A/N: I really appreciate all the reviews guys so keep them coming! And don't give up on this, it's going to get finished and it's going to be a rough landing before we reach Bechloe but here's where it starts to get really good...enjoy folks!
The next morning arrived far too soon for Beca's liking. She had no idea where she stood with Chloe and with Chloe leaving for a week to go have surgery; she didn't really feel right about inquiring and adding yet another worry to Chloe's mind. Beca figured they'd talk about it when Chloe got back, or maybe it was just one of those things they were going to overlook because of Chloe. Whatever the case, Beca didn't ask. She decided it was what it was and wasn't going to make a big deal out of it or even address it. She and Chloe were friends, and for that she was grateful.
She followed Chloe to her car in the morning, duffel bag in tow, and placed it in the trunk of Chloe's Honda Accord. The two stared at each other for a moment before Beca finally broke the silence.
"Drive safe, okay? And don't worry; you're going to be fine." Beca told the ginger as she pulled her in for a light hug, which of course Chloe had to turn into an end-of-the-world hug.
"Did Beca Mitchell just initiate a hug!? I can't believe it!" Chloe joked as she held the embrace.
"I guess someone's influence is rubbing off on me. Literally." Beca quipped.
"Well she must be really awesome..." Chloe said
"Who said it's a she?" Beca asked, raising an eyebrow and receiving a poke from Chloe.
"Thanks for staying with me last night Becs, I'm definitely not as freaked as I was before and it's all thanks to you." Chloe told her sincerely
"Uh, yeah, it was no problem at all Chloe. You know I'd do anything for you." Beca replied, running her hand up and down the back of her hair as she did when she was anxious.
Chloe gave her a sweet smile.
"Well, I better get going.." She said somberly.
"Yeah, well, call me after your surgery, okay?" Beca told her.
"I won't really be able to talk; will you settle for a text?" Chloe asked.
"Ha, I'm so stupid. Yes, a text will do." Beca said.
"You're not stupid, you're sweet." Chloe told her and Beca couldn't help but grin. Compliments from Chloe made her do that, a lot.
Chloe gave her another hug and a quick kiss on the cheek and after they parted, Beca opened the car door for her to get inside.
"Oh! I almost forgot, um, here." Beca said, reaching into the pocket of her leather jacket and pulling out a new mix.
"Becs, really!? When did you even make this?" Chloe asked with an excited voice.
"A few days ago." Beca lied. Little did Chloe know that Beca had several mixes in her honor, and a few that were in progress. To say Chloe was her muse might be the biggest understatement of the year.
"Well thank you…I'm putting it in right now." Chloe told her as she did just that.
"I hope you don't totally hate it" Beca said with a laugh
"Anyways, bye Chloe." She added as she gave a little wave as she began to back away from the car.
"Bye Becs, I'll see you in a week. And I'll be listening to your show online too!" Chloe yelled.
Beca just smirked as she put her hood from her sweatshirt up and turned to head back to her dorm.
Within the first hour of her friends being gone Beca realized just how lonely her life before Barden had been. She had always been an independent spirit, especially after her father had walked out on her and her mother and although she was extremely proud of it she had come to prefer her new life. Jesse had become her sidekick, her goofy counterpart who always had her back. Luke was like an older brother, showing her the ropes at the station and getting her a fake ID. The Bella's were her personal gang of social misfits that she never had to try to be accepted into, she just was. And Chloe, well, Chloe was everything. Chloe was her source of frustration, happiness, and inspiration. Beca had never felt so close to someone without actually ever being with them and she absolutely cherished all the time spent, even if it meant her suffering sometimes.
Beca sat up on her bed and walked over to her bureau where a picture of herself and Chloe resided. She picked it up and studied it intently as a smile overtook her face. It was a selfie they had taken on the quad one day while they were "studying" and having coffee. Chloe was sitting in between Beca's legs with her signature drop dead smile while Beca's gaze was focused on Chloe as she sported a goofy, lopsided grin. Yes, Chloe had only been gone an hour and she already felt empty and directionless. What the fuck was she going to do when she left for LA and Chloe took off for NYC?
But Beca didn't have time to think too much into that thought as she suddenly noticed one grave detail about her bureau; her uncle's dog tags weren't hanging on the photo frame as they usually are. Beca's eyes grew wide with panic.
Shit, shit, shit, shit!
She spun around and surveyed her dorm room quickly checking all open surfaces for them. After Beca wore them, she always returned them to the same spot on the picture frame. She knew herself well and knew she wouldn't misplace them, ever. Something was wrong. Rubbing her temples furiously, she tried to remember exactly where she had them last and recalled that she had wore them to the GirlTalk show that she had went to with Chloe a week before.
Beca ran out of her dorm and across campus as fast as her short legs would carry her, mentally thankful for Aubrey's rigorous cardio routines because she was actually seeing the effects of them. She reached Chloe's apartment suddenly remembering that nobody was home, of course. Beca frantically looked in the bushes outside of the building as she remembered (just barely) that she had been outside here that fine night. No such luck. She knew she had them on at the club because she had received a compliment about them from the bartender regarding them that night and so she headed off in the direction of downtown.
You're such a fuckin' moron, Beca! How could you be so careless? You're never wearing them out again!
It was weird being in a club during daytime hours with the house lights on and it being empty of patrons. She quickly looked around for some assistance and spotted a younger girl at one of the bars.
"Hi, excuse me. This is going to sound so lame but do you guys have like a lost and found type of thing here? I was here for a show last week and I'm missing a really important item." Beca asked the petite brunette as she stopped stocking the bar and gave Beca her full attention.
"I think I remember you…you were here for GirlTalk, right?" The girl asked. Beca nodded in reply, not so into making small talk as she was concerned about finding her uncle's dog tags.
"What did you lose exactly?" The girl asked as she came around to the other side of the bar. It was then that Beca really took in the girl's appearance. She was about the same size as Beca, although she had a much better physique. She was wearing a black t-shirt that sported the club's logo with the sleeves rolled up, dark blue skinny jeans, and a fresh pair of chucks. She had long chocolate brown hair that was pulled back for the sake of working and wide, piercing blue eyes.
"Dog tags. The real military kind." Beca responded once she was able to shake herself from her awkward gaze.
"Oh! Follow me." The girl told her and Beca followed her to the club's office in the front.
"I worked that night and found them when we were cleaning up. I thought it was awfully random but then again, you probably wouldn't believe the things I've found after people leave." The girl said with a smile as she handed the dog tags to Beca. Beca grasped onto them and let out a sigh of relief, double checking the name to make sure they were hers, and they were.
"Oh my God. I've been panicking for the last hour because I thought I had lost these forever! Thank you for not tossing them out." Beca said graciously
The brunette smiled at her. "They looked authentic. I figured they must be of some importance." She told her.
"They were my uncle's in Vietnam. The sentimental value cannot be replaced." Beca explained.
"Well I'm glad you were reunited with your heirloom, now I know how Oprah feels when she brings lost families back together." The brunette joked and Beca let out a sincere laugh. "I feel like I know your voice from somewhere, it sounds so familiar." The girl added
"Um, well, you probably wouldn't recognize it unless you're a fan of collegiate acapella…or campus radio." Beca shifted awkwardly as she told her.
"WBUJ! That's it. Wow, I love your midnight mixes!" The girl gushed
"Although, I must say, you don't seem like an acapella girl even though it's totally like a thing now."
Beca grinned.
"Yeah, I get that a lot. And believe me, I didn't get the acapella appeal at first either, actually, I still really don't. I kind of joined as a requirement."
"Acapella as a requirement? That must be some major."
"More like a major pain. My father's a professor at Barden and we kind of have this deal. It's a long story…" Beca said, starting to feel awkward that she was talking to this random girl when she really didn't like talking to people. I guess college really had changed her.
The girl laughed.
"I bet it's an interesting one. I'm Catherine, by the way. I'm a freshman at BU." She explained
"Beca." The DJ responded simply
"Did you like the GirlTalk show?" Catherine asked as she walked back over to the bar and continued working.
"Yeah, he's my favorite DJ. I actually want to be a DJ myself, so it was really cool to see him in action. I hope I can be that good one day." Beca told her.
"From what I've heard so far, I think you already are." Catherine told her, eliciting a blush and an awkward mumble of 'thanks' from Beca.
"You're going to be a terrible DJ if you can't even take a compliment, Beca!" Catherine joked as Beca laughed.
"I'll work on it, I promise." Beca told her
"Do any other DJ's play here regularly?"
"Not really. I had to beg my uncle like crazy to book him. I tell him all the time that it's not just rock bands that are going to draw the crowds anymore. Us crazy MTV kids like to dance, ya know?" Catherine said
"I take it your uncle owns this place? That's pretty sweet he lets you work here." Beca said
Catherine laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty sweet that he lets me clean up after the shows and work during the day when there's no one here." Catherine responded sarcastically. "But I guess we all have to start at the bottom, right? I want to own a club someday so I guess it's a good thing that I learn all aspects of the job. And I get to come to all the shows for free, that's a definite perk."
"Believe me, I know all about the bottom." Beca told her.
"Well when I open my own club, consider yourself booked." Catherine told her with a sincere smile.
"Deal." Beca responded with a grin that matched the other girls.
They lingered in a moment of awkward silence. Neither really sure what to say next.
"I.."
"Well I.."
They both laughed.
"I should get back to work…" Catherine started to say
"Yeah, I need to head back to campus to ready some mixes for one of my glamorous night shifts." Beca said
"Well, here." Catherine said reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone
"Let me have your number…we should hang sometime and talk about music. Maybe you could even tell me that long story about how you became an acapella girl." Catherine joked
"Oh, it's a riveting tale. I'm sure you'll be disinterested in all things me the second you hear it." Beca said rolling her eyes as she handed Catherine her phone back after entering her number.
"Disinterested in a cute alt-girl with a killer smile? It seems highly unlikely." Catherine told her with a wink.
Wait, killer smile? Is this girl flirting with me? She totally is. Wow I suck at noticing things…
Beca grinned and tried her best not to blush, although she couldn't really help it. The vibes from this girl were un-real.
"Well, feel free to text me whenever…" Beca told Catherine as she slowly backed away.
"Will do. Bye Beca, it was really cool meeting you." Catherine said with an illuminating smile as she continued stocking the bar.
"Yeah, you too." Beca said, waving slightly as she left the club and put the dog tags on for safe keeping.
Once Beca arrived back at campus she decided she was in much need of a caffeine boost and decided to hit up the coffee cart that she frequented.
"How's my favorite customer?" The boy asked with a smile as Beca approached.
"Oh, just fantastic." She replied in her usual sarcastic manner.
"Can I have my regular?"
"Of course. Coming right up." He told her as he grabbed a cup and got to work.
"So where's your cute ginger girl?"
"It's Spring Break, she went home." Beca responded dryly. This game wasn't all that fun without Chloe being present.
"Wow that must suck. A week without your girlfriend is rough." The boy commented, handing Beca her coffee.
"Distance makes the heart grow fonder." Beca mumbled in irony as she handed the boy a few bucks and headed back to her dorm. Just as she was about to enter her room, she felt her phone buzz.
Chloe: Didn't take you for a One Direction lover =P
Beca chuckled as she read the message and entered her dorm. She knew Chloe would pick that song out of her mix and torture her for it.
Beca: It's a good song! You know I love Pop music, bitch.
Chloe: It's called 'Best Song Ever' …your bad ass cred is dwindling as this song continues.
Beca: It reminded me of the Girl Talk show! You know, where we danced and then I blacked out and have no idea what happened the rest of the night? I can relate to the song.
Chloe: You know, I know, you'll remember me =P
Beca: Okay that's it. You're never getting a mix ever again.
Chloe: OH OH OH!…YEAH YEAH YEAH!
Beca: Texting and driving is illegal Chlo! Pay attention to the road, you law breaker.
Chloe: Well at least we know I'm more bad ass than you now Ms. One Direction lol
Beca: Dream on Beale!
The brunette put her phone down on her desk as she took her jacket off and threw it on her bed. She got settled at her desk with her coffee in hand as she fired up her computer, ready to mix the rest of the day away when she heard her phone buzz again. She rolled her eyes as she prepared herself for yet another quip from Chloe but was pleasantly surprised to see a message from someone else.
Catherine: Have you ever performed live before?
Beca furrowed her brow as she read the text, confused to as why the girl she had just met a couple hours ago would be asking her this.
Beca: Yeah, parties and stuff. Why do you ask?
Catherine: I just found out we're hosting a local DJ showcase in 2 weeks with a radio station and everything. The line-up is sick and one of the DJ's just pulled out…any interest in spinning a set? It would be the perfect way to impress me = )
Beca laughed as she read Catherine's text. She'd never played a decent club before and had a ton of mixes she was dying to spin to a crowd and not to people over the airwaves.
Beca: Sounds cool, I'm down….perfect timing because I was wondering how I could ever impress you more than I did earlier lol
Catherine: I'm a tough one, but I have faith in you Beca ; ) anyways, can you send me some of your mixes so I can play them for my uncle?
Beca: I can make you a flash drive of my favorite ones if you want to come to the station tonight and grab it? I'm there from 12-5 tonight.
Catherine: Sounds perfect, see you at midnight alt-girl ; )
Beca smiled furiously. Catherine seemed really cool and she was excited to get to know her better even if it was only to direct her feelings for Chloe somewhere else so their friendship could remain intact. She had spent the entire year wrapped up in Chloe and all the drama that she hadn't even looked at another girl and quite frankly, Catherine seemed just like her type. With Chloe drawing the line as friends, what was the harm in her pursuing Catherine?
Beca's phone buzzed again and a message flashed across the top.
Chloe: Miss you, Becs.
Well, damn.