AN: Thank you for the reviews I'm glad you're excited about the story. There is a song part in this so if you want a better feeling of the chapter play the song when you get to that part. It's Anna Kendrick's Cup Song from Pitch Perfect. :) Even though in the chapter I mention the version by Lulu and Lampshades, listen to the Anna Kendricks version. If you see the official video of the song you'll kind of get what I'm playing around with. Anyway enjoy :)


The cafeteria was dull, a monotonous repetition of lunch trays and mindless chatter. The strong smell of ketchup emanated from the hot food line. There was a constant chatter and chewing of food around the round tables. Beca slung her headphones around her neck, weaved her way through the tables and crashed in front of the food line.

She leaned against the food counter and peered at the middle-aged lunch lady who seemed as if she would bite of someone's head if they touched her. "Hi, I'm Beca. I applied fo-"

"Go to the back and bring out the milk cartons." She flipped her hand without looking at the brunette.

"Alrighty then." Beca mumbled and headed through the flip door towards the back. The kitchen was organized and clean and about half of the staff were students which was a relief. She didn't have to be the only weird kitchen girl. A low buzz came from the flickering light in the corner. The refrigerator and the cooking station was in front of her while the sauce station was to her right and the dishwashing station was to her left. Also to her extreme left was another station not entirely visible due to the towering people scrubbing away at the dishes

"TODAY KIDDO!" The angry voice caused Beca to snap out of her daze and pace towards the large refrigerator. She yanked it open and grabbed as many milk cartons as she could. She ran back and forth bringing the milk from the fridge to the food counter. The chocolate milks were icy to the touch and her hands started to numb after only four rounds. About 30 minutes of milk rounds later, she breathlessly gazed at the lunch lady, hoping it was time for a break.

"Y'know how to knead flour into dough? The lunch lady yawned and continued to place tray after tray before the students.

"Uh…yes." Beca's heart sank and she nodded. Her parents had divorced when she was little and she'd lived with her mother until she was 12. Her mother had passed away leaving her in the custody of her father and the stepmonster. She had learned to do the basic stuff herself at a very young age and when she was 18, she had moved into an apartment to live on her own. Perhaps, that's what toughened her up. Her cooking was pretty good and she was innovative when it came to making dishes.

"Go to back and help that stupid boy. He gave me bread with holes the size of planet earth itself." The lunch lady growled and for a second Beca thought she would crouch over on all fours and start barking.

"Ok. I'm on it." The short girl rushed away in fear the woman might actually bite her. Upon investigation, she found the baking station was just behind the dish washers.

She lowered her head and grabbed a chunk from the flour mix, the minute she arrived at the station. The quicker she finishes this, the faster she can get a break. She tied an apron around her waist and adjusted her light blue v-neck shirt. She yanked at the apron to fluff it down, so her black jeans won't get floured. Her classes didn't start till next week and she still hadn't made up her mind on which subjects to take. Philosophy was a big no and so were all those 'gy's' her father had listed her for. She might take English Literature but that would require reading or a music class. Her thoughts rambled as she expertly began kneading the wet flour.

"Hey, I know you!" The boyish voice came from behind her and made her jump up in surprise. In her 4 years of high school only 2 people recognized; it was her second day in college, and some guy already knew her?

When she turned, she was saw the familiar leafy brown hair and slick grin. His hands were caked white with flour and his apron hung loose against his grey shirt and denims. "I sang to you." He continued.

"Technically you air guitar-ed but yeah ok." She resumed hacking at her flour mix.

"I remember because you were the only one who came to college in a taxi. Hey is your dad a taxi driver?" He plopped his dough next to hers and poked at it.

"…No." She raised an eyebrow, slipping his watery a look and yanking it out of his hands. "But you were in a BMW, so what is a rich boy like you doing working in a kitchen?

"The car was Mr. Rogers. He's my dad's boss and lent it to him for the weekend so his wife would know he's actually in Atlanta while he stayed at the Hamptons with his model girlfriend." He hopped on top of the table and watched her amusingly as she added dry flour to his flowing dough.

"Gee, that's nice." She rolled her eyes and shot him glare, pushing the kneaded dough in his direction. "Pop this in the oven. No more than 300 centigrade temperature and only for 30 minutes." She instructed him and he saluted.

"Mam, yes mam!" He gave her a serious look and grabbed the bread. Her lips twitched into a small smile and she glanced at him momentarily then commenced kneading his squelchy flour mix into a reasonable dough once again.

"I'm Jesse by the way," he mused.

"Beca." She said bluntly.

"So what's your deal? You're one of those girls who's all dark and mysterious, then she takes off her glasses and that amazingly scary ear spike, and you realize, she was beautiful the whole time." He grabbed another chunk of the flour mix and tried to copy Beca's movements.

"I don't wear glasses." She retorted.

"Then you're halfway there." He twisted his mixture into a heart shape and slid it into her peripheral vision.

Beca looked at it grimly and shook her head. "Wow so cheesy."

"No it's doughy." He flashed a cheeky grin and started laughing. The pun was stupid but even Beca let out a small chuckle.

"Ha. Made you laugh." He grinned and grabbed the freshly kneaded dough from Beca. "So I suppose you can work the dough and I can work the oven?"

"I have no idea why the lunch lady even put you with dough duty. You suck at this." Beca smirked and wiped her sweaty forehead with her forearm.

"I burnt the sauce; broke a plastic dish, no jokes; and managed to make an egg black. Since she's short staffed, she couldn't afford to fire me and gave me the less damaging job." He chortled and Beca shook her head laughing.

"You can work the oven." She nodded and tore another ball of the wet flour from the huge dish before her, sprinkling it with dry flour and throwing it into folds.

"You're seem really good at this bread making stuff. I mean I thought you would be one of those biker chicks who ate food at dusty old diners." He dusted his hands and pulled out the baked bread trays from the oven.

"Ever heard the phrase, don't judge a book by its cover?" Beca pronounced and Jesse raised his hands up in a defensive manner.

"I'm just saying. Sheesh." He yawned and looked at the clock. "Well Becawww," he sniggered, cawing her name, "It's time for my break. Later."

"Wh-," Beca swerved around about to glare at him threateningly but he had already vanished. In fact, the entire kitchen seemed empty.

"Huh?" The brunette pursed her lips and elevated her brows in bemusement. She left the dough and sauntered through the kitchen towards the food counter. The cafeteria was empty too, which means lunch was over and people had gone to their usual routine.

Should she leave too? Beca shrugged and debated her other options. Since she had no classes yet, she could go back to her dorm and possibly find her hostile roommate there or she could go to the quad which would be bustling with people. If she stayed here, she could put in some extra hours and earn more money. God, why did she have to be such a misanthropic! Beca cursed herself and headed back to her station. She plopped on her headphones which had been hanging around her neck and pushed the play button on her Walkman.

She wiped her forehead and began humming along to the catchy tune When You're Gone Cup Version by Lulu and the Lampshades. It was hard not to sing when she would hear a song she liked. She slowly tapped her feet along the beat and started singing.

"I've got my ticket for the long way round," she began melodiously and slowly swayed on her own while popping the dough tray in the oven. "Two bottle of whiskey for the way; And I sure would like some sweet company and I'm leaving tomorrow what do yah say?" She grabbed a cup from the holder and began moving it with the beat of the song.

"When I'm gone. When I'm go-o-one. You're gonna mi-"

"YOU CAN SING!" The cup slipped from the brunette's hand and she shrieked, backing against the oven as much as she could. Her music was low enough to hear what was going on outside and when she heard the extremely memorable, bubbly voice a sort of panic arose in her. It wasn't that she was shy of people listening to her sing, it was just that she had been caught off guard.

"DUDE!" She tried to calm down her overly fast heartbeat and glared at the girl who had just scared her out of her pants. The familiar coppery hair was tied back in a bun while the bluish white shirt and long yellow skirt highlighted the electric blue eyes. Chloe had a huge grin plastered on her face and the way she was looking at her made Beca feel like an early Christmas present.

"You have to HAVE TO audition for the Bellas! Pleaaaasseee?" She pouted and crossed her hands before her in a pleading stance.

"Wh-no! I mean what are you even doing back here?!" Beca was still shaken up and was finding a hard time to cling on to the ginger's words.

"I forgot my phone in the cafeteria so I returned to get it then I heard your angelic voice and came here." Chloe looked at her casually as if she had said the most normal thing in the world. Beca, though, could feel her face getting hotter by the second. Angelic?

"I err," She tried to say something, to thank Chloe, just say anything to stop the reddish blimp from appearing on her face. "You shouldn't be back here." It was all she could manage. She turned away and started kneading another batch of flour, more forcefully than earlier. She would do anything to avoid eye-contact with the redhead right now.

But Chloe was a stubborn one. She was beside Beca in an instant. It was what she did next that surprised Beca the most. The brunette had not comprehended this. The tall ginger slid her hands over Beca's and weaved her fingers in between the spaces of Beca's fingers then gently pried her hands away from the dough. "Is there any way I can talk you into this?" Chloe's voice was gentle and pleading. Clearly she did not feel her actions were inappropriate. The warmth of the ginger's hands spread through Beca like a cup of hot chocolate during a snowstorm.

Beca's reaction was purely reflexive and solely because she was not used to someone touching her and the warmth of another human somewhat petrified her. She quickly yanked her hands away and tilted her head towards Chloe, looking freaked out. Chloe's face contorted like she was hurt, which wedged an extremely guilty feeling in the brunette, as if she didn't know she was not supposed to do this.

"Please just consider it. The audition is tomorrow in Vanderbilt auditorium." She said quietly then lowered her head and staggered away.

Beca parted her lips to say something, to tell her it was okay, but the words never came out. She felt the stinging guilty feeling burning at her, for turning down the redhead like that, who was only trying to make her listen.

Maybe she could find her and apologize? Try and make her understand? Beca sighed and smacked her floury hand against her forehead. She wasn't a rude person and it was clear her action had hurt Chloe. Making her understand might be a harder and longer process to apologize. Deep down, she knew exactly what she had to do to apologize to the ginger.

It was daunting but she would have to do it. She was going to audition for the Bellas'. All she could hope for now was that the hostile blonde she had met yesterday would reject her after the audition. Her brows furrowed and she tried to focus all her attention on the white, squishy mixture of flour and water once more.


AN: So no shower scene either. Don't hate me. Once again, anything that sounds disrespectful in this chapter is totally not so yeah. My sincerest apologies. Feedback is highly appreciated. Thank you :)