Author's Note: Hello, I am alive! School's been kicking my ass into submission, but I got 100% on my Creative Writing Controlled Assessment, so that's good!

EyeCandy125: Perhaps I overestimated the amount of fluff...

Guest: Brushstrokes burn when you kiss your soulmate and they haven't said they love you :)

Knappster: You'll see, but brushstrokes fade when you say 'I love you' to your soulmate :)

evettew: I KNOWWWWW

ImIrrelevant: Bree's like a wittle baby, so confused.

xcombigirlx: Hopefully it won't get to that stage... :)

TheWeirdOne: thank you! You're Beta-amazing yourself! Here's that update.

Again, I'm sorry its been a month...


Let's Waste The Night
07: You, I, And The Differences Between Us


All she was doing was staring at Chloe, as the redhead slept. All she was doing was sitting up, watching red hair tumble over shoulders and rest alongside the curves and dips of her back. Beca's eyes fell to the brushstroke on her wrist, the mark burned with all the passion she and Chloe had shared mere hours ago. Fingers instinctively ran over veins, trying to capture every essence of her night with Chloe - every throaty moan, every sloppy kiss, every shot of electricity which came from her wrist - every essence she was worried may never be created again.

With small beads of light cascading through the doors leading onto the balcony, Beca managed to make out some of the room she know got to call her own. Their clothes were lying discarded on the floor, items of clothing tangled like their legs. She didn't trust anyone, she reminded herself as her lips began to part; potential words falling from her mind on the waterfall which emptied her soul over years gone by.

Maybe that's where she and Chloe were different, the brushstroke on Chloe's wrist already beginning to fade after the redhead's whispered promise of, "I love you." Beca had refused to return the favour, her lips simply moulding into a smile and whispering back: "me too." Perhaps she should have anticipated the redhead's actions, how forward she was, how touchy feely she was - how much she placed trust in others. But at the same time it scared her, how different they really were - she'd heard the horror stories…

Soulmates falling out of love.

Giving up on one another.

Leaving.

Beca was pulled out of her thoughts by pounding on the bedroom door, Chloe beginning to stir from her slumber beside her. "Mitchell, we're going on a run, be downstairs in five minutes." Beca groaned at the sound of Aubrey's voice, it was way too early for exercise. "Beca, I'm serious, get up."

A small groan from Chloe sounded through the dulled silence. "Bree, it's early." The redhead proceeded to rolled over, her side bumping into Beca. "Morning." The sound of footsteps moving from the door made Beca sigh in relief. "She'll make you run, Beca." Chloe carefully kissed Beca's cheek, smiling as she climbed out of bed. Beca's eyes tracked her soulmate's movements as she moved about the room, covering her nude body with baggy clothing.

Beca's hand ran through her hair, "why me?" Chloe's quiet giggle was enough for the brunette to groan, "best friend talk?" Chloe's nod was as solidifying as the word 'yes' would've been. Beca threw her legs over the side of the bed, pulling herself to her feet as she wandered to her draw, begrudgingly pulling out sweatpants. "Let's get this over with."


"Mitchell, I'm practically walking!" Beca's head rose from her knees, the freshman staring at the Beta Epsilon Lambda Lambda Alpha President through her sweat blurred vision.

Beca stumbled forward a coupling of steps before she fell onto a bench - they were only a mile through their run. "I'm not known for my fitness." Beca croaked out, allowing her head to fall backwards, morning sun filling her vision and almost easing the searing pain building up in her muscles.

"Beca, this isn't good enough."

And there the pain was again, dammit Aubrey.

Beca shook her head, looking at her wrist. "I'll run when you tell me why you hide your brushstroke." The sight of Aubrey's eyes narrowing was not reassuring, at all. "Look, I've met Jesse, he isn't Cate Blanchett or anything."

"I'm straight."

Beca shrugged, "fine; he's no Zac Efron, Eddie Redmayne, Chris Pratt, Ryan Gosling-" She paused, taking a breath, "- Freddie Prinze Jr., Robert Pattinson, who else is male, straight and hot?"

"Beca."

"I'm not straight, I know you know that. But did you know that Stacie knows that you know that I'm not straight? And Chloe knows that Stacie knows that you know that I'm not straight." At the sight of the blonde's scolding glare, Beca recoiled, sitting up straighter on the bench. "Best friend talk?"

Aubrey sighed, shaking her head and seating herself beside Beca. "Tradition is tradition, I wouldn't expect some alt-girl with madlib beats to understand that. But Jesse and I are happy; he's going high up in his dad's real estate company and I'll be his wife." Beca looked to her left, raising an eyebrow at the Bella President. "Sorry, things build up in my brain and Chloe hasn't been around for me to vent to; Russian Lit will kick her ass if she isn't already studying."

Beca's eyebrows furrowed. "Stacie's good to talk to, she actually has a soul." The small giggle which fell from between Aubrey's lips wasn't like the fake ones Beca had seen during Rush Week, or on that first day that landed her at Beta Epsilon Lambda Lambda Alpha. "I just want to get to L.A and pay my dues as a music producer - how will you survive as a housewife? Aren't you pre-law or some shit?"

"Chloe that vocal in bed, huh?" Beca's nod was met with a small smile. "If I'm still at the top of my class by the end of this year I'll get to go to law school, but my family seems to want to pull me away from school as much as possible." Aubrey looked at her hands, raising an eyebrow when she didn't feel a judgemental gaze falling from Beca's eyes. When Aubrey's eyes went back to the path in front of them, the sight of Alice and Jessica jogging towards them was enough to send her guard back up. "If you hurt Chloe, I will personally pull the hard drive from your laptop and throw it in the lake."

Beca shrugged. "I wouldn't expect anything less, head bitch."


Beca looked at the display on her phone, eyes occasionally moving to the girl beside her, "Em, stop worrying okay? It's some singing shit I don't care about, you don't need to worry." Ever since her little jog earlier, Beca hadn't managed to speak to Aubrey, the blonde brushing her off any chance she got. It was weird, no one paid her with personal stuff, let alone one of the most closed off people she knew. "Aubrey won't even let us sing."

The stage in the Greek Amphitheatre was lit up with lights, many normal students and sorority members from any chapters that weren't Sigma, Beta and the Theta brothers sitting on the bleachers. Beca's eyes immediately found Chloe's as they slid into the small circle the older sisters had created. "The fuck?"

Aubrey folded her arms, "Beca, shush." The sarcastic freshman mimed locking her mouth shut before the senior continued. "This is the annual sorority riff off; us versus Theta and Sigma. All you have to do is step in and change the song based on the lyrics, easy. If you screw up you can sleep on Theta's roof."

The gazes Beca shared with Stacie questioned the sanity of Beta Epsilon Lambda Lambda Alpha, was there some fucked up ritual they hadn't completed yet?

"Welcome Greek lovers and rejects to this year's Greek off!" Beca wanted to kill herself, she really did. Just stab herself in the neck and finish it - maybe she could use one of Jessica's bobby pins? "This year's theme is SNL Songs, we'll have one round since there aren't many songs to choose from." Beca looked at Chloe, the redhead talking tactics with Aubrey. "And… begin!"

Beca watched in awe as Fat Amy and Cynthia Rose automatically began singing, beating Jesse to opening their mouths.

"Let's do it on my twin bed,
Not gonna like it,
But it's the only option where we can get it poppin'!
Let's do it on my twin bed.
Pop and fall off it-"

The Australian was unceremoniously cut off by Jesse, the Theta President choosing to walk right into SIgma's personal space.

"He's a douche." Beca chuckled at the words whispered by Stacie, the leggy brunette shaking her head.

"It's our party
We can do what we want
It's our party,"

Beca could hear Stacie scoff behind her. "He said 'it's', Fat Amy's words was 'it'."

"We can say what we want
It's our party say what we want
We can stop what we want
We can vote how we want
Defund what we want-"

The introducer, a boy named Justin, cut Jesse off. "Jesse, she said 'it', you sang 'it's'." Jesse exchanged looks with the other Thetas. "You are," everyone clapped their hands twice, "cut off! Sigma versus Beta Epsilon."

Beca exchanged a look with Stacie before she ran into the centre of the groups, beginning to rap.

"Here's a quick tip that ya need to know:
when you're travelin' the world with your girls in tow,
keep a tight schedule and ya can't go wrong!
You'll see none of the countries but all the dong…
"

She looked behind her to Stacie, they'd watched this episode together, why weren't any of the Bellas backing her up?

"Sorry, but only a chapter's President can begin a song… Beta Epsilon Lambda Lambda Alpha is hereby," the claps sounded again, "cut off! Sigma wins!"

Beca looked at Justin, seriously?