good feeling something bad about to happen
Drinks keep coming, throw my head back laughing
Wake up in the morning don't know what happened
Woah… something bad
Woah… something bad"
And Chloe is headed over to Stacie and pulling her out of her chair. The two start dancing and then Aubrey is singing again.
"Now me and that girl that I met on the street
We're rollin' down the road, down to New Orleans
Got a full tank of gas and the money out the mattress
Got a real good feelin' something bad about to happen"
Then Chloe is singing again.
"'Bout to tear it up down in New Orleans
Just like a real-life Thelma and Louise
If the cops catch up, they're gonna call it kidnapping
Got a real good feelin' something bad about to happen"
Now Jessica and Stacie are harmonizing and Beca is a little thrown back. It's as if these four have done this a hundred times, over and over. It's kind of cool. Kind of. The four finish the chorus and then everyone is clapping or hooting. Beca still finds this all kind of weird. However, the four girls carry on like it's normal.
"Hey Chloe!"
Beca looks for the source of the voice but doesn't find it until a tall guy is throwing an arm around Chloe, pulling her in close. He's got brown hair and seems well built, but he's kind of short. Just a bit taller than Chloe.
"Hey Tom." She pulls him in for a hug. "How was the California circuit?"
He shrugs, "I didn't do as well as I thought I might. Placed in broncs, didn't in bulls, and didn't in team roping with Allen."
Chloe looks at him and furrows her brow, "I thought you said you were done bull riding." She pulls away from him completely, looking at Aubrey and then back at him.
Beca looks at Jessica and then to Stacie, wondering if either of them can answer who this Tom is. There's something in Chloe's body language that's off when Tom mentions bulls.
Tom tenses and looks at Chloe, "Could you get me a beer?" His tone is almost hopeful which is completely ridiculous. Clearly Chloe's upset, so what possess him to think she'll get him a beer?
Chloe shakes her head, "Get it yourself." Beca is somewhat surprised by Chloe's tone. It's not angry but it's not casual either. It's some mix of something but, Beca knows she doesn't ever want to be on the other end of the comment. Chloe walks back to her seat and sits down, picking up her beer and staring at it.
Tom sighs and walks over to Chloe, crouching down to her level and whispering to her. It doesn't seem convincing as Chloe furrows her brow and just plays with the bottle.
"No, do you have any idea how dangerous bull riding is? Last time you nearly died!" Her tone expresses worry but there's a hint of hurt.
Stacie and Jessica start to converse again and Aubrey seems frustrated. Beca begins to think Tom is Chloe's boyfriend which for some reason, makes her feel weird. But she doesn't dwell on the feeling and begins to find her Coke can very interesting. Although, it's hard to ignore the way Tom is suddenly talking to Chloe. She looks up and can see Tom is very tense and his fists are clenching and un-clenching.
Chloe uncrosses her arms and shakes her head, "It's just stupid Tom."
Tom sighs, "I'm gonna get a drink, do you want something?"
Chloe raises her beer bottle and then proceeds to drink from it.
Beca doesn't talk much more or interact much. She just observes. She observes that Aubrey tends to be uptight with nearly everyone, including Chloe. She observes that while Stacie is exceptionally smart, she sexualizes a lot of things. She observes that Jessica doesn't talk much but when she does, she cracks a joke that makes everyone laugh. Oh and she loves to sing because she's always humming whatever song is playing. She observes that Tom tends to space out and doesn't always pay attention to whatever Chloe may be talking about. Actually, he doesn't seem to pay attention to anyone. But boy does he like to talk about himself. She observes Chloe who, ever since Tom arrived, seems bothered.
It makes her wonder. She wonders why she's with Tom, why she puts up with him so much. It's clear the girl isn't happy but really, what does Beca know? This could just be an off day for the two. Why the hell is she even thinking about it? She just met Chloe. Why the fuck does she care what this girl does with her life? She doesn't. She doesn't care. So she pushes those thoughts away and decides it's time for her to leave.
She stands up and tosses the Coke can into the trash, then zips up her leather jacket and walks over to her bike. She swears she can hear someone calling her name so she turns around. It's Chloe.
"Beca where you going?"
Beca sighs, "I think it's time I leave." She looks anywhere but Chloe.
"I'm coming with."
Beca looks up and shakes her head, "You don't have to leave because I am."
"I want to."
Beca shrugs, "What about Jesse and Amy?"
"They have their rides. Now, I'll be back so wait for me?" It's more of a statement than a question and then Chloe is gone.
Beca huffs and picks up the bike helmet. She didn't think ahead because the face shield is tinted black and it's now pitch dark out. Fan-fucking-tastic. She's not used to driving her bike when it's dark out. She usually just walks around with her friends at night.
Chloe's coming back but Tom seems to be following after her. He doesn't catch up until Chloe's in front of Beca.
"Hey babe, don't leave." He says, grabbing her arm.
Chloe turns around and she kisses his cheek, "I'll see you again."
She turns around but Beca watches at Tom's face goes from relaxed to angry. It throws Beca, something's not right.
Chloe returns to Tom's side. She turns Tom to the side. The two talk quietly for a while and Beca plays with the straps of her helmet. Beca's not entirely sure but she's pretty sure Chloe just asked him to let go. She doesn't step in until Beca hears an 'ow' escape from Chloe's mouth.
"Hey dickhead, let her go." Her voice is stern. She's not about to put up with someone hurting Chloe. Wait. No, that's exactly how she feels. She's not going to just stand and watch this.
"Back off. This isn't your business." He says, not taking his sight off of Chloe.
"Tom. Stop. Let go." Chloe demands, trying to pull away. "Tom, please you're hurting me."
"Why do have to leave, huh?" He shakes his head and lets out a frustrated sigh. He looks away then back at Chloe. "Why don't you ever want to come over and spend time with me?" His tone is tense.
Beca tries not to butt in again but she can see Chloe's in pain. She places the helmet on the bike and then she taps Tom on the shoulder. He turns to face Beca and she instantly wraps her arm around his neck, applying pressure to his pulse point using her forearm. He drops to his knees rather quickly. When she sees Chloe back up Beca releases him. He grips his neck, groaning.
She looks at Chloe who is rubbing her wrist and Beca cannot, for the life of her, read her expression. It could be hurt. Maybe it's anger. Or perhaps it's relief. Whatever it is, Beca can't read it.
Tom gets back up but Beca doesn't allow him near Chloe, pulling him back by the shoulder.
"We'll talk tomorrow Tom." Chloe says. "I don't want to talk tonight. Okay?"
Tom steps forward but this only prompts Beca to step in front of him. "Tomorrow." He says before walking away.
Beca walks to her bike and grabs her helmet and pulls it over her head. She's about to drop the face shield but instead, she watches Chloe get into her truck. Beca starts to think she went too far. She tells herself she did what she had to do. She puts the face shield down and starts the engine.
Beca takes off her helmet and before Chloe opens the front door, Beca speaks up. "Has he done it before? I mean is-"
Chloe shakes her head, "No." Her voice is soft but sure.
It bothers her though. It bothers her that Chloe seems so calm about this, as if she's not surprised that this happened. It almost drives her crazy because she's trying to wrap her head around this. And maybe that's the problem, maybe she's reading into this too much.
"Be careful Beale."
Chloe nods and then heads into the house, turning off the porch light.
Beca sighs and shakes her head. Tom seems like trouble. Beca and trouble do not mix well.
"Come on Beca, get up." Casey says.
Beca grumbles and pulls the blanket over her head. "Go away." It's her third day here and she is exhausted. She wants sleep. She needs sleep.
"Beca, I swear, I will throw this freezing cold water on you. It will soak your sheets and clothes, and you're ha-"
"Okay!' Beca shouts, throwing the blankets off of her. "Just shut up. It's…" She sighs and then lets out a groan, "Coffee." She wines.
Casey scoffs lightly, "And there will be coffee at breakfast."
When Beca finally gets up, which takes her about ten minutes, Casey is gone. Thank goodness. She runs her hand through her hair and groans when she runs into tangles. She doesn't want to deal with tangles this early in the day. Scratch that, she doesn't want to deal with anything this early. Who's idea was this? Who thought this is smart to be up at this ungodly hour? Who in their right mind gets up this early? What is so damn important that someone needs to be up before the sun? She's going to strangle that person. But maybe she'll have coffee first.
Breakfast is more annoying than her first day. Now that Beca had endured two mornings, the third is really kicking her ass. She's not even sure what's going on. Maybe Jesse asks her about her motorcycle or maybe he asks about her favorite movie. She's not sure and she definitely does not care. She just wants more coffee. So she decides to just stare into her empty mug.
"Beca? Earth to Beca?"
Who's talking? No, more like, why are they talking to her? No one should talk to her. But someone is and she finally looks up from her empty mug and see's green eyes and short, fire-like hair.
"Yes?"
"Did you want more coffee?"
Beca looks from Casey to Chloe, who's giggling, to Jesse and then back at Casey. She nods because she's pretty sure she can't form words right now.
"Jeez, you look worse than the aboriginals who just got done climbing Uluru."
She knows that's Fat Amy but she can't tear her eyes away from the coffee flowing out and into her cup. There's something stupidly mesmerizing about it. Besides, that sentence just doesn't make sense to her.
She's not even sure she's moved since she finished her second cup of coffee. She's not even sure she's eaten. But she's sure it's just Chloe left in the room. She wants to ask how the talk with Tom went but it's really none of her business. It's not something she should care about.
"You going to eat anything?" She asks, pushing a plate full of eggs in front of Beca.
Beca shakes her head, "Not hungry." She mumbles.
"You should eat something. You said you start work today with Luke so, you'll need strength."
Beca shakes her head and looks at the plate then to Chloe, "Lunch." That for sure does not make any sense but Beca doesn't bother trying to make sense.
Chloe smiles a bit, "Yes I know you'll have lunch but, breakfast is the most important part of your day. Actually any meal is. Well, really you should eat in small portions but," She shakes her head a bit, "You should eat. Eat even just a little something."
Beca groans, "Why do you insist so much Beale?" Okay so maybe she's whining a bit. Just a bit.
Chloe giggles, "Because silly, you need nutrition."
"First of all, words bigger than…" She trails off unable to come up with the right word. "Those words are not real before nine." She brings her hand up and puts two fingers up, "Number two, I hate eggs."
"How about some peanut butter and toast?" Chloe stands up and takes the plate away and disappears in the kitchen.
Beca stares where the plate used to be and then looks at her empty coffee mug.
"Great." She closes her eyes and sets her head down on the table. She's pretty sure at this point, she's not going to make it to Friday.
Today Chloe decides to torture Beca with grooming because Beca is 'too timid' when it comes to bringing in the horses. She says torture because lately, grooming has entailed sneezing. Lots and lots of sneezing. Chloe says it's probably because Beca's allergic to hay and dust but Beca's sure it's the horse. Then again, grooming brings out a lot of dust in some of the horses. Specifically Chloe's horse, Arrow. Chloe calls Arrow a paint horse. All Beca sees is a horse with white and red-ish brown patches everywhere. Arrow, is apparently Chloe's first horse. That's all Beca knows because Chloe had been interrupted during the storytelling by Tom. Oh well. Beca really doesn't care about the origin of Arrow. She just knows Arrow is incredibly important to Chloe.
But it's not like Chloe doesn't help with these things, such as grooming. She does. Something called 'tacking'. It's whatever equipment is used on a horse to ride. Something about bridles and reins. She's not entirely sure because Chloe hasn't talked much about it, and neither has Jesse or anyone else for that matter.
Speaking of which, Jesse is currently suggesting various movies for movie night. Beca's not entirely sure when that is because she wasn't paying attention, but she's pretty sure that's tonight. Which really plays favor to Beca because she can't stand movies and she has to be at Luke's after dinner. Movies are predictable and usually very, very boring. There's never much excitement. Even horrors and thrillers bore her because they're so damn predictable most of the time. She lasts about twenty minutes and then she's figured everything out. Sure if her sister wants to watch a movie she'll watch but, she feels bad because she usually falls asleep.
"I'm gonna be working at Luke's tonight so, I won't be here for movie night."
"Oh man," Jesse continues sweeping the isle. "But movie night is the best night around here. We get together on the couch and chairs, just eat at snacks and candy. Can't believe you'll miss it."
Beca cringes and puts the hard brush on the railing of the next stall because this horse has been known to chew on the brush.
"I'm okay with that."
"But movies they're the best!" Jesse goes on.
Beca shrugs and picks up the soft brush, "I'd rather be organizing records."
Jesse suddenly stops, "Wait, do you not like movies or something?"
Beca shrugs and starts brushing the grey horse. She knows the reaction she's going to get. She's going to get some comment about how it's unnatural to dislike movies. How it's not humanly possible to not watch movies.
"Tell me you like movies because not liking movies is like hating oxygen." He leans on the broom handle.
"They're predictable. The best friend is the murderer, the guy gets the girl, or that kid sees dead people. It's like you wait an entire two hours just to find out the underdog football team wins."
"Why are you predicting what's to happen? You're supposed to relax and just enjoy the movie." He's got a smile on his face that Beca wants to smack right off.
"I just can't." She shrugs and finishes brushing the horse down.
"Man that's so weird that you don't like movies." He then goes back to sweeping.
Yeah, like she didn't know that.
Working at Luke's is nice. There's no country music constantly playing. Instead, a variety plays through the speakers. There's some songs Beca even asks about because she's never even heard them. Which is unusual because Beca prides herself in her eclectic taste.
Luke is also really friendly. He likes to talk about philosophy and current events. Beca finds that Luke really loves to talk. But unlike Jesse, it's not about himself. It's about something incredibly deep or something similar to the news. It's a nice change from rodeo and anything horses. But just like any person that talks for long periods of time, Beca just can't seem to stay present for it. Her mind always wanders somewhere else. Like, the possible side effects of waking up at five thirty everyday to how her sister is possibly doing. Or the situation between Tom and Chloe. Is everything okay? Was he rude? Wait, why the hell does she find herself thinking about the redhead? It doesn't affect Beca. Back to Luke.
"I think we're just about done with the country section." He chuckles.
"Oh great. So we're doing this by section?" She says placing a few CD's on the shelf.
"Well, I mean, we could possibly organize by name but, people usually look by genre first."
"Right." She returns to the boxes to find them empty.
Luke grins, "Alright," He checks the time on his watch, "we finished in four hours so I'd say we should head out." He goes to the back and turns off the lights. He picks up the empty boxes on the table and walks to the front door pushing it open with his side. He slides his back against the door and holds it open.
She picks up her helmet and walks outside. She waits as Luke locks up and then speaks, "So tomorrow, same time?"
Luke smiles, "If you come earlier we could be done a lot sooner. We can grab something from Murphy's. On me."
Beca thinks about it for a moment before answering. She's not sure if Monty will be okay with that. While he did say if she finishes her chores she's free to do whatever, she's not entirely sure that includes skipping out on dinner.
"Uh sure." She plays with the straps on the helmet and mentally shakes her head, "Yeah that's fine."
Luke chuckles, "See you tomorrow Becky."
That. That she cannot stand. She's told him numerous times it's Beca but now, she's pretty sure he's doing it to get under her skin. She walks to her bike and pulls the helmet over head. She has trouble starting the engine which reminds her that she needs to be at Jessica's tomorrow when she's done with her chores. Jessica called yesterday and asked her to show up on Tuesday around three.
When she pulls into the long dirt pathway leading to the house, there's a big pick up truck that was not there when she left. It's either black or dark blue, she's not sure as it's too dark to tell. It looks fairly new, newer than Monty's truck. When she shuts off the engine after she pulls up next to Monty's truck, an old grey Chevy, she can hear voices. She's pretty sure one of them is Chloe's but the other she can barely make out.
"Tom, I said I'm done." She sounds defeated.
Oh. She should not be listening to this.
"I know but, I miss you. As soon as I get back you break things off. Can't we be friends?"
She takes her helmet off and heads to the barn.
"I know but- hey Beca!"
Great. She doesn't even want to turn around but she does.
"Beale." She gives the girl a short nod. Chloe has her arms crossed but there's a small smile on her face.
Tom makes a face, "She calls you Beale?" He leans against his truck and crosses his arms.
Chloe looks at Tom and tilts her head to the side a little, she looks annoyed.
She straightens up, "I meant what I said yesterday. I can't do friends right now." She uncrosses her arms and walks over to Beca and links her arm around Beca's.
Oh. More touching. Yay.
She starts walking towards the barn not saying a word. Beca can hear the truck pulling away and the sound eventually fades.
"So, I never got to thank you…" She trails off, looking at the ground and then to Beca.
Beca stops and turns to look at Chloe, "Look you don't need to thank me." She doesn't look directly at Chloe at first but then she does. Chloe's smiling which throws Beca because she sort of expects… well she's not sure what she expects but it certainly isn't a smile.
"I'm still thanking you." She says matter-of-factly. She pulls Beca into a tight hug and Beca can't help the groan that comes out of her mouth. At this Chloe immediately pulls away and places her hands on the side of Beca's arms. Her eyes are bit wide.
"Did I hurt you?"
Beca can't help but half scoff, half laugh at this, "No." She gives Chloe a smug smile.
Chloe furrows her brow, "Then what was with the groan?"
Beca cringes, "You hugged me."
This time Chloe scoffs, "Oh and here I thought you were in pain." She giggles.
"Me? Pain? Nah. Pain is for-" She stops herself because her sister has told her it's not a nice thing to say. And while normally she could give to shits about what people think, she actually doesn't want to come across as a total dick.
"Not me." She tries to save herself although she's not sure she has. She cringes again and looks away from Chloe. Anywhere but Chloe.
"Tough and badass."
Beca looks at Chloe and smirks, "That's me."
"You still lose points for being afraid of horses."
Beca's mouth drops and she snickers. "Am not!"
Chloe's laughing and Beca tries not to smile at this. "Beale I swear!"
Chloe shakes her head and brings her hand to her mouth in an effort to stop laughing. It's cute.
Stop that right now Mitchell.
She just shakes her head and lets out a sigh. "So you're done with Tom?"
Chloe grows tense and nods, her arms returning to her sides. She walks into the barn and Beca follows.
"It's just- What he did that night was completely out of line."
Beca just nods and listens as Chloe checks on the horses in their stalls. She watches as Chloe stops at Arrow's stall and pets his face. Beca sticks her hands in her pockets and leans against part of the stall. She's careful not to get too close to Arrow. No she's not afraid, she just don't want to be inhaling horse.
"If I can't trust him, then what's the point. You know? I mean, I get that he was upset that he didn't place well in California but, that's not an excuse. I mean," She pauses again and she seems to be thinking over whatever she's about to say. "I love him but even on the phone, he's been different. We talked nearly every night and most nights he was either drunk or distant. I don't mean to blindside him with breaking things up but, I don't want to take a chance after the incident. I mean, I was totally willing to work things out beforehand. And then, he doesn't even tell he's been bull riding!" She stops petting Arrow and she turns to face Beca. "Sorry."
Beca raises a brow, "For?"
"Rambling." It's so quiet Beca nearly misses it.
Beca just shakes her head a bit and shrugs, "I mean, I don't care… that you, uh, ramble. You can talk all night and I wouldn't mind." She's not sure she really just said that, but she knows she didn't mean for it to sound so… cheesy. Stupid. It sounds stupid.
"I- uh…I mean, like, it wouldn't bother me. I mean, you- never mind." And now she can't even form words and Chloe's giggling. "It was stupid."
Chloe shakes her head, "It's not stupid, it's sweet."
Beca makes a face at the word 'sweet'.
Chloe walks closer to Beca. She wonders if Chloe's about to break Beca's giant personal space bubble again. And she does. Chloe's holding Beca's hands very loosely. And that uneasy, fuzzy feeling is bad. It makes her chest feel funny too. She hates it. She needs to digest these feelings because it's literally just Chloe. Chloe, who is just another person is this damned world.
"So, how was Luke's?" She asks and Beca swears this is almost relationship-y. However, Chloe's not even looking at Beca, she's looking down at their hands.
Beca tries to form words but all she can think about are Chloe's hands. How Beca's hands just sort of fit in Chloe's. How Chloe's thumbs trace little circles over Beca's knuckles. The touching is soft and it's weird. She knows this is just how Chloe is. Chloe's very much into touching. She's hands-y with Aubrey, very touchy with Jessica, and she can remember Chloe playing with Stacie's fingers at some point. She knows that she's not an exception to the touching. Which is a good thing. Beca doesn't want to enter into the stage becoming special. Or even important for that matter. She's not going to be here long enough for that stuff.
"Luke's was great. He wants me to come earlier tomorrow to finish sooner. I won't be here for dinner tomorrow." Beca just looks at Chloe, observes her. Because she's not staring. Beca doesn't stare.
She's never noticed the small scar on Chloe's forehead. It makes her wonder if there's a story behind it because with Chloe, there's always a story; short or long. She notices that her part isn't actually perfectly straight. That there are short zig-zags here and there but not so noticeable like her own part. How her hair is just a perfect shade and makes her eyes just that much more blue. Wait. She really needs stop observing Chloe. Chloe is just a person she has to deal with. There's no need to observe things in such detail.
"I'm glad it was good." She pulls her hands away from Beca and smiles, "I'll see you in the morning."
Beca nods, "Right. See you in the morning Beale."
Chloe gives Beca one last smile before leaving the barn.
And that's just it. Beca doesn't feel like she's dealing with Chloe. She feels like she might actually become friends with this girl. Which is bad for Beca. Real bad.