Chapter 17: The Juilliard Audition
"So, I was doing some research last night on modern songs that you could play at your audition, and I think I've found the perfect one," Beca said as she walked into the music room. The brunette went and sat down on the piano bench next to the redhead, handing her some sheet music to look at. "I think you should play 'Titanium' by David Guetta and Sia."
Chloe took the sheet music from Beca and briefly flipped through the pages before setting it on the stand. "I do like this song," the redhead said. It was actually one of the few modern songs she liked. "But I'm not sure if it would be good for my audition," she continued. "Why do you think I should play it?"
"Just trust me on this one, Chlo," Beca said, trying to reassure her. The redhead still seemed skeptical, however. "'Titanium' is the best idea I've got for your modern song. If you want to find a different song, then that's your prerogative," the brunette said, shrugging her shoulders.
Chloe thought about Beca's suggestion for a few more moments and then began to nod her head. "Yeah, I'll go with 'Titanium.' It won't be too hard to learn on the piano, and I'll be able to hit all the notes."
Beca smiled and chuckled a little. "See? I told you it was a good idea. Chloe rolled her eyes and chuckled along with Beca, then looked at the sheet music and began to play the song.
Two weeks later, Chloe and Beca were waiting backstage in the auditorium. It was the day of Chloe's audition. A couple scouts from Juilliard had come to watch Chloe's audition, and the redhead had never been more nervous in her life. She had asked Beca to come with her because she needed someone to calm her nerves and Chicago was busy with weight training that afternoon.
"So, how are you feeling about your audition?" Beca asked.
"Really nervous," Chloe replied, smiling a little and then looking down. "I just want to do well, you know? I don't want the scouts to have come all the way out here from New York only to have their time wasted by a terrible audition."
"Hey," Beca said, placing her hands on Chloe's shoulders. "Look at me," she said, smiling when the redhead did so. "You're not going to waste their time. You're going to go out there and prove to them that you belong with best of the best," she stated with confidence. "You know both of these songs so well that you could play them in your sleep. All your friends and family believe in you. Your parents believe in you, Chicago believes in you, and I believe in you. You're going to knock this out of the park. I can feel it in my bones."
Chloe smiled and looked down. "Thanks, Becs," she said in a quiet voice. "This is exactly why I asked you to come with me to the audition. You're always able to calm my nerves when I'm in a stressful situation," the redhead added a few moments later, chuckling as she spoke.
"You'd do the same for me if it was the other way around," Beca said before giving Chloe a hug to wish her luck.
Then, someone from the audience cleared their throat. "Chloe Beale?" They called out.
Beca looked at Chloe and nodded. "Go kick some ass, Chlo," she said, smiling and hugging Chloe again. "If you get nervous while you're out there, just look over at me. I'll be standing right here the whole time."
Chloe smiled and took a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing," she said, pulling the curtain aside and walking onto the stage. She turned and looked at Beca one last time, smiling when the brunette gave her two thumbs up.
Beca smiled at her and then watched as Chloe sat down at the piano. Her heart raced for her friend; the brunette was probably as nervous as the redhead. "You got this, Chlo," Beca whispered softly. "I believe in you."
Chloe closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself before starting to play the Mozart piece she had selected for the audition. Chloe knew this piece by heart, so she was able to play it without needing the sheet music. The redhead got lost in the music like she always did, her fingers skillfully playing the keys of the piano.
The Juilliard scouts watched on, both of them kept neutral faces, though both of them were very amazed by Chloe's passions and skill.
Beca gazed at Chloe as she played. The brunette was so amazed by the redhead. Her heart was racing at million miles per hour and she unable to see anything or anyone but Chloe. This wasn't because she was standing backstage, but because everything else seemed to disappear as Chloe continued to play the piece with ease.
Chloe played the final notes of the song, smiling and looking up from the keys and making eye contact with Beca, which made her smile even more.
Beca gave Chloe two thumbs up again and clapped for the redhead, making sure to be quiet so the scouts in the audience didn't hear. "Good job. You were great," she mouthed to her friend, smiling and quietly clapping a little more.
"Nicely done, Miss Beale," one of the scouts said as Chloe turned to face the audience. "What will you be playing for your modern piece?" He asked in a friendly voice.
"I will be playing 'Titanium' by David Guetta and Sia," Chloe replied, smiling at the two scouts before she turned back to the piano. The redhead took a deep breath to calm herself and placed her fingers on the keys for a few moments before she began to play.
Once again, Chloe played it flawlessly, making Beca smile as she watched on. It was so eye opening to watch Chloe perform, and Beca couldn't take her eyes off of the redhead. Every single time Chloe played a song, Beca felt herself falling for Chloe all over again.
Chloe's confidence increased as she played the song, and the redhead soon had a smile on her face. She had been more nervous for playing this piece than the Mozart one because she was less familiar with this one, but that didn't stop her from playing the song flawlessly and with ease.
Chloe performed, the two scouts wrote down some notes in their notebooks. They were very impressed by Chloe's skills, specifically her versatility, when it came to playing the piano. Part of the reason that Beca suggested she play "Titanium" was because she knew the leap of genres of Mozart to David Guetta would impress the scouts.
Beca smiled as she watched Chloe finish playing the song. When the redhead looked over at her, the brunette smiled even wider and gave her another two thumbs up. Then, the redhead turned look at the scouts, awaiting their feedback.
"Well, Miss Beale, we are very impressed by both your skill and your song choices. Not many of our applicants take the risk of performing two songs of two completely different genres, and we admire that about you," the scout who had spoken before said.
"Thank you," Chloe said, twiddling her thumbs. She still felt a little nervous, but she was able to keep her nerves in check while talking to the scouts.
"So, Miss Beale, why do you want to go to Juilliard?" The other scout asked, setting her pen down and smiling up at the girl on the stage.
"I think the question should be: why don't I want to go to Juilliard?" Chloe replied, chuckling a little. "Going to Juilliard has been a dream of mine since I could play the piano. I love music. Music has been always been a huge part of my life and I would like it to continue to be a huge part of my life. I'm always looking to improve my skills when it comes music, and I can't imagine a better place than Juilliard to do that."
The two scouts turned their heads and smiled at each other before looking back at Chloe. "That's great to know, Chloe. We will take your answer along with your performance into consideration when we decide which applicants will be accepted." The scouts then stood up, starting to pack up their things. "You will receive a letter within the next few weeks that will let you know if you have been accepted to Juilliard and invited to study with us in the fall. It was a pleasure to meet you, Chloe."
After the scouts left, Beca came out from backstage. The brunette walked out onto the stage, smiling widely at the redhead. "Chlo, you were incredible."
"Thanks, Becs," Chloe said, walking over to her friend and giving her a hug. "I really appreciate you being here," the redhead said, smiling and sighing with content as they embraced.
"I wouldn't have missed this for the world," Beca said as they pulled back from the hug. "And, to celebrate, I think we should go get some ice cream. Not just because you killed your audition, but also because the Lady Hawks basketball team is undefeated after ten games. It'll be mostly because you had an amazing audition," she said with a chuckle.
Chloe giggled at Beca's words. "Ice cream sounds like a great way to celebrate my audition and the Hawks' winning record," the redhead replied with a smile.
"Alright then, let's go," Beca said, taking Chloe's hand as they started to walk towards the backstage door. "How are you feeling?" She asked.
"I'm feeling pretty good," Chloe said, her smile growing as she looked down at their hands, which fit perfectly together. "How are you feeling?"
"I knew that you were going to crush it," Beca said as they walked towards the parking lot.
The two girls had started carpooling to and from school since they lived so close together, plus Chloe enjoyed Beca's company and visa versa. Anyways, today they were going in Beca's car, which was parked by the football field.
"I had no doubt in my mind that you were going to blow their minds," Beca stated, squeezing Chloe's hand softly. "You were incredible, Chlo," she said, repeating herself from earlier.
"Thanks, Becs," Chloe said, smiling and squeezing Beca's hand back. "Having you there made me a lot less nervous. I really appreciate you being there."
"I said it before, and I'll say it again: I wouldn't rather have been anywhere else," She said, smiling before she unlocked the keys to her car. She opened the door for Chloe after they put their stuff in the back.
"So, where are we going for ice cream?" Chloe asked as she climbed in the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt.
Beca turned on the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "I figured that we'd go to Sterling's Shack," Beca said as she drove. "Sterling's Shack has the best ice cream in this part of Seattle.
Once they got their ice cream, Beca drove them to their neighborhood. Beca parked the car in her driveway and then they went to hang out for awhile in Chloe's backyard. "I still can't believe you don't like vanilla ice cream," Beca said with a chuckle. "I mean, it's not my favorite flavor, but it's still a classic."
"It might be a classic, but it's so plain and boring," Chloe argued back, laughing along with Beca. "There are so many flavors that are better than vanilla."
"So I guess that means you never go vanilla with Chicago," Beca said, making Chloe nearly spit out the water she had just sipped.
"I'm going to pretend that you didn't say that," Chloe said, coughing and laughing along with Beca. "I'm guessing you don't do vanilla either."
"I'm anything but vanilla," Beca said, making the redhead laugh even more. She then took a bite of her chocolate fudge brownie ice cream.
"You are such a weirdo," Chloe said, playfully rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
"I may be a weirdo, but you love it," Beca said, leaning back in her chair and looking up at the sky. She then remembered something that had happened earlier that day that she had been meaning to talk to Chloe about. "You'll never guess who I got paired up with for my music appreciation project."
"Who?" Chloe asked curiously, tilting her head a little and raising an eyebrow.
"Allison," Beca said, cringing as she said the name.
"Wow. Really?" Chloe said, cringing as well. "That sucks, Becs. I'm sorry about that."
"I still feel really shitty about what I did to her," Beca said, looking down and sighing as she slouched in her chair. "When we were talking about the project, she said that she was over me and our relationship, but I could tell that she didn't mean it."
"Well, maybe you should try to talk to her about it again. Sometimes people can't move on from a relationship until they have closure, and you two didn't end things on good terms," Chloe replied.
"Yeah, we didn't, and that sucks because I feel like we might still be together if I hadn't screwed everything up," Beca said, not knowing that her comment made Chloe's heart drop.
"Well, if you want to talk to her, then you should talk to her," Chloe said, looking down as well. "I'll be here for you regardless, Becs," the redhead added a few moments later.
"I don't know if I should do that. What would I even say?" Beca asked, groaning a little and closing her eyes. "I've never had to do this before."
Chloe shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't been in this situation before either, so I couldn't really tell you what to say. But I'm sure she's feeling the same way you are right now." She then paused for a moment, unable to figure out what to say next as a thought hit her. Was Beca thinking about getting back to together with Allison? "Beca, do you still have feelings for her?"
Beca looked down and ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't know. I mean, like I said, I feel bad for the way things ended and I sometimes wonder what it would be like if we were still together. I don't know if I still have feelings for her, though. I guess I'll have to figure that out, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Chloe said, looking down as well. She could feel a knot of both jealousy and pain growing in her stomach, and she had no idea why she couldn't just let this whole thing go. "I'll be right back. I need to refill my water," she said, standing up and walking through the back door into the kitchen.
She leaned against the counter for a moment, trying to figure out why she was feeling this way about her best friend. You shouldn't be feeling this way, Chloe, the redhead scolded herself. You're dating Chicago, not Beca. And so what if Beca gets back together with Allison? She can be with whoever she wants to.
Even though Chloe kept telling herself this, the feelings didn't go away. There was a part of her that wanted to be with Beca, a part of her that longed to kiss her and to hold her while they fell asleep. When she had kissed Beca before, they were both drunk. The redhead wanted to know what it was like to kiss the brunette while they were both sober. Not only that, she wanted to be with Beca all the time.
When Chloe came back from the kitchen about ten minutes later, she saw that Beca had a worried look on her face. "What took you so long? Is everything okay?" The brunette asked, concern in her voice.
"Yeah, I'm alright," Chloe said, smiling her normal smile. "I just had sudden need to go to the bathroom. That's why I took so long," she said, hoping Beca would believe it.
Beca didn't believe Chloe's excuse, but she decided not to pursue it any further. "Just wanted to make sure," the brunette replied, smiling as the redhead came over and sat down next to her.
"When you were with Allison, were you happy?" Chloe asked, leaning back in her chair. "Because if you're planning on getting back together with her, I just want you to be sure that you'll be happy before you jump into anything."
"Yeah, I was happy when I was with Allison," Beca said with a small smile. "But I'm not planning on getting back together with her, not now at least. However, I am planning on talking to her to see how she feels."
"Okay, I just wanted to be sure," Chloe said before sipping her water again.
Allison had agreed to meet up with Beca at the local coffee shop near their school the next day so they could talk about their project. However, Beca also wanted to make things right between the two of them and hoped that she would get a chance to do so.
When Allison walked through the door, Beca waved from her table. "Hey," she said as the girl walked over.
"Hey," Allison said, smiling and waving a little before sitting down across from Beca.
"How are you?" Beca asked, taking a sip from her water bottle since she was still waiting for her coffee. "It's been awhile since we actually talked," she said.
"Yeah, it has been a while, hasn't it?" Allison said, smiling softly. "I'm doing pretty well. I've been trying to make the most out of the rest of this year. I can't believe it's already our senior year."
"Neither can I," Beca said with a chuckle before the server came with her heated caramel macchiato. "I know we talked about it briefly before, but I just want you to know how sorry I am for what happened that night. I still feel absolutely awful for what I did, and I hate myself for not trying to make things right until now."
"It's not entirely your fault, Beca," Allison replied. "I could've done more to make things right as well. The way I reacted to the situation only escalated things further, and I apologize for that."
"There's nothing you need to apologize for," Beca said, smiling softly for a moment. "I said someone else's name during sex. That's all on me. You had every right to be upset."
"Still, I feel like I could have let you explain yourself instead of screaming at you and then storming off," Allison said, smiling softly as well.
"Well, I hope you can forgive me," Beca said, sipping her coffee. "Despite things not really working out between us, I still think you're still a lot of fun to be around," she stated genuinely.
Allison smiled and looked down so Beca couldn't see that she was blushing. "Thanks, Becs. I can say the same thing about you," she replied.
"Thank you, Ali," Beca said, noticing the girl's rosy cheeks. She too blushed a little bit and then took another sip of coffee.
The two girls then got to work on their project, making some good progress on how they were going to present it to the class. The whole time they were working on it, Beca realized that she didn't have romantic feelings for Allison. However, there was still something that was on her mind, so she decided to ask the girl about it.
"Hey Ali?" Beca asked, continuing to talk after the girl nodded at her. "Is there a part of you that wonders how amazing that night could've been? You know, if I hadn't screwed it up."
Allison hesitated for a moment then answered Beca's question. "Well, I don't try to think about it, but I have thought about it before," she admitted.
"I guess there's just a part of me that thinks about it sometimes, you know?" Beca said, fiddling with her cup of coffee.
"Yeah, I get what you mean," Allison said, looking down. She then looked back up at Beca. "Why do you ask?"
As soon as Allison said that, a sudden urge entered Beca's body, an urge to finish what she'd started. It wasn't even the fact that she wanted to get back together with Allison—she didn't. Beca could just feel a tension rising between them, and she hoped Allison was sensing it too. She bit her bottom lip and then blushed a little bit, trying to hide the smile. "I don't know, maybe because-" she paused for a moment, trying to think of the proper way to say this. "I'd really like to make it up to you," she finished, smirking a little.
At first, Allison was confused by this. "Make it up to me? How would you make it up to me?" She asked. Then, realization dawned on her, and she began to blush. "Oh," she said simply, biting her lip.
"We don't have to if you don't want to," Beca said, smiling at Allison's blush. "I guess I'm a little curious as to what it would be like."
"It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I'm not sure if I want to," Allison said, looking into Beca's eyes. "I'll think about it, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah I totally understand," Beca looked away for a moment. "The offer stands, if you decide you would want to take me up on it. Take your time," Beca said, mentally facepalming herself. She couldn't believe she'd asked Allison that, and even worse she probably thought Beca was just trying to use her again. "Sorry, that must've been a really weird question for you."
Allison shook her head. "No, it's okay. I didn't think it was weird at all. I was just surprised by it," the blonde replied with a small chuckle.
"I would totally understand if you turned me down after what I did to you," Beca said, shrugging her shoulders in an awkward but adorable manner.
"I said that I'll think about it, Beca. No need to get ahead of yourself," Allison said, chuckling a little more. "I'll let you know once I've made my decision," Beca smiled and laughed with her before they got back to work.
After studying with Allison for another hour or so, Beca drove herself home and waved when she saw Chicago and Chloe sitting in the swing on the Beale's front porch. "Hey, you two. How's your Saturday so far?" The brunette asked as she got out of her car and walked over over to her friends.
"My Saturday's been pretty good," Chicago replied, smiling at Beca and then smiling at Chloe. "How about you?" He asked.
"My Saturday's been pretty nice, actually," Beca said, smiling and sitting down next to Chloe on the swing. "I met up with Allison to work on our project, and we talked things over so now we're on good terms," she stated, deciding not to mention the friends-with-benefits proposal she made.
"That's good," Chicago said, smiling at Beca. "I bet it feels nice to have finally worked things out, huh?"
"Yeah, good for you Beca," Chloe said, smiling and leaning over to give Beca a hug.
"You guys planning on doing anything later? It's a bye week for the girls basketball team, and Trio is playing tonight at eight on the Quad at University of Washington. It's free," too," Beca said as she hugged Chloe back.
"Really? We'll have to come check it out then. Wouldn't that be fun, Chlo?" Chicago asked the redhead.
"Definitely," Chloe said with a quick nod of her head. "Any chance to see you guys perform."
Beca smiled and blushed a little at Chloe's words. Then, she turned to Chicago. "Did Chloe tell you about how she killed her audition?"
"Yeah, she called me last night so I thought I'd come over today and we could celebrate," Chicago said, smiling at his girlfriend before kissing her cheek. "She said that you picked out 'Titanium' for her modern piece and that the scouts loved her mix of genres. So, thank you for helping her, Beca."
Beca shook her head. "There's no need to thank me," she said. "I was just doing the right thing and helping out a friend."
"Well, I couldn't have picked a better song," Chloe said, smiling at the brunette girl sitting next to her. "So thank you."
"You're welcome. Maybe we'll serenade you tonight at the concert since your audition went so well," Beca suggested, shrugging her shoulders. "How does that sound to you, Chic?"
"That sounds like a great idea. Only, I'm not the world's greatest singer," Chicago said with a chuckle. "I wouldn't want to embarrass myself in front of everyone."
"Yeah, I know," Beca said, laughing along with her best friend. "As much as I love you, your talent doesn't come in the form of singing," She stated, making the other two laugh. "Is there any song in particular that you would want us to sing for you tonight Chloe? Any song would work."
Chloe thought about it for a moment, and then shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really have a particular song that I'd like you to sing. Why don't you surprise me? You're really good at picking out songs for occasions, as shown by you picking 'Titanium' for me to sing at my audition."
"That actually may work," Beca said. "Jesse and I wrote a song together that we haven't performed at a concert yet, so maybe that'll be the song we dedicate to you," She said with a smile on her face. "And I think you'll enjoy it."
"I'm sure that I'll enjoy it," Chloe replied, smiling back at Beca. "I enjoy all of your songs. You're such a talented songwriter, Becs."
"Uh, thanks," Beca replied, hiding her blush as much as she possibly could. She then stood up and headed towards the steps. "I've gotta go get my instruments packed for the concert. I'll see you guys tonight," she stated before disappearing down the steps and over to her house.
Chicago watched Beca walk over to her house and then turned back to Chloe. "Going to that show tonight will be a lot of fun. I'm really gonna miss seeing Trio perform together once we graduate."
"Me too, I wish I could've seen them in their early days," Chloe said, leaning her head on Chicago's shoulder. She linked their hands and rested them on her lap. "I can't wait to hear their new song tonight."
"Me neither, I bet it's amazing," Chicago said, smiling.
After a little moment of silence between the couple, Chloe spoke up again. "Have you gotten any closer to where you're going to commit?" She asked, hoping New York was at the top of his list.
"No, not since I narrowed down the list of schools to three," Chicago replied. "I'm still hoping that I'll get an offer from Georgia, but I'll be happy even if I don't end up getting an offer."
"I hope you're still considering New York," Chloe said, biting her lip. "It'd be nice if I got to see you play," She stated, closing her eyes.
"Of course I'm still considering New York, babe. It's in my top three," Chicago told his girlfriend with a smile. "I'd love it if you got to see me play, and we'd be able to hang out all the time too."
Those words made Chloe's heart relax a little bit. "Good," she said. "It's not that I don't want you to go to Georgia or wherever you decide, I guess it would just be nice to have you around when I'm in New York."
Chicago nodded in agreement with Chloe. "I want to have you around too, Chlo. I mean, I know we could make long distance work because we're a strong couple, but I'd prefer to be close to you and not far away. That's why New York is in my top three for colleges."
Chloe smiled and then leaned in to give her handsome boyfriend a sweet kiss on the lips. It was only meant to be a quick peck, but both of them leaned into it as it went on. The redhead pulled back breathlessly, smiling into those beautiful blueish green eyes. "You know, my parents won't be back for the next few hours," She muttered as Chic started planting needy kisses on her neck while she ran her fingers through his hair.
"That's good to know," Chicago muttered back, trailing his lips from her neck down to her collarbone. "Maybe we should take this inside," he murmured softly, gently nipping at her skin with his teeth.
Without another word, Chloe grabbed Chicago's hand and they ran inside. It didn't take long before they were in Chloe's room with the door closed and locked while the blinds were drawn at the window.
About twenty-five to thirty minutes later, the two of them were tangled up in the sheets of Chloe's bed. Chloe had her head on Chicago's shoulder as one of her hands traced along his bare, sweaty chest. The redhead smiled as she lay there in his arms with her eyes closed. "Incredible," she said, turning her head to give him a quick peck on the lips before resuming her recent position.
"Yeah, incredible," Chicago said, smiling and closing his eyes before sighing with content. "This never gets old," the boy added a few moments later.
"You should be proud of yourself because you last a lot longer than Tom ever did," Chloe said, smiling when she saw the smirk on Chicago's face.
A part of her felt a little guilty inside as they lay there in each others arms. It had faded away while they were having sex; however while they were kissing and starting a little foreplay, Chloe couldn't help but imagine she was kissing Beca. Even though it went away once the actually sex began, it was all Chloe could think about at the moment.
"Can we start round two now?" Chloe asked, wanting to take her mind off things. Chicago was an amazing boyfriend, and Chloe truly did love him. She had to stop having these thoughts about Beca. "I'm ready if you are," She said, smiling deviously up at her boyfriend.
"Alright. I'm ready," Chicago said, smirking back at Chloe. "Do you want me to take the lead or do you want to take the lead?" He asked her.
"I took the lead last time, so you go ahead," Chloe said as Chicago got on top of her and began to kiss her neck and jawline.
That night around 7:30, Chloe and Chicago headed to the University of Washington and went straight to the quad that Beca's band was playing on. "I'm really excited for this concert," Chicago said as he and Chloe walked hand-in-hand towards the stage on the quad. "I know I've said that a million times already, but I mean it. Plus, I can't wait to hear the song that they're going to dedicate to you," He said, smiling and leaning over to kiss her cheek.
"Me too," Chloe said, feeling her heart race when Chicago talk about Beca's new song. She wondered if it was a love song that Beca had written for her, just the thought of that got Chloe even more excited to watch them perform. Snap out of it! The redhead told herself. For Pete's sake, you have a boyfriend! And an amazing one like that. Besides, when have you ever been attracted to girls?
Chloe was brought out of her thoughts by Chicago, who was waving his hand in front of her face. "Hello? Earth to Chloe," he said in a joking manner while chuckling.
"What?" Chloe said. "Oh yeah, sorry. I just got lost in thought for a moment," She stated as they continued to walk towards the quad.
"Okay, just making sure," Chicago replied, chuckling a little more. They got to the stage and made their way through the crowd so that they were standing a few rows behind the front row, giving them a good view for the concert.
Chloe looked around at everyone who was there, and she smiled when she saw Aubrey, Stacie, Emily and Cynthia walk up to meet them. After they said hello, the redhead continued to look around. She then saw someone who she didn't expect to see: Allison.
The blonde made eye contact with the redhead and waved at her before walking over to her. "Hey, Chloe. How's it going?" Allison asked in a friendly voice.
"Hi, Allison. I'm doing well. How are you?" Chloe asked with a genuine smile, though she was still a bit nervous to talk to the blonde after everything that had happened.
"I'm doing well too," Allison replied, smiling back at Chloe. "I'm really excited to see Trio perform tonight. I haven't been to one of their shows in a long time."
"Yeah, neither have I. They haven't performed a lot these last few months because Beca has basketball," Chloe said, tucking her hair back. "Beca told me that you two are on good terms again. That's great to hear."
"Yeah, we worked things out while we were hanging out at the coffee shop today. I'm really glad that we're on good terms again. I've missed spending time with her," Allison admitted, looking down and smiling softly.
"I think it's great you guys worked things out. Beca seemed really happy when she got back from hanging with you earlier," Chloe mentioned, though it hurt her slightly to say that. "What did you guys talk about? You know, besides putting the past behind you two."
"That's all we talked about, really," Allison said. "The only other thing we talked about was our project."
"Cool. That's good to know," Chloe said, tucking her hair back once again. "We're having a party at my place after the concert, and you're more than welcome to join us. I'm sure Beca would love it if you came."
Allison thought about Chloe's offer for a few moments and then nodded her head, smiling as well. "Yeah, I'll come. Thanks for the invite."
"Great," Chloe said with a smile.
Then, Trio came up onstage and people started cheering. "Hello everyone!" Beca said into the microphone, getting a loud and happy response from the crowd. "How's everyone doing tonight?" She asked, getting another loud cheer from the crowd. "Good. I'm glad that you guys have decided to spend your night with us. We're going to do our best to make sure you all have a good time."
"Our first song is going to be a new one that we've just put together. It's for a very special person, some of you who go to school with us know her as Chloe Beale," Beca said, smiling as their friend group cheered loudly for the redhead. "She recently auditioned for Juilliard, I was there and I can tell you she was absolutely amazing, so I'd like to dedicate this song to her. This one is called 'Brand New.'"
"Brand New"- Ben Rector
"I feel like new sunglasses, like a brand new pair of jeans.
I feel like taking chances, I feel a lot like seventeen.
I feel like windows rolled down, new city, streets and cabs.
I feel like anything can happen, laughing, you take me right back.
When we were kids, never thought I'd feel like this."
Chloe gazed up at the brunette onstage, unable to keep the smile from spreading across her face as she listened to the girl sing her heart out and play the keyboard flawlessly.
"Like when I close my eyes and don't even care if anyone sees me dancing.
Like I can fly and don't even think of touching the ground.
Like a heartbeat skip, like an open page,
Like a one-way trip on an aeroplane.
It's the way that I feel when I'm with you: brand new!"
Ohh Ohh Ohh Ohhh
Ohhhhh
Ohh Ohh Ohh Ohhh
Ohhh ohhhhhh."
Beca made eye contact with Chloe and smiled at the redhead as she finished the chorus. Then, the brunette went into the second verse, harmonizing with Benji as she sang.
"I feel like a young John Cusack, like making big mistakes.
I feel like for the first time in a long time I am not afraid.
I feel like a kid, never thought it'd feel like this.
Like when I close my eyes and don't even care if anyone sees me dancing.
Like I can fly and don't even think of touching the ground.
Like a heartbeat skip, like an open page,
Like a one-way trip on an aeroplane.
It's the way that I feel when I'm with you: brand new!"
The crowd had into the song for awhile now, jumping on the grass and dancing to the song as they cheered. Beca's eyes were still on a particular redhead as she danced to the music. The brunette couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she sang.
"Time will always try to make us fold
You remind me of what I used to know.
Like when I close my eyes and don't even care if anyone sees me dancing.
Like I can fly and don't even think of touching the ground.
Like a heartbeat skip, like an open page,
Like a one-way trip on an aeroplane.
It's the way that I feel when I'm with you: brand new!
Brand new, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I feel, and I feel,
And I feel brand new.
I feel brand new.
I feel brand new."
The smile on Beca's face grew even wider when the crowd cheered like crazy after the song was over. "Thank you, thank you," she said into the microphone, bowing a couple of times. "So, how was that song? Did you like it?" She asked the crowd.
The crowd erupted with thunderous applause, cheering Beca, Jesse, and Benji one. Beca chuckled into the microphone and then strapped one of her guitars on before looking at Chloe, who was near the front row. "Did you enjoy it, Red?" She asked, smiling when she got a nod from Chloe instantly. "Let's hear it for Chloe everyone!" She yelled, getting the crowd to cheer for her.
While the crowd was cheering for the redhead, there was a moment between her and the brunette in which they only saw each other. Beca smiled and winked at Chloe, waving at her in a cute way as well. Chloe winked back at Beca, smiling from ear-to-ear. "Good job, Becs!" She called out to her friend, knowing that she probably couldn't hear her over the crowd but still wanting to let the brunette know that her performance was amazing.
Allison was standing a few feet away from Chloe and watched the whole interaction between her and Beca. At first, she thought Beca was smiling and waving at her, but she realized that the brunette was waving at Chloe when she turned her head and saw that the redhead was waving back. The blonde then looked at Beca, whose smile seemed to have grown impossibly wider. She also noticed the same look in her eyes that was always there when she looked at Chloe―a look of fondness and affection.
Looks like things are starting to build romantically between our beloved female leads. Chloe's started developing feelings for Beca that she doesn't quite understand yet.
Will Allison take Beca up on that offer? Or will she and Beca just remain friends without benefits? Keep reading to find out.
Also, will Chloe get into Juilliard? And will Chicago go with her and play at NYU?
Until next time!
