It was three weeks since they'd been back at Barden, and already Beca's nerves were shot. Summer ended way too fast, but she was a bit relieved to be back (yeah...weird how that works) and away from her mother. She was living somewhat comfortably as room mates with Fat Amy, barring the fact there is a constant conveyor belt of boys going in and out of their room.

Earlier this week, Beca was so tired by time she left the radio station, she was practically sleep walking. Luke gave her the graveyard shift this year, so she had her own show, that no one listened to at eleven at night, but it was something more than stacking CDs (which she still did when it needed to be done).

Jesse offered to pick her up but she needed the walk, it wasn't far from her dorm, and she really just wanted a few moments of quiet to herself. Having the Bellas to round up, classes, the radio show, Jesse, her parents, and her internship, Beca needed a moment to just breathe and do nothing. By time she reached her room, she was exhausted and didn't even notice the door was unlocked. She stumbled right into one of Fat Amy's fuck sessions with a dude from the swim team, who was in mid thrust, apparently.

"Thrusters a-gooooo!" Fat Amy moaned.

"Uhmf!"

"What the fuck?!" Beca froze, the sight of male buttocks seared in her brain. She dropped her keys and let out a horrified shriek before slamming the door back shut.

"Jesus, Beca!"

"What?" the guy seemed confused. Maybe he thought Amy was screaming the wrong name?

"Get off me! Beca...Oh my god."

"Holy fuckballs...ew...ew...fuck...ew!" Beca chanted, fleeing back down the hall towards safety. She didn't stop even as Fat Amy screeched her name down the hall.

So yeah, having Amy as a room mate was never boring. At least Fat Amy talked to her. At least Fat Amy has the decency to screw with the lights off. She ran to Lily's room that night, the only Bella she knew didn't have a room mate. Of course, things got weirder when Beca woke up on her makeshift sleeping bag on the floor, with Lily curled in a fetal position beside her. Suffice to say, the people in Beca's life were all strange and a bit overwhelming to her senses.

"So once again, Jones, what was briefly yours is now mine."

Usually she'd throw Jesse some well deserved shade when he starts repeating movie lines. But today, Beca didn't even flinch at Jesse quoting lines from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Today, she had no time to sit and enjoy Harrison Ford in all his adventurous glory...she was way too busy.

They were sitting on his bed, Jesse was eating a bowl of cereal and she was on the other side of him, her socked feet thrown across his shins. Normally she would attempt to pay attention to her boyfriend and his stupid movie of choice, but she had no time today. The tryouts were approaching fast, too fast, and she hadn't even prepared herself properly for them. She knew as soon as they picked their new flock of girls, they had to prepare for the upcoming riff off. They ended so strong last season, she was not going to let her girls down.

Now she truly understood why Chloe and Aubrey were on the verge of a mental breakdown, this shit was hard. She was good at mixes, but being the one to call the shots, to figure out the pitch and the choreography, was difficult. Every Bella had strengths (Cynthia Rose had an amazing range, Fat Amy had presence, and Jessica and Ashley could get choreography quickly), but they also had their flaws (they could all get easily distracted). With Chloe's low bass gone, they were back to square one in range.

So yeah, this shit was for the birds. She was in over her head. Aubrey probably knew it from the start, the fact she made one great set that won the finale didn't didn't mean shit, she couldn't lead these girls if she couldn't even figure out a play list.

She sighed heavily, seeing Jesse cut his eyes away from his movie to look at her. She wondered if he hated when she got like this, an intense concentration muddled by bitter angst and a touch of annoyed. If he did, he did a good job enduring it. She wasn't going to find anything right now. Some songs were too high, too mainstream, too expected, hard to break down the parts. Beca slammed down her laptop a little too aggressively, causing Jesse to sit up.

"Did the Macbook deserve that?"

"What? No...it's just...this whole setlist thing is fucking with my brain," Beca scrubbed her face with her hands, making a frustrated noise.

"Well...don't let it. That's what got Aubrey all riled up, trying to always be perfect-"

She interrupted Jesse. "-it's more than that. We lost Chloe's bass, how the hell am I going to get a replacement like that?"

" 'Roids. Give one of your girls some steroids."

She cut her eyes at him. "Shut up. It's... I'm not trying to be perfect, I'm trying to win. Ya know, again." The last part warranted a small rewarding smirk. "Maybe one day you'll know what it's like."

"Okay, now that you've reached your insult quota for the day, wanna make out?" Jesse leaned in closer to her face and Beca, no matter how irritated she was right now, was more than up for a makeout session with Jesse.

Her lips stretched into a smile, but dissolved when she remembered she had to go meet and talk to Amy. They were going to go over some room rules like "You won't have to see the crack of my boyfriend's ass, so I'd like the same courtesy" kind of talk.

"I'd love to, but I should get going. Maybe later, though?" She softly kissed him and pulled back.

"Rejected. But, fine, I'll walk you to your room," Jesse pouted and gave her another quick peck, before he followed her as she put on her shoes and grabbed her bag to leave. They walked down the stairs to main level, where they could hear the rest of the Trebles arguing.

She heard Kolio first. "No one here can whistle? Seriously? What the hell? We can beatbox, we can create melodies, but no, we can't fucking whistle."

"I just can't, okay? I always wanted to, but I can't! Don't judge me!"

The couple peeked into the main area to see the guys sitting around, frustrated looks on their faces.

"Jesse!" Benji exclaimed upon seeing them." We need your help."

"Obviously, what's up?"

"Can't talk about it in front of...the enemy," Benji muttered.

Beca's head snapped over to Jesse. "Is that what you call me around here?"

Jesse shrugged and lifted his finger to tickle her chin. "Only in a sweet way. Think of it as a pet name."

"No," she groused, dodging his move.

"Anyway, we tried to harmonize and it's not working. We need you. Also...no one can whistle," Benji looked so confused and it didn't help that the other guys behind him were nodding.

"Well, he can't help you either, he can't whistle," Beca crossed her arms.

Jesse scowled at her for revealing his weaknesses, "Yeah, it's my secret shame."

"But I can whistle," she offered and the guys looked at each other.

"We need Beca, just to see how it sounds,"said Brendan, but the other guys didn't seem convinced.

"Do we really need her though? We can go buy a whistle," Kolio glared at Beca.

"Does anyone have that rape whistle they gave out the first day?"

"Why would we have one of those? That was for the girls."

"Don't be a sexist, Kolio," Wayne retorted. "Man rape is a real thing."

The group looked uncomfortable for a moment. Benji smiled softly, "Can you help us Beca?"

"Um, sure..." Beca followed Jesse into the room and they sat near the guys, Benji handing her the sheet music to Good Life by One Republic. Jesse shrugged as he read, singing it to himself. She appreciated them accepting her help, and it marveled her to watch how easy they got into the song. Unicycle was touching his chest (which was weird) as he provided the bass, and the others were really into it as well. The Bellas needed this type of camaraderie; they needed to pull together and enjoy the music, but it was difficult when all Beca could worry about was winning. Maybe she could work on being less like Aubrey. She could do that for them, she could make it fun, make it worth it. At least...she hoped so.

"Alright nerds, let's hear..."

She sat and looked up as the barrage of voices hit the rafters, wondering did she seem as nervous when she was up there. Fat Amy and Lilly were on either side of her doing the snake while these poor souls belted out One Direction's One Thing. She'll slap Fat Amy for that later. In her peripheral, she could see Jesse bobbing his head to the damn song. She'd slap him later too.

The try outs ended and Tommy came back out, saying this crop was worst than the year before. Beca frowned, wondering what was said about the crop last year, her crop. She sat with the Bellas and pooled over the individual sheets, collectively judging people on their abilities.

"I like her."

"She's hot."

"Is hotness our determining factor?"

"This one has range."

"I mean, she's fucking hot. I'm not sorry that I pointed it out."

"My ears were bleeding with this one."

"Guys, back to judging..." Beca pleaded but it was ignored.

"Cynthia, you can't just judge a book by its cover, she sang like Kermit the Frog..."

As Beca was reaching epic levels of frustration with the indecisive Bellas, Tommy cleared his throat on the stage. Everyone quieted down, shifting in their seats for the new arrival.

"We have one more," he said, and then dramatically exited the stage.

There was not a sound in the room, not even breathing, when Bumper walked onto that stage.

"What the fuck just happened?" Beca asked a despondent Jesse as he sipped on alcohol laced punch. He couldn't be consoled as the Trebles decided to let Bumper back in. Apparently, Bumper's rise to fame in L.A. was short lived, and he was back to finish his last year. "Shouldn't he have graduated by now?"

"He didn't because he left to go be a gagball for John Mayer." Beca was impressed at Jesse's viciousness, it so rarely came out. "Ya know, what pisses me off is I was the only one to remember what he did last year. Even Benji wanted to give him a second chance. This is the essence of bullshit."

"Ok, I'm cutting you off," she said, grabbing his cup.

Jesse just took her cup and took another sip of punch. "I don't even feel like celebrating."

She looked around at the new Bellas- Marty, Candice, Jennifer, and Reagan. They seemed so happy to be initiated, but of course they would, all they had to was dance and sing. All the work fell on her. Fat Amy was grinding on Brendan as Bumper glared menacingly at them, Cynthia Rose was playing craps, and the rest of the girls were having fun. Benji was even dancing, or getting a lap dance from some girl. He looked traumatized.

Jesse exhaled, and tossed the cup in the nearby trash. "You wanna get out of here?"

Beca nodded as he took her hand and they went back to his room. She understood his frustration, she had her own. Bumper being back changed everything. He was the golden boy of a capella and he was back for his crown. Of course, he would decide to come back now. She had texted Chloe and Aubrey, who both were in total panic mode as well, but what good does it do when they are no longer at Barden? Then there was Jesse, who stepped up and got Benji in, only to watch the guy who mocked his room mate slip back in and rile up the group dynamic.

After a silent walk back to his room, Beca watched Jesse toss his keys on his desk and let out a frustrated groan. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head between his shoulder blades. "Bumper is a dickwad."

"Aw, that's so sweet of you to say," Jesse chuckled, leaning back into her hug. "I agree. But...I'll get over it, I guess."

He turned around and embraced her against his chest. "What's with you tonight? You seem a little more depressed and emo than usual."

She snorted into his shirt. Her old instincts to not discuss her problems was still there. Even though she broke down plenty of walls this past year, this one wall was the hardest to tear down. "Shut up. I'm...fine."

Jesse bent down to look her in the eyes. "I don't believe you."

She knew he could read her, he's gotten particularly good at it in the last few months, but she wasn't quite ready to share yet. Her frustrations were all her own, and she didn't want to be the girl who needed help from her boyfriend all the time. So instead of letting Jesse further interrogate her, she reached up and pulled him down in an aggressive kiss. He responded immediately, tasting like punch, and she pushed his jacket to the floor. He quickly forgot trying to gauge his girlfriend's internal struggle, because Beca was sucking his bottom lip the way he enjoyed. Jesse's lips are like catnip to her, plump and wanting, and she loved kissing him, she loved touching him, and while she won't ever admit it to him aloud, but she'd show him.

He moaned into her mouth and helped her shrug off her hoodie, before his hands returned to cup her face. She wondered if he knew she was kissing him partly because she'd rather not talk, and maybe part of him didn't want to talk much either. She only pulled back enough to ask about Benji and he shook his head saying Benji would be out at the party for awhile since it was his first time actually being a part of initiation night.

"I'd feel better if you put a sock on the door or something."

He looked at her, a bit dazed. "A sock? A sock. Okay...this sock."

Jesse looked around the room before he took off his shoes and socks, then jogged over to the door, wrapping it on the handle.

"Secured." He replied, walking back over to her. His lips, attention hungry, went back to kissing her, and tugging her shirt off.

She walked him back towards the bed, his knees hitting the edge and he sat down, pulling her towards him. The height difference put his face at her exposed stomach and she pulled his shirt up and off as he planted kisses on her belly. Beca smiled devilishly as Jesse's nimble fingers undid her jeans (and underwear) and slipped them over her thin hips. Jesse was so attentive and even partly tipsy tonight, he couldn't get enough of kissing her. Beca pushed him down on the twin bed, Jesse flat on his back as she straddled his legs, and he fumbled clumsily to get his own pants off. He reached for a condom in his nightstand drawer, and Beca sat above, waiting to pounce.

Once on, he pulled the covers over her, and that one gesture of caring about covering her nude body as they dry humped each other was really sweet. Okay, shut up, she thought reaching down and grabbing his dick in her hands. Jesse's penis was always excited to see Beca, and she likewise, and right now, fucking her boyfriend was taking her mind off of all the other bullshit she had going through her head. She wasn't thinking of the Bellas anymore as she slowly began to ride him, she wasn't worrying about playlists or Bumper, or her mother, or classes. With Jesse's hands on her body, her mind went blank and for the first time in the last week, she thankfully wasn't thinking about anything. And while she was always awkward with sex, she never felt exposed with Jesse, and the act itself made her feel relief. Jesse flipped her over in a less than graceful move, and she welcomed the pressure of his hips on hers. Beca wrapped her arms and knees around her boyfriend, he settled near the spot of her neck that was sensitive, and for those moments, Beca closed her eyes and temporarily let go of all the frustration she was holding in.

"Oh Benji!"

"Shhh..."

Beca's eyes flew and adjusted to the dark ceiling up above her. Where was she? She turned noticing Jesse beside her, he was asleep, his nose next to her ear, breathing softly. Was she dreaming? About Benji? Why was there sexual moaning in this dream of hers?

"Oh god!"

"Olivia!"

"It's Olive!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Shut up, oh right there!"

She heard it again, but it wasn't her voice, or a dream. It was the sound of a girl moaning from across the room. Beca moved her head to look above the comforter blocking her view, and saw Benji drunkenly trying to undress the blonde girl from the initiation party. Beca's eyes went wide and she dropped back down in shock. What the hell was with her being in the room when other people were sexing?! She elbowed Jesse gently, and his eyes flew open but she shook her head when he focused on her for him to shutup.

He looked confused at first until he heard it too.

"Oh, yes...oh Benji!"

"Be my Leia! Be my Leia!"

Jesse's eyes grew wider and he mouthed "What the fuck?"

Beca tilted her head towards the door.

Jesse shook his. Too risky to leave. Was he kidding?

They argued silently with their eyes for a few moments before Jesse pulled the comforter over them more to cover them. Should they get up, make a noise and interrupt the couple? Didn't Jesse put a sock on the door? Would Benji have even understood what the sock meant (she had her theories about Benji being a virgin)? Oh god, was she in the room when Benji was losing his virginity? Ew! Now she had sex with Jesse in Benji and Jesse's room last year, they had the decency to do it when Benji or Kimmy Jin were out of the room for awhile.

Beca contemplated just jumping up and running out of the room. A few minutes went by, and she was about to jump up, when Jesse whispered, "I think he passed out. They both have. They's so drunk."

"Did they?" she asked, skeptical. She peeked over the comforter to see Benji on the floor and the girl still clothed, snoring.

"What if they wake back up?"

"They won't. He's passed out."

"This is so gross. She snores like a bear."

Suddenly and stealthily, she noticed Jesse reach up on his night table and grab his iPod. He plugged on earplug in her ear and the other in his, and turned up one of the Techno Mixes she forced him to download. It helped drown out the snoring, but the idea they were still in the room creeped her out a bit. Jesse pulled her closer to him, and deeper into the comforter, surrounding them in a cocoon. Beca awkwardly laid there, listening to the bass of the music, feeling Jesse breathe beside her as he fell back to sleep. The negative thoughts were trying to creep back in her brain. Beca's eyes felt heavy as she tried to drift back off to a place where Benji wasn't having sex, Fay Amy wasn't having sex, the stress from her life was temporarily gone, and it was just the two of them.

**Put a little sex in it this time. Testing the waters.

Raiders of the Lost Ark.

One Direction "One Thing"

One Republic "Good Life"