I'm glad you all liked last chapter and I awoke to a ton of reviews. I'll first start off by addressing the question of whether the sequel will be Mitchsen. The answer is yes but it won't be without several things standing in the way including Chloe who finally gains the courage to come out to her parents. I may even incorporate Katlyn who will finally give her pov on everything that has happened. Also, the sequel to this won't happen for a while because I need to not only finish this story, my next story, Stranger and How Can I Ease the Pain, but this sequel may happen after the Stranger alternate with Beca being FTM.

As for my next story (that'll be posted after I finish this one) there are two options: would anyone be interested in a Steca (Beca/Stacie) fic? Or should I crank out another Mitchsen fic since I have literally both planned out? But I will warn, if I do write the Mitchsen fic, let's just say the Bechloe fandom might just take away my membership card. I also must say I'm going to take "Stranger" and possibly "How Can I Ease the Pain?" off of hiatus in the coming weeks.

***Note: I just thought I was getting all of these ideas and my writing schedule under control and then I see that freaking movie "Call me Crazy" and that spawned like 7 more ideas and then I saw freaking "Faking it" and I promised myself I wouldn't write for anymore fandoms. This is so HARD!

Revelation

"Mr. Applebaum, take a deep breath."

Benji did as instructed, and tried not to flinch away at the cold metal of the stethoscope as it came in contact with his skin.

The doctor frowned, lifting the stethoscope and placing it at another region on his back.

"Breathe in once again…and exhale."

Benji inhaled once again and quickly expelled the air. The doctor, Dr. Gregory, turned away from him, removing the stethoscope from his ears, and walked over to the small table on the opposite side of the room where Benji's medical chart was.

"You can put your shirt back on." He said, scribbling more notes down on a chart in the manila folder.

"Well the good news is, the fluid in your bronchial tubes has passed."

Benji looked up from where he was buttoning his shirt, "That's a good thing right?"

Dr. Gregory closed the folder and removed his glasses. "Yes, it is considering that you're are in the clear for bronchitis. However, I could hear fluid in your lungs. With your ailing health, pneumonia is something we want to avoid."

Benji finished buttoning his shirt and took a seat back on the exam table. "Well did those tests you ran last week show anything?"

Dr. Gregory sighed, nodding as he grabbed the manila folder once again. "Yeah, but they were really only ruled out certain sicknesses. The good news is you don't have tuberculosis or Lung Cancer. However, I ruled this out initially after I found the candidiasis in your lungs. After treating that with an antibiotic I knew it would clear up. The tests were just a formality. However, I'm a little concerned with the sarcomas present on your face and legs as well as the low T-cell count in your blood."

"Low T-cell count? Is that bad?" Benji asked, biting at his nails. The moment he noticed what he was doing, he tucked them under his thighs to prevent further biting.

"Benjamin, T-cells are vital and play a central role in cell-mediated immunity. Your T-cell count is dangerously low and it may be the reason why you're so susceptible to disease."

Benji looked at Dr. Gregory taking in his grim expression. It was almost as if he was keeping something from him.

"Well is there something I can take to increase my T-Cell count, like a pill or something?"

"Benjamin, it isn't that simple. We have to treat the disease or doing anything from this point would just be putting off the inevitable…I—I ran a third test. It's fairly new and the results should be back some time this afternoon, but it—it may explain everything."

"Ok. Well what is it?" Benji chuckled. Dr. Gregory was speaking in such a slow tone and the dramatics and anticipation were killing Benji.

"It's an H.I.V. test. Have you heard of H.I.V.?"

Benji shrugged, "Um yeah a little. I mean I've heard people talk about it but I don't really know what it is. It's not something discussed in health class."

Dr. Gregory sighed, fully expecting the answer he received. To think this entire thing could have been avoided, possibly saved this young boy's life if people would stop hiding in ignorance and actually educate these kids.

He reached into his desk and pulled out a few pamphlets handing them to Benji. Benji took the pamphlet skeptically, scanning the cover. 'A bad reputation isn't all you get from sleeping around."

Benji scoffed at the title and looked back at the doctor.

"It's still a fairly new disease but in the past five years, a lot of new information has become known. Benjamin, it's—"

Benji shook his head and put a hand up to stop Dr. Gregory from talking even further, "I don't have H.I.V., doc. I've only been with a few people and we used condoms each time."

"Well, have you used intravenous drugs or—"

Benji hopped down from the table, leaving the green pamphlet behind.

"No doc. I don't use drugs and I don't sleep around, so you're test will come back negative."

"Benji, please just come back for the results. Today at noon."

Benji didn't bother turning around to acknowledge that he'd heard Dr. Gregory before walking out the small room without a second glance back. He didn't have H.I.V. He couldn't.

\***/

The moment Beca's eyes opened something in her knew Aubrey wasn't beside her. Call it intuition or just knowing the blonde extremely well, Beca wasn't surprised when she turned over and realized she was in an empty bed.

She chose not to move for a few minutes in hope that maybe Aubrey was just in the bathroom, that maybe the silent promise they made to each other the night before hadn't been broken as soon as the sun had risen. She knew it was stupid to think that Aubrey hadn't done what she always did—run—but hope, it was all that Beca had to hold on to. Otherwise, she might just finally experience the brutal pain that came with rejection—again. And unlike normal people, when she hurt, she hurt others; she lashed out and became mean. That was the absolute last thing she wanted to happen because she knew how cold she could be once the barriers went back up.

A part of Beca knew the moment she got in Aubrey's bed that it was a bad idea but the way Aubrey looked at her and responded to her touch—there was no way she faked it.

With a sigh, she sat up in bed, stretching her limber arms out in front of her. It was a little after eight meaning she'd miss breakfast if she didn't hurry. She stubbornly walked in to the bathroom to brush her teeth. A part of her didn't want to shower and wash away the only reminder of what they shared—so she didn't. Throwing on whatever clothes she could find, she quickly exited her room, locking it behind her.

Shoving her hands in her pockets, she exited the dormitory, glad that it wasn't too humid outside. Walking quickly, she spotted Benji walking towards her, and she waited until he got closer to wave.

"Wassup, Benj." She said, looking over his shoulder in the direction from which he came.

"Where are you coming from so early?"

"Nowhere, I—I just went for a walk since it was so darnn hot in our room. We don't have ceiling fans like your dorm." He lied as they continued to walk towards the dining hall, although he wasn't sure why. He had already told Beca that he planned to go to the doctor although he left out that he'd done it two weeks before the group even suggested it. He was just a private person, is all. Things like his health, he preferred to keep private.

Benji reached out in front to open the door, allowing Beca to enter first, "What about you? Why are you up so late?"

"I—I just didn't get much sleep last night is all." It technically wasn't a lie. By the time she'd actually closed her eyes and gone to sleep, the sun was already making its way back up into the sky. She spent most of the night holding Aubrey, watching her as she slept. The blonde was so unguarded when she slept, and the normal creases of her forehead that were present during the day were close to nonexistent for she was at peace in her sleep, not bothered by the problems that haunted her during the day.

The two walked into the dining hall and made their way over to the food line. "Oh well, at least we don't have much planned for today besides therapy."

"Yeah, but even that can sometimes be too much." Beca said, taking a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of orange juice. Benji nodded his head in agreement, and grabbed a bowl of fruit and a bowl of oatmeal as well. Dr. Gregory said, eating as many nutrient rich foods as possible would help in his recovery. Key word recovery, as in he was going to get better. He'd been through too much stuff in his life and there was no way God would add a fatal illness to his plate. Wasn't there something in the bible about not giving you more than you could handle? He was never much of a bible reader, anyway. For all he knew there could actually be something in there about homosexuality.

The two walked over to their usual table which was only occupied by Cynthia Rose and, unfortunately, Jesse. Apparently, from that point forward everyone had to eat every meal with their Uni-partner—what Beca considered to be the dumbest thing to every come out of Westmore's mouth. It was one thing to be forced to spend your day with them but to have to spend your free time with them—it was all becoming too much.

"Hey BE-CAW!" Jesse yelled out as he walked up to them with his arms outstretched in hopes of receiving a hug from the shorter girl. Beca scowled at him and pushed past him, "Dude, don't ever call me that again." She took a seat at the table and Cynthia Rose waved. Beca nodded her head in acknowledgement and began to eat her oatmeal, trying to discreetly look around the room to find Aubrey. The room wasn't that large and there were only a little over 40 people at the camp, yet she couldn't spot her roommate in the room. Jesse was saying something to her—trying to engage her in conversation but she really didn't care or want to listen to anything he said. She really needed to talk to Aubrey before the blonde had the chance to overthink and begin to regret what happened between them.

Jesse, turned towards her, trying to seem unfazed by her brushing past him, and took a seat.

"Why not? Have you never had a nickname before, BE-CAW?"

"Fuck no and if I did, I don't even like you so you have no right to call me anything but my name."

Jesse turned away from her, trying to hide the hurt on his face and reached into his JanSport, pulling out a VHS tape. "Well I was thinking that we watch a movie. The TV room in our dorm has a VCR."

Beca rolled her eyes, looking over to Jesse and the tape he held. It was of "The Breakfast Club."

"No. I don't even like movies to begin with."

Jesse smirked, looking at Benji and Cynthia Rose, before turning back to Beca. "What do you mean you don't like movies? Not liking movies is like—like not liking puppies."

Beca shrugged and took another spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth, "I like puppies just fine. I just don't like movies, so if we're being forced to hang out, pick something else for us to do." She turned her head forward once again and continued to eat her breakfast.

With a defeated sigh, he dropped the VHS back in his backpack. "Well what do you want to do?"

Beca shrugged her shoulders, "Um…" but before she could respond, her eyes landed on the girl that her mind had been preoccupied with since she'd awoken that moment.

"Hey, Beca are you alright?" Jesse asked. He noticed how tense she'd gotten and how she angrily clutched her spoon as she looked across the dining hall to something he couldn't pinpoint. Beca continued to stare, hoping that Aubrey would look up—look over and see exactly what it was she was doing to her.

"Yeah. Just fine." she replied tersely, even forcing a smile.

Benji and Cynthia Rose had their backs to Aubrey and Luke, so they couldn't see what she saw. But even though she was smiling like she didn't have a care in the world, Benji could see through her.

Beca glanced over in Aubrey's direction again and this time their eyes met. Luke placed an arm around her shoulders to draw her closer so he could whisper something in her ear. Aubrey looked at Luke, nodding her head, before he leaned down again and whispered something else. Beca gritted her teeth as she laughed at whatever he whispered in her ear. Aubrey snuck a glance at Beca before reaching over to draw Luke into a kiss, not breaking eye contact with the brunette as Luke deepened the kiss.

As Beca stared at the two, her heart began to thud against her chest, rage coursing through her veins. How dare she sit there with that loser and parade around like nothing happened less than 12 hours before? Like what they shared had somehow vanished. Beca could see Aubrey watching her, trying to rouse a reaction and it was working. She was pissed that Aubrey was purposely trying to hurt her.

With little regard for how it would appear to the three at her table, she slammed her hand down on the table in anger, "That fucking bitch!"

She quickly got up and walked away from the table, stomping angrily out of the hall. If she didn't distance herself and soon, she couldn't be held responsible for what she did to that British bastard.

Benji, confused by her sudden outburst, turned around in his seat to find what had set the small brunette off. Immediately, his eyes landed on the show that Aubrey and Luke were putting on in the back of the room and he rolled his eyes, turning back around. "She can't be serious."

Cynthia Rose frowned, "What? What is it?"

When she only received a grunt in response, she turned around and her eyes also landed on Aubrey and Luke quickly. "Shit." She whispered.

Jesse looked over their shoulders, trying to find what they saw. "What? What's wrong?"

"Don't worry about it." Benji replied. He leaned over and whispered to Cynthia Rose that he would go check on her.

Standing up, he ignored Jesse's pleas for someone to fill him on what was happening. Unfortunately, despite her height, Beca moved quickly and Benji had to jog to catch up with her across campus before he lost sight of her. He picked up speed just as she turned the corner of the girls' dorm. "Beca, wait up." He called.

Beca looked behind her to see who called her name before turning back around.

"Leave me alone." She said, picking up speed so that the taller boy couldn't' catch up with her. Unfortunately, his height and long legs gave him an advantage and he was never more than a few strides behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and when she saw that he was still behind her, she sighed and stopped walking.

She walked over to the building she'd stopped in front of and slid down the wall until she landed in the grass below her.

"I don't want to talk about it." She said when Benji walked over and took a seat next to her on the ground.

"Look, I saw what Aubrey—"

"I don't want to talk about it!" she shouted. She didn't mean to sound so harsh but she couldn't help it. A long time ago she learned to not cry about things that hurt and unfortunately this resulted in her becoming angry and callous when she was hurt.

"Ok, we don't have to." Benji whispered. He looked out into the distance which happened to be large forest of tall and beautiful trees. One of the few, possibly the only, good thing about this place was it beautiful campus and the fact that it rested next to a large forest. It made moments like this when he had to think that much more peaceful.

The two sat in silence for a long time, Beca staring at her fists from behind her fallen hair as they clenched and unclenched in front of her. It was obvious that something was bothering Beca and Benji knew it went far beyond her kissing Luke in the cafeteria. He watched as she ripped grass from the ground in front of her before sighing.

"My dad's coming to visit." He said in an attempt to draw her mind from whatever dark place it had ventured to.

Beca looked up from where she was ripping grass from the ground and frowned, "But I thought you hated him."

Benji shrugged and tried to offer a reassuring smile but nothing came. It was kinda hard to fake any type of emotion when it came to his father. He hadn't cared for the man in close to 5 years. "I do. You tend to develop a hatred for a man that has said that's the way he felt about you every day for the past 5 years."

"Is he always saying stuff like that to you?"

Benji sat back against the wall, drawing his knees up to his chest with a tired sigh. "He's called me just about everything he could think of, which isn't much since most of his brain cells were washed away with whiskey…Faggot, pussy, fairy, pansy, queen, fruit…" he looked down at the ground between his knees before looking up with a laugh. "Oh I almost forgot, his favorite: princess. He called me that whenever he…"

He trailed off, looking out into the distance to prevent blinking and causing the unshed tears to fall. He learned from a very young age that he was never to cry, especially in public. He'd worn several black eyes until he learned the lesson, until it was etched on the very surface of his tear ducts.

Beca didn't have to hear him utter it to know what he was going to say. Honestly, she would have been surprised if he had actually said it. It wasn't something anyone was willing to admit. Beca didn't look at him as she quietly asked, "Benji-has…has it ever gone beyond just hitting you?"

Benji looked at her with a deep frown, "Why would you think that?"

Beca looked into the distance dejectedly, she couldn't face him without him reading what was clearly written on her face "Bastards like that take power in any way they can."

Benji didn't respond and Beca gained her answer in his silence. The anger that boiled in her was unsurmountable. Why did crap like this have to happen to them? She knew she was a bad person. She swore, lied, smoked, and drank alcohol. She was a bad person but Benji wasn't. She knew Benji didn't deserve any of the cards he'd been dealt in life and yet, it was like his luck just kept getting worse.

"When did he stop?"

"When I started to get older and Tom started to come around more. You know he used to sleep in front of my door so that my dad wouldn't "accidently" stumble in whenever he got too drunk? I—I don't know if I'll survive another day in that house." He admitted, his head falling dejectedly as tears started to fall.

Beca reached out and placed a hand on his knee, "Don't worry Benj, I'll kick his ass if you need me too."

Benji couldn't help the laugh that erupted from him at her statement. He reached over and hugged her, whispering into the crook of her neck,

"You are one of the few people to ever offer to stick up for me."

Beca shrugged nonchalantly, "and I'll always be glad to do it. I'm—I'm here for you Benji, always." It should have felt foreign coming from her mouth—actually caring about someone that she wasn't romantically involved with but with Benji, it was almost natural.

The two went back to silence, with Benji pondering whether or not he should share with Beca what the doctor had told him. He didn't want to let anyone know what was going on until he was absolutely sure what it was he had, but Dr. Gregory didn't seem like he knew himself. H.I.V, really? He didn't sleep around or have sex with random guys. He actually could name all of the people he'd ever slept with. There was Tom, obviously, and then there was his calculus teacher. He told the group he only performed oral sex on him but they hooked up occasionally after that. There was also that guy Raymond that he met in Atlanta. Raymond was the only guy that he could actually consider a casual hookup. They had sex once and they mutually agreed to part ways. Finally there was George. He was an older man, maybe late forties or early fifties. They had met at a LGBT support group and he had taken Benji under his wing. Looking back on it now, Benji could see he had taken advantage of him when he was still hurting from his breakup with Tom.

But, at the time, George seemed like a really nice man. He introduced Benji to other gay men and he made many friends who understood what it was he experiencing. That was something he never had outside of Tom. Over time, they began a romantic relationship and Benji finally felt he'd found a way out of the terrible life that awaited him at home. George, and his best friend, Edward, took him to parties and to clubs helping him gain some "pride about your blessing (not your curse)." Although ashamed of it now, Benji allowed them to talk him into doing ecstasy, drinking alcohol, and even cocaine once.

"Hey, Benji-Boy, look what we got here." George sang, walking over to where Benji sat on the bed. Benji, completely wasted, sat on the bed, trying not to fall over. Edward walked in behind George, kicking the door shut, effectively muffling the loud music of the party going on in the front of the house. He walked over to Benji and wrapped his arms around Benji to keep him from toppling over.

"What's that? Sugar?" Benji laughed. Edward joined in on the laughter and adjusted his position so that he was now sitting behind Benji, his grip around Benji's waist remaining. George got closer, pulling the stool from by his desk and placing it in front of them. Benji watched through hazy eyes as George placed the plate on the metal stool, trying to focus his vision. On top of the alcohol, the red glow in the room, a direct result of George's insistence on using those tacky colored bulbs, only further blurred his vision.

"No, it's not sugar." George said, reaching out to ruffle Benji's hair playfully. Benji laughed, reaching up to fix his hair, "Then what is it?"

"This," George said, using the small metal razor to evenly divide the white substance into six even lines, "is a birthday present for our birthday boy. He's finally legal."

Edward laughed and placed a chaste kiss on Benji's shoulder, "Yeah, finally eighteen." He cheered. Benji could feel the silky curls on Edward's shirtless chest rubbing against his back and he couldn't help the laugh from the tickle it caused.

He watched as George picked up the rolled up dollar bill and placed it at his nose, watching in amazement as he snorted the line with practiced ease. Sitting up on his knees, George held his nose as the drug took its affect. Edward picked up the plate from where he sat behind Benji and quickly snorted his line. George took the plate back and looked at Benji.

"Are you ready?"

Benji looked between George and Edward with wide eyes before stuttering, "I-I don't know what to do."

George smiled and leaned forward to give Benji a quick peck on the lips.

"You're so cute. We're going to show you silly." George laughed as he reached down and picked up the glass plate once again. He held the dollar bill and instructed Benji to take it and place it at one of his nostrils. Benji hesitantly accepted the rolled billed and slowly placed it at his nose. He really didn't want to do it but he didn't want to seem uncool to George. Besides, the older man had never stirred him wrong before and he trusted him fully. He did just as George instructed, never breaking eye contact with the gray-haired man as he snorted the drug. He felt the heady rush immediately as his nasal passage became icy.

George and Edward clapped their hands excitedly, "He's a man now!"

George snorted his last line and handed the plate back to Edward for Benji and him to do the same. Benji, now fully of energy looked up to George as he removed his shirt exposing a chest of brown and silver curls.

"Now for the best part of your present." He whispered, walking slowly over to Benji. He pushed the younger boy back gently on the bed and this time Edward wasn't there to catch him.

Having sex while high on cocaine was a completely different experience with the combination of physical contact and alcohol, coupled with the sensual buzz of George peppering his chest and shoulders with kisses, he was aroused beyond anything he could have ever imagined. Partway through, Benji passed out, coming in and out to see that the gray haired man was still on top of him. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open at this point. It probably was the drugs. He reached up and rested his hands on the chest of black curls of the man on top of him , his eyes slipping shut not long after.

"Earth to Benji."

Benji blinked several times as he pulled form his reverie by Beca's hand waving in front of his face.

"Huh? Did you say something?"

Beca laughed and dropped her hand back to her lap, "I was just asking where you went inside that mind of yours?"

Benji offered a small smile, slightly embarrassed at having been caught at daydreaming.

"Oh, um, I was just thinking."

"I can see that," Beca chuckled, "about what?"

Benji sighed and ran a hand through his hair, coming to the conclusion that he had no reason to hide it. "I—I went to the doctor last week."

Beca looked over him in shock. "What do you mean last week?" Beca yelled, shoving him lightly. "You went already and didn't tell us? What did they say?"

"I went about the sores on my body and they ran a test." He explained.

Beca nodded her head. She figured they would have to run some sort of test before they could give any sort of diagnosis.

"What kind of test?"

Benji picked at a stray piece of thread on his jeans as he responded, "Mainly blood tests. They found a fungus in my lungs which is why I was spitting up blood and they ruled out tuberculosis and lung cancer."

"That's good right? At least you don't have to worry about the Big C." Beca said.

Benji shrugged and sighed again.

"I guess, but Dr. Gregory ran another test. Those results didn't come back yet."

"What kind of test was it?"

"An H.I.V. test. I'm supposed to get the results before therapy."

"Are you nervous?"

Benji chuckled, "Nervous as shit."

His laughter trailed off as he finally allowed himself to consider the possibility that maybe he might be positive. "I—heard there's no cure for it, but it's still new right? They'll have a cure in a few years right?"

Beca nodded her head, "Yeah, of course. Look at how far medicine and technology has come. Have you seen what some of those computers can do? They'll have a cure in no time." She tried to sound as reassuring as possible because it was clear, no matter how nonchalant he tried to appear, how worried he was.

"Look Benji, I don't know much about it, but we talked about it once in health class and I know I can still hang around you and be ok, so I'm not going anywhere."

Benji smiled at her and immediately reached out to envelope her in another hug, "Beca I—I know you hate stuff like this but you really are the greatest friend I've ever had."

Beca rolled her eyes and stood up. She extended her hand to help him up, "Yeah-yeah, whatever. Just don't repeat that, I can't have people thinking I'm a softy."

Benji laughed and grabbed her hand to stand up. He glanced down at his watch and realized that they'd been outside longer than he'd expected. It was nearly noon.

"Well I have to head over to the doctor now for my results, wish me luck."

Beca waved a hand at him, "You don't need it. You'll be fine Benji, if it's positive, they'll have a cure in no time and I can watch all that curly hair turn gray."

\***/

"Wassup Jordan. Go for another run last night?" Paulie joked as she walked into the room. Jordan nearly dropped the papers in her hand at hearing the teen's joke. She looked up and was grateful that the only other person in the room was Jane, who stood clutching her sides in laughter.

"That's not funny." Jordan said, walking over to the circle of chairs.

"We're just giving you a hard time. Don't worry, we haven't told anyone" Jane said as the three took their seats.

"Well thank you for keeping your word." Jordan said, looking up from where she was reorganizing her files.

"What can I say, you kept you word, so we'll keep ours." Paulie said, just as everyone else began to pour into the room.

Jordan turned away from the two and smiled as everyone took their seats. She waited for everyone to get situated before beginning.

"Good afternoon, you all. It seems like we haven't seen each other in a while."

Beca walked in and sat next between Cynthia Rose and Paulie.

Paulie rolled her eyes and quipped, "It's literally been like 3 days."

Beca looked around for Benji and shrugged, remembering that he'd gone to get his test results. She looked around the circle once again and her eyes landed on Aubrey, the anger resurfacing as she remembered how she purposely kissed Luke to hurt her. Aubrey looked at her and returned the glare. She wasn't going to allow Beca to make her feel guilty about wanting to change and wanting to be normal.

Jordan opened her mouth to respond to Paulie but was interrupted by the door opening. Benji rushed in quickly with his head low, offering a short apology.

Jordan waited until he took his seat, the only empty seat between Eli and Andy.

"Well, so much has happened in the interim. How's unification going?" Jordan asked, turning back to the group.

Beca, still glaring angrily at Aubrey, answered, "It's like trying to force a cube in a round peg. It's stupid and it doesn't work."

Aubrey scoffed, crossing her arms in front of her, "If you would actually try it could really help you get better."

Beca leaned forward, grabbing at her hair angrily, "I'm not fucking sick! They keep saying 'we can fix you, you need to be fixed, and you're damaged'. Well newsflash: You can't fix me because I'm not broken. If you get that through your head that nothing is wrong with me—with any of us—we'd all be a hell of a lot happier."

Everyone watched on as the two angrily glared at each other, feeling the thick tension radiating between the two.

Jordan raised a hand in the hair, "That's enough you two." She warned. She turned to Aubrey on her left and tried to pick up with where she'd left off, "Aubrey, I take it you're enjoying being partnered with Luke?"

"It's fine. He's—he's a really nice guy."

It was now Beca's time to scoff, "Some nice guy he must be, nearly fucking you in the cafeteria."

"Watch your language Beca," Jordan reprimanded.

Paulie, who'd caught sight of the show Aubrey put on, knew why Beca was acting out. She was hurt and although they hadn't been friends long, Paulie took her side.

"She's got a point; I thought he was going to whip it out and mount you right there next to the orange juice." Paulie laughed.

Jane punched Paulie in the arm, "Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about."

Paulie rubbed at her arm, "Yes I do. She was letting that dude nearly suck off her face in front of everyone."

Beca smirked at Paulie and decided to press on further, "You know, Aubrey, I always took you for the type that preferred to do stuff like that in the dark, in the safety of the night, where no one would know."

Aubrey scowled at her and if looks could kill Beca definitely would be in a coffin by now. Her fingers twitched and she had the urge to cut, it was becoming a coping mechanism for stress. It was never her intention for it to get to this point. It was only supposed to be a punishment, for when she had those thoughts. With a sigh, she grabbed at the elastic band on her wrist. It would have to do for now.

Beca watched with a smirk as Aubrey popped at the rubber band on her arm furiously, probably in an attempt to surpass the vomit she knew was brimming at the surface. Normally Beca would run to her side and try to calm her down (a part of her still wanted to) but since she didn't plan to do that, she decided she didn't care if she was hurt by Paulie's words, the same way she had hurt her by kissing Luke.

"What's wrong Aubrey? Afraid that no one's buying this heterosexual façade you're trying to pull off? If we don't buy it, imagine what God will think." She said sardonically. Aubrey stood up, angrily pointing at Beca,

"Go to hell." She walked towards the door quickly, pulling it open angrily.

"Don't worry I'll see you there." Beca called after the blonde as she stormed out the room.

"That's enough everyone." Jordan said, watching as the door slammed behind Aubrey. In an attempt to change the subject she looked across the circle at Benji who had yet to speak.

"Benji, what about you?"

Benji looked up from where his eyes had been focused on his feet. Everyone for the first time got a clear look of his face and it revealed red puffy eyes and watery eyes.

"I'm—I'm positive." He whispered.

Beca covered her mouth, her heart dropping in sorrow for Benji. She knew he had been trying to be optimistic about the entire thing but actually getting confirmation was a completely different thing.

Paulie looked between Beca and Benji, "What do you mean positive? Positive of what?"

Benji wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, "The sores, spitting up blood, weak joints, forgetting stuff. I—I have h.i.v."

Jordan placed her clipboard on her lap and said, "I—I'm so sorry Benji. When did you find out?"

"Before therapy." He sobbed , no longer caring about his father's rules about crying. What's the point anyway when he was going to die in a year or two anyway?

Jordan watched as his body shook, taking note as Eli and Andy tried to subtly move their chairs away from the crying teen.

"Elijah and Andrew, you don't have to move away. It is only transferred through body fluid not skin to skin contact." She explained.

Elijah lifted a hand to cut her off, "No—don't make it seem like it's the cold. He has it and that's not my fault. He was stupid enough to go around sleeping with who knows and not being safe."

Beca rolled her eyes, "Oh shut up. It could have happened to any of you and you know it. Someone he trusted betrayed him and now you're crucifying him for it. Really cool guys, real cool."

The rest of the therapy session was filled with tension coupled with the muffled sobs of Benji. Jordan tried her best to salvage the failed meeting but after another twenty minutes she conceded and released them all early.

She packed up and headed to the administration building, knowing she needed to do something about what had happened in the session. She knew from the moment she saw the two holding hands the night they snuck out that something was amiss between Aubrey and Beca. She wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, and she did. But now she knew something had gone terribly wrong and she needed to do something about it before it got worse.

"What can I help you with Jordan?" Mrs. Westmore said, motioning for her daughter to take a seat in the chair in front of her desk.

Jordan sat down quickly and looked at her mother. "I—I think it's best if Beca and Aubrey are placed in different groups and given different roommates."

Mrs. Westmore placed the pen she was using to sign reports aside and looked at her daughter.

"I'm not doing that Jordan. Miss Mitchell is a rebel, and we need someone as trustworthy as Miss Posen to keep her in line."

Jordan sighed, wondering if she should reveal her suspicions about the two.

"And what if your plan doesn't work. What if Aubrey can't control Beca and help her?"

Mrs. Westmore frowned, "Are you questioning my judgment?"

Jordan sighed in exasperation. Sometimes talking to her mother was like talking to a brick wall. She was stubborn and not easily persuaded.

"No, I'm not."

Mrs. Westmore adjusted her glasses and sighed, "Jordan, I didn't hire you so that you would bend at any altercation. Katlyn may have been weak with you but I thought you were better than that. You need to do your job."

Jordan rolled her eyes and angrily asked, "Why do you always try and use her against me?"

Mrs. Westmore looked at her daughter with clear irritation, "Because you need to be reminded that what you and her did was wrong."

Jordan rolled her eyes again, something that had become a habit whenever she was in the presence of the older woman for long periods of time.

"Was it really?" She retorted in spite.

Mrs. Westmore, picking up on the mocking tone of her daughter, slammed her hand down on her desk, "Of course having sex with you therapist is wrong! She took advantage of you when you were at your weakest..."

She picked up her pen and resumed signing the forms in front of her.

"I can see some things haven't changed." She said quietly under her breath.

Jordan eyed her mouth in confusion, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Mrs. Westmore looked up once more and said, "I will not allow you to ruin the reputation of this institution," before returning to her work. She didn't look up as she dismissed the therapist.

"You can go now; I'm not changing their group or room assignments."

Jordan didn't move immediately, hoping her mother would say something else, but as the silence dragged on, she angrily stood up and exited the room. Her mother's stubbornness was going to come back to bite her, Jordan was sure of that. And when the tension between Beca and Aubrey reached its peak she wouldn't take the blame because she tried to intervene. The explosion that was building in Beca and Aubrey was all in the hands of her mother.

\***/

Cynthia Rose waited in the TV room for Beca to get back from where ever she'd gone since she skipped dinner. She sat staring at the television awaiting Beca's return but not really listening to anything the news reporter said. Glancing at the entrance every so often, she finally saw the brunette pass as she stomped angrily to her room.

Cynthia Rose jumped up, "Hey, Beca wait up!"

Beca didn't turn around and continued to walk to her room, "Hey." She said weakly.

She really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone because she was still angry over what happened in therapy between her and Aubrey.

Cynthia Rose caught up to her and walked beside her to the brunette's room. "I was wondering if you would be willing to help me out."

Beca fished her room key out of her pocket and used it to unlock her door. "Help you with what?"

"They're hosting a talent show for the sponsors of the camp."

Beca immediately shook her head in refusal. She walked into the room, leaving it open for Cynthia Rose to enter, and lied down on her bed.

"Hell no. I'm not doing anything that would keep this hell hole running."

Cynthia Rose joined her on the bed, "C'mon Beca," she begged. "I want to do something to cheer up Benji since he's been really depressed about his results."

Beca placed her arm across her eyes as she sighed loudly in the quiet room. She knew Benji was depressed about his test results; who wouldn't be? But, she really didn't want to do the talent show, especially if it was Westmore's way of milking money out of right wing conservatives that thought she was actually helping the world. However, she knew singing did bring Benji a bit of happiness. Maybe she could put aside her pride for once and do this for him.

"Fine. But I'm only doing this for Benji." She said, not looking up at Cynthia Rose who jumped up and began to cheer.

"Ok. Well I'll go get him and we'll meet you back here." Cynthia Rose said, nearly running out the room to retrieve Benji before she changed her mind.

Nearly fifteen minutes there was a knock at her door. Beca sighed and called out for them to enter. Cynthia Rose walked in pulling Benji behind her with one hand and holding an acoustic guitar with the other.

"Hey Benji." She said, sitting up on the bed and immediately her eyes landed on the instrument in C.R.'s hand.

"Where'd you get this?" she asked, taking the guitar from Cynthia Rose. Benji came to sit next to her on the bed.

"Caleb gave it to us to practice on." Cynthia Rose explained, sitting next to Benji on the bed. Both teens watched Beca tune the guitar by ear with ease.

"I don't see why you guys need my help. You said so yourself that you both can sing." Beca said, pleased that the first string was tuned to E.

"Well, we wanted your help since you're like this star in the making." Cynthia Rose said, nudging Benji to get his input. He smiled weakly at them before dropping his head back on Beca's pillow.

Beca turned to the boy lying beside her. "Benj, cheer up man. Remember what we said about them finding a cure in no time?" Beca patted him on the arm in an attempt to cheer him up, "Dude, I plan to see an old and wrinkly Benjamin Applebaum, so don't go interrupting my plans." She laughed and tousled his hair with one of her hands. She was glad to see Benji join in on her laughter seconds later.

He nodded his head and sat up on the bed, "Yeah, you're right. I was just a little bummed out about it is all."

"And it's completely understandable but now that you know you can start taking all the medicine they have already to help." Cynthia Rose added. She'd been upset for her friend as well, seeing him so beat up over his diagnosis. They'd been friends since he'd arrived last summer and she was the only he'd talk to last summer about his life back home.

"Ok, so back to my question. What do you need me for?" Beca said.

"We were thinking that you could sing, I can play the bass, and Benji could play the guitar." Cynthia Rose explained.

Benji nodded his head and added, "Hopefully, if Jane's up for it, she could join in on drums."

Beca frowned and turned the tuning peg of the high E string. "Yeah, only one problem. Where are we going to these instruments?"

Benji smiled wickedly, "Oh Miss Mitchell didn't you know? Mrs. Westmore is not above pulling out all the stops to impress these people so they'll write their checks. There's a stage and instruments and microphones and everything."

Beca, finally satisfied with the tuning of the instrument, played a simple chord. "Fine. What do you want to sing?"

"I don't know. What about one of your songs. That way we don't have to choose one off of that stupid list" Cynthia Rose said.

"What list?" Beca asked, looking at the two in confusion.

Cynthia Rose reached in her back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, "These are the Westmore preapproved songs."

Beca took the list and read over several of the songs. "There's nothing from this decade on here."

"Exactly. So what about using one of your songs. We'd just have to get the approval of one of the counselors or staff and I'm pretty sure Jordan would sign off on it." Benji said, sitting up on his knees to beg her if it came to it.

Beca laughed and shook her head, "Alright, fine." She reached under her mattress and pulled out the composition notebook. Flipping through the pages, she looked up at the two, "So do you want to do a sad song, an upbeat song—"

She stopped at the sound of the door opening, afraid that it was a counselor. She really couldn't deal with punching one of them if they tried to confiscate her notebook. Unfortunately, it was Aubrey, the one other person in this place she absolutely did not want to see at this moment.

Aubrey didn't look at the group as she quickly walked over to her dresser and began searching for her sweater. Beca, Benji, and Cynthia Rose each took in that she was fully dressed in a yellow sundress despite there being nothing scheduled for the rest of the night. Beca watched her for a few more seconds before rolling her eyes and looking away.

Cynthia Rose chose to be the instigator and asked, "Where are you going Aubrey? You're all dressed up."

Aubrey didn't turn around to face the three and continued to search for her sweater. "I'm going out with Luke. Mrs. Westmore granted us permission to leave campus."

Benji, fully intrigued now, turned to face the blonde who'd finally found her sweater. He watched her walk over to the mirror on Beca's side of the room and put it on. "What are you going to do off campus?" he asked.

"We're going to see movie." She responded, making sure her hair was in place and no stray locks had fallen in her search for her sweater.

Beca who was trying to ignore the exchange scoffed at Aubrey's answer. She turned the page in her notebook and mumbled, "Meaning he's hoping she'll blow him."

Although she mumbled it, she fully intended for Aubrey to hear. So, when the blonde turned around sporting a frown of disgust she smirked.

Aubrey scowled at her and quickly exited the room, not wanting to let Beca get to her. She knew she wasn't doing anything wrong. It was Beca's fault for trying to making something out nothing. She was the one trying to change, she was the one trying to be normal and screw Beca for trying to make her feel guilty for wanting to be accepted by God.

Benji and Cynthia Rose turned back to Beca with curious grins. "Beca what's going on with you two? I thought you guys were like best friends?" Benji asked.

Beca shrugged and continued to angrily flip through her book. "Well friends can't have sex and expect to remain just friends."

The moment the words left her mouth she quickly looked up with wide eyes, "I—you didn't hear that," hoping that neither Benji nor Cynthia Rose heard her confession.

But it was too late. Cynthia Rose and Benji were sporting Cheshire grins.

"You and Posen…Westmore's personal mole, uptight, bible toting Christian, Aubrey Posen had sex?" Benji said excitedly.

Beca sighed and closed her notebook figuring there was no use in hiding it now. "Can you not announce it for the whole world to hear?"

Benji placed a hand at his mouth, "Oops, sorry." He adjusted his tone, asking in a lower voice, "Well when did this happen?"

"Last night?" Beca said although it wasn't a question. "After the dance."

Cynthia Rose and Benji both nearly jumped up in, "Last night!" they exclaimed simultaneously.

"Wow, you must have worked some magic for Aubrey to fall for you." Cynthia Rose laughed.

Beca rolled her eyes and lied back on her bed, "Well now she's pretending it didn't happen and it's pissing me the fuck off."

Benji looked at her in confusion, "I don't understand why it's bothering you so much. You said so yourself, she's pretentious and stuck up."

Beca sighed and sat up once again, "Because I really like her and I know that she feels the same way."

"Well maybe she's scared." Benji suggested.

"And you don't think I know that. She doesn't trust me to protect her." She sighed heavily, "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Benji, after being around the small brunette for so long knew when to back off and Beca's body language clearly told both he and Cynthia Rose to drop it. He picked up her discarded song book and opened it, "Um ok-how about we focus on picking a song."

Cynthia Rose grinned, "You know what we have to do now right?"

Beca looked at her and asked hesitantly, "What?"

"Help you win back your girl." Cynthia Rose said, smiling when she saw Benji at her and smile widely.

Beca shook her head profusely, "No. I'm not doing that. The last thing I'm going to do is beg her."

Benji ignored her and turned the page in the notebook, "OOH—this song is perfect."

\***/

Luke flipped on the radio, filling the air with Miles Davis. He confirmed his car was in park before exiting the truck and returning to the girl waiting in the bed of his pickup.

"I had a great night Aubrey," he said, taking a seat next to her on the blanket he laid out before their date.

Aubrey looked over at him and offered a quick halfhearted smile, "Yeah, me too."

Luke smiled, boldly reaching over to place his arm around her waist, "Good, because I find you to be really attractive."

Aubrey looked at him, and he licked his lips as his eyes traveled up and down her body. The way he stared at her sent a shiver down her spine causing her to involuntarily lean away to put some space between them.

"I—I think we should head back now." Aubrey stuttered. Luke smiled at her and reached out to take one of her hands in his.

"Is it alright if I kiss you?"

Aubrey's eyes widened and she backed away from him even more. She could already tell what his intentions were when he suggested they drive to the park but she was still surprised to hear him say it so bluntly.

Truthfully, she wanted to kiss him as well. Partially because he was very sweet and kind, and their date had gone wonderfully. However, she also wanted to kiss him, because she felt like this was the step she needed to make in order to fully get Beca out of her mind and move on. To move on to recovery.

But could she really kiss Luke, a boy she had just met and had no emotional attachment to, whatsoever? She was confused. Her mind wanted to, but her heart sang a different tune and she wished her heart was out of the equation completely. It was her heart's fault she was in her situation in the first place, first with Amanda, and now with Beca.

Aubrey squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, trying desperately to swallow the knot in her throat. "Um—ok."

Luke smiled brightly at her. At this point he was leaning very close to her, despite the fact that she was nearly on the opposite side of the truck bed.

As soon as his lips touched hers, Aubrey had to stop herself from pushing him away. The roughness of his chapped lips, the callous of his hands as they came to rest on her cheek, the coarseness of the bit of stubble on his chin, it was all such a strong contrast to what she was used to. She could smell his cologne and the intense fragrance was slightly nauseating.

Beca wore cologne, too, but hers was more subtle. Nothing heavy, but gentle, and never had she thought it was too much to handle like Luke's. Just the thought of Beca brought her back to the night before and what they'd done. She still hadn't forgiven herself for that, for being weak and giving into temptation. She needed to overcome this and she knew Luke was a willing candidate to help her do so. So she managed to ignore his terrible cologne and everything that reminded her of how much a man he actually was and of how much he wasn't Beca. She had to keep kissing him until it felt right. She needed to.

Luke pulled away gently and ran his thumb over her lip to wipe at her smeared lip gloss. It didn't produce the butterflies that Beca had produced when she'd done it the night before.

"You're really beautiful, Bree." He said as he kissed his way down her neck.

Immediately Aubrey pushed him away, frowning deeply, "Please don't call me that."

Luke looked at her in confusion, "Why? You've never had a nickname before?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her, "No! So please don't call me that."

He chuckled and leaned back over, "Fine, Aubrey. But it doesn't change how beautiful you are." He reached over and pulled her closer to him. "You know, if I saw you in real life I would have never thought you were like that."

Aubrey furrowed her brow indignantly asking, "Like what?"

"You know, a lesbian. I mean they're just-"

Aubrey held up a hand to cut him off, firmly stating "I—I'm not a lesbian."

"If you say so. I'm not judging you or anything I was just stating a fact. You are much too beautiful to be gay."

"I'm not gay. Homosexuality is a sin!" She stated again, this time with more conviction and confidence in her voice. Almost as if she believed it herself.

Luke chuckled and placed his hands up in surrender, "Ok, no need to get all angry."

She looked at him, taking in how he took everything she said lightly. She couldn't have him believing that what she said was anything but true. She didn't need anyone thinking she was that way. Not after all she's sacrificed, not after how far she's come. "I'm not gay Luke."

"There's nothing wrong if you are. I mean, my sister's gay. Although I'm not so sure anymore-"

"I'm not gay Luke!" She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him on top of her, connecting their lips in a desperate attempt to silence him. His kiss was just so different then Beca's. His wasn't gentle or soft like Beca's, it was sloppy and rushed, and she wanted nothing more than to push him off of her so that she wouldn't have to continue smelling his stupid cologne. No, she couldn't do that. She needed to do this so that it'll start to cure her.

Out of the corner her eye she could see Luke reaching for something behind him and when the moonlight reflected off of the gold rapper she froze.

Sensing her hesitation, Luke pulled back, "Are you ok? We can stop if you want."

Aubrey shook her head and quickly wiped at her eyes, "No, it's ok."

If Luke noticed the tears in her eyes he didn't say anything, instead using his teeth to rip open the condom wrapper. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her stomach and push down the vomit traveling up to her throat.

"I'll go slowly." Luke whispered and leaned down to kiss her. With his right hand, he reached down between them and pulled her underwear down and Aubrey couldn't help but feel the strong difference between his hands between her legs and Beca's.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Mhmm,"she whispered bravely with a nod of her head. The moment he entered her, she cried out in pain. Her hands immediately flew to his chest to push him away.

Luke continued on, however, whispering, "It's going to feel good soon. Just hold on."

Aubrey squeezed her eyes shut and tried to stop the tears pooling out of her eyes. It hurt so badly, and she didn't believe him when he said it would feel good. But people must like it or they wouldn't do it. She knew the first time would be painful, so she just had to get through this.

Luke began to pump into her slowly and she tried to relax and enjoy it but the pain was becoming unbearable. She bit her lip, feeling the copper taste of blood as it pooled into her mouth. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the good that would come from this. She'd finally be straight, she'd finally be normal and she could finally make her father proud.

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." (James 1:12)

So guys it's officially my summer break and that means free time to write. I write based on what you guys want. What story do you think I should write next? Remember this is separate from "Stranger" and "How Can I Ease the Pain?"

Mitchsen story mentioned above. It will be VERY emotional and angst filled and Mitchsen will happen maybe a few chapters in.

Steca fic.

Stacey/Cynthia Rose story

Bechloe fic (dealing with the military and Beca being a soldier)

Fic based on Call Me Crazy (although this may be Mitchsen and not bechloe)

A Bechloe Story (Coming of age Bechloe story and famous Beca)

Should I just move on to the Stranger alternate with Beca being FTM? This story will be completely different than Stranger with the only similarity being that it deals with transgender issues as well as gender dysphoria.

A suggestion from you guys about a story you would prefer.