Chapter 2
Chloe's POV
I'm driving down the highway to my new job, and I'm super excited. I finally get to work with little animals, instead of just shoving my hand up cows' butts! My phone rings, and I frown a little when I see it's Theo. I know he has a thing for Beca, and it- I cut myself off, not letting the thoughts go any farther.
"Hey Theo, what's up?" I ask in my nicest voice possible.
"Chloe, if you're driving, pull over." He sounds serious, and it scares me.
"Is Beca ok?" I immediately ask, pulling over as soon as I can.
"No, she's not." My heart skips a beat as I think of all the possible scenarios. "She overdosed this morning. She's in the hospital." He finishes, and I gasp.
"What? She was doing drugs?" My voice cracks, and a tear falls down my face. "Is she alive?"
"Yes to both questions. We want you and the rest of the Bellas to come and see her. It might cheer her up when she wakes."
"We'll be there." I say, then hang up when he gives me the directions to the hospital. I quickly send a message in the Bellas group chat, then turn the car around and head to the hospital.
By the time I get there, Aubrey, Fat Amy, and Emily are already waiting in the lobby.
"They wouldn't let us in without you," Aubrey says as she gives me a hug.
"Has anyone-" I stop when I see Theo walking up to us.
"She's asleep right now, but we can go in. You girls go ahead, and I'll wait for the other Bellas to come. " He says, giving me a small smile.
"Thanks, Theo. " Without thinking about it, I give him a quick hug, then go in the direction he pointed.
"Room W73" He calls after me. Aubrey, Fat Amy, and Emily follow me, and we look for the room in silence, no one exactly sure of what to say.
"Found it!" Emily calls after a minute, and we all follow her into the room. My heart stops when I see Beca in the hospital bed, and it brings a fresh wave of tears. Aubrey puts her hand on my shoulder, but I shake it off and sit in the chair next to the bed, studying Beca's face. Even in her sleep she looks pained, and it tears me up inside. This is the girl I've loved for twelve years, and now this? A choked sob comes out of me, and I lower my head onto her chest and grab her hand, letting the waterworks flow. I hear the rest of the Bellas and Theo walk in, but I ignore it, too upset and too tired to care.
"Theo, what happened?" Cynthia Rose asks, and everyone starts murmuring.
"She OD'd." He says quietly, and a chorus of gasps follow immediately.
"What? What would make Beca do drugs?" Emily asks, but no one responds- at least, not verbally.
"C-chloe?" I look up at Beca, and one of her eyes is open halfway, the other still closed. She gives me a lopsided grin, and I can't help but smile back. "So I really am in Heaven" she whispers, and I shake my head.
"What? Beca, you're alive." I say, and she frowns.
"No way. I can't be alive. You're here, and we live 3 hours from each other." She muses, then looks around. "Where are we?"
"In the hospital, Beca. You overdosed, " I say, pulling back to truly look at her. Her face is unnaturally skinny, sickly looking, and she has big purple bags under her eyes, making it seem as if she hasn't slept in months. Her eyes are bloodshot. Her hair is in knots, and I realize that she actually looks like a stoner.
"Oh, shit," she whispers, looking terrified. She breaks eye contact with me and looks out to everyone else. "You didn't all have to be here," She smiles, and everyone crowds around to give her a hug.
"We love you, Beca. No matter what." Amy says, then wraps her arms around her.
"I love you all too, you awesome nerds." She smiles and looks at me, and I smile back, another tear rolling down my face. She wipes it away with her hand, and the touch makes my heart stop. "Thanks for being here, guys." She addresses the whole group, but her gaze doesn't leave mine.
"Miss Beca Mitchell?" The doctor, a young woman of about maybe 30, walks in with a clipboard in her hand.
"That's me. I bet you're ecstatic, meeting a celebrity and everything." She laughs, but it's so obviously fake I'm surprised no one else catches it.
"Sure, sweetie. But I need to keep you alive for now." She smiles at her, and it sends a weird jolt of jealousy through my core.
"Cool, thanks." She replies, but her voice takes on a new edge. A cold one.
"Well, your vitals are ok, thankfully. If you weren't in such good shape, you'd be dead. You're actually lucky you're alive." Doctor says.
"Lucky me" Beca mutters under her breath, and I squeeze her hand.
"Becs, this is serious. You could die." I whisper to her, and she nods, a wave of sadness covering her face.
"Yeah, I know. Sorry." She says, looking away at the wall.
"'Sorry' won't cut it this time, Beca." Theo speaks up for the first time since Beca woke up, and everyone looks at him in shock. A wave of anger courses through me at his behavior. "Chloe, can I talk to you?" He asks, and I stand up to follow him into the hall, perplexed.
"I want you to take Beca home for a while, if that's ok with you." He says.
"Of course it's ok with me, but why?" I ask. Why me, of all people? is what I'm really thinking, but I keep it to myself.
"Because she needs to get away from the fame and stuff for a while. To get sober again." He says, his eyes searching mine for something.
"Uh, yeah, sure. She can come with me." I find myself saying before I even think about it.
"Thank you so much. It was that or rehab." He says, and I gasp.
"No, I'm definitely taking her." I say, and he nods. He walks back in the room, and I follow him, going back to the chair next to Beca. She gives me a confused look, and just as I open my mouth to speak, Theo starts talking.
"Beca, you're going home with Chloe for a little while." He says, forcing a smile.
"What? Why?" She looks… terrified. My heart stops for a minute. Does she not want to see me again? Is that why she did this? To drive me away?
"Because… you need some time away from… everything." He says, very obviously putting much thought into his word choice. Beca sits up, her face full of an anger I've never seen from her before- except maybe at Aubrey.
"I don't need to get away, I need to record my next album!" She yells, making me flinch. Theo just stares at her, so I'm assuming he gets this a lot. "I've got more important things to do!" She adds. She's yelled that at me before…
"Beca, you need to sober up." He finally says. She blinks at him, and he continues. "This is going to kill you one of these days. Think about your family. Think about the Bellas. How would they feel if you died?" She looks around at everyone, then looks at me last, her gaze lingering a second before looking back at Theo.
"I…" She whispers, her voice breaking a little. I wrap an arm around her shoulders, and she leans into me a little.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine with me." I grin at her, and she nods.
"You'll be able to go home tomorrow." The doctor cuts in, then smiles and walks away.
"What the hell, Beca?" Aubrey asks as soon as the doctor leaves. "Why would you do this to yourself? Why would you do this to us?"
"It-" She starts to say, but I cut her off.
"It's not about us, Aubrey." I growl softly, glaring at her. She looks back for a minute, then drops her gaze to the floor, shuffling her feet a little. Dang, she doesn't give up like that…
"Sorry, Beca." She whispers, and Beca laughs.
"Dang Aubrey, I've never seen you give in like that. You really must have gotten softer over the years." Aubrey lets out a nervous chuckle.
"Well, it's been a while." She says carefully, and Beca nods.
"Yeah, it really has been. Sorry I didn't keep in touch, guys. Life has been…" She trails off, looking for the right words. "Hectic." She says, and the girls laugh- all but me.
"I bet it has been. What's being famous like?" Emily asks.
"Not as good as you would think. Your life is suddenly controlled for you." She says.
"Dang. You know, you could always give up and come back with us." Fat Amy says hopefully, and I find myself sitting up a little straighter. I then remind myself that she's coming home with me, so it won't matter anyways.
"I can't do that. This is my dream, Ames." She says with a sad smile.
"Yeah, I know." She replies. "I bought 'Too Hard to Handle', by the way." She adds, and Beca smiles at her.
"Thanks. That really means a lot to me." She looks over at me again, and I give her a half-hearted smile. In all honesty, I'm scared. What if I fall all over again?