Chapter Eleven: Like It or Not

"Lee? Lee! Wake up."

LP bolted upright. He was breathing heavily. His eyes were trying their best to wake up with the rest of his body.

As LP's breathing calmed down, and his heartbeat returned to its natural speed, he realized something: he was no longer in his room at Barden University.

No, he was in his home. In his room. But it wasn't as if his room was the same as he had left it when he left home. It was… it was back to normal.

The dresser, the posters, the video games, the collection of DVDs, the closet full of clothes. It was all there. All where it was before he cleaned it out, and left to go out into the world.

As LP looked in astonishment, he heard a knock at the door. "Lee? Did you hear me? Don't make me come in there!" A female voice said.

LP was dreaming. He had to be dreaming. What would he be doing back home? Where were his Father and June? And what was the person that that voice belonged to doing there?

The boy scrambled off his bed, and got out from under the covers. As he did, he realized something: he was naked. Completely naked.

Now, he understood why he was scrambling out of bed. He hated when his Mother walked in on him when he slept naked, which she, in turn, hated.

It wasn't that he was trying to be defiant or irritate her. Nothing like that. It was simply that LP felt more comfortable sleeping that way, in general. It felt more natural to him.

He quickly got on his underwear, then his jeans, a white tank top, and a green and black sweatshirt. Then, for the finishing piece, he grabbed his beanie, which he already knew was on top of the dresser, and slipped it onto his uncombed black hair.

He opened the door to his room, and saw his Mother, standing before him, tapping her feet. "M-Mom?" LP stuttered, surprised to see her. "Good morning to you, too. Glad to see how quickly you got dressed after I threatened you, this time. Go brush your teeth, get ready for the day." Margaret McDaniel said, a smile forming on her face.

But LP just stood there, astonished. He knew where he was, and he knew what day it was: May 25th, 2012. The day he graduated. Or, would graduate. That night.

"Mom? You're… you're here. You're home…" He said, a tear sliding down his face. "Well, of course I'm here, hon. Why wouldn't I be?" She asked, oblivious to her son's emotional status.

Without warning, and without prompting, LP hugged Margaret. The tears stained his eyes, as he happily sighed, closing his eyes. "Mom… I had a dream. That you… that something awful happened. And… you and Dad got divorced… and it was just me and June. And then, I had to leave. Leave for college, leave June alone with Dad…"

Then, when he opened his eyes, he found himself hugging nothing. His Mother had disappeared. And he was no longer home.

LP fell to the ground, his knees hitting the hard pavement first. He looked around him, and found that he was in the Barden University pool. Still clothed, and alone in the water…

"Wait, what?"

He was surrounded by slowly rising water. Ever since childhood, LP had a crippling fear of the water. Anything in large quantities… it horrified him.

He started running toward the edge of the pool on the shallow side, but, for some reason, it was so far away. Much further than it was in… where was he now, anyways?

So, as the water slowly rose, LP ran to the edge. Fear gripped him, like a bear trap on some poor bastard. It was so far, and he ran so fast. And as he ran, the water slowly inched up his ankles, and past his abdomen, and eventually made its way to his shoulders.

Finally, LP made it to the edge. At that point, he was practically swimming. Once he was there, he grabbed hold of it, and breathed heavily. He was panting, gasping for breath. But, he made it to the shallow side.

"Hey, genius! Why'd you come in without your trunks on?" A familiar voice called out, as LP gasped, and turned around. There, he saw Chloe, Beca, Aubrey, and all of the other Bellas, all in the pool, all wearing swimsuits.

"What the fuck…?" LP questioned, as he looked down, and took a moment to realize that he was still wearing his jeans, sweatshirt, and beanie.

"What the Hell are you doing in your clothes, dude?", Beca questioned. "Yeah, show us some skin, hot-stuff!", Amy yelled, prompting looks from everyone around her, who stared awkwardly, some with their mouths hanging wide open.

"What? I thought we all wanted to see him, shirtless.", Amy admitted. It was at this point that Chloe shook her head, and swam over to the dark-haired teen. "You didn't have to come into the pool with your clothes on. We sure as Hell didn't."

LP blushed a little, and said, "Well, it's not like I had a choice in the matter." Chloe smiled, making the only boy in the pool bite his lip, and blush even harder.

"Aw, look! Mr. Bella is in love!" Stacie teased, prompting a slap on the shoulder from Beca. "Seriously, Conrad?" The pale brunette asked, shaking her head. "I'm just saying! Why else would he be blushing?" Stacie questioned, to which the others looked at the boy.

"I… I don't want to answer that question. I don't need to answer that question. You know why, Stace? Because this is just a dream! And, if this is only a dream, and I know it's a dream… then I don't need to tell you squat! To any of you! That, and, if I really am dreaming, then I can finally go underwater, and not be afraid of anything under me!" He exclaimed, plugging his nose and swimming underneath. And oh, how very wrong Lee Patrick McDaniel was in that moment.

What he found beneath the water of the pool was not what he saw when his head was above it. Whereas the water beneath him looked clean, showered by the sun, and illuminated as if it were the summertime, what he saw beneath was an entirely different story.

All that Lee could see, and even feel, was the cold, dark, emptiness. It made him shiver like a chill on a winter's eve. His surroundings… they were almost non-existent. They WERE non-existent. All that he could make out was pitch black nothingness. And it was drowning him.

It was more terrifying than he had imagined it being. Ever since he was a child, he had a fear of water. Not showers or baths, but oceans, lakes, even swimming pools. Not even in a dream could Lee escape his fear.

He gasped, trying desperately to not let it sink him, and hurriedly swam towards air. But whatever was grabbing him tugged at him like a hand grabbing a leg from under the bed.

Eventually, Lee could no longer swim. His breath had been wasted, and his will to escape replaced with exhaustion. In that moment, he let his eyes shut, as he slowly fell, for what seemed like an eternity, to the bottom of the pool.

His arms stretched out, and layed on the ground, as he slumped down. He looked to the very air he tried so hard to escape to just moments ago, and slowly closed his eyes, all the while hearing… voices.

"Get out of my life, LP."

"What are you looking at, fuckface?"

"Hey, McDaniel! How's your deadbeat daddy? Still fucking your sister and beating the shit out of you?"

"Come on, asshole! Can't take it when you dish it out?!"

"Get off the fucking floor, Lee."

All of these voices. These cruel, harsh things that people throughout his life had told him… they would have been the last thing that he heard, if not for the one final voice. A warm, soothing voice. Wise, time-weary. It called to him. He could faintly hear it as the darkness surrounded him, but, it said: "Lee... everything will be okay."

LP woke with a jolt. He was sweating. His black hair was uncombed, and covered up his eyes. His breathing was heavy, resulting in quite a bit of panting from him.

"It was just a dream… a stupid dream. There's no water, nothing. You don't need to think about it, anymore." He sighed, and looked in his room. The only one there was him.

"Jesse and Benji aren't here… what the Hell?", He asked himself, before yawning, and checking his phone. When the screen popped up, LP found that there were five missed text messages. All in the group chat.

Aubrey: Get into gear, aca-bitches and aca-asshole. We're on, today.

Amy: Finally! I've been looking for a chance to prove my sexy ass has what it takes to be an aca-badass.

Stacie: And how do you plan on doing that?

Amy: By upstaging you flat-butts, Conrad.

LP laughed out loud, and added his own tweet in.

LP: Have you been actually paying attention to our asses? Especially mine? If so, that's kinda weird.

Amy: You know it, hot stuff. Booty matters, folks!

Five minutes later, LP walked into the boys locker room, his clothes in one hand, his towel in the other. He wore a pair of sweatpants, and a grey t-shirt.

"Might as well shower. Today is the day we perform, after all.", LP thought to himself, as he found a shower, and set his clothes down next to it, hanging his towel up as he did so.

Thirty seconds later, LP was in the shower. The hot water washed over his body as he put soap in his hair. He rubbed it on his face, and continued onto his upper body.

He thought about the dream. He didn't want to, but, no matter what, LP found himself coming back to everything. The water, the pool, the nothingness… the insults, his Mother…

He sighed, no longer wanting to think about it. "Just keep pushing it away. You've been doing it for a while, now. Just keep doing it." LP said to himself.

As soon as he finished his shower, LP turned off the water, and grabbed his towel from off of the hook. He wrapped it around his body, and walked out into the open. He sighed, pushing his wet hair from out of his face.

LP made sure that no one was around, and dropped his towel, quickly grabbing his underwear. He slipped them on, and then, just as quickly, he grabbed his jeans, and slipped those on, too.

As he did, LP failed to realize the towel-wearing, nearly nude Chloe Beale, beaming like a diamond, standing right behind him. "Howdy, stranger." She said, taking LP off-guard. "JESUS TAP-DANCING CHRIST! What the Hell?!" He exclaimed, quickly turning around.

"Chloe? What are you doing in here?" LP questioned, to which Chloe got a somewhat nervous look on her face. "Uh… well… I, uh…", She stuttered, as a tall guy with brown hair walked into view, and, much to LP's shock and horror, he was completely… naked.

"Hey, Chlo. Can you-whoa! Who the Hell is this?", The guy asked. "Uh… well…", LP started, as he grabbed his shirt, and put it on. "It's okay, Tom! He's in the Bellas. LP McDaniel, meet Tom Matthews." Chloe introduced the two, as LP slipped into a blue and yellow hoodie, and put his trademark beanie on his head.

Then, he awkwardly went over to shake the naked man's hand, narrowly trying to avoid the elephant in the room. "Pleasure.", LP stated, as Tom awkwardly accepted the gesture.

"Uh… are you a friend of Chloe's?", Tom asked. "Yeah. I am. I've heard a little about you. So… you and Chloe are together, I take it?", LP asked.

Chloe nodded her head enthusiastically. "Mmm hmm! And after the performance, Tom's taking me out to dinner! Yay!", Chloe exclaimed, hugging Tom.

LP couldn't help but be awed by the sheer strangeness of this morning. First, he wakes up from a surreal dream, then, his trip to the shower room turns into him meeting his friend's 'boyfriend'. "Well, this is weird." He thought to himself.

"That's great, Chlo! I… uh… hope you have fun. I'll see ya at practice in a little bit, okay?" LP asked, to which Chloe nodded her head. "Yep! See ya later, alligator!"

Then, LP smiled awkwardly, and walked off, but not before turning around, and looking directly at Tom. "Nice to meet you, sir. Enjoy your, uh… nakedness." And, with that, he left, leaving Chloe giggling like a madwoman, and her tall lover confused as to what had just happened.

After drying off in his room, and slipping on his beanie, LP quickly walked to practice. Aubrey wanted them there that day, just for a little extra practice before their first official entry into the competition.

As he walked in, LP found that most of the girls, save for Chloe and Beca, were there. When he walked in, they all started giggling, some of them snickering, mainly Stacie and Amy.

"What's so funny?" He questioned. To his surprise, the girls just laughed harder and harder. "What the Hell is so funny?! Whatever you've got to say, spit it out!" He pressed on, getting agitated.

"Oh, it's nothing. We're just wondering… how was it dealing with Chloe's boyfriend's 'nakedness'?" Ashley asked, prompting her and the others to burst out laughing. LP's eyes widened, and his cheeks turned red with embarrassment.

"What are you… wait… oh, fuck. Dammit, Chloe!" He yelled, genuinely furious at the redhead. As they all started laughing harder, the poor guy could do nothing but pace the room, his hands covering his eyes as he did so.

"OH, MY GOD…" He screeched, as Stacie wiped tears from her eyes. "Oh, get over yourself, Tall, Dark, and Geeky. We're just messing with you." She insisted, laughing as she did so.

LP sighed, and sat next to the others, crossing his arms as he did so. He was still blushing. "It was just… awkward. Seeing Chloe nearly naked, and her boyfriend going au natural was even more weird! Seriously, I cannot get his dick out of my mind, now!"

At that point, all of the girls, even Aubrey, who was mostly tapping her feet, waiting for the arrival of Beca and Chloe, passed out on the floor, laughing harder than they had in ages. In Aubrey's case, she hadn't laughed as hard as she did in years.

LP blushed even more, and, to the surprise of the Bellas, took off his hat, and buried his face in it. "This is the most humiliating thing that has happened to me at this campus. Kill me, now…" He begged, prompting some looks of concern.

"Jesus, Mr. Bella. We were just joking." CR stated. "Yeah. Besides, you saw another guy's dick. It's not that big a deal! Stacie does it all the time!" Amy interrupted, earning her two middle fingers raised in the air from Stacie.

"Come on, guys. He feels sensitive about it. Let's quit while we're ahead." Jessica said, to which LP took his head from out of his hat. "Thank you!" He exclaimed, before putting his hat back on his head.

LP pressed his hand to his chin, tapping as he did so. "Not to be rude or anything, but… why are you sensitive about it?" Stacie asked. LP sighed, and said, "It's not that he was naked. I've seen guys naked before, and, while yeah, it makes me feel a little uncomfortable, that's not what it was."

As the other girls raised their eyes, LP continued. "It's the fact that Chloe was pretty much naked, and in the guy's locker room, of all places. It just felt… unnatural." He explained.

The others nodded their heads. "I just feel awkward seeing someone who I consider a friend naked. Or, almost naked." LP admitted, slumping in his chair.

At that moment, Beca and Chloe walked in, laughing as they did so. Then, when they saw the miserable-looking, clearly embarrassed LP, they stopped. "Whoa… what turned Mr. Bouncing to the Beat into a sad-sack?" Beca asked.

Before LP could try to, well, lie and avoid talking about it any longer, Amy spoke for him. "LP feels miserable that you texted all of us in the group chat, and basically revealed that he saw you and your boyfriend naked, bringing his confidence to a low."

LP closed his eyes, hung his head low, and, using his pointer and middle fingers, pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh, God. I'm sorry, LP! I just thought it was funny! Y'know?" Chloe said, attempting to reason with the raven-haired boy.

"It's fine. It's just a little awkward, that's all." LP bluntly remarked, taking his fingers off of his nose, and looking at the bubbly redhead, who grimaced at him. "I… I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry." She apologized.

LP sighed. "It's… it's okay. And, to be fair, it was kind of funny. Just one question: what were you doing in the boy's showers?" He asked, as the other Bellas looked at Chloe.

"Uh… well…", Chloe stuttered, as LP shook his head. "Save it. We understand. And we get it. You don't have to explain anything." He said, smiling at her.

Chloe smiled back. "Okay, then."

"And now that we've solved that little issue, can we get to practicing, please?" Aubrey butted in. LP rolled his eyes, and said, "Right. Let's get moving."

The plan was set. They'd be doing the same songs that they had taken a whack at the first time around. And, just like last time, LP and Beca both thought that there was no chance in Hell that they would win.

Even for as much as Aubrey had them practicing, and even though they could both admit that they had improved, they still worried that it would not be enough.

Nevertheless, neither one of them questioned it, knowing that Aubrey would have an incredibly adverse reaction. So, they did what Ernest Hemingway urged sober folks to do: keep their mouths shut.

After going over who would be doing what, and what they'd be singing, Aubrey concluded with, "So, everybody catch that?" The Bellas nodded their heads, to which Aubrey smiled. "Great! Okay, hands in the middle, Bellas!"

Then, Aubrey and Chloe put their hands out into the air. But nobody else put their hands in. Instead, they just stared awkwardly at the sight before them.

Aubrey rolled her eyes, and exclaimed, "Hands in, Aca-bitches and and Aca-asshole!" Almost automatically, they all put their hands in the middle. "Doesn't everyone have an asshole, though?" CR asked. "Oh, for crying out loud! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Aubrey yelled, sticking her tongue out on that last 'shut up'. It wasn't intentional.

"Okay, here we go. On the count of three, harmonize! One, two…" And then, they all fucked it up. None of them could 'harmonize', especially LP, with his deep voice.

"Oh, fuck me. Okay, get dressed, and get ready to kick ass! Don't waste my motherfucking time!" Aubrey dismissed. Then, they all hurriedly left the building, LP putting in his earbuds as he did so.

But just as he was walking out the doors, a certain redhead tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, and saw her smile. "Hey…" She said. "Uh… hi." He replied. "Can I… walk with you, for a little bit?"

LP nodded his head, smiling back at her. "Go ahead." Then, he took his earbuds out, as she and him started walking away from the building. But as they did, Aubrey couldn't help but look out the doorway, and watch as her best friend walked away with this… new guy.

"Do they… no… it couldn't be. Well… it's not out of the question. Are they actually starting to… like each other?" She questioned. "Don't get any ideas." Beca said monotonously, as if she could red the blonde's thoughts, startling Aubrey.

Then, the pale-skinned brunette put her own headphones on her ears, and walked away. "Well, unfortunately for you, Beca… I am my own person. And I'm questioning this relationship, whether you, LP, or Chloe like it or not."

Author's Note: I'ma back! Sorry for the wait, I was putting this aside for Thunderbird and Thunderbird: Guardian Angel, which I encourage you to read if you haven't! This was a weird chapter, wasn't it? I mean, we got a little peek into LP's head with a weird-ass dream, and hey, him and Tom finally meet! I'm excited for what I have planned with that angle. The next few chapters will focus on the interactions between the Bellas, as we see them bonding over, as Rick Grimes has said time and time again, stuff and thangs. To the Guest, thanks for complimenting my story! I'm glad you like it, and I hope you'll stick around for what is to come. Anywho, thank you all for reading! Please leave a review, detailing your thoughts on the chapter and or ways in which I can improve my writing to craft a better story for you lovely folks. And, as always, do take care, and I'll see you next time! Until then, I'm the Flying Hawaiian 001, wishing you all a wonderful Martin Luther King Day!