CHAPTER 2:
The next morning, Chad was in the kitchen making breakfast.
"Aubrey, breakfast is ready." Chad said as Aubrey came downstairs.
"Pancakes today?" Aubrey asked noticing what was on the table.
"Yep. And that's not all...I remembered how freaked out you were over that trip to Starbucks yesterday. So I made coffee today." Chad said.
"Thank you. Hopefully this coffee is better than what I've been usually ordering at Starbucks." Aubrey said as she took her first sip.
"Well?" Chad asked waiting for an approval.
"This is really good. You ought to make coffee more often." Aubrey said.
"Maybe I should." Chad said as the doorbell rang. He went to answer the door. "Hey, Chloe. Come on in." He said as Chloe entered.
"Is everything okay with Aubrey?" Chloe asked.
"Not sure. There are some details she didn't tell me about last night." Chad said as he & Chloe sat down at the table.
"Okay, so here goes: Chloe, you remember Alice, right?" Aubrey asked.
"That former Bellas captain who was so mean to us? How could I not forget?" Chloe asked.
"Well, ever since I went to Starbucks yesterday, I had this nightmare where she spiked my iced coffee with knockout gas. I was unconscious long enough that she dragged me out of that coffee shop and down to her basement. I woke up with my arms & legs tied up." Aubrey said tearfully.
"Oh, no." Chloe said worried.
"That's not the worst of it; she wanted to stab me to death with a kitchen knife as revenge for me costing us the ICCA's that year." Aubrey continued.
"Did she succeed?" Chloe asked.
"I woke up before the knife actually touched my skin." Aubrey said.
"Well, be relieved that it was only a dream." Chloe said.
"Yeah. And since it's been 10 years since that loss, maybe she's a different person now." Chad said.
"I don't want to take a chance. Because what happened after our loss was something WAY worse." Aubrey said.
"What was it?" Chad asked.
"I was a laughingstock on campus and on social media." Aubrey said tearfully.
"Oh, I remember that. I still feel sorry you had to go through all of that." Chloe said.
"And ever since, I swore off social media. To this day, I never gave it a second chance." Aubrey said.
"Well, maybe you SHOULD give it a second chance. Think about it: You have a loyal group of friends now and a family." Chad said.
"True." Aubrey acknowledged.
"And if you're that worried about all of this, I'd recommend staying off Twitter." Chad said.
"Yeah. Especially since my real friends are the ones that matter to me now." Aubrey said.
"Let me ask you this: When you & Chloe lead the Bellas, did all the teasing eventually die down by then?" Chad asked.
"Most of it. And I went for years not having to worry about it, until that very moment yesterday." Aubrey said.
"So what exactly did Alice say to you before you went on stage that day?" Chad asked prompting a flashback.
In a flashback...
"Just don't mess up your solo." Alice said firmly.
"I won't disappoint you. My dad always said 'If you can't beat the heat, get out of Kuwait'." Aubrey said.
"Does your dad ever tell you to shut up?" Alice asked.
End of flashback.
"Aca-scuse me? Who says stuff like that?" Chad asked shocked.
"Now that I know where she works, I'm afraid to go back to that Starbucks again." Aubrey said worried.
"Which one was this? There are plenty of Starbucks locations here in town." Chad asked.
"It's the one 5 blocks from here." Aubrey said.
"Okay. I understand your concern, but there's one way to deal with these problems...face them." Chad suggested.
"How?" Aubrey asked.
"I'll go to that Starbucks and talk to this Alice myself, and if she agrees to meet with you, it'd be an opportunity to talk things out." Chad suggested.
"Okay. Just not today, though. I'm not ready to have a conversation with her yet." Aubrey said.
"I'll go with you, Chad. I need my coffee for the day." Chloe said.
"Okay, I'm off to work, so I'll see you two later." Aubrey said as she grabbed her purse and left.
"Alright, Chloe. Let me grab Finn, and then we'll go." Chad said as he grabbed Finn from his high chair.