Chapter IV

Jesse Swanson knew college would be out of this world.

How could it not be? As much as he loved his family, for the first time ever, he was going to be living away from home. It was a huge step. A milestone. A rite of passage.

Yeah, college would be awesome.

And his roommate was an even bigger Star Wars geek than he was. Jesse thought that was not possible but when he walked into his dorm to be greeted by half a room converted to a Star Wars shrine, Jesse knew he was looking at. He could recognise a superfan when he saw one.

His roommate was Benji.

Benji Applebaum.

Apparently into Star Wars and close up magic.

Jesse had dutifully watched his geeky roommate magicked a hamster seemingly out of nowhere. He was a little concerned how long that little critter might have been hiding in Benji's clothes but he could roll with that. Besides, It would be nice to have someone else to talk about Star Wars with. Now that Beca was not across his yard. She was going to a different college. Her dad, Dr. Mitchell was a professor in Comparative Literature there and she got a free ride. It was a four away drive away but it was no biggie. He'd probably see her at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe Spring break and definitely summer. He still missed her though.

They were somewhat on an even keel after his apology during Prom night. Jesse remembered how much better he felt after that apology. Prom had been fun. He had kicked back, relaxed and danced the night away. He had a couple of dances with Beca and Jesse would always remember how she laughed and shimmied, the trashy brooch he gave her still pinned to her dress, twinkling underneath the disco lights.

The whole of summer they hung out as much as they could. He would have preferred to spend more time with her, especially knowing they would go to different colleges but Jesse understood she had Brock now. As for Emma, Jesse never knew being a boyfriend was so much work and he got an inkling that she was getting really bored. It was almost cliche how they broke up just before the summer.

Still, college was something new. And exciting. And full of new experiences.

Jesse Swanson couldn't wait.

Both of them had been busy settling into college but they still took time to check up on each other. If it's not a phone call, they usually text. And when they have time, they'll catch up. It was strange, really. When something funny or weird happened in his day, Jesse caught himself thinking he gotta tell Beca when they hang out the night. It took some getting used to that he didn't hang out with Beca that way anymore. Beca was not across his yard. Beca was four hours drive away.

"He's giving you a hard time?"

It was one of those times when the stars aligned and they could catch up via Skype. Jesse's question was a purely rhetorical question, of course. He knew what Beca's relationship with her dad was like. They were on 'okay'ish terms but Beca never quite forgave her dad for 'abandoning' her and her mom to fend for themselves while he shacked up with that blonde hussy'. Jesse thought she was being slightly dramatic but he understood that Sith princesses have feelings too. Apparently.

"Dude, he burst into my dorm room...like always!" Beca complained. "He was 100% checking up on me."

"You sure 'bout that?"

"He totally busted my balls for not attending Phil 101."

"Maybe you should just go to class," Jesse grinned knowing that It will get a rise out of her.

"But Philo sucks."

Jesse had to laugh at the way Beca wrinkled up her nose on his screen. She would probably send in drones to kill him if he said out loud how adorable she looked.

"How's your other classes?" he asked.

"Eh," Beca shrugged. "They're fine."

"Even your dad's?"

"Well- " Beca answered, looking smug. "I've managed to avoid Comparative Literature."

"You've gotta be kidding," Jesse shot back, surprised. "Your Dad let you get away with thar?"

"Only on one condition."

"What is it?'

Beca blew her hair out of her face. Jesse knew the gesture well. She was trying to wriggle out of answering his question.

"He went on and on about enjoying college and making memories." she grimaced at the last few words. "So I made a bargain."

"What sort of bargain?" He was not letting her off so easy.

"I don't have to sign up for his classes -"

"If?"

"If I sign up for a club."

"You're kidding," Jesse nearly laughed out loud. Beca Mitchell, the dark empress of evil, don't do extracurricular activities. "You've signed up for a club?"

"It's nothing," she tried to play it down. "It's more like a... like a group thing. It was the only music-related thing I could find. God knows the DJs thing wasn't what it was."

Yeah. She told him about walking up to the Deaf Jews stand during Activities Fair thinking it was some DJ thing. That had been funny.

"You are so lucky you've got that job at the radio station," Beca whined. "I kill for something like that."

"Well, I did want to join that study about the effects of marijuana on appetite -" Jesse replied. "- but my mom's going to disown me. So -"

"Yeah. She would." Beca grinned back at him. "So...are you going to tell me about that girl at the station?"

Jesse went blank at her question.

"What girl at the station?"

"That brunette," Beca clarified. "We were on Facetime, You were at the station and she waved at me."

"Oh. You mean Molly " Jesse recalled now. He had been proudly showing Beca the dingy radio station he worked at through FaceTime and that Molly, the other intern was just finishing her shift. "She's just someone I work with."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Pretty sure." Jesse nodded. "What are you getting at?"

"I dunno," Beca answered back, shifting on his screen. "You are single. It's college. She seems pretty cute."

"I didn't really notice."

"And she's a brunette," Beca continued. "All you dorky Jedi boys got a thing for brunettes, right?"

"Yeah… you could say that," Jesse nodded, looking directly at his screen. "I like brunettes." There was a beat of silence before he changed the subject. "So how's Brock? You guys doing ok?"

Yeah, life is so unfair. Not only Brock Alderman went to the same college as Beca, he was there on a full ride football scholarship, no less. Like he wasn't rich enough already to afford the fees.

"We're doing great," Beca brightened up. "We are driving out to the lake this weekend. His family has a holiday house there. Which reminds me - I need your opinion on my new bikini."

See? Unfair. Life is so unfair. They have a house on a lake and Beca is… Wait. What?

"Bec..." Jesse started saying but Beca had gone offscreen, only to return a few minutes later, waving what could only be described as small scraps of cloth at the camera.

"What do you think?" Beca asked. "I'm not too sure about it."

He could only gawp at the screen.

When a few minutes past with Jesse silent on the screen, Beca spoke up.

"It's horrible, isn't it?" She looked crestfallen now. "I'm not good at this kind of things. Gimme a lightsaber and I know what to do with that. But this?" She waved that candy-striped bikini at the screen again. "- this one I'm hopeless. What was I thinking?"

She was about to throw the bikini down when Jesse found his voice.

"Wait. Bec. It's..." He swallowed a little before continuing. "it's actually…not that bad."

"Realy?"

"Yeah. It's..ermm..kinda cute."

Jesse was expecting Beca Mitchell to reach out from his screen and force choke him. No one ever called Beca Mitchell cute and lived to tell the tale. But that didn't happen. Beca actually looked a little pleased.

"It's not your usual colour though," Jesse continued.

"I know," Beca nodded, looking thoughtful now..

Jesse nodded along in agreement. Sith princess wears black all the time, not candy coloured stripy pieces of cloth. Not that she wouldn't look awesome in that. She would look totally awesome in anything really.

"I actually got a gold pair as well, " Jesse heard Beca saying now. "Hang on, I'll try the top on for you."

"Wha.. Wait. Bec?"

Before he could finish stuttering out the stupid nonsense pouring out of his mouth, Beca had already disappeared. Jesse was still trying to make sense of what the hell was happening right now. Did Beca said she got a gold….a gold…a gold what? A gold bikini? Before Jesse could process that information through, she re-appeared on his screen. This time, it was complete and utter meltdown. He didn't bother saying anything because somehow a tiny, weeny part of his brain not clouded by the image of Beca Mitchell in a gold bikini top, knew that his power of speech was somewhat incapacitated.

"So?" Beca's voice penetrated through the fog in his head. "What do you think?"

"Umm…"

Beca was bunching up her hair into a messy bun on top of her head and somehow her arms raised that way was making things move. She was now leaning forward, looking at the tiny screen of her picture and slowly adjusting the top.

"You think it's ok?" Beca asked, still busy with the straps. Again, it was making things move. In weird and wonderful ways. "I really want to look good."

"Holy Princess Leia."

That voice? That voice was not his.

Jesse whipped round to find Benji standing behind him. The door of their shared dorm wasn't locked and he must not have heard his roommate slipping in after his class. The said roommate was now clutching the strap of his backpack and looking more than a little stunned.

"Benji." Jesse said out loud.

"Benji?" He heard the echo from his laptop. Jesse swung back round to face his laptop to find Beca looking a little panic-stricken on the screen.

He swiftly picked up the laptop, moving away from Benji's immediate space. They had 'met' before on Skype when the curly haired guy was in the room during one of Jesse and Beca's catch-up. Of course, Benji had to show Beca his side of the room with the Death Star and the cape. Trust Jesse's luck to have two Sith as his close friends.

"Benji's back," Jesse said.

"Ok," Beca answered. "Text me later.'

"Ok." His mouth seemed to be full of marbles now and speaking was a little difficult. "Great show. I mean.. Great talk. I'll.. I'll sext.. Text. I'll text you later."

As soon as he closed his laptop down, Jesse blew out a breath in relief. Jeez, what was she thinking wearing a gold bikini like that? Not that she didn't look good. She looked 'farkling' spectacular. Forget the dark side of the force. If that Sith princess wanted to bring any Jedi over to the Dark Side, she just needed to parade up and down in a gold bikini. There will be lightsabers in pockets everywhere.

"Dude.."

Jesse nearly dropped his laptop. He forgot Benji was still in the room. When he turned his attention to Benji, the nerd was still standing in the middle of the room, looking as stunned as before. Jesse saw Benji opening and shutting his mouth but what was coming out wasn't making sense.

"W..Was that-" Benji stuttered.

"Yeah."

"W..was she -"

"Yup."

It took a few moments for Benji to work his jaw again and this time, he looked really apologetic.

"I'm sorry -" he started. "I didn't know. The door was unlocked. And -"

"Benji, what are you saying?" Jesse asked, confused now.

"I mean - if I knew, you were -" Now Benji was blushing beetroot red and looking very uncomfortable. "I didn't mean to walk in with you and your girlfriend-"

"Hang on," Jesse interrupted. "Beca's not my girlfriend."

"She's not?"

"No."

Benji's stunned look changed to confusion.

"But you guys talked all the time. And she loves Star Wars." It seemed to Benji that would be enough grounds to be in a relationship. "I thought you guys were.. you know… role-playing -"

Jesse had to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"No, she was just bought a new bikini and wanted my opinion on it," he tried to explain. "She got to go to some lake thing over the weekend with her boyfriend, Brock."

"Beca has a boyfriend?"

"Yeah," Jesse answered. And it's not me - he added silently before being slightly weirded out by that thought. "He's a Trekkie."

"Beca's going out with a Trekkie?" Benji answered in surprise. "Huh."

Jesse didn't bother to reply, busy with putting away his laptop and reaching for his Physics textbook. Maybe some Physics 101 could knock that image of Beca Mitchell in a gold bikini out of his head.

"You should tell her she looks awesome in that bikini." Benji was saying now, putting down his backpack.

Dude, I know - Jesse wanted to answer back. Instead, he looked for his phone and quickly texted a message to Beca. "The stripey one looks cute. Go with that one."

And that weekend when he checked Beca's Instagram, Jesse saw a pic of her at the lake with Brock's arm around her shoulders. She was smiling at the camera, squinting a little because the sun was in her eyes. She was wearing the candy-striped bikini top with frayed denim shorts. Good. She decided to go with that one. Jesse was happy with that. He didn't really want anyone else to see Beca in the gold one.