It was now the beginning of August, and my fellow Bellas were slowing moving back into the dorms at Barden so that we could get ready for auditions as a group. I was still working nonstop to get everything done and still have time for my relationship with Jesse.
However, one day while I was working extra hard with Fat Amy on the choreography for sectionals of that year, Jesse showed up and immediately started tickling me.
I whipped around, and looked him dead in the eye, still giggling slightly from the tickling, "Jesse! Stop! This is serious!" I was getting somewhat fed up with his unnecessary interruptions with my work.
Jesse looked at me, and I could tell that he was worried. "Wooooh! Where is the fire?"
"Well you've been messing with me nonstop and distracting me and I'm effing tired of the way you act like nothing I'm doing is important!" I finally snapped at him.
Fat Amy started to disappear into the row of seats, so that she wouldn't get caught into the fight all of us knew was about to start. I'd been dealing with a lot of stuff with the Bellas, school, and my job at the radio station since Luke graduated. Now it was finally time for Jesse and I to confront the way he'd been acting.
"You really think that? Jesus, Beca, you don't usually act this way. What's wrong?" Jesse was even more concerned now, and I started feeling shitty about having snapped like that at him, after all he was probably only trying to make me laugh.
"I'm so busy with everything Jesse! I can't have any distractions and that's all you've been since the beginning of July!" I had to look at my feet because I knew my words probably stung, but I couldn't help but say them finally.
Jesse looked at me, and sighed, his arms falling to his sides, "I'm sorry if you feel that way."
I kept my eyes on the ground, knowing that if he actually leaves a part of me would leave too, and I knew he was leaving… I could almost hear the cheesy movie music following him out of the room.
Then abruptly, Jesse spoke again, "Ya know what? I know you are stressed and you need a plan to help you get back to the same Becs we all know and… care about deeply." I didn't have to look up to know he was hard at work thinking of a plan to help me feel better, but I did anyway. He put two fingers to his mouth, tapping slightly, something he did when he thought hard about something. "Three weeks I'm thinking. Three weeks dedicated to relieving your stress Beca!" He was smiling now, those same two fingers up to his perfect lips that I knew so well. You probably think I wasn't acting like a real boy friend, so I'm going to fix that. Just you wait!"
Right then, Jesse ran from the room. Fat Amy and I were left in peace to continue working on our dance. A few hours later I got a text from Jesse.
Stop by the Treble house at 7. I have something to show you.
Since it was already almost seven, I said goodbye to Amy and walked over to the Treble house, almost afraid to open the door. So, instead I knocked, and waited patiently for Jesse to open up. When he finally did, my eyes widen and my jaw dropped to the floor immediately. He'd set up all sorts of charts and had movies, foods, yoga mats, incense, and anything else essential to the different types of stress-relieving activities and hobbies people usually participate in.
Jesse looked at me and smiled, "Here's how we're going to get your work done without it causing you to have a mental breakdown. He led me to the couch, and sat me down. "Please turn all cell phones off and pay attention to the movie nerd in front."
Jesse showed me a great presentation and laid out a perfectly reasonable plan, which was set for three weeks of stress relieving. He has several different types of stress relievers, and we were supposed to at least try something different each week, and maybe even every couple of days until I no longer felt the need to strangle everybody around me and work all the time.
Eventually Jesse and I sat down together and watched Back to the Future, a first time thing for me. We ate popcorn and fell asleep in his bed at the Treble house, the movie still playing on his DVD player. Tomorrow when we woke up, we would be faced with the first task of his "Help Beca Finish Preparing For The New Bella Year Without Her Strangling Me" plan.
A/N: Hope you're all on the edges of your seats! I plan to try and get the next chapter uploaded ASAP for your reading pleasure. Now, here's my challenge for all of you! Review the story and tell me how you get rid of stress when you get stressed out!
