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The next day of classes goes easier. She doesn't get lost nearly as much which she takes as a good sign. When she gets to Bella rehearsal she takes a seat in the alto section. She pulls out one of her textbooks to keep her busy while she waits for the other girls to arrive. Her luck runs out when the first one there is Beca. She looks up at the movement in the corner of her eye and she sees Beca's hesitation. She looks between her sister and the door but she knows she's been seen so she continues over to set her laptop up on the piano.

"Hey Hanna."

"Oh, uh, hey."

The silence is painful. Every muscle in Hanna's body is tensed and she thinks about leaving until someone else comes but that would be even worse. Beca twists one of her earrings and keeps her eyes on the laptop screen, even though it's black; but Hanna can't see that.

"How are classes?"

Hanna notices how her sister's voice sounds foreign. She knows how odd that would be for most people, but she can't help but be a little stunned by the way it sounds. She clears her throat, crosses her legs, uncrosses them, then crosses them the other way.

"They're fine. You?"

Beca finally looks up at her sister. She's grown up so much, even in the last year. She's grown into her features, they're soft and give her a graceful look. Her hair falls down past her shoulders in beautiful golden brown tresses. She's an adult now but every time Beca pictures her, she's still a little kid scared of their parents.

"Fine."

They both visibly relax when they can hear the other girls walk into the room. Beca notices how Chloe's eyes flit between the two of them and a ghostly little smile appears on her face. Beca just shakes her head. Chloe and Amy walk over to her. The other girls take their seats. Hanna has noticed the divide between the girls; although they're all close, the dynamic is clear.

Beca, Chloe and Amy tend to group themselves together, while Stacie, Cynthia Rose, Jessica and Ashley form their own little group. Then there's Lilly, who, well she isn't quite sure what she does, and she isn't sure she wants to. She can't help but smile when the girls take seats around her and include her in the conversation right away. After a few minutes of idle chatter Chloe's voice gets louder than usual and they all turn to listen.

"Okay ladies, we need to start thinking about our set for our first competition. Beca and I have been working on a couple arrangements."

"Let's hear them," Amy starts, "I assume there is a kickass solo in there for me."

Hanna laughs.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Easy Amy," Chloe says, "let's just listen to them and we'll make some decisions."

After listening to the several mixes Beca has made, the girls start to deliberate; it's loud and gets a little heated. Hanna keeps quiet. She had no idea Beca could do what she does and she feels even more inferior than she had before.

"What do you think, Little Mitch?" CR asks and all of the girls turn their attention to her.

Her mouth goes dry and she shakes her head.

"I don't care. Whatever you guys think is best."

"That's not how this group works," Chloe says, "we all have a say. What do you think, honestly?"

When it's clear they aren't going to let her get away with not saying anything she clears her throat again; there's been a lump in there for days that she can't seem to get to go away.

"I liked the second one, but there was just one part…"

She trails off and this time it's actually Beca who speaks up.

"What?" She sounds genuinely curious, not angry like she had assumed she'd be.

Hanna gestures toward the piano, "Can I?"

"Of course," at this point Chloe is giddy. She sits up straighter and all of the girls wait quietly for Hanna to play.

"In the second verse maybe it could switch back to the bridge of the first song and then we could layer it."

She makes the changes and plays it perfectly. The girls all agree and the decision is made. Everyone leaves the room except for Hanna and Beca. Hanna is still at the piano bench and Beca is cleaning up her stuff. She leans against the back of the piano and looks at her sister.

"I didn't know you play."

"You never asked."

Beca's heart sinks. Hanna looks down at her hands shaking in her lap.

"Yeah, I guess I haven't been the best sister, have I?"

This is the moment Hanna has waited ten years for and now that it's here she's terrified.

"When mom and dad split, they chose sides for us. It was never about us but we let it split us up too."

"Well, if it's okay with you, um, I'd like to try to be better."

Hanna nods, "Yeah, me too."

She watches Beca leave the room. Her insides feel shaky. She knows she shouldn't feel so anxious about mending the relationship with her sister but it's something she never thought would happen; and now that it's here she doesn't want to screw it up.

When Beca walks out of the room she isn't at all surprised that Chloe is waiting right there.

"So?"

"We're good. Everything is fixed."

"Really?"

"No," Beca looks at her in disbelief, "but we both agreed to start trying."

"That's great, Bec."

Chloe puts her hand on her shoulder and it feels like ice; so cold that it's hot. Beca doesn't move it, she lets her hold it there all the way home and when they finally get inside, Chloe takes it back. She wishes the walk had been longer.

"Maybe you could ask her to help you with the arrangement?"

"Chloe, you've done enough. Let us handle it from here on out, okay?"

Chloe nods but they both know that's not going to happen.

Hanna walks into the room and Dayna is sitting on her bed on her laptop.

"Hey, what's up?" She asks, not looking up.

"Not much. Some of the Bellas and I are going to a party. Do you want to come?"

"As much as I would love to see your awkward ass at a party, I can't. I have plans with Lucia."

Hanna changes her shirt and checks her makeup in the mirror.

"Which reminds me. She wants me to ask you for your girl's number."

Hanna looks at Dayna through the mirror.

"She thinks Stacie's gay?"

"Isn't she?"

Hanna gives a puzzled look, "You know, I don't know," She turns to her roommate, "but tell her I need to actually talk to her first before I give her anyone's number. I need to make sure she's good enough for my friend."

"So you're friends with the Bellas now?" Dayna's tone is playful, it's too easy to mess with Hanna.

"I don't know," She quickly recoils, "I guess some of them."

"Like Stacie."

"Yeah and Jessica and Ashley are cool."

Dayna smiles, her usual dimpled, squinty eyed smile, "That's good cause you're going to be spending a lot of time with them," She hops off the bed, "I'll tell Lucia that you want to meet her."

"That's not what I said."

"That's what you meant."

Dayna walks out of the room with her shower stuff leaving Hanna confused by her last statement. She doesn't have time to think too much about it when she gets a text that says the girls are outside. When she walks out she is met with some whoops and some singing. She shakes her head and falls in step with them.

"You're first frat party, freshman. Are you excited?" Cynthia Rose asks.

"Should I be?"

"No," Ashley says and Jessica pushes her arm playfully.

When they walk into the backyard of the frat house she is overwhelmed immediately. There are people everywhere, way more than you would think would fit in the space. The music is terrible, and way too loud, and the decorations are a mix between a retirement luau and a Bar Mitzvah. The girls disperse and she is left standing alone before she can even process what's going on. She sighs and walks up to the porch to grab a drink. She lets one of the pledges fill her cup. He asks for her number.

"I'm sorry, I normally wouldn't be so pushy but they're making us compete to see who can get the most numbers."

He points to his torso which has a few numbers scrawled on it in black marker. Another boy walks by with way more across his chest and back. This kid is a small, squirrelly boy. He doesn't look like he fits in at all and she feels a kinship with him.

"Why are you even doing all this?"

He looks around to make sure there's no one else listening before he speaks.

"I'm a legacy. My dad and my older brother were both members. You probably wouldn't get it."

"Actually I do."

She jots her number on his bare torso with the marker he gives her.

"Thank you so much…"

"Hanna."

He extends the hand without the keg pump, "Sampson or Sammy, whichever."

"Good luck, with all of this."

"Thanks."

She looks around and doesn't see anyone she recognizes so she stations herself against the railing of the back porch and watches the chaos.

"Hey there girl, you look good tonight."

A tall guy with a thick southern accent that reeks of beer stumbles over to her.

"Wanna get out of here?"

"I'm good." She says, trying to keep the disgust from her voice but failing miserably.

"Come on."

The guy grabs at her arm and she shrugs him off. He's easily twice her size. He presses her further up against the railing so that it's digging into her back.

"I can show you a good time."

His words slur together and he sways back and forth.

"Let me go," She tries to push him away but this time his hand is locked around her wrist and she's sure if he wanted to he could snap it.

"Hey man, she said back off."

A familiar voice comes over her shoulder. The guy lets go of her arm and backs up a little. She turns to see Tuck standing there, glaring at this guy. One fist is clenched and the other rests gently on her shoulder.

"Whatever, you can have her. She's a prude bitch anyway."

He walks away and straight toward another group of girls.

"My knight in shining armor."

He bows and gives a big goofy grin.

"Are you alright, m'lady?"

"Yeah, thank you," She adjusts her shirt and straightens herself out.

"I'm here to serve," He looks around, "are you here alone?"

"I came with a few of the Bellas but I have no idea where any of them went."

"Yeah, this is a little lame. I was gonna cut out and grab a burger, you in?"

She looks around, a little more closely this time. She sees Stacie dancing with a group of guys, Fat Amy is arm wrestling some guy in a football jersey. Over in the corner, Jessica, Ashley and Lilly are huddled around each other laughing. She pushes a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Sure, sounds cool."

She follows him out of the party and they walk down one of the paths out toward town. It's quiet for a few minutes while the sounds of the party drift off and they are left alone.

"So how's your first week at Barden?"

"Uh," She sticks her hands in her pockets, "it's been alright. You know living in my sister's shadow and being told fifty times a day how great of a professor my dad is, it's a unique experience."

"Yeah, that can't be easy."

"I take it you're not a younger sibling?"

He shrugs, "I am actually, but my brother is ten years older than me so the shadow is long gone."

"You guys aren't close?"

"He's kind of a jerk, but he's my brother." He answers vaguely.

"I understand that. My sister can be a jerk too. To be honest we hadn't talked in months before I came here."

She isn't sure why she's telling him this. She barely knows him, they've only talked a few times but maybe it's the first sips of alcohol she's had in months or maybe it's his incredibly kind smile and sparkly eyes.

"Why not?"

"Have you ever been told something so much that you just kind of start to believe it?"

"I guess so, yeah."

"My dad, after the divorce, told me pretty much every day how horrible my mom is. So eventually I stopped calling her, stopped wanting to see her, and she stopped wanting to see me. Beca lived with her until she came here so we just stopped seeing each other too."

"That's really sad."

"I guess. But it happened so gradually that I never really noticed it until she and my dad started talking again."

They stand outside of the late night burger place. She realizes what she's said and she is suddenly embarrassed about how open she's being.

"After you," He says when he opens the door.

"I actually, should probably go."

"What? Are you sure?"

She starts walking in the direction they came, "Yeah."

"Let me walk you back to your dorm."

"No, I'm okay. I'll see you later."

She walks faster until she can't see him in her peripherals anymore. She takes a few deep breaths and closes her eyes.

An hour or two later the Bellas meet back up to walk home.

"Wait, where's Hanna?" Stacie asks.

The rest of the girls shrug and look around like they hadn't noticed she wasn't with them.

"Has anyone seen her?" Cynthia Rose asks.

"Oh my God, Beca's going to kill us. We lost her little sister." Jessica says.

"She's not an infant," Ashley says, "she probably hooked up with some guy."

They start their walk back to the Bella house. They each try to call her with no response.

"I'll try one more time." Stacie says.

It rings a few times before they can hear a ring tone somewhere in the dark.

"Hanna, what are you doing all the way out here?" Stacie asks.

Hanna has sat herself down next to a tree. She didn't want to go back to her room. The day has cooled into a somewhat breezy night and she was enjoying the quiet. Stacie walks over to her, she gestures for the other girls to keep walking, which they do. Jessica is more than a little tipsy, being held up by Ashley and Cynthia Rose. When their voices disappear Stacie looks at Hanna again, her own voice is soft and gentle; it surprises Hanna a little but she masks it with a look of apathy.

"Are you alright? Are you drunk?"

Hanna shakes her head, "I had like half a beer."

"Then what's going on?"

There's a long pause.

"Why aren't you drunk?"

"Contrary to what the rest of the Bellas will tell you, I don't actually drink that much. I just go to the parties to dance and find cute boys."

At least she got her answer.

"You taking off without telling anyone wasn't cool."

She doesn't sound mad so Hanna bites back, "What are you my keeper now?"

Stacie scoffs at just how much that sounded like Beca.

"No, but you're one of us which means we're going to look out for you. Besides, it's probably not safe for you to be walking around alone this late. Someone might think you're a small child and call the police."

"I wasn't alone, well at least not at first."

Stacie lifts an eyebrow.

"I was with Tuck."

"Treble Tuck? Good work freshman, he's cute."

"He's nice I guess but it's not like that."

Stacie stands and pulls Hanna to her feet.

"Why don't you come stay at the house tonight? You can crash with me and Lilly."

Hanna allows herself to be pulled across the grass to the path.

"Lilly isn't going to do anything weird to me in my sleep is she?"

"No. Well, probably not."

The next morning Hanna wakes up to an empty room. She's a little disoriented at first but then she sees the photo on the desk of Stacie and someone she can only assume is her brother and last night all comes back to her. She slips her shoes on and grabs her phone. It's almost dead but she is able to respond to several concerned texts from Dayna, to reassure her she isn't dead.

When she walks downstairs she is met with the loud chaos that she has accepted as the norm when she's with this group. Amy is yelling something about Australian pneumonia, Chloe and Beca are bickering at the table, and Stacie is sipping coffee with a textbook on her knees. Hanna walks over and takes a seat next to her.

"How can you read with all of this going on around you?"

"You get used to it."

Stacie hands her mug to Hanna who takes it gratefully; it's still hot and smells like hazelnut. She takes a sip before anyone even notices she's there.

"Hey Hanna," Chloe greets her and behind her Beca is looking at her, more than a little confused, "we don't have rehearsal today."

"I know, I was just,"

"She stayed in my room last night, after the party." Stacie steps in to save Hanna from whatever was going to fall out of her mouth.

"Oh cool."

Chloe breezes out of the room and Amy follows her, continuing her rant from before.

"The good news is you don't snore." Stacie says with a wink. She closes her book and walks out of the room too.

It's like they all have a pact to leave Beca and Hanna alone as much as possible. Beca stands up and pours herself some more coffee.

"Can I top you off?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"So you actually went to that party with them last night?"

"For a little while. It wasn't that much fun though."

"They never are," Beca says with feigned wisdom, "except when we throw them. Then they're epic."

"I'm sure," Hanna lets a little smile come across her lips.

The conversation feels almost normal.

"I should probably go back to my dorm or I'll be late for my classes."

"Hey, um," Beca says to stop her from walking out of the room, "dad said something about dinner this week. Did he mention that to you?"

"Yeah actually."

"I figured, this time, we could do it on the same night. You know to make it easier on Sheila."

Hanna shoves her hands in her pockets, "Yeah, sure. Tonight?"

Beca nods, "I'll make the call."

"Cool, I'll see you later then."

"Yeah, see you later."

When Hanna walks outside it's like she can breathe again. She had made it through another conversation with Beca and this time it didn't make her whole body hurt; that's progress. Although, dinner with their dad may be pushing their luck. The more she thinks about it throughout the day, the more convinced she becomes that it's going to be a disaster.