Chapter 11-Explosion

The rest of the trip to Atlanta was spent in silence, and Chloe was worried that all was lost. Beca had looked so hurt at her confession, and she wasn't completely sure she understood why it had upset her to such a degree. Sure she hadn't been completely honest, but they had just met. She was trying to do the right thing, but Beca seemed immediately resistant to any further discussion, asking that they just get on with their day and not drag the trip out any further.

"Beca...are you really not going to talk to me?"

"Chloe, I just need some time, ok?" she said coldly. "Let's just get this drive over with."

"Ok.." Chloe tried to hide the hurt in her voice. "We have a couple of stops, did you say we needed to stop at the Apple store?"

"Yes." Beca responded curtly.

"Beca, I'm really sorry." trying to find any hint of the emotion they had before.

"Chloe, just back off and give me a bit. I need some time to be alone."

Chloe took the rather obvious hint."Ok..we need to head to Perimeter Mall, so how about if I drop you at the Apple Store, and we'll meet back up in a couple of hours, does that work?"

"Fine."

As Chloe pulled into the Mall parking, Beca hardly waited for the car to stop before jumping out.

"Wait Beca!"

"What?" She looked everywhere but in Chloe's face.

Chloe looked at the brunette with tears welling in her eyes. "Here, I want you to have my cell, it will make it easier to meet up." She grabbed Beca's iPhone and quickly punched in her number. "Beca, please understand, I never meant to hurt you."

With that Beca turned and entered the mall, never looking back.

Chloe sat in her car, allowing her tears to fall. She immediately pulled out her phone, and called Aubrey, but the phone went directly to voicemail. She needed her best friend desperately.

Inside the mall, Beca exhaled the breath she had been holding for what seemed like an eternity. She immediately grabbed her iPhone and dialed. "Dad, its Beca, if you are there pick up the phone."

"Hey Beca, your dad ran out for an errand, is there something you need?"

Annoyed that her least favorite person in the world greeted her call instead of her father, Beca held her temper as best should could. "I just need to talk to dad Sheila, I'll call his cell, goodbye."

Before she could hang up..the annoying voice came through again..."Ok Beca, how's your summer going by the way."

"Great Sheila, just great, I gotta go." With that, Beca quickly ended the call.

"Oh, b..." the phone quickly went dead, and the women just looked at the receiver blankly, shaking her head at the interaction with her step daughter. It had been a year and a half since the wedding, and Beca still showed no signs of warming to the woman.

Beca redialed her phone to her fathers cell number. "Dad, it's Beca...where are you right now?"

"Hi Becs, what are you doing calling me? Aren't you in the woods right now, do you have a satellite phone or something?" He laughed.

"Dad, where are you?" She said, biting her cheek, trying desperately to hold her emotion.

"Oh, I'm at the office, why?" He sensed his daughter did not call just to chat.

"I need you to come meet me."

"You want me to come to camp?"

"No, I'm in town, I need you to meet me at Perimeter Mall."

"Wait, you're here. What are you doing here?" He questioned, not realizing he was escalating his daughter's temper.

"Dad, listen. I'm picking up supplies for camp, but I need to see you...now. Are you coming or not?" She raised her tone, hoping he caught onto her sense of urgency.

"Calm down Beca, I'm coming, it should take me about 20 minutes. How about we meet at the Starbucks."

"Fine. I'll be waiting." And again she abruptly ended the call.

Beca walked to the coffee shop and sat at a table, not bothering to order anything as her mind was only on one thing. She heard Jessie's words flooding in her ears.." Seems Chloe always has a guy or girl going...

Then her mind flashed back to two years ago...

"Beca, your dad and I are splitting up." Beca sat staring at her mother, who despite trying to hide her emotion, had tear stains down her checks. Beca didn't know what to do, her world seemed to stop in that moment.

"But why Mom?"

Her mother didn't know what to say to the teen. She did the only thing she could...She was honest with her. "He's fallen in love Beca, and we haven't been working for sometime. He's planning to marry his teaching assistant, Sheila Mackay."

"Mom, are you ok?" Beca's heart was breaking.

"We'll be fine Beca...you know that I love you, and your dad loves you very much. This won't change that."

"Mom, I asked if you were ok? I can tell you've been crying, I heard you."

"I'm ok honey, this is just a little unexpected for me, your father and I have been together for a very long time."

"Mom, I love you, and I can't forgive dad for doing this to us, to you."

"Beca, you need to try.."

Beca interrupted her bluntly."No Mom, it's not ok. Look what he's done, he's a selfish prick."

"Beca, I know you're angry, but don't say that. Your dad deserves to be happy."

"Well so do you Mom and so do I, and cheating on you is disrespectful to us both. I will never forgive him, and I don't know the little slut he is marrying, but you can forget about me ever accepting that relationship. I've always noticed the way he treats his little teaching assistant play things, he practically drools over them, I'm sure this isn't the first time, and it won't be the last, he'll never change."

"Beca..stop." Her mother had never seen her daughter with such rage.

"No..Mom. Forget it, I love you, and this will never be ok with me."

When Dr. Mitchell entered the shop, he didn't see his daughter at first. Picking up his phone, he dialed her number. Upon hearing her ring tone, he hung up, and made his way over to her table.

"Hi Becs"

She looked up at him. "Hi." She often found it difficult to express herself with her father, pain getting the better of her on most occasions, she found it was better to swallow it down rather than give in.

"So what's this about then, Sheila said you seemed upset."

This irritated Beca, and gave her the emotion she needed..

"I've met Chloe, dad."

"I assumed you would. She's pretty great isn't she."

Beca looking at the goofy look on her father's face, became immediately incensed, and let loose of all the anger that had been bottled up for the past two years.

"Great...oh, I don't know dad, you tell me..I mean, you seem to know her a lot better than I do. Yeah, I bet she is great. Are you sleeping with her too?" Beca didn't flinch as she challenged the man who only two and a half years prior had been her hero.

Dr. Mitchell for his part, was surprisingly calm with this display of emotion from his daughter. Truth be told, he felt like it was progress from her normal apathetic demeanor around him. He missed the old Beca, the fresh-faced girl who would run into his arms, and tell him everything about her day and life.

"Beca, I'm not sure what would give you that idea."

"Well, maybe because you have a habit of sleeping with your teaching assistants, and for some reason, you didn't share that she works for you."

"Well..this has been a long time coming Beca" He said looking at his daughter directly in the eye. "I'm just surprised it took you this long. You know I'm glad we're finally talking about this, I felt like you had completely shut down from me, at least with this ridiculous display of emotion, I know my daughter still cares." Dr. Mitchell knew this would just escalate his daughter, but he also believed she needed to express all her anger, and he was ready to hear it.

"So are you admitting that you HAVE slept with her?" Hearing it come out of her mouth, Beca started to wonder if she was jealous of her father. Is that what this was about?

"No..Beca, I am not having, nor have I ever had an affair with anyone other than Sheila."

She looked at her father, feeling her anger subside a bit, yet not completely sure she believed the words.

"Where's all this coming from Becs?" He tried to reach out for her, but she quickly drew her hand away from him.

"Chloe told me she worked for you, and I'm wondering why YOU didn't tell me."

"Because...Chloe asked that I not tell you. I believe she didn't want you to feel like you were being spied on all summer by your father's employee. She is well aware that you have issues with me, and she wanted you to have the best experience possible at the camp."

Again, Beca felt her anger dissipate, despite wanting to hold on to her strength of emotion.

"Beca, I know I hurt you, and your Mom with my affair. I am very sorry things didn't work out between us, but it doesn't mean that I am out sleeping with each and every T.A. I ever have. I fell in love Beca, and although I know you won't ever forgive me, you need to know it wasn't easy for me, I lost you, and you will never know how much that hurts."

Beca snapped her head up, and looked directly at him with these words. "You have no right saying that to me, you know it." Beca found her anger, and she let it explode. "It was your choice to lose me... I lost everything in the divorce. I lost my family..dad. I lost the mother I knew, who was so broken by your betrayal that she ran into another man's arms, and left me to fend for myself emotionally. I lost my trust, dad. I shut everyone out. I've learned it's easier to be alone than let anyone in ever again. I've learned self-preservation is the only way to exist. Your love and happiness was purchased with my own chance at the same, so you telling me losing me hurts you...well, frankly dad, you can go fuck yourself. I have not interest in what you feel."

Dr. Mitchell looked at his daughter with complete shock.

Beca, having said her piece, got up and made her way to the door.

"Beca.." The movement of his daughter snapped him out of his shock, he turned trying desperately to reach out for her as she passed by him, only to have her quickly jump away.

"Don't... stay the fuck away from me. We are done." Beca ran out of the shop, as she could feel her heart quicken immediately, and the tell-tale signs of her panic began to build.

Beca, walked quickly to the nearest bathroom, as she opened the stall, her eyes couldn't focus. She reached for the toilet seat feeling like she was going to be sick, preparing herself for the inevitable, she sat on the floor, and her world went to black.