"Beca?" Chloe knocked on the brunette's door. "It's Chloe. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." She listened for the sound of anyone moving inside the house. The lights were on, so Beca was definitely home. The brunette was obsessive about turning them off if she left a room. "Beca? Come on, Bec, I'm just making sure you're okay. I don't need you to talk to me. Just give me something, here okay? Stacie's worried sick about you." Still nothing. Chloe sighed. She already knew she'd regret this. She pulled out her keys and unlocked the front door quietly, slipping into the house. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for the fact that all the lights were on. Chloe stopped in her tracks. Something was off. She padded quietly around the living room, eyes darting back and forth, searching for the slightest detail that Beca wasn't fine. When she got to the kitchen, she immediately came to a halt. There were enough empty bottles on the counter to fill two bathtubs full of whiskey. Chloe's breath stuck in her throat. Her heart stopped. She leant her back against a wall and tried to catch her breath. Beca wasn't alright at all. Something was very, very wrong.
"Beca?" Chloe rasped, heart pounding, as she made her way slowly up the stairs. She stopped at the sight of the closed bedroom door. The redhead took a steadying breath as she quietly opened the door. Everything was as it usually was, neat and tidy. She walked gingerly over to the bed, to the motionless lump lying beneath the blankets and crouched down next to it. "Beca?" Chloe whispered as she placed a hand on top of the blankets. "Beca, are you okay?" The ginger moved aside the blankets carefully, placing a hand on Beca's ice-cold, sunken cheek. "Bec, I need you to answer me." Chloe rubbed her palm against Beca's cheek. The brunette's eyelids fluttered briefly.
"Chlo?" Beca breathed, her eyes remained shut. "Are you gonna die tonight again?" A single tear rolled down her cheek. Chloe smoothed it away with the pad of her finger.
"I...don't understand, Beca." The ginger was confused. She gently stroked the brunette's hair. "Beca, are you sick? You look like you haven't slept or eaten in days." Chloe traced a finger along the slightly protruding cheekbone and the bags underneath the brunette's eyes.
"I guess you could say that." Beca murmured, her eyes fluttering open. "Are you real?"
"Of course I'm real, Bec. What does that even mean?" Chloe asked, confused. "Beca, I'm scared for you. You don't look like you're doing very well at all."
"I'm not." The DJ muttered, her eyes drifting shut again. "Don't leave me again." The last part was whispered softly under her breath.
"I won't. Oh, Beca...I had no idea. I'm so sorry." Chloe murmured, a tear silent making its way down her cheek. "You need to get some food or something into your body. I'll be right back." The redhead rested her hand on Beca's cheek before disappearing quietly downstairs to make the DJ some food.