THE HOT PINK SHED

BARDEN VALLEY, GA- 2004

Chloe had just switched off the bedside lamp and settled into bed when her phone vibrated on the nightstand, lighting up as a message came through. Though it was after midnight and the young redhead was tired, she couldn't bring herself to get angry. She knew who it was. There was only one person who ever texted her this late.

She smiled tiredly, reaching out for the phone as it vibrated again, indicating a second message. The teen brought the phone to her face and swiped the screen.

BECA (12:16 a.m): U awake?

BECA (12:17 a.m): I'm bored…come outside.

Chloe rolled her eyes affectionately before flipping the covers back and padding across the carpet to her window, raising it as quietly as she could. She scanned the back yard for her brunette friend, eventually just deciding to whip out her nokia and text her to find out where she was.

A rock bounced off the side of the house near Chloe, stopping her mid-text. She looked up just in time to see Beca tiptoeing out of the bushes.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WE HAVE SCHOOL TOMORROW!" Chloe hissed, not wanting to wake her parents across the hall.

Beca only shrugged, grinning in a way that showed she was up to something. She hugged her hoodie closer to her body as she spoke," I told you I was bored…"

And I kind of miss you… She almost found herself saying

Chloe eyed her friend closely. "I KNOW THAT LOOK! I CAN'T GO TO JAIL TONIGHT. I HAVE A TEST IN THIRD PERIOD!"

"WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO TO JAIL!" Beca hissed back, snickering. She added a little softer. "Come on. I want to show you something!"

Chloe heard something creak across the hall. She turned slightly, listening for more movement. Beca must have gotten the point, because she darted back into the bushes. She loved Mr. and Mrs. Beale, but they could be scary sometimes, especially when something interfered with their beauty sleep. Beca wasn't trying to deal with that tonight. She watched Chloe for some sort of sign that the coast was clear.

After listening for another minute or so, Chloe decided that someone was probably turning over in bed. Mom, she thought. Her dad slept like a brick. She wouldn't have to worry about him, but her mother was a different story.

She looked back towards the yard, considering the pros and cons of going with Beca. Somehow, Beca managed to talk Chloe into going with her, promising to only keep her for thirty minutes.

Chloe took Beca's hand as they hurried down the sidewalk, she wasn't sure if she was trembling from the cool night breeze or from the fear of getting caught. She'd never snuck out before. Who knew what kind of things were lurking in the night? She was starting to second guess this. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Chlo, relax." Beca tightened her hold on Chloe's hand as she sensed the redhead tensing up beside her. "It'll just take a minute, then we can head back."

TheY slowed as they came to an old ratty shed in the middle of an abandoned lot. The grass must have been over two feet tall and the shed looked like it could collapse at any second. Chloe looked to Beca, confused. Was this what Beca wanted to show her?

"Come on," She tugged the redhead's hand, excitedly. "I found this when I was walking earlier. It looks a lot better on the inside."

Chloe clung to the shorter teen as they waded through the thick grass. She wrapped her free hand around the hand holding hers, cursing herself for not wearing longer pants. The grass tickled her legs and she resisted the urge to scratch, choosing to tighten her grip on Beca instead.

Beca opened the door and stepped into the shed with Chloe. "I knocked some of the spiderwebs out the first time I came through, but uh…I might need to go through again."

Beca watched in silence as Chloe released her hold and stepped further into the shed. She took note of the workbench, the old wire rake and shovel leaning against the far wall, a dust coated toolbox, and various shelves. There was an old dusty window over the work bench, shining in just enough light from the streetlamps to illuminate the shed. There was even an old office chair in the center.

"I know it could use some work…" Beca started as Chloe turned to face her, the soft orange of the street lamp reflecting off her eyes in a way that left Beca searching for words. In hindsight, Beca would say that was the moment she realized that maybe she was feeling something a little deeper than friendship for redhead. She would later realize that it was the moment she realized that she had a crush on her best friend.

"Who cares?" Chloe's face lit up as she ran back to the shorter teen, taking her hands as she bounced on her toes. She beamed "This is so worth it."

Beca smiled at the redhead. She knew Chloe would love it. She knew how Chloe always wanted a clubhouse (Though admittedly, she was kind of excited by the idea of having one herself). She figured they could make this place theirs.

"With some paint, some bug spray, and a little cleaning...this place could be perfect." Chloe started, brainstorming out loud as she looked over the place once more. "…maybe we could even get a few planks for the roof."

Beca smiled affectionately. Chloe was always the planner. "We could start on it this weekend, if you want?" Beca suggested. "We've got all this extra paint from mom's DIY phase and dad's hardly around anymore, so it's not like he'll need it."

"Totes!" Chloe leaned in to plant a kiss on the shorter girl's cheek. "Let's head back. I've got so many ideas already."

Beca chuckled, knowing that Chloe wouldn't get much sleep and neither would she.

"Mom!" Chloe called as she looked through her closet for a raincoat or poncho. She didn't have anything she could wear to paint the shed.

"Yes?" Susan Beale came bursting into the room, confused by all the commotion. She took note of the growing pile of clothes near the closet. She approached her daughter. "What's all this about?"

"Remember that shed I told you about last week? We cleaned it up a bit, but we were going to start painting today and I can't find anything to wear."

Susan quirked an eyebrow at her daughter. She always seemed to light up when she talked about Beca (which was a lot). "Honey, you're only painting, right?." She teased. "I might have an old pair of coveralls you can fit."

Chloe felt her cheeks burn as her mother left the room. Was she really making this a bigger deal than it was?

Her mother returned with some old khaki coveralls and a long sleeved tee, holding them up to measure them against her daughter's body. "This should work."

"Yeah. Thanks, mom." Chloe smiled gratefully, accepting the clothes as her mom pecked her on the forehead before starting towards the door. Chloe smiled as she threw the clothes down on the bed, not noticing her mother still in the doorway.

"Chloe," Her mother spoke, her voice was softer. Chloe met her mother's soft knowing gaze. It comforted her but also made her slightly uncomfortable…like she knew something Chloe didn't. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

Chloe frowned in confusion. Where had that come from? "I know," She admitted.

"Okay," Her mother nodded, giving a little wink as she shut the door behind her. "Have fun."

"Eww! No, we can't paint it brown. That'll make it look dirty again!"

"What?" Beca seriously doubted that. "Why not?"

"We need something to brighten it up in here. Make it seem more alive," Chloe explained.

"I don't know how I feel about making an abandoned shed 'seem more alive'. That sounds something from Goosebumps." Beca teased.

"You're impossible sometimes." Chloe rolled her eyes. "I know you want to paint it brown, but…I can't let you do that."

"Well, I can't let you paint it pink either! That's just gross."

Chloe gasped in mock offense. She and Beca were standing in the shed debating which color to paint the inside. Beca had on some of her dad's old jeans (to get under Mr. Mitchell's skin, Chloe was sure) and an old pajama shirt. It made Chloe feel even worse when she had forgotten about the paint brush in her hand as she waved them about excitedly, splattering hot pink across Beca's front.

Beca looked down at her thighs in shock. When she looked back up, she had that sneaky grin on her face. Chloe knew she'd started a war.

"No!" She squealed as Beca dipped the roller and chased Chloe around the shed. "It was an accident!"

15 minutes, a hot pink soaked pair of jeans, and a pair of brown coveralls later-

Beca tilted her can to see how much brown paint was left. Chloe waited with a knowing smirk.

"This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" Beca met Chloe's gaze, amused and somehat impressed by her satisfied smirk.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I still have paint in my can." Chloe winked.

Beca sighed, realizing her defeat as she moved to the workbench to grab a clean brush. "Pink it is."