AN: I LOVE IT WHEN I GET INSPIRED TO DO SOMETHING, LIKE WRITE THIS. IT GIVES ME LOADS OF EXCUSES NOT TO DO THAT HOMEWORK SAT ON THE SIDE; AND TO FORGET ABOUT THAT REVISION. SERIOUSLY, IT'S GREAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAVE NOTICED, BUT I'M KINDA OBSESSED WITH DEMI LOVATO'S ALBUM 'TELL ME YOU LOVE ME' – ARE ANY OF YOU GUYS? IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD IT YET, YOU SHOULD REALLY GO LISTEN TO IT, IT'LL MAKE THE CHAPTERS COME ALIVE SO MUCH MORE. THEY'RE ALL BASED OFF ONE OF THE SONGS (EXCEPT CHAPTER 6 – TWO WORLDS COLLIDE – THAT SONG'S OFF HER ALBUM 'DON'T FORGET') SO GO FIND THEM. I'VE EVEN GOT TICKETS TO HER SHOW IN MANCHESTER ON JUNE 16TH – IS ANYBODY ELSE GOING TO SEE (OR ALREADY SEEN) HER TELL ME YOU LOVE ME TOUR?
SORRY ABOUT THAT, DISCUSSING DEMI LOVATO GETS ME DISTRACTED PRETTY EASILY!
(CAN YOU TELL?)
ANYWAY, YOU GUYS DID YOUR PART AND GAVE ME THOSE TEN REVIEWS, WHICH MEANS I DID MY PART AND WROTE THE NEXT CHAPTER.
AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT, I GENUINELY FEEL SO, SO HAPPY WHEN I READ YOUR REVIEWS – THEY MAKE MY DAY.
SO, HERE IS THE NEXT INSTALMENT; READ, ENJOY, REVIEW (YOU KNOW, THE USUAL)…
"I was walking down this broken road, I was stranded, and I was all alone
Always played it safe when it came to love, until you came and picked me up.
I've been waitin' all night, lookin' for your headlights;
I know that we're strangers, but I'll leave it all for you.
Go anywhere you wanna go, I don't really need to know if my heart is in danger,
'Cause as long as you're the driver, I'm your hitchhiker, yeah, I'm your hitchhiker, yeah, yeah…"
For the first time in her entire working career, Beca Mitchell had phoned in sick.
Yes, you heard correctly, Beca rang the label at 7 the next morning to announce that she wouldn't be going into work that day, and would be back when she had made some recovery.
The secretary had almost died of shock when she heard the message on voicemail. Beca Mitchell never, ever, took time off from work – except for when the boss made her take a holiday two years ago. The entire team at the label knew Beca planned her whole life around her work, and would drop everything going on her own life if work phoned, including her fiancée.
Although the secretary didn't know it, the 'fiancée' was the very reason of Beca's absence.
Never had Beca Mitchell ever played hooky, but today looked like a good time to start.
Beca had already messaged Demi to say she wouldn't be in that day. Worried, Demi rang her up to try and find out what was wrong with the DJ.
"Hello…" Beca deadpanned, picking up her phone. She was not expecting the response she received.
"How long did the doctor give you?" Demi gushed down the phone.
"Whoa… hi... Demi is that you?" Beca responded, slightly confused about what was happening. It was definitely Demi, but why did she sound so worried? All Beca had done was say she was going to have some time out of work. "I don't know what you're going on-"
"Beca, are you okay? You messaged to say you're off, you never take time off…" Demi interrupted.
"Jeez Demi, settle down," Beca said, trying not to laugh at Demi's panic. "I'm fine, Demi, really, I just need a bit of time out at the minute to figure out where I am."
"That's what makes me think you're not okay Beca."
"Honestly Demi, I am fine."
"That's the word people use when they feel the opposite but don't want to admit it."
"Demi, I am perfectly fine right now," Beca began
"Then why aren't you going to be at work today?"
"Because I need a healthy work-life balance."
"Beca, is there any chance you're concussed right now?"
"Not that I know of," Beca replied, slightly frustrated.
"You sure? It's just, you were perfectly fine before I left yesterday, and now you're talking about work-life balances. Seriously Beca, are you forgetting that your philosophy has always been to live at work?"
"Demi, I just need a break from it all."
"This is really concerning Beca, you love your work," Demi began, only to be cut off.
"But I love Chloe more." Beca mumbled.
"Chloe?" Demi asked, "What's Chloe got to do with this?"
"Everything Demi. I need to do this, not only for myself, but for her."
"Beca, what happened yesterday afternoon? Tell me."
"It's kind of a long story Demi," Beca began.
"I've got time," Demi said, "I'm here to listen, but I want to see you in person. Give me half an hour, and I'll be with you."
As promised, half an hour later, the singer arrived at Beca's house, her arms filled with an abundance of chocolate, doughnuts (Beca's guilty pleasure) and enough Ben and Jerry's ice cream to supply a small beach in Majorca.
Putting the treats on the kitchen counter and pushing the ice cream into the freezer, Demi observed the girl that had let her in. Beca had lost the spark she had yesterday, and the red, puffy eyes not only suggested, but also confirmed that she had been crying. Her hair looked exactly how it had yesterday, and Beca was wearing the ancient tattered tartan pyjamas always wore when she was hosting herself a pity party. Her makeup from yesterday was still on her face, the mascara having ran down her cheeks. For someone who was always so cool, calm and collected, the look of hopelessness she had didn't suit Beca, not one bit.
"What did that girl do to you Beca? Demi asked soothingly, filled with genuine concern for her friend. Approaching Beca cautiously, Demi wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling Beca close and silently threatening to kill Chloe Beale. Beca might have her faults, but nobody had the right to break Beca, not even Chloe Beale.
"Only what I did to her," Beca mumbled, pulling away from Demi's hold. "I deserved it. She was right."
"About what?"
"That I wasn't ready to do it again."
"To do what?"
"Get back with her."
"But, I thought you guys had made amends; that things were getting better…"
"They were, but what I want and what she wants are different things Demi. I thought we both wanted to get back to where we were before, but she doesn't want that."
"What does she want then?"
"For things to change."
"Fair enough, I guess…"
"She says she got sick of me jetting off and leaving her behind. But she can't see that I had to do it, that if I didn't I'd lose my job. Everything I did, I did so that we could have this kind of life, to give her a good one…"
"I know Beca,"
"But she says she didn't care about those things, she says she only ever wanted me…"
"And you only wanted her too Beca;"
"I was such an idiot Demi."
"I know Beca," Demi said, knowing everything the other girl was saying was completely true.
"And now, she says that for things between us to ever work out, I need to step back from my work, but I don't know if I can…"
Demi's heart truly went out to both girls then. She could see the thoughts of both of them so clearly, and it killed that they just couldn't see it themselves. Beca loved her work – her music was her life – and she was a proud woman, she wanted to hand the girl she loved the entire world on a silver platter. Chloe, on the other hand, had only ever wanted Beca, and she'd gladly toss away everything she had if it meant she could keep Beca Mitchell. Chloe was just as much Beca's dream as her music was; but when you took away either of them, Beca Mitchell had nothing.
Beca had definitely made her fair number of mistakes, but some of them were unavoidable. Demi knew that Beca shouldn't have left Chloe in the lurch all of the time; but she also knew that Beca couldn't just say 'no' to her employers. Beca Mitchell was bound by the small print at the bottom of her contract to this way of life. And the thing about the contract, it was that the contract didn't factor in relationships.
"So yeah," Beca concluded, "right now I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place."
"And you're taking yourself out of both situations to try and figure out what you want?"
"You're psychic Demi Lovato."
"I'm your friend, I know exactly how you think."
"Well that means I'll have to kill you," Beca said with a wink, "can't have you spilling the secrets of Beca Mitchell's mind to the whole world…"
A ghost of a smile played across Beca's lips as she said that, convincing Demi that she was going to work something out. There had to be something Beca could do to get her girl back without giving up her career, right?
"So, why don't we get started on that Ben and Jerry's?" Demi said. "I've got Mean Girls in my bag, we'll watch that and have a pyjama day while you work something out…"
"You don't have any pyjamas Lovato." Beca pointed out.
"Oh Beca, I do. And guess what?"
"What?"
"They're pink!" Demi exclaimed, making Beca groan, "And on Wednesdays, we wear pink!"
"It's Monday Demi."
"All the more reason."
"I don't want to."
"Come on Beca, Mean Girls is like, so fetch!" Demi grinned.
"Ugh, I thought they always said to beware the Plastics…"
With that, Demi changed into her pyjamas and the pair began to feast on the snacks Demi had brought.
Several tubs of Ben and Jerry's later, Mean Girls had finished.
"I'll just go get Mean Girls 2 Beca."
"Oh no you don't Lovato…" Beca said, smiling as Demi ignored her, and conveniently ran out of the room before Beca had a chance to properly stop her.
Days in with Demi were always very productive. Beca had done exactly no composing or song-writing, but she'd managed to do plenty of thinking.
Squeezed between Demi and the couch cushions as Mean Girls 2 began, Beca had a lightbulb moment.
"Demi…" Beca began, her voice suddenly brimming with optimism.
"Yeah Beca?" Demi asked, shocked, turning to look at the brunette next to her.
Beca's eyes were wide, but they had a spark - no, a fire - that was burning brighter each second. The hoarse, hollow edge to her voice had gone, the air of hopelessness that had surrounded her earlier had vanished.
Demi knew what Beca was going to say before she even opened her mouth.
"Demi, I think I know what I'm going to do about Chloe…"
AN: I WONDER WHAT BECA'S SOLUTION TO ALL THIS IS. WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK SHE'S GOING TO DO? TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!
I'LL POST CHAPTER 10 WHEN I GET TEN REVIEWS ON THIS ONE (MONDAY BLUES ARE MAKING ME MEAN GUYS :D)
P.S – MEAN GIRLS IS JUST SO FETCH, ISN'T IT? I WATCHED IT WITH MY SISTER YESTERDAY, AND FOUND THAT I COULD QUOTE IT WORD FOR WORD. THAT MAKES MEAN GIRLS, THE FIRST TWO PITCH PERFECT FILMS AND ST TRINIAN'S THAT I KNOW OFF BY HEART. JESSE SWANSON WOULD BE SO PROUD.