A/N: Sooo..I can't say I have the best excuse ever for not updating this in almost a month. I just wasn't feeling very inspired to write for this and decided I'd spare you guys from having to read any really bad chapters. Without further ado, here's chapter 10! Thanks to everyone who's followed this so far, it really means a lot!
In this chapter, Chloe builds her relationship with Beca more, and later on reveals that she has nodes.
Aubrey sees a lot of Beca nowadays.
Whenever she's working on a term paper in her and Chloe's dorm room, Beca and Chloe are usually sitting on the bed next to her, Beca working on some mix while Chloe watches, staring at her and completely enraptured in whatever it is Beca's doing. Aubrey resists the urge to roll her eyes every time, because Chloe's so smitten with her and Beca's obviously smitten with Chloe (she can tell because Beca's face lights up every time Chloe compliments her on one of her mixes or whenever Chloe laughs or whenever Chloe talks or whenever Chloe sneezes) and they're sitting there acting like they're the best of friends.
Okay, maybe she's a little jealous that she doesn't spend nearly as much time with Chloe as she used to, but Chloe seems more than happy with Beca and Aubrey decides to be understanding about that, even though she still doesn't understand what's so great about her, or the mixes that she makes (because she's usually wearing those god-awful, huge headphones to listen to them for herself or sharing earbuds with Chloe).
The SBT mixer is today, though, and Aubrey has no time or patience to deal with Chloe's persistently huge toner for Beca. She knows that the Bellas aren't good enough yet. They just don't listen to her, and it's the most infuriating thing Aubrey has had to deal with in a while.
They're all waiting, standing along the stairs leading up to the fraternity house (or sorority? Aubrey doesn't know, or care), and Chloe won't stop talking to Beca, even though they're up to start performing in less than a minute.
"Chloe!" Aubrey snaps, her nerves getting in the way of any even temper she might have had. Chloe's head jerks towards Aubrey, nodding slightly as she moves forward to her position in the front.
"Sorry," she mouths, grinning and then turning around to wink at Beca.
Aubrey rolls her eyes and starts to count the girls in, hoping to god they won't sound as bad as they did yesterday at rehearsals.
It starts off alright, the first few notes of "The Sign" coming together relatively smooth…
And then it all came crashing down.
They get booed off the steps by the various people watching and laughing, and Howie says something to Aubrey about how the Bellas are a "barnyard explosion" and Aubrey feels like she's going to puke again because she's realizing that she might actually not have the Bellas together like she was hoping they would.
She's scolding the Bellas on their walk back to the auditorium when she realizes that Chloe's just…standing there, staring off into the distance with slightly misty eyes. Aubrey doesn't really realize how harsh her tone is when she says, "For serious, Chloe! What is wrong with you?"
Chloe doesn't even look at her when she whirls around, and Aubrey catches her making direct eye contact with Beca. "I have nodes," she says, her voice quavering a little. Aubrey looks at Beca, who looks just about as confused as the few Bellas who aren't gasping or staring at Chloe with sympathetic looks in their eyes, and turns back to Chloe.
"What?" she says, her voice softening, "Oh my god." She takes Chloe's hands in hers, and Chloe brings her watery eyes to Aubrey's, nodding slightly. Aubrey's heart hurts for Chloe, because she knows that Chloe takes great pride in her upper register and nodes could seriously damage that. She knows how much Chloe loves to sing.
After a slightly heart wrenching speech from Chloe about how she'll continue to sing (and a really weird comment from Amy about herpes), the only people left in the quad are Aubrey, Chloe, and Beca. Chloe looks at Aubrey for a minute, and Aubrey knows what she's asking of her before she even has to say anything. She nods and tightens her grip on Chloe's hands before giving a warning look to Beca, as if to say don't you dare say anything wrong to her, and Beca gives Aubrey a slightly questioning look before turning to Chloe.
"Are you okay?" Aubrey hears Beca say quietly as she starts to walk past them on her way back to her dorm, and she sees her give Chloe a slightly awkward hug. After passing them, Aubrey looks behind her shoulder to see that Chloe's head is resting on Beca's shoulder as she hugs her back and Chloe smiles at Aubrey, who gives her a reassuring smile back.
Aubrey would deny this to her grave, but she's almost glad that Chloe's got Beca to be there for her, regardless of the fact that she's still slightly jealous that she isn't the one giving Chloe the reassuring hug Beca's giving her.
"You're so screwed, Chloe Beale," she says under her breath, smiling on her way back to her dorm.