Chapter 15: A Brand New Year

About a month had passed since Stacie's birthday, and everyone was getting back from the vacations they had taken over winter break. It had been two weeks since they had seen each other last, so Chloe excitedly ran out of the front door and jumped into Chicago's arms when he showed up on her porch. The boy had spent his Christmas vacation visiting some of the colleges that had given him scholarship offers, so the two of them didn't talk that much, let alone spend time together over break.

"Oh, how I've missed you," Chicago said with a grin as he kissed Chloe for the first time in two weeks. He then set her back down on the ground so they could go inside her house to make some hot chocolate, since it was cold and snowy outside. "I have your Christmas present with me because I didn't get to give it to you before winter break."

Chloe smiled and kissed her boyfriend a second time. "Thank you, babe. I have your Christmas present upstairs in my room. I'll go get it once we're done making the hot chocolate," she said, grabbing two mugs from one of the kitchen cupboards.

Chicago set his present for Chloe on the counter while they waited the water to finish heating up in the microwave. "How was your Christmas babe?" He asked smiling as Chloe took out the hot chocolate mix.

"My Christmas was great," Chloe replied with a smile. "I wish that I would've gotten to celebrate it with you, but I'm glad that you got to do some college visits. How did that go?" She asked.

"It went really well, actually. I visited NYU, Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, and then the University of Southern California. It was a busy couple of weeks, but I think I know the three I've narrowed my list down to," Chicago stated, smiling at Chloe. "I've narrowed it down to USC, Nebraska, and NYU," He said with a big smile on his face, knowing Chloe would be happy that NYU was in his top three.

Just like Chicago had predicted, Chloe squealed with excitement. "Yay! You definitely should go to NYU," Chloe said, smiling widely at her boyfriend. "I mean, I guess I am a little biased, but I would love to have you in New York with me."

"I still have a lot of time to figure things out, but it's definitely in my top three," He said, hugging her and leaving a couple kisses on her neck. "Why don't you go get my present from upstairs and I'll get the hot chocolate ready?" Chicago said, pulling back and getting the water out of the microwave.

"Okay, I'll be right back," Chloe said, smiling and pecking Chicago's lips before going to get the present from her room. She came back down a few minutes later with the gift, setting it on the table in the dining room then going back into the kitchen.

Chicago had the hot chocolate in two seperate mugs, one for each of them. He then reached over and grabbed his present for Chloe. "Here, open mine," He said, handing her the box. He had gotten Chloe a few things. Inside the box was a beautiful blue winter sweater, and then a picture frame with a picture of them on their first date. It was Chloe taking a selfie of them while she sat on his lap and he was giving her a kiss on her cheek. The last thing he gave her was a small but beautiful diamond necklace that belonged to his great grandma in the early 1900's, and had been cleaned and well kept. "I hope you like all of it. Merry Christmas, Chloe. "

Chloe gasped as she looked at the three gifts Chicago had gotten her. "Chic…" She trailed off, speechless at how beautiful the picture and necklace were. "Chic, this is amazing. Thank you so much," Chloe said, still in awe of the two gifts. She put the necklace on with Chicago's help, then turned to Chicago and pulled him into a sweet kiss. "Thank you so, so much."

"There is a sweater too, you know," He chuckled before kissing her back and holding onto her waist. "That necklace was my great-grandma's. My great-grandpa gave it to her when they first got married, and then she gave it to my grandpa to give to my grandma when they first got together. Then it was given to my father for my mother, and now it's my turn to give it to you."

"I love it, Chic. Thank you so much for giving this to me," Chloe said with a wide smile. She then went and got her present for Chicago, giving it to him so he could open it. "Now it's your turn. I hope you like it," the redhead said, biting her lip in a cute way.

Chicago took the box from Chloe with a sweet smile on his face before he began to unwrap it. "I wonder what it could be," he said with a wink, opening up the box once he had unwrapped it. "No way!" He exclaimed as he opened it, smiling at Chloe. "A signed Russell Wilson jersey? He's my favorite quarterback!" He said with wide eyes and a huge smile on his face.

"And, I was able to pull a few strings to get us VIP passes to the next Seahawks' home game, which is against the Steelers. My dad's company is one of the community sponsors for the team, and these passes will let us go down on the field during the game!" Chloe said, pulling the passes out of her back pocket.

Chicago's grin grew even more, and he embraced Chloe tightly. "Thank you so much, babe! This is so awesome!" He said excitedly, hugging Chloe for a few more moments before pulling away. "Thank you for doing all this. This is so cool!"

"Merry Christmas, babe," Chloe said, leaning in and kissing Chicago's lips softly.

"Merry Christmas to you too," Chicago murmured, smiling and sighing happily.

Meanwhile, Beca's family had just gotten home from their trip to Vancouver, which was where Jacob's parents lived. Once the car was in their driveway, Beca got out of the car and helped the twins get out before carrying her stuff in the house. The brunette had spent the last few weeks working on getting in shape for basketball season, which would be starting very soon. She had a great season the year before, so the coach decided to make her one of the team captains for this year, and she was hoping to lead the team to a state title this year.

Once she had unpacked all her stuff, Beca grabbed her basketball bag and went out to her car. Since everyone was getting back from their vacations that day, Hartford High's gym was going to be empty, meaning the brunette could have it all to herself. While their team was very good, Hartford was in one of the most competitive divisions for Washington high school sports, so Beca needed to make sure that she was playing to the best of her ability.

Preparing for basketball season wasn't the only reason that Beca was going to shoot hoops, however. The brunette hadn't seen or talked to Chloe since the night of Stacie's party, and after how that night turned out, she didn't really want to. Beca had avoided Chloe as much as possible up until winter break, and she planned on continuing to do that as long as she had to. Besides, the redhead hadn't tried to talk to her since, so Beca assumed that she didn't want to talk to her either.

Once she got to the school, she parked her car in the student lot and then went to the gym, unlocking the door with her student ID card. Beca grabbed a rack of basketballs from the locker room, starting off with some simple layups. She then moved to jump shots and free throws before practicing her three-pointers. To have a little fun, the brunette tried some half-court shots, but only a couple of them ended up anywhere close to the rim.

Beca was about an hour and a half into her practice when she heard her phone buzzing. She went over to her bag and opened it, seeing that Chicago was calling her. The brunette went and sat in the bleachers, wiping the sweat off of her forehead with a towel before accepting the call. "Hey, Chicago! Long time, no talk. What's up?"

"Hey, Beca," Chicago said through the phone. "Not much is up with me. I'm on my way home from Chloe's house. We had some hot chocolate and exchanged presents. What are you up to?"

"I'm at the gym practicing for basketball season. There's nobody else here right now, which is nice," Beca said, taking a sip from her water bottle. "How were the college visits?"

"They were great. All of the colleges were really nice, but I've narrowed the list down to NYU, Nebraska, and USC," Chicago replied. "Chloe is really happy that NYU is in my top three."

"I bet she is," Beca said, smiling to herself for a second as she thought about the redhead. "Is there one you're leaning towards?"

"Not at the moment. I've still got a couple months to make my decision. My choice is pretty much made if Chloe gets into Juilliard, but we'll just have to wait and see how that goes," Chicago said.

"I just hope that if Chloe gets into Juilliard, that you're going to NYU because that's where you want to go," Beca said, sipping her water. "Chloe's great and I know you love her, but you should go to NYU because it's where you want to go, not because that's where your girlfriend will be."

"Believe me, I want to go to NYU. I'd be happy to go to any of the colleges that have given me offers. Now I just have to figure out which one is the best fit for me," Chicago said. "I was hoping that I'd get an offer from Georgia, but I'm perfectly happy with all the other offers I've gotten," he added.

Beca smiled. "You still might get an offer from Georgia. Just know that I'll buy a jersey with your name on it no matter where you go," She stated, through the phone.

Chicago smiled and chuckled at these words. "Thanks. You can count on me buying all of your albums. I know for a fact that you're going to make it big when you go to LA."

"You'll also be my guest at the first Grammy's that I ever attend," Beca said, chuckling. "And you can hold me to that, as long as I get to watch from the field when you play in a bowl game."

"Alright, it's a deal. I'll be there for you, and you'll be there for me," Chicago said with a smile.

"Sounds like a plan," Beca said. "I better get back to practicing. The season starts in a couple days, and I need to keep at it if we're going to win state this year."

"You'll be able to do it, Beca. You're the best player on the team, maybe even one of the best players in the state. If anyone can lead the Hartford Hawks to a state title, it's you," Chicago said genuinely.

"That's easy for you to say, Mr. Football," Beca said with a chuckle. "I'll see you at school on Monday," she said before hanging up the phone.

Monday came along and Beca received her schedule for the second semester of senior year and her last semester of high school. Her last period was a free period, so she would be able to work on her music and practice basketball. The brunette had fulfilled all her requirements for graduation, so she only had electives left to take, meaning that this last semester was going to be a fun one. Some of the classes Beca was going to be taking included pottery, culinary basics, and music appreciation. She was also going to be a library helper again this semester.

After picking up her schedule from the front office, Beca went to her locker, putting her backpack inside and grabbing the materials she needed for her first class, which was pottery. The brunette closed her locker once she had all her stuff, turning around to see Chloe walking down the hall towards her own locker. They hadn't spoken since the night of Stacie's party, and Beca did have to admit that she felt a little guilty for the way she got angry with Chloe after she confessed her feelings for the redhead. Beca knew that they'd have to talk about what happened at some point, but for the time being she just had to focus on getting through the semester.

The pottery class was in the art room down in the basement floor of the school, so Beca had to go down a couple flights of stairs to get there. She smiled as she walked into the class and sat down at a table. She didn't really know why she was taking pottery—when she filled out her course requests for this school year, she just put down a bunch of random electives—but she heard that it was both a fun class and an easy class, so the brunette was looking forward to it.

As people started filing into the classroom, Beca looked around the room at all the different art pieces that were on the walls or displayed on shelves. Seeing all the art made her smile, and the brunette couldn't wait to make some of her own in this class. Beca looked back over at the door, doing a double-take when she saw Chloe standing in the doorway. Well, isn't this great? Beca thought to herself. Despite them being on bad terms at the moment, the brunette gestured for the redhead to come sit with her since neither of them knew anyone else in the class.

Chloe was a bit surprised that Beca motioned for her to sit next to her, considering that they hadn't made up after their fight after Stacie's party, but she walked over and sat down next to the brunette with a smile on her face. "Hey. I didn't think I'd see you here. You like pottery?"

"I've always wanted to try it," Beca said, smiling quickly at Chloe before looking back down at her notebook. She could notice the redhead was acting hesitant, so Beca decided to clear the air "Look, I'm not mad at you anymore. I actually wasn't ever really upset with you, I was just frustrated because I'll never know what it's like."

"What it's like to what?" Chloe asked curiously.

"I want to know what it's like to be with you, to hold your hand, to kiss you. All the things that couples do," Beca stated, finally making eye contact with Chloe.

"You have kissed me," Chloe said, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yeah, but it was during a game of Spin the Bottle, and we were both drunk," Beca added, shaking her head and looking down. "It wasn't real."

Chloe opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't get the words out before the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Their teacher, Mrs. Andrews, stood at the front of the room and introduced herself before taking attendance. Chloe turned to Beca a little while later to try to resume their conversation from earlier, but the brunette was turned away from her then, so the redhead decided not to pursue the conversation any further.

At the end of the class, Beca grabbed her stuff and walked to the door, holding it for everyone on their way out. Chloe was the last one to leave, so Beca decided to walk with her for a little bit. "How was your Christmas?" She asked, hoping to make the situation less awkward.

"It was good. We didn't go anywhere for a vacation, but we still had a good time. How was your Christmas?" Chloe asked as she and Beca walked down the hallway towards their lockers.

"We drove down to Vancouver to spend Christmas with my dad's family," Beca said, playing with the straps on her backpack. "It was pretty nice," She then stopped in the middle of the hallway. "I know I already said this, but I wasn't ever really mad at you. Because it would be selfish and stupid of me to be mad at you for not loving me when you're straight and I'm as gay as Kate McKinnon doing an impression of Ellen Degeneres," she said with a chuckle.

Chloe smiled and chuckled at Beca's last few words. "I'm at fault too, Becs. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you the way I did, and I shouldn't have twisted your words the way I did," The redhead looked down at her feet for a few moments before looking back up at Beca. "Can we call a truce?"

"Yeah, we can," Beca said before holding out her hand for Chloe to shake. "You've become one of my closest friends, and I hope the fact that I'm in love with you won't change that. I don't want any trouble. I just want you to treat me as if I never told you. Does that sound good to you?"

Chloe nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good to me," she replied with a smile as she shook Beca's hand. "So, what class do you have next?" The redhead asked.

"I have music appreciation," Beca said as they walked down the hall together. "I'm hoping that it's a fun class. I heard that we're starting the semester with learning about classics from the beginning of the twentieth century, and we're going to work our way towards the present day from there. What about you? What classes do you have this semester?"

"Well, I have pottery, but you already knew that," Chloe said with a little laugh. "I have a couple of core classes that I have to take because I'm a transfer, but all my other classes are electives, so I'm happy about that."

"When is your free period? Chicago told me that your Juilliard audition is next month. If you want, I can help you practice your audition songs if we have the same free period," Beca offered.

"My free period is during last period. I'd really appreciate it if you'd help me with my audition songs. Thank you for offering to help me. It means a lot," Chloe said with a smile. "If I'm being honest, I'm really nervous for my audition. I feel like no matter how much time I spend practicing my songs, I'm still going to be underprepared," the redhead admitted a few moments later, looking down as she spoke.

"We'll find you the perfect song, Chlo," Beca said, smiling softly at the girl and taking her hand, making the other girl smile. "I said before that they'd be stupid not to take you, and I meant that. We'll find you a few perfect audition songs, so you can feel extra ready for your audition."

Chloe smiled and blushed a little after Beca finished speaking, looking down at the floor as well. "Thanks, Beca. You know that you don't have to do all this for me, right?"

"I know, but I want to. I know how nerve-wracking auditions can be. There's a Battle of the Bands coming up, and Trio's audition for it is next week," Beca stated. "I'll help you find your audition songs. It'll be a fun way to get my auditions off of my mind. I have to head to class, so I'll text you during free period," Beca said with a smile on her face before turning to head the other way.

"Okay, sounds good. I know I've said this a lot already, but thank you," Chloe said, smiling at Beca. "I'll talk to you later!" She called after the brunette as they went their separate ways to their next classes.

Later that day, Chicago was wandering the halls during his free period when he heard two familiar voices singing from one of the practicing rooms. He looked in the window and smiled when he saw Beca and Chloe singing while Chloe played the piano. The boy stood there for awhile and watched the two of them sing together before he put his hand on the doorknob and turned it, opening the door and walking inside once the song was over. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

"Nothing much," Chloe said, smiling when Chicago walked in. The redhead leaned up to kiss him once he had walked over to her. "Beca's helping me find some audition songs for my Juilliard audition, but right now we're just taking a little break before Beca heads to basketball practice. What's up with you?" She asked, smiling at her boyfriend.

"Nothing much," Chicago answered, repeating the words that Chloe had said a few moments ago. "I was just wandering around the halls since it's my free period, and I heard music coming from here so I decided to check it out."

"How are your classes?" Beca asked, playing a little melody on the piano that she'd been working on. "I've got a pretty easy semester ahead of me," she told him. "What about you?"

"Yeah, same with me. I'm glad that I have an easy last semester. The senioritis is already starting to kick in," Chicago replied with a chuckle.

"I know the feeling," Beca said with a chuckle before she stopped playing for a moment. "Before I go, I want to play a new song I wrote. Is that cool?" She asked.

"Yeah, of course. Take it away, Becs," Chloe said, smiling at the brunette. Chicago nodded his head in agreement, then gestured for Beca to play the song.

"Believer"- Imagine Dragons

"First things first,

I'm gonna say all the words inside my head
I'm fired up and tired of the way that things have been, oh,
The way that things have been, oh.
Second things second,
Don't you tell me what you think that I can be.
I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea, oh,
The master of my sea, oh.

I was broken from a young age,
Taking my sulking to the masses,
Write down my poems for the few
That looked at me, took to me, shook to me, feeling me.
Singing from heartache from the pain,
Taking my message from the veins,
Speaking my lesson from the brain,
Seeing the beauty through the...

You made me a, you made me a believer, believer.

You break me down, you build me up,

Believer, believer.

Oh let the bullets fly, oh let them rain.

My life, my love, my drive it came from pain.

You made me a, you made me a believer, believer."

Beca smiled as she played the piano and sang. She looked up from the keys at Chloe and Chicago for a brief moment before looking back down as she started singing again.

"Third things third,
Send a prayer to the ones up above.
All the hate that you've heard has turned your spirit to a dove, oh,
Your spirit up above, oh.

I was choking in the crowd,
Building my rain up in the cloud,
Falling like ashes to the ground,
Hoping my feelings, they would drown.
But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing,
Inhibited, limited,
Until it broke up and it rained down,
It rained down like...

You made me a, you made me a believer, believer.
You break me down, you build me up,

Believer, believer.
I let the bullets fly, oh let them rain
My life, my love, my drive, it came from pain.
You made me a, you made me a believer, believer."

Chicago couldn't help but smile and bop his head to the song, loving the lyrics and the beat. Chloe did the same, smiling as Beca performed.

"Last things last,

By the grace of the fire and the flames.

You're the face of the future, the blood in my veins, oh,

The blood in my veins, oh.

But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing,
Inhibited, limited,
Until it broke up and it rained down,

It rained down like...

You made me a, you made me a believer, believer.
You break me down, you build me up,

Believer, believer.
I let the bullets fly, oh let them rain
My life, my love, my drive, it came from pain.
You made me a, you made me a believer, believer."

Beca played a few more chords on the piano, echoing the word "believer" a few more times before she finished the song. The brunette smiled and then looked over at Chloe and Chicago. "How was it?"

"Dude, that song is bad ass!" Chicago said, smiling and giving his friend a high five. "I can't wait to hear it when Trio performs it together."

"Thanks, Chic," Beca said, smiling at his compliment. "I'm glad that you liked it. I haven't shown it to Jesse and Benji yet, but I think it'll be really good once we all perform it."

"It definitely will. It already sounds badass," Chloe commented with a smile on her face.

"That makes happy to know you guys both love it," Beca stated, leaning back against the wall. "My mom has been trying to convince my dad to come to a show," She said. "But so far she hasn't had any luck."

"Just because she hasn't had any luck as of now doesn't mean that there isn't any hope," Chicago pointed out. "If anyone can convince your dad to do something, it's your mom, and I know that she won't back down until he agrees to come to a show."

Beca smiled at her best friend and then nodded. "I hope you're right. I want to have both of my parents on my side so I can move to LA," she stated.

"Even if you didn't have both of your parents on your side, you could still probably go to LA. You'll be an adult once you graduate, so they can't really tell you what to do anymore," Chicago said, chuckling a little. "That being said, I do know how important it is to you that your parents support you, and I know that they will if they don't already do."

"You guys really think I can make it on my own in LA?" Beca asked, looking at her friends.

"We know you can, Beca," Chloe said, placing a friendly hand on Beca's shoulder. "If I can make it into Juilliard, then you can live out your dream of performing your music in LA."

Chicago nodded his head in agreement with Chloe. "She's right. You're one of the most talented people I know. If anyone can make it big, it's you," Chicago told his friend confidently.

"Thanks, you guys. It makes me happy to hear you guys say that," Beca said, smiling and blushing a little. She then looked at the clock on her phone. "I better go and head to the gym. I need to get ready for basketball practice," Beca said before packing up her bags. "I'll see you guys later."

"See you later. Thanks for helping me, Becs. I really appreciate it," Chloe said genuinely, smiling at her friend.

"No problem. I'll text you tomorrow so we can work on some other possible audition pieces," Beca said before waving and leaving the other two alone in the practice room.

Chloe still had a smile on her face as she watched Beca leave the room, keeping the smile on her face when she turned to Chicago. "Hey," she said cutely, taking one of her boyfriend's hands in one of her own.

The young boy smiled at his girlfriend. "Hi, how are you?" He asked, squeezing her hand and leaning over to give Chloe a kiss on the cheek. "I've missed you today."

"I've missed you too. I wish we had more classes together," Chloe said, feeling her face heat up where Chicago's lips had been.

"Well, I'm focusing on school and the colleges that want me to play with them. A good thing is that I won't be as busy after school because I'm not playing basketball this year," Chicago said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "I think it's really great that Beca is helping you find some songs for your Juilliard audition."

"Yeah, me too," Chloe said, smiling and leaning into Chicago's embrace. "She's been so helpful to me. I'm glad to have her as my friend."

"When is the audition?" Chicago asked while he traced Chloe's arm with his hand. His other hand rested on her knee, and he placed another kiss on Chloe's head.

"It's in a few weeks," Chloe replied, closing her eyes and smiling. "I used to be really nervous, and I still kinda am, but Beca's helped me become more confident."

"You're going to be incredible, and you're going to get in," Chicago stated confidently. "Like Beca said, they'd be stupid not to admit you," He said, turning her to face him before leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "I have so much faith in you, Chloe. You're a once-in-a-lifetime talent, and a once-in-a-lifetime person. People like you don't come around very often, and Juilliard will see that."

"Thanks, babe," Chloe said, smiling as their lips parted. "Thank you for believing in me. It means a lot," the redhead added a few moments later.

"I love you so very much Chloe. Never forget that," Chicago said, smiling and bringing the redhead's hand up to kiss it.

In the gymnasium, Beca was running the warm up for the team until their coach was done setting up their drills. "Alright you guys, high knees the other side of the court and then butt kickers on the way back," Beca called out, leading the other fourteen girls in the stretch.

After they were done with the initial stretches, they got in multiple lines and start doing a drill where they would pass the ball, get it back and then run in for a layup. Beca made every single one she ran up for, and so did most of the girls on the team. Hartford High School had a very strong line-up for their girls basketball team, and they were looking to make a comeback after they lost the state final a year before against Redding High School. It was safe to say these girls were hungry and ready to take back their rightful spot as state champions.

The team worked on some drills for a little while longer before dividing into smaller teams and starting a scrimmage. Beca's team started off with the ball, and the brunette dribbled the ball up the court after the inbound pass. She passed it to one of her other teammates once she got past the half court line, running over and setting a pick on a defender so that another one of her teammates could get open.

She then got back open after setting the pick, standing right behind the three point line. "Hey I'm open!" Beca called called out, getting the ball from Emily, who was also on the basketball team. Beca caught the ball and then took aim, shooting the ball while she was in mid-air. She then watched the ball swish into the net, smiling and then jogging back down the court.

"Nice shot, Mitchell!" Coach Wendell Jefferys called from the sideline where he was jotting down notes of what he saw onto a notepad. The brunette just looked at him and shrugged her shoulders, her smile turning into a smirk. She then turned her attention back to the scrimmage, getting into her defensive stance as the other team advanced the ball down the court.

After the practice, Coach Jefferys called the girls in for a talk. "Alright ladies, our first game is on Thursday. It is against the Redding Ravens. Last year they beat us for the state championship in double overtime. This is our first game of the preseason and we need to come out strong," He stated, holding a ball in his head. "This opening game is chance to show that the Hartford Hawks are a force to be reckoned with."

The girls cheered and clapped after Coach Jefferys' speech. "We've got this, guys," Beca said, stepping into the middle of the circle. "We fell short last year, but I'm confident that we will get back to the state championship and that we will come out on top. We have to believe in ourselves, and we'll be able to do it. We have the talent and skill to win the championship, we just have to believe in ourselves."

The rest of the girls cheered and then they were brought in for a team cheer. "Hawks on three! One, two, three!"

That was when the whole team yelled out "HAWKS!" Before they clapped and headed for the locker room showers.

After her shower, Beca drove home and smiled when Henry and Hailee ran out to her. She gave them both big hugs. "Hey guys!" She said, smiling and picking them both up, spinning them around. "Let's get inside, it's pretty cold out."

Once they went inside, Beca turned on the TV for the twins and then went to the kitchen to make some popcorn for them. As she was putting the bag of popcorn in the microwave, her mother walked in the room. "Hey, Mom. How was work today?" The brunette asked.

"It was pretty good, you know, the usual," Cala stated as she walked beside her daughter. "Are you excited for your first basketball game tomorrow? It's a big one."

Beca nodded, turning to face her mom after closing the microwave. "Yeah, I'm excited. I've been waiting a long time for the chance to get revenge for last year."

"Well, your father and I will be very excited to come and watch," Cala said with a smile on her face as she saw her daughter's eyes light up.

"You guys are coming?" Beca asked, a spark of hope in her heart. "You're coming to watch me play?"

Cala smiled and nodded her head. "We're coming to see you play, Beca. It's about time that we came to one of your basketball games, isn't it?"

"Well, at least Dad agreed to this," Beca chuckled before giving her mom a hug. "Thank you. It means a lot to hear that you're coming to watch me play."

Cala smiled and then brought her daughter into a warm embrace. "I'm going to do everything I can so I make it to all of your games this year, and so will your father. We should've done this long ago," the older woman said. "I'm so proud of you, Beca. I'm so, so proud."

This made Beca blush a little bit. "Thanks, Mom," she said before heading up to her room and changing into some pajamas. The brunette sat on her bed and looked up at the ceiling with a smile on her face. She then grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts, pressing the call button once she got to Chloe's name.

Chloe was sitting at her desk and doing some homework when she heard her phone buzz. The redhead got up and walked over to her phone, which was sitting on her bed, and picked it up to answer it. "Hey, Beca. What's up?"

"Chlo, you're not going to believe this," Beca said, smiling widely as she looked up at her ceiling. "My mom convinced my father to come to the first basketball game of the season!"

Chloe gasped a little, a wide smile forming on her pace. "Oh my god, really? That's awesome, Becs!" She exclaimed happily. "This is really amazing, Beca. I know how much this must mean to you."

"I honestly have no idea what's going on right now, this is all so surreal to me," Beca said, smiling to herself before walking over to the window, smiling and waving at Chloe before she spoke again. "Maybe this is the first step to getting my father to come to a concert."

"It has to be a good sign," Chloe said with a smile. "I knew that your mom would be able to convince your dad. I just knew it."

"Well, she hasn't convinced him to go to a concert yet. It's still a win though, that's for sure," Beca said, smiling widely, unable to hide her excitement. "Are the cheerleaders going to be there at the game?" She asked.

"You bet we are. It's the first game of the season, and one of the biggest rivalry games of the season too. How could we not be there?" Chloe replied with a cute giggle.

"I'll remember to play like LeBron James so I can show you and my parents how much of a badass I am," Beca added, making the girl on the other end of the call laugh.

"Well then, I'm looking forward to seeing you play like LeBron James. You might need to grow a little more if you want to dunk like him, though," Chloe teased.

"You'd be surprised at how high I can jump, Beale," Beca said, chuckling at Chloe's comment. "There's a reason that Chicago calls me mighty mouse whenever we play pickup," She mentioned, sitting down at her desk.

"Really?" Chloe said, raising an eyebrow and chuckling a little. "Well, if you can jump so high, then why don't you try to dunk in your next game? You already want to look like a badass, and now I want to see if you can really jump as high as you say you can."

"Well, I probably can't jump high enough to dunk it," Beca admitted before continuing. "But I'm going to play lights out, that is for sure."

"I'm looking forward to it, then. I've seen you practice a couple times, and you're really good," Chloe told her genuinely.

"Thanks. Just wait till you see me in a game," Beca said. "Something about competition amps me up," she added, taking out her notebook. "I should probably go now. I have to write a four page paper about a musician from the eighteenth century for music appreciation. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay, see you tomorrow. Good luck with that paper," Chloe replied with a smile. "I'm looking forward to watching your game. I know you're going to do great," the redhead added a few moments later.

"That's all the encouragement I need," Beca replied with a smile. "Night Chlo," She said before hanging up the phone. Beca was the only person who used the nickname 'Chlo,' and each time she used that nickname, the redhead couldn't help but blush.

"Goodnight, Becs. I'll see you tomorrow," Chloe said, smiling and biting her lip. The redhead then ended the call, putting her phone down and going back to working on her homework.

Seems like things are good between Chloe and Beca now that they are helping each other prepare for their futures. And hopefully this basketball game will convince Beca's father, Jacob to go to one of Trio's next concerts!

Until Next Time!