Chapter 5
Chloe's POV
"What are you doing tonight?" I ask Tom on the phone as I walk back to my apartment, having just gotten out of Russian Lit.
"Nothing much. You?"
"Nada. Wanna…" I trail off, and I hear him laugh.
"Sure. Where at this time? I know your roommate wasn't too happy about us doing it on the kitchen table last week." I giggle as the memory floats to my brain again.
"How about the showers? If we wait until later, they'll be empty." I suggest.
"Sure. I'll meet you then." With that, he hangs up. With a wide grin on my face, I open the apartment door. I look around and see Aubrey sitting at the kitchen table, books sprawled everywhere and her computer in front of her. She's wearing her reading glasses, and the tip of her tongue is pointing out of the corner of her mouth.
"You're studying already?" I ask incredulously as I close the door behind me. "We've only been in class for about three weeks."
"Law school is hard." She protests, not even looking up at me. "Plus, shouldn't you be studying, Miss Pre-med Student?"
I roll my eyes and set my bag down on the table across from her. "Technically, yes, but I don't want to."
Finally, she looks up at me, an annoyed expression clearly written all over her features. "Seriously?"
"Yeah."
She rolls her eyes. "You're going to fall so far behind."
"Yeah yeah, and you can say 'I told you so' when I do. I'm not exactly worried about the schoolwork right now." I sit down with a sigh. "I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to get Mitchell to join the Bellas."
This time, Aubrey's face turns sympathetic as she looks back up at me. "You'll figure it out, Chloe."
"It's a week away, Aubrey!" I yell out, slamming my hand down on the table. To her credit, she doesn't jump at my sudden outrage. "A fucking week, and I have nothing!" A few angry tears slip out, and I bat them away.
"Chloe." Aubrey sighs and closes her computer, giving me a soft smile. "You'll figure it out. I just know it. You're Chloe Beale, for crying out loud." This earns a small chuckle out of me, and her grin widens in return. "Now, what are you doing tonight?"
Cautiously, I say, "Meeting up with Tom." Immediately, she groans and opens her computer again.
"Really?"
"Yes, really. I need some relief!" I exclaim. Before I know it, we're both laughing at the double innuendo.
"Whatever, Chloe. But I want to see you do some homework. This is college. We have to fit in." I nod.
"I know. Hey, have you checked Mitchell's room yet today?" I glance at my watch and see that it's only 9:38.
"Nope, want to look?" Aubrey asks, and I nod. I get up and turn on the computer, waiting patiently for it to load. It doesn't take long, but it feels like forever. Finally though, it loads, and I put the password into the computer. As always, my hands seem to shake by the time I get to this point.
The program opens, and Mitchell's room appears. She's asleep, and her roommate is at her desk, typing away on her computer. Suddenly, the door opens, and a man I recognize as Dr. Mitchell walks in.
"Beca, wake up." He walks over to his daughter and stirs her awake. "Funny, this doesn't look like your Intro to Philosophy class."
"I'm posing an important philosophical question." She smirks and sits up. "If I don't actually go to that class, will it still suck?" Despite myself, I chuckle.
"Come on Becs, this is college. You've been here, what, a month now? Do you have any friends?" Dr. Mitchell asks as Mitchell gets out of bed.
"Kimmy Jin is my friend."
"Nope." Her roommate responds, and Mitchell shoots her a glare.
"I got a job at the radio station." Mitchell offers, and her dad groans.
"Great, that place that stinks and has what, those three weirdos working there?"
Mitchell points at herself sarcastically. "Well, four now."
"Come on, Becs. Tell you what. Join one group on campus, and if, at the end of the year, you still want to go to LA and be P Diddy" Mitchell's face turns to one of exasperation, "Then you can quit college. And I, I will help you move to LA."
Suddenly, Mitchell's whole face lights up in one of surprise. "Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously. But I really need to see it, Becs." With that, he walks out. Mitchell fist bumps the air, a true smile on her face.
"Aubrey." I look over at my best friend, who turns to look at me.
"Yes?"
"We only have one year."
"Duh, we graduate this year." She says, rolling her eyes fondly. I slap my forehead with the palm of my hand.
"Oh yeah." I giggle. I reach over and turn the computer off, then glance down at my watch again; 10:05. "Hey, I gotta run, I have a class in about twenty minutes."
"Alright, have fun." She says absent-mindedly, staring at her computer again. I grab my bag, then head back out the door, slightly annoyed that my one break was taken up by watching a target.
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"Hey." Tom gives me a grin when I walk into his shower. He's leaned against the shower wall, obviously waiting for me.
"Hey." My grin widens at him, and I close the curtain, leaning into him. He instantly presses his lips to the base of my neck, emitting a small moan from me.
"You seem so tense. Do you need a backrub?" He asks, his voice already low and husky in my ear.
"No, I'm good." I say through gritted teeth, trying not to let him know how much of an effect he has on my body. "Just…"
"Ok, can do." He laughs, then presses his lips to mine feverishly. I kiss him back hungrily, allowing my hands to grip his hair. Before I'm even aware of what's happening, he swirls me around to where my back is pressed up to his front.
I freeze when I hear the door of the bathroom open, but Tom keeps peppering kisses on my neck and collarbone.
"Tom!" I say through gritted teeth, but he doesn't seem to notice. It feels like everything freezes, though, when I hear a voice.
You shout it out
But I can't hear a word you say
I'm talking loud, not saying much
Instinctively, I turn my body when the voice moves. Instantly, I feel something tug at my heart; this is easily the most beautiful voice I've ever heard.
I'm criticized, but all your bullets ricochet
You shoot me down, but I get up
Acting again on instinct, I follow the voice. Tom gives me a confused look, but I pay him no attention. I open the curtain to see a completely naked Beca Mitchell standing in the shower, her back facing me. I immediately know it's her due to the tattoo on her shoulder.
I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
"You can sing!" I exclaim, grinning at the shocked look on her face (and also from the fact that I finally get to do my job).
"Dude!" She exclaims back, trying to close the curtain, which I open again. No way am I missing my shot.
"How high does your belt go?" I ask, turning the water off.
"My what? Oh my God!"
"You have to audition for the Bellas." I tell her.
"I can't concentrate on anything you're saying until you cover your junk." Her eyes land on anything but me as she speaks.
"Just consider it! One time, we sang backup for Prince. His butt is so tiny, I could hold it with one hand. Oops!" As I'm overexaggerating, I accidentally hit the soap right out of Mitchell's hand, who had managed to cover her lower half with the curtain.
"Seriously? I am nude." Mitchell asks as she bends down to grab it, then turns her back to me, standing against the wall.
Seeing as this approach isn't working, I try a different one. "You were singing 'Titanium', right?"
Suddenly, she turns to me, a hint of a smile on her face. "You know David Guetta?"
"Have I been living under a rock? Yeah. That song is my jam." I lean forward and add, "my lady jam."
"That's nice." She cringes.
"It is. The song really builds."
"Gross." She turns back to the wall.
"Can you sing it for me?" At this, she turns to look at me again.
"Dude, no! Get out!"
"Not for that reason. I'm not leaving here till you sing, so." I make a show of sighing, waiting patiently. She nods, then covers the top of her body before turning back to me. Her eyes flit back and forth from the side to me as she sings.
I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose
I can't help but add in a harmony, becoming entranced again at the voice. Something deep inside of my head pounds, but I push it off momentarily.
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
Our eyes are locked at this point, and she takes the harmony as I take the melody.
You shoot me down, but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down, but I won't fall
I am titanium
Her eyes travel down my body quickly before shooting back up, and Aubrey's words play in my head: I read Mitchell's files. She's bi. My grin widens as I realize I can maybe use this to my advantage.
"Oh yeah. I'm pretty confident about all this." I say, gesturing to my body.
"You should be." She says back, quietly, leaning against the wall again.
"Oh." I suddenly remember that I said I'd leave once she sang, so I turn around and hand her a towel.
"I still need to shower." She says, but still takes the towel from me.
"You have a lovely voice." Tom suddenly appears, and I turn to give him an approvingly happy look, as if to say, 'Right?'
"Thanks." She says in an appalled voice. He obviously checks her out, so I decide to drag him away with me. As I walk away, I yell something at her behind my back.
"See you at auditions!"
"What was that about?" Tom asks when we get back to our shower. I pull my robe back on, giving him a sad smile.
"Recruiting. Sorry, I have to go. Can I take a raincheck for today?" He sighs, then nods. "Thanks!" I give him a chaste kiss on the cheek, then practically sprint out of the showers.
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"Aubrey! Guess what?" I ask as soon as I walk in the door, not even taking the time to make sure she's here first.
"What?" She walks out from the kitchen, a bottle of water in her hand. She's wearing purple and blue pajamas, and she looks like she's about to go to bed. "I do not want to hear about how good your orgasm was."
"No, no, we didn't even have sex." Her brow furrows in confusion, but she offers no comment. I take that as a sign to continue. "I ran into Mitchell in the showers, and I forced her to sing with me. Long story short; she's joining the Bellas. There's no way she won't!" Aubrey stares at me for another second, then breaks out a huge grin. She opens her arms, and I wrap mine around her in a huge hug. "We did it!" I exclaim.
"You did it, Chlo."
