Author's 1st Note: Sorry this one took a little longer to post. Been a bit busy with work.
Thank you so much for all of your messages and comments! I love hearing from you guys and the theories you have been sending my way are awesome!
Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! :)
Another satisfying dream of Beca faded away as the blaring alarm woke Chloe up from her deep slumber. It was only a little disappointing, however, because even though she and Beca are a happy, open couple in her dreams, the possibility of still having that with her someday in real life, drove Chloe to hopefully see it come true.
Chloe sat up in her bed with a sleepy groan, suddenly remembering that it was Friday.
"Oh, shit!" Chloe said, throwing the white covers off of her body. "My audition's today!" She ran to her closet– wasting a good half hour on finding the "perfect" outfit,– and rushed to the bathroom to finish getting herself ready.
Once Chloe had made it to school, she walked into her English class and found Aubrey already staring at the door expectantly.
"Chloe!" Aubrey waved her in and Chloe smiled as she sat down next to her.
"Hey."
"Are you excited?" Aubrey asked.
Chloe knew exactly what she was talking about and grinned widely as she gripped onto her chair. "Oh my God, I'm so excited." Her smile then turned sheepish. "And honestly, a little nervous."
"Ooh,"Aubrey said, "you know what works great for nerves?"
Chloe shook her head. "What?"
"Pepto Bismol."
"Um…" Chloe said, confused. "How does that help, exactly?"
"Well, whenever I get nervous I always feel like–" Aubrey lurched forward and quickly pressed a fist to her lips. Chloe jerked back with wide eyes, but relaxed once Aubrey straightened up again and released a breath. "Never mind."
Lunchtime came around, and when Chloe, Stacie, and Aubrey joined the rest of the girls at their table, Emily nearly choked on the Gusher she was eating when she saw Chloe.
"Chloe!" She grinned widely. "I'm so excited you're auditioning today. Are you ready?"
Chloe giggled as she took her, now usual, seat next to Aubrey. "Yeah, I think I'm ready. Aubrey's been helping me prepare." She looked at her best friend with a smile and the blonde grabbed her hand.
"I know you're ready." Aubrey said, and a squeal from Emily drew their attention back to her.
"Wanna go over your song?" She asked Chloe, and the redhead smiled.
"Sure."
When the last bell of the day rang, Chloe could feel her heart beating faster in her chest. She glared at the clock: 3:00
Chloe had exactly one hour until she would be faced with a room full of strangers ready to judge her on her singing abilities.
No pressure.
Chloe sighed and stood up from her chair, collecting her things before making her way to the other side of the school where the choir room was.
Chloe was surprised to find so many students already lined up down the hallway. She had never known choir to be a popular activity, but it clearly seemed to be here at Northview.
Chloe tightened her grip on the strap of her bag and walked up to get her spot in line. Anyone auditioning was required to sign in their names first, then move to the auditorium across the hall, where the actual audition was going to take place.
Chloe had a fair amount of students in front of her, so she took out her phone to entertain herself.
After eventually moving up three people, the sound of someone shouting from the boy's bathroom down the hall captured everyone's attention. Chloe looked up to see what was going on.
"Un-fucking-believable!" Jesse Swanson roughly pushed open the bathroom door and another boy with curly hair came out shortly after him, looking terrified. "You don't believe me either!"
"I didn't say that!" The other boy cried, reaching for his friend. "Jesse, wait a second."
"No, Benji!" Jesse snapped, jerking his hand away. "You're just like the rest of them." And although his words were mean and aggressive, Chloe could sense the pain layered beneath them.
Benji's eyes were starting to glisten with tears and he shook his head, weakly. "Jesse, I–"
"Forget it." Jesse groaned and turned around to stomp down the other side of the hallway. He passed the line of auditioners, who had become an unexpected audience, and scowled. "What are you guys lookin' at, huh?" He frowned. "Show's over."
Chloe watched him leave, whispers and comments erupting amongst the other students as he did. She actually felt kind of sorry for him and wondered why he had turned into such a harsh person. Chloe looked back down the other way to see Benji with his head down and he slowly walked away.
Once Chloe signed herself in, she walked over to the auditorium and looked around. There were a handful of students sitting amongst the first three rows, and when Chloe's gaze traveled higher, she recognized a group of them.
"Guys?" Chloe said, squinting her eyes as her friends smiled and waved at her. Aubrey stood up and gestured for Chloe to join them. "What are you doing here?" She asked, swiftly moving through the empty rows of seats to get to them.
"We came to support you, of course." Stacie smiled.
"Yeah!" Emily excitedly added.
Chloe's heart swelled, and she held back tears that so desperately wanted to escape. It felt good having such genuine and supportive friends in her life. But it was not the time to cry. After all, her makeup would be ruined. Chloe made a mental note to ball her eyes out later when she got home.
"Thank you, guys." Chloe smiled. "This really means a lot to me." She sat down next to Ashley and put her bag in her lap.
"You're going to be great, Chloe." Ashley said, and Chloe looked at her.
"Thanks, Ash–" She paused. "Wait… which one are you again?"
"I'm Jessica."
The blonde sitting next to her leaned forward. "No, you're Ashley. I'm Jessica." She corrected.
Ashley thought about it for a moment. "Oh, yeah." She said. "You're right." And Chloe just laughed.
It took about thirty minutes after the start of the audition for Chloe's name to be called, and she gulped as her body started to tingle with nerves.
This was it.
"Oh my gosh…" Chloe breathed, gripping the arm rests of her chair, her chest suddenly tightening. "It's my turn."
Aubrey got up from her seat and took hold of Chloe's hands as she crouched down in front of her. "Hey," she said, squeezing her hands, "you are going to do great." She smiled softly. "You've got this, Chloe." And then she squeezed again. "You've got this."
Chloe stared at Aubrey and found her courage somewhere in her emerald green eyes. She was right. Chloe had this. She had been preparing for it all week.
This was her time to shine.
"Chloe Beale?" The choir instructor called again.
Chloe grinned and nodded at Aubrey before standing up confidently. "I'm here!" She said, raising her hand.
The older, blonde woman turned around. "Ah, there you are." She crossed her name off of the list she was holding. "Please come to the stage."
Chloe took in a breath and looked at her girls one more time before slipping through the row and eagerly walking up to the stage.
She blinked a few times to focus her eyes once the stage lights hit her face. The audience was dark, but the choir instructor sat in the front row, and Chloe could see she was smiling at her.
"Hello." The woman said. "My name is Mrs. Abernathy-McKadden, but I usually let my students call me Ms. Gail."
"O-Okay." Chloe smiled. That was kind of funny.
"What will you be singing for us today?"
Chloe swallowed. "Titanium." She said. "By David Guetta."
Ms. Gail pouted her bottom lip as she nodded. "Excellent choice." She wrote something down and Chloe resisted to urge to fiddle with the hem of her shirt. "Okay!" Ms. Gail said, looking up at Chloe again. "Ready when you are."
Chloe nodded and closed her eyes to anchor herself. She thought about the night before and how it had felt to sing with Beca. She thought about the way Beca's dark blue eyes had been staring at her in awe while their voices harmonized. It brought peace to Chloe's mind.
With a wide smile, Chloe reopened her eyes and started to sing.
"Oh my stars, that was great, Chloe!" Emily beamed, running up to Chloe to squeeze her into a hug.
"Thank you." Chloe mumbled, her lungs collapsing from the pressure.
Compliments and giggles continued as the rest of the girls joined in. Chloe was on cloud nine and savored the moment so she could remember it forever.
"You guys…" Chloe whimpered, wiping a tear from her eye.
Aubrey placed a hand on her shoulder. "I knew you would be great."
Chloe tilted her head to the side to press her cheek into Aubrey's hand. "Thank you."
"Let's celebrate!" Stacie suggested, erupting cheerful agreements amongst the girls.
Aubrey gasped. "Yes!" And she grabbed Chloe's other shoulder. "We're going to take you out."
The girls chose to go to their local ice cream parlor, a suggestion that had been originally made by Fat Amy, but was quickly supported by the rest of the girls. Well, except for Aubrey. She argued that dairy caused congestion, which wasn't good for singing, but she eventually gave in when Stacie persuaded her that a little bit wouldn't hurt.
When Chloe got home, later that evening, she was excited to tell Beca about her day. She greeted her parents and brother and ran up to her room to put her things away. When she went back downstairs and passed the kitchen, she stopped when she heard her mother call her.
"Chloe?"
Crap.
Chloe reluctantly turned around and poked her head into the kitchen, a fake smile plastered across her face. "Yeah, mom?"
Claire was stirring something in a large pot. "Where are you going? Dinner is almost ready."
"Okay." Chloe said, distressed to realize that this meant she wasn't going to have much time with Beca. "I just need to get some laundry I left downstairs. I'll be back."
"Alright."
Chloe didn't want to waste anymore time and hurried her way down to the basement.
"Beca?" She called, coming around the stairs to find the brunette smiling, sitting on the small stack of plastic tubs.
"Hey, you."
Chloe grinned and approached her. "Happy birthday." She sang and Beca smiled.
"Thanks for remembering." She said.
"Of course!" Chloe beamed.
"How was your audition?"
Chloe smirked internally. She wanted to play a little game with Beca, so she dropped her positive expression and slowly lowered her head with a shrug. "I don't know…" She mumbled. "It didn't go very well."
"What?!" Beca exclaimed, suddenly standing on her feet. "What happened?"
Meanwhile, Chad had strolled into the kitchen and stuck his nose up into the air. "Mmm…" He hummed. "Smells great in here."
Claire glanced her son with a smile as she continued to stir. "Thank you, sweetie." Chad pulled out a chair from the island counter, "Oh, wait, before you sit down," Claire said, wiping her hands with a small dish towel as she turned to look at him, "Will you go grab your sister and bring her up, please? Food is ready but I think she's still in the basement."
"She is?" Chad asked, quirking his brow. "Okay." He said. "I'll get her." He stepped carefully as he walked, trying his best not to make much noise as he approached the basement.
Chloe lifted her head, and this time, she was showing her smirk. "Just kidding!" She laughed and Beca gasped.
"Dude!" She said, placing a hand on her chest. "Not cool. You scared me!"
Chloe was still laughing. "Well that's a first. You're usually the one that scares me."
"Chloe?" The sound of her brother's voice sent a shock wave of panic through Chloe's body. His voice didn't sound like it was coming from behind the door. It sounded like he was already inside the basement.
Chloe looked at Beca with wide eyes. "Hide!" She whispered, pushing the brunette in the direction of the other room. Once Beca was out of sight, Chloe spun around and yelped when she came face to face with her brother. "Chad!"
The older boy narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you doing? Who's down here with you?" He didn't wait for her answer and pushed passed her to walk into the other room.
"No one!" Chloe cried, quickly following behind him and hoping to God that Beca found a good hiding spot.
Chad turned on the light in the other room and scanned the area. There was the metal tool shelf, the boiler, and a few tall stacks of boxes and plastics tubs, but no Beca.
Damn, she's good, Chloe thought.
After coming up short, Chad turned to Chloe. "Who were you talking to?"
"I already told you," Chloe lied, "no one!"
"Chloe." Chad said, his face turning serious. "I heard you, okay? Don't lie to me."
Chloe sighed. Fine, she could tell him the truth. "I was talking to Beca."
Chad furrowed his brow. "That cat?" But it didn't have to be the whole truth… right?
"Y-Yeah." Chloe continued. "You scared her off."
Chad stayed staring at her suspiciously, and shook his head. "You've been acting really weird lately."
Chloe crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know." He said, analyzing her skeptically. "You're just… weird."
Chloe didn't want to be interrogated any longer, and sighed, frustratingly. "Well, I don't know what you're talking about. Is dinner ready yet?"
"Yeah…" He said, questionably.
"Okay, great." Chloe smiled, walking passed him to get to the stairs. "I'm starving." She bit down on her bottom lip as she walked up. That was twice now that her brother had almost busted her. If Chloe wanted to keep hanging out with Beca, then she was going to have to get smarter about it.
After that day, Chloe tried to be extra careful around her brother. She didn't want Chad getting anymore suspicions of her, so she and Beca devised ways for them to see each other without anyone noticing.
Sometimes Chloe would wait until everyone was occupied with something and sneak her way down into the basement. Other times, Chloe and Beca would plan to meet late at night while the rest of Chloe's family slept. But the best times were when Chloe was fortunately left home alone, and she and Beca could do whatever the hell they wanted.
This went on successfully for two weeks.
It was a Wednesday night when Chloe had tucked herself in and tried to get some sleep. She had made it into the school choir and the constant rehearsals were already starting to get to her. Chloe hadn't even gotten a chance to visit Beca that day.
She was exhausted.
Chloe closed her eyes and tried to relax her mind. But just before she could fully get into "sleep mode," a quiet, "Chloe?" came from her doorway and her body instantly woke back up.
Chloe sat up in her bed, her eyes trying to make out the figure in the dark. "Beca?" She whispered, reaching for the lamp next to her bed, and switching the light on. "What are you doing here?" She quickly got up and pulled Beca the rest of the way in before pushing her door closed, leaving a small gap opened. "Are you crazy?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Beca apologized. "Please don't freak out."
Chloe thought she heard a creak come from the hallway, so she looked over her shoulder and quickly covered Beca's mouth. "Shh!" She whispered, staring at the black that came through the opened crack in her door. They stood there in silent panic, but no other noises came, so Chloe relaxed and removed her hand from Beca's lips. "Beca…" She said, concerned. "What are you doing here? It's late." She shook her head, her brow furrowed. "Shouldn't you be home?"
Beca looked down and fiddled with her fingers. "I… don't wanna go home." And she looked back up at her. "Can I maybe stay with you?" Chloe's eyes widened and Beca hurried to add, "Just for tonight!" Chloe looked at her. Her mouth opened but no words came out. "…Please?"
It was a lot for Chloe to take in, her brain processing too many scenarios at once. She thought about how amazing it would be to actually share a bed with Beca, and the possibilities that could come from that. But Chloe also thought about the potential consequences.
What if they got caught? What is one of Chloe's family members came into her room randomly and discovered them sleeping together? What would Chloe say?
"Beca…" Chloe sighed.
But what if Chloe could pull it off? They had been doing a great job at keeping their meetings a secret so far. So, what was one more night?
Chloe shook her head and looked down, thinking about how insane it was to even consider the idea.
Beca must have taken her silence as a rejection and started walking towards the door. "I'm sorry." She said. "This was a bad idea."
Chloe reacted quickly and grabbed hold of her hand, stopping her. "Wait." She looked down at their fingers and slowly intertwined them. Her thumb caressed Beca's skin and Chloe smiled as she hummed a short laugh. "Always so cold." Beca watched her and Chloe gently pulled her back. "You can stay."
Beca smiled. "Really?"
Chloe nodded. "Mhm. I'll set my alarm a little earlier so we can sneak you out before anyone else wakes up. Okay?"
"Yeah, okay." Beca said, the smile never leaving her face. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it." Chloe kept their hands together and led them to her bed. She reluctantly let go when she had to walk over to the other side, and grabbed her cellphone from the nightstand so she could change the alarm.
Beca sat down on the bed and casually looked around. "Ya know, I've never said it before, but I really like what you've done with your room." Chloe couldn't see her face, but it sounded like she was smiling. "It's so different…" It was quieter than her previous sentence and Chloe wasn't sure she was supposed to hear it.
But she did.
"Different from what?"
Beca tensed. "O-Oh, nothing." She said. "I just meant it looks different than it had when this place was empty. That's all."
Chloe squinted her eyes the slightest bit and put her phone down. "Okay…" She started to get herself under the covers and watched as Beca timidly did the same. It was like she was scared or something. Chloe thought maybe she was just nervous.
Once Beca finally settled, she turned in place and faced Chloe.
"Hi." She said, smiling.
Chloe smiled back. "Hi." She noticed Beca was still wearing her hoodie, so she reached for the zipper in an attempt to help her take it off. "You don't wanna sleep with this thing on, do you?"
But Beca brought her hands up to stop her. "Please don't." Chloe's brow furrowed slightly, as her eyes asked a silent question. "It… makes me feel safe."
"Oh." Chloe said, slowly taking her hands back. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay." Beca insisted. "It's also really comfy."
Chloe smiled and reached back to turn off her lamp. The room went dark and Chloe snuggled a little closer to the brunette. "Goodnight, Beca." She said. She couldn't see it, but Beca was smiling at her.
"Goodnight, Chloe."
Chloe cherished what it felt like to have Beca lying next to her. It felt like a dream come true. She closed her eyes, cozy and comfortable, finally ready to get some sleep and completely unaware of her brother watching through the small gap in her door.
Author's 2nd Note: Ohhhh, shit.
Hit me up on Tumblr at: not-so-average-fangirl.
Stay tuned for more! x)