AN: There is a lot less of the soul sword in this one, she wasn't really supposed to be prominent, only a guide, so she will gradually get down to popping up only now and then. Just so everyone is forewarned and doesn't think I'm forgetting her. 3 always, ~Speedy
As we walk down to the quad I find myself utterly amused at the way this team weaves in and out of each other. I can see Aubrey leading the pack, and Chloe is beside her, the rest of the birds fluttering in the middle like they have no idea what to do, and then to my left and right are Amy and Stacie, all three of us hanging in the back. As we descend the stairs I tilt my head, shoulder aching as I blink a few times upon hearing the captain finally speak,
"Ladies! Welcome to aca-initiation night, prepare to soften the beach..." Everyone stops at that, the girl it came from still marching onward like she truly was in war times. Carefully, everyone else files down the stairs behind her and I let myself hang back in the seats, leg still burning as well as my shoulder aching. Stepping further to the side to get out of the way I look down at the mass of aca-nerds that they descend into,
"I don't know what I'm doing here..." I say to myself, chewing my bottom lip as Amy, with arms spread out wide, decides to grace me with an answer,
"Living the dream! I still can't believe they let my sexy fat ass in!" With a soft laugh, I shake my head and watch as her and Stacie roll in last, moving to get some drinks,
"Beca... Be-caw! Be-caw! Are my eyes deceiving me?" Turning to the atrocity that is apparently my new nickname, I let my eyes hood halfway as I mock glare at Jesse, he... of course... is unphased. Lifting his hand she wipes his eyes and dramatizes the surprise of seeing me, and I'm definitely shaking my head "You're a Bella!? You're one of the acapella girls and I'm one of those acapella boys, and we're gonna have aca-children... it's inevitable." My brows raise so high on my forehead they just might come off, and I look down at the group of people to find Aubrey and Chloe both staring up at me,
"You're really drunk right now... I don't think you're gonna remember any of this..." He is swift to interrupt me with a no, shaking his head a bit as his lopsided smile pulls upwards further,
"No no, I'm not drunk at all you're just blurry." I snicker at that, my own smile pulling forth as I tease him a bit, pushing his chest as he tries with all his might to convince me he isn't drunk, teetering back and forth. Instead he finally giggles, and pulls off what I think must be the prince charming smirk of sorts, and speaks,
"Can I get you a drink? I'm gonna get you a drink, I think you need to get on this level." I answer in a hasty nod, and he turns to do so, stumbling on the steps only once before he catches himself with a playful jump. My eyes scan the crowd, other hand lifting to massage my shoulder, but swiftly that idea is canceled... that hurt... I spy Aubrey watching me from afar without Chloe now, and I don't think she meant for me to catch her because her head snaps back to whoever is speaking to her so fast I think she could suffer from whiplash. I see her eyes turn towards someone, then nod over to me, and suddenly... Chloe is in front of me. Grasping my hands she pulls me close, bouncing a little on her toes,
"Hi! I'm so glad that I met you... again." I can smell just a bit of alcohol on her breath, but the statement still makes a smile erupt on my face. She leans so close that our noses touch, and for half a second I think she just might kiss me... her scent barreling through my nose, her grasp on my hands so warm and gentle, I find if she were to press those soft lips to mine I wouldn't hesitate to return it. My heart cracks like thunder in my chest when she speaks again, "I think we are going to be really fast friends... or perhaps lovers if Bree would get her head out of her ass... because you remember right...? You remember what we almost were?" Gulping down the rolling of my stomach I nod slowly, and even the word 'lovers' sounded good coming from her throat. I had remembered... the way they used to love me... and obviously still do, but this was severely confusing... Aubrey... she was there... but she wasn't... the recollection wasn't super clear other than feelings. My thoughts must be obvious on my face because she presses a peck to my cheek, "Her doubt was too much... and you told me you wouldn't allow this to continue until she was okay... that's where we were." The bubbliness takes a second to return, but she bounces up and down a few times, "So I want to start as new friends!" Getting a chuckle from me, she seems satisfied,
"Well... you have seen me naked so..." Winking at the redhead seems to cause a blush to burst forth onto her cheeks, and she has to shake away whatever she is thinking,
"Alright, I'm gonna go get a drink, this ginger needs her jiggle juice!" When she turns away she watches me over her shoulder, shaking her rear then giving it a nice slap, but the look she gives me and the way she draws her hand up to her hip... oh my. I blink a few times, my arousal spiking, and it seems she knew exactly what I was thinking of judging by the mischievous look on her face, "See ya later!" She calls back as she bounces down the steps, back to her usual bubbly demeanor. I can't help but lamely call down,
"Make good choices!" And her hand lifts in the air as if to wave me off. Jesse returns and I sneak a peek over to Aubrey, immediately catching her eyes as she glares at the boy who hands me a drink. Chuckling softly I roll my eyes, if she was too afraid to be with me then how can she feel she has a right to be jealous?
*Perhaps she was afraid of losing you? It would be easy to let doubt seep into a three-person relationship.* My ring tries to reason with me, but I am jumbled from my thoughts a moment later as Jesse yells out,
"We are the kings of campus!" Shrinking back I shake my head, trying to move away from him, and sit over in the other seat. I am successful in losing him and I watch the girls mingle and meander their way around, Amy doing a bit of booty shaking right in the middle of the stairs with no one in particular. Stacie is dancing with a few random people, never staying still for too long, and Chloe and Aubrey are off to the side of the group, watching the girls I assume. Lifting my head to look at the stars I wonder for half a second if I truly am meant to be there, it's when I straighten to take a sip of my drink and find at least three sets of eyes on me that I feel I wouldn't rather be anywhere else.
I feel, more than see, someone sit next to me, and when I look it is that quiet Asian girl, Lilly. She gives me a radiant smile, my awkwardness offering a soft smile back. She offers her hand out and says something... I can't hear her... something along the lines of killing three people with her thumb? That's an oddity, but I try to talk to her,
"I'm Beca, come to college parties often?" Taking her hand I give it an awkward shake before slowly releasing it back to her. The softest of giggles leaves her lips as she shakes her head, and I find I kind of like the girl... even if we can't truly have a conversation. I see her lips moving but damn if I can hear a thing she is saying over this music... even if it were silent I don't think I would hear her. Scrunching my eyes as if that will help me hear better I lean closer, and I do hear her ask if she can walk me home since my shoulder... hurts... how did she kno-... "Oh, you're another one of my summoned? I'm glad I found you! Yeah, I would love to get home and rest." I truly am happy to have found another to help me on this quest, and as we get up to leave I see four sets of eyes watching us now, though with a little less worry than before. Giving a small wave, Lilly follows suit, and each of them seems to relax a little more into whatever they were doing.
The silence that surrounds us as we walk is comfortable, which given how awkward I had been was a feat in itself. She tries very hard to speak to me a few times, I think she was an assassin...? Or perhaps a spy, she can gather information on things for me, and something about a twin? I do my very best to keep up, and it seems she does her best to be patient and... louder for me. When we arrive at the door it's still an easygoing vibe, even when she walks right in behind me, helping me up the stairs as my tired leg aches. I watch as she goes to her room, and peeking inside I find all of her things are already moved in... what an odd woman... shaking my head with a soft chuckle I wave goodnight and head into my own room, plopping down on the bed, clothes and all to finally crash.
I'm surprised the next morning to find my newest nightmare wakes me a good hour before the scheduled eight a.m. practice. As I'm getting dressed and ready for the day, the door slowly opens, and Amy peeks in to find me up and about,
"Becaaaa! Time to get to Bellas practice!" My eyes hold my excitement I'm sure... she is quick to grasp my hand and start tugging me down out the door and down the stairs, much to my dismay, "So this is Aubrey's dream and stuff... so we're gonna help her crush it while she has this chance to get the goodies!" Blinking a few times I nod, laughter erupting a moment later as she tugs me further until we get to the front door, wincing softly as my body doesn't really enjoy such treatment,
"Easy Amy! She could still be hurting!" Stacie calls, and while I'm glad not to be a rag doll anymore, I shake my head to alleviate her worry,
"My leg doesn't hurt so much anymore, and my shoulder is just bruised, I'm good." The brunette clicks her tongue at me and saunters forward, pressing a kiss to my cheek even as I flinch back,
"She still needs to be easy. What will I love on if she breaks you into pieces?" The blush that pulls to my face is immediate, and I hear Amy behind me,
"Don't be gross Stacie, I don't get all mushy with all my lovers in front of you, and there are a lot of them." She nods a few times and Stacie puts her hands on her hips like she just might scold her. My eyes widen as, instead of waiting for a response, I'm pulled out the front door and we head off to the gymnasium.
When we arrive the setup is just about what you would expect, fold-out chairs surrounded by three giant boards filled to the brim with information. Our schedules, goals, and what we need to work on... strive for, even picture of the previous Bellas. As I look over the pictures I hear one of the girls comment on how hot they are, I think her name is Cynthia Rose...
"Okay! Sopranos in the front and Altos in the back." Aubrey's voice rings out through the hall, startling us all into our seats. Lilly takes a seat next to me and offers a small wave, Amy plopping down on the other side as I return the gesture with a smile, "As you can see, Kori is not here. Last night she was treble boned, and has been dis-invited to the Bellas." Reaching down she takes the empty chair and puts it up, the seriousness behind her voice making my brows lift,
"That oath was serious?" I question, receiving a small glare, and I feel the women on either side of me cringe in their seats beside me. It only makes me straighten further, unwilling to cower to this woman, and she looks infuriated by this,
"Dixie chicks serious." Even I will admit I balked at that response, but she didn't allow a retort as she continued right on talking, "You can fool around with whoever you want..." I swear I can feel Chloe's eyes boring into the side of my head, and when I look to her the arousal spotted in such a heavy gaze shocks me back to Aubrey, "...just not a Treble!" Of course, Stacie is the first one to comment,
"That won't be easy... he's a hunter." Gesturing between her legs I let out the smallest of chuckles,
"You call it a dude?" Looking back at me she seems pleased by my reaction and nods. Another chuckle leaves my chest even as Aubrey continues to glare at both of us,
"Stacie... the trebles don't respect us, and if we let them penetrate us we are giving them our power." Everyone shifts uncomfortably at her word usage, even Stacie while her mouth is swift to a rebuttal,
"You already know I'm going to behave, Beca's the only one I let penetr-..." Amy is swift to slap her hand to her thigh, the other lifting in the air to interrupt the duo's staring match,
"Not a good enough reason to use the word penetrate!" Aubrey's gaze turns to me, and I can practically feel the heat of her jealous gaze trying to consume Stacie, tension pouring from her as her frustration is redirected to the whole group again,
"Does anyone else have anything too... confess?" That fiery look is directed at one girl, in particular, I think her name is Mary Elise. The poor girl is swift to crack under the pressure,
"It was an accident!" She tries to explain hastily, but Aubrey shuts it down like she hadn't even been talking in the first place,
"Turn in your scarf and go." The girl with glasses bumbles and stammers a few more times, awkwardly handing over the small garment to the open hand. Amy only makes matters worse and pretends to cough the word 'slut' which receives a quick smack of my hand to her arm, only making her straighten a little, "Take your chair." The captain presses and the rest of the ordeal is hard to watch, Mary Elise taking off with a loud sob after her chair hits the step,
"Was that necessary?" I try to defend the girl, but Aubrey only bristles, glare once again shining upon me,
"This is war, Beca. It is my job to make sure my soldiers are prepped at go time with three kick-ass songs, sung and choreographed to perfection." Chloe nods along at the woman's rampage, but something in her eyes tells me she wasn't so pleased about the way that girl had been treated either, "There are only four months until regionals. So if you have a problem with the way that I run the Bellas then you should just..." A hand swings out towards the door but her words stop suddenly, a gurgling noise roiling from her throat, a sudden paleness showering her skin. Lifting her other hand to cover her mouth she turns away, Chloe swift to approach and begin rubbing her back. After a minute or two of gentle words from the redhead, we all hear her utter,
"Relax, we don't want a repeat of last year." Lilly's hand flies up just as both captains turn back, acknowledging her with a gentle nod,
"What happened last year?" The Asian woman's words are barely heard, and she tries to repeat herself until a puff of air leaves her and she turns to me. Repeating herself again I nod, and she then adds on, "And do you guys want to see a dead body?" I shake my head at the second part but then turn to the captains of our team, a hand resting on Lilly's thigh to keep her from getting overly frustrated,
"She wants to know what happened last year." And that's how we wound up sitting huddled together in the chairs, watching as Aubrey vomited all over the crowd, the camera, and the stage. Some of the girls giggle, and I snap my fingers to make them stop,
"Enough! It happened. It's over." I see now why she is so serious to redeem herself, but I'm still not convinced about how extreme she was earlier, "We will practice every day for at least two hours, seven days a week, and I trust you will add your own cardio." Chuckling softly I am quick to pull a serious face,
"Why cardio?" It's not I realize it didn't matter that I ran every morning, she didn't know about it, and I find I really enjoy teasing the woman. Seeing the way I smile mischievously, Amy is quick to add on,
"Yeah no, don't put me down for cardio either." To say that, once again, she ignores us is an understatement, she blatantly blows us off,
"Okay moving on, this is a list of all the songs that we have ever performed, and you will notice that we only do songs made famous by women." As I'm handed the paper I quickly scan it over, and I realize something,
"There's nothing from this century on here..." The blonde looks like she could growl, and the look Chloe gives me says she knows I'm picking a fight with Aubrey on purpose. Flipping the sheet back I let both brows lift as I wait for an explanation I'm sure I'll get,
"Because we don't stray from tradition." Turning away from me, she walks right over my statement again as if I didn't even talk, "This..." Lifting her hand she flips one of the whiteboards over to reveal... a game plan I think, "...is how we will become champions." I scan over the title, 'Bella Building Blocks' written in all capitals at the top left corner, oh this is going to be fun.
"Okay! I'm calling it!" Two hours my ass... after four hours of learning and working, dancing and singing, and -so- much unnecessary touching, she's had enough. I can't even tell you how many times Aubrey slapped my ass, or Chloe took the opportunity to run her hands on me to "fix my posture" which is such a load of crap! My shoulder burns and even my leg started hurting again, perhaps I should have done some horizontal running with Amy,
"Hey, Aubrey, did we just learn the same choreography from that video?" I was genuinely curious what she was going to prove by doing the exact same thing they did last year, but once again she steamrolls right over my words. I cross my arms, significantly pissed off at basically being sandbagged out of any sort of change by this woman,
"Okay don't forget to pick up your performance schedules, we have a gig next week. That's right, next week." I take a few steps towards Aubrey, my mouth opening to prod at her again when Chloe bounces up between us. A hand lifts to gently rest on my muscled arm, giving a gentle squeeze as I see a spark of arousal in her eyes for the millionth time that day,
"Guys, it's the Sigma Beta Theta's annual fall mixer." I know she's blocking me from bothering the blonde captain more, and I find I don't mind the distraction. Her hand slowly slides down my arm, goosebumps erupting wherever she touches, it's interrupted a moment later,
"Hands in Bellas." When no one moves, Aubrey's tone sharpens, "Hands in aca-bitches!" Everyone is quick to move at that, though I find my eyes rolling hard as mine is the last one in, "Sing ah-..." Amy belts out a loud, and long 'ah' just as she was told, I'm pretty sure she loves annoying Bree as much as I do... "On three, Amy... no no no, it's actually on three." She explains before she counts down, everyone basically failing at doing it properly. Turning as she says we will work on it next time, we all begin packing our things up, "Uh, Beca, a word?" My gaze lifts to the doors, and I find my own irritation spiking once again, but I turn towards her with a grin, walking up,
"You know you'll have to take those ear monstrosities out for the fall mixer." She states seriously, and my grin pulls into a full-blown smirk. Feeling a burning desire between the both of us as the girls file out, I finally quirk a brow,
"You really don't like me, do you?" Regardless of the thick tension drowning me in heat, I absolutely will not lose to this woman simply because she wants to control me,
"I don't like your attitude." She must like this banter though because it continues and she definitely allows it as she steps closer. I falter none, answering immediately,
"You don't even know me." The space between us continues to close, and the fire I see in her eyes is only fueled with my every response. I spy Chloe coming up close behind Aubrey, resting her hand on the woman's back,
"I know you have a toner for Jesse." The huff of small laughter that presses past my lips is enough to make her eyes widen. She must really not like that there isn't a swift denial,
"A what?" I ask her incredulously, my smile only growing as I see Chloe press into her back, her gaze never leaving me, arms wrapping around Bree, probably to calm her down. I see something else in her eyes, is that arousal I spy...
"A musical boner. I saw it at hood night, it's huge and distracting." Jealous! The admittance is hot, I'll admit it, but to think I have a thing for Jesse? Gross. While I would adore comforting her with a denial to her claim, I can't help firing back,
"Yeah, that's not a thing and you're not the boss of me. So..." She steps forward again, Chloe and her getting completely into my space as her voice lowers,
"You took an oath." Thinking she has me there I am finally the one to move forward, my body only inches from hers, our breath mingling as the alpha staredown continues. Glancing to the side at the redhead draping herself over the blonde, I find her bottom lip being seductively chewed between her teeth, and her fingers grasp at the other captain tightly,
"That oath cost you, two girls, today, I'm pretty sure you need me more than I need you." When my thundering gaze turns back to Aubrey fully, it seems she submits, considering the silence. I smirk again, licking my lips slowly, watching as she gulps heavily. Turning away to gather my things I make sure I have quite the sway in my hips, grabbing my bag as I hear her finally retort,
"I can see your toner through those jeans!" I scoff, turning back as I use my speed to my advantage, in front of them only a breath later. I hear the gasp from both girls, my body now pressed sexily into Aubrey's, arms wrapping to grasp Chloe's hips firmly, tugging them both closer,
"That's my dick, and apparently if you can suddenly see my boner here, it wasn't for Jesse was it?" Their eyes are so wide... their pupils are so dilated, I love it. Releasing them from my grasp I turn and make my way out, pushing through the doors with a satisfied sigh.