I wish I was special, you're so fucking special.
But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo.
What the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here.
—Creep, Radiohead
Hold On Till May: Chapter Three
Chloe didn't think that Beca would be that cheerful, really. Imagine a short girl with dark hair and dark eyes, multiple piercings on her ears and tattoos at several areas, black eyeliner casting a shadow on her face. Yep, that's Beca. You'd think she'd be the type who keeps to herself all day and speaks few words, but that's not it. Chloe thinks that Beca speaks too much for her own good.
Chloe, on the other hand, looks like the kind who parties every night without her parents permission, she looked like she belonged in the most popular clique in the school. Or at least she used to look like that. The recent few months have taken their toll on her. Chloe has eye bags lining the underside of her puffy eyes, but mostly, she looked presentable. Maybe that's why the school hasn't taken note of her strange behaviors these few months. Chloe liked it this way.
The past two school days with Beca in it haven't changed much, Chloe still remained invisible, except for some moments when Beca would lock eyes with her across the hallway. Beca sits beside her for that one class, and somehow, Chloe found solace in that. Chloe doesn't give Beca the time or space to talk to her, she knew the brunette wanted to talk, but she quickens her pace every time Beca nears her, and she rushes home faster than usual, the brunette never caught up.
The weekend came and Chloe was more than relieved. She sat by her bed, strumming her guitar softly when the doorbell rang. Chloe cringed at the reverberating sound of the bell and pushed herself up, lowering the guitar and stepping out of her room. Her parents had left early, probably. They might've stayed out last night. Who knows. Chloe rolled her eyes and quickly rushed down the steps.
She was expecting the postman, maybe he needed her to sign something. Or some girl scouts selling their cookies. What she'd never expect was that once the door flung open, a brunette emerged. Chloe's eyes widened and she stepped back, hastily folding her arms across her chest. She became conscious about her attire, the t-shirt and her shorts did nothing to cover up her scars and healing wounds. Beca didn't notice though. The short girl smiled at Chloe.
"Hey," Beca chuckled. "I was thinking we could hang out? I bought coffee."
Chloe really couldn't turn the girl down when she gave the redhead that look and a slight pout when she saw Chloe's hesitance.
"Look I'm, kind of busy?" Chloe tried as she shuffled her legs such that they were crossing.
"Bullshit, Beale." Beca arched an eyebrow.
"How'd you get my surname?"
"Doesn't matter." Beca cocked her head to the left. "It's almost noon and you're still in your sleeping clothes, don't tell me that you're busy."
Chloe swallowed when Beca mentioned her attire, she just hoped Beca wasn't observant enough. Chloe nodded and let Beca in, clicking the door shut. Beca grinned and pressed the warm cup of coffee into Chloe's palms. Chloe quickly accepted it and mentally sighed in relief at the low lighting in her living area.
"Where are your parents?" Beca asked as she eyed the bare decorations around the house. Chloe merely shrugged as she led Beca up the stairs to her room. Chloe had a bad feeling about letting someone else into her room, as she opened her door, her stomach twisted, as if warning her. "Oh, and if it matters, I saw your family name on the postbox outside your house." Beca grinned cheekily.
"Your room looks nice." Beca commented as she stepped in. Chloe nodded and put her guitar away before sitting down on the edge of her bed and allowing Beca space.
"What do you want to do?" Chloe awkwardly ran her thumb along the warm cup still sitting in her hands. She pressed her thighs together as Beca plopped down onto her bed next to her.
"Let's get to know each other." Beca tried to ease Chloe up after noticing the tense redhead. "Let's play twenty questions."
Chloe bit her tongue as her eyes looked anywhere but Beca. She nodded eventually, pressing her arms to her thighs.
"I start?" Beca asked softly as she crossed her legs and Chloe nodded quickly. Beca licked her lips and scrunched her nose up. "Why're you so tense?"
Chloe's eyes widened as she pulled back slightly and pulled a pillow onto her lap. "I'm not." She pouted as she defended herself. Beca gave her a weird look before pulling herself closer to Chloe.
"Your eyebrows furrow when you're tense or when you get nervous." Beca pointed out as she gently rested a palm on Chloe's arm. Chloe almost flinched away but she resisted the urge to do so. Beca has noticed Chloe knitting her eyebrows together multiple times in the past half an hour or so.
"I do not." The redhead whispered loud enough.
"See!" Beca softly ran her thumbs across Chloe's eyebrows and Chloe pulled back. Beca sat back after noticing Chloe's obvious discomfort. "So, why don't you ask a question now?"
"Let's do something else." Chloe clasped her hands together. "How about watch a movie?"
Chloe almost laughed at Beca's disgusted face at the mention of movie. Beca belched and made a face. "Seriously?"
Chloe merely gave her a questioning gaze and Beca stood up. "I hate movies." Beca simply stated, giving Chloe a grin. Chloe felt her heart sink. She liked movies, she loved movies, in fact. They were one of the only things that helped her sometimes. She thought if Beca had similar interests as her, she would finally get a friend. A friend sounds good. Beca must've noticed Chloe's face fall because the redhead suddenly felt a dip in her bed again.
"Hey," Beca gently touched Chloe's shoulder. "We could watch a movie."
"I—it's okay." Chloe shook her head as her fingers unconsciously clasp onto her arm. She dug into it and winced slightly, she hoped Beca didn't notice. Beca wanted to pull Chloe into a hug but she knew better. Beca stood up and ran her fingers along Chloe's cobalt blue guitar standing by her desk.
Chloe's head swarmed with thoughts as her nails clawed discreetly into her wounds. She bit down on her lip as her vision blurred slightly. Beca's voice startled Chloe put of her thoughts, and Chloe pulled her hand away from her arm.
"May I?" Beca shot Chloe a glance and Chloe nodded before looking down again, as if the plain bed sheets were the most interesting thing ever. Beca picked the guitar up and strummed it slowly, she smiled and sat down next to Chloe again.
"You play?" Beca asked as she pressed a chord, strumming softly. Chloe nodded mutely as Beca started a rhythm on the guitar. As Beca started playing, Chloe felt her shoulders relax. And when Beca started singing, Chloe felt her mind going quiet, something it hasn't done in quite a while. Chloe let out a quiet breath as she watched Beca's fingers expertly dance across the guitar. Chloe almost let slip a smile, and Beca noticed.
Chloe's eyes struggled to keep themselves open as Beca continued singing softly and soothingly. Beca stopped the guitar and Chloe forced her eyelids open. Chloe didn't know why she trusted Beca. Maybe it was because of the hypnotic song she just sang, but Chloe knew better than that. As Beca opened her arms for Chloe, Chloe almost fell in immediately, but she refrained herself from doing so.
"You look like you need sleep." Beca murmured as Chloe's eyes fluttered tiredly. It was true, Chloe doesn't remember the last time she got a good night's sleep. The redhead merely nodded before curling up next to Beca, the brunette dropped her arms with a small sigh but her face lit up when Chloe's hand rose up to grasp hers.
"Keep my nightmares away, Beca." Chloe whispered so softly she doubt Beca could hear, but as if on cue, Beca started singing again, and Chloe felt herself drift away.