Talk the next day in the Mitchell/Posen house was of the Conference Championship game between Barden and Crestfield. The game would be played the following Saturday with the winners moving on to the playoffs the following week. The four family members were all working to get everything ready for the cookout.
Stacie arrived and about ten minutes later there was a knock on the door. Beca hurried around the counter to answer knowing it was Chloe. She pulled open the door and upon seeing Chloe pulled her into a kiss.
"Hello to you, too," Chloe said when she pulled back from the kiss.
"Sorry, not sorry," Beca said with a big smile. "Come on in. Stacie's already here and we're getting everything ready in the kitchen."
Chloe followed Beca into the kitchen and greeted everyone. Chloe handed a plate to Carol.
"I didn't know what to bring so I made some brownies," Chloe said.
"Thank you, Chloe," Carol said. "I should have told you to have your parents come today. I haven't seen them in a while."
"They were going to spend some time with my grandmother," Chloe said. "I'll tell them you asked about them."
"Please do," Carol said. "We'll have to plan a get-together with them soon."
"I'm sure they'd love that,' Chloe said.
"How is your grandmother?," Beca asked.
"She's doing well," Chloe said with a smile. "She's complaining about everything so we know she's feeling better."
"I think everything's ready," Carol said. "Let's get everything outside. I'm sure the hamburgers and hot dogs are done."
The girls grabbed food, cups, plates, the works and headed out to the backyard. Ben was manning the grill and waved at Chloe and Stacie.
"Good to see you, girls," Ben called out.
The cookout went well, and everyone had a great time. Chloe was reluctant to leave but knew she had to since she still had a bit of homework to do. Beca walked her to her car and spent twenty minutes saying goodnight before watching Chloe drive off.
~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~
On Monday, everyone at Barden had football fever. Students and Faculty were wearing their green and white to show their support for their team. The Principal called for a pep rally on Friday during last period to help get the team psyched up for the game.
Beca and Chloe had their usual Tuesday night date at the diner. They did some trash talking about the matchup but spent most of their time just enjoying being with each other. They were both sad when it was time to go their separate ways. Beca had Chloe up against her car kissing her.
"Can you meet me on Saturday for lunch?," Beca asked. "The game isn't until four o'clock. We can just meet here and you'll still have time to go home and get into your cheer uniform before you have to leave for the game."
"I'd like that," Chloe said. "Can I spend the night at your house Saturday? I really, really miss being with you."
"Absolutely," Beca said and kissed Chloe one more time before opening her car door for her.
"I'll see you here around Noon on Saturday," Chloe said through the open window. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Beca said before leaning in one last time for a kiss. "Let me know when you get home."
"You do the same," Chloe said and drove off.
Beca let out a sigh and got in her car and headed home. The next three days seemed to drag by and it was finally Friday. The Pep Rally was intense and everyone was fired up for the game. The team was confident; the coaches were confident; the students and faculty were confident. Now it was up to the players to make it happen.
Everyone left school on Friday feeling good and Beca was especially excited that she would get to see Chloe the next day. Saturday morning was a cloudy day but no rain was expected. Beca was up early for no reason and couldn't keep herself busy so she left early for the diner. She thought she could see and visit a bit with her mom while she waited for Chloe.
"Hey, Alex," Beca said as she entered the diner. "Glad to see you're feeling better."
"Thanks, Beca," Alex said. "Your mom's in the back. I'll get her for you."
"Thanks," Beca said as she sat at the counter.
A few minutes later Melissa came from the back and gave Beca hug. She sat down next to her.
"Not that I don't love seeing you," Melissa said. "But, what are you doing here?"
"I'm meeting Chloe for lunch," Beca replied.
"It's a little early for lunch," Melissa said.
"I know," Beca said. "I was bored and restless at home waiting until I could see her. So I thought I'd spend some time with you while I wait for her."
"How about I buy you a drink," Melissa said. She got up and went behind the counter and got two glasses of soda and sat one in front of Beca. "Have you thought about colleges you wanted to visit? I'm sure Alex wouldn't mind if we took a road trip to check some out."
"Barden, of course," Beca said. "A bonus being be the free tuition I could get because of dad. UCLA has a really good music program, so I'll probably apply there. There are a few others, but if I get into Barden, it won't matter. I'll go there for sure."
"I'm glad," Melissa said. "I'm more than happy to have you close by for a few more years."
"I love you, too, mom," Beca said with a grin.
Beca felt a pair of arms move around her waist and she jumped up. "Hey!," she yelped. "Oh, my God, Chloe. I thought you were some stranger trying to cop a feel or something."
Melissa and Chloe were laughing. "I'm sorry, babe," Chloe said. "I couldn't help myself."
"And you," Beca said looking at her mother. "My own mother didn't let me know she was there."
"I guess I like her more," Melissa said. She smiled and went into the kitchen.
"Haha," Beca called out to her mother. She turned and gave Chloe a quick kiss. "Why are you here so early?"
"I was bored at home," Chloe said. "I thought I'd come and do some homework here while I waited for you. How about you?"
"Same," Beca said. "Plus, I really wanted to see you."
"Aw, that's sweet," Chloe said and kissed Beca. "Oh, before I forget, I'm planning on packing three of my Crestfield shirts for you, Brey, and Stacie to wear next week."
"Hah, in your dreams," Beca said and snickered.
Chloe leaned in close to Beca and said, "No, in my dreams you aren't wearing anything." Beca blushed causing Chloe to let out a small laugh. "You're still so easy, Mitchell."
"It's a good thing you're that pretty," Beca said.
Beca and Chloe spent several hours together since they both arrived early for their lunch date. They headed to their respective homes around two o'clock to get ready for the big game.
~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~
Beca rode to the game with her dad and Carol, hoping she could take Chloe out somewhere after the game and Chloe could drive. When they arrived Beca looked for her friends and they found seats near them and sat. Beca then looked for Chloe and saw she was talking to Stacie and Aubrey. She went down to the end of the bleachers and called her name. Chloe looked up and smiled when she saw her and came running over to Beca.
"Hey, Becs," Chloe said as she kissed Beca. "There might be a delay for the start of the game."
"Why?," Beca asked.
"Three out of the four refs for tonight's game are the same ones you guys had at the game you lost," Chloe explained. "The ones that made all those bad calls against your team. Your coach is talking to our coach about it."
"Can they do anything?"
"Probably not," Chloe said as Aubrey and Stacie walked up to them. "It would suck if they did the same thing during this game."
"The game should be starting shortly," Aubrey said. "Coach Smith and Coach Donovan talked but there's nothing they can really do about it."
"I hope the refs don't mess up," Chloe said. "It would really tarnish a win if the refs blow the calls, especially if they're against one team in particular. It will put a damper on both teams, win or lose."
They hear a whistle blow and see the Captains and Coaches of the two teams heading for midfield.
"Gotta go, Becs," Chloe said and kissed her. "Duty calls. I'll see you at halftime."
Chloe ran off and joined the rest of her cheer squad on the other side of the field. Stacie and Aubrey told Beca they'd see her later and ran to rejoin their squad.
The coin toss was done and Crestfield won, opting to receive the ball. The game started a few minutes later.
The two teams took the field, and Barden kicked off. The Crestfield receiver bobbled the ball and was tackled, and the ball was marked at the 15-yard line. The Crestfield offense took the field and managed to move the ball to the 40-yard line on two passing plays. After that, Barden's defense held them, and Crestfield had to punt the ball away.
Barden's receiver took the ball at the 20-yard line and made it to midfield before he was stopped. The offense came onto the field and the quarterback called a running play. Barden gained six yards so they tried the play again hoping for the same outcome. The running back made it four yards and a first down. The stands were erupting in cheers.
Pressing their luck another running play was called. Barden lost two yards on the play when the defensive line held the offensive line steady and the defensive end tackled the running back before he could get to the line of scrimmage.
Crestfield was on a high and Barden had to push hard to get down the field. Barden was at third and six at the thirty-four and the quarterback called a pass play. The quarterback took the snap and fell back a couple of yards when he noticed his receiver open on his left. He tossed the ball and they gained ten yards for a first down. The Barden crowd erupted in cheers.
Crestfield was not done. Over the next three downs, they held Barden to only a five-yard gain placing the ball on the nineteen. Barden was at fourth and five and opted for a field goal which their kicker made. The score at the end of the first quarter was Barden 3, Crestfield 0.
The second quarter was a hard fought defensive battle. Both Crestfield and Barden kept their opponents out of field goal range and went into the locker room at halftime with the score still 3-0 in Barden's favor. The refs made one or two questionable calls but nothing that affected either side so everything was looking good for the second half.
Chloe and a couple of her cheer squad ran over to the Barden side to talk to Aubrey. Beca stood off to the side watching and Chloe saw her and waved her over. Beca walked over to the group and Chloe gave her a quick kiss.
"Hey, Becs," Chloe said and wrapped her arms around Beca.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go to a movie or something later," Beca said. "We can grab dinner, too."
"Sounds good," Chloe said. "Can we invite Brey and Stacie?"
"Sure," Beca said. "Oh, I rode over with my dad and Carol so you'll have to drive me home."
"Okay," Chloe said and kissed Beca again.
Beca stood around with Chloe hanging all over her, which she hated of course, and chatted with the two cheer squads while the marching band performed their halftime show. Chloe and her girls had to separate and head back to the other side of the field. Beca watched as Chloe led the squad in getting the Crestfield fans excited and cheering.
The third quarter went about the same as the second. Barden did get into field goal range only to have the kicker hit the uprights and the ball bounce off to the left. The fourth quarter started and the roar of the crowd was deafening. Both sides were excited and knew that it was still anyone's ball game.
It seemed Barden and Crestfield's offenses woke up. On the first play, Crestfield managed to move the ball down the field with ease. They were at the twenty and ran a short pass play that ended in a Crestfield touchdown and PAT. The score was now Barden 3, Crestfield 7. The Crestfield fans, though outnumbered, made as much noise as the Barden fans.
Barden didn't take the Crestfield touchdown lying down. They came back with a vengeance only to be stopped time and time again. Finally, Barden was at the fifteen and it was fourth down. They opted to try for the easy three and work on getting the ball back to score again. The kick was good and the score was now Barden 6, Crestfield 7.
Crestfield came back wanting another touchdown hoping to put the game out of reach for Barden. They tried every trick in the book and it looked like they were going to score when Tom and Chicago tackled Crestfield's running back, stripping the ball from his hands. Chicago recovered the fumble and it was now Barden's ball with just over three minutes on the clock. The fans were cheering as Barden's offense took the field. They had a lot of yards to cover and not a lot of time.
Barden's quarterback called for several quick pass plays, and they moved down the field at a steady clip. The last play got them just past midfield with two minutes on the clock. Crestfiield lined all but two of the defensive players at the line of scrimmage expecting a run; Barden saw this and quickly changed their play to a pass and gained fifteen yards. They were at the 32-yard line and knew they needed at least another ten for their field goal kicker to have a chance.
Barden ran the ball and ate up seven more yards. They did a quick pass and got four more and another first down. The clock was stopped since the receiver was able to get out of bounds. They now had time for one more play before bringing on the field goal team.
The excitement was getting to the fans and they were all on their feet, screaming and cheering for their team. Barden ran the ball and gained another seven yards and the field goal team quickly came on the field. This was their last shot as they were down to twenty seconds on the clock.
The center snapped the ball, the holder grabbed it and settled in position, and the kicker planted his left foot and brought his right foot through to connect with the ball. The crowd grew silent as the ball sailed through the air. Every eye in the bleachers and on the field was on the ball.
Beca felt like things were moving in slow motion as she watched the ball. Suddenly, the Barden fans went wild. The kick was good and the fans were stomping their feet causing the bleachers to vibrate.
Barden won the game 9-7 and were the Conference Champions.
~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~
"I can't believe I lost twice betting on our guys," Chloe said when she saw Melissa waiting for her in front of the school.
"They fought hard," Melissa said. "It just wasn't meant to be." She looked around and said, "I hope April's not late. I need to get to my class. You High Schoolers do not react well when there is no authority figure in the classroom."
"Barden green looks good on you, mom," Beca called out when she saw Melissa and Chloe standing in front of their school's sign. She walked over to them with Aubrey and Stacie by her side. "I mean it would look good if you were actually wearing it. Where's your Barden shirt?"
"It's right here, miss smarty-pants," Melissa said as she held it up. "What are you doing here?"
"We told Ms. Clark about the bet and she said we could miss our first-period class today to check to make sure the debt was paid," Aubrey said with a smile.
"Hmmph," Chloe scoffed. "I always pay my debts."
"Here," Beca said taking off her Barden hoodie. "Why don't you wear this? It's going to be chilly today."
"That's sweet," Chloe said and gave Beca a quick kiss. "You know you'll probably never get this back."
"Oh, but I will," Beca said as she turned the hoodie around to show Chloe the back. "It has my name on it."
"She's marking her property," Aubrey said with a grin.
"Shut up," Beca said. "Can you blame me? Have you seen some of these guys and girls around here?"
Chloe grabbed the hoodie and started putting it on. "Then I'll just have to keep it since I'm pretty sure it's going to be my name someday."
Beca couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. She smiled because she was sure that one day she and Chloe would share the same last name.
That's it for the regular chapters. The next and final chapter will be an Epologue. Zap and I want to say thanks for hanging in there with us.