Thank you so much for all of the support last chapter!

Chapter 24

Something isn't right, and it hasn't been for the last couple of weeks. Chloe is certain of that much.

It's Beca. She's different. Well, not different from Beca per se, but different from the Beca that Chloe has seen her morph into. Different from the Beca that Beca herself has allowed Chloe to see. The Beca that is around now, has been drifting back to the personality of the Beca that Chloe first met on that morning in Mrs. Abernathy's office.

Chloe can tell that Beca's trying. The brunette still talks with her almost all day long, she still is affectionate, even if they haven't put a label on whatever they're doing yet. But honestly, it's her eyes that are giving her away. Every time Chloe looks at her, Beca's eyes look so sad. So sad and almost pained. Chloe has asked her about it – on more than one occasion – but every time she does, Beca just denies it. She gives her hand a squeeze or presses a soft kiss into her cheek if they are alone, says that everything is okay, and then changes the topic.

The biggest change that Chloe has seen in Beca, though, is when she is around Macy. Beca has always been protective of Macy, there's no question about that. But ever since a few weeks ago, it's like Beca can't let her out of her sight. She's started checking in on her during classes 'just because.' When they're at Fig's, Beca has been coming around the counter far more frequently than she used to. When they're walking together, it's like she either has to be touching Macy, or she is constantly glancing over at her to make sure her sister is standing right there. Even when they're at Chloe's house, where both Mitchell girls have gradually started spending more and more time, Beca is constantly watching Macy.

And the strangest thing, is that Macy seems completely oblivious.

She's been just as happy-go-lucky as she has been for the last few months. She's getting closer with Chloe, which makes the redhead's heart swell every time she thinks about it. When Beca and Chloe are hanging out alone, she's typically over at Benji's. She's laughing – and she has the most adorable laugh – and smiling and is acting just like a twelve-year-old should be acting.

Chloe has brought up the changes in Beca's behavior with Stacie and Aubrey a couple of times, and neither one of them has seemed to notice a difference. Then, Chloe has to remind herself that Stacie and Aubrey haven't gotten the chance to know Beca like she has. She and Beca have been spending a lot of time together, and Chloe knows that the brunette has told her more about her life than either one of them expected. She has gotten to see the true Beca Mitchell, while, to some degree, Beca is still hiding multiple parts of herself from the other two girls. Because of that, Chloe doesn't really have anyone to talk to, and she doesn't know what to do.

She doesn't know what to do, and she hates it. Especially when she knows her…Beca, is hurting.

Chloe glances to her left, where Beca is sitting next to her at the lunch table. The brunette is focused on her salad, pushing the wilted lettuce around the plastic tray with a fork, the vegetables looking like they've been frozen for months. Her gaze is so blank, that Chloe knows her mind is somewhere else far, far away.

She places her hand gently on Beca's thigh as Stacie and Aubrey engage in their own conversation, giving her a small smile when Beca looks up at her. "You okay?"

Beca nods, looking up at Chloe with those same sad eyes. It almost seems as though she's struggling to stay awake. "Yeah. You?"

"I'm good…you've been kind of quiet today."

The corners of Beca's mouth half-heartedly tug upwards as she brings her hand down to cover Chloe's. "I'm sorry. I didn't sleep well last night."

Chloe never once breaks eye contact, even when tears start to burn at the corner of her baby blue orbs. 'Not sleeping well' has been Beca's excuse for the past three weeks. Every time she says it, it makes Chloe want to shake the brunette until the truth falls from her lips. "Did Macy have a nightmare?"

Beca shakes her head, "No. I just couldn't stay asleep."

Chloe frowns, wishing more than anything that Beca would give a little more information in her answer. Instead, Chloe glances down at where her hand is under Beca's, turning her own so that they can interlace their fingers. When she does, Beca's sleeve rides up slightly, causing Chloe to freeze. "What's that?"

"Hmm?" Beca shifts her gaze down to their hands, feeling as though she's living in a haze from the sheer lack of sleep she's been getting. But when she does, she immediately sees what Chloe is talking about. Ignoring the way that her heart begins to beat faster in her chest, Beca does her best to be as nonchalant as possible. "Oh, it's nothing." The brunette pulls her hand out of Chloe's grasp, and readjusts her sleeve to cover the black and blue marking on the pale skin of her wrist.

So, things haven't exactly been the best for Beca over the last couple of weeks, and she knows that it's starting to take a toll on her.

It started off as not being a big deal. The first few days after what happened in the basement were relatively normal. Jack didn't do anything else, and Beca began to calm down. That feeling was short-lived, ending quickly when Jack started making sure that whenever Beca was downstairs, he was in the same room as her. He's made it a habit to brush up against her when they pass each other in the hall, force her to engage in seemingly innocent conversations when Macy is around, and stares at her whenever she is in his line of sight. While her and her sister are together, Jack is nowhere near as forward as he is when he catches Beca by herself. He acts just as normal as he always has. But that only makes her question what would happen if he ever found Macy alone.

Because of that, Beca has done her best to refuse to leave Macy by herself while she's in the house. Of course, it doesn't always work since she doesn't want Macy to think anything is wrong, but Beca is doing her best. She only goes downstairs when she knows Macy is safely inside the bedroom and that Jack is downstairs. They've been spending more time at Chloe's house, and Beca has been pushing for more afternoons spent at the Applebaum's. She's convinced her younger sister to help her with the laundry on more than one occasion and has even taken to sneaking into Macy's room at night and sleeping on her floor, just to try and limit the chance of any unwanted, midnight guests.

But the fact of the matter is that she is struggling.

The constant fear of Jack, combined with all of her efforts to make sure that Macy is safe, is exhausting. Most of the time, when she sneaks into Macy's room at night, she doesn't even sleep. She stays up and stares at the door, wanting to be ready if, for some reason, their foster father decides to come in. The guilt of the situation is weighing heavily on her, and the worst part is, that she can't talk to anyone about it. She's lying to CR, and she's lying to Chloe. It kills her to look at the gorgeous redhead, and lie straight through her teeth.

Perhaps the only positive of this entire situation, is that Macy doesn't suspect anything. She can't say the same about Chloe, because every day for the last three weeks, Chloe has made some comment about whether or not Beca was okay, and has even pressed a little further sometimes asking if things were alright at 'home.' Beca knows that she just needs to stay under the radar at the house, and that way, she won't have any reason to continue lying to the girl she is quickly falling head over heels for.

And her plan had been working for the most part, until this morning after breakfast when Macy ran upstairs to grab her bag, and Beca was left alone in the kitchen with Jack. Beca tried leaving as quickly as she could, but as she stood from the table, Jack had taken her wrist in her hand. Beca froze at first, not really knowing what to do, with every worst-case-scenario running through her mind. She listened as Jack asked if she was avoiding him and tried her hardest not to flinch when his grip tightened as she attempted to pull her hand out of his grasp. His voice grew more stern, telling her that she didn't have to be scared and that he 'didn't like playing games.' Although Beca didn't – and still doesn't – actually want to know what he meant by that. She eventually broke free when they both became distracted by the sound of Macy coming back down the stairs, and could feel the bruise forming on her wrist all through her morning classes. She had been hoping that she could keep her shirt down around it, but, clearly, that didn't work.

Besides the fact that Beca is terrified of what could happen at Jack's, the worst part of this whole situation is that she can't talk to Chloe about it. She is fully aware that the redhead knows that something isn't right. She sees it every time Chloe looks at her, but Beca can't risk it. She can't risk having to move, and she can't risk putting Chloe in danger.

Beca has it under control.

Kind of.

Sort of.

It's fine.

There's a little under seven months until Beca turns eighteen. She can hold him off until then.

Chloe's eyebrows furrow in concern, her eyes growing in size as she looks from Beca back down to the brunette's wrist. She reaches back for Beca's hand, taking it before she can pull it away, and rolls up Beca's sleeve, revealing exactly what Chloe thought she had seen. Her heart almost shatters. "Beca, who –"

Beca tries laughing it off, attempting to pull her hand away, but Chloe holds on tighter. "It's fine, Macy and I were messing around last night and –"

"It looks like it hurts, Bec. Are you okay?" Chloe examines the bruise with the utmost caution, gently running her fingers over the outlines of where someone else very clearly had gripped her wrist without a care. "When did this happen?"

A million thoughts have already started running through Chloe's mind. Is this why Beca's been so closed-off lately? Is something going on that she hasn't told Chloe about? It's obvious that the bruise on her wrist can't be from Macy, that kid is so small that she could probably tackle Beca and the older girl would come out unscathed. Chloe's worry only grows when Beca takes her hand back and immediately tugs her sleeve back down, never once looking into Chloe's eyes.

"It's nothing, I promise. Macy and I were fooling around, and she got a little too aggressive." Beca knows that the lie is nowhere near convincing, but she tries anyway. She flicks her eyes up to Chloe's only momentarily, giving her a small smile as she tries to make it seem like she didn't just lie straight to her face. "I promise, Chlo, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? It looks like it hurts, Bec."

"I'm sure." She forces another smile on her face. "I'm going to run to the bathroom before class. See you in like ten minutes?"

Chloe starts to protest, but Beca is already gone with a small wave of her hand.

Chloe doesn't stop thinking about the bruise on Beca's wrist for the entire day. Not through any of her classes, not through the few hours that she spends with the Mitchell sisters at the diner (of course, carefully watching their every move), and not through dinner with her own family. The worry is practically eating her alive, especially when Beca is taking longer than normal to respond to her text messages as Chloe lays in bed that night.

It just doesn't make any sense. If there is something going on at Jack's, Beca would tell her, right? Chloe has met Jack a few times, and nothing ever struck her the wrong way with the man. Did something happen while Beca was walking home one night from Fig's? Did something happen at work? Nothing really makes any sense, and it kills Chloe that Beca isn't being honest with her, because the redhead knows full well the excuse Beca gave her at lunch about Macy, is so far from the truth that it's laughable.

Chloe is so lost in thought, staring blankly at the English assignment in front of her, that she doesn't hear her mom cross over the threshold into her room.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Chloe's head jerks up in the direction of her mom's voice, the older woman leaning against the frame of her door. Chloe offers her a small smile, which worries Lisa even more. "You alright, sweetheart?"

Chloe shrugs, pushing her laptop away as Lisa crosses the room, joining her on the bed. "Something's wrong with Beca."

Lisa leans up against some of Chloe's pillows, resting her head on her hand as she watches her daughter carefully. "What do you mean?"

"She's been…off, the last couple of weeks. She's not telling me something and I feel like something is wrong."

"She's seemed okay when she's been over here." In fact, Beca has been spending a lot more time over at the Beale house recently. Lisa hasn't really noticed a difference in the girl, but then again, she isn't in love with the brunette like her daughter is. "Did something happen with Macy, maybe?"

Chloe shakes her head, "That's the thing. Macy seems fine."

Lisa quirks her head slightly. "Did something happen to make you think that she's been off?"

Chloe briefly considers that maybe she shouldn't mention the bruise to her mother, but before she knows it, all of her worries are spilling from her mouth. She's been bottling up her fears for weeks, and today at lunch is just pushing her to the edge. "She hasn't been talking with me as much, she is always exhausted, she seems so sad all the time and then today she had a bruise on her wrist that she lied about and –"

"Okay, Chlo, slow down for a second..." Lisa instantly straightens, red flags flying everywhere. "She had a bruise on her wrist? Did you ask her about it?"

Chloe's eyes widen at her mom's reaction, wishing, more than anything, that Lisa would just think she was overreacting. "Yeah, but she just said she was messing around with Macy. Why, do you think something is wrong, too?"

Lisa reaches out to take her daughter's hand, feeling her stress skyrocket. Chloe has always worn her heart on her sleeve; the concern in her expression is blatantly obvious. "It could be nothing, but I also think you need to sit down and have a real talk with Beca, just to make sure that it is nothing."

Even more fear washes over Chloe. "I've tried, Mom! She's not talking to me like she used to!"

"Okay, what about Macy? Do you think you can talk to her?"

Chloe groans, leaning her head back against the wall. "I can't ask her something like that, Mom. Beca would flip."

Lisa sighs. Her daughter isn't wrong. "What about her friend from the diner? Would you feel comfortable talking to her about it?"

Chloe mulls the idea over in her head. She still feels like it isn't fair to talk to someone behind Beca's back about this, but it isn't like the brunette is giving her much of a choice. She's afraid of pushing Beca further back behind her walls, but equally as afraid that something is happen that could result in Beca getting hurt. "I mean, I guess."

"I know it might feel uncomfortable, but if something's actually going on with Beca, I think you're going to regret it if you don't."

The senior sighs, trying to ignore the churning in her stomach as she imagines what could possibly be happening at the house over on the other side of town.

After checking to make sure that Beca has shown up for school the next day, Chloe leaves class under the excuse of a dentist appointment, allowing her to make her exit without facing too many questions. She can't talk to CR while Beca is at work, so both Chloe and her mom agreed that going during the day would be best. Then, Beca doesn't ask too many questions, and Chloe can have some time to talk to the manager without any pressure.

Chloe hears CR before she sees her, her laugh breaking across the busy restaurant at nine in the morning. She flicks her eyes up to the counter where she is pouring some coffee into the cups of her customers, a giant, people-pleasing smile on her face. When CR glances up at the door, Chloe gives her a small wave.

Cynthia Rose puts down the coffee pot, wiping her hands on a random rag, before walking around the counter to greet the newest arrival. She's gotten used to seeing Chloe around Fig's; in fact, she's here most afternoons. But it's not like Chloe has ever been here alone before. She's always sitting with Macy or messing around with Beca. "Red? You okay?"

Chloe forces a smile on her face, the action refusing to reach her eyes. Her heart practically beat out of her chest on the ride over, feeling incredibly nervous and guilty about going behind Beca's back. Her voice is hesitant as she asks, "do you have a minute to talk?"

Worry floods the older woman. "Yeah, of course. Come on back." CR doesn't waste anytime in leading Chloe back into her office, closing the door behind her as soon as the senior is inside. There's something about the way she's standing and holding herself that makes CR want to know what's going on as soon as possible. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

Chloe picks at her fingernails slightly, taking a seat on the arm of a chair that's tucked against the far wall, not really knowing where to start. "I'm sorry for just dropping by like this."

CR waves off her concern, pulling her desk chair over to sit in front of Chloe. This is one of the only times she remembers Chloe not being her bright and bubbly self. "It's fine. What's going on? Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

A small laugh escapes Chloe's mouth. School is the least of her worries right now. "I uh… I wanted to talk to you about Beca."

CR holds up her hands slightly. "Listen, I don't want to get in the middle of whatever you guys have going on, I –"

"I think something's wrong with her."

Chloe's tone and the content of her statement makes CR freeze in her rambling. She grows serious. "What do you mean?"

The redhead pushes a curl out of her face, noticing a slight tremor in her fingers as she does so. "Have you noticed anything different about Beca over the last couple of weeks?"

CR thinks for a moment. The only major difference that she's been noticing, is that Beca has been spending a lot more time with Chloe, which the manager just assumed was because they were getting more serious about their relationship. "No, not really. Why do you ask?"

Chloe sighs. Here goes nothing. "Well, I have. She's been a lot quieter than normal and hasn't really been talking to me about what's been going on; she's always asking questions about me and changes the subject if I even try talking about her. She's been more protective of Macy, and she just seems... off."

Considering this briefly, CR shrugs. She hasn't really noticed what Chloe is pointing out, but it does make the manager concerned that Chloe has. "I don't know… sometimes she gets like that. It's possible that Macy hasn't been sleeping again…"

"I don't think that's it, because Macy seems like she's fine." Chloe pauses, before blurting out, "and then yesterday, I saw that she had a bruise on her wrist."

CR's face darkens, not wanting to believe the words that are coming out of Chloe's mouth. "Really?"

Chloe nods, tears starting to swim in her eyes, both from frustration and fear. "Yeah, and she denied that anything was wrong and then just left after I asked her about it. She was lying. I know she was."

Cynthia Rose hangs her head, rubbing her eyes with a groan, wishing more than anything that she was not hearing this right now.

At CR's silence, but obvious discomfort, Chloe tries again. "Do you think that something could be wrong at Jack's? I mean, I could be totally overreacting and this all could nothing, but it just doesn't feel right."

"You're not overreacting." CR perches her elbows on her knees, clasping her hands together. If what Chloe is saying is right, and CR doesn't have any reason not to believe her, she's describing exactly how Beca was acting when Tyler was getting worse. The closing herself off, the lying, the being more protective around Macy... at the time, CR hadn't noticed, but looking back, it's almost exactly the same. "What did she say about the bruise?"

Not really sure whether she should feel reassured by Cynthia Rose not questioning her or if she should feel more worried, Chloe gulps. "She just said that she was messing around with Macy, but it was pretty bad, and it looked painful."

CR scoffs. That is the lamest excuse that she has ever heard. She presses her clasped hands in between her eyebrows. "Damn it."

Chloe watches the older woman carefully. "What? What's wrong?"

"No, I just…" CR groans, "I mean, you know how she is. She isn't actually going to tell us if something is wrong. She's so freaking stubborn."

Despite the conversation, a small, genuine smile appears on Chloe's face. It disappears quickly, though, when she sees how serious Cynthia Rose is being. "So, you think something could be going on, too?"

"It's definitely a possibility." CR tries not to get upset at the way Chloe's face sinks. "Have you said anything to her about this?"

Chloe shrugs, "I asked about the bruise. I've asked her multiple times if everything is okay, but she always changes the subject. But no, I haven't asked her straight out if things are okay with Jack."

CR sighs. "Okay. I can try talking to her about it, but I can almost guarantee you that she's going to be pissed."

Tears start to prick at the back of Chloe's eyes. She doesn't want Beca to get mad, but more than that, she doesn't want Beca to get hurt. "What do you think we should do?"

"There's no right or wrong answer. I mean, as much as she trusts you, I don't think she's going to say anything, especially if something is going on with Jack." The older woman just shrugs. She knows that Beca is not going to disclose anything without some serious persuasion, which can definitely lead to an argument. An argument that CR is pretty sure Chloe does not want to have. "But I can try to get it out of her if you're okay with that."

Chloe considers CR's proposition carefully. At this point, Chloe doesn't want to push Beca further away than she already is. She's tried talking to her about what's bothering her multiple times, she's lying to her about the bruise…maybe CR will be able to figure it out if Chloe can't. CR and Beca have been through a lot together, and while Chloe wishes more than anything that she could help Beca out on her own, she knows that this situation - if it's anything like what both her and CR are thinking - is going to require a team effort. "Okay."

Cynthia Rose is waiting for the Mitchell sisters when they get to Fig's after school. She told Chloe that she would talk to Beca as soon as she got to her shift and would give her a call later that night to let her know how it went. She's been waiting all day for the girls to arrive, and as the clock ticked closer to their normal time of arrival, CR's heart was pounding out of her chest.

Macy is the first one to greet her when she comes into the diner, throwing her arms around the older woman like she always does. "How was school, Mace?"

Macy hugs her tighter. "It was good. Chloe couldn't come today, though."

Not at all surprised because they had discussed that issue this morning, CR shrugs. "That's okay. More fries for you, right?"

Macy grins, following her sister to the counter, who hasn't even addressed CR yet. "Can they be cheesy fries?"

CR pretends to roll her eyes. "Getting a little greedy, are we?"

"Maybeeee?"

Both CR and Macy let out a small laugh, "Cheesy fries it is." CR turns to her friend, who is focusing intently on tying the apron around her waist. "How was your day, Bec?"

Beca looks up from where she's standing, almost as if she has forgotten that CR is there. She's even more tired than she was yesterday, having stayed up all night watching the door of Macy's room as the younger girl slept. "Huh? Oh, it was fine."

Upon looking at Beca with a more careful eye than she normally would, CR starts to see a little of what Chloe was telling her about. Her eyes are distant, and she looks exhausted. Her hair is pulled up in a bun on top of her head - and it looks like it's been that way all day. She's wearing a sweatshirt that, sure enough, has the sleeve pulled tightly down around her wrist.

CR tries to brush her worries off, wanting to remain as normal as possible until she's alone with the teen. "Alright, Mace, one order of cheesy fries coming right up. Bec, can I show you something in the office real quick?"

Beca gives her a small nod, and, after telling her sister that she'll be right back, she follows CR into her office. Cynthia Rose closes the door behind her once she's inside, which causes Beca to look to her with confusion. "Everything okay?"

CR takes a deep breath, going over to her desk to sit down. She just needs to remain calm and hope that Beca doesn't become confrontational. "I was going to ask you the same question."

Beca's eyebrows furrow slightly. "What?"

Cynthia Rose leans back in her chair, watching as Beca stays standing in the middle of the room. She has shoved her hands into the pocket of her sweatshirt, and her stance is rigid. Almost guarded. Nothing like the way she normally acts around the manager. "You seem tired. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine. Couldn't sleep last night." Beca brushes the concern off immediately. "I thought you wanted to show me something?"

Okay, so she's already getting defensive. Not the best sign. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something instead."

Beca stiffens, almost as if she can predict what CR is going to say. "Okay…"

Best to just rip off the band-aid, right? "Can I see your wrist?"

Beca does her best to keep her poker face on, but even CR can see the flash of fear that crosses her face. She's never been good at hiding her emotions. "My wrist?"

"Mhmm." CR taps her own, never once breaking eye contact. "Your right wrist."

Beca's mouth runs dry, and she stutters slightly when she answers. "W-why?"

CR keeps her stare on the younger teen. "You know why, Bec."

Trying to ignore the panic that is quickly filling her brain, Beca forces out a laugh, doing everything in her power to diffuse the situation so that she can get out. This is not how this was supposed to go. "Dude, what's going on?"

At Beca's laugh, CR immediately sees what Chloe was talking about. She's trying to take the attention off of the truth. "You tell me."

Beca rolls her eyes, all defense mechanisms becoming employed. She can practically feel herself regressing to how she typically acts around people she doesn't know - not someone who is supposed to be her closest friend. "Okay, if you're going to act all cryptic and not tell me what you actually want to talk about, then I'm going to work."

As the brunette turns on her heel, anxious to get out of the office, CR's voice stops her. "What's going on with Jack, Beca?"

Beca freezes with her back toward her friend, doing everything in her power to hide the fear that has most definitely covered her face. Although Chloe has asked her if everything is alright, she's never asked outright if things with Jack are normal. Hearing the question come from CR's lips makes her want to turn around and run. But, knowing that that will give her away faster than if she just lies when she answers, Beca forces herself to turn back around. "What are you talking about? Everything's fine."

"Don't lie to me, Beca." CR shakes her head, her voice cracking slightly. "Don't do it to me, and don't do it to yourself."

Beca scoffs, shifting her weight from foot to foot, debating whether or not she should just leave. "You're being ridiculous, CR."

"Really? Then show me your wrist. Show me that there isn't a bruise and then I'll drop it."

Beca narrows her eyes at the older woman, anger starting to bubble in her stomach. "Did Chloe talk to you? Is that what this is about?"

CR holds up her hands in surrender. "We're both worried, Bec. You haven't been acting like yourself lately. Is there something going on with Jack?"

Beca runs her hands through her hair, her frustration starting to shine through clear as day. So is the fact that there actually is something going on. "No! Everything is fine!"

The older woman shakes her head, all of Chloe's fears manifesting in front of her. "I don't believe you. You can tell me the truth, Bec, you know that."

"CR, I am fine. Everything is fine."

Cynthia Rose eyes Beca carefully, this conversation reminding her a lot of one that she had over six months ago when she asked Beca if things were becoming more intense with Macy and the Barry's. She softens her voice at the realization. "That's the same thing you told me when things were getting worse with Tyler."

Beca sets her jaw, her tone dripping with disbelief and ire. "Are you serious right now?"

"Beca, do you not remember what happened the last time you acted like everything was okay? When you didn't let people help you?"

CR watches as Beca's eyes widen, how her jaw drops open slowly, and tears start to fill her navy blue orbs. She brings her hand up to her mouth, her sleeve tugging backward slightly and revealing the top part of the bruise that CR can see all the way from where she's sitting. Beca just slowly shakes her head. "I can't believe you just said that to me."

CR gulps. "Beca, that's not –"

"No, screw you CR."

Before the older woman can say anything, Beca turns on her heel and leaves the office, slamming the door behind her.

Only two more to go...