Chapter 17
Chloe's POV
"Hey you." Beca sits down on the bleachers next to me. "What's up?"
"Nothing, really." I can't even look at her, and I can imagine how confused she must be right now. It just hurts too much.
The thing is, I can't even blame her for killing my dad. He raped her, tried to kill her mom, and murdered her best friend. If it were me… I would have done the same thing. At least my instincts were right- Beca Mitchell is not a monster.
"Doesn't seem like nothing." She stands up, and I instinctively reach out and grab her hand.
"I'm sorry. Please don't leave me."
She blinks, then shrugs and sits down next to me again. "You wanna tell me what's going on?"
I sigh. "I just found out that my dad wasn't as good of a person as I thought he was."
"Was?"
I nod, deciding not to say anything stupid. "He was murdered. Rightfully so."
"Oh." Her eyes widen. "Chloe, I'm so sorry."
I shake my head, but those words mean more to me, coming from her, than she knows. "It's ok."
"No, it isn't." She shakes her head and takes my hand in hers. "He was still your dad."
I turn to look at her, and I can feel the tears gathering in my eyes. "He raped an innocent little girl, tried to kill her mother, and killed her best friend." I know Aubrey and I said we wouldn't tell her, but I'm terrible at hiding secrets.
As expected, she stiffens. "Chloe…"
I nod and look away. "I know."
"I couldn't-"
I cut her off by pressing a finger to her lips. "He deserved it, Beca."
"It still isn't fair to you."
I laugh bitterly and pull my hand away. "Yeah, well, life isn't fair sometimes."
I almost yelp in shock when she pulls me closer to her. "I'm sorry, Chloe."
With a sigh, I lean into her and allow her to press her face into the top of my head. "I forgive you."
"Hold up a second." She gently pulls me up with her. "There's something I want to do."
"Don't kill me too." I mean it as a joke, but she turns and gives me a look that's a mix of annoyance and guilt. "Kidding."
She doesn't respond as she sits at the piano, patting the bench for me to sit with her. Once her fingers hit the keys, I immediately recognize the song. My dad used to sing it to me all the time when I couldn't fall asleep.
"You know Elton John?"
She turns to me with a soft smile on her face. "Of course I know Elton John. He's a legend."
She starts to sing the lyrics to "Tiny Dancer" softly, her eyes never breaking contact with mine.
We sit like this for the whole song, and when it's over, we still don't look away. Her lips tug upward in a small smile, and I grin back.
Listening to Beca Mitchell sing is like nothing I've ever experienced before. It's as if it completely takes over my body, makes me think and feel things. Crazy, amazing, unexplainable things. "Beca…" I whisper. "God, your voice… it does things to me. It makes me feel things I shouldn't be feeling."
"You make me feel things I've never felt before." She responds just as softly, her eyes flicking back and forth between mine. "I thought I knew how it feels to be in love, but being with you… it intensifies everything."
"Beca…" But I don't get the chance to finish my sentence, because she kisses me.
This kiss is nothing like the one from my dream- it's slow, soft, and easily the best kiss I've ever had. Beca scoots closer to me, her hand resting on my thigh. I respond by grabbing her neck and kissing back. I don't try to intensify the kiss, I just need to be close to her.
When we finally pull apart, Beca smiles softly at me. I actually laugh with happiness, and her smile grows even wider.
"That was way better than I've imagined." She says, and I laugh again.
"You've imagined this?"
"Oh yeah. Every night." She says it confidently, but blushes at the same time. "I'd be a fool not to."
"This isn't weird for you?" I ask, and she pulls away enough to give me a confused look. "My dad killed your best friend."
She shakes her head. "You aren't him, Chloe Beale."
"He wasn't a bad person, you know." I say. "He had heart, compassion… just, all for the wrong reasons, I guess."
"You have his eyes, you know."
Before I can respond, the rest of the Bellas walk in. Aubrey gives me a soft smile, and Beca and I slowly pull away from each other.
"Damn girl, finally?" Cynthia Rose says, and walks over to give Beca a high-five.
"Ahem." Stacie clears her throat loudly, and Cynthia Rose's face falls. "Someone owes me twenty bucks."
"I don't have my wallet on me." She turns to face the leggy brunette.
"That's ok, I won't forget."
Aubrey claps, getting everyone's attention. "Alright ladies, from the top."
The next day in class, Stacie flops down next to me. "I swear to God, Chloe Beale, if you hurt her-"
I give her a soft smile. "I have no intention to harm Beca in any way."
Her eyes narrow, almost as if she doesn't believe me. After a second, though, she grins. "Good, because I really like being friends with you."
"So do I." My grin grows genuine. "So, uh…"
"Aubrey?"
I nod. "She isn't doing the greatest without you." In fact, other than for class and rehearsal, Aubrey hasn't even come out of her room in the past week. It's a shock she hasn't made herself sick yet.
"Yeah, well, this is pretty hard on me, too." She shakes her head. "How would you feel if you found out Beca was sent here to kill Aubrey?"
I nod. "But if you can forgive me, why not forgive her?"
She snorts. "No offense, Chloe, but you don't give me murderer vibes."
I chuckle darkly and look away. "You have no idea, Stace."
"Oh." She blinks with shock. "Are you excited for Sectionals?"
I almost laugh at the change of subject. "So excited."
"Gosh, I hope we win. Don't get me wrong, bossy Aubrey is sexy as hell, but I don't think I can deal with that side of her right bow." She sighs, looking down at her lap.
"Go talk to her. I promise she means it when she says we're going to protect Beca." I give her my best reassuring smile, which she returns.
"I will, I just need time to think about everything first."
I nod. "I understand that perfectly." My phone buzzes in my hand, and I glance down to see a frantic text from Aubrey.
General Posen is coming here tomorrow.
"Shit." I mutter, and Stacie gives me a confused look. "Our boss is coming tomorrow for information."
Stacie grins. "Can you and Bree come over to my dorm tonight? We can come up with the perfect lie."
I grin and nod. "Yeah. That sounds perfect."
"No."
"Come on, Aubrey, she wants to help!" I pound on her bedroom door for the fifth time.
Finally, she cracks the door open, but not enough for me to enter. "I can't, Chloe."
I groan in frustration. "But you can! She wants you there too."
She laughs bitterly and shakes my head. "She only wants me there to save Beca, not because she wants to see me."
"So?" I try and push the door open, but she doesn't allow me to. "It's better than nothing, right?"
In a firm voice, she says, "Chloe. I am not going with you. That's final."
I sigh, knowing I can't convince her. "Fine."
Slightly disappointed, I walk out of the apartment and climb into the car Zeke provided for us. Considering everything, I almost ditch it and call an Uber, but I'm cheap and don't want to pay for it.
When I get to Stacie's dorm, her face instantly falls. "She didn't want to come." She says it as if it's a statement, not a question.
I shake my head as I follow her into the room. "She's not doing too good right now, Stace. She barely comes out of her room."
The leggy brunette sighs and flops down on the bed, patting next to her for me to sit. "It's all my fault, isn't it?"
I let out a harsh laugh, immediately wincing at the pain it causes my throat. "She'll be ok, she just needs time."
"You think she's going to be ready in time for Sectionals?"
I nod. "She's dedicated. And now that Amy has my solo, I can't mess it up." Of course, I had offered that Beca take it, but Aubrey shot the idea down.
"Why is she so committed to the tradition thing if you guys weren't even Bellas last year?"
"Aubrey is…" I sigh. "Aubrey likes tradition. She doesn't like doing things that are new, or different, because it scares her." With a head shake, I add, "that's probably why she's so upset right now. I've never seen her happier than when she was with you."
Stacie buries her face in her hands. "I royally fucked up, didn't I?"
To put it bluntly, I simply say, "yes." When she looks up, I also say, "but you had good reason to push her away."
"Does Beca know anything?"
I wince, thinking of the small brunette I'm quickly falling in love with. "She knows that I know she killed my father, that's it."
Angrily, the premed student asks, "are you ever going to tell her?"
"I don't know if I should." I respond miserably, and her face falls into one of sympathy. "How do you think she would react?"
She laughs. "She'd probably push you away and never talk to you ever again."
"So, do you think I should tell her?"
Stacie shakes her head and raises her hands up in self defense. "That, Chloe Beale, is your problem. Not mine."
"Thanks for the help." I roll my eyes at her, and she chuckles.
"You're welcome. Now, to come up with the perfect lie…"
"Just go to the door and talk to her." I whisper to Stacie when we walk k to my apartment. She decided she needs to do whatever she can to get the blonde back. "I'll be in my room."
"Thank you, Chloe." She gives me a small hug, which I return.
"Of course." With a small smile, we part our ways.
When I flop down in my bed, I grab my phone out and bring up Beca's number. I hesitate as I think of sending a message. I don't want to sound clingy or desperate, but I don't want today to just be that one kiss, then nothing…
Thankfully, she sends a message before I can. Hey Beale, what's up?
Just laying in bed, while Stacie's talking to Aubrey.
How does she even like her? I can practically hear her snort from here, and I laugh.
Bree's a good person, she just doesn't like when people test her boundaries.
It takes a couple seconds for Beca to respond. Apparently I'm really good at it, seeing as she hates my living guts.
She doesn't hate you. I sigh as I type out.
Yeah, sure.
Seriously. I sit up in bed, putting a pillow in my lap. No one in the Bellas hates you, Beca, and I don't understand how anyone could hate you.
Yeah right. She sends, then adds a second later; I'm pretty sure you, Stacie, and Amy are the only three who don't hate me.
Beca Mitchell. The Bellas love you, Aubrey included. I promise you.
Chloe, please don't make me promises you can't keep. I sigh again as the message comes in, and I rub my temples in slight frustration.
"You know what, I tried!" I hear Stacie scream, and a second later, there's a pound on my door.
I get up and fling it open to see her standing there, looking angry and with tears running down her face. "What happened?"
She walks in and lays down on my bed, curling up into a ball and looking at me with anguish. "She told me she doesn't want to see me anymore."
"Why the hell would she say that?" I sit down next to her, and she shifts in order to lay her head in my lap. Softly, I run my fingers through her hair as she cries.
"I guess I chased her away."
Shaking my head, I say, "I'll talk to her tomorrow, ok? She really cares about you, Stace. She just doesn't like getting hurt."
"Ok."
Grabbing my phone, I type out to Beca, Good thing it's a promise I can keep.
