A/N: Not much to say for this one aside from the usual. Please take a few moments after you've read it to leave a review, Zap and I quite literally count them up as they come in, it's kind of amusiing actually. Also, for those of you who are waiting for the final install of my other fic Holiday Happenings, I promise that the Christmas installment won't go past 6 1/2 months over due... Unless Zap murders me for making everyone wait for so long on that chapter. And now, on to the chapter!
The Distraction Conundrum
Beca sat in front of her computer staring at the monitor. Her mixing software was open and she was searching for a song to pair with Call Me Maybe. Her Aunt Tricia had sent her a link to the video of the Olympic swim team lip synching to it, and she hadn't been able to get it out of her head since, so she figured why not put it to some decent use. The tune was poppy and catchy, though not really her style, but it was one of those songs that got people up and dancing. And, considering that was her job now, she figured she might as well do a good job of it.
Of course, there was a part of her that couldn't help but think how perfectly the song fit her own life right now, considering how the last few weeks since her impromptu duet with the redhead that lived across the hall had gone. Ever since that night, Chloe seemed to continually find reasons to visit her. The Sunday following their meeting had been an invitation to join the redhead and her roommate for dinner, and after that things just kept coming. Rubbing her temples wearily, Beca couldn't help but think back over the previous year and how she had been so successful in avoiding getting caught up in the life, and the distractions, of the building.
As soon as her mom had returned to Seattle, Beca set to work fulfilling her end of the deal. One of the first things she had known she would need to do was to find a job so that she could afford to try and live her dream. Her first thought had been to do something music related if possible, but being only 18 years old limited the sort of work that she could in clubs or bars if she wasn't the actual DJ. She had some experience waitressing from her high school days, so it hadn't been too hard for her to find a job in a small diner not far from her building. She knew from experience that working at a small 'mom & pop' type diner would be far better than getting a job at a large corporate entity like "The Cheesecake Factory" where she knew that Penny worked. Besides, if she got a job there she would have to interact with the blond girl, and Beca wanted to focus on her music, not making friends out of her neighbors. Friends could come once she had gotten her break as a DJ.
The diner wasn't anything spectacular, but it did a steady enough business that she was able to get by with her wage plus tips. Unfortunately, to do so meant not having as much time as she would have liked to mix and try to get noticed. Beca did her best, though, mixing late into the night and working the following day in a sleepy haze. She sent her mixes to various radio stations and record labels, and was hopeful at first. When no responses came back, however, Beca realized that breaking into the music scene by going directly to the record labels might be the wrong to go about it. However with the amount of hours she had to put in at the diner to pay her bills, the aspiring DJ found it nearly impossible to try and get in at a local club where she could show off her DJing skills.
Beca knew that all she needed was a chance to show off what she was capable of at a club, preferably a newer one where they didn't have an established DJ already on staff, and then she'd be set. But with the crazy hours she was being forced to work just to pay her rent, the brunette still a little bit shell shocked at the whole "moving out" experience, Beca barely had time to mix music, let alone pimp herself to clubs. Thankfully an unexpected break came only a few months after her move. And it came in the shape her an unexpected visit from her mother.
1:45 PM
That was the time that the clock on her laptop said it was. Beca knew this because she had been staring blankly at it since it had said 1:40 PM. Shaking her head to clear the lack-of-sleep induced cobwebs Beca tried to focus on the tracks she was working on. She wasn't even really sure how they had come into her mind as "good ideas" for a mashup, but it was proving harder than her brain had suggested. Though that could have been because she had only had about 4 hours sleep the previous night.
One of the other waitresses at the diner had called out sick the previous day, which meant that Beca's 8-hour day turned into nearly sixteen by the time the diner was closed up at 4 AM and everything was clean. By the time she was home and showered, Beca had always found that going to sleep after working a shift at the diner without a shower meant she woke up smelling like diner food and that usually made her want to throw up, it was nearly 5. And her alarm was set to go off in 6 hours. Brilliant.
Of course, just because she was IN bed didn't meant that she could actually fall asleep. No, no, that would make things too easy. So yeah, combine a good dose of insomnia with the already short sleeping schedule she had, and noon had come far too early, even with the extra hour she had given herself. But she had mixes to make. If she was going to prove herself she had to work with current music. She had to be bold and put herself out there as her dad had always said. She had to get noticed.
1:50 PM
Fuck! Beca thought as she realized that both the songs had played through their full length and she hadn't taken in a single note. It was pointless, she was never going to get any work done in this state. She didn't have to be at work until 5 that night, thank goodness, so just as she was contemplating giving the whole idea of mixing up as a bad job and trying to salvage a couple more hours of sleep she heard a knock on her door that startled her so much she nearly fell out of her chair.
Who the hell would be knocking on her door? At 1:50 on a Friday, no less. She didn't really know anyone in LA, unless you counted her co-workers, but none of them knew where she lived. Well, there were the other people that lived in the building, but she generally avoided them and they'd have no reason to visit her… Wouldn't they?
Quietly making her way to the door, in case she wanted to pretend to not be home in case it was Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses, Beca carefully peaked through the peephole into the hallway. With a gasp she stepped back and started opening the locks on the door as she called out, "Umm, wow. Uh, hang on mom. Gimme just a … Got it."
Opening the door she was shocked to see her mom standing in front of her door with an amused smirk on her face. As the older version of Beca stepped forward to give her daughter a hug she said, "I heard you sneaking up to the door. Worried I was a bible thumper or something?"
"Hell yeah I was! I don't know how, but somehow they got into the building like a week ago and I made the mistake of answering the door." Beca replied, tolerating the hug from her mom before stepping back and letting the older woman through the door. As she shut it behind her she went on, "They spent like 15 minutes trying to get inside so they could 'show me the light of Jesus' or some crap. At about that point in time I told them I liked pussy more than they did and they freaked the fuck out long enough for me to slam the door in their faces."
"Oh my god, you didn't really, did you? No, wait, I don't even need you to answer that, I know you did. I'm sure the looks on their faces were comical to say the least." Beth said, laughing so hard she nearly doubled over at her daughter's tale. After catching her breath she stood up and tried to give her best "mom" look as she said, "Still, crude as ever though, I see…"
"And never gonna change it either!" Beca said proudly as she saved the miserable excuse for a mashup she was working on. As she did so she suddenly had a thought and asked the question on her mind, "Speaking of locked front doors, how did you get in without buzzing up?"
"Oh that nice waitress girl, Jenny, Annie… Something like that. Anyway, she was just heading out to work, judging by her uniform, and held the door for me." Beth said, gesturing vaguely downstairs.
"Penny, mom. Her name's Penny. And that's cool, but, uh, what are you doing in LA?" Beca asked, straightening from her task and cracking her back.
"Well, I had a conference on automated AI design and integration this weekend and I decided to come down early and surprise you for lunch. Assuming you haven't eaten yet?" Her mom asked, pulling out her cell phone and checking the time.
"No, actually I haven't eaten yet, and I would love something other than diner food for a change!" Beca said, delighted to have a chance to get some food other than what her own work made. It was hard to beat the discount on food she got at work, and she never had time to really cook anyway so…
"Diner food?" Beth asked, confused.
"Oh, uh, yeah. I guess I never mentioned that. I, uh, work down the street at M&T's diner. Gotta pay the bills, right?" Beca said rather sheepishly, more ashamed than she'd like to admit that she had to tell her mom that her "big dream" to come to LA and become a music producer had stalled with her working as a waitress.
"You're waitressing again? Oh, Becs. Why didn't you say something? I'm sure your dad and I could have – " Beth started to say before Beca cut her off.
"No! No mom, I can do this. I just… I just need some time, to get noticed, you know? I don't need anyone's help." Beca protested, instantly cutting her mom off before she could offer to help. She had already been tempted to ask for help a couple weeks ago when she had eaten her fifth meal of Top Ramen in a row, but she hadn't broken down then, and she wouldn't now.
"Baby, come on…" Beth started to protest, but at the look in her daughter's eyes, a look she had seen staring back at her in the mirror after someone had told her that "girls couldn't become computer programmers" when she was in school, she knew that there was no point.
"No means no, mom. Isn't that what you told me to tell people down here if they tried to get too pushy?" Beca said with a smirk on her face.
Rolling her eyes, Beth just smacked her daughter's arm and told her to go get dressed and they could go get some "real food". The younger brunette did so, coming back a few minutes later in her typical pair of dark jeans and low-cut top covered with a hooded sweatshirt. As they were making their way towards the door, though, Beca spoke up again.
"Ummmm, we'll have to make it quick, though. I, well, I gotta work a shift at the diner tonight. In about three hours to be precise." Beca said nervously, she was about to suggest that they reschedule for the following day which she had, somehow, miraculously gotten off work, when her stomach rumbled loudly.
"Alright, lunch on the quick. Let's do this." Beth said, leading the way out of the apartment as Beca locked the door. Despite the young brunette's protest, though, Beth was already planning to call Chris and talk to him about maybe helping their daughter out a bit. I mean, if she had gone to Barden University as he had wanted she would have had her room paid for her, at the least. So it was, really, the least that they could to do help her out with food and rent, Beth figured.
Shaking off the months old memory Beca looked back at her screen, once again searching for a song to pair up with that infernally catchy tune. Beca had to admit, as much as she usually disliked that sort of pop music, she found it hilarious that the boy that Carly was singing to turned out to be gay and interested in her band's guitarist.
About a week after that weekend both her parents had called her up and talked to her about finances. They had explained how, if she had gone to Barden she wouldn't have had to worry about rent or anything, so it was the least they could do. Blah, blah, blah. She would have actually refused their help, again, except her rent was coming due in just a few days and Beca knew she wouldn't be able to make the $200 she still needed for it in the two shifts she had before the dreaded due date. So she ended up caving and let them set up a bank account in her name which they both added money to in order to help her out with rent and food.
She tried not to touch it, if she could help it, but it was there for times when money was short. And it also let her cut her hours back at the diner so that she could finally start focusing on her mixes and getting herself out there instead of being constantly distracted by stupid crap like paying bills.
That wasn't to say there weren't a few distractions here and there. She fondly remembered an 18 and over night at a lesbian bar called Violet's where she ended up bringing home a girl named Lakshmi, but it's not like either one of them wanted to rush out and get a U-Haul truck. There had been a few others, including a girl she had some shower fun with, and a curious girl named Haley about a week prior to the laundry room incident as she was calling it in her head, but again, nothing serious.
In the end, though, the difference was that none of those girls stuck around. Each was just a night of fun, a release of tension before they went their separate ways. Hell, she had never even gotten shower girl's name. It also helped that none of them lived in her building. And, just like that, her thoughts were back onto that damned redhead again.
Chloe had spent a good hour the previous night telling Beca more than she had ever wanted to know about competitive collegiate a capella. Of course, it had been Beca's fault as the brunette had brought up what she was calling "Pukegate", and had had to call the ginger on her lie regarding their performances being up on YouTube. She had also seen another video that intrigued her, a more recent one, but chose not to comment on it, at this time.
After an hour of hearing the redhead talking about her time at college with the Barden Bellas, Beca wasn't surprised to find her dreams that night had been odd ones of her attending Barden University and singing with the Bellas, using her mixes to take them to victory at the championship thing. The dream had woken her with a start, and she had tried to laugh it off, even in her own head. Because, really, was there anything more queerballs than imagining her singing a capella? Yeah, she didn't think so either.
It wasn't the first time, though, that she had thought about what it would have been like had she hadn't come to LA but had gone with her parent's plan instead. Over the last year she had, from time to time, found herself thinking what would have happened if she had acquiesced to her parents' wishes and how different her life would be. Though, in all fairness after the encounter she had had this last May when her dad was in town visiting, those thoughts had come less and less.
After hearing about the weekend that Beth had spent with their daughter, her father had decided to pay a visit once the school year was over. And so not long after the last grades were turned in, he was on his way to the Golden State. Compared to the little bit of time her mom had had to spend with her while she was in town, Beca found that her relationship with her dad was still just as strained as it had been since he had walked out on her and her mom. Well, not that bad, but things were still very awkward. Especially because by that point in time she was actually DJing at one of the local clubs part time, which meant that she had a lot more free time than when her mom had visited.
It had taken nearly nine months of trying, but she had finally gotten a bite from one of the numerous demos she had sent out. It had finally happened. She had gotten a call back to come play at some local club, just a tiny place that was hosting a DJ's equivalent of an open mic night, but with a twist. The "winner" would take home $500 and earn a spot as a part-time DJ at the club. The owner had actually found the thumb drive she had sent to the club sitting at the DJ booth and listened to the tracks and thought she stood a good chance. As it turned out, the previous DJ at the club had somehow gotten a hold of the drive before the manager had seen it and had even taken to using the few mixes that she had put on the drive as his own.
However before the owner could fire him for that the man had already been caught stealing from the cash registers, so he was in jail, and now the club needed a new DJ. The winner would basically take over the thief's spot in the rotation of DJs that the club used, but to Beca it almost seemed like poetic justice if she could get the spot, seeing as her mixes, well five of them at least, had already been entertaining patrons it seemed only fitting that the rest, and the creator of them, could do the same.
The competition had really been anything but, and the young brunette, though still not old enough to even drink at The Hammer, had easily secured the top billing and gotten her first paying gig as a DJ. To say that she was ecstatic about it was an understatement, and Beca had ridden that high for at least two weeks. It wasn't much, only two nights a week, but it was enough that Beca could stop waitressing at the diner and barely had to dip into the account her parents had set up to cover her bills. She knew that if she could just pick up a couple more nights, or get something at a different club on her off nights, then she'd be set and wouldn't have to take her parents money at all anymore. And that was a day she especially started looking forward to when she got a call just two weeks later from her dad.
The jist of the conversation was that since she was taking his money to live in LA, then he was going to come and visit as soon as school was over for the year. Her mom showing up randomly was a great surprise and a nice treat. Her dad telling her that he'd be spending four days in LA and "checking up" on her was just about the worst news she could have received. Still, she had taken money from them for a long time before this gig, so she couldn't very well say no. But that didn't stop her from dreading the four days of hell, as she called them to herself, and counting the days until the end of May with a growing sense of despair.
His first day in LA started out about as she expected. He had gotten a cab from the airport and called her as soon as he had gotten to his hotel to plan their days together. From there it had only gotten worse because he had just so happened to pick four days when she had no gigs booked, so she couldn't even avoid him by telling him she had to go to work.
There was, however, one highlight to the trip. And it had come on their second day together as he had been telling her how much better things could have gone for her if only she had gone to college and gotten her degree. The pair had just walked into the Cheesecake Factory and been seated.
"Welcome to the Cheesecake Factory, my name is… Oh, hi. Uh, Beca, right?" The blond girl that Beca recognized as being her neighbor said as she walked up to the table her dad and she sat at. Grasping at straws in her memory she finally dredged up the girl's name.
"Hey Penny, and yeah it's Beca." The brunette said with a small smile.
"Wow. It's, like, crazy seeing you here. You know, I don't think I've ever seen you here before." Penny said, letting the pad she was holding drop to her side as she looked at the elusive brunette who lived above Leonard and Sheldon.
"Oh, well, yeah. I, uh, I don't eat out much." Beca said nervously. That was actually a bald-faced lie, as Beca loved eating out and, as a matter of fact, didn't even know if she had enough stuff in her fridge right now to even make a proper meal. Late night Taco Bell runs were going to be the death of her, she was fairly sure, but she didn't really want to tell the blond that the reason she never came in was because she was basically avoiding her. Not that she didn't like Penny, she just didn't know her. And, frankly, didn't want to know her because there were things more important than "getting to know your neighbors" to Beca's mind.
"Oh, I think you do your share of eating out." Penny teased, smiling at the blush it earned from Beca. "Well, it's nice to see you. If it wasn't for the fact that Sheldon can't stop complaining about your, to use his words, 'infernal racket', we might have thought you'd died on us with how little we see you around." Penny said, laughing and hitting the young girl on the arm as Beca let out a nervous chuckle.
"Nope, uh, not dead. Just, you know, busy. But we're hungry now, so here we are." Beca said, hoping that mentioning that they were hungry would inspire the blond to take their orders and leave. Then again, this wasn't that much worse than the previous conversation with her dad so…
"Well, that's good, because I certainly wouldn't want to live someplace where someone died. I mean, yeesh, imaging what that might to do your karma, am I right?" Penny said, shuddering at the thought of how much harder it would be to get a good movie role with that hanging over her head. Smiling back at her neighbor she went on, "But you're not, so that's good. And you've 'been busy', eh? Busy with what? We're always wondering what you do and why you always seem to play so much loud music. I mean, are you like a rock star or something?"
"No. Not a rock star. And, well, I've just been busy doing stuff." Beca said, with a sigh as she watched her dad roll his eyes at her obvious discomfort with the whole situation. Deciding to be a little more direct she added, "But, you know, I'm just showing my dad around the city and we wanted to grab some food real fast between, uh, seeing the sights."
"Oh, and I was wondering who this was. Nice to meet you, Beca's Dad, I'm Penny. I live downstairs from her in 4B." Penny said, holding out her hand to shake his.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Mitchell, but you can call me Chris. It's nice to meet you Penny." Chris said, shaking the blond's hand with an amused grin on his face. Deciding to take pity on his daughter he said, "And Beca's right, we are kind of in a hurry. We were going to head up to the Hollywood sign later and watch the sun set over LA."
"Oh, well, let me take your order then. I'll have plenty of time to chat after I get it in with the cooks." Penny said, which only made Beca groan quietly.
Penny was true to her word, and quite possibly the worst waitress that Beca had ever seen, and she had seen her fair share having waitressed in two different restaurants in two different cities. Despite all the subtle hints that the brunette kept dropping about leaving them in peace, the blond wouldn't leave. Thankfully, though, she spent most of the time talking to Chris about his work as a professor at Barden as Beca was very reluctant to answer any questions about herself.
In fact, the only reason the blond left their table, aside from going to get their food once it was finally up, was when one of the busboys dropped a tray full of dishes. The crash of the tub hitting the floor shocked Beca so much that, and if you asked her about this later she would deny it but, she emitted a soft squeak. Penny, thankfully, jumped about a mile into the air and screamed, so the brunette's quiet noise went more or less unnoticed.
Naturally after the racket calmed down everyone turned to see a slightly chubby brunette boy looking utterly mortified as a few people in the room started clapping. As though the sight of dishes with food on them was a reminder Penny said, "Oh yeah, I bet your food is ready. I'll go get it."
"Now see, Becs, if it weren't for your mom and I helping you out, you'd be just like that Penny. Aspiring to big dreams, and working in a dead-end waitressing job. But if you had gone to college first…" Her dad started saying before something about the brown haired boy caught his eye.
"Damnit Dad, I really don't wanna hear another lecture on 'if I had gone to college'. I'm starting to make it, you know? I've got this gig at The Hammer that, I think, will pay off real soon and help me get something going elsewhere too. In fact, I've been talking to someone, a girl who is a regular at the club." Beca said, not noticing how distracted her dad was, but wanting to get off the subject once and for all. Oblivious to the puzzled expression on his face she kept going, "She's going to be opening a new club real soon, she says. Pulse, or something, and wants me to work there… Dad. Are you even listening to me?"
"What? No. I mean, yes. Yes, of course I am, Becs. I just… That kid. I recognize him." Chris said, pointing to the busboy who had finally picked up the last of the dishes he had dropped and was moving off towards the kitchen. "I think he used to go to be a student at my school… Allen, something, was his name. Wait, I remember. Bumper Allen, that's right. He graduated this year, I think…"
"Hmmm, well, I see his 'fancy college degree' is doing him a lot of good. I'm telling you, dad, that this was the best thing I could have done. I have to pay my dues. And I have been, goodness knows I have been. And it's about to pay off, soon…" Beca said as the hapless Bumper Allen sulked into the kitchen followed by a last few bits of applause.
The rest of the trip had gone slightly better after her dad had seen what sometimes happens when you have a "fancy college degree" in a big city like LA. Of course, it also helped that he saw how happy she was working as a DJ. She showed him some of the newest stuff she was working on, and even though it wasn't his music, he could see that Beca loved what she was doing.
All in all the trip didn't go nearly as bad as she had feared, and in the intervening weeks he had even laid off with the whole "when you come to college" talk, which was another bit of stress of Beca's lap. College… Barden University. Beca couldn't help but shake her head as she realized just how small and interconnected the world was.
When the ginger had cornered her in the laundry room and espoused all about her time in a college a capella group, Beca had been so focused on the oddity of the situation to fully process everything that Chloe had said. The girl, and her roommate, had gone to Barden University. The same school that her dad taught at. Shaking her head she put aside the thoughts of whether they would have met on campus if her parents had had their way a year ago and tried to get back into the mix she was working on. She had a lot of prep work to do.
Sidney, the regular from The Hammer that Beca had mentioned to her dad back in May had gotten a hold of her two weeks earlier and told her that the club she was opening, Pulse, was nearly ready to go and that she wanted Beca there for the grand opening in three weeks. Ever since Beca had been furiously mixing and mashing and creating new tracks to play for the event. With just a week left until the opening, the brunette knew she had more than enough, but there was something about her that just wouldn't quit. Especially with that damned redhead bouncing through her head. Damned distractions!
Running a hand through her hair, Beca groaned and leaned back in her chair. Closing her eyes, she pulled her headphones off and decided that maybe what she needed was some lunch. Before she could even bring herself to get up and go change out of the sweatpants and t-shirt she had thrown on after waking up, Beca heard a knock from her front door echoing through the apartment.
Wondering who the hell would be knocking on her door, and dreading who she was fairly sure it was, the brunette got up. Walking out of the second bedroom which she had turned into her own little sound studio, Beca strode towards the door as the knocking sounded again. Calling out she said, "I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold your freaking horses…"
Pausing at the door to take a deep breath, Beca glanced down at herself and couldn't help but shake her head. A faded old pair of sweats, courtesy of her father back before she told him that she wasn't going to college, and an old Van Halen t-shirt. Combine that with what she knew would be terribly messy bed-head, and the brunette couldn't help but chuckle at the amazing impression she'd no doubt be making. After running one of her hands a couple times through her hair to quasi-fix it, Beca opened the door to reveal the sight she had expected, and feared.
"Wow am I not surprised that you're here?" Beca asked, sarcasm dripping off her tone as her redheaded neighbor walked right into the apartment, brushing through the very narrow gap that Beca had thought would be sufficient to let the ginger know to stay in the hall. Sighing she turned as Chloe turned around to face her and displayed a measuring cup.
"I'm making cupcakes!" Chloe said happily, and rather mysteriously if you asked Beca, who frowned in confusion. Rolling her eyes, Chloe waggled the measuring cup in front of Beca's face as she said, "I'm making cupcakes. You know, little miniature cakes, wrapped by themselves, frosting on top? Cupcakes."
"I'm aware of what cupcakes are, crazy woman. What's that have to do with you being in my apartment right now?" Beca said as she smirked at the redhead and rolled her eyes at the same time.
"I need more sugar. We ran out… Cuz I might have, you know, used too much making the pie we took down to Leonard, and Sheldon and all those guys a few weeks ago. And, well, I forgot to mention it to Bree, and so we didn't buy any at the store. OH! And eggs, if you have some!" Chloe said, turning and just making her way over to the kitchen to start looking for the sugar and eggs.
"Chloe, I don't think I have…" Beca started to say, knowing that she had no eggs, and probably no sugar in her cupboards before the redhead opened one. But she failed to anticipate exactly how willing Chloe was to violate people's laundry rooms, thoughts, and kitchens apparently.
"Oh my god, Becs! Were you, like, robbed! You have no food in your cupboards! I mean, unless you count the thing of peanut butter. Tell me you at least have jam in the fridge and bread somewhere…" Chloe said, opening first one, then another and another of Beca's cupboards until she had all of them opened to reveal some very empty larders. Turning around to face the brunette with an incredulous look Chloe couldn't help but ask, "How do you even live? Wait, lemme guess. You're going to the store today, right?"
"Ummm…" Beca said, scratching the back of her head as she glanced around her living room.
"Oh my god, Becs." Chloe said, throwing her hands up in the air at the other girl. Catching a glimpse of something poking out of the garbage, Chloe couldn't help but investigate. Finding a pile of Taco Bell bags and other fast food/take out bags in the trash, Chloe groaned before asking, "How have you managed to survive for a year like this? And damn, you really like your Taco Bell, don't you?"
"Guilty… And hey, I've managed to get along just fine this last year. And I'll keep getting along like I have been just fine from here on. Sorry I don't have any sugar, I guess you'll have to go get some." Beca said, trying to be forceful, but knowing that she really just sounded defensive. As she spoke she turned her back on the redhead and walked towards the front door to show her out. When she had the door opened she turned to see Chloe gaping at her, obviously having been just staring at her sweats. Groaning internally, the sweatpants, branded on the back with 'Barden University', would have no doubt jumped out to the Barden alumni standing in her kitchen. She had really been hoping to avoid letting Chloe make that connection. Shit, shit, shit!
"OH MY GOD! Becs! Where did you get those? Did you go to Barden? When!? I totally told you I went to Barden! Why didn't you say anything?" Chloe asked, a slew of words rushing from her mouth as she almost ran across the room to stand in front of Beca, far too close for the brunette's comfort level.
"Ummm, no. I, uh, I never went to college. They were, uh given to me." Beca said, unable to properly form complete sentences with the redhead standing less than two feet from her.
"Oh…" Chloe said, disappointment obvious in her tone. But her smile was back in a flash as she said, "Wait! That means you know someone who went to Barden, right? Why didn't you say anything?"
Crap. Beca knew she was screwed. Fuck it, might as well bite the bullet and come clean. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she let it out in a sigh before saying, "It's my dad. He, uh, teaches at Barden. Comparative Literature. Dr. Chris Mitchell. He gave me the sweats last year, before he realized that I wasn't going to be going to college out of high school. Before I told him, and my mom, that I was coming to LA."
"Oh my god, Becs! So, wait, last year? That means you'd be a sophomore now. We totally could have been best friends, for, like a year! I feel robbed!" Chloe said, wrapping the younger girl up in a big hug, completely oblivious to the fact that Beca was standing straight as a board in the embrace.
"Ummm, well, school's not really my thing. But, uh, sure." Beca said, her breath stirring Chloe's hair as she stood, extremely uncomfortably, in the redhead's embrace. When Chloe finally stepped back, Beca noticed a distinct glint in the girl's amazingly clear cerulean eyes.
"You know, it doesn't matter. We can make up for time lost now. I just know we're gonna be fast friends! Now, go get dressed, we can head down to the store together, it'll be aca-awesome!" Chloe said, grabbing both of Beca's hands as she spoke and holding on, somewhat awkwardly due to the measuring cup in her hand. Leaning in she kissed the short brunette on the cheek lightly before spinning and heading off across the hall to get dressed herself. "See you in ten minutes, Becs!"
Beca, standing in a stupor of shattered plans for remaining aloof from life in the City of Angels, just watched as the redhead's apartment door closed behind her. Sighing in defeat she shut her own door before making her way into her bedroom, she knew that Chloe wouldn't let her get out of the shopping trip. And, well, she supposed she could stand to have a few more snacks in the place, for her late night mixing sessions.
"You do realize you're cleaning up as soon as we get back, right?" Aubrey asked, the words not even close to a question as the pair got out of the car in the Cheesecake Factory parking lot. She wasn't able to restrain the slight glare she shot in the direction of the redhead as Chloe tried to surreptitiously wipe flour off her clothes before deciding she was flour-free and locking the doors to her Jetta. Shaking her head she sighed at her roommate as she added, "And you realize it's a good thing that Janet and Seth haven't brought my car yet. Your flour-covered ass would not have been allowed in my baby."
"Totally, Bree. I mean, I'd have, uh, had the place clean by now. If you, you know, hadn't come home early…" Chloe said, looking a bit sheepish. Giving herself one last glance she seemed to be finally satisfied that she had gotten all the flour and other cupcake-related materials off her clothes. Deciding that changing the subject might be best she hitched her winningest smile onto her face and said, "Oh yeah, Janet and Seth should be getting here, what, next week with your car, right?"
"Yeah, Jan said that they were finally able to get some time off next week to drive out." Aubrey said, slightly mollified by the irresistible cheeriness of the redhead.
Shaking her head slightly, Aubrey gestured for Chloe to lead the way in as she considered that, with that smile, Chloe could probably get away with murder, so what was a little flour? The blond had gone out for her morning run that morning well before Chloe woke up, and it seemed to Aubrey that her roommate was starting to get into that lazy movie star mode a bit prematurely, but the redhead was awake when she had gotten home a couple hours later. Awake and in the kitchen puttering around looking for various ingredients. As Aubrey had walked through the door, Chloe had called out asking if they had any sugar left, because she was going to make some cupcakes. Aubrey had told Chloe that she had no clue, but that if the ginger was going to run to the store, Aubrey had started a list of some things they needed on the Post-It note on her desk.
Jumping into the shower, Aubrey quickly cleaned herself up and started getting dressed, she was planning on heading over to the Cal Tech campus that morning to help familiarize herself with it. She only had a couple of months before classes started, and she wanted to make sure she knew the campus like the back of her hand. After four years at Barden, Aubrey was used to never being lost on campus, and Cal Tech had a much larger campus than Barden did.
Strolling out into the living room, she saw Chloe leaning over her desk looking at the list she'd drawn up. Grabbing her keys, she told the redhead to pay for the groceries using the joint bills account that they had had since they rented their first apartment together in their junior year at Barden. When Chloe looked up at her with a slight smile on her face, Aubrey noticed for the first time that a measuring cup was sitting on her desk. Seeing the glint in the redhead's eye that said she had a plan, Aubrey just held her hands up and said, "I don't wanna know what you're planning, I'm going to be at Cal Tech for several hours, just make sure you don't burn the building down."
And, well, the redhead had at least followed her instructions about not burning the building down. She had, however, made it look as though a small bomb had exploded in their kitchen, spraying flour, sugar, frosting, and other assorted cupcake mixings around the room haphazardly.
Chloe had tried to explain that she had gone over to Beca's, to torture the girl if Aubrey didn't know better, and ended up going out shopping. Then, because she had told Beca she was making cupcakes, the ginger had promptly done just that. But, in her haste to, no doubt, want to get cupcakes across the hall quickly, well… Needless to say, Chloe had a bit of work waiting for her at their apartment. Aubrey had been too hungry to argue with the redhead at the time and just said that they would go and eat out for dinner, and that Chloe could clean up when they got back.
Anxious to avoid her wrath, Aubrey suspected, Chloe had quickly agreed to the plan and so that was how they now found themselves walking into the front doors of the Cheesecake Factory. Almost as though she was waiting for them, the pair found Penny standing up at the front talking to the hostess.
"Hey girls, going to the bar?" Penny asked turning from her conversation with the hostess to greet her friends.
"We're actually here to eat, I made cupcakes and the kitchen's kind of a mess." Chloe said, ignoring the look Aubrey shot in her direction at the explanation.
"Bernadette, Amy, and the guys just got here, I'm sure they wouldn't mind you joining them." Penny suggested. Reaching down she grabbed a couple more menus and smiled at the two girls, who looked a little nervous. With a chuckled she decided to add, "Well, Sheldon might, but it's fun annoying him."
"You do seem to enjoy it." Aubrey said as Penny led them to the table. She had noticed over the last couple "Titan nights", as the guys were wont to call it, that their blond neighbor seemed to delight in taunting Sheldon. Penny's appearance at the table with Chloe and Aubrey in tow chorused a round of "hellos" from everyone, except Sheldon, who seemed, as the blond had anticipated, slightly annoyed at the addition of two new tablemates.
"Penny, were you planning on taking our orders any time soon, or where you just going to keep seating people at our table?" Sheldon asked irritably.
"It's not like they're strangers, they're our friends Sheldon." Bernadette chimed in, smiling at the two girls as they took seats at the table.
"Awwwwww! Thank you Bernadette." Chloe said as she sat down next to the shorter woman. Beaming her winning grin at the blond she added, "Just for that, I'll make sure you get some of the cupcakes I just made."
"I have a recipe for strawberry cupcakes that would be perfect for a redhead like you." Raj offered as he finished his grasshopper.
"Thanks Raj, you'll have to give it to me some time." Chloe said, smiling sweetly at the man before realizing how it came across. Shaking her head and raising her hands quickly at the look on his face she said, "Not like that."
"I don't know, sweetie, I think Chloe's got eyes for another brunette." Penny teased, causing Aubrey to roll her eyes. And Amy to glare at Chloe.
"You can't have Sheldon, he's mine!" Amy practically yelled at the redhead drawing every eye in the dining room to them.
Blushing furiously Chloe raised her hands defensively and said quietly, "I don't, I mean, I'm not after Sheldon. And I don't have 'eyes' for anyone, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't deny it, Chlo, you've got a total toner for Beca." Aubrey said.
"Uhhh, what's a 'toner'?" Leonard asked curiously.
"Sorry, it's an a capella expression, it means she has a –" Aubrey started to say before Chloe cut her off.
"it's ok, Bree, they don't need to know what it is, because I so don't have a toner for Beca. I just think she's, interesting. I mean, she could have been a Bella!" Chloe said quickly, defending herself. As if it would put the matter to rest once and for all she added, "Her dad wanted her to go to Barden!"
"Yes Chlo, you've told me that at least a dozen times now." Aubrey replied as she rolled her eyes. After a second, though, a thought occurred to her and it made her chuckle before she added, "Though I have to admit it's kind of funny, you know that Treble Jesse would have been all over her."
"We're not getting food anytime soon are we?" Sheldon asked, realizing that Penny was way too caught up in the gossip to actually attempt to do her, even though it was only hypothetical gossip and about people she didn't know.
"Fine, fine, I'll take your orders." Penny said with a sigh as she made a face at Sheldon. After going around the table and taking everyone's orders she said, "I'll go put these in before Sheldon tries to report me to my manager, again."
"I wouldn't have done it the first time if you had gotten my order right the first time." Sheldon said to the blond girl's retreating back. Turning to look down the table towards where Chloe and Aubrey were sitting he went on, "And now that she's gone we can get back to important matters. How goes the operation to infiltrate that infernal noisemaker's confidence so you can convince her to stop interrupting my sleep with that racket she calls music?"
"Oh, uh. It's, well, it's coming along. It's a slow process, but I'm making progress." Chloe said nervously, trying hard to avoid Aubrey's gaze.
"Excellent. Soon you'll have her convinced that you're her friend and I can finally get what I want for a change." Sheldon said happily, and completely oblivious to the looks that everyone around the table were giving him. Even Aubrey and Chloe had begun to pick up on the fact that Sheldon pretty much got whatever he wanted, though he complained miserably about it even after the fact.
"How, uh, how are you guys settling in?" Bernadette asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Oh, it's been a bit of a shock, coming here straight out of college. Getting used to how expensive life can be, especially in LA, was kind of an eye opener." Aubrey said, taking a sip of her water.
"You know, if you need a little extra cash to help out with the bills once classes start up in the fall you can check the jobs board. There are usually positions available for PhD candidates as research assistants and what not that are occasionally paid positions. Plus they'll look great when you go to get approval for your thesis." Leonard offered.
"You know, that's a great idea. I'll have to look into that. Thanks." Aubrey said happily.
Quiet chatter filled the table for a while as the group talked about random things, especially as Sheldon, when he wasn't interested in whatever the topic was, would change the subject to something completely different and usually quiet odd. However it didn't last long as eventually Penny came back with a tray that held everyone's orders and soon people were too busy eating to talk.
After the food was finished and everyone had paid, everyone started going their own separate ways. Bernadette heading back to her apartment, and offering to give Amy a ride. Raj declined Leonard and Sheldon's offer to come back to their place for some late 90s sci-fi movie classics marathon that was on because he had to "get home to cook Cinnamon her steak". And when asked why he didn't just get her a steak from the restaurant he said that he would never force her to ever eat anything so terrible as a steak from the restaurant. When Chloe said goodbye to Sheldon and Leonard, saying that she'd see them at the apartment soon, the redhead learned that the other two were heading to "the comic book store", as Stuart had just gotten some new comic that Sheldon needed to complete some set.
Which was how Chloe found herself hiking her way up the stairs to their apartment accompanied only by Aubrey, who said, "You know, I'm glad we chose this place instead of that other apartment we were looking at that was a little closer to campus. Despite Sheldon's quirks, I like those guys and gals…"
"Me too." Chloe said, relief evident in her voice as they started up the last flight before their floor. Slightly out of breath she added, "I'm really glad we chose this place too. There are lots of cool people here."
Aubrey just rolled her eyes as she saw the redhead look towards 5A as she spoke and instead of commenting fished her keys from her purse. Unlocking the door and stepping through, they were greeted with the sight of their disaster of a kitchen and Aubrey suddenly remembered why they had gone out for dinner in the first place.
"Um, I'll, uh, start cleaning this up…" Chloe said doing her best to look sweet and innocent, no doubt to avoid Aubrey's wrath. Glancing at her best friend who looked rather pitiful as she slunk towards the kitchen, Aubrey sighed again before speaking.
"You know what, Chlo, don't worry about it right now. Go get changed, let's go see a movie. It's been a while since we went out to the movies and I know you've been wanting to see that new Ice Age movie. You and that squirrel have a lot in common, by the way." The blond said, following her own advice to Chloe and moving towards her bedroom to change into a different outfit.
A few minutes later, Aubrey walked out to find Chloe already changed and standing by the door, one cupcake in her hand. When the blond raised an eyebrow at the pastry, Chloe just shrugged and showed the candy "B" sitting on top of it as she said, "It's for Beca. I mean, it's partly her fault for the mess, we had to go to the store to get the last of the ingredients and stuff, otherwise I wouldn't have had enough sugar."
"Fine, we can drop it off on the way downstairs, but she is not invited! This is best friend bonding time." Aubrey said, wanting to make it clear from the get go that the little hobbit across the hall wasn't invited.
"That's cool. She probably wouldn't wanna see Ice Age anyway…" Chloe said, opening the door and starting across the hallway as Aubrey stepped out behind her, closing and locking their own apartment.
The blond turned from locking the door to see Chloe about to knock, when they both heard the door open up. Aubrey moved across the hall as Chloe stepped back, revealing a surprised Beca dressed as though she was heading out and carrying a laptop bag over her shoulder.
"Oh, uh. Hi." The brunette said awkwardly as she stepped into the hallway and locked her door. Turning back to face the two girls, Beca started in surprise as Chloe unleashed her biggest smile and held out the cupcake.
"I made one for you! See! It even has a 'B' on it, for Beca!" Chloe said, smiling even bigger, if that was possible, as Beca awkwardly took the small pastry.
"Oh. Well, thanks. I'm, uh, heading out right now, but I'll be sure to eat it later." Beca said, turning to head down the steps. Chloe fell in step beside her, leaving Aubrey to trail behind the pair, which elicited a "hmph" from the blond which Chloe ignored.
"Oh? Where ya off to? If I had to guess I'd say clubbing. But, wait. You're bringing a laptop. Hmmmm, maybe you're off to a fancy LAN party. Wait, are you into that sort of thing? I mean, not that LAN parties aren't cool, and stuff, I'm just not a huge gamer. I can never stick with one long enough to get good. Still though, lots of people like them. I've even see Bree playing from time to time!" Chloe's voice carried easily through the stairwells as the trio walked downstairs, it's never ending flow not giving the short brunette a chance to answer.
Of course, Beca had no intention of answering anyway, she was bound and determined to get back to being the loner in the building, and the first step of that was to cut off ties with the redhead. When they finally reached the ground floor and exited the building, Beca spoke up for the first time, cutting through the steam of questions and answers that Chloe was spouting. "Yeah, I got some stuff planned tonight. I'll see you guys later. Thanks for the cupcake."
"I hope she likes the cupcake." Chloe said, watching Beca walk off into the small crowd on the street. Turning towards where she had parked, she saw Aubrey there with a scowl on her face. Looking confused the ginger asked, "What?"
"What? I'll tell you what. You need to forget that girl. She's trouble, I tell you. Come on, let's go see the movie. And I think it might be time to check out the local club scene, see if we can't find you someone other than that hobbit for you to have a toner for." Bree said, sighing as she too turned towards where Chloe had parked.
"Bree! I do not have a toner for Beca! God, how many times do I have to say that?" Chloe asked, stamping her foot as she unlocked the doors. "She's just interesting. I wonder where she was off to tonight…"
"That movie was super cute! I'm glad we went to see it. Thanks for coming with me, Bree!" Chloe said, smiling brightly at Aubrey as she parked.
"Hmmm, well, it wasn't terrible. And don't forget, it was my idea to see a movie." Aubrey said, finding herself smiling back at the redhead as they got out of the car. Pointing an admonitory finger at Chloe she made sure to add, "But that doesn't mean you're off the hook. I expect you to start cleaning the kitchen as soon as we get upstairs."
"Yes Bree…" Chloe said forlornly. Walking around the corner to the building entrance from where she had parked, Chloe perked up as she saw Beca walking towards them. Her smile fell, though, when she realized that the brunette wasn't alone.
"Oh, uh." Beca said, holding the front door open for the blond girl with her as well as for Chloe and Aubrey.
"Thanks." Aubrey said as they all started walking up the steps together, an uncomfortable silence settling over the three neighbors as the blond girl with Beca giggled drunkenly.
"We have to take the stairs? Man… My feet are killing me, dancing in these heels, you know?" The girl said, her words slightly slurred as she gestured towards her shoes and fell slightly into the brunette who caught her.
As the four walked up the steps, Beca and her "date" in the lead, Aubrey couldn't help but notice the odd look on Chloe's face as she watched Beca's back. The blond had a hard time placing the emotion, however, as it seemed to range from hurt, to jealousy, to determination as the foursome climbed. Well, it appeared that Aubrey might get her wish about Chloe finding someone new sooner than she had thought. Score one for the good guys, the blond thought as Beca bid them another awkward goodbye from her door, which the two roommates returned just as awkwardly.