I don't own anything from Pitch Perfect or Rizzoli &Isles. I'm just doing some writing for fun. All mistakes are on me. Enjoy the chapter.
She knew she had to pull it together and get through work, she pulled up her "go to" play list, made some changes and added some songs from her "holiday mix", "90's jams", and some of "Chloe's favorites" then sat back to plan her trip. She was ready for her break to begin. Now to get through the next 4 hours and 57 minutes.
Chloe was over half way home. She'd had a couple diet Cokes (she wanted to make as few stops as possible). She had just put in Beca's mix at her last stop and she was LOVING it! Every song was her new favorite. As she sang along to each song, she couldn't even begin to imagine how long it had taken Beca to put together such amazing mixes of all of her favorite songs. She really was the most perfect BFF. She continued her drive when a mash up of Usher's Yeah! & Bruno Mars 24K, (two of her favorite songs) came on and it was blended so perfectly. It was crazy good. She wondered what her friend was doing right now, she must be at work. Her mind wandered, she wished Beca were here to talk to as she drove. The drive was nearly done, she just wanted to get home so she could see her folks, get ready for the holiday & her trip, and of course she wanted to touch base with Beca.
Over at the station, Beca was getting the cd's into piles so that some freshman intern could stack them on their shift. It was certainly a perk that stacking wasn't part of her job description anymore. Her sets had gone over well tonight, lots of call in's to ask for groups or artists, she was very pleased. She still hadn't turned her phone back on but she knew that Chloe had to be close to home by now. She wondered if she had stopped to eat the lunch she had made for her, or if she liked the mix she had made. She quickly decided to turn her phone back on so she wouldn't miss the call when Chloe reached home. She was almost done with her shift anyway. There were no Snaps or messages from Chloe so she must not be home yet. It wouldn't be long though, maybe an hour tops. She was still trying to sort out if she was going to start her trip north tomorrow or if she should wait one more day and then head up. The weather wasn't supposed to be too bad either day so that really wasn't a factor. She glanced at the clock, loaded the last of her set so she could sign off when Luke got there to replace her. As of right now her plan was to head home, shower, grab a drink…shit, strike that, she would stop at the 7-11 on her way home and grab a six pack so she could have a beer when she got home and work on packing. It wasn't long before Luke walked through the door.
"Hey Becky, how was the shift?"
"You know it's Beca dip shit, and it was fine, I've got ya set up for another 45 minutes, if not you can make yourself useful and stack the cd's or at least make sure that little girl you're banging actually puts them away next time."
"Ooooh, ouch, Bec, that hurts. But yea, sure, I'll take a look at what you have set up and maybe use some of it while I clean up a bit."
"Oh, and hey, I'm not gonna work my whole shift tomorrow, you have me set for 8hrs. I'm good for 4 then I'm heading out for the holiday. I have a long trip to my cousin's house in Boston and I wanna get out of here early so I can get on the road. I'm thinkin of working like 11am-3pm, can you get Jesse to cover or can you?"
"Sure thing Becky, I got ya. Don't want your trip to be spoiled with a run in with Jess."
"Jess and I are fine…I just need someone to cover my shift ok?
"Don't get your knickers in a bunch, I've got it. You get home to your family you could use the time to relax."
"Thank you I really appreciate it. I'll see ya tomorrow afternoon. If you need anything, you know you can call me. Have a good night Luke."
"Night Bec."
She tossed her jacket on and headed out the door. She was halfway to the Bella's house when she decided to check her phone. There was a text from Chloe.
TO: Beca F-in Mitchell: I'm almost home, had to stop one more time after all these Diet Cokes. LOL.
BTW I LOVE the mashup mix, it is seriously AMAZING! Thank you! Thank You! A million times. It's perfect! I hope you had a great night in the booth. Text me when you get home. Talk to you later DJ! Love U – Red
She smiled down at her phone as she continued to walk. It was getting cold out (for GA standards) so she shoved her phone into her pocket, put her head down in the breeze, and picked up the pace to get home. She would be sure to text Chloe when she got there. She knew she had a lot to do but she wanted to make sure she had everything done and ready before she went into work so she didn't have to worry about packing after work then getting on the road. She had her route figured out but promised to let Jane know what she was doing before she left. She still had to order part of Chloe's Christmas gift now that she was coming to visit, and she wanted to be sure she had anything and everything she could possibly need for her trip. Grabbing the keys from her bag, she opened the door to the empty Bella house, she liked having the place with just her and Chloe but spending the night all by herself seemed kinda weird. She knew she would be fine; it really wouldn't be long before she would be at work again tomorrow then on the road to Boston. Kicking the door shut, she carried her computer bag up to her room and began to asses her items waiting to be packed. She knew one bag was good to go; it was just making sure she had everything she may need. She also needed to get online and get Chloe another piece to her Christmas gift. She grabbed her laptop and hit Google search. Chloe had a silver charm bracelet that she loved, any time the girls did something together or something "special" happened in her life she got a new charm. Beca had given her a bass cleft after winning the ICCA's her freshman year since she was the new Bella Bass, sophomore year she found a "Captain" charm, junior year a pitch pipe charm and she had already picked out a yellow gem stone covered cup that she planned on giving Chloe for graduation. With this upcoming trip she wanted to do something special for her fake girlfriend. While she knew she wanted those words to be true, at this point they weren't and she wasn't even sure that they would ever be. But regardless of their status, she loved Chloe and was very grateful for their friendship and the fact that her BFF didn't bat an eye to help her out no matter how crazy the plan may be. Scrolling through silver charms she knew she wanted something to do with their trip. She found an I Love Boston charm that was cute, a New Year's charm that was a noise maker and hat, and a small charm shaped as Massachuttes. They were all cute but it just wasn't enough. Thinking to herself as she continued to scroll, she came up with the best idea, with a few clicks, her credit card info and a rush order to get it to her cousin's house by the 26th, has had the ultimate gift. Chloe was gonna love it!
Closing her laptop she scavenged through the rest of her clothing to find some cute outfits, her favorite sweatshirt, her Bruins gear, pj's, her makeup & jewelry bag, a half dozen pairs of sunglasses, and a few "dressy outfits" that she may be able to wear to her father's party. She tossed everything into bags and set them with Chloe's bags and dragged them down the stairs. She was much more careful with the Christmas gifts for her family and the gifts Chloe asked her to take. Those were going in the front seat of her car. The rest was tossed in the trunk and back seat. She kept out her laptop and work gear, along with a comfy driving outfit. She went to the kitchen and packed herself a cooler with drinks, sandwiches, and snacks for tomorrow's trip. All of it was set in the now very empty fridge. After packing her lunch and the car, she hopped in a quick shower before getting into bed. She quickly opened her phone to send a note back to Chloe.
To: Chloe: Hey there Red. Glad to hear you are almost home safely. Shoot me a text when you are settled. I'm home from work. Everything is packed and I'm ready to go. I'm working a short shift tomorrow then I will be heading north. Hope you have a good night. Say "hi" to Mama & Papa Beale for me. I'll text you when I hit the road. See you soon, I'll call ya on the way. I know you miss me! Love, Beca
She sat and smiled then sent one more text before she went to sleep.
To: Chloe: I miss you! Night Chlo!
Closing her phone and setting it on the charger she set her alarm, put her headphone on, and went to sleep.
Chloe had pulled into the driveway of her parents' home in Tampa. She grabbed her smallest bag, her purse, and bounded towards the front door. Before she even got her hand on the doorknob it flung open…
"Chloe Bear" her mom yelled with glee as she scooped her up in a huge hug, "I'm so glad you're home honey!"
"Hi Mama" Chloe replied half out of breath as her mother released her embrace and they headed inside the house.
"How was the drive? The weather ok? You didn't get too tired?"
"The drive was good, blue skis until it got dark, and no, I didn't get too tired. Beca made me this amazing mashup mix to listen to so that kept me singing along most of the trip." "Oh, speaking of Beca, just gimme a minute to call her and let her know I got here in one piece. I promised I would."
Her mother smiled at her and grabbed the small bag from her daughter. "I'll go put this in your bed room and have your brother grab the rest of the things from your car. Tell Beca we said hello. Come find me in the kitchen when you are settled. We can put some tea on and catch up before you go to bed."
"Ok Mama. This won't take long, she's probably already in bed, she worked today and is working tomorrow before she starts to head to Boston."
"She's driving? Alone? How long does that take" her mother asked with sincere concern.
"Yes ma'am, she's flying solo, she said it's about 17 hours but she said she has a plan and a few places she can stop on the way up if she gets tired."
"Oh good Lord, you tell that little munchkin that she needs to be careful, and that Mama Beale will be tracking her phone the entire trip."
With a giggle Chloe grabbed her phone from her pocket, "I'll make sure to tell her that. I'm sure she will love it!" She called over her shoulder as she headed to the basement sports room and sprawled out on the couch.
Dialing the phone she had a feeling it would go to voicemail until a very groggy DJ appeared on the other end of the line.
"ello" Beca grumbled hardly awake.
"You answered? I was just going to leave you a message."
"I'll hang up" Beca replied only half joking.
"No, no. I just wanted you to know that I'm home safe. Mama Beale says Hi. And now that she knows you are traveling home alone she is going to track your phone to be sure you make it to Boston in one piece."
"Now I know where you get it from, you are your mothers daughter." Beca smirked. "I'll give ya a call when I head out tomorrow. I've gotta get some sleep. Tell Mama I will be just fine but if it makes her feel better she can track my phone or I will call you guys every few hours to check in. Glad to hear you made it home safely. Have a good night Red. Bye."
"Bye Becs, good night."
As Chloe hung up she noticed that she had some messages. Opening them up she couldn't help but smile that the two that Beca had sent before she went to bed. Thinking her herself she guessed she should have checked them before she called the DJ. Oh well, too late for that. She was trying to come up with something witty to respond when she could hear the tea kettle whistling in the kitchen upstairs. She quickly typed.
TO: Beca F-In Mitchell: It didn't really sound like you miss me at all. Good thing you're cute. Hope you sleep well. I'll talk to you later. Luv U!
She finished it up with some kissy face & heart emoji's and put the phone back in her pocket as she headed up stairs. She pulled a barstool from the island and made herself comfortable and grabbed the tea cup that her mother had poured for her. Her mother was stirring her own tea on the counter with her back to Chloe. Turning around she smiled.
"Mmmm..thanks mom, this is good."
"I'm so glad sweetheart."
Her mom had this odd smile on her face.
"What? What is it Mama? You've got that look"
"You know you can tell me anything right?"
Chloe looked perplexed, "Of course I do…I tell you everything" she tried to protest.
"Alright then Baby Girl…you and Beca? Spill it"
Chloe nearly spit out the tea she has just taken a sip of. Trying to keep her eyes down she could feel her mother's eyes on her. Hardly looking up from her cup all she could come up with was, "When I get back from Boston I promise to tell you everything ok?"
Her mother simply nodded, "alright sweetie, I will hold you to it. So, tell me how the semester went."
Chloe let out a deep breath, there could be so much more to the story after Boston, until then she wasn't going to talk to anyone about it…ok, well, maybe just Maura.
