CHAPTER 14
POV- Chloe
It's the first rehearsal of the semester and Beca and I find relief in seeing how quickly the girls catch on. After vocal warm-ups, we move rehearsal to the bleachers. I find myself smiling as Beca rolls the board (Probably twice as big as her) up beside me.
"So…" She nods, letting me start.
"Soooo," I start with enthusiasm. "What're some songs you all would like to sing?"
There is a moment of silence as the girls deliberate. Fat Amy is the first to speak, "We could sing something Jewish…?" She suggests with a shrug. Beca's eyes meet mine and I can tell we are equally confused. As are the rest of the girls.
What is it with Fat Amy and Jews?
Cynthia Rose is the next to speak, "We could sing something by Rihanna?"
Beca and I nod in agreement. She pulls the top on the dry erase marker, before turning to the board and starting the list of suggestions.
Rehearsal goes on like this for the next hour or so. We get suggestions for Bruno Mars (to which Beca responded with a smirk and an eye-roll directed my way, knowing how much I love his music), Daft Punk, Alicia Keys, Nirvana (Which makes Beca smile) and some 80's dance music.
From here, we decide to end rehearsal early. As the Bellas stand and gather their belongings to leave, Beca tells them to brainstorm so we can narrow down the list at tomorrow's rehearsal.
"Make good choices!" She yells as they reach the double doors.
Once the double doors slam shut for the final time, indicating that all the Bellas are gone, Beca turns to face me, with a questioning look. "Why the early let-out, Miss Beale?"
"I just have a lot going on. And they seem to be a sharp bunch…," I trail off once I notice the genuine concern in Beca's eyes.
"Anything I can help with?" She smiles sympathetically.
If only she knew… She's the reason for at least half of my stress. Especially when she leaves her button-ups open and wears those low cut tops, like she did today. It's really hard to be near her, when all I can think about is that night we hooked up.
All I can think about is her soft body arching under me or the way her hands felt running through my hair as we kissed…
About how I could get used to that…
"Chlo?" Beca calls, bringing me out of my thoughts.
Realizing I haven't answered her, I force a smile and shake my head reassuring her,"I'll be alright."
The next day…
As I'm walking out of my last class, I spot a little brunette DJ sitting on the lawn up against a tree. Headphones on, eyes closed, in her own world…
I watch her for a bit, before starting towards her. I squat and tap her on the shoulder. She sits up and removes her headphones, letting them hang around her neck.
"What're YOU doing, outside?" I tease. It is rare to see Beca outside of rehearsal, the station, or her room.
"I'll have you know…," She deadpans, "I can be semi-social when I really put my mind to it."
I smile at her as she stands, brushing dirt and grass off the back of her pants. "Besides… I know I stayed in my dorm, I would've overslept rehearsal."
"Fair enough," I chuckle, starting towards the auditorium for rehearsal.
"So, how was dance today?" Beca asks, appearing to be genuinely interested.
It warms my heart how much she cares sometimes. (Even though she'll deny it if I tell anyone). It's just really nice to have someone that listens to me and cares enough to ask me about things later, to check in.
"It went surprisingly well," I smile thinking about how quickly my dance technique returned once I started class.
"Any…performances or anything, coming up?"
My eyebrows raise in surprise at Beca's interest in my dancing.
"Uhhm… Well, the first one is a faculty recital-,"
"When's that?" She interjects, pulling her phone out of her jean pocket. I watch as she taps until she opens what appears to be a calendar app.
I feel heat in my cheeks.
Stop Chloe! Quit blushing, or you'll run her away!
"That's next Thursday night at 8… Then, there's one with the new dance students the Thursday after that."
I wait for her to finish typing the first date in before I continue,"I'm in the second one. That's also at 8."
She finishes entering the second date as we reach the auditorium.
Practice goes well for the most part. We manage to narrow down our first set to "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics, "Smells like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana and "Where Have You Been" by Rihanna. Practicing all three songs separately to get a feel for them. Then, Beca suggests making a mash-up between the three and the girls seem eager to try it out.
"I'll work up some possibilities tonight and let you all hear it tomorrow." The girls begin to gather their belongings, sensing rehearsal is over. "One last thing before you all leave…"
They stop, giving Beca their undivided attention.
"We know, we know," Fat Amy groans, before the some of the older Bellas join in "MAKE GOOD CHOICES!"