Chapter 1

Beca Mitchell isn't a fan of school. She never has been, and with less than one academic year left, she probably never will be. The academic aspect of it is fine. She's always managed to pull decent grades and it's not like the majority of the schools that she has gone to have been overwhelmingly rigorous. No, it wasn't the academics that bothered Beca, but the other kids that she shares a classroom with.

Staring out over the sea of her new classmates, all mulling together on the quad in the crisp morning air, this thought once again crosses Beca's mind. There's a lot of them – no doubt about it. Some of them are younger, undoubtedly students in middle school, and others are closer to her own age. Nevertheless, they are all intimidating. They've all built a life here; with friends, and favorite teachers, and extracurricular activities. Most importantly, though, they hold the power to make her life miserable.

A tight squeeze of her hand brings Beca back to reality, as she turns her attention away from their new school, and to the shorter girl standing beside her. Beca runs her thumb over the back of the small hand that hasn't left hers all morning. "What do you think, Mace?"

The girl takes a deep, shuddering breath, her chest visibly rising and falling at she stares at the building in front of them. Even without looking directly in her face, Beca knows that there are dark bags that hang underneath her younger sister's eyes. That her skin is paler than normal, and that the almost-navy-blue orbs that so closely resemble her own, are flicking from person to person, anxiety coursing through her body like electricity. "Do we have to?"

Macy's voice is so quiet, so fragile, that it shatters Beca's heart. "It'll be okay, munch. I promise." She gives her little sister's hand another reassuring squeeze, trying to garner up her own courage to head in the direction of the guidance office, where she knew they had to pick up their schedules. "And hey, think about it this way: it's pretty cool that we'll be in the same school, isn't it?"

When Meghan had told her that their new school included grades six through twelve, Beca was instantly relieved. She was going to be in the same building as Macy, and her little sister wouldn't be very far at all. It'll be a God-send, especially considering the last three weeks.

When Macy doesn't respond, Beca pulls the young girl into her side, running her hand over the girl's own chestnut curls. Macy takes another deep breath, this time, her lip quivering slightly as tears start to fill her eyes. "Macy…"

Squatting down in front of the twelve-year-old, Beca drops her backpack to the ground. Her sister clenches her eyes shut, tears already soaking her long eyelashes as she sniffles slightly. Bringing her thumbs to Macy's cheek, Beca wipes the fallen tears off of her sister's skin, before reaching slightly so she can lay a delicate kiss on her forehead. "Talk to me, Mace."

Macy shakes her head, keeping her eyes firmly closed. As far as she is concerned, if she stays here, not looking at the school in front of them, Beca will be forced to stay with her. Then she won't be left alone. Like last time. Macy's plan crumbles, though, when Beca gathers the girl in her arms. She melts in her sister's embrace, a soft sob escaping from her parted lips.

Beca pulls the smaller girl onto her lap, simply sitting with her sister until her cries subside into soft whimpers. Beca runs her finger through Macy's chestnut curls, those, too, similar to her own, rocking her softly as she does so. As much as she's concerned about what the other students will think, she is also fully aware of the fact that the last three weeks have been hell for Macy, and if she has to sit here for a half-hour to calm her down, she will.

She'd do anything for her sister, that much is for certain.

Luckily, it doesn't take Macy long to go quiet in her sister's arms. When she does, Beca takes her own deep breath, calling Macy's attention back to her. "I know you're scared. But I am not going anywhere, munch."

Macy sniffles, crunching her nose as she does so. "Do you promise?"

They've had this conversation multiple times leading up to this morning, Beca doing everything in her power to prepare Macy for the inevitable. She'll gladly repeat the same sentiment, though, if it brings Macy some peace of mind. "I promise. You're stuck with me, Mace."

Nodding silently, as if she is reassuring herself more than anyone else, Macy carefully leaves Beca's hold. She stands carefully, waiting until her sister joins her, to take Beca's hand once more.

Without another word, Beca leads the pair in the direction of the school just as the first bell rings. She keeps her sister close as they follow the flow of the other students, only being able to break free when they take a right towards the guidance office, instead of a left towards the classrooms.

Beca's heart is racing in her chest by the time she practically pulls Macy into the office behind her. In addition to school, she's also never been a fan of large crowds or of people being in close proximity to her, especially when Macy is around. For that reason, it's a relief when Beca can close the door to the guidance office, facing the smiling secretary with Macy peeking out from her side.

"Hi. My name is Beca Mitchell, and this is my little sister Macy. We're starting today."

The secretary keeps her smile plastered on her face, the wrinkles decorating her skin revealing her age, but her demeanor making her seem much younger. "Welcome to Barden. Let me go see if Mrs. Abernathy is ready for you two." The older woman disappears into an office further down the hallway, before reappearing only seconds later, and waving the sisters down.

Macy's palm is sweaty in her sister's, but she allows Beca to lead her down the hallway towards the office, grateful that she's taking point in all of this. Besides the fact that she doesn't want to leave Beca, Macy is also terrified at the prospect of starting another new school, a month into the year. It makes her mad every time she has to do it, and it never gets any easier – no matter what Meghan says.

Mrs. Abernathy sits behind her desk, surrounded by her diplomas and various accolades on the walls behind her. Her blonde hair is pulled back in a painful looking updo, her eyes twinkling as she looks her new students up and down. She got a call from Meghan the day before, asking for the girls to be enrolled quickly. Apparently, they've already missed a few weeks of the seventh and twelfth grade, respectively, and they need to get back into the classroom ASAP before they fall too far behind.

"Beca! Macy! It is a pleasure to meet you. Please, have a seat." After delicately shaking the older girl's hand, Beca keeping one arm protectively around her sister the entire time, the two girls sit hesitantly in the chairs in front of Mrs. Abernathy's desk. Beca places her bag on the ground in front of her, shooting Macy a small wink as she does so, the small amount of space between them seeming like a never-ending chasm. "My name is Mrs. Abernathy. I am one of the guidance counselors here at Barden. Were you able to find the office alright?"

Beca offers the woman a stiff nod, wishing the lady would just talk faster so that her and Macy can get on with their day.

The teen's nonverbal answer doesn't seem to make the counselor waver. Instead, her grin almost grows wider. "Great! So, I have talked to Meghan quite extensively about your academic records, and we have created your schedules accordingly. Beca, you're going to be starting your day in Mr. Harrington's twelfth grade English class, and Macy, you're going to be heading to pre-algebra."

Beca playfully pokes her sister's arm, trying to get her gaze to lift from the ground in front of her. "How's that sound, Mace?"

Macy, of course, does not answer. In fact, she barely hears her sister over the roar of her own thoughts racing through her mind.

Mrs. Abernathy hands over two sheets of paper, the various classes that they're enrolled in, being outlined in black ink. Six schools in the last seven years, and you'd think that Beca would be used to seeing new schedules and adjusting to new classes on a moment's notice.

She hasn't. Not in the slightest.

Mrs. Abernathy clears her throat slightly, tapping her perfectly manicured nails together as she tries to find the right words to say. "Barden really is a great school; I think you'll be happy here."

The corner of Beca's mouth quirks upwards slightly, a small hint of a smile appearing on her face. "Thank you, Mrs. Abernathy."

"Of course!" The counselor looks at the notes she had put together yesterday afternoon in preparation for the sisters' arrival. "I have already called down two students to come and bring you to your classes. They should be here momentarily."

Macy turns to her sister, eyes wide. This wasn't part of the plan.

Without even looking at Macy, Beca can feel her nerves spike exponentially. "Oh, that's alright, Mrs. Abernathy. I'm sure we can find our way."

The older woman scoffs. "Nonsense. Here's one of them now." A soft sigh escapes from Beca's mouth as she turns around to face a boy that is a few inches taller than Macy, his fist poised to knock on the door. "Hi, Gavin, come on in."

Macy keeps her head bent firmly in the direction of the ground, her leg bouncing up and down so quickly, that the sound of her sneaker tapping against the linoleum is loud enough for everyone to hear. The time for her to leave Beca is quickly approaching, and she has no interest in facing it.

Beca carefully stands after giving the boy a short wave. She lays her hand on Macy's shoulder, crouching down beside her and squeezing her arm reassuringly. "You ready, Mace?" Macy shakes her head, the curtain of curls covering her face shifting with the movement. Beca can't see it, but a tear escapes the corner of her eye, colliding with the denim on her thigh. "Come on, it's alright."

Tapping her shoulder a few times, Beca helps her sister stand from the chair, the stares of the guidance counselor and the other seventh grader not going unnoticed by the older girl. Macy, though, can't focus on anything except for wrapping her arms around her sister's waist, holding on so tight that nothing could pry her off.

Mrs. Abernathy watches the pair carefully, standing off to the side as Beca murmurs a few words of encouragement into her sister's ear, never once stopping the soothing motion of rubbing Macy's back. After a few moments, Beca presses a kiss into the top of Macy's head, before guiding the girl back to the present conversation.

Macy grips the straps of her backpack, holding on to those instead of her sister's hand. She gulps loudly, trying to push down her anxiety and be brave, just like Beca has told her countless times. Though, despite the boy – Gavin – waiting for her, she can't conjure up the words to address him.

"Here, Mace, take your schedule." Beca hands her the two pieces of paper, knowing full well that her own schedule is underneath Macy's. Maybe just the fact that she knows where Beca will be, can bring her some peace. "I'll see you after school, okay, munch?"

With tears collecting in her eyes once more, Macy nods slightly, not being able to say anything else before Gavin leads her out the door.

Left alone with Mrs. Abernathy, Beca quickly asks for a new copy of her schedule, before excusing herself to wait in the entry way of the office for her own tour guide to arrive. Without her sister there, she doesn't feel much like needing to keep up the conversation, and she sure as hell does not want to be stuck answering the questions that are undoubtedly forming in the counselor's mind.

Beca will play nice for Macy's sake. But after that, the walls go right back up.

"Mrs. Abernathy! I am so sorry I'm late!" In a flurry of motion, the guidance office door flies open, scaring both Beca and the counselor, as both of them jump slightly.

After recovering, Mrs. Abernathy greets the girl. "No worries, Chloe. This is Beca."

Beca's eyes lift slowly to face the girl, her heart stopping slightly as she sees the person standing in front of her. She tries not to stare, but it's kind of hard not to, as she takes in the girl's stunning cerulean blue eyes, a perfect complement to the ginger curls that cascade over her shoulders. Much like Mrs. Abernathy, the girl's mouth is stretched into a grin, but there's something different about it; as though it's more authentic than the one the counselor has had plastered on her face since she walked into the room.

Stop it.

Blinking herself out of reverie, Beca finally addresses the girl standing in front of her, Mrs. Abernathy watching her expectantly. "Hi. I'm Beca."

Chloe takes her own turn examining the girl that Mrs. Abernathy asked her to show around. She's petite, no doubt about it, and the baggy flannel covering her torso only makes her look smaller. Her hair is pulled into a messy bun on top of her head, shorter wisps of hair softening her other features. The smoky line of eyeliner almost compliments the girl's darker orbs, which look brown upon first glance, but as Chloe examines closer, sees that they are actually a dark blue.

Wow.

Her grin widens, "Hi, Beca. I'm Chloe. I'm sorry again for being late. My car wouldn't start this morning, so I had to call my friend for a ride."

The girl – Beca – shrugs. "It's fine." She shifts uneasily from foot to foot, her gaze returning to the ground in front of her.

Mrs. Abernathy perks up. "Well, Chloe, you better be on your way. Beca actually has quite a few classes with you, so you won't just be walking her there."

"Great! Do you have your schedule?" When Beca hesitantly hands the paper over, Chloe glances over it quickly. Sure enough, for the majority of the morning, Beca will be in class with her and her best friends. "Alright, first stop, Mr. Harrington's English class."

After bidding a quick farewell to the guidance counselor, Chloe doesn't wait to lead Beca from the guidance office. She shuffles quietly beside the effervescent redhead, not really knowing what to say, as per usual. The only people she's ever been comfortable around, are Macy and Cynthia Rose – the closest person she has to a best friend. But, to Beca, it seems as though Chloe has no problem carrying the conversation.

Leading Beca to English, Chloe talks quickly about some of their other teachers, all of whom Beca will meet at some point today. She mentions that lunch for today is meatball grinders, and she points out different rooms on their way to the high school corridor – further and further away from where Macy is supposed to be in class.

When they finally reach a closed classroom door, Beca's head is spinning with all of the information that Chloe seemed to fit in on their short walk. And, quite frankly, her new classmate doesn't even look out of breath. Instead, she knocks twice on the classroom door, waiting for an answer.

A six-foot-tall, older man with a beer belly answers, looking down at both girls as Chloe grins up at him, flashing that same radiant smile that she had on in the guidance office. "Hi, Mr. Harrington. Sorry I'm late. This is Beca. She's new."

Mr. Harrington offers the pair a grunt. "Why don't you take a seat next to Chloe, Beca. I'm sure you'll find her to be a respectable desk mate."

Beca barely has time to address the teacher before Chloe is bounding into the classroom, taking her seat – of course – in the front of the room. Beca watches as she briefly greets a blonde to her right, and another girl sitting behind her, staring intently at her phone. She hesitantly walks toward them, taking a seat at the desk before laying her bag on the ground beside her.

"Aubrey, Stacie, this is Beca. She just started here. Beca, this is Stacie, and Aubrey."

The girl sitting behind Chloe – Stacie – barely looks up, simply waggling her fingers in Beca's direction, while the blonde – Aubrey – seems a little more interested and actually makes eye contact with Beca, before pulling Chloe into a conversation.

This is going to be interesting.

Beca zoned out for the majority of English. What with the subject being Death of a Salesman, which Beca had read at her last school, and Mr. Harrington's voice being so deep that it almost lulled her to sleep, the environment was not conducive to paying attention. Not to mention, the only thing Beca could really think about, was whether or not Macy was doing alright in her own classes.

It isn't until the end of class when Beca hears her name, snapping her out of the downward spiral of worrying about her little sister, that Beca starts paying attention again. "What?"

Chloe grins, knowing full well the brunette hadn't been paying attention the entire class. She shoulders her bag. "I asked if you have Calc next? With Mrs. Fuller?"

Glance quickly at the schedule that she had folded ten times over, Beca nods. "Yeah, is that where you're heading, too?"

The redhead leads the group towards the door, "We all are."

Pushing their way out into the hallway, Beca does her best to keep her breath steady around the surplus of high schoolers. She grasps the straps on her bag, much like Macy does when she's nervous, as Chloe and her friends seem to surround her.

Stacie, Chloe's friend who is at least six inches taller than her, turns around to face her, walking backwards on the way to where their math class is. "So, what brings you to Barden?"

Trying not to let her nerves show, Beca keeps her answer simple. "I just moved into the district." She knew the question would be coming eventually – it always does – she just didn't want to think about it.

Beca has lived in Georgia her whole life. It's just that, a good portion of it, has been spent bouncing around from place to place. This last move actually wasn't too bad. They were living in Atlanta, just on the other side of the city, putting them in a district for another school. In all honesty, Beca was thrilled when Meghan had told her and Macy that she had found another placement not that far away. The sisters had grown to like the area, and it also meant that Beca could keep her job with Cynthia Rose at the diner a little bit away.

Aubrey perks up, slipping her phone into her back pocket. "Where did you move from?"

Luckily, the answer isn't a lie like it normally is. "Just the other side of the city."

Both Aubrey and Stacie seem to have other questions they want to ask, but Beca shifts her gaze down to the ground in front of them, effectively stopping the line of questioning. Chloe, reading the room, jumps back in, going on a short tirade about the homework that Mr. Harrington had just assigned them.

Beca just walks silently beside them, thankful that she doesn't have to answer any more questions.

Chloe spent the rest of her morning classes curiously watching the brunette that Mrs. Abernathy had asked her to look out for. Beca was quiet – there's no doubt about it. In fact, she very easily slips into the background of the conversation, the wheels in her head always seeming to be turning, no matter what's going on.

But Chloe doesn't push it, though, knowing that her and her friends can be a bit overwhelming at times, and just wanting the new student to feel welcome and comfortable.

She broke off from Beca for fourth period, when Stacie brought Beca to their shared physics class. Chloe was sad to see the brunette go but knew that they would meet up again at lunch, which followed that block.

Sure enough, as Chloe walks into the cafeteria, every once in a while, saying 'hello' to some of her classmates, she sees Stacie and Beca already at their normal table, with Stacie on her phone and Beca pushing a salad around on her tray.

"Hi! How was class?" Chloe plops down in the seat beside Beca, the brunette flinching slightly in surprise. Chloe laughs this off, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Beca clears her throat, pushing her salad further out in front of her. "No worries."

The statement falls flat, Chloe and Stacie exchanging brief looks of confusion over Beca's head. Quickly recuperating, Chloe asks again, this time addressing the question to both Beca and Stacie.

Stacie, of course, is the only one to answer. "It was fine. I have major regrets for not taking it last year."

Chloe snorts, pulling the lunch that she brought from home, out of her backpack. "I told you."

With Aubrey eventually joining the girls, Beca finds it easy to sink back in her chair and participate in the conversation even less frequently than she had been before. With Stacie complaining about physics, Aubrey complaining about a scholarship application, and Chloe happily addressing both of their concerns, Beca is able to tune them out and truly take in her current situation.

There are a lot of students in the cafeteria. She knew that it was a big school but there seems to be hundreds of upperclassmen just waiting in line to get lunch, and there certainly doesn't seem like there are enough tables to fit all of them. They're all shouting to their friends, and the amount of people makes it so that it's physically impossible to have a conversation without screaming, so Beca's senses are very quickly overwhelmed.

Her eyes scan the rows of tables, quickly picking out the jocks, the people who keep to themselves, and some of the other more obvious cliques. It always amazes Beca that high schools are pretty much the same wherever you go. She typically is one of the people that stays by herself, not really wanting to make connections that she won't be able to keep. And, even though Chloe and her friends are being nice right now, she knows that in a couple of days they'll part ways.

It's just how it works, and it's better that way. For everyone.

On her second scan of the cafeteria, Beca finds herself laying her gaze on a familiar figure, standing hesitantly by the entrance of the room. She squints slightly, but even from this far away, Beca can identify Macy, the young girl looking worriedly at all of the students in front of her.

Not wanting to draw attention to herself, but also needing to get to her little sister, Beca quickly mumbles something about going to the bathroom, to the girls that she's sitting with (though she's not entirely sure if they heard her), before weaving in and out of the other tables before Macy spots her.

Beca gathers her in her arms without questioning it, leading her further down the hallway so that they don't have an audience. It doesn't take her long to realize that Macy is shaking, the beginning of a panic attack revealing itself.

Bracing Macy's shoulders with her hands, Beca kneels an arms' length away from her sister, searching her face for any sort of recognition. "Macy, look at me." Her words are firm but backed by a full octave of protectiveness and sympathy. The little girl takes a shaky breath, tears in her eyes. "Mace, take a deep breath. Everything is okay."

Macy clenches her eyes shut, much like she did this morning, and as she always does when situations that cause an increase in her anxiety seem like they are too much to bear. Beca tries again. "Munch, you're okay. In and out. Just like we always do, yeah?"

Beca brings on hand to Macy's forehead, brushing a curl out of her face. The twelve-year-old seems to rest her head in the cusp of Beca's hand, letting out a small sigh as her breathing starts to return to normal. When she finally opens her eyes, Beca is waiting for her with a soft smile on her face. "Can you tell me what's wrong, munch?"

Macy takes a step forward, allowing her older sister to wrap her in another embrace as she whispers, "I couldn't find you."

Despite the situation, Beca laughs a little, never once stopping the soothing act of rubbing circles in her sister's back. "Mace, I told you I wasn't going anywhere."

"But I came down to see you, to make sure, but then I couldn't find you." Macy grips the back of Beca's shirt, hot tears sliding off her cheeks. "I thought you were gone."

"Oh, munch…" Beca hugs her little sister tighter, pressing a kiss into her temple, not really knowing what else there is to say.

"All ready?" Beca looks up from her position on the twin bed tucked in the corner of her new bedroom, glancing fondly at her little sister. Her wet curls are soaking the back of her pajama shirt, and the warm water has done nothing but make the bags under her eyes look more prominent.

Macy nods, climbing up beside Beca without another word. She curls into her sister's side, pushing her notebooks and textbooks out of the way.

The rest of the day had been difficult for the twelve-year-old. After the mini anxiety attack that she had in the middle of Beca's lunch, she found it even harder than before to focus on her classes. Luckily, she was able to manage, only offering a smile to the other students if they gave her one first, and barely answering her teachers if they asked her a question.

Then, when her and Beca went to the diner where Beca worked, she couldn't even be happy to see Cynthia Rose, who always knew how to make her feel better. The downtrodden expression on her sister's face did not go unnoticed by Beca, and she hated to admit it, but it's been there for a lot longer than just this afternoon.

Beca didn't have to work late, getting off just after six so that they could go home and have dinner with Jack. They moved in with him yesterday, and he seemed normal enough. His house is a little dirty, and Beca thinks he smells like stale beer and smoke, but he hasn't been an asshole yet so that's always a plus. At dinner, he asked about their day but that was about it. Apparently, none of them are big talkers, which is fine by Beca.

Macy loops her finger around her sister's shirt as Beca's fingers start to comb absentmindedly through Macy's curls. She takes a stabilizing breath, briefly glancing at the book perched on her sister's legs. "Didn't you read that at Lincoln?"

A short 'mhmm' escapes Beca's mouth. "I did, we're supposed to read it in my English class, and I don't remember much." When she had originally heard that they were going to be reading the novel, Beca had been annoyed. But she then realized that it was just going to be an easy A. Works for her. "You finished your homework at the diner, right?"

Macy nods sleepily. Her teachers had not been shy in telling her that she needs to work hard to catch up. "Yeah."

Beca turns the page, not really reading but also not willing to put it down and stop. She still has a few assignments she needs to finish, and she figured that this one would be the easiest to do as Macy fought off sleep.

Her day, unlike Macy's, finished on a relatively normal note. She had one other class without Chloe, but, other than that, she had classes with the perky redhead and her friends for the rest of the day. While they chatted amongst themselves, Beca simply watched, taking in as much information about them as she could. On the rare occasion that they asked her a question, Beca managed to come up with a short and quick answer, and they quickly moved on. Why they didn't pry more, Beca isn't sure, but she is almost positive that Chloe had given Aubrey a warning look after she made a comment about her earrings.

Beca hadn't known what to think when she came back into the cafeteria after calming Macy down. She didn't know if anyone had seen her, but when she got back to the table, Chloe simply asked if she had found the bathroom alright.

Even though she already knows the answer, Beca looks down at her sister. "You sleeping in here tonight?" A new place, a stressful day, and still feeling the aftermath of their last placement, all give enough of a reason for Macy to want to sleep with her older sister.

Macy nuzzles deeper into Beca's side. "Please." Her eyes start to flutter closed, not really waiting on the answer because she knows that Beca won't say 'no.' "I love you."

Beca doesn't hesitate. "I love you too, munch. Sweet dreams."