Walk Along Side of Me
WEEK 1
Beca Mitchell was standing awkwardly in the staff room of Grandview High School, making herself a cup of coffee she didn't really want or need. She really just wanted something to hold so she would have something to do with her hands. The room was already filled with plenty of other teachers, and even though she was literally in her twenties, she still had that stupid first-day-of-school feeling in her gut.
Because it was quite literally her first day of school. Except this time, she was a teacher.
Her first familiar face walked into the room. Principal Davis, who hired her. She was an older woman with white-blonde hair and a strong chin, definitely the type that meant business.
Principal Davis stood up in the front of the room. "Thank you all for coming a little early. The newest addition to our staff is here for her first day, and I expect a warm welcome from all of you. Joining in the middle of the school year is no easy task, and we're all very lucky to have her on such short notice. Ms. Mitchell will be joining our Science department, taking over the Natural Sciences classes."
Beca got a few smiles and nods from the other teachers that she awkwardly returned. Across the room, one particularly bright smile caught her attention. A red-headed woman with ridiculously blue eyes was beaming at her, her hand doing an excited little wave. She was wearing a bright orange dress with three-quarter length sleeves, and Beca instantly got the feeling she was a 'dress every day' kind of teacher.
She waved back, muttering, "Jesus…" under her breath. Whoever this woman was, clearly she was a morning person. Beca made a mental note to avoid her early in the day, because she was decidedly allergic to morning people.
"Hey." There was a tap on her shoulder. She turned around. "I'm Amy Hobart. I used to go by Fat Amy in college, so twig bitches wouldn't make fun of me behind my back, but I'm kind of phasing that out," she said, nodding to herself. "Apparently Principal Davis finds it inappropriate around the students or whatever."
"Oh," Beca said awkwardly."So I should call you…?"
"Just Amy, I suppose, yeah? Best to keep things on an even keel."
Beca raised her eyebrows in response. "Right… Just Amy. Who is that over there?" She nodded to the redhead, who was facing away from them now.
"That tall glass of water is Chloe Beale. We started teaching here around the same time, actually. She's a good one."
Beca nodded distractedly, watching Chloe talk with a huge grin on her face to an old man wearing a tie with cartoon characters on it.
"She seems… perky." Looking back to Amy, she said, "What do you teach, anyways?"
"Ah, yeah, I teach Spanish."
Beca laughed, turning it into a cough when she realized Amy was serious. "Seriously? You're an Australian, in America, teaching Spanish?"
Amy laughed, looking around nervously. She quickly stepped in closer. "Don't tell a soul, but I can't actually speak Spanish. I just use Google Translate for everything. These people hired me without actually checking, and I've just sort of rolled with it."
She stepped back and winked at Beca with a not so discreet thumbs-up at her waist.
"Well, off to class, first period begins soon, yeah? Adios, Beca Mitchell, and I will see you around."
Beca just stood there in shock, wondering what the hell she got herself into with this school. Instead of sticking around to mingle, she left to go find her classroom. She was sure it would be supremely embarrassing if her students all made it to class, and she was late because she didn't know where it was.
Room 214. So she was upstairs. She walked along the corridor, crammed with kids, until she found the room with her number.
"Alright," she muttered to herself. "Let's do this thing."
Three days in a row.
Three days in a row now, Beca had been trying to teach her class about the ocean floor, and three days in a row, the teacher next to her had drowned her out with some movie that was way louder than necessary.
Right now, she really didn't have the patience for this. This was her first teaching job. Beca was already so consumed with how she looked and whether she was doing things right, it felt like half the time she was impersonating a teacher instead of really being one.
"Tectonic plates shift, and when they do, the seafloor spreads…"
She trailed off as something loud happened in the movie next door that was clearly very exciting, causing all her kids to laugh. She looked at the back wall. It wasn't the first time, or even the tenth. And it was getting old.
"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered under her breath. "Guys, I'll be back in a minute, alright?"
Beca stalked into the classroom next door and flipped on the light. All the students' heads popped up. The redhead at the desk who looked way too into the movie looked at her, eyes wide in surprise. It was Chloe Beale, the morning person from her first day.
Of course.
Beca walked right up to her desk and plucked the remote up, hitting pause.
"The constant movies you play for your students distract mine from the lesson. We're trying to get actual work done over there, if you could keep your little TV marathon down over here."
Beca tossed the remote onto the desk and stalked back into the hallway, ignoring the wide-eyed freshmen watching her.
Turning sharply to go back into her own classroom, she was stopped short by the clicking of heels behind her.
"Excuse me, Miss Mitchell."
Beca groaned and turned around to face the huffy-looking English teacher. "Yes, Miss Beale?"
"For the record, my students have worked really, really hard this semester. They worked their asses off reading this book, writing papers, doing projects. If I want to reward them with the film of the book they've just read- which has an assignment tied in, not that it matters to you- then I will. If you have a problem with me, you can bring it to my attention in private and I will gladly address it. You come into my class like that again and disrupt my students, then I will bring it to Principal Davis's attention and she will gladly address it."
She opened her mouth to respond, but the red-haired woman already turned around and strutted back into her classroom, slamming the door behind her.
Beca liked her better when she was perky.
WEEK 2
Chloe was walking through the deserted hallways of the school. It was almost 7 o'clock on a Thursday night. She was on her way back to her classroom from the teacher's lounge, having stayed late to do some grading and stopped for a quick break.
"I got my ticket for the long way 'round…"
Chloe stopped in her tracks. She had been almost certain she was the last person in the building. Even the janitors didn't stay past 5:30. And yet, there was singing.
"Two bottle a' whiskey for the way… And I sure would like some sweet company, and I'm leaving tomorrow, what d'ya say?"
Chloe walked further down the dimly lit hallway, the voice growing louder the closer she got to her own classroom. It was Beca Mitchell, she realized. Reaching the Natural Sciences classroom, she peeked through the small window to see Beca working at her desk, apparently singing. How hadn't she realized sooner that Beca was still here?
"I've got my ticket for the long way 'round, the one with the prettiest of views… It's got mountains, it's got rivers, it's got sights to give you shivers, but it sure would be prettier with you…"
Chloe had goosebumps just listening to her. Her voice was like a warm summer's night and a strong shot of tequila. Somehow she couldn't marry the person singing as she worked with the one who stormed into her classroom. They'd avoided each other ever since, but something was drawing Chloe in. She'd been watching Beca since that first morning, her curiosity getting the better of her. She could tell from the few quiet interactions she'd witnessed that Beca was good with the students. She would talk to them, not at them, and seemed to have a dry sense of humor the kids liked to be around.
Quietly, she pulled the door open and leaned against the frame so she could listen better. When Beca finished the song, Chloe cleared her throat. Beca nearly jumped a mile high, throwing her pen into the air.
"Jesus! Oh my god. You nearly gave me a heart attack." Beca let out a breath. "I thought…"
"You thought you were the only one left in the school? Yeah, me too." Chloe pushed off the doorway and walked towards her desk. "So, you sing?"
Beca sized Chloe up warily before picking her pen up off the floor. "No. I mean, in the shower, and technically now, yes, but that's it. Other than that, I don't sing."
"Hm," Chloe said, a knowing smile pulling at her lips. "Well, it sounds like you do sing."
"Well, I don't," Beca said. "What are you still doing here anyways? It's late."
Chloe chuckled and shook her head. "Grading papers. Despite what you think, my students do more than watch 'movie marathons.' It tends to leave me with some homework of my own."
Beca winced. "Miss Beale... About that…"
Chloe sighed. "If you're going to apologize, don't. It was your first week. Consider this a free pass. Next time, just tell me if I'm doing something wrong, alright? I'll listen. I promise."
This job was great. It was all Chloe had ever dreamed of. But Chloe knew it could get lonely sometimes and there was already enough division in a place like this - the last thing she wanted to do was add to it. And she was a firm believer that just because two people may have gotten off on the wrong foot, doesn't mean they have to stay that way.
"Thanks," Beca said. Chloe could hear the little twinge of sincerity in her voice that let her know she meant it.
Chloe nodded at the door. "I'm going to head out, actually, unless you need some help grading papers, or…?"
Beca looked at the clock. "That's alright, I was just making lesson plans. I better go home, too. Um, I'll see you around, though."
"Yeah," Chloe murmured. "See you around."
WEEK 4
After her last class of the week at Grandview High, Beca was at her desk with a snack and a stack of quizzes from the day before.
There was a knock at her door. "Come in," she said distractedly.
Principal Davis walked in, looking rather stern in her pantsuit. "Miss Mitchell. Hope you're doing well today."
"Yeah, doing great. What can I do for you?"
"I want to make sure you're adjusting to life at Grandview High. I understand the transition can be difficult at any time, let alone in the middle of a school year."
Beca nodded. "It's been great. The students are amazing, and my colleagues have been really helpful."
And that was mostly true. Of course for every group of great kids, there were always a couple of smartasses who reminded Beca a little too much of herself. That was probably just life giving her a little payback.
Her and her neighboring teacher, Miss Chloe Beale, were getting along, for the most part. Chloe was the absolute worst with technology, so sometimes she went over to Beca's classroom to ask for help with her computer. Beca was still adjusting to the strange English teacher. But admittedly, she wasn't so bad.
Principal Davis clasped her hands together. "Fantastic. I was hoping that was the case. Since you're doing so well, I'd like to ask a favor of you."
"Oh."
"The school cafeteria typically has two teachers monitoring it during lunchtime, and I need one more teacher on Fridays. I thought to myself, what better way for you to get acquainted with everyone, staff and students alike, than to participate?"
Beca had to physically stop her face from saying no for her. Even though that sounded like the worst possible way to spend her lunch hour, and she was already usually busy with grading homework and writing lesson plans anyways, she hesitated.
"If you're willing and able, that is," Principal Davis added.
Beca went against everything inside her and nodded. "Yeah. Of course. I'll definitely supervise lunch on Fridays."
"Fantastic! Miss Beale will be your partner."
"Miss Beale?" Beca said.
"Yes, she's a teacher in our English department. Somewhat new herself. Last fall was the start of her first year with us."
Beca just nodded. "Yeah, we've met."
Beca was going over a new project with her students when Chloe popped her head into her classroom.
"Miss Mitchell?"
"Yes?"
Chloe pressed her lips together in embarrassment. "My powerpoint doesn't want to open. Is there any chance you can come help me out again?"
Beca laughed. "Alright, guys, I'll be back in a minute. Open your books to page 194 and start chapter twelve, alright? Sarah, you're in charge till I get back."
Sarah looked up from her book. She was the smallest, shyest girl in class, and the surprise was evident in her eyes.
Beca followed Chloe back into her classroom. Her students were chattering away in little groups, some playing little games with paper footballs.
Chloe walked up to her laptop and used the trackpad to show Beca what the problem was. "See? Every time I try to open it, that happens."
Beca smirked at the redhead's ineptitude with technology. After a few short clicks, Chloe's notes popped up.
"Oh my god, you're a lifesaver!" Chloe exclaimed.
She turned around, not realizing Chloe stood so close, probably looking over her shoulder so she would know what to do next time. Beca bumped into her, then braced her hands on Chloe's sides to steady herself. Her fingers unwittingly lingered before she stepped back.
Beca began to apologize but she was caught short. Chloe was beaming at her, suppressing a laugh, and she was taken off guard by the blue eyes capturing hers.
A boy in the back piped up. "Come on, Miss Mitchell, you couldn't have milked the IT problem just a little longer for us?"
Beca blinked and looked over to the student who had spoken. A sophomore who was in her sixth period.
"Maybe next time, Peter." She swallowed and glanced back at Chloe. "Guess I better get back to my students."
Chloe nodded. "Thanks again."
"No problem."
WEEK 5
Walking into the cafeteria, wanting to just get this over with, Beca scanned the room. Immediately she spotted Chloe walking toward her.
Today was a rare day that Chloe Beale wasn't wearing a dress to school. Fridays were a casual attire day, and the teachers were usually allowed to wear jeans and school t-shirts or athletic clothing. Beca's eyes lingered on Chloe's blue Grandview High shirt and black leggings, her hair tied back in a loose ponytail.
"Hey! New lunch monitor buddy." Chloe was grinning almost ear to ear. "On Fridays students usually spend the first twenty minutes or so eating their lunch, then afterward most of them go outside for kickball!"
"Wow. You sound really excited about that." Beca was only judging her a lot.
"I am. It's the best part of the school week. The students work really hard, so I just love getting to see them have some fun and let loose. You got really lucky, getting assigned Friday to supervise lunch. It's easily the best day for it."
"Yeah, lucky me…" Beca nodded noncommittally and looked around the cafeteria. "So what, we just eat lunch and make sure things don't get too crazy?"
"Essentially," Chloe said.
They sat down at a small table along the wall designated for the teachers on lunch duty. Beca had a sandwich and some chips, meanwhile her compatriot had a leafy green salad loaded up with veggies.
For a few minutes they ate in awkward silence until finally Beca couldn't take it. "So, uh, what book was your class reading?"
"Hm?" Chloe said.
"You know, the book. With the projects and papers and the subsequent movie I interrupted."
"Oh, right. It was The Secret Life of Bees. Have you ever read it?"
Beca shook her head.
"It's one of my favorite books of all time. I've always loved it, but this is my second year teaching it, and I love getting to see the students love it too. It's… amazing," Chloe said.
"What's it about?"
"Well, it's about a fourteen year old girl in South Carolina during the civil rights era. Lily and her housekeeper are running from Lily's abusive father, so they flee to the place where her mother used to live. But really, it's just about life, you know? That's what it's really all about."
Chloe took on such a soft quality as she spoke about the book, Beca didn't realize she was hanging on every word. She had to remind herself to respond. "That sounds really nice," she said quietly.
"It is," Chloe murmured.
Right as they finished eating, students opened the door to the outdoor area. Chloe and Beca got up and walked outside with them.
It was one of those days the heat grabs on and doesn't let go. It had been cool up until a week ago, and now the Georgia heat was in full swing and it seemed to be hitting them all at once. The sun burned hot and unforgiving, enough to make her skin hot to the touch within a minute of stepping outside. They followed everyone out to the kickball field, leaning against the picnic table next to it.
"Miss Beale! Come play with us!"
Chloe laughed and waved them on."You guys go ahead, we'll watch."
"Come on, please?"
Beca had no idea how well-loved Chloe was by the students until literally all of them were begging at the top of their lungs. For some reason, it didn't really surprise her to see a few freshman girls tripping over themselves to get her on their team. "Pleeeease?!"
"Alright, alright. I'll play as long as Miss Mitchell does too, so the teams are even."
Beca straightened up at the sound of her name. "Oh, that is not happening."
Beca hated sports. She hated sports, and she hated people who played them, and she hated people who watched them, and she hated people who didn't hate people who watched or played them.
Yet, somehow, Beca still found herself on the opposite team of her redheaded partner. How in the hell had that happened? She was a teacher. Teachers didn't play kickball, students did. She glanced over to the other team. Chloe was beaming at her with her bright blue eyes as the first inning began and Beca remembered. Right, that was how that happened.
When it came time for her to kick, she walked to the plate, definitely not ready to do anything remotely athletic. Beca tried to give Chloe an intimidating look, but it was hard to forget she was usually the adorable English teacher prancing around in her perky little dresses.
She caught herself mid-thought. Had she really just thought of Chloe as adorable?
Before she had time to process it, Peter had pitched the ball down the sandy dirt, and Beca had no choice but to kick or strike out for her team. Out of the corner of her eye she could see them all standing off to the side, all sly grins and sunkissed skin. Her foot met the ball and it flew out towards first base, exactly where Chloe was waiting for it. Beca made an attempt to run, but Chloe had the ball and tagged her anyways.
Smiling with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning, she grabbed Beca's arm and pulled her in close. "I've got your number, Mitchell," she whispered.
Beca pulled back and looked into mischievous Chloe's eyes, finding herself at a loss for a response.
"You're out, Miss Mitchell!"
She blinked and cleared her throat before turning away. "Yeah, yeah. Less talking, more pitching!" She jogged back to the dugout and signaled that she was watching him, chuckling when he shook his head at her.
Chloe looked at her watch. "Alright, guys, time to get back to class." Everyone groaned. "I know, I know. It's almost the weekend, just three more periods to go and you're free. Everyone grab some water and start walking to the school."
In the end, Chloe's team had won nine to seven. It just so happened that Chloe was good at catching and throwing a ball. Big deal.
Beca and Chloe held up the rear of the pack as they all walked inside. "Not so bad, Mitchell. You've got some fight in you yet."
Beca laughed. "Not so bad yourself, Beale. I haven't played kickball in… I don't know how long. I didn't even like kickball when I was their age. I would have stayed inside with my headphones on, trying to work out a new mashup of some kickass songs."
"See, I could tell by the way you sang that you knew a thing or two about music," Chloe teased.
Beca's cheeks flushed. They walked in silence back up to the school. Something about the relentless heat and watching Chloe wipe the sweat off her neck made a warm haze permeate the corners of her mind.
The idle chatter in the hallways filtered through her senses as they walked to the teacher's lounge to get some water themselves. A fan whirled near the door, a TV in the corner playing the news. Beca wanted to get closer, but to do that she would have to walk within two feet behind Chloe. She hesitated.
With the idea that she was being ridiculous, she made up her mind. She squeezed past Chloe to get closer. She was attuned to every movement, every noise and shuffle. Why did it feel like she was connected to Chloe like static electricity?
A drop of sweat ran down her back, and goosebumps rose on her skin. She grabbed the remote to the TV and turned it up just to give her hands something to do.
"It's okay, you can admit it," Chloe said.
Her gaze leveled at the redhead. She swallowed. "Admit what?"
Chloe leaned in, her blue eyes gleaming with mischief. "That you had fun."
Beca let out a breath and laughed. She put her hand on Chloe's shoulder and shoved her good-naturedly before she even realized what she was doing. Beca froze. Then she snatched her hand back and froze. "Ahhh, sorry."
She didn't know what she was expecting Chloe to do, but flashing a grin at her so wide her heart stopped wasn't it. Beca had seen her smile before, sure, but what came across her face was such a relentless kind of joy. All she did was stare back at her for a moment, long enough to look like a complete idiot. In that instant Beca knew Chloe had a mischievous streak a mile wide, one she'd been hiding well.
WEEK 8
A smirk crept up on Beca's face when she met Chloe's gaze. She had a way of looking at Beca that made her feel like the only person Chloe really wanted to see. The small gestures that Beca didn't know how to repay were adding up. Like the coffee Chloe brought every morning, or the way she never left work if Beca was stuck at her desk with papers. She always, always waited.
"Not to ask the obvious question, but why teaching?" Beca asked.
Chloe and Beca were sitting at Beca's desk, one of them on either side. It was nearly 6 o'clock in the evening, and the school had cleared out. Beca had stayed late to lay out a new project she wanted her students to do. She'd left the lights on and the door open hoping Chloe would make an appearance, and sure enough she'd popped her head in. Want to grade papers together? Chloe said. Pull up a chair, Beca replied, unable to stop herself from smirking at the redhead.
"Always comes up eventually," Chloe said. "You remember when we talked about that book?"
Beca nodded, watching Chloe get this faraway look in her eyes. She spoke softly and thoughtfully, like she was telling Beca a secret.
"That feeling of loving something, and showing it to the kids and watching them love it, too… That's a big part of it. At the same time, it was a way to get out, you know? You spend your whole life in a small town, and eventually it becomes all you can think about. How you're going to escape it one day, how awesome it'll be. I would imagine this future where I would leave and I would be this amazing teacher and love my students so much, and it was a way to escape the present. Pretty soon, imagining the future is the only thing that keeps you going. And now it's my reality, and I'm just really grateful. You know?"
Beca nodded again, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Yeah, I do know."
Chloe blinked and looked back to Beca. "What about you? Why teach?"
Beca just shook her head. "I don't have a story like yours."
She nudged Beca's arm. "But you still have a story."
Beca sighed and leaned back in her chair. She never really knew how to explain it because she barely understood herself. Anyone who knew her knew she was the least likely candidate to ever be a teacher, yet here she was, sitting in a cafeteria trying to make another person understand.
"I guess I don't really know. I'd always wanted to pursue music production, but when I got to college my dad wouldn't allow it. He insisted I get a 'real education' first and let music be my backup, or my hobby, or whatever. He made me join a club, and I became friends with some education majors. I just kind of picked it, never really thinking it would get as far as it did. My dad and I had an agreement- one year of college, then he'd help me move to L.A. to pursue music."
Chloe searched her eyes. "He never followed through, did he?"
Becapresses her lips into a thin line. "Nope. It didn't fit with his image of how my life would turn out, I guess. I was already in the education major, and somewhere down the line I just decided since I don't really like most people that much, I would work with teenagers, you know? I knew I wouldn't be able to handle the really little kids, but this high school age group… they're just trying to figure it out like everybody else. And I thought, maybe I can help them with that. When everyone else is saying no to their dreams… I don't know, maybe I can be someone that says yes."
She was expecting a response, but looking over at Chloe, she was just watching her, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Sorry," Beca muttered. "Didn't mean to let it get heavy there."
"No." Chloe reached out and took her hand, eyes glassy. "Don't be sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry your dad didn't believe in you that way."
Her heart began thrumming in her chest. "It got me here, didn't it?"
She ran her thumb along Beca's palm. "Yeah," Chloe said, nodding. "Yeah. I'm really glad it did."
WEEK 10
"I can't believe it's time for Prom already," Amy said. "This year has flown by, am I right, ladies?"
"Yeah, definitely," Chloe said. "Even quicker for Beca, I'm sure, since she started so late."
"Right you are, Chlo."
Beca nodded at the banner they had just hung. "Looks pretty bad," she said. It was lopsided, looking like it would probably fall off the wall sooner rather than later.
"Ah, see, you're looking at it all wrong," Amy said.
Beca and Chloe tilted their heads to the side and stared up at it. "The sign?"
"No, not the sign. The dilemma. The question is not whether the sign looks bad, it's whether it looks good enough. And that, my friends, is what I like to call good enough."
Beca nodded, looking up at their handiwork. "I guess I would call that good enough."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "We'll just make the next one look better. You can hold the ladder and I'll go up this time."
"Whatever you want."
Chloe picked up the front of the ladder, Beca taking the back. They walked to the second floor, Amy muttering something about cardio under her breath as they took the stairs. Chloe was wearing a baby blue dress today, meaning that Beca had miles of legs in front of her to try not to stare at. She kept her eyes forward, no matter how badly she wanted to look.
Setting the ladder against the wall, Amy handed Chloe one side of the banner. "Up you go, then."
Chloe took the first couple steps up the ladder, and Beca stepped forward to steady it. Leaning to the side, Chloe started positioning the banner. "How's this?"
Beca didn't hear, though, because Chloe was right there and her eyes were roaming where they shouldn't be.
"Beca?"
"Hm?"
"How does it look?"
Beca cleared her throat and looked up. "Um, I don't know, I'm too close. Amy?"
Amy was glancing back and forth between them, the expression on her face smooth and curious. "Yeah, looks great."
"Fantastic," Chloe said, stepping down from the ladder. "Shoot, we're running low on tape for the flyers. I'll be right back."
She set off in the direction of her classroom, leaving Beca and Amy alone.
"Chloe is a straight up panty melter, yeah?" Amy muttered. "I mean, if panties were snowmen, she'd be March."
Beca looked with a flat expression. "We're in Georgia. We don't do snowmen."
Amy just winked at Beca.
Chloe was not Beca's type. She was too pretty, too classy, too smart, too… too everything. She glanced quickly at Chloe, who was on her way back with a new roll of tape. When she walked her body swung so cool and swayed so gentle. It made her need to take a deep breath, mentally cursing Amy's assessment.
"Earth to Beca," Chloe said. She arched an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"
Beca looked away, praying Chloe wouldn't notice the flush on her face. "Sorry. Nothing."
Chloe taped a flyer to a classroom door. "So are you guys signed up to chaperone the prom?" Chloe asked.
Beca could tell by her voice that she definitely was. Was she always this excited about everything?
"I was thinking about it," Amy said. "Aussie's don't have prom, so it might be interesting to see what all the hype is about."
Chloe balked. "You guys don't have prom? Oh my god. I loved my senior prom. It was one of the best nights ever." She looked over to Beca a little too casually. "What about you, Beca? Any plans to chaperone?"
Beca didn't miss the little bit of hope that flickered in Chloe's voice. She shrugged. "I don't know. I never went to prom in high school. They already have enough staff, so I don't see a reason for me to be there."
Chloe balked. "Never went to prom? Okay, it's settled. I'm signing you both up. I think Peter is going to ask Sarah, wouldn't that just be the cutest?"
"Chlo, no," Beca said, shaking her head. "Really, it's fine. You can tell me all about it afterward."
Her smile faltered. She looked back at Beca. "It won't be fun if you don't come."
Their eyes met for a brief second, and Beca couldn't tell if she was startled by Chloe's admission or relieved.
Amy brushed her hands off on her pants. "Well, ladies, it's about that time I get going. Got a date with a gentleman I need to prepare for, if you know what I mean," she said, winking at them.
"Do you know what she means?" Chloe laugh-whispered to Beca.
"I'm trying not to think about it," Beca laughed.
Chloe and Beca were walking side by side through the empty parking lot. All the banners were hung, all the flyers posted. Glancing over at Chloe, she realized Chloe had already been looking at her. It made her stomach swim.
"So…" Chloe said. "About chaperoning."
Beca just smiled at her.
"Something funny?" Chloe asked.
A soft laugh escaped her. "Yeah. You."
With a pensive stare, Beca leaned back against the hood of her car. She tilted her head, regarding her. "You realize you're just a chaperone. You don't need a date." Beca didn't know why she said it, but it had just slipped through her lips as easy as air.
Chloe let out a breath of amusement. Taking two steps forward, she turned around and leaned next to Beca on the car. Close enough that their thighs brushed. Whether it was accidental or not, she didn't know.
The smallest smile pulled on Chloe's lips. "Would be kind of fun, though, wouldn't it?"
Beca swallowed. When she flicked her stare from the concrete to Chloe, she knew she was in trouble. She ran her fingers through her hair in a nervous habit. Beca had to remind herself where they were. Work.
She tried to tell herself, as sternly as possible, this is how things work here. You make friends with your coworkers. That is all. The sooner that sank in, the better off she would be. She looked down to where they touched. Maybe it would sink in, if she believed it even a little. Somehow Chloe's opinion of her was beginning to matter more than it should. And she didn't know how to deal with that.
As Beca was trying to formulate a response, Chloe nudged her leg. "I'll sign you up. Okay?"
WEEK 11
It was finally here. The last day of the school year. Chloe had been right about one thing- it came faster than she ever would have expected. Students flooded the hallways, asking each other to sign their yearbooks and taking selfies to remember the day.
To Beca's surprise, her favorite student walked up to her in the hallway between class periods. "Will you sign mine?" Sarah asked.
Beca smirked at her meek student. "I'm not in it, you know. I started too late in the year to have my picture with the rest of the teachers."
"I know. That's why I need you to sign it."
Beca chuckled and flipped to the back. She uncapped the pen and was about to put ink to paper when Chloe's name caught her eye.
Sarah,
You don't get harmony when everyone sings the same note - never be afraid to shine in your own way. Can't wait to have you in my class again next year,
Miss Beale
Beca read it once, and read it again, her chest swelling a little. She wrote Sarah her own note and passed it back to her with a smile. "Guess I'll see you in the fall?"
Sarah nodded and smiled. "See you in the fall, Miss Mitchell."
As Sarah turned and walked down the hall, Beca couldn't help but call out, "Make good choices!"
Headed to the cafeteria to supervise lunch, it was a rare day that she arrived first. The entire day had been strange that way. Beca was so used to Chloe popping her head in every morning to say hello that it was notably strange today that she hadn't.
Chloe finally made her way into the cafeteria, an unusually troubled pinch to her brow. She sat next Beca quietly.
"It's Friday," Beca said, watching Chloe closely for any signs that this might make her light up even a little. Chloe smiled in a way that didn't quite reach her eyes, though. Beca tried again. "Amelia is probably going to ask you to play kickball. She says she wants a rematch."
Chloe nodded, not even meeting Beca's eyes this time. She just took a bite of her salad and chewed it silently. Disappointment seeped it's way through her chest. When the students started flooding out the double doors to the picnic tables and kickball field, Chloe said, "I'll meet you out there. Just need to use the restroom."
Beca nodded, looking at the redhead with a knot in her gut. "Alright."
She followed the kids out to the pitch, settling on a picnic table and watching the game start through the glare of the sun. It was a clear-blue-sky kind of day, the kind that Beca knew was Chloe's favorite.
Halfway through the game, Chloe's noticeable absence made her feel unsettled. She wished she could go back inside and find her, make sure she was alright, but she knew the students weren't supposed to be out of the building without supervision.
When it was finally time to go back in, she considered checking the teachers lounge. Right after lunch hour was Chloe's free period, and she liked to spend it there. But she had a gut feeling about where the English teacher was. Walking upstairs to her own classroom, she went just one door further to the neighboring classroom. Sure enough, Chloe was there in the empty room, standing with her arms wrapped around herself.
"Hey," Beca murmured, standing at the threshold.
Chloe looked up. Beca saw her starry eyes and the way her throat bobbed with a gulp. Something passed between them, something only her gut understood.
"Hey," Chloe said softly.
Beca didn't like seeing Chloe like this. It was like she was hugging her ribs to hold herself together.
"You alright?" Beca asked, approaching her.
"Yeah. It's just that the school year is almost finished. I'm not very good at this part. At the goodbye."
Beca understood why Chloe was up here. She was trying to soak it in before it was over. She was going to miss it.
"I know, Chlo." Instinctively, Beca wrapped her arms around Chloe, some deeply-set part of her needing to comfort the redhead. "I know." Without a moment's hesitation, Chloe unbound her arms from herself and wrapped them around Beca, relaxing into the embrace.
It was strange for Beca, being this close to another person. She'd never been the comforting type, nor the type to accept comfort. She didn't normally relate to people so easily, on such a basic level.
"I'm glad you're here," Chloe murmured against her hair.
They slowly drew back, only inches apart. The mood shifted with a sudden awareness. It was all coming to a point. Innocent touches, prolonged glances, both she and Chloe guilty. Chloe's eyes roamed her face, her expression overtaken by a sureness Beca knew she'd never felt in her life. It robbed her of all the air in her lungs.
Chloe leaned in, their noses sliding together. She gently pushed a stray strand of hair back from Beca's face.
"Chloe," she breathed.
They shouldn't be doing this. The classroom door was wide open. Anyone could walk by and see them.
"Beca," she responded throatily, her lips just an inch from hers.
Could they deny each other? Could they deny what both wanted? The room was filled with a quiet intimacy, a sense of rightness between two people who yearned to be together. Not even the wrongness of what they were doing could overshadow that.
Chloe's jaw was tilting in, closer, closer, breath warm on her lips. Beca's eyes were fluttering closed, resigning herself to what was about to happen, when the bell rang. They tensed up and Beca took two quick steps back, sucking in a breath. Embarrassment flooded her. The sound of students began filling the hallways, desperate to get the last classes of the day over with and begin their summer.
Beca looked back at Chloe, her eyes silently asking her what to do. The first few students filtered in, and Beca dropped her gaze, walking back into the hall and to her classroom. There were already students taking their seats. She didn't have the time to think about it. Time was already pushing her forward, further and further from that moment.
When the school day finally ended, Beca stood there in the silence of a nearly-empty building. It was so serene when the students were absent. It felt so much bigger.
Taking a deep breath, she walked over to Chloe's classroom, expecting to see her. But the door was closed and the lights were off. Trying not to think about what that meant, Beca turned the light off in her own classroom, locked the door for the last time, and walked out to her car in the parking lot.
Beca unlocked the doors to her car and was about to sit down when she spotted Chloe across the parking lot. She was standing by her own car, eyes fixed on Beca from a distance. They stood there, neither of them moving, until finally Chloe gave her a little wave. She had that melancholy look again, and it made Beca want to hold her one more time.
She waved back. Chloe just gave Beca a sad smile. What would they say? How could it be explained? Beca didn't know, and apparently neither did Chloe.
Finally, Chloe opened her car door and got in. The end of the day, and so the end of the school year, had come and gone. They both went their own ways wordlessly.
SUMMER BREAK
THREE WEEKS LATER
After working up the nerve, Beca knocked on Chloe's front door. She stood there anxiously, but there was no answer. Chloe's car was in the driveway, so she was definitely home.
She thought back to that day at the school. With other women, Beca would have walked away before inviting them into her personal space. But with Chloe, that thought never crossed her mind. The only thought crossing her mind had been getting closer to her, as close as possible. That meant something, right? It had to. It was the only thing keeping her on this front porch.
Walking back to her car, she saw a gate to the backyard. She warred with herself on whether to walk through it. Fuck it. Fuck it, fuck it, fuck it. Beca took a chance that maybe Chloe wasn't ignoring her, and walked around to the backyard.
It was lush, fenced in with two shady oak trees and big leafy plants surrounding them. There was a small garden next to the concrete patio. And there was Chloe, laying in a hammock with a glass of wine and a book. The sight of it stole the breath right out from under her. It was so her, so Chloe.
Beca cleared her throat, and Chloe dropped the book down. Her eyes found her, lingering in surprise for a moment.
"Beca?"
"The one and only," she sighed. She pointed toward the gate. 'I, uh, tried knocking on the front door, but…"
The redhead was still staring at her, like she couldn't fully believe who was in front of her. She was surprised to be here herself. But no matter how hard she'd tried, she couldn't get Chloe off her mind. She hated how the school year ended between them.
"Can I get you a glass of wine?" Chloe offered, breaking the silence.
"Wine?" Beca repeated dumbly. "Yeah, I could go for some wine."
She kicked herself for how stupid and nervous she sounded. She'd thought a thousand times about what she would say when she saw Chloe again, and yet her brain was completely void of the right thing to say.
Chloe just gave her a small smile and invited her into the house. Beca followed close behind, trying not to let herself get mesmerized by the gentle sway of her walk.
Once they were inside, Beca took in her surroundings. It was appropriately bright, with white trim and green plants in the sunroom they had just entered. They walked further into the kitchen, where there was a huge window facing the backyard. Beca leaned against the island as Chloe got another wine glass out of a cupboard and pulled the top off a bottle of pinot noir.
Beca looked up, locking gazes with her now, wondering if she, too, was remembering their time together. Did Chloe realize the hold she had on Beca? Did she realize that day Beca would have begged her to kiss her? Which, of course, hadn't been necessary. Chloe would have done it more than willingly. Her body hadn't forgotten. It sang in her presence, her stupid heart warming and not knowing what was good for it.
Chloe handed her the glass of wine delicately. "Why are you here?" she finally asked.
"Because," Beca said, "There's something I want to tell you."
Chloe was watching her, waiting for whatever it was. And Beca wanted to say it. She did. Except there was a huge lump in her throat and her legs were shaky, and Chloe's blue eyes were so close and her cheeks so rosy.
"What do you want to tell me, Beca?"
She wanted to tell Chloe everything. Because she would rather tell her and walk away heartbroken than say nothing and walk away with regrets.
She could do this. She would.
"I was going to tell you… I think I've fallen for you. Like really, actually, fallen. I know we work together, and I know it's complicated-"
The wine glass in her hand was taken away.
"-but I have. I'm sorry that I'm not sorry. I didn't want to be-"
"Beca."
"- I don't want to be the reason someone's life is more complicated, but it's not like I really had a choice, with all your pretty dresses, and morning coffees, and your weirdly competitive streak that is actually super attractive-"
"Bec."
"- but I can't help how I feel. I tried to stop, I swear. But I couldn't. I've told myself for a really long time that I like being alone. But I don't. I like being with you. I just know that everything's better when I'm with you. You probably think I'm crazy and I'm sure I'm the furthest thing from what you want, but you should know I want you anyways-"
Then it came. "Shut up."
Beca closed her mouth and frowned. Before she had time to process what was happening, Chloe's hands were cupping her jaw, her lips crashing down on hers. Her insistent mouth was parting Beca's shaking lips, sending wild tremors along her nerves, evoking from her sensations she had never known she was capable of feeling.
Their chests were sealed against each other, and Beca's hands were pulling Chloe closer, and they kissed and kissed like they never got to do on that last day.
She felt Chloe's lips against her shoulder, soft and scorching. "I've missed you," Chloe muttered against her skin. "I've missed you so much."
"But… you didn't say anything when you left."
"I was embarrassed. If someone had seen us, we could have lost our jobs. I was so embarrassed that I didn't care, because you were there and it felt so good and right. I just - I felt… safe with you," she finally admitted. "And it made me forget everything else."
"We were both willing participants. It's not like I was a stranger."
She could see Chloe warring with herself. "I know just… where we were. At the school. I love teaching too much to jeopardize it, but that's exactly what I did. We could have both been fired. I was just... embarrassed, Beca."
She looked into the redhead's eyes, understanding that nothing would ever be the same.
"We have time, you know? Time to figure this out. There's two months till school begins again in the fall. Maybe… maybe let's not worry about the complicated stuff yet. Work, HR, parents' opinions… maybe we let that be another day's headache and just… enjoy this."
Chloe threaded her fingers through Beca's hair, her eyes almost dreamlike. "Enjoy this, huh?" Pressing their lips together, her lips curved up against Beca's in a smile. God, it made Beca melt. Chloe grabbed a hold of Beca's jaw, peppering kisses there, fully intending on enjoying all there was to be enjoyed.
"You're a troublemaker, Beale."
Her mouth covered Beca's, her hands dropping down to roam her waist. Chloe gave her neck a little bite that made her shake. "Are you sure you want this?" Chloe asked between kisses.
Beca arched against her. "I'm positive," she breathed.