Beca thought day three was bad, day four is ten times worse. Casey doesn't leave until Beca starts changing. At one point Beca was half off the bed and Casey dumped the freezing cold water on her feet. That got her moving. But now her feet are wet and she's picking up all the dirt off the boards that make the floor. She should really sweep but Beca just can't be bothered with cleaning.

What wakes her up, is Lou. The two have been texting since Beca picked up her phone after putting on a fresh pair of jeans. Speaking of jeans, she needs to do some laundry and she'll ask Monty about it later. But now it's time for Beca to help Chloe and she's just wrapped up in her phone. She's hearing about Lou's past few days and Beca can't be bothered with anything while she's talking to her sister.

"Beca."

Beca makes a noise but doesn't actually respond as she's trying to type out another message.

"Beca!"

"Huh?" She looks up from her phone and can see Chloe isn't too pleased with her.

"I asked if you wanted to take some lessons." She steps closer to Beca and smiles, "Talking to Lou?"

Beca nods and nearly jumps when her phone buzzes again. She smiles at the text but frowns knowing Lou should really focus on class. She types out a quick message and then closes her phone, sliding it into her pocket.

"All done?"

"Yes." Beca smirks.

"Good. Now, do you want lessons?" She crosses hers arms.

"Lessons for what?" Beca has an idea of what Chloe means by 'lessons' but she wants to make sure she's right. Because if Chloe is implying Beca is going to be getting on a horse, Chloe has another thing coming.

"Horse riding silly." She picks up her cowboy hat off the kitchen table and puts it on her head. This hat is different, it's a grey-brown colored hat. This one looks a little worn and actually has a bird feather wrapped around the front.

"Hey where's your black hat?" She changes the subject because she's sure Chloe will make fun of her for saying no to the lessons. She assumes Chloe will tease her further about fearing horses. It's not that she can't take the teasing, she totally can. It's just irritating after a while for her and it makes her want to punch whoever is teasing her. She doesn't really want to punch Chloe. Ever. But she can only take so much before she snaps.

"It's comforting. It was my moms so it's kind of like a good luck charm." She winks at Beca.

"Oh." Beca tugs the sleeve of her leather jacket. It is the same. To Beca, the leather jacket is comforting because it's last gift Beca received from her father. It almost makes her laugh at the fact that she hasn't outgrown it. Her father was smart that way. He bought it two sizes too big so by the time she stopped growing, it became a perfect fit. She smiles a bit at the thought of him.

"Who is your jacket from?" She gestures to the leather material.

Beca shakes her head a bit smiling, "Uh my dad. Last gift from him." Her smile fades thinking about his death. She clenches her jaw forcing herself to think of something else. Like the times Lou and Beca would sit in the auditorium with a guitar and sing together.

"Beca, I'm so-"

"Please don't." Beca looks down and fumbles with the end of her sleeve. "It was a long time ago. I'm fine." She looks back up at Chloe and forces a smile. She can see Chloe doesn't buy it but she's thankful when Chloe just offers a smile and changes the subject.

"So, about those lessons…" She trails off. "Think you'd be up for some?"

"What about the horses?"

"I don't have a client list today as it is my day off. So that leaves us open with lots of free time and you don't have to be at Jessica's until three, right?"

"Yeah but, I still don't need lessons." She looks away from Chloe to the living room. All she can see in the cobblestone fireplace.

"You're going to be here for at least four months right? You're going to have to learn to ride at some point." She suggests and starts walking out the door. "Come on."

Beca lets her head fall back and she groans. "Beale!" She straightens up and follows Chloe out the door. "Beale!"

Chloe starts to walk backwards, watching Beca. "Come on one tiny lesson?"

Beca shakes her head, "No way Beale. I'm not getting on one of those monsters."

Chloe makes a face, "They're not monsters Beca."

"Giants?"

"Okay. Giants." She nods her head curtly. Turning back around to walk forward next to Beca.

"Well, I'm not getting on one."

"Okay," She smiles and Beca wonders what in the world Chloe could possibly be thinking, "We're still going to spend the day together." She starts walking towards the woods and Beca now wonders where they're headed.

"Why are you insistent?" She groans and looks down at the ground as she walks.

"Because, like I said, I think we're going to be fast friends."

There's that word. Friends. Sure Beca has friends. Okay so two friends but, they're good friends. She's known them since she was five. They've been around long enough that they've made their way past her walls. Yes, she can admit that. She knows very well that she's not an open person and constantly guards herself, never getting close. Speaking of friends, she should probably check up on them.

"Right, fast friends."

"And I don't mean we're going to be talking all day. I just figured whatever happens today, happens. Even if you don't want lessons."

"Give it a rest Beale." Beca says playfully.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop." Beca doesn't even have to look at Chloe to know she's smiling.

Now they're surrounded by trees and Beca has to admit, it's kind of nice. It's a huge difference from being in the city. The air is just, fresher. Like the other night, she swears she's never seen so many stars before. It makes her wonder about constellations, something that was of interest but for the life of her, could never get into. But back to where she is now, she can hear the birds chirping and singing. There's a gentle breeze against her face that just barely moves her hair and the sun is halfway up the sky. She's in awe.

"It's nice isn't it?"

Beca nods and looks at Chloe, smiling a bit. "Yeah, it's relaxing. There's no cars honking, no people shouting, it's relaxed. There's no go-go-go to this place. It just…" She trails off unable to find the right word.

"Flows?" Chloe asks, crossing her arms.

Beca watches Chloe and notices today she's just wearing a faded grey t-shirt. Actually there's something written on it in white but Beca can't make it out. It's nice to know her whole wardrobe doesn't just consist of button ups. Or downs. Whatever, there's not much difference between the two. Not that her style matters. Chloe looks good in just about anything, especially blue. She mentally shakes herself and internally groans. Where are these damn thoughts coming from? They need to stop.

"Yeah…" She looks back at the ground.

"Can I ask you something?" Chloe sounds unsure of herself.

Beca smirks, "I think I can make an exception."

"How did you take down Tom so quickly?"

That. That was not what she was expecting to be asked. Sure, maybe why she's here or what life is like in Seattle. But certainly not that.

"Uh," She furrows her brow not sure how much she should reveal. Chloe's made is quite easy to talk to her. Well, small talk is easy with Chloe. So really, a deep conversation can't be much different. But she fears judgement. "I just…" She trails off and plays with her spiral.

"Did you look it up or learn it from someone?"

That makes it a whole lot easier to answer. "Learned it." She says simply.

Chloe makes a face, "Do you think you could show me?"

Beca shakes her head, "And what in the hell would you need it for?"

"Well, what did you need it for?"

"Self defense. Foster system can be brutal." She mentally smacks herself against her forehead. Too much. In her opinion, divulging that she was in the foster system is revealing too much. And yet, she said it anyway.

"I didn't know you were in the foster system."

This really, really throws Beca off. No remark, no quips, no judgement? Just a 'I didn't know' phrase? Is there a war going on? She's so used to jokes or a comment about it or a 'oh poor you' sort of deal. Some sort of implied judgement. But no.

"Uh, yeah." She furrows her brow for a moment and then shakes her head, "It's no big deal."

"Okay."

"Just okay?"

"Well, I mean you said it wasn't a big deal. So, I'm not going to pester you with questions." Chloe says it like that's a normal thing to say. Like it's so obvious someone wouldn't ask questions.

"Right." She bites her lip and sighs, "Stop."

Chloe stop in her tracks, "What is it?"

"I'm going to show you."

Chloe smiles just a bit, "Really?"

Beca nods and turns to face Chloe, "Yeah." She doesn't know why she's doing it. Maybe she's doing it as a 'thanks for not asking questions'. Maybe it's because she wants Chloe to be able to defend herself. It's only fair. But if she's really doing it to show Chloe self defense, then she should be showing her things other than this. This is dangerous if not done right. This can kill.

"Actually," Beca starts, "I'm going to show you something else. Something that's of more use."

Chloe nods and Beca can't help but smile, she looks a little nervous. "Relax Beale."

Chloe takes a deep breath, "Okay" she smiles and letting out the held breath.

Beca smirks, "Put out your arm please." Chloe follows Beca's request. There's a light bruise Beca hadn't noticed before. Why didn't she notice that? She shakes her head, "Other arm."

Chloe switches arms and Beca nods, "Okay, next time someone grabs your arm. You're gonna do this." Beca watches Chloe's face as she grabs Chloe's forearm. She keeps a light hold.

"I want you to turn your forearm so you're palm is facing down." She watches as Chloe does this. " Now pop your elbow towards me." She watches at Chloe makes a face of concentration and does so, successfully breaking Beca's grip on her.

"But what if he- they have a tighter grip? I mean you're grip was light in comparison to Tom's."

Beca nods, "Arm out." She watches again as Chloe follows. She grips Chloe's arm firmly. "Okay so I want you to rotate your arm so my thumb is facing upwards. Do this and then quickly jab your elbow at me, the same way you did before. But I also want you to shove with that elbow."

"But what if I hurt you?"

Beca almost scoffs, "Not gonna happen Beale. Just do it."

And Chloe does and Beca braces her arm, the one that was holding Chloe's, against Chloe's forearm. "See?"

"Okay," She furrows her brow, "But what if he's too strong and I can't do any of that?"

Beca smirks, "Then I want you to attack him. Most likely they're focused on their grip on your wrist. Especially in situations like Tom. You get close and you knee him. Hard. If he still doesn't let go, chances are his grip is loosened, so then do either of the techniques I showed you."

"How do you know this stuff so well?"

Beca shrugs, "I got into enough fights to learn."

Chloe furrows her brow and Beca can see she's trying not to ask questions. She sighs and looks off the the side, "Ask away."

"Why were you in so many fights?"

Beca shrugs again, "Bullies I guess and my first foster parent was a jerk."

"Beca I'm sorry that you've had to go through that."

Beca shakes her head and smiles a bit, "That's life."

Chloe nods and then smiles, "Come on let's go." She starts walking and Beca seriously wonders where this girl is taking her. It's just woods.

"You're totally taking me out here to murder me huh?"

Chloe giggles, "Absolutely."

Eventually they clear out of the woods. There's hills and fields and of course fences. What would Hoofbeat be without fences? She's not impressed. Chloe made it seem like it was going to be amazing and phenomenal.

"This isn't it Beca."

Beca groans, "Then what is it?"

Chloe giggles, "You're not very patient are you?"

"Nope."

Chloe smiles and shakes her head, looking off in the distance. "This is why we ride. So we can get places faster."

Beca furrows her brow. That just doesn't make sense. "Why not drive?"

Chloe chuckles, "You really think you can drive through here?"

Beca looks down at the ground and kicks the dirt. "I see your point."

Wait.

"Did you take me out here to see that I need to take lessons. 'Cause if so, I am offended." She puts her hand on her chest in mock hurt.

Chloe looks at Beca, "Actually no I wasn't thinking about that. I still have something to show you."

"Can you just tell me?" Beca asks hopefully.

"Nice try Beca."

Beca groans. "Please Beale?"

"Nope." She continues walking.

Chloe finally stops and points off in the distance, "Over there."

Beca looks and finds a gang of horses. Or is a band of horses? Either way Beca's not sure why this is so cool. Sure it's a band of horses. So what? There's plenty of horses back by the barn. What's so special about these ones?

"They're wild horses. It's extremely rare to find them in such a large group. There's gotta be at least eight." She sounds mesmerized.

"Oh." Is all Beca can say.

Chloe smiles, "Come on, we can get a little closer."

Closer? Beca thinks they're at a perfect distance. They're about the size of Beca's hand from here. That's a nice size. Not towering over her. But she follows Chloe anyway.

"Okay see, there," Chloe's pointing again, "There's a foal."

Beca's mouth drops, "That becomes that?" She gestures to the size of the foal to the horse next to it. "It's so cute though. How the hell does it become a giant? And look at it's wobbly long legs. Man that thing has legs. More than that leggy blonde."

"Leggy blonde?"

"That woman that won that singing show or whatever." She doesn't take her eyes off the foal.

"You're gonna have to be a little more specific."

Beca sighs, "Hollywood?"

"Okay?"

Beca groans, "I don't know what it's called. I don't watch tv. She's a country singer. She's got nice legs and she's blonde. She sings about Jesus and cars." She looks at Chloe hoping she understands who Beca's talking about. She would say the singers name but she honestly can't recall the name. Something forest maybe?

Then Chloe's laughing. "Oh my god. Beca, you mean Carrie Underwood."

"What? I couldn't remember her name!" Beca's mouth drops a little but there's a hint of a smile.

"Beca your nickname for her is very suiting." Chloe sounds like she's trying to be serious but she's giggling a bit.

"Well she does have nice legs."

"Yeah." Chloe laughs again. She puts her hand to her mouth, trying to from laughing. She places a gentle hand on Beca's shoulder. Her laughter starts to calm down and she shakes her head, "No the way you tried describing her was super on point."

"Oh hush Beale." She pushes Chloe away, crossing her arms.

"Oh don't pout."

Beca's mouth drops, "I am not pouting. I do not pout."

Chloe giggles and shakes her head, "You certainly are something Beca Mitchell."

"Oh am I?" Beca raises a brow.

"Yes." Chloe says simply, a small smile on her face.


It's lunch, and while normally no one is together for lunch, today the only ones missing are Jesse and Monty. Just like dinner, Fat Amy dominates most of the conversations with her story telling. This time she's talking about some aboriginals and Fiddler on the Roof. Something about her being too tone deaf, according to others, to actually participate. Fat Amy swears she can belt one better than Mariah Carey despite what they said. Beca can only smirk at all of this.


Jessica actually has a large family. There are some kids running around outside of the garage playing football. Beca's surprised that she is left alone to work on the bike. Something about Monty Callen being known for his kindness and trustworthiness. Plus everyone kind of knows Chloe as well, due to her work with horses. It's odd. Trust isn't just given to Beca. She has a reputation in Seattle. Well in her school she does. However, with four suspensions, most people know not to mess with her.

Beca's now working on Mr. Jakle's bike is different from her own bike, it's a Harley, so she's met with slightly different parts. Earlier she successfully started the engine. She found out that Jessica wasn't exactly right when she said it was a problem with the engine. Beca took the bike for a short spin and had some trouble with the shifting. So now she's in the garage trying to figure out the exact problem, sitting on a metal box.

"Hey."

Beca looks up from the engine, wiping her hands on a rag. It's Jessica.

"Hey." Beca looks back down at the engine.

"I heard what you did to Tom…" She trails off.

Beca stays silent going back to work on the engine.

"Glad someone can put him in his place."

"Someone as nice as Chloe, it seems weird that she'd be with him." She grits her teeth when it becomes difficult loosening a nut.

"Aubrey, Tom, and Chloe have been friends since the beginning of time. He hasn't always been like that."

"So what changed?" She puts the wrench down and starts taking pieces of the engine apart.

"I honestly don't know. It started a few years ago."

"Are parties always that dramatic?" Beca bites her tongue in concentration.

Jessica chuckles a bit, "Uh no, usually there's a bit of singing and dancing. Never fights."

Beca shakes her head, "Yeah that whole breaking out in song…" She cringes a bit at the thought.

"It comes from being in glee club."

"Oh right, that's like a thing." Beca furrows her brow taking in the pieces. This bike hasn't been properly cleaned and she takes note to clean some of the parts.

"It's how we met."

"Huh?" Beca looks up from the engine and to Jessica, who is leaning against the workbench.

"Glee club. It's how us girls met. I mean, we knew each other from horse events but we never actually talked. Glee club sort of brought us together. The song Somethin' Bad was Chloe and Aubrey's first duet. Although Aubrey didn't join until senior year because she was so focused on school work and eventing."

Beca smirks when she finds the source of the problem, "Aha the gearbox!"

"Huh?"

Beca looks up, "The gearbox. There's bent selector forks. Someone's been changing gears pretty recklessly."

"I have no clue what any of that means but, I blame my brother."

Beca looks back down at the engine, "Maybe your dad should teach him how to change gears."

"Well can you fix it?"

Beca nods, "Yeah I just gotta find a new part, clean these parts up, and then put it back together." She looks at all the parts surrounding her and she sighs. She pulls out her phone and checks the time.

"Great!"

"But I have to be at Luke's. Like now." She groans and then mutters, "He's probably gonna kill me."

Jessica scoffs, "Luke will get over it. Just call him."

Beca looks up at Jessica and narrows her eyes, "It can't be that easy."

Jessica chuckles, "Yeah, yeah it is. It's Luke Acker. He's so loose about work! Not to mention disorganized! I mean I can't count the number of times I've walked in and he's just sitting around with Casey." The way she says the last sentence, it makes her sound jealous.

Beca furrows her brow and thinks about that for a moment. The way he talks, it just doesn't seem like Luke's that easy going. Then again, he did hire her on the spot. Beca figures she probably tunes out eighty percent of the things he says so, he probably mentioned it. She just didn't catch it.

"Casey Beale?" She asks just to check.

Jessica nods, "Yeah they've had a thing since he came here in eighth grade. Though, they don't like to admit it. But they're practically together."

"So do you have his number?"

"You don't have it?"

Beca shakes her head, "He never offered."

Jessica gives her the number and then Beca calls him. He says it's alright, to just meet him at the store so they can get to work, apparently he'll have food there. Jessica is right, he's forgiving and doesn't make a huge deal out of it. Beca makes a note not to be late again.


It's been two weeks. Two torturous weeks. It's Tuesday which means it's her day to rest. She's reminding Casey, who still threatens to toss cold water on her, that today is Chloe's day off which means it's her day off. Therefore, she doesn't need to be up at five thirty. She's going to sleep in because Chloe lets her. Because Chloe understands Beca's need for sleep. Unlike Casey, who is still in the loft threatening her.

"Casey please leave me the fuck alone!"

"Beca you have to get up. Breakfast, food?"

Beca groans, "Why can't you be like Chloe and leave me alone?"

"Chloe let you sleep in once and that's because I was in New York."

"Please go back." She grumbles.

"One… two…"

Beca's eyes open and she shoots up. She looks up to see Casey has the plastic bucket over her head. Beca narrows her eyes.

"Good. Now get ready." Casey says before walking out.

Beca shakes her head and lays back down, pulling the covers over her head. Fuck Casey and her stupid bucket of freezing water, she's going to sleep.

She's not sure how long she's been asleep but it couldn't have been very long. She can feel part of the bed sink and she opens her eyes, rolling on her side to see who it is. It's Chloe.

"What the hell do you want Beale?" She rolls back over onto her stomach.

"It's nearly noon."

"Well your devil of a sister came in at five thirty trying to wake me. Excuse me if I'm tired." She mumbles into her pillow.

"So you don't want to get up?"

Beca sighs, "Are you saying I need to get up?"

"Not necessarily."

Beca rolls back over to look at Chloe. She narrows her eyes trying to figure out what Chloe wants. She's learned a few things about this girl over the two weeks. Hey, she spends most of her days with Chloe because the two see each other everyday. Okay, so she sees Jesse almost just as much but most of the time she's not bothering to pay attention. It's always broncs and movies with that guy. Whatever. She knows if Chloe has some sort of ulterior motive, although that sounds a little evil for Chloe, she'll beat around the bush.

"Okay," Beca sits up and runs her hand through her hair. She rests against the wall and is about to continue but Chloe is suddenly grabbing her arm.

"Oh my gosh! You have a grasshopper tattoo!"

Beca raises a brow, an amused smile grows on her face, "Yeah you didn't know that?"

"Well you're always wearing your leather jacket." Chloe says, still inspecting that tattoo. She drops the arm and sighs, "I want a ladybug tattoo."

"You want a tattoo?" Beca puts emphasis on 'you', chuckling.

"Yeah." Chloe smiles and pokes at her wrist, "Here."

"Any significance?"

Chloe shrugs, "I think it'd be cute." She looks down at Beca's arm then at her, "Any significance to yours?"

Beca nods, "Uh..." She furrows her brow thinking of the reason, "My dad, whenever he was helping me with homework he'd call me grasshopper." She brings her other hand to her arm, letting her fingers brush against the tattoo. Her eyes scan it over, "He'd always say, 'patience young grasshopper for you will get it soon'." She does her best imitation of his voice. She laughs lightly trying to make the sadness go away in her voice, "I was so impatient." She looks up at Chloe and smirks. "Still am."

Chloe has a soft smile on her face, "That's sweet Beca."

She scoffs, "Sweet, sure."

"No it is." Chloe furrows her brow and bites her lip, "Do you have any other tattoos?"

Beca shakes her head, "No yet. I mean, I want more but I don't have the funds."

"Someday huh?"

Beca nods, "Yeah someday." She sighs and rolls her eyes, "Okay Beale, what did you want earlier?"

Chloe drops her mouth, "Who says I want anything?"

Beca raises a brow, "You always beat around the bush when you want something."

"Do I?" She teases and then gets off the bed. "Get dressed! I'm going to be teaching you something today." She walks away before Beca can say anything.

But this doesn't stop Beca from yelling, "Better not be lessons Beale!"


It's not riding lessons but it is a form of lessons. Chloe is currently going over the tack, which is what you put on a horse so you can ride it. Why anyone would willingly get on a horse, Beca has yet to figure out. But Chloe is persistent. If she can't get Beca on a horse, she's going to teach Beca to tack up a horse. Beca is totally put off by this idea. She already has enough problems brushing a horse, what makes Chloe think Beca's gonna put her hands near it's mouth?

"They won't bite." Chloe assures her, her hand gently touching Beca's arm.

"They could though!" Beca is wide eyed.

"Come on, I promise."

"No." Beca crosses her arms and shakes her head. "Not gonna happen Beale."

Chloe makes a face while she thinks and then smiles. "How about we start with saddling?"

Beca slumps her shoulders, "So persistent."

Chloe shrugs, "Beca I just want you to learn. I don't know why you're so afraid. Did something happen between you and a horse?"

Beca scoffs, "Ha… no. I am pretty sensible for not wanting to get on the back of a dangerous giant."

"Arrow is not dangerous." Chloe argues, now crossing her arms.

Beca lets one of her her arms hang down, "How would you know?"

Chloe looks at Beca, who brings her palm to her forehead and lets her head drop down, "Fuck."

"Exactly." Chloe states, "I raised that baby boy."

"He is so not a baby Chloe. He's huge compared to that baby horse we saw!" She looks at Chloe and raises her arms to express the size.

"He's only eight."

"Isn't that old?"

"No, horses can live up to thirty."

"Oh."

Chloe sighs, "Come on Beca. I promise, he's not going to hurt you. It's not like he's never been saddled before. He doesn't even move!"

"They move?" Beca looks at Chloe, now worrying.

Chloe shrugs a bit, "I mean sometimes they'll start to walk away. Especially if they're stubborn or haven't been saddled before. But I promise, Arrow doesn't move."

Beca sighs, "You're not gonna give up are you?"

"Absolutely not!" Chloe puts her hands on her hips.

Beca rolls her eyes, "Fine." She grumbles out.

Chloe smiles excitedly and claps her hands, "Oh my gosh! Yay!"

Beca can't help but smile, "You're acting like I just saved the universe."

"It's fantastic progress!" Chloe's gushing.

Beca can't see how such little 'progress' can be fantastic. "Let's just get this over with Beale."

So it's really not that bad. Arrow does stay completely still which makes it easy for Beca to put the saddle on his back. There's lots of touching though which is killing Beca. Okay, so not lots compared to what most would consider, but it's a lot for Beca. Chloe's hands are extremely gentle and Beca is beginning to think that's from having to work with horses. It's nice but once again Beca is not going to dwell. Scratch that. She's not going to even think about the way Chloe's hands are making her heart pound in her chest.

Chloe explains the seat rise, the seat, and the cantle; all part of where a rider sits. She talks about the horn and the pommel. She explains the horn is used for holding onto and sometimes there's a rope strap tied around it. A rope strap is, well, what the rope is held on by. The rope used to rope other animals. She goes on about the fender and the stirrup. The fender is where a rider's legs will rest and the stirrup is where one places their feet.

It all gives Beca a headache, thinking about everything so technically. But she pays attention because it's Chloe talking. But she tells herself she pays attention so she doesn't look like an idiot later. Even though Chloe has never actually made Beca feel like an idiot, even when she asked for the millionth time how to pick a horse's hoof.

"I can't do this." Beca lets out a frustrated sigh when she can't get the cinch wrapped around the ring properly.

"Yes you can. Here, one more time I'll show you." Chloe says, unwrapping the cinch from the ring. She re-wraps it and Beca thinks of it like tying a tie. She watches as Chloe unties it and lets it hang down. "Try again, you can do this."

Beca sighs and picks up the cinch and she does do it properly this time. Chloe's beaming when Beca looks to her.

"I knew you could do it!" She's smiling and lifting her shoulders in a slight shrug.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah Beale." Beca brushes it off and looks back at the saddle, "What's next?"

Chloe's smile just widens, "You did it."

It takes Beca a while but she catches what Chloe means by that. There's no more to putting a saddle on a horse. She smiles.

"I put a saddle on a giant." She says with disbelief.

Chloe chuckles, "Yes you put a saddle on a giant."

Beca thrusts her fist in the air, "Yes!"

Arrow throws his head up which scares the life out of Beca, who cringes and pulls back into herself. "Maybe I shouldn't do that here."

"Yeah that would be good." Chloe rubs Arrow's neck, smiling at Beca.

"Hey Chloe you going for a ride?" It's Jesse and he's wearing a brown cowboy hat. He looks like a complete dork, especially with that goofy grin.

Chloe shakes her head, "Nope just teaching Beca how to saddle a horse."

Jesse stands next to Beca now, "Oh dude!" He pats Beca's back, "You're actually gonna ride?"

Beca steps to the side to avoid more contact, "Uh no." She looks down at her black boots.

"Just making her more helpful Jesse." Chloe says and Beca can hear her taking off the saddle.

"We have to get her on a horse." He says chuckling lightly.

"No we don't." Beca says simply, looking at him.

"Oh c'mon Becaw!" He looks at her with a pleading look. "If you're gonna be here you should learn to ride. It's like the most essential ability to have around here."

"No way man. I'll stick with my bike." Beca walks over to Chloe and takes the saddle from her, which is actually heavier than Beca thought it would be, and walks into the tack room to avoid more conversation with Jesse. She can hear the two talking but it's too quiet for Beca to pick anything out of it. She sets the saddle on the rack, which is almost too high for Beca to reach.

"Hey Beca, want to go to Murphy's? Jessica and Stacie kind of want you to come."

Beca turns around and sees Chloe, "Uh they want me to come?"

Chloe nods, "Oh totes! They like you. Well, you know Stacie really likes you."

Beca frowns, "Yeah she likes making me uncomfortable."

Chloe grins, "She likes to make people squirm. So you up for it?"

Beca sighs, "Sure." She walks past Chloe, "As long as Aubrey stops with the 'ear monstrosities' comments." Beca adds turning to look at Chloe who is following her. She looks forward to see Jesse is gone.

"Who said anything about Bree?"

Beca shakes her head, "Uh-uh Beale. Aubrey is always around."

"Okay, okay. But she's not so bad Beca. She likes you." Beca watches as Chloe catches up and wraps her arms around Beca's arm.

Beca looks at Chloe, "You keep saying that but I'm pretty sure she just hates me."

"No way! If Bree hated you, you wouldn't be allowed in Murphy's." Beca watches as Chloe looks from her to the ground, and then ahead.

"Like Tom?" Beca cringes as soon as it flies out of her mouth.

Chloe slows down the pace of their walking and sighs, "Yeah…"

Beca makes a face, "Sorry."

Chloe shakes her head and lets go of Beca's arm. "I'll go get the keys to the truck."

Beca stops her, "Wouldn't it be easier just to take my bike? I mean, you have to practically beg Monty for the keys and that usually takes about a half hour."

Chloe bites her lip, "I don't know…" She sounds hesitant.

Beca smirks, "Come on Beale, it's fun."

"Really?" Chloe cringes.

"You said Monty used to ride and he still has his helmet in his room." Beca walks closer to Chloe. "Come on Beale, what do you say?"

Beca watches as Chloe thinks it over before finally giving Beca a small smile. "Okay. As long as you don't kill us."

Beca can't help but laugh a little, "Believe me I'm a fantastic driver."

"I'll go ask Monty for the helmet." Chloe turns and walks to the house.

"Oh and a leather jacket!" Beca shouts so Chloe can hear her.

She walks over to her bike and picks up her helmet. She kicks the kickstand up and wheels the bike out in the open, away from the truck. She double checks the gas and then checks the brakes. When she looks up from the bike she can see see Chloe in a brown leather jacket and a silver openface helmet on her head instead of a cowboy hat. She looks nice, the leather jacket really suits her. If that's real leather that is.

"You're lucky my family is big on motorcycles."

Beca ignores that comment completely, still focused on the jacket. "That's a thick leather jacket?"

Chloe shrugs, "Closest thing I have."

Beca sighs, "Okay." She kicks the kickstand back down and walks over to Chloe. She hesitantly lifts her hands to check Chloe's helmet. When Beca is sure it's on properly, she walks back to the bike. Chloe just has a closed mouth smile on her face. She steps away from Chloe and walks to the bike.

"Ready?" Beca asks, picking up her helmet. When Chloe nods Beca nods, "It'll be fun." She slides the helmet over her head and swings her leg over the bike, sitting herself down on the bike. She can feel the bike sink a little when Chloe gets on. She waits for Chloe's hands to wrap around her waist but it never happens. "Hey Beale, put your arms around me." She does and she can feel Chloe rest her head against her shoulders.

"Put your feet up." Beca states, revving the engine. "Ready?"

"Yeah!" Chloe says, although she doesn't sound too enthusiastic.

Beca kicks the kickstand back up, quickly throws the face shield down, and pulls out. She can feel Chloe hug her tightly and she can't help but smirk. She goes as slow as she can, although she has to speed up while make a sharp turn to get on the highway. She can feel weight off of her shoulders and that makes her smile even more because it's likely Chloe feels more comfortable. She hears a loud 'whoo' and she can't help but smile even more.


"So Beca, do you have plans for the future?" Aubrey asks.

Beca internally groans. No she doesn't have plans for the future because she hasn't had the chance to even think about it. Okay, so maybe she has she's just avoiding it because she honestly sucks at school. She just can't, for the life of her sit through a fortyfive minute class.

"No." She says simply, taking a drink of her soda.

"Any interest in college?" Jessica asks.

Beca scoffs, "I'd have to graduate high school first."

Aubrey furrows her brow, "How old are you?"

Beca slouches more into her seat, "Eighteen."

"So you haven't graduated?" Stacie asks, looking like she's trying too hard to figure things out. For someone as smart as Stacie, Beca wonders why Stacie has to ask that question.

Beca sighs and plays with her cup, "Yeah." She glances at Chloe and then looks at her cup. "Suspensions kind of do that."

Stacie's jaw drops, "I knew you were badass but woah, that's a little too badass."

Beca shakes her head, "Trust me, it's not badass to get suspended. Even if it's just for a week."

Aubrey shakes her head, "You really go looking for trouble don't you?"

"Bree don't." Chloe says.

Beca looks at Chloe then back at Aubrey who seems to settle down. A bit.

Stacie is suddenly speaking, "So how are the clients Chloe?"

Chloe sighs, "Not well. I mean, Casey wants to start H.C.D.R. again because she's not going to be going back to New York. So I guess that will help with the money issue but I'm just not looking forward to it."

Beca furrows her brow and looks at Chloe, "H.C.D.R?"

Aubrey groans, "Hoofbeat Connections Dude Ranch. For the city slickers who desire to have a dude ranch experience."

Jessica shrugs, "Oh come on Aubrey it's not that bad."

Chloe shakes her head, "No I second that. It's awful. I mean, yeah, some people actually want to have that experience and I'm all for that. But last time those fracking guys came and pretended to be fisherman."

"What's fracking?" Beca asks, sitting up right a little more.

"It's drilling to extract oil and natural gas using water pressure." Stacie says.

"And what's so bad about that?" Beca asks.

"Well it's controversial. It requires significant amounts of water, including potentially carcinogenic chemicals which could contaminate the groundwater. So the big river by the ranch, that many of the horses and other animals drink from, could become something that kills process could cause some earth tremors though some don't believe that's a huge problem. Specifically because the tremors generally aren't high enough to be felt." Stacie replies simply, as if it were common sense.

Beca's mouth drops a little, "And they're just allowed to come on your property and just go at it?"

Chloe frowns, "There's not many laws to stop them."

Beca raises a brow, "So how the hell did you get them to leave?"

Aubrey takes a sip of her drink and then speaks, "The whole town came together about it. Made it hard for them to transport water supply. It also makes their company look bad if they're doing it in secret. So they left."

"Us small town people have to stick together." Jessica smiles.

Beca smiles a bit. That sounds nice, to have a community come together. But she also sees the huge downsides, the biggest being that everyone knows you. There's no secrets and you can't get away with shit. But she can see the good in that, especially in situations like Tom's. He may be a rich rodeo dude but boy, do people also really love and respect Chloe that they're willing to turn their backs to Tom.

"Hey guys. Chloe."

Speaking of the devil.

"Tom." Aubrey is short with him, crossing her arms.

Chloe looks like she's forcing a small smile, "Hi Tom." She looks back at her drink and plays with the straw.

"Chloe, I was wondering if we could talk?" He gestures behind him.

Chloe looks up at Tom briefly, "Uh sure." She gets up and walks with Tom outside.

Stacie immediately turns around to look out the window to watch and Jessica shakes her head.

"Wonder what they're talking about." Stacie says.

"I swear Stacie if I hadn't seen you graduate, I'd think you're a fifteen year old girl." Aubrey says shaking her head.

"What? I'm curious. Is he being a dick? Is he sweet talking her? Is he apologizing?" Stacie turns around and throws her hands up, "I need to know."

Beca holds back a laugh and forms a tight lip smile.

"He better not be acting like a dick. I mean, I love that boy but Chloe comes first." Aubrey admits.

"How have you not given him a famous Posen beat down?" Jessica asks.

Aubrey smiles, "Oh I did. Just because he's my best guy friend does not mean he's safe from my wrath."

Stacie looks to Beca, "Never, ever get on her bad side."

Beca raises a brow, "Can't be worse than getting beat up."

Aubrey looks at Beca challengingly, "Mitchell, I can deal words like it's nobody's business."

Beca scoffs, "Sticks and stones."

Aubrey narrows her eyes and shakes her head, "Just you wait Mitchell."

"Claws in Bree." It's Chloe and she's sitting back down next to Beca.

Beca rolls her eyes and looks at Chloe, "How'd that go?"

Chloe shrugs, "I guess we're friends again."

"You guess?" Stacie looks to Chloe.

"I mean, I've forgiven him. Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting though. So, I told him if he wants to be friends he's got to keep his anger in check." She plays with the straw in her drink again.

"You go girl. You tell him." Stacie says nodding her head, "Don't let that fuckboy be so rude."

"He's not a fuckboy Stacie." Chloe insists. "He's just got some anger to work out."

"He's a fuckboy Chloe. End of story." Stacies says.

"Sorry Chloe, can't say I disagree." Jessica says, offering a small smile.

Chloe looks at Aubrey, "Bree tell them."

Aubrey seems to be thinking it over before answering, "He kind of is. Do you remember the amount of girls he went through every month before he was with you?"

Chloe makes a face, "There wasn't even over five-hundred kids in our high school Bree. So no, he didn't go through that many girls."

Aubrey cringes, "For this small town, it was a lot Chlo."

Chloe sighs, crossing her arms and slouching back in her seat.


Chloe pulls her helmet off and smiles which in turn, makes Beca smile. Only a little.

"You were right. That was really fun."

Beca smirks, "Told ya."

Chloe gives Beca a tight lipped smile before biting her lip.

Beca sighs, "What is it Beale?"

"Maybe now you'll ride?"

Beca furrows her brow, "I do ride."

Chloe giggles, "No silly, I mean ride a horse."

Beca plays mock offense. At least that's what she tells herself, "Uh no. It's not like you drove the motorcycle. You rode on the back."

Beca sees the look on Chloe's face, like she's thinking. "What?"

Chloe smirks, "Oh nothing..." She trails off.

Beca frowns. Oh God. That's scary to see, Chloe, smirking. Not only is Chloe beating around the bush, but she's smirking. Beca hasn't figured out what the smirk means and it scares her. Only a little. If this ginger is planning on throwing Beca on a horse the ginger has another thing coming. Oh. Could she use Jesse? She needs to stop over thinking.

"Come on." Chloe says as she starts walking towards the barn.

"Beale." Beca's tone warning but she follows Chloe anway.

Chloe walks to Arrow's stall and leads him into the aisle. She hooks the leads, attached to the upper sides of the middle stalls, to either side of his halter. Beca can't help but stare and watch because she's at a loss for what Chloe's up to. Chloe tacks up Arrow quite quickly, mostly because she doesn't put a saddle on. Just whatever the hell goes on a horse's face. She's not entirely sure but it might be called a bridle.

Chloe then disappears into the office and comes out wearing a black hat, a white hat in her hand. Chloe walks up to Beca and places the white hat on Beca's head, smiling as she fixes it.

"Beale, what are you doing?" She fixes the white hat herself a bit and makes a face.

"You'll see." The redhead says as she goes back to Arrow, leading him out of the barn. She stands next to the paint horse. "Come here." Chloe waves her over.

Beca cringes and walks slowly towards Chloe. However, she stays at least three feet away from Arrow. She's not taking chances. She still thinks it's possible Chloe might throw her up there.

Chloe puts the reins over Arrow's head and lets them rest on his neck. Beca watches as Chloe pushes herself up and swings her leg over the other side of the horse. She looks down at Beca and smiles.

Beca looks at Chloe, "Okay what's your big plan?"

Chloe nods, "Right. You're gonna get on with me."

Beca backs up, "No. No. No. Not happening Beale. Not gonna happen."

"Do you trust me?" Chloe says, looking at Beca seriously.

Beca sighs. No. Logically speaking, Beca doesn't trust Chloe. Beca doesn't trust anyone though so she really can't think logically. But she could think with her feelings. God forbid she thinks with her heart but, yeah, that part of her does trust Chloe. Maybe it's early to say that but in all her time being here, Chloe hasn't given Beca a single reason to not trust her. Chloe actually has yet to judge Beca. She has never pushed Beca to open up and has provided her with a way out countless times in social situations. In a way, Chloe is safe. Which is trouble for Beca. She hasn't ever really felt this way about a person. She doesn't even know why she feels this way. That scares the hell out of her. No, she's not going to ever admit any of this outloud. Actually, she's going to forget thinking about this all together.

"Sure.." Beca says hesitantly.

"Then it's simple. You're getting on." She says, reaching her arm down. There's an encouraging look on her face.

"You can't even lift me up." Beca crosses her arms.

"You wanna bet?"

Beca hesitantly walks towards Chloe, "I'm gonna die." She mutters.

"You're not gonna die Beca." Chloe says as Beca takes her hand. "I promise."

Chloe actually can lift Beca up when she pushes herself off the ground. Beca ends up on her stomach, hanging off Arrow's other side slightly. Beca lets out a groan, "I'm not moving."

Chloe laughs a little, "I know you can do this Beca. It's gonna be okay."

Beca stays still for a while before slowly moving around so she's sitting on Arrow properly, legs on either side. She knows she's holding her breath, waiting for something bad to happen. She immediately grips onto Chloe's shoulders.

"Arms around my waist silly."

Yay. Touching. Beca does so, wrapping her arms hesitantly around Chloe's waist. She feels Chloe's hand help wrap her arms around Chloe's waist tighter. Beca cringes when she feels Arrow shift and she holds onto Chloe for dear life.

"It's okay Beca. You don't need to be afraid." Chloe assures Beca.

"Huh? Uh no." She loosens her grip around Chloe's waist. "I- I am not afraid."

She can hear the smile in Chloe's voice when she speaks, "If you say so." There's a short pause and then Chloe's speaking again.

"We're just gonna go for a walk. Okay?"

Beca lets out the breath she held, "Okay." When she feels Arrow take his first step, Beca's grip tightens around Chloe's waist again. She shuts her eyes tightly, waiting to die.

She's not sure how long she's been on the horse but it feels like it's been an hour. It's probably been around ten minutes, but that's equal to an hour in Beca's mind.

"Are your eyes open?"

"Hmm?"

"Are your eyes open Beca?"

"Uh.. yeah. Sure." Beca lies.

"Open them silly. I think you'll like where we are."

"Unless it's on the ground, I doubt I'll like where we are." But she opens her eyes just a smidge to see what's around her. They're in the woods but this is more open. There's hills and Beca's pretty sure she can hear a river. Maybe it's the river Stacie had been talking about earlier. There's no fences. For once.

"Whoa. No fences." Beca says, still scanning the area.

"Yeah, no fences. Just a river and hills."

Beca narrows her eyes, trying to see better. She's pretty sure through the clouds there's mountains. "Are those…?"

"Mountains? Yes."

There's silence but it's a comfortable silence. Beca is still scared out of her mind but it helps that Chloe's with her and she doesn't have to worry about controlling Arrow. She can feel the hat tipping down but she's too worried about falling off than the hat.

"Wanna head back?"

Beca nods and then realizes Chloe can't see her, "Yes!" She mentally shakes her head, "I mean… yeah, sure."

Chloe giggles, "Okay."

Beca keeps her eyes open the entire time. When they come to a stop at the barn Beca can't wait to get off. Only she's not sure how she should. She lets go of Chloe and fixes her white hat and makes a face looking at the ground.

"You gonna get off?" Chloe asks, looking over her shoulder.

"Right." Beca looks at the ground and then back to Chloe. "Uh…"

"Just swing your leg over so you're sitting with both legs hanging over. Then just jump down."

"Obviously." Beca mutters as she does what Chloe suggested. Honestly she thought she was going to have to figure out how to lay down again and slide off. Her feet touch the ground after 'jumping' off. She backs up a bit, giving herself three feet again, then looks from the horse to Chloe, who is getting off on the the other side.

Beca watches as Chloe leads Arrow into the hallway of the barn. She watches as Chloe removes the bridle off of Arrow. So maybe riding a horse isn't so bad but she can't picture her being in Chloe's position. She's fine with hanging on for dear life and closing her eyes.

"How was it?" Chloe asks as she puts Arrow back into his stall.

Beca walks into the barn so she can talk to Chloe better. She leans against one of the stalls and sighs, "Not so bad I guess. Good to be on the ground."

"And you also didn't die." Chloe points out.

"That too." Beca says, taking off the white hat.

"Well, thank-you." Chloe says, walking closer to Beca.

"Why are you thanking me?" Beca asks, raising a brow.

"For trusting me enough to get on a giant." Chloe says, crossing her arms, a grin on her face.

"Oh right." Beca says and gives Chloe a tight lip smile. "Well, thank you for not, uh, killing me and stuff." Beca looks anywhere but Chloe. She makes a face and then hands Chloe the white hat, "And thanks for letting me use this. I think."

Chloe smiles and waves her hand, "Keep it. You'll need it."

Beca furrows her brow, "I- I'm not getting on a giant for a while."

Chloe shakes her head, "Keep it Beca. You'll look less like a city slicker." Chloe winks.

"Are you sure?" Beca asks.

"Use it until you leave." Chloe says.

Right. Until she leaves. Hoofbeat is nice in comparison to what she deals with in Seattle. But this is a temporary living situation. She's expected to leave after a few months, or until Dave says she can come back to Seattle. So why is she thinking of staying? What's keeping her here? Nothing. Lou wants her home as soon as possible. Suddenly Beca knows what this feeling is. It's attachment. A few weeks and she's attached. That's trouble for Beca.