What's up everybody? After writing two five page essays for one class, I've finally found the motivation to finish chapter four!
I'd like to thank Kdubya, -Bechloe-Staubrey, abigailmay2005, Guest 1, Guest 2, Guest 3, and Lasleonas007 for reviewing chapter 3. I really appreciate each and every one.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Perfect or any of the characters in this story besides my OC Grace.
"So, just to be clear," I interrupt the record-breaking fifteen minute silence that fell over the Bellas after that embarrassing loss. "You guys are aware that we did lose back there, correct?"
The group had filed into a van that would take us back to the hotel so we could rest up before our big performance tonight. Emily looked like she was going to explode with word vomit, so I stepped in to save her from herself, or whatever encouragement she might have for the girls that they won't be receptive to.
"Of course we're aware, Grace!" Chloe admonishes from her position across the isle, crazy eyes making their appearance. "The other groups just cheated by using instruments and I don't think that really counts as a win." Aubrey nods along with her best friends statement.
CR coughs into her hand, "I don't know where you two were, but that shit was embarrassing."
Flo nods. "I've seen near death prisoners perform to save their lives better than that," Aubrey glares at her and the Guatemalan quickly adds, "but it was still not…terrible."
"Okay, okay," Beca speaks up to prevent this conversation from going any further downhill. "That riff-off may not have been ideal, but the number we have organized for the show tonight is going to knock the socks off of those other bands."
Chloe seems placated by this, as well as the rest of the girls. Our first performance number is really awesome and I have to give props to Chloe for picking the song and Beca for doing the arrangements. Not to mention, our costumes are super cool and a salute to the troops.
"We're here, ladies!" Chicago voice cuts through Jessica and Ashley's explanation of the bakery they are planning to open this summer, but both girls aren't fazed, due to it happening to them all the time.
We all exit the van and pull our luggage through a beautiful courtyard to get to the hotel, but not before stopping to pet an extremely cute dog on the way.
Amy tries teaching Emily all the words that she knows in Italian, which to nobodies surprise, are all food related. It doesn't help that we're in Spain to which my girlfriend corrects the older woman.
Zeke loads our luggage onto a cart with the help of a bellhop and Chicago retrieves the room keys from the front desk.
Over at the travel brochures, Aubrey starts a conversation with Emily as Lilly and I browse through the colorful pamphlets.
"So, Emily, is it true what you said back there? Are you really not writing anymore?"
I swear to god Aubrey is seriously about to be at the top of my hit list.
Literally.
After that Serenity girl, of course.
Still, I'm curious to hear Emily's response after our previous argument about it.
Emily looks up from her brochure with her wide brown eyes. "Well, I mean, not right now, anyway," as she continues, Lilly starts ripping up her paper, looking intensely focused on her task. "I've got 21 credits that I'm taking this semester, the GRE is coming up, it's right around the corner," she takes a deep breath. "And, I've got a hamster now."
I'm not really sure why she's convinced a hamster is a large commitment, but I don't put any further thought into when I look at Lilly once more.
The silent girl has some sort of man's face stuck to her nose and instead of blatantly laughing, I play it off as a coughing fit.
"Aw, that's amazing," Aubrey smiles, not even a flicker of surprise at Lilly's actions before turning back to Emily. "Well, don't give up. My dad always says, 'age wrinkles the body, but quitting wrinkles the soul',"
As Aubrey spews out more advice from General Posen, the door opens behind her and Chloe walks through, joining Chicago at the reception desk. My attention immediately shifts to the pair and I'm not the only one.
Beca's stepping out of the bathroom and shooting daggers at the man.
Jealously is not a good color on her, and definitely doesn't mesh well with her cool-girl attitude.
It looks like typical Chloe-friendliness to me. They aren't standing as close as she tends to with her aversion to personal space, but it's apparently close enough for her girlfriend.
The girl could flirt with a plant and Beca would chop it in half.
"You okay, Beca?" I ask, coming to a stop next to her.
Beca jumps slightly, but doesn't remove her gaze from the scene in front of us. "I'm fine," she says through clenched teeth. "Just wondering why it's taking so long to get some damn room keys."
"Maybe you should see what's taking so 'damn' long," I tease, instinctually ducking to avoid the arm she swings at me. "Hey! It was just a suggestion."
"What is that?" she asks, suddenly, pointing dramatically at the two across the room. "Why is there so much eye contact? People shouldn't exchange that much eye contact! Ever!"
"Jesus, Beca," I push her arm back down to her side. "You need to relax for a second," her eyes finally focus on me. "You and Chloe have been together for three years and been friends for twice that. You know she's not going to leave you to run off playing soldier with G. I. Joe over there."
Her sharp glare softens and she nods in acknowledgment. "You're right, I'm way better than him. I mean, who cares about muscular army dudes when you can have this talent?" she gestures to herself proudly.
"I'm not going to answer that," I reply as Chloe calls our attention, saving me from this conversation gone south. I step around the brunette so that I can see what Chloe wants.
"Girls! We have separate rooms. We don't have to sleep on top of each other anymore."
This shouldn't be that much of a relief but after being crammed into a twin bed with Emily, Amy, and Stacie before, it's a godsend.
"Not sexually, but there was that one time," she adds, unnecessarily.
Chloe hands us each our own individual room key and we use the stairs to get to the second floor where our rooms are. Instead of opening the door to my assigned key number, I'm yanked into the next room by my tall and clumsy girlfriend.
"Thank goodness," she breathes, pulling me towards the bed and pushing me onto the soft mattress. "I thought we'd never be alone."
Her hands slide down to rest on my waist, leaning forward and connecting our lips in an expert fashion. It would have surprised me coming from the awkward girl had we not been in this position many times before.
"We probably won't be for long, Em," I point out, pausing our activity to gesture at the door where I can hear some of the others talking loudly.
Emily smiles, hopping onto the bed beside me and straddling my hips. "In that case," she whispers, "we'd better make the most of it."
Her hands move to unbutton my jeans, simultaneously kissing me softly as we fall blissfully into the moment.
"Mhmm," I agree when we separate for air. "Sounds good to me."
Fifteen minutes later we're both laying on our backs, breathing heavily.
"Wow," I breathe, "that was…"
"Freaking fantastic," Emily finished, turning her neck to grin at me. "We could totally do it again. In the words of Fat Amy, it really was a quickie."
Face scrunching up in disgust, I roll over to face away from my girlfriend. "Really? You had to bring Amy and quickies into this?" I ask, stretching and sitting up. "Well, now you killed the mood and all I can think about is Fat Amy and that pilot butt naked in an airplane."
"Grace!" a pillow hits me in the face, Emily's whine following. "You had to ruin it for me too?"
"Yes," I stick out my tongue childishly. "What's mine is yours,"
"That's not what that means!"
"Too bad, so sad!"
Another pillow collides with my head, but her side of the bed only has two, which means she's all out of ammo. Her grin turns sheepish when she notices this and she slowly raises her hands in surrender.
Reaching behind me, I grab one of the fluffy pillows and pull it out, holding it in front of me innocently.
"Now, Grace, let's not do anything rash," Emily tries, inching away. "We can make a compromise."
I raise my soft weapon higher, preparing to launch it directly—
"—Emily!" Aubrey's voice calls through the door. "Bellas meeting in five!"
"Okay, Aubrey! We'll—" she cuts herself off when I shake my head to signal that I'm not here. "—I mean I'll be right there. Me. Cause who else would be in here?"
I roll my eyes at her very convincing statement.
It doesn't seem as though Aubrey notices because she doesn't say anything else and continues on to the next room.
"You really don't lie well, do you?" I tease, standing up and pulling on my pants that were discarded during out sexual activity.
"You'd think after three years you'd know that," Emily shrugs. "I guess you won't be winning girlfriend on the year anytime soon."
"Whatever sweet-cheeks, let's get to this Bella meeting before they send the blonde Nazi back after us."
Emily stifles a laugh with her arm before giving me an admonishing look. "You know, you shouldn't be calling her that. Chloe says she's gotten much better than she was during her senior year."
"Well, Beca says that Chloe's a liar," I retort, following the girl to the door.
I open the door to the hotel, both of us leaning out to look down the hallway just as every other Bella does. There's a chorus of squeals—definitely not from me—and then everyone is running towards one room where this 'meeting' is supposed to take place.
As it turns out, the meeting is more about exchanging the items we got in our gift bags—I guess Emily and I were too busy to notice them—than actually strategizing. Somehow we all fit on the single mattress, squished in together like some jigsaw puzzle.
I'm practically on top of Emily and next to Beca, who's trying to consume an entire box of chocolate.
"Okay, you guys," Beca looks up from her empty box of candy. "We've never competed against bands that play actual instruments. What's the plan?"
Emily, my literal ray of sunshine shares her idea, "I really think we should just stay true to ourselves and it will all figure itself out."
Some of the girls seem receptive to that plan. I'm receptive because it's Emily's idea and involves the least amount of effort.
"I second that plan."
"Emily," Amy speaks through a mouthful of gummy bears. "Please hear this in the best way possible, you're a very stupid person."
It's silent and I'm not sure whether Emily is about to cry or is just so used to Amy's crap at this point that she just doesn't care.
"Alright," I lean over, snatching the bag of remaining gummy bears from the woman and popping one in my mouth. "These are mine now."
"What? No!"
I pull the bag out of her reach. "Maybe when you're nicer, I'll buy you more."
"Fine," she sags back against the wall.
"You know what?" Chloe switches topics, "Maybe it won't matter if we win or not because they will like us so much that they will invite us to keep touring with them; and, it won't matter if I get into vet school because we'll be together, as a family, supporting each other. And isn't that what it's all about?"
Annnnnndddd we've definitely driven right into crazy town with Chloe as the mayor.
There's a chorus of unsure agreements, probably to placate the redhead instead of in actual agreement with her. Emily and Aubrey are the only ones that are actually excited about it.
Then Fat Amy comes in with a wrecking ball to that speech.
"Yeah," she drawls, "except for all families break apart and the only person you can ever truly rely on is yourself," Amy holds up a hand for a high five from Aubrey who doesn't reciprocate.
I'm certainly sensing a long and dramatic backstory that comes with her extremely negative words, but Amy is very good at making a quick exit.
"Alright, time to drop a smash."
Looking to my right, I see Emily with her shirt stuck over her nose which clues me in on what the blonde means by 'smash'. The Bellas as a whole let out at least fifty, 'no's' and I jump off the bed, taking Emily with me.
"Where are we going?" she asks, voice muffled because her shirt is covering half of her face.
"We need to get at least five miles away because Amy is about to kill every living thing in a five mile radius," I reply, yanking her down the steps of the hotel and sighing when we step through the door. "We don't have much time!"
Please, please leave a review so I know what you thought!
Until next time, everyone stay happy and enjoy what life has to offer!