Barden
Beca's Freshman Summer
After their overwhelming victory at the ICCAs the Bellas had headed to Aubrey and Chloe's apartment to celebrate. Beca was excited to have some fun with her friends and most likely play those juvenile drinking games that she secretly loved. It may seem odd for a badass DJ to enjoy games like truth or dare, and spin the bottle, and even Beca wasn't aware of the reason she liked them. Or more accurately she refused to recognise why; they gave her an excuse to get closer to Chloe. Her best friend and the most wonderful person in the world, at least according to Beca. The games allowed Beca to learn even more about the redhead, and gave her an excuse to sit even closer to her on the couch than usual. Deep down she hoped that the pair would eventually "have" to get intimate as a dare. But now Beca was with Jesse, and she was in such denial about her attraction to the redhead that she genuinely didn't realise that she felt that way about Chloe. So while Fat Amy made a near poisonous concoction for all the girls to drink Beca waited. It never occurred to her that Chloe wouldn't show, that she was planning on abandoning Beca without so much as a goodbye. The bellas played round after round of games and Beca eventually ambled off to her her new boyfriend, too drunk to dwell on the noticeable aching feeling in her chest.
The next morning Beca sent Chloe a text asking if she was okay and asked whether she wanted to get lunch later. As bad as Beca was with feelings, she truly loved spending time with her favourite redhead, and was completely bewildered why Chloe hadn't already bombarded her with messages as she did on every other day. After a few hours Chloe still hadn't replied. Beca started to feel nervous, she wondered if something had happened to Chloe, or perhaps she was just busy with Aubrey. But deep down Beca knew that was absurd, Chloe usually replied before Beca had even had time to put her phone down; something Beca loved mocking her about. Beca took a deep breath, and called her, thinking that at least this way she would be able to tell from Chloe's tone if everything was okay. What she wasn't expecting was an automated voice telling her that the number was no longer in use. Beca felt like time had stood still, her pulse started to race and she felt tears threaten to fall down her cheeks. She did the only thing she could think of, she went straight to Chloe and Aubrey's apartment. She was met with a locked door and her frantic messages to Aubrey were read and not responded to, her calls declined. Beca was at a loss, twenty-four hours ago she had been smiling and laughing with both girls, feeling the happiest she could remember in a long time. She couldn't figure out what she could possibly have done since then to make Aubrey and Chloe so angry at her. She was completely unaware of Chloe's heartbreak, and Aubrey's protective streak making an appearance with a vengeance.
So Beca did the only thing she knew how to do when she was overrun with emotion; she sought comfort in music. She started a new mix of titanium, letting the memories of Chloe wash over her in waves, not realising how much time passed while she perfected her work. Long after dark Beca eventually succumbed to sleep, waking up the next morning to a tear soaked pillow and several very concerned messages from Jesse. She rolled her eyes, grabbed a snack and fell asleep again. After two days of constant mixing and moping Beca eventually let Jesse see her. She let the boy distract her from the absence she felt in her chest, she tried to focus on her budding relationship with Jesse rather than on the heartbreak she was unaware she was experiencing.
During the long flight Chloe took her phone and switched the SIM card with a new one. She knew this would give her a new number, would help her get a fresh start, and most importantly would prevent a certain aspiring DJ from contacting her. Chloe wasn't trying to hurt Beca, but she knew that so much as a conversation with the girl would sent her spiralling even further into a depressive stupor. And Chloe Beale was many things, but she was not the type of person to accept defeat. So once she had cried so much she became dehydrated she buried her love for Beca and focused on the future. As soon as she arrived in the village she would be spending the next year in she forced a wide smile to light up her features, and projected the bubbly persona that everyone loved her for. Chloe may have felt beyond awful, but to the villagers around her she was a wonderful volunteer who had a lot to offer, soon to be loved by all.
Chloe was lucky enough to be teaching the young children how to read music and sing, it was like a dream come true. She immersed herself fully in the children and soon formed a choir. The girl's efforts did not go unnoticed, another volunteer found himself unable to think of much else besides those bright blue eyes and luscious red hair. Charlie had also just graduated from college and he was volunteering at the school for a couple months before he started grad school. Chloe found herself drawn to Charlie, he was handsome and kind, and most importantly, he was not Beca.