Chapter 20: Signing Day

"Tomorrow's the big day. How are you feeling?" Beca asked as she took a bite of the sandwich she was having for lunch. National Signing Day was tomorrow, and everyone was eager to find out which school Chicago would commit to. By the end of the season, he had become one of the top prospects in the country. To recognize this, the school was holding a special assembly for him and all the other student athletes that were signing.

"Pretty good, although I am nervous," Chicago said, taking a deep breath. "I'm excited too, of course. It's not very often that you get an offer from your dream," he stated with a smile. "Four other seniors are signing tomorrow. Two are going to Oregon, one is going to Michigan State, and one is going to Colorado. Then there's me, who's going to Georgia."

"I'm happy for you, Chic. You've worked so hard for this, and you deserve it," Beca replied, smiling at her best friend. She then spoke again a few moments later. "Have you told Chloe yet?" She asked.

Chicago's smile faded when Beca said those words. The boy shook his head. "She's been in New York all week touring Juilliard, and I want to tell her face-to-face," he said, scratching his head and taking a sip of his water.

"Chicago! Signing Day is tomorrow! Why did you put it off for so long?" Beca said, sighing as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"I know, okay? I'm a fucking idiot for waiting so long. I just haven't found the right way to say it," Chicago said, putting his head in his hands. "I've tried to tell her so many times, but the words always get stuck in my throat."

"You need to tell her soon, Chicago. You can't wait any longer. Honestly, I'd call her today and tell her. Waiting until tomorrow to tell her is not a good idea," Beca said.

"Yeah, I'll call her," Chicago said, nodding and taking a deep breath. He took a bite of one of his carrots and then took a sip of his water.

Later that day, Beca was getting home from an away game in which the Hartford Hawks defeated the Greenbelt Grizzlies. She saw Chloe's family unloading their car in their driveway as she pulled into her own. "Hey Mr. and Mrs. Beale! Hey Chloe!" She said as she got out of her car. "How was New York?"

"Hey Beca!" Chloe said, smiling and then walking over to give the brunette a hug. "New York was great! There's so many fun things to do there. I can't wait to go to Juilliard!" The redhead exclaimed.

"Well, you'll have to tell me all about it once I take a shower. I just got back from an away game and I don't smell very good, although you probably already knew that since you just hugged me," Beca said with a chuckle.

Chloe laughed along with Beca. "I have some unpacking to do anyways. Text me when you're done with your shower and then I'll come over, okay?"

"Alright, I will," Beca said before grabbing her basketball bag from the back seat of her car. "It's nice to see you, Mr. and Mrs. Beale," she said, waving at Chloe's parents before walking up the stairs of her porch and into her house.

About an hour later, Beca had finished her shower and made dinner for Henry, Hailee, and herself since both of their parents were away. "Alright guys, your dinner is ready! Come and get it, you little rascals!" She called out, setting their plates on the table. As the two twins came running in to get their food, Beca took out her phone and texted Chloe.

Beca: Hey, I'm all clean now. Come on over!

A few minutes later, the brunette's phone buzzed with a reply from Chloe.

Chloe: Okay! I'll be over in five :)

Beca smiled as she read the text and then put her phone in her pocket, getting up and walking to the front door so she could open it when Chloe arrived. She knew that the redhead was definitely more than capable of opening a door, but Beca just wanted to be at the door when she got there.

"Hey Chlo!" Beca said, smiling as the redhead made her way up the steps. "The twins and I are having breakfast for dinner. Would you like to join us? It's pancakes, bacon, and some delicious scrambled eggs. Everything is made with love, of course," Beca told her as she held the door open for her.

"I would love to join you guys," Chloe said with a smile. "And breakfast for dinner sounds delicious," the redhead added as she walked inside the house. She went into the dining room and smiled when she saw Henry and Hailee. "Hey you two! It's been awhile since I've seen you guys. Do you remember me?"

Hailee got up and ran over to give Chloe the biggest hug she could give. "Chloe!" She said, hugging the girl tightly. Henry came over and did the same as his twin sister.

"Of course they remember you. They keep asking for me to have you over," Beca said with a smile. "It's gotten to the point where I think they like you more than me," the brunette added, chuckling a little.

"Awe, that's so sweet," Chloe said, smiling as she hugged the twins. "I've really missed you little ones a lot. It seems like you both have grown a lot since the last time I saw you."

"We're gonna be six soon!" Henry said, smiling and showing her six fingers with his hands.

"Really? I'm gonna be eighteen soon," Chloe said with a smile. The four then sat down at the table, and Chloe took a bite of the scrambled eggs on her plate.

"Wait, you're not eighteen already?" Beca asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

Chloe shook her head. "Nope, I'm still seventeen," she said, chuckling at the expression on Beca's face. "Why are you making that face?"

"It's just that you've never told me when your birthday is, so I just assumed that you were eighteen already," Beca said, smiling as she ate one of her pieces of bacon.

"Well, I guess you learn something new everyday," Chloe replied, smiling and taking another bite of scrambled eggs.

"I guess you do," Beca said, smiling as they continued eating their food.

Afterwards, Chloe was helping Beca get Henry and Hailee to bed. "Did you two brush your teeth?" Beca asked as the two kids came running from the bathroom. She made sure their beds were ready and had set out some pajamas for them as well.

"Yeah!" Henry and Hailee said, running into their room and grabbing their pajamas. The two then turned around and ran back to the bathroom. Beca chuckled as she watched this and shook her head at how adorable they were.

"Those little rascals are too cute," Chloe said, sitting next to Beca on Hailee's bed as they waited for the two kids to get back. "Your life must not have one dull moment with them around to keep you entertained."

"They definitely keep me entertained, that's for sure," Beca said, chuckling a little more. "You know, we can still hang out after the twins go to bed if you want," the brunette mentioned.

Chloe smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that," she stated as she looked around the room. "Plus, someone needs to keep you company while they're asleep. However, I don't think I'll be as entertaining as they are."

"I'd prefer if you didn't try to entertain me like they do. You running around the house might wake them up, and I don't need all three of you running around the house," Beca joked.

"Maybe we can catch you up on the Harry Potter movies a little more," Chloe suggested. "I saw them in your family's movie cabinet. If I remember correctly we were on the fifth movie," she said.

"We're on the one where that really annoying short lady who wears pink is in the wizard school, so if that's the fifth one, then that's the one we're on," Beca said. "What's it called again? I know it's Harry Potter, but what's the other half of the title?"

"Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix," Chloe said with a chuckle before the twins came back in their pajamas.

"Yeah, that's it," Beca said, chuckling along with the redhead. She then got up from Hailee's bed so her sister could get under the covers and she could tuck her in. "Alright, Haiz, do you want me to read you a story before you go to sleep?"

The little girl nodded her head and smiled. "Yes please, Beca," she said politely in the sweetest voice possible.

Henry climbed into his bed and Chloe tucked him in. "Are you going help Beca tuck us in every night?" He asked with a curious tone in his voice.

Chloe smiled at the little boy. "Not every night, but sometimes," she answered. The redhead looked over and saw that Beca was reading a story to Hailee. She then turned back to Henry. "Do you want me to read you a story since Beca is reading to Hailee right now?" She asked.

"No, that's okay," Henry said. "Are you and Beca friends?" He asked, making sure to talk quietly while Beca read to Hailee.

Chloe nodded her head. "Yeah, we're friends," she said with a smile. "She's one of my best friends, actually."

"Do you like boys or girls?" Henry asked, looking up at the redhead. "Beca likes girls."

Chloe smiled and chuckled at the little boy's adorable curiosity. "Well, I like boys now, but maybe I'll like girls in the future," she said, looking over at Beca as she said those words.

"Beca talks about you a lot to Mommy and Daddy," Henry said, playing with his teddy bear. "She always says you're her most beautiful friend, and that she 'like, likes' you," he said, making gestures with his fingers.

Chloe smiled and looked down, feeling herself begin to blush. "That's nice of her to say. I think she's beautiful too."

"What does 'like like' mean, Chloe? I don't understand what people mean when they say that," Henry said, scrunching up his face as he said this.

"Well, when you say you like someone, that means that you're friends. When you say that you 'like like' someone, that means you're either more than friends or want to be more than friends," Chloe explained.

"More than friends?" Henry said, even more curious now. "What does that mean?"

"It means that you want to date them and be their boyfriend or girlfriend," Chloe told him with a small smile.

"Beca told me that your boyfriend is her best friend, Chicago," Henry said as he continued to play with his teddy bear.

Beca finished reading Hailee her story and then kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Haiz. I love you," she said before turning to Henry. "Goodnight, Henry. Get some sleep. I love you, buddy," she said, kissing his forehead as well.

Chloe smiled and then wished the twins goodnight before she and Beca left their room. The two girls then went downstairs to the living room to watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. "The twins are so adorable, and I can tell that they both look up to you," Chloe said as she and Beca sat down on the couch.

"They're crazy, but I love them more than anything," Beca said, chuckling as she pushed play. She then got comfortable on the couch. "Are we going to do that thing where we cuddle while watching the movie?" Beca asked, secretly hoping Chloe would say yes.

Chloe shrugged her shoulders. "We can if you want to. Do you want to?" She asked, looking over at the brunette sitting next to her.

"Well, you're really good at cuddling. So yeah, I would like to cuddle with you if that's okay," Beca said, grabbing a blanket for the two of them.

"Of course it's okay," Chloe said, smiling and giggling a little. She then cuddled up to Beca, wrapping her arms around the brunette's waist and leaning her head on her shoulder.

Beca help but notice her heartbeat speeding up a lot when Chloe's arms wrapped around her. The young brunette then wrapped her arm around Chloe's shoulder and pulled her close, resting her other hand on Chloe's leg. "You excited for Chicago's signing tomorrow?"

Chloe smiled and nodded her head. "Of course I am. He's signing with NYU. We're gonna be in New York together. How could I not be excited?" She replied.

The brunette's heart sank when she realized that Chicago still hadn't told Chloe about Georgia. For a moment, Beca considered telling Chloe, but she decided against it because it wasn't her job to do so. So, the brunette played along with it for the time being. "Yeah, I'm excited for him too. It's a really amazing opportunity for him."

"It really is. I'm so happy that we're gonna be in New York together. Long distance relationships are just too hard," Chloe said. She then reached for the TV remote and pressed the play button when the movie's main menu popped up on the screen.

"I agree. Long distance relationships suck," Beca said before pulling the redhead a little closer as the movie started. Beca did enjoy these movies, but her favorite part about them was being able to cuddle with Chloe. "New York is going to be amazing. I'll call you every week so you can tell me about all of your adventures."

"And you can tell me about all of your adventures in LA," Chloe said, smiling and briefly glancing at Beca before turning her attention to the opening credits that were playing on the TV.

"Sounds like a plan," Beca said, turning her attention to the movie as well. The brunette softly traced shapes in Chloe's arm while they cuddled, smiling to herself when she heard the redhead sigh with content. At one point, Beca linked one of her hands with Chloe's and smiled at how perfect their hands fit together.

About halfway through the movie, Chloe had fallen asleep. The redhead usually didn't fall asleep during movies, especially not the Harry Potter movies, but she was pretty exhausted from the traveling she had done that day. Beca smiled when she looked over and saw that Chloe had fallen asleep, her head still resting on her shoulder.

As Beca continued to watch the movie, she placed a gentle kiss on Chloe's cheek, unable to keep the smile off her face. "You're so damn beautiful," she said quietly, knowing the redhead couldn't hear her since she was asleep.

Even though she didn't feel Beca kiss her cheek or hear what she said, Chloe smiled in her sleep. Beca's smile grew even wider when she saw this. "God, you're so cute," the brunette said, chuckling softly and shaking her head. She moved a stray piece of red hair out of Chloe's face, tucking it gently behind her ear. "I'm going to miss you the most when we leave this place," she said softly. "You're the best thing that's happened to this world since the Beatles."

A few moments after Beca finished speaking, the redhead slowly opened her eyes. She sat up and stretched, then looked over and saw that Beca was looking back at her. "How long was I asleep for?" Chloe asked in a tired voice.

"About forty minutes. The movie is almost over," Beca said, smiling at the girl next to her. As Chloe fixed her hair, Beca noticed she had a stray eyelash right underneath her left eye. "You've got a little something there," she said, reaching over and gently wiping it off of Chloe's cheek with her thumb. "Make a wish," she said, holding it up in front of Chloe.

Chloe looked at Beca with a confused look on her face. "Make a wish? People make wishes on eyelashes? That's a thing?"

Now it was Beca's turn to look confused. "You've never made a wish on an eyelash before?" The brunette asked. When the redhead nodded, Beca chuckled. "All you have to do is think of a wish and then blow the eyelash away. It's not that difficult of a process."

"Okay, give me a second to think," Chloe said. Once she thought of her wish, the redhead blew the eyelash away. "Did I do it right?" She asked, giggling a little bit.

"Perfect," Beca stated with a smile. "Don't tell me your wish or else it won't come true," she added before laughing a little bit. She then spoke again a few moments later. "You're adorable, did you know that?"

Chloe shook her head. "No, I didn't know that. What makes me so adorable, if I may ask?"

"Oh, where do I even begin?" Beca said, chuckling and biting her lip as she thought about what to include in her answer. "Whenever something scary happens in a movie, you clutch onto whoever you're sitting next to. When your nervous or confused, you have this distinct giggle that is so damn cute. And, whenever I can get you to sing, you always blush because you don't think you're that good—which is a completely ludacris idea because you have an amazing voice," Beca said, smiling at Chloe before looking down at for a moment. "I could go on and on for hours about what makes you adorable."

Chloe smiled at Beca's words and looked away so the brunette didn't see that she was blushing. "Thank you," she said shyly, still looking down. She then looked back up at Beca before speaking again. "It might surprise you to hear that I could do the same for you. I know for a fact that you're a real softie underneath your badass persona," the redhead replied.

"No, I'm not. I'm a badass," Beca said, crossing her arms and glaring playfully at the girl sitting next to her. "I don't have a cute or adorable side of me. I'm just a straight up sexy badass," she stated, trying to convince Chloe of it. When she noticed Chloe laughing, Beca took a pillow and playfully hit Chloe with it.

"Hey! What was that for?" Chloe said, now laughing even more. She grabbed one of the other pillows and hit Beca with it, smirking at the surprised look on the brunette's face. "You didn't expect that, did you? What goes around comes around, as they say."

"I'm not a softie," Beca stated, playfully glaring at her before turning her attention to the movie. She hugged her pillow close to her body, resting her chin on it. "What are you laughing at?" She asked when she heard Chloe start to giggle.

"You're just trying so hard to prove that you're a badass, and it's not working," Chloe said, barely finishing her sentence before she burst out into laughter. "You're cuddling a pillow, for crying out loud. How is that not soft?"

Beca shook her head and then shrugged. "Maybe I'm cuddling a pillow because it's comfy and I worked my ass off today in my basketball game," she said. "But that doesn't make me a softie."

"You are a softie, though. You rarely show it, but I know that you are somewhere deep down inside of you," Chloe said with a smile. "You just don't want to admit it because I'm right," she added, her smile turning into a smirk.

"I am not," Beca said, shaking her head and chuckling as they watched the movie. "And if you call me one again, I might just have to tickle you until you take it back."

"Oh, I feel so threatened," Chloe said sarcastically, giggling when Beca turned and glared at her.

"You should. Don't underestimate me, Beale," Beca replied, using a serious tone of voice even though she was unable to keep a smile off her face. The two girls began laughing hysterically and then started a full-blown pillow fight.

Beca won easily, knocking Chloe's pillow out of her hand before pinning her down against the couch. "The more you struggle, the more punishment you receive," Beca said, using her strong arms to keep Chloe pinned down on the couch.

"Oh, like you'd really punish me? Your inner softie will prevent you from doing that," Chloe said in a teasing tone as she tried to push Beca off of her.

"Maybe I won't let you cuddle with me for the rest of the movie, and I know for a fact that you wouldn't want that to happen," Beca said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "So I'd stop struggling, lovely."

Chloe hesitated for a moment. Beca was right in saying that the redhead didn't want their cuddle session to end. But she also knew that the brunette didn't want it to end either. So, the redhead stood her ground. "Actually, I'm perfectly fine with us not cuddling."

"As convincing as that was, I know that's total bullshit," Beca said, laughing and smiling down at the redhead before gazing into those piercing blue eyes. Her smile never left her face, but all noises apart from the movie slowly faded away.

"Why don't you give me the chance to prove that it's not 'total bullshit' then?" Chloe said, making quotation marks in the air with her fingers.

"You really want to have that chance? Because if you do, I can guarantee that in less than five minutes you'll be in my arms again," Beca replied, biting her bottom lip in a way that Chloe found rather sexy.

"We'll see about that, Mitchell. I know that you want to cuddle with me as much as I want to cuddle with you," Chloe said with a smirk. She then sat up and moved to the other side of the couch. "Prepare to be proven wrong," the redhead stated before turning her attention to the movie.

"Fine, but if you lose then you have to give me a lap dance." Beca said in a joking manner before turning her attention back to the movie.

"And if you lose, you have to give me a lap dance. I should say when you lose, though, because you're definitely going to," Chloe stated confidently.

"You're on, Beale," Beca said, chuckling before starting the stopwatch on her phone and then turning her attention to the movie. She really did hope that Chloe would lose the bet because she had never received a lap dance before and knew that the redhead had good moves. Plus, Beca wasn't a very good dancer herself.

Chloe chuckled as well and then shook her head. She was determined to win the bet and prove Beca wrong, so she focused on the movie and did her best not to let her mind wander over to the brunette sitting on the other side of the couch. It was easier said than done, however—the redhead really did wish they were cuddling. While Chicago was good at cuddling, Chloe felt like her body fit perfectly with Beca's when they snuggled together.

It wasn't easy for Beca either; the brunette was constantly checking the stopwatch, looking at it every thirty seconds or so. Three minutes passed, and Beca looked over at Chloe. She really wanted the girl laying in her arms. Only two minutes remained before Chloe won the bet, and Beca bit her lip as she tried to focus on the movie.

Chloe glanced at Beca and smirked when she saw the brunette biting her lip, knowing the effect that she was having on her. The redhead looked back to the TV and did her best to focus on the movie, as she figured that only a couple minutes were left on the stopwatch.

Beca looked over at Chloe, smiling at the girl as she watched the movie, admiring her beauty. When Chloe would start to turn to face her, Beca would quickly look away and focus on the movie. Now, with only one minute left, Beca was growing restless. She wanted to hold Chloe in her arms, and she didn't want to have to give her a lap dance for fear of embarrassing herself.

Chloe knew that the time was almost up because Beca was shifting restlessly on the other side of the couch. The redhead couldn't blame her, for she too was feeling restless. While she wanted to prove Beca wrong, she also longed to be in the brunette's arms again, so the redhead was unable to stop herself from slowly moving over towards the other side of the couch.

The brunette didn't notice that the redhead had gotten closer to her at first, but when she did notice this, she couldn't help but smile at her. Beca then decided to give in as well, meeting Chloe in the middle and pulling her close. She let the other girl rest her head on her chest and then pulled the blanket over them. "I guess we both couldn't stand it, huh?"

"I guess so," Chloe said with a cute little giggle. "So, it's a tie, right?" She asked while looking up and gazing into Beca's midnight blue eyes.

"Yeah," Beca said, tucking some of Chloe's hair away from her face. "Let's call it a tie," she stated with a smile.

The next day was National Signing Day, the day that everyone had been waiting for. Hartford High School was holding a special assembly for their student athletes who were going to play their respective sports at the collegiate level. There were four football players, three men's soccer players, six women's soccer players, two players each for men's and women's basketball, and three players each for baseball and softball that would be signing their National Letters of Intent.

Chicago was standing just outside the gymnasium as people filed in for the assembly. He took a deep breath and smiled. Today was the day he would commit to Georgia, and he couldn't be more excited. While the boy was excited, he was also nervous of what Chloe was going to say when she found out that he was signing with Georgia instead of New York.

"You ready, son?" Chicago turned and smiled when he saw his mom and dad walking towards him.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," he replied, giving them each a hug. "This is one of the biggest days of my athletic career, and my life."

"We're very proud of you, sweetheart," his mom said as she gave him a tight hug, wiping away a couple happy tears afterwards.

"Georgia is going to be an amazing experience for you, son. You're going to do great things there," Mr. Walp said. The family then walked into the gym once they heard the principal begin to speak.

Chloe was sitting next to Beca and Aubrey as they started reading off where each student athlete would be going. "This is so exciting," she said, smiling as she waited for Chicago's name to be called.

There was a pause between the first three football players and Chicago because, due to him being one of the top prospects in the country, some news crews had come to film his decision. Once the cameras were set up, a reporter approached Chicago's table and began to speak.

"So, as you all know, I am standing next to one of the top football prospects in the country," the reporter started. She then turned to Chicago. "What does it feel like to be in the position that you're in?" She asked.

"It's a huge honor to be where I am today. I've gotten so much support from my family, my friends, my girlfriend, my teachers, my teammates, and my coaches. I wouldn't be signing my Letter of Intent today if it weren't for all the amazing people that have helped me along the way," Chicago answered, smiling and waving at his parents as they stood off to the side.

"Well, you certainly have earned a spot in Hartford's Hall of Fame. Your statistics were off the charts this year, and you lead the Hawks to a second straight championship," the reporter said. "Now, it's time for you to answer the million dollar question: where will you be playing football next year?"

Chicago took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. Once he had calmed down, he opened his eyes and answered the question. "This decision was a lot harder than I expected it to be. I received a lot of great offers from a lot of great schools, but at the end of the day, only one school was the right fit for me," he started. The boy paused for a few moments, both to calm himself down again and create suspense. "I'm signing my National Letter of Intent to the University of Georgia."

The crowd of students erupted in applause, cheering for Chicago just like they had for every other student athlete that had committed that day. The head coach from Georgia, Kirby Smart, stood up and made his way to the center of the basketball court and sat with Chicago at the table, holding the Letter of Intent in his hand.

While all the students were cheering for their football captain, Chloe stood there with a blank expression on her face, feeling her stomach flip upside down. Georgia? That's not right. That can't be right. He told me he was signing with NYU, she thought to herself. Chicago had lied to her, and it wasn't just a little white lie—it was one of the biggest lies he could've possibly told.

As Chicago shook hands with his new head coach, photos were taken, which he put on a good smile for. He then took his pen and wrote his signature on the dotted line. Once he had signed the Letter of Intent, Coach Smart gave him a Georgia Bulldogs hat, which he eagerly put on. The young boy then looked at the cheering crowd, the happy smile on his face growing even wider. Once he saw Chloe, however, his smile faded.

Shit is about to go down... How will Chloe respond to this while situation? Stay tuned to find out.

Plus, Beca and Chloe seem to be growing closer...

Until next time!