A/N: Sup, people? A promise is a promise and I told y'all weekend updates so! Weekend updates. So I proudly present to you the auditions. Enjoy it. Also totally broke a 100 followers. Hella fucking happy, no joke. So thanks for that guys! Anyways, again. Enjoy the chapter. I'll post the next one next weekend.
"Bree, she's not here!" Chloe says petulantly. "She said she would be – you heard her say it didn't you?" The redhead looks at her bemused girlfriend hopefully and Aubrey quickly schools her features into a more serious expression because Chloe had already yelled at the blonde a couple of minutes ago for mocking her girlfriend's pain.
"I did, Ginger Spice." Aubrey says solemnly and laughs when Chloe glares at her. The blonde senior is never letting Chloe live that one down. It's so rare that the redhead can actually be teased about something without laughing it off that Aubrey half wants to make Ginger Spice Chloe's new official nickname just to get that little glare. It's about as threatening as a puppy's growl and it's the best.
"Shut up." Chloe pouts, throwing herself back in her chair. She only lasts about a minute before she's leaning forward again, arms resting on the table in front of them, staring at the entrance to the audition hall as if she can conjure the small brunette with will alone. Considering how badly Chloe wants the alt-girl to show Aubrey wouldn't be surprised if she did.
Aubrey wants Beca to show as well, almost as badly as Chloe does. The blonde senior just isn't as worried about it as Chloe is. The brunette said she'd come so she will. Aubrey may have only known the girl for a handful of hours but she can tell that when Beca says she'll do something, she does. Plus, despite the younger girl's long-suffering tone when she agreed to the auditions Aubrey could see her excitement at the prospect of trying out.
Chloe, however, refuses to be soothed until the brunette is on the stage in front of them no matter how many times Aubrey reassures her. It was after the fourth audition that Aubrey gave up on reassurance entirely and decided to just enjoy a rare instance of Chloe being the neurotic one.
"Breeeeeee…" the redhead whines and Aubrey rolls her eyes.
"Kit!" She says fondly exasperated. "She'll be here. Patience."
"I hate being patient." Chloe mutters and Aubrey rolls her eyes again.
"Never would've guessed." The blonde says under her breath and smiles sweetly when her girlfriend glares at her.
"But it's the end of auditions!" Chloe exclaims, deciding to ignore her girlfriend's comments. "It's not like I can be much more patient than I have been!"
Chloe has a point. The last audition had just left the stage, a sweet but nerdy looking boy named Benji Apple-something. He had a great voice but Aubrey is sure that Bumper won't let the kid into the Trebles. Benji is just too quirky for the arrogant dick. Shame, the boy could sing.
Aubrey's retort however is interrupted by Tommy, the audition launcher. "If you two are done with whatever it is you're doing, there's one more." He calls irritably. Tommy then stalks off stage muttering about falling standards of a cappella and how he said this isn't a place for that Glee shit.
The seniors look up startled, ignoring the Treble's sniggers with an ease that comes only from practice. There sitting cross-legged in the middle of the stage, eyebrow lofted, is Beca. She has her chin in her hand and a smile on her lips.
"Am I interrupting?" She asks mildly, her navy eyes twinkling in amusement. The seniors look at her with their jaws dropped for a few more moments before matching wide grins overtake their faces. Aubrey is briefly grateful that the Treble's are sitting up in the bleachers behind them and can't see her face. The shit she'd get from them is ridiculous.
(Bumper loves to taunt her about her 'unrequited crush' on Chloe and tells her that she should just accept her lesbianism already because all her angst is affecting his vocal chords)
(Aubrey always kind of wants to kiss Chloe senseless in front of him out of spite but never does because it would just make Bumper even more insufferable than he already is, saying he knew he was right and that he was glad she finally listened to him)
"Never." Aubrey says so only Beca and Chloe can hear. Beca's smile grows softer for a moment and she quietly replies "Hi."
"Hi." Chloe responds, stupid grin still on her face. Beca looks at them both for another beat or two before she glances up at the auditorium. Aubrey can practically see the DJ becoming uncomfortable as she realizes there are other people in the room and it's not just the three of them.
(Aubrey has never been so pissed that a cappella auditions are a group event)
Beca sneaks another peek at her and Chloe then clears her throat and returns her voice to normal conversational volume. "So, I didn't know we had to sing that song."
She sounds awkward, like it's her fault and Aubrey wants to hit herself. Of course Beca didn't know they had to sing "Since U Been Gone" the audition song for that year because neither she nor Chloe told her that she had to.
"That's okay." Chloe quickly reassures. "Just sing whatever you like." Aubrey nods in her agreement when Beca glances over at her. The brunette then points to a yellow cup full of pens that's sitting on the table between them.
"May I?" she asks nervously and Chloe gestures to it in a 'help yourself' motion. With another uncomfortable grin Beca leans forward and plucks the cup off the table, emptying it and settles herself back on the stage. She glances at them quickly before taking a steadying breath and starts tapping out a beat using the cup.
Clap-clap, drumdrumdrumdrum, clap-lift-slam.
Beca is nervous. She hasn't sung in front of other people in a while.
(She doesn't count Aubrey and Chloe in that statement because they don't feel like just people. They feel special in a way Beca doesn't want to think about yet)
Clap, lift-tilt-tap, twist, slap slam.
The two of them were fine when it was just them. Just them and no one else. But now there are people spread around the auditorium. A couple rows of douchey looking guys in the back, some very serious looking preppy types off to the side and a few people who are definitely high right now scattered throughout.
Clap-clap, drumdrumdrumdrum, clap-lift-slam.
Beca doesn't like people. She doesn't like them watching her, doesn't like them judging. And all of these people will be judging her. It's an audition after all. They're weighing her, trying to decide if she's good enough. She hates the way that feels. Hates that it already feels like she failed.
Clap, lift-tilt-tap, twist, slap slam.
Beca feels the panic and embarrassment crawling up as she stares resolutely at her hands moving the cup. She can't do this. It was stupid of her to even try. Why would anyone want her for anything? Chloe and Aubrey were just being nice last night. Like, she just had a fucking panic attack! No one is going to insult someone after they flip all of their shits at once, panicking so hard they can't breathe. The seniors were just trying to make her feel better so they could leave. They didn't actually want her to audition. Why would they?
Clap-clap, drumdrumdrumdrum, clap-lift-slam.
The DJ is about to stop and walk away, to save herself the embarrassment of being told she's not good enough because she never is. She's about to stop when she glances up and sees Chloe staring at her. And Beca is stunned because the redhead looks so… excited. To hear her sing. Her. Beca Mitchell. The DJ looks over at Aubrey and sees a similar anticipation painted on her features.
Clap, lift-tilt-tap, twist, slap slam.
She looks back at Chloe and focuses on cyan eyes. They're bright and sincere and Beca feels her doubts drain away. She wants her here. They want her here. They want to hear her sing. Chloe and Aubrey want her.
Beca feels a smile tug on her lips as she opens her mouth and sings. Her day just got awesome again.
She's not sure why she chose this song. It's not a happy song, at least not to Beca because it always reminds her of Warren and Judy. It reminds her how they just left her like yesterday's trash. So it's not a happy song.
Sometimes when she sings it Beca sounds bitter. No one will miss her when she's gone. If they did, they wouldn't keep leaving her would they? Warren doesn't miss her, he practically threw her out of his house as fast as he goddamned could. No one would miss her. Not Warren, not Judy, not anyone.
(Well, except for Stiles and John. They'd miss her. Beca knows for fact that if she ever left them it would wreck them both. She knows it. It makes the fact that she somehow thinks that John and Stiles will abandon her all the more irrational. But it's…different somehow. Them leaving her instead of her leaving them. She knows the outcome is the same – her gone – but it's still different. Beca guesses that why it's called an irrational fear. When you know it's ridiculous but you're afraid anyway)
When she doesn't sound bitter, she sounds vindictive. Sometimes she takes a spiteful sort of pleasure singing that song. Because she doesn't miss them. Doesn't miss Warren, sure as hell doesn't miss Judy. She's better off without them despite how much it still hurts that they left in the first place.
But this time when she sings, she sounds hopeful. She sounds happy. Because this time when she sings, Beca imagines that she has someone waiting for her. Someone missing her. But the DJ isn't sad because she knows she's coming back and she knows they'll be right there waiting for her, happy to see her home.
And this time when she sings, all she sees are sparkling cyan eyes next to glowing viridian.
It's quiet when she's done. That last final tap of her cup faded away and no one is talking.
It would make Beca nervous and self-conscious except Chloe is smiling like an idiot. Seriously, Beca didn't know people faces could stretch that wide. Like Jesus, do you have to exercise your facial muscles to get them to stay like that? It's ridiculous and it makes Beca smirk in return because she did that. She made Chloe that happy; she made Aubrey glow in satisfaction.
All Beca wants to do is bask in the moment because she feels special and it feels good, damnit.
So of course it's ruined not five seconds later because fuck her life, right?
"Wow, Beca!" Jesse exclaims, practically running out on to the stage. He reaches her and hauls her up by her arms which ex-fucking-scuse you, jackass. No touchy-touchy. She rips her arms away from him and gives him a glare that would put Kimmy Jin to shame. But Jesse doesn't notice at first, too busy blathering on. "I mean, I didn't know you could sing you know? And a cappella so doesn't seem like your thing. You're all dark and mysterious so it really surprised me that you showed up. It surprised me even more when you were actually good –"
He stops mid-sentence because the idiot finally looks at her and finally sees her incredibly frightening I-will-fucking-MURDER-you-if-you-don't-leave-right-goddamned-now glare. She watches with an internal satisfaction as Jesse visibly gulps and quickly excuses himself with a hurried "I'll see you at work later, maybe, bye!"
Of fucking course he's into a cappella.
Beca turns back around with a huff then abruptly freezes because everyone is staring at her. Everyone. Not just Chloe and Aubrey (who she really doesn't mind be stared at by) but literally everyone in the auditorium.
And yup. That's way too much attention for Beca to handle right now. So she glares at the room then stalks off stage, trying very hard to ignore the upset look on Chloe's face as she goes. She can't see Aubrey's face but assumes there is a similar expression decorating it.
Fucking Jesse.
She makes it out of the auditorium and into the blissfully empty hall before she's stopped by her name.
"Beca!"
A distinct grin pulls at her lips as a familiar perky voice echoes down the deserted space. The DJ turns slowly and is unsurprised to see Chloe and Aubrey walking towards her. They stop in front of her and stand so close together that they're almost leaning on each other. Beca studies them for a second and figures they must have been together for long time if the instinct to be close to one another is so natural
"Hey!" The redhead says breaking Beca's examination. She sounds a little concerned and slightly out of breath like she ran here which is weird because both of them were walking when Beca turned around. "You okay? You ran out of there kinda fast."
Beca shrugs awkwardly. "No yeah, it's just I have work so…" She trails off with another shrug and gestures to the door behind her, completely aware that she's avoiding the question. She really doesn't want to explain her anxieties to them because they make her sound like a crazy and Beca desperately doesn't want these girls to think she's any more fucked up than they already do.
(Having a panic attack in the middle of a shower isn't exactly the exemplar of normalcy)
It's not even a lie per-say. She's always welcome to help around the Pro-Caffinators and even if she doesn't get paid, it's still work. She just, you know, doesn't have to be there right this very second. Or like at all.
Chloe nods like she understands but Aubrey is scrutinizing her like she knows there's something Beca isn't telling them. "Do you work with that kid?" She asks eventually and Beca quirks an eyebrow.
"Which kid?"
"Brown haired guy, hugged you on the stage?"
Wasn't a hug. The DJ corrects in her head before tilting her head slightly. Is it just her or does Aubrey sound a little upset? She can't be sure because the blonde has a damn good poker face so Beca just lets it go and nods.
"Yeah, Jesse. I work with him at the radio station sometimes."
"Oh! WBUJ?" Chloe asks excitedly and Beca nods again. "I have a friend who works there. Luke Edwards?"
Another nod. "Yeah, he's my station manager."
Chloe grins and Aubrey's poker face doesn't change. Is the blonde upset with her? Did Beca do something? Before the DJ can really start to worry about what's probably nothing, Chloe starts talking again.
"So are you going to the station now?" the redhead probes. Aubrey gives the redhead a sharp look that Beca doesn't understand and the other girl ignores, waiting expectantly for Beca's answer.
"No." Beca shakes her head. "I work at a coffee shop in town. I was heading there now."
"Will Jesse be joining you?" Beca stares at Aubrey because this time it was not her imagination, the blonde definitely sounds upset. But why would she be? Because Jesse could be hanging out with her? No, that can't be right. Why would Aubrey even care? Would that mean that Chloe does too?
The brunette huffs at herself and pushes the thoughts out of her head. She's being ridiculous. They're just being curious. "No." Beca answers and misses the relieved looks on both seniors' faces. "Thank the lord for that, too. The kid is an annoying little shit." She also misses the satisfied look that passes between them, the one that clearly says Good. She's ours.
"Would you mind some company?" Chloe asks with a bright grin and continues before Beca can tell her no. "Bree and I need to decide who to let into the Bellas and caffeine always helps in tough decisions. Plus, I've been looking for a new coffee shop. The one we went to last year closed."
"Max's closed?" Aubrey says confused. "When? I could've sworn we got coffee there last we– ow!"
Beca looks at them oddly. Chloe's smiling innocently, pulling her arm from behind her girlfriends back to link it with the blonde's and Aubrey is rubbing her side, glaring at her girlfriend. Beca shrugs internally and dismisses it as unimportant.
"Isn't that cheating?" Beca teases instead, leaning against a wall and crossing her arms over her chest. "I could totally skew the results for my own nefarious purposes. I could blackmail you by withholding coffee until you let me into your group. You don't know what I'm capable of. You don't know what I've done."
Aubrey snorts gracefully and Beca is briefly at awe because how in the hell do you make a snort graceful?
"Calm down, Draco Malfoy." She says, rolling her eyes and Beca grins crookedly because she loves it when people get her references. Stiles usually does because he is a walking pop culture encyclopedia but it's nice to have some new blood laugh at her jokes. Especially since it's Aubrey. "Besides you were late," the blonde continues with a mock glare "You missed all the other auditions so you can't have some evil plan for people you've never seen. And don't even pretend like you didn't get into the Bellas. Chloe and I practically gave you an engraved invitation."
Beca laughs out loud and doesn't see the way the two seniors light up at the noise. She looks back at Aubrey conceding. "Ten points for Ravenclaw."
"Damn straight." The blonde sniffs theatrically and both Chloe and Beca laugh at her.
"Why were you late anyway, Becs?" Chloe questions and Beca ignores the warm feeling the nickname gives her.
"Mhmm that was Jesse's fault." Beca divulges and watches in confusion as both the older girl's eyes flash with anger. She continues anyway, albeit slower than before. "He wouldn't leave me alone at the coffee shop this morning. I had to wait until he left before I could go."
"Are you okay?" "How does he know where you work?"
They speak at the same time and Beca pushes herself off the wall and put her hands up in a calming gesture. She can recognize the forced calm of someone who's not very calm at all. She doesn't understand why they're upset but Beca doesn't like it. She wants to make it better.
"I'm fine." She tells Chloe first then turns to Aubrey. "He probably followed me or something. But don't worry!" she reassures quickly at Aubrey's darkening glare. "The kid's harmless."
"We're still going to chase him off next time he bothers you at your shop. Aren't we, Bree?" Chloe says bumping her shoulder with Aubrey's and smiling brightly at Beca.
"I don't know." Aubrey responds carefully. "Are we?" She asks Beca and the brunette is amazed that Aubrey somehow gets that the coffee shop is that important to her. That it's special and that the seniors might not be welcomed in Beca's place.
Beca waits for a second, expecting the same white burn of protective anger to wash over her at the thought of seeing intruders in her place like it did with Jesse. She's surprised at how unsurprised she is when it doesn't come.
She looks up at them (because they're both at least five inches taller than her) and nods shyly. "If you can handle it." She says flippantly, trying to conceal how big of a deal this is for her. She thinks Aubrey gets it anyway if the soft "We'll try our best" is any indication.
"Yes!" Chloe squeals, pumping a fist in the air and Aubrey smiles at her girlfriend's antics fondly. Beca just snickers at the redhead's exuberance.
"Come on, Ginger Spice. I'll make you the best Café Mocha you've ever tasted."
"Don't call me Ginger Spice!" Chloe says exasperatedly and Beca shakes her head with an evil grin.
"Well, now I have to." She informs the annoyed redhead much to Aubrey's delight.
"Might as well accept that you can't escape it, Kit." The blonde sing-songs and Chloe just shoves her girlfriend to the side with a huff, ignoring Aubrey's following laughter.
"You're buying me cookies at this place." Chloe tells Aubrey seriously. "Or scones. Or muffins. Or strudel. Oooh, do they have strudel?" She asks turning to Beca excitedly, all ire forgotten at the prospect of baked goods. "Because I love strudel. And brownies. And cupcakes. And –"
"Do you like bad coffee puns?" Beca interrupts suddenly causing both girls to look at her.
"Yes." Chloe says in the most serious voice Beca has ever heard her use. The brunette just smirks and says "Good. You'll love Tom" before turning and leading them out of the building.
"Who's Tom?" Aubrey calls hurrying after the DJ's retreating back, Chloe right on her heels.
Their only response is a bright laugh that puts matching stupid smiles on both seniors' faces as they catch up to their favorite new brunette. Both think that Beca's coffee shop will become their new regular place.
(It totally does)