"Hey weirdo!"
Beca glanced up, seeing Jesse poked his head over the fence.
(Apparently she couldn't escape this guy.)
"Hi", she said, hanging her headphones around her neck.
"I heard you sing".
"What?" she said suspiciously. "No, you didn't."
He wasn't there.
"Yes I did", he said smugly. "You didn't tell me you could sing!"
"I can't".
(How had he heard her sing? He hadn't been there.)
"That's a lie", he told her cockily. "I heard you sing, you're gonna be one of those aca-girls. You're gonna be an aca-nerd".
She sighed heavily. "I didn't get a choice; my stepsister is the leader of the Bellas".
"Which one?"
"Aubrey Posen", she said, sounding resigned. When he looked blank, she elaborated. "The blonde".
His eyes widened. "That's your sister?"
"Stepsister".
"She's your stepsister?"
"Unfortunately", Beca nodded, and Jesse threw himself over the fence, landing on his feet.
(The kid had cat like reflexes, clearly.)
"So you're one of those aca pella nerds, huh?" she said finally. "You've suddenly become a lot less attractive to me".
He broke into a grin, and the final words of her statement registered to her ears. Colour rushed to her cheeks and she slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Oh my God-"
"You're attracted to me?" he almost giggled (because she was adorable when she was embarrassed). "I told you, Beca! Best friends and or lovers".
"Don't say lovers". Her glare darkened and he held up his hands in surrender.
"I'm just sayin', I called it".
"You're such a weirdo".
"Beca!" Aubrey hammered on the brunette's door. "We're leaving in ten minutes, you better be ready!"
"What?"
Aubrey swung open the door. "Aca initiation night! We're leaving in ten and you're not even dressed!"
"Oh darn, am I naked again?"
"Get dressed", Aubrey instructed (because she might not have the previous hot Bellas- hell, their bikini car wash was a no-go- but she was not having the one that she carpooled with turn up in a holey tank top that showed more than it covered and pyjamas pants patterned with cartoon penguins). "We're leaving in ten".
Essentially, Beca was living with a Nazi. She was absolutely certain.
Knowing that she'd regret it until the day she died if she didn't get up and change, she found the outfit that she had worn to school (discarded on her bed), before redoing her makeup.
"Ready to become a Bella?" Aubrey said with what was the most genuine grin Beca had ever received, as the little brunette crawled into the backseat.
"This better be worth it", Beca told her, stretching her seatbelt across her chest. "That's all I'm gonna say, Posen".
So apparently Aubrey had vocal cord ripping wolves that would make an appearance if a Barden Bella had sexual relations with a Treblemaker.
That was probably the most memorable of all the things that Aubrey had said.
Although the moment they had entered the rehearsal space, Chloe had tackled her to wrestle a pillow case over her head. And apparently kicking and screaming as if she was being murdered was not the okay thing to do, as Aubrey had pulled her aside to tell her.
"Look at you!" Jesse said brightly, approaching her with a grin. "Do my eyes deceive me or are you a Barden Bella?"
She shoved him gently. "Shut up, nerd".
"Beca the Bella!" he plopped down on the bench beside her, offering her a plastic cup. She eyed it warily, and he grinned. "It's being guarded like its gold, you'll be fine".
She took a sip. "Thank you".
"She's going to get Trebleboned!" Aubrey declared, and Chloe patted her shoulder gently.
"No, she's not", Chloe soothed. "That's just0 I'm fairly sure he's just the new neighbour Henry's been talking about".
(According to the youngest Mitchell child, the boy next door was his hero.)
"He's a Treblemaker, Chlo".
"She's not going to get Trebleboned, Aubrey".
Aubrey eyed them warily, before taking a sip of her own drink. "She better not".
"You were getting quite close to that Treblemaker, Beca", Aubrey said sweetly, as they climbed into her car that night.
"Aubrey!" Chloe protested.
(Her best friend just didn't know how to let things go.)
"Oh my God!" Beca slammed the door.
"You can be with anyone you want, just not a Treble", Aubrey reminded her (as if Beca hadn't heard it all before).
"Just relax; I'm not going to break your precious oath". She glared at the blonde in the rear view mirror and Aubrey frowned, starting the car.
"Isn't that the boy next door?" Chloe tried (because she had been playing the peacemaker between the two for roughly six years).
"Yep- Henry's hero", Beca said bitterly. "Don't let him hear you badmouthing him".
Aubrey frowned, choosing to stay silent. Chloe sighed heavily, and Beca crossed her arms across her chest.
(There surely had to be something in common between the two girls- more than their stubborn personalities.)
"Hi girls", Sheila said brightly, opening the door to let them in. "How was aca initiation night?"
"Fine", Beca said curtly, tossing her bag aside.
"Fine", Aubrey said, and Sheila frowned.
"Aubrey, sweetie-"
"It was good", Aubrey told her. "What's wrong?"
"What?" Sheila frowned. "What do you mean, what's wrong?"
"Oh, I just thought-"
"Oh no, sweetie, nothing's wrong", Sheila said. "Will and I just have something to tell you".
Beca, jumping to conclusions (and the worst possible outcome, as a force of habit), quickly spoke up. "If you're getting a divorce I'm catching the first plane back to Portland, and you can't stop me".
"No, Bec", her father almost laughed. "Sheila and I are not getting divorced. Quite the opposite, actually".
Aubrey hit the nail on the head. "You're pregnant".
Sheila nodded, beaming. "We told the twins at dinner. I'm going to have a baby".
Beca stood up, moving towards the stairs. "I'm going to bed".
"Beca", she heard Sheila call.
"No, leave her", Will said gently. "Give her some time to process it".
She didn't need time to process it. She knew what she wanted.
She wanted to go back home to Portland.