Author's Note: I want to start off by thanking everyone who's left reviews and all of you who've followed/favorite this. It means so much to know you like it. Anyway, you'll notice one of the things I've decided to change was Mary Elise's ejection. I really don't have plans for her, but I liked her, my nickname for her is "Felicia Day lite". Smeg can attest that from me, that's a high compliment. Towards the end, I introduce a new character, Casey. Picture her as Margo Harshman. I have cast Josie for when I finally introduce her, but I'm keeping it under wraps for now. Feel free to speculate. Ok I'm yammering. Disclaimer in the first chapter. Chapter 3 will come after my next installment of Slaying Intersected, whenever that comes. Thanks to E and Smeg for the beta/encouragement yada yada.
Chloe sat in the auditorium chair, anxiously waiting for auditions to start. She hoped the brunette would come, she really wanted Aubrey to hear what she had. Granted, 'Since U Been Gone' isn't 'Titanium', but she had no doubt the girl could quite easily handle it. She chuckled to herself. The girl, she didn't even know her name and she was hooked. As Aubrey returned with the information on the auditioners, she wasn't surprised when Bumper had something offensive to say. She had to admit though, she was proud when her friend stood her ground and told him off.
Chloe sat and listened as the hopefuls came and went. There were some that showed some real potential, especially liking Stacie and Kori, but none of them were Shower Girl. As Fat Amy finished and Tommy and Justin came out on stage announcing that was everyone, Chloe couldn't help but feel upset that the cute brunette wasn't interested. But then she looked stage right, and saw her. "Oh wait, there's one more. Hi." She said, waving to the shower girl.
It took Chloe a moment to recover from the pleasantness of the view she got as Shower Girl knelt down to grab the cup, but by the time she started her song she was good to go. Chloe sat with rapt attention as Shower Girl sang. The occasional glances her way didn't go unnoticed either, taking her memories back to the shower stall. As Shower Girl finished with the smallest of smiles, Chloe knew despite the look on Aubrey's face, the girl would soon be drinking Boone's Farm.
Ever since the shower, Beca had debated if she'd actually go to auditions or not. On one hand, she was sure her dad would approve, but on the other, there was The Redhead. The cute redhead with the amazing body, an image burned in her memory, hopefully forever if she were lucky. During their next shift at the station, Jesse mentioned that he and his roommate were going to be auditioning, and also that his sister was apparently so bored with her first year classes at Georgia Tech she was probably going to try out there for something to do.
It crossed her mind briefly that maybe she could join one of the other groups, then she remembered the rundown the redhead had given her. The Treblemakers were apparently all male, so they were out. While she wasn't really opposed to it, pot just wasn't her thing, so the High Notes were out. That left her only alternative as the Harmonics. But could she really tolerate singing that much Madonna? So she came to realize that if she did go this route, the only group she'd be interested in would be the Bellas, and thus she came full circle back to The Redhead. She was about to decide not to go, when she got a text from her dad asking if she'd found any clubs yet, which caused her to give in and least check it out.
As she reached the building where the auditions were being held, she could hear they were already going on, some guy was singing 'Since U Been Gone'. As she tried to figure out where to go, he finished and said something about performing giving him a rush. When she figured out how to sneak backstage, the Aussie girl she'd met at the Activities Fair took the stage and gave a rather spirited performance of the same parts of the same song. Beca got the impression it was something they'd been told to work on before the two guys apparently running things headed for the stage. As they were talking, she headed for the door to the stage and wasn't surprised when the redhead saw her and encouraged her to come out. "Hello. Um, I didn't know we had to prepare that song." She said as she made her way center stage.
"That's ok, sing anything you want." The redhead said. When she saw the cup of pens in front of the blond, an idea popped into her head.
"May I?" she asked, leaning down to take the cup. After getting situated, she launched into 'When I'm Gone', glancing at the redhead every chance she got when she wasn't caught up in her song. Deep down, she loved the infectious smile she earned from The Redhead once she'd finished.
Aubrey had made many notes on the potential Bellas. She saw some potential, enough to make her hopeful that she and Chloe could whip the girls they got into shape. Before she could be glad that 'alt-girl' hadn't shown up, she was being beckoned on stage by Chloe and kneeling in front of her. Begrudgingly, she listened to the song, and was quite impressed with the girl's skill. As she finished her face fell, knowing it'd be hard for her to come up with a reason not to pick her. She sent a silent prayer to whatever deity would listen that she was in fact straight.
"I don't know what I'm doing here." Beca said as she followed the other Bellas into the amphitheater. That much was true, she was still having regrets about her decision. The initiation had been a little weird, she was still a little embarrassed she had half thought they were serious about it being blood. The girls did seem interesting though.
"Just living the dream. I still can't believe they let my sexy, fat ass in." Fat Amy said before wandering off when she heard Jesse calling out the DJ's name.
"Wow" Beca said as the newly minted Treblemaker, wearing their trademark maroon hooded sweatshirt, approached her.
"Be-caw! Be-caw! Do my eyes deceive me, or are you a Barden Bella?" he asked as he reached her.
"No." Beca shook her head playfully, not wanting to admit it.
"You're one of those a capella girls, I'm one of those a capella boys, and you're gonna have aca-children and I'll be their aca-uncle. It's inevitable." He said.
"You're really drunk right now, I don't think you're going to remember any of this." Beca said, taking in his inebriated state.
"No, I'm not drunk at all, you're just blurry." Jesse stated. They bantered back and forth till Jesse offered to go get Beca a drink.
"Hi!" Chloe called out, coming up to Beca.
"Oh!" Beca said as the redhead grabbed her hands. Maybe there was hope after all.
"I am so glad that I met you." Chloe said, leaning in close to Beca's face. "I think that we're going to be really fast friends." She added, somehow resisting the urge to kiss her right then and there.
Yeah." Beca said, also restraining herself from leaning in to kiss Chloe as the redhead echoed her 'yeah'. "Well you saw me naked so…" she added with a wink.
"Alright, I'm going to get a drink." Chloe said, pulling away. "This ginger needs her jiggle juice!" she added, doing a little dance, ending it by smacking her ass and snapping her fingers in the air. "See you later."
"Make good choices." Beca called out, having enjoyed watching Chloe's impromptu dance.
"Ladies, welcome to Aca-Initiation night." Aubrey said as she determinedly led the Bellas into the amphitheater. "Prepare to soften the beach." She added as she headed off to get herself a drink. It was going to be an interesting night, she knew she'd have to keep her eyes peeled for any mingling of her girls with the Treblemakers. When she saw Beca talking to one of the new Trebles, she didn't quite know what to think. On one hand, a small part of her hoped they'd hook up so she could kick Alt-Girl out and be done with her. But on the other hand, there was Chloe to consider. Sure she had some sort of thing going on with What'shisface, and he was here at the party, but after their conversation Aubrey knew Chloe'd ditch him in a second if she thought she had a shot at Beca. Her thoughts were interrupted by Fat Amy making an observation.
"You know, so there's like ten of us."
"Mmmhmmm." Aubrey agreed, curious where the Aussie's point was going.
"That means that one of us is probably a lesbian." Fat Amy continued. This intrigued Aubrey, she couldn't help but wonder if Amy picked up on Chloe's bisexuality.
"You think? Which one do you think it is?" Aubrey asked
"My money's on Black Beauty." Amy said as the two of them looked to where Cynthia Rose was clearly checking out Stacie's tits. "Maybe the deaf Jew." Amy added, turning her attention to where Beca and Chloe were still talking.
"Ah." Aubrey said, inwardly cursing the puzzle that was Beca Mitchell.
"Don't tell them I said that." Amy said. As the Aussie babbled on, an idea started forming in Aubrey's mind.
"You gotta keep your head up mmmhmm." Jesse sang as he climbed the seats to where Beca was talking to Mary Elise. "Because you got…"
"Be careful." Mary Elise said, ending their conversation when she saw Jesse bringing a drink to Beca.
"I don't know the words, but I can…" Jesse continued handing Beca her drink.
"Thank you." Beca said.
"This is awesome." Jesse said as he turned to take in the other 'aca-people' partying below them.
"It's definitely something." Beca replied, still having reservations. No matter how many times she told herself she just had to stick with it till May, the urge to push people away and live in her own little secluded world still screamed in her mind. She certainly was caught off guard by Jesse's excited exclamation
"WE ARE THE KINGS OF CAMPUS!" He called out happily, causing Beca to look away embarrassingly. Her face fell a little when she saw Chloe making out with shower guy.
"What's wrong Becster?" Jesse asked when he turned around and saw how let down she looked.
"It's nothing." Beca tried to brush it off.
"I don't think that's the case." He said as he turned his gaze to Chloe and Tom when he saw that's where Beca's was.
"Ah, you like her." Jesse said with an understanding nod as he turned back to Beca once again. "I thought I saw you looking at her during your audition. You were amazing by the way, it's no wonder they picked you."
"Thanks." Beca said simply. She never quite felt comfortable taking compliments.
"Way to be modest." Jesse smiled before taking a drink. "We're not the only ones entering the exciting world of a cappella today. I got a text from my sister earlier, apparently she joined a group called 'High Voltage'. Apparently they're all electrical engineers. I wouldn't be surprised if they sing a lot of AC Lightning Bolt DC."
"Why'd you add the lightning bolt?" Beca asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's a Simpsons thing." Jesse brushed it off.
"Oh I see." Beca nodded.
"Yeah, anyway she's enthused to say the least. She's easily the smartest person I know, so like I said her first year classes aren't really that challenging to her." Jesse explained. "She told me the other week she does the crossword puzzle in her calculus class."
"She doesn't find it distracting?" Beca asked, her eyes wandering back to Chloe.
"Apparently not, she mentioned acing a quiz." Jesse answered, noticing Beca's meandering gaze. "That's gotta hurt." Jesse added as he saw the redhead and the boy she was kissing were still together. "I know how that feels a little, there was this girl I liked junior year, cute blonde, gave off no pings. By the time I got my nerve up to make a move, she was making out with Josie."
"That had to have hurt." Beca said, turning her attention to Jesse.
"Eh, had it been anyone else it would have, but Jo's the most important person in my life right now, so who am I to begrudge her some happiness?" He asked.
"You sound like a great brother." Beca said with a small smile.
"I try to be." Jesse nodded. "Give me time and you'll see."
"Beca, a word?" Aubrey asked as the first Bellas practice of the year broke up. From the get go it was rather rocky. Aubrey had revealed that Kori had been disinvited for being 'Treble-boned.' There was much shock at learning that the oath was in fact 'Dixie Chicks serious' as Aubrey had put it. Beca was still amused that Stacie called it a dude, but really wasn't shocked to learn "he" was a hunter. What shocked her more though was the music selection, and that apparently they were learning the exact same choreography from Aubrey's puke-stravaganza.
"What's up?" Beca asked, giving the blonde the benefit of doubt.
"You know you'll have to take those ear monstrosities out for the Fall mixer." Aubrey informed her.
"You really don't like me, do you?" Beca asked, having gotten that impression from the beginning.
"I don't like your attitude" Aubrey said, not mincing words.
"You don't even know me." Beca shot back, standing her ground.
"I know you have a toner for Jesse." Aubrey said, praying it was in fact the case so she wouldn't have to put her plan into action.
"A what?" Beca asked, confused and amused at the same time.
"A toner. A musical boner." Aubrey explained. "I saw it at Hood Night. It's distracting."
"Yeah that's not a thing and uh you're not the boss of me. So…" Beca replied, not liking Aubrey's attitude towards her.
"You took an oath." Aubrey pointed out.
"That oath cost you one girl already today. I'm pretty sure you need me more than I need you." Beca said before turning to leave.
"I can see your toner through those jeans!" Aubrey called out, frustrated.
"That's my strap-on, cause I'm gay." Beca shot back as she got her things and left. Beca's words caused Aubrey to freak out internally. Looks like she'd have to put her plan into effect after all.
"Isn't that great?" Chloe asked happily as she joined Aubrey.
"This mean you're going to dump What'shisface?" Aubrey asked.
"You know his name Bree." Chloe admonished.
"I've got a lot on my mind Chlo." Aubrey said. "And I don't really WANT to know, it's not like you're going to marry him."
"You're right." Chloe nodded. "Especially now." She added with a smile, causing Aubrey to roll her eyes as she pulled out her phone and started to send a text, launching her plan into action.
Hey Howie, it's been a rough day, thought maybe we could go out tonight, maybe have some fun ;)
Beca had been working on a mix during downtime at the station, and when she went to check Facebook she found she wasn't connected to the internet. In fact, she couldn't find any wireless networks at all, so Luke suggested she head to one of the computer labs on campus in the hopes there would be someone who could help. As it turned out she was in luck, a cute brunette sat behind the attendant's desk intently drawing on a sketch pad. "Good there's someone here." She said as she approached the girl.
"There is." The girl confirmed, perking up when she saw Beca. It had been a slow shift so far, the lab was deserted at the moment save for herself and Beca, so she welcomed the human interaction. "My name's Casey, you need help with something?" she asked, putting her sketch pad down.
"Beca." She said, indicating herself. "Yeah, um," she started pulling out her laptop, "I was working on a mix and now I'm having trouble connecting to networks." She said as she booted it up. "That's nice." She added as she saw the drawing of a mermaid the girl was working on.
"Thanks." Casey smiled at Beca. "It's what I'd imagine Felicia Day would look like as Ariel on 'Once Upon a Time'." She explained.
"You drew her well." Beca complimented, returning Casey's smile.
"I'd like to think so." Casey nodded, liking the friendly back and forth with the girl. "So what do you mean 'working on a mix'?" She asked, trying to get as much information as possible.
"I'm a DJ, or I want to be at least. I was combining Halestorm's cover of 'Bad Romance' with Van Halen's cover of 'You Really Got Me'." Beca explained. With how she'd been feeling about Chloe lately, she couldn't help but think the songs worked together quite well, a kind of musical therapy. That's what music was for her, a way to express things she couldn't actually put into words herself.
"That's really cool, I dig Halestorm. Lizzy Hale's hot." Casey said, flipping her hair as she turned her attention to the screen. "Think it might be an easy enough fix." She added, pressing the combo of buttons to re-enable the wireless connection. "It's not hard to accidently turn off the wireless connection." She added as she clicked the appropriate icon for the school's wireless network.
"I feel like an idiot." Beca said with a blush.
"Nah, really it's not that hard to do." Casey said, flirtatiously twirling her hair between her fingers. "So Beca, what are you here for?" Casey asked, trying to make conversation.
"I'm really not sure, probably something music related of course." Beca answered with a shrug. "How about you? Something to do with art or computers I'm guessing?"
"Yeah, graphic design." Casey confirmed. "I want to design video games. What can I say, I'm a geek, hence my Felicia Day obsession." She chuckled. "So, music huh?" she asked. "My big brother's in Sigma Beta Theta, they're having their fall mixer next week and the Bellas are supposed to be performing, maybe you'd like to come?" she asked.
"Actually I am a Bella." Beca said softly.
"Oh." Casey said with a grin. "Excellent, I guess I'll see you there then."
"I'll make sure of it." Beca said, returning Casey's grin. She couldn't deny, she was enjoying flirting with Casey. It couldn't hurt to rethink her no distractions policy, especially since it was possible that Casey could help her deal with Chloe not being available. Besides, she was sure her dad would count dating as part of the college experience he wanted her to have.
After ending things with Tom once and for all, Chloe headed for the station intent on talking with Beca. The brunette's exclamation at Aubrey's accusation of having a toner for Jesse gave Chloe the hope she was looking for. She was really kicking herself now for not kissing Beca at Initiation night like she almost had. But there was nothing she could do to change that. When she got to the station, she was disappointed to find Beca wasn't there, but was grateful that Luke was able to point her to the computer lab that she now approached.
She knew this might seem like a whim to some, and no doubt Aubrey certainly thought it was, but Chloe didn't see it that way though. Ever since the activities fair she couldn't help but feel the fates were pushing the two of them towards each other. She could still remember the way Beca had looked that day as she turned the corner to the lab and found herself peering through the window to find the younger girl talking intently to another brunette. It was obvious to Chloe by the other brunette's body language that she was clearly flirting with Beca. What truly devastated her though was how caught up in the conversation Beca appeared to be, very clearly flirting back. Before Beca had a chance to turn around and see her there, Chloe spun and hurried off towards the room she shared with Aubrey, fighting back the tears she felt growing. Hopefully Aubrey would forget her issues with Beca and provide the comforting support that Chloe needed.
