A/N: Just a head's up that this chapter touches on the events of the previous chapter, so a slight trigger warning for that, but otherwise, enjoy!
To say that Chloe had a restless night's sleep was an understatement.
Her unconscious mind had been replaying the night's events over and over and over again. The sound of the horn blaring, multiplied by a tenfold thanks to her imagination. The way everything seemingly moved in slow motion as the other her stepped out onto the road. Those damn piercing blue eyes.
The very same eyes that had stared back at her every time she looked in the mirror.
It's a wonder she managed to get any sleep at all.
When she did finally managed to drag herself back to reality, she found her limbs twisted around her bed sheets, white knuckled fists tightly clenched and crumpled clothes that were now slightly damp with sweat.
She sat upright, pressing the palm of her hand to her forehead, like somehow it would make a difference. Like maybe she could convince herself it was all a bad dream.
"You look like crap." Aubrey casually commented as she poured a cup of coffee, having never been one to pull punches. The coffee was for Chloe of course, Aubrey had already had hers. And been for her morning run. And finished her required reading for the following week. All before nine thirty.
"Didn't sleep well." Chloe mumbled, sliding her legs to dangle off the bed, not quite having the energy to drag herself out of bed yet.
"I noticed." The blonde walked over to her best friend, passing the steaming mug to the redhead. "Are you okay?"
Chloe just sipped the steaming mug, she couldn't answer the question if she when she didn't know the answer herself.
"You got in late last night." Aubrey continued, taking a seat beside the unusually quiet Chloe.
"Sorry." Ordinarily, Chloe would have given a full explanation of the evening, apologizing for not being back on time and for potentially waking up her roommate. She would have told Aubrey all about falling asleep and losing track of time.
But you couldn't really tell your best friend that you'd watched yourself commit suicide.
Even Chloe, the girl who barges into a stranger's shower without a second though, knew that sounded crazy.
Besides, it was just a dream. There was no point in telling Aubrey about something that hadn't happen, right?
"Okay, since when do you give one answer replies? Usually you've surpassed the one hundred word mark by now, and now you're only saying four? What happened? Is it Tom again?" That was the difference between Aubrey's concern and Beca. Beca didn't try to solve the problem, she'd make jokes, skirt around it, distract you until you were okay again. Aubrey was the opposite. She tackled the problem head on, after finding out exactly what the problem was.
"It's not Tom." She took another sip of her coffee. At least while she was drinking she had an actual excuse for not making eye contact. "I just didn't sleep well."
"Are you sick?"
"No."
"Injured?"
"No."
"Pregnant?" Aubrey's voice squeaked slightly, causing Chloe to chuckle cynically into the mug. She'd rather be dealing with a pregnant scare at this point.
"Aubrey, I'm fine. Honestly." It wasn't like she was really lying to her best friend. She was fine, physically speaking.
"You know you can talk to me right. You can tell me anything." The sincerity in her voice almost broke Chloe's resolve.
"Of course I know. You're my best friend. Have been since before pre-school. I came out to you before coming out to my parents. Your dad even nicknamed me Ladybug. You might as well be family, and if something was wrong, you'd be the first to know about it, okay?"
Aubrey nodded, satisfied with the answer she'd received. Chloe breathed a sigh of relief, covering it up with smile and 'you make the best coffee Bree' before taking another sip, thanking the aca-gods that the issue wasn't going to be pushed.
The coffee comment earned Chloe a smile, one of those rare unguarded ones that only Chloe received. The ones that let her know she was appreciated and loved. The two of them couldn't have been closer, even if they had been related by blood. Aubrey was Chloe's sister in every sense of the word. She'd follow Aubrey to the end of the earth if she asked her too, and there wasn't anything Aubrey wasn't prepared to do for Chloe.
Thinking of Aubrey as her sister brought Chloe's thoughts back to the girl from the bus shelter. The sadness she expressed as the headlights reflected in her eyes. Before she knew it, she spaced out, staring into the swirls of her coffee. The world around her blurred into nothing, thoughts of the woman preoccupying her mind.
Who was she?
Where did she come from?
Was she even real?
Was Chloe going crazy?
Was there someone out there somewhere missing the mystery woman?
Did anybody care that she'd—
"Chlo, are you going to answer that?"
Her attention was brought to her phone, the opening bars of David Guetta's Hey Mama making their way through the air as her phone buzzed on the desk across the room.
"It's been going off all morning. I didn't want to answer it while you were still asleep, so I've just been declining the calls. Beca's persistent though, I'll give her that."
The alt girl's name barely left Aubrey's lips before Chloe was rushing across the room, somehow managing to keep the remaining liquid in her cup while breezing past Aubrey in her guilt induced dash to answer her phone.
"Beca I'm so sorry I—"
"Jesus fucking Christ Beale, I was barely joking when I said you needed to let me know you weren't dead in a ditch somewhere." Chloe jerked the phone away from her ear as Beca, clearly upset, yelled down the line.
Even Aubrey shot Chloe a sympathetic look.
"Beca I— "
"You tell me that some random might be following you home and that you're worried about it, so of course I worried about it and then you didn't even text me! If I end up with grey hairs, it's on you Beale, all your fault." Chloe could hear the shuddering breath through the phone. She might have even heard Jesse calling out that Beca really had been worried sick and that it had been hilarious. Chloe disagreed.
"I passed out as soon as I got home, Becs I'm so sorry." Chloe bit her lip, casting her eyes downwards, coffee mug resting on her leg. "I didn't mean to make you worry."
There was a long pause, neither girl saying anything more; Chloe wracked with guilt, Beca suddenly realizing that she'd shown real emotions. A lot of them. After clearing her throat, the brunette spoke up.
"Uh, it's cool… Y'know I was just mildly concerned and stuff." Chloe could hear Jesse's muffled laughter in the background, followed by 'shut it, Swanson'.
There was another pause, this time a little more awkward, a little more pregnant. It was Aubrey's voice that broke the silence.
"Chlo, if we're going to go to brunch before Bella's rehearsal, we should get going." And by get going, she meant that Chloe needed to shower and look at least somewhat presentable. Even by college student standards, she was a bit of a hot mess right now.
"Right, sorry Becs, gotta go. But I'll see you at rehearsals. And you'll see that I'm perfectly fine and not at all murdered." Her throat felt dry, tongue stumbling over the last word.
"Uh yeah, sure. I've only got thirty minutes left of my shift, so I'll see you there. I'll be the one wearing headphones."
"Awes. See you later skater." Ending the call, Chloe finally stood up from her bed, downed the last of her coffee before placing the empty mug on the side, feeling somewhat ready to face the day.
I'll be the one wearing headphones? What the fuck were you thinking, Beca. Oh right, you weren't because Chloe Beale tends to have that effect on you.
"Sooo, feeling better now that you know she's alive and well?" Jesse's smug face was grinning at her through the CD shelves.
"I felt fine before calling thank you very much. And I feel fine now." She threw a CD in his general direction, on the off chance it might connect with the target and actually get him to shut up. (It was Justin Bieber's old album. Beca wouldn't actually throw real music. Plus Jesse caught it, so no harm no foul. There was always next time though.)
"Yeah, and the pope isn't catholic. Seriously Bec, when are you going to tell her?"
Beca just glared back.
"We are not having this conversation right now. We're working. Don't make me get Luke to send you on a food run, because you know he'll do it. I'm his favorite."
Jesse scoffed.
"Fine, but seriously Beca, you were distraught this morning when you came in. Some girl hit by a bus on the very same street you knew Chloe was walking down. No call, no text, no answer."
"Well yeah, she's my best friend. It'd be dumb if I wasn't worried or whatever." Admitting emotions was not her forte. It felt wrong, like they were supposed to be bottled up inside, definitely not confessed to Jesse. Instead she focused on the CD's in front of her. Unleash the Dragon? Sisqo? Who's musical tastes was Luke even catering to?
"First of all, ouch. I thought I was your best friend. Secondly, I think she's a little more than just that."
Beca shot him another glare. Did he not hear the part where they weren't having this conversation?
"Just think about it Beca." He urged as he walked past the brunette, Luke having called him over.
A CD hit him in the back as he walked away. (She'd retrieved the Bieber album from where Jesse had stacked it. Honestly it was offensive to call it music.)
Transforming herself into a passable, functioning young adult hadn't taken as long as she'd thought it would, and so half an hour later, bags in hand, the two roommates to walk the two blocks it took them to reach their favorite coffee shop.
The same two blocks that took her down the path she'd walked last night.
Chloe didn't even realize, having zoned out the moment Aubrey started talking about the set list.
"Woah, what happened here?"
There was tape creating a perimeter around the scene, the body had been removed and photos were being taken by investigators but otherwise, it was the exact same thing Chloe had seen the previous night.
Definitely not a dream.
A crowd has already formed around the site, everybody wanting to get a look at the accident. Chloe just turned away. She didn't need to be reminded of what had happened. She just wanted to forget.
"Can we please just keep going? Let these guys do their jobs without everyone breathing down their necks." Chloe was already off and walking, if worst came to the worst, she'd just wait at the café for her best friend. It wasn't like they didn't already know each other's orders off by heart.
Aubrey didn't miss a beat though, long legs easily falling into step with Chloe's.
"Okay, sorry for being curious."
"I'm just hungry Bree, and that's not doing anything for my appetite. If I'm going to be one hundred percent committed at rehearsals I need to eat." It was kind of a dick move, bringing the Bellas into this, knowing for well that Aubrey would place them at number one priority.
"You're absolutely right. C'mon, let's go get you some pancakes." Aubrey gave in, linking their free arms together before heading in the direction of the café, already continuing her earlier one sided conversation about the Bellas, this time with Chloe paying full attention. The promise of pancakes always worked wonders.
The café was busy, being a Saturday morning and all, so while Aubrey went to order, Chloe went to claim their usual table.
"And don't forget a muffin to go. Raspberry cheesecake flavor if they've got them, anything with chocolate in the name if they don't."
"Chloe you don't even like muffins. You think that if not going to have icing, it's not worth it." Aubrey huffed under her breath, Chloe having already walked over to their table.
By the time Aubrey had finished waiting in line and made her way over to the redhead, Chloe was frantically rummaging through her bag. Although it was one that Aubrey didn't recognize.
"Looking for your lit paper?" She asked, placing the bagged muffin on the table.
"Please don't remind me." Chloe groaned, shoving aside a half empty packet of gum.
"Okay then, let's talk about your new bag. It's cute, not your usual style but it's nice. Where'd you get it?"
"It's not mine." The reply left her lips before she even registered what she was going to say.
Aubrey's brows furrowed. Why would Chloe have a bag that wasn't hers?
"Was it left at the table?"
"Uhhhhh, yes?" Chloe paused her searching, hoping that the less movement she made, the more truthful she'd sound.
It had the opposite effect.
"Is that an answer or a question?" The look in Aubrey's eyes reminded Chloe of Mr. Posen. Honestly, the resemblance was uncanny. As was the immediate effect; the small corner table suddenly feeling like an interrogation room.
"An answer?"
"Chloe."
"Yes it was left at the table." Boy, she hoped that sounded convincing.
It didn't.
"Okay then, we'll just hand it to the manager." Aubrey challenged.
"We can't do that." Chloe started to worry her bottom lip.
"Why not?"
"Because I lied." There was no point in denying it. Chloe was a terrible liar. The guilt made her feel gross and she inevitably always ended up telling the truth.
"Chloe."
And then the bag started ringing.
Well not the bag, but the phone inside. (The default ringtone confirmed that the bag definitely wasn't Chloe's. She'd never had a default ringtone in her life, claiming you could never really tell who's phone it was if their current anthem wasn't used.)
"Are you going to answer it?" Aubrey gave her a pointed look; it was really less of a question and more of an order.
"Umm."
Aubrey stared at Chloe. Chloe stared at the bag. Neither one of them made a move to actually answer the phone.
Chloe was kind of hoping it would answer itself.
Eventually, the ringtone finished and Chloe felt like she could breathe again.
Except she couldn't escape the disapproving look from Aubrey, no matter how sheepish her returning smile was, and honestly the anxiety it caused was on par with debating whether or not to answer a dead girl's phone.
Before Aubrey could continue her rendition of the Spanish Inquisition, the phone rang again.
"Chloe, answer the phone."
"I can't."
"It's not like you stole the bag, just answer the phone and find out who owns it so you can give it back."
"I can't."
"You can."
"No, I can't."
"Chloe, just answer the damn phone." Aubrey's outburst earned a few looks from the café patrons.
Chloe just bit her lip harder as she reached into the bag, hoping that Aubrey wouldn't notice the way it trembled.
She did.
Aubrey always noticed.
Holding the little pink phone to her ear, Chloe answered the call.
"Hello." Ugh, her voice sounded shaky again. She hated shaky. You couldn't belt out a power ballad if your voice was shaky.
"You need to answer you phone the first time I fucking call okay. There's a reason we have emergency phones, Iris, it's for emergencies." A harsh female voice answered.
"Uh, right. Sorry. It won't happen again." She swallowed thickly, completely out of her comfort zone. Chloe wasn't even aware she had an area outside her comfort zone. Aubrey's stare wasn't helpful either.
"You sound off. You're not getting sick, are you?"
Chloe cleared her throat, hoping it would help her sound like the other version of her. Iris.
"Uh no? I'm not?" She really needed to stop phrasing her answers as questions.
"You don't sound too sure of yourself, Iris." The woman sounded skeptical. Chloe supposed she had good reason to be. "Anyway, just keep an eye on it and if it gets any worse, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." And then there was a pause. "So did you get the samples?"
Chloe froze with eyes wide as they met Aubrey's, whose eyebrows immediately furrowed. She wasn't stupid; Chloe clearly wasn't discussing a lost bag.
"Uh, the samples?"
The other line went quiet. Chloe pulled the phone away to check that the caller hadn't actually hung up.
"Hello? Are you still there?"
"Just one of a few, no family too. Who am I?"
"What?" As if Chloe wasn't confused enough, they were talking in riddles now. Awesome.
"Just one of a few. No family too. Who am I?" The woman slowly articulated each word. Chloe was at a loss for words.
"Could you, uh, repeat that?" Maybe if she heard it a third time, she'd magically have the answer?
"You're not Iris." The woman's voice was flat, devoid of emotion.
And then the line went dead. Chloe even checked, hoping that whoever the other caller was still there and could give her answers. But the call had ended, the words private number taunting her. As the food arrived to the table, she dropped the pink object back into the bag.
Out of sight, out of mind.
If only it were that easy.
"Chloe, what's going on?" Aubrey asked, her hand reaching over the table to grasp her best friend's. But Chloe could only shrug.
"I don't know Bree." She sighed, running a hand over her face." Honest to god, I have no clue what's going on right now but if I did, I'd tell you, because I tell you everything and because you always know the right thing to do."
Aubrey just nodded. Chloe had always been an open book emotionally. It was clear as day that she was struggling with something.
"Okay, it's okay. We'll figure it out. We'll eat breakfast now, and then we'll go somewhere else and you can tell me what you do know, and we'll figure it out."
Chloe could only nod, swapping her hold on Aubrey's hand for a knife and fork.
Just because she was no longer hungry, didn't mean pancakes couldn't make things that little bit better.
A/N: And there we go. Thoughts? Queries? Comments? Let me know what you think.