A/N: Hey folks, I'm back! Here I come again with chapter 3 of Forgive and Forget? I want to apologize for this one taking so long (compared to the first two) but I felt that after two almost back to back I had to give some love to The Devil of Barden and Nocturnal by getting a chapter each for them before I came back to it. If you haven't read, by all means jump on and have some fun. I'd like to give a shout out to Zap for the quick turn around on this, thank you my friend! And so with much further muss or fuss, here's Chapter 3! If you love it, please leave a review and let me know what you liked. If you hated it, do the same so I can get better! Enjoy everyone!
The Grand Opening
Chloe knew that her tears were soaking into the cushion on the back of the couch, she just didn't care. She also knew that most people would say she was overreacting. She didn't care about that either. Chloe was someone who felt things, felt everything.
Every joy in life, she thrived in it. Every misery experienced, she wallowed in it. All the ups, all the downs. To say that Chloe's life was an emotional rollercoaster was the most understated of understatements. Thankfully, for the most part, the redhead was a fairly up person, life was generally good and things were usually positive. But when things went bad, they went bad in the worst ways possible.
What made it all harder for the ginger was that for those people who she allowed closest to her, she felt all their ups and downs just as strongly. Aubrey, who had grown to be the sister she'd never had, was basically an extension of her own emotional well-being. The pair, separated for three years as Chloe had stuck around at Barden, had reunited after Chloe's graduation and it healed parts of the redhead in ways that Chloe probably would never know. The same applied for the rest of the Bellas of her senior (and senior-plus) years at Barden. Stacie, Cynthia Rose, Denise, Amy, Ashley, Jessica, Lily, Flo, and even Emily. They were all vital parts of everything that Chloe was. Even, and perhaps most especially Beca.
When the brunette had walked out on them after the semi-finals, Chloe had felt her words like a knife-wound to her core. It was that that had caused the redhead to finally look at what was going on and make the first attempt at standing up to Aubrey there, backstage at the semi-finals. When she was quickly shouted down she'd started to go after the brunette herself, intent on apologizing immediately. But Aubrey had caught her and said that "true Bellas" don't abandon their sisters before the results come in.
By the time they had, and the girls realized that Beca had left on her own, Chloe had felt deep inside her that it might already be too late. But she was still trying, still keeping things together. The knife-wound may have remained, but as far as the redhead knew the knife was still there, holding things inside that should be. The thought of seeing Beca after her Spring Break had kept her from bleeding out from the wound on the spot. It also made the feeling later, after she learned that Beca had left, all the worse. It wasn't just a clean stab, the knife had been turned, and then drug through her insides.
But she had her sisters to stay strong for. Someone had to stand up to Aubrey, because without Beca there, no one else but Chloe could. The others might have had the strength, but none of them would have taken the initiative without her. On top of all of the up and down emotional stress of getting back into the competition, Chloe had come to a conclusion over her Spring Break that, while painful, Beca's flight from Barden hadn't changed.
The Bellas needed her. She was their heart and soul, which probably was ironic with her being a ginger considering how many times Amy had teased her about not having a soul. But everyone knew it was true.
Aubrey had said so often enough during the freshmen, sophomore, and junior years. So Chloe had decided, for the sake of the Bellas, and maybe one Bella in particular, to do her utmost to fail Russian Literature so she wouldn't have enough credits to graduate. Aubrey had freaked out when Chloe told her, because the blond just didn't understand. Barden was important to Aubrey, sure, and the Bellas were vital. But for Aubrey, everything was about what came after college. Chloe knew where she was needed the most, however. And so she'd planned to stay and had to steel herself for everything that came after the decision was made.
There were finals, both of the academic and a capella variety, which was followed up by the tearful parting with Aubrey at the airport before Chloe flew down to Florida for summer with her family. Over the summer she'd had to endure an endless series of questions from her mom, her dad, and her brothers about how she could have failed Russian Lit, and why she was staying.
She never did explain it in a way which satisfied them. They didn't understand. Thankfully, in the end, Aubrey had. And that was all that Chloe needed. Her sisters were delighted to have her back, and thanks to their win at the ICCA Worlds, the Bellas had had enough clout with the school to get a chapterhouse of their own. Chloe was the first person to move in, and the reason the place smelled like cookies when the rest of the girls had shown up.
For the next three years Chloe was always chasing something she could never quite see. No matter how well or poorly things had gone, things felt just slightly hollow. And she'd never known why. The Bellas had gone on, thanks in large part to Stacie's co-captaining with her, to do decently well. They'd continued to win the ICCAs, but it was a closer thing than most of them realized sometimes. Only Stacie and she saw the score sheets, and Chloe knew that without Stacie's help and her thumb drive of music, things might have gone quite differently.
But, they'd all made it. Well, not all. Denise had left Barden after her sophomore year, transferring to the University of Maine so she could move closer to her mom, who had gotten sick. Thankfully it had all been sort of a false alarm, but Denise had chosen to stay in her home state for the duration of college. She still emailed them from time to time on updates, and as far as Chloe was concerned she was still a Bella.
Watching that class graduate, graduating with them even, after seven years at Barden had been a huge step for Chloe. Thankfully, Aubrey had been there at her side the whole time. All the girls had been there for her, for each other. They had, not without difficulty, convinced Chloe that it was time for her to move on from Barden. Stacie, especially had been a big help, the buxom brunette having replaced Aubrey in some ways during their three years at Barden. Never completely, and with quite a lot more sexual innuendo than Aubrey had ever used in their time as friends, but that was just how Stacie was. And Chloe wouldn't change her for anything.
The noise of a telephone slamming down onto the receiver in Mr. Vallencia's office startled Chloe out of her reminiscing over the past as her head jerked up. Tears still running down Chloe's cheeks the redhead stood up, her eyes nervously looking over at the door to the boss' office. She hadn't known he was here. Hell, she didn't know what she was still doing here. Beca knew she was here. She might not know where the employee lounge was, but she had to know there was a breakroom or something in the building. What if she came looking…?
Feeling panic bubbling up inside her again, Chloe hurried to her locker and quickly keyed in the code. As she was grabbing her purse and other stuff another terrifying thought came along to help speed her on her way. What if Beca had called Mr. Vallencia and complained? She totally could get Chloe fired, if she was the "somewhat famous" in the music industry client he would almost certainly pick Beca over her if she did complain. She was a special favorite of Mr. Vallencia's, so getting her fired probably would only take a phone call.
Slamming her locker shut, Chloe ran out of the building to her car, thankfully seeing no one as she dashed down the halls. She figured if she was going to get fired, she'd rather it happen over the phone than just after she'd been crying her eyes out.
Unlocking her car door she slid in and had to pause for a moment. Tears were still running down her cheeks and she needed to get them under control if she was going to drive anywhere. Taking a few gulping deep breaths she managed to stem the flow of tears and bring herself into a decent enough shape to make the drive home.
Starting up the car she pulled out of the lot quickly, not looking around to see how many other cars there were. Once on the road and a few blocks away she hit the voice dial button on her steering wheel and waited a moment for the voice to prompt her before she said, "Call Stacie Conrad on mobile."
The phone rang a couple times before Stacie picked up. Chloe could hear the sounds of traffic and cars in the background which meant that her med school friend was probably heading home. Stacie's words, however, almost sent the redhead into another fit of crying as she said, "Awwww yeah. Hot massage table sex. It's been, like 70 minutes. You two totally did it on the table, didn't you? I told you angry massage table sex was the way to go!"
"Stacie! Oh, em, aca-gee! I don't even… No! There was no table sex, no sex of any kind. Nothing even close to sex! But I'm so going to get fired anyway…" Chloe said, tears stinging her eyes as she tried to keep from crying.
"Oh shit… Damn, Chlo. What happened? She figured it out, huh?" Stacie said, her voice changing suddenly to the concerned, caring friend that Stacie normally was. Chloe knew that, if she asked it, girls' night would be canceled and it would be a night of chick flicks, romcoms, ice cream, and vodka to help soften the blow. Aubrey and Stacie, they were her girls, and they had her back.
"It had been going so well… I just… Five more seconds, maybe ten, and she wouldn't have even known." Chloe said before hastily recapping the massage, then how Beca spotted her, said her name without a question in her voice, and how Chloe had fled. Then she added about hearing Mr. Vallencia's phone being slammed and how Beca probably called and had her fired.
"I mean… I don't know, Chloe. I don't think Beca would do that. Yeah, she's pissed at you guys, but the Beca I know…" Stacie said before a slight hitch told Chloe she was receiving a call on her other line and the brunette's voice trailed off. Stacie was, Chloe knew, looking to see who was calling to see if it was more important than her. A second later the other girl spoke again, and there was serious concern in her voice as she said, "Oh shit! That's Beca calling me… Do you want me to take it? Or let it go to voicemail?"
"Fish-sticks and fiddle-faddle!" Chloe said, and then glared at the screen of her phone showing Stacie's picture as the brunette started laughing on the other end of the line. Ok, so she was kind of used to the girls giving her a hard time about cursing unless it was really, really, appropriate to her mind, but that didn't mean she needed the brunette laughing at her right now. Snapping at the other girl she said, "Stacie, Stacie! Just, just take the call. It'll be suspicious otherwise, right? Call me when you're done, though."
After a promise to do just that, Stacie hung up. And Chloe started freaking out that her friend might now be in serious trouble too…
For a solid fifteen seconds Beca sat stock still, staring at the closed door of the massage room in utter shock, then she started to move. She got one foot off the massage table before the sheet fell away and she remembered she was completely naked. And that brought back all the other memories of what had been happening to her over the last fifty-odd minutes and her ass dropped back onto the massage table with a thwacking sound that echoed in the quiet room.
Her hands were shaking as she brought one up to run through her hair, a nervous habit she knew she had but could do nothing about at the moment. Resting her elbows on her knees she dropped her head into her hands and thought, just furiously thought for a solid minute about everything that had happened since she walked into the door of the spa. She didn't blame Cindy, Carla, or even Ricardo for what had happened. It wasn't any of their fault that one of the people whom she had most wanted to avoid in the world had just spent nigh unto an hour with her in a very intimate way.
No, there was really only one person to blame for that. And she'd just run out of the room.
Taking a deep, calming breath, then another three just for good measure, Beca rose from the table and slipped on the sandals before retrieving her robe. She pulled it on slowly, noticing that her shaking hands had stilled slightly in the intervening minutes. Pulling her hair free from the robe she cautiously approached the door, listening for anything from the hallway.
Not hearing a sound, Beca slowly opened it up and peeked outside. She wasn't sure what she expected, though Chloe standing out there to ambush her as she'd once done in the shower wasn't completely out of the question. However the hallway was free of redheads, and Beca slowly and quietly made her way to the stairs. Pausing she noticed another hallway leading away from the massage rooms that she'd never been down before.
A part of her, a reckless part that was still furious with the redhead and all the rest of the Bellas except Stacie, wanted her to walk down that hall. It wanted her to storm around the building in a towering rage until she found the girl who had so recently turned her into a quivering pile of goo with a well-practiced application of her hands.
As Beca's mind conjured up memories of those hands and all that they'd done, the reckless urge subsided and she turned to head up towards the hydrotherapy room. Walking into the quiet room and hearing the sound of water splashing and the soft music, Beca sighed and fought with herself internally. She was right to be mad at the Bellas. She knew she was. She had only done her very best to try and make them better, she had gone above and beyond to help them out. And every single one of them owed all their titles to her. But did they give her even a single thank you afterwards? No.
Well, that wasn't entirely their fault.
Looking around the room Beca saw no sign of Carla, so she assumed that the older woman must have taken off. She couldn't blame her, it was late after all, and the spa had technically closed an hour ago. Still, it would have been nice to have had someone to talk to. Instead of crying over spilled milk she instead slipped off her robe and settled into the nearly scalding water of the hot tub and let her head fall back onto the tiles as she thought back to her tempestuous arrival in LA five years earlier.
She'd hailed a cab outside the hall after Semis, her eyes brimming with tears at the utter rejection she'd just had and immediately ordered him to drive her to her dad's house. It wasn't a short trip, but the cabbie didn't seem to mind. He didn't even ask why she was crying. Hell, he barely said more than a dozen words to her the entire trip. He was, in her mind, the perfect companion for the tear-filled trip.
She arrived outside her dad's house after the long drive to see a light on in the den, but the rest of the house dark and quiet in the night. She used the credit card he'd given her for emergencies to pay the fare, and then hurried to knock on the door. To say that her father was surprised to see her, still in her Bella uniform, was an understatement, but he welcomed her in right away. He had, apparently, been up late grading some papers since Sheila was out of town.
He'd listened to her tale of the last several months of her life up to and including the betrayal of a few hours earlier in relative silence. When he finally did open his mouth after her long monologue, she cut him off and pleaded with him to just let her go, to get away from Barden and start her time in LA a few months early. In the end he had accepted and about a week later, Beca was on her way to Los Angeles. She had had a few things to wrap up, including her gesture that she felt was above and beyond, but despite herself she couldn't stop caring about the Bellas just a little bit. They had been, despite her efforts to keep them at bay, the closest things to what she could have called friends she'd had in a long while.
Later on she'd realize that that was why their rejection of her, their betrayal in her eyes, had hurt so much. Some of them, a couple really, had known what she'd gone through when her parents split up. They had known what loyalty and sticking by someone meant to her. So when they all turned their backs, well… But Beca couldn't just turn her feelings off quite that easily. Which was why, thanks to Stacie's roommate she'd slipped into Stacie's room while the brunette was out of town on Spring Break and left her parting gift for the freakishly sexual girl who had become one of Beca's two closest friends at Barden.
She made no attempt to contact the other. The one who had known exactly what loyalty meant to Beca. She'd had her chance. She'd averted those insanely blue eyes to look at everything but her when Beca looked for someone to stick with her. So no, she made no effort on that part, the one gesture was enough to soothe her guilt over leaving them.
Her dad took the break off to fly out to LA with her, he had finally started to understand the gravity of the error he'd made all those years ago, and was bound and determined to do right by Beca this time. Together they had found a small apartment for the brunette to rent with him and her mom splitting the cost until she was able to support herself. He also let her keep the card "for when she needed it" in his words. Towards the end of the break he'd had to fly back to Atlanta for the rest of the semester, but they parted with a hug and Beca's promise to keep him apprised of her situation.
Everything was going smooth until she got a text from an unknown, but well recognized number. She'd deleted all the Bellas contact info from her phone the moment she'd gotten off the plane in LA, but by this point in time she'd had the number memorized. It read: "Hey Becs! So Bree just got some awesome news. We're back in! The Footnotes cheated, so we're in! Big Bellas meeting Monday after the break, I want you there. I need you there… I need to explain. Please?"
Seeing that text, that Chloe thought she could explain, reopened the already raw wound inside Beca and had the short brunette seeing red. And not the red of her former best friend's hair. She didn't even realize she'd done anything until she heard her phone shattering against the wall. Well, she supposed at least now she didn't have to answer the text, Beca realized as she saw the fragments of her phone still skittering along the floor of her apartment.
It had been better that way, Beca mused, the hot water surrounding her in its comforting embrace. She'd gotten a new phone the following day, texted her dad to let him know she'd gotten a new number, and gone about paying her dues. In the end, it had worked out well. She had heard from her dad via text that Bellas had won the ICCAs and her stomach had lurched a little with happiness. She had convinced herself that it was only because they had obviously used the set list that she'd prepared and left on the thumb drive for Stacie to find and for no other reason. She convinced herself of that because it was a bright spot in a day filled with fetching people's coffee orders and lunch requests. It meant that her music was good, her skills were good. After that day she'd walked a bit taller around the office, well as tall as she could manage in her boots.
Which was probably why when her boss had asked for suggestions she'd been so buoyed with her own musical genius that she'd volunteered an idea. He shot it down after a moment. But he had at least considered it, however briefly. And later that week, when she'd run into him in the break room, he had said that her idea had merit and suggested that maybe she speak up more. She had been floating on cloud nine for the rest of the day.
And, really, that's how it had all started. After that she spoke up again, at another meeting, and was shot down again. Then for a third time. And then for a fourth. But while each one hurt, just a little, she felt she had something to offer.
The fifth time she suggested an idea, it didn't get shot down. Her boss, seemingly slightly reluctant, gave it a chance. And it worked. She'd known it would, of course, but after he had switched off the equipment and told the artist he'd done good work he had spun his chair to face her. And he just smiled.
A muffled sound from somewhere in the spa brought Beca back from her trip down memory lane. She couldn't even really identify what it had been, but it did remind her that she was no doubt pruning up in the hot, welcoming waters and also that she had a show to get ready for.
As she got up out of the hot tub her eyes found the door to the treatment rooms and she sighed again. She still wasn't sure what to do about the redhead. Grabbing her robe and shaking her head she made her way to the locker room and took a quick shower to rinse off before getting her clothes back on. Glancing at her phone she saw several emails and a couple of text messages. Thumbing the device on she glanced first at the texts, email could wait until she was at her computer. The two messages were from her assistant, Laura, and were about the show tonight. Just reminders that were unnecessary, but Beca appreciated them nonetheless.
Pulling two crisp hundreds from her wallet on autopilot as she left the changing room she was already hitting the button to call Laura back. With a smile and a wave for Cindy she left the bills on the counter, the receptionist would know what to do with them, and walked out as Laura picked up.
"Hey DeeJay, you finally got my messages, eh?" The young girl's voice called out teasingly from the other end of the line. Beca could hear the sound of wind whipping across the mic pickup and knew that her assistant was probably driving with the top down on her convertible. Beca forced herself not to roll her eyes.
That girl loved that car. Apparently her and her dad had worked on cars a lot when she was a kid, so fond memories and whatnot. When they had been out for lunch one day about a year after she'd started working for Beca, and Beca had finally realized how utterly dependent on her she had become, they had seen the car for sale at a lot across the street from the café. Laura had insisted they walk over after the meal, just to check it out.
It was a 1967 Ford Mustang, a classic American muscle car. Or at least, that's what Laura had told her as the girl tried not to drool all over it. A piece of history, true Americana, she had called it. Beca tried not to scoff. She'd never really been an old car girl. Sure, she could appreciate the history of it and all, but she was all about the new. In a way, it was like her and music. She could love a classic old song, but it didn't stop her from wanting to take it and mix it up, mash it together with something else to make it vibrant and new again.
In the end Beca had bought the car for Laura as a kind of bonus. Laura tried to refuse it, but Beca just ended up putting the keys on the hood and saying that if Laura didn't want it, then whoever picked up the keys next was getting a free car. The girl was invaluable to Beca, and the short brunette was happy that she'd found a way to show her just how much Beca appreciated all the work she put in.
"Oh shut it, you." Beca said, rolling her eyes. She walked over to her baby and it detected the key in her purse as she approached. The door handles, which had been seamlessly sunken into the doors, popped out as the door unlocked. She grinned, just a little bit, as she always did. Sliding into the front seat of her Tesla Model S she pressed the button to start it and told Laura to hold on as her car silently turned on and the built-in Bluetooth connected with her phone and took over. Once she was sure it was set she buckled herself in and said, "You know my schedule better than I do, you know very well where I was and why I didn't answer."
"I do, but I have to give you a hard time whenever I can. I'm pretty sure that's my job." Laura said, the wind still rushing past in the background, though slightly more quietly now. Beca assumed, considering what time it was, that her assistant was just getting off the highway near her house.
"Ummm, actually I'm almost positive that that isn't in your job description." Beca said, pulling her Tesla out onto the road out front of the spa and turning to head home. She wanted a real shower and needed to get her stuff before the gig.
"Hmmm, I'll check when I get into the office Monday, but I'm pretty sure I wrote it on the latest job description you gave me, so yeah it is." Laura said in a completely innocent tone. The short brunette wouldn't actually put it past the uppity girl to do just that.
"You know, I'm not even surprised by that." Beca said with a laugh. Rolling her eyes she held in her sigh, but only barely. After a moment of silence in which they both acknowledged the absurdity of the situation, Beca continued, "So, yeah, about your texts. I knew about the first one, the song requests the owner gave us. I already have them on my list. For the second, it shouldn't be an issue."
"Good. I knew you probably already had 'em covered, but it's my job to help you do your job so…" Laura said, somewhat fondly. Beca couldn't help the smile that grew on her own lips at the other girl's tone. She had almost managed to put out the events of the last twenty minutes until Laura asked, "So, how was the massage? Donna get your all loosened up?"
"Ugh. You had to remind me." Beca groaned. Taking a deep breath she mentally ran over of her schedule for the next week. It was fairly light, and she really didn't want to deal with Chloe in any way, shape, or form at the moment. Figuring she could probably reschedule her appointment for the next week Beca added, "I'll tell you about it on Monday. Also I need you to call Serenity and cancel my appointment for next week."
"What? Why? Your week isn't that busy, did something happen?" Laura asked, her tone immediately changing from gently teasing to concerned. Beca knew she had to temper what she said, because if she unloaded all of her thoughts on the other girl that Laura would promptly turn her car around and drive straight to the spa and demand the redhead get fired.
"No. I mean, yes, but nothing that… Don't worry about, I'll tell you on Monday. Just, please, cancel the appointment for now, ok?" Beca said, wanting to rub the bridge of her nose, but deciding that driving down the road probably wouldn't be the best time to block her vision. When she heard Laura's sigh come through her car's speakers she knew that, for the time being, the other girl was dropping the subject, which at least gave her the weekend to come up with some way to explain everything about the Bellas to her assistant.
"Fine, but Beca…" Laura said, letting her words trail off, since neither of them needed her to finish that sentence. After all their time working together Laura was fiercely loyal to the short brunette, and Beca knew that she'd have to be careful when she told her about Chloe. The wind coming through the line stopped entirely and Beca heard the other girl's car door open, confirming her suspicion that Laura was on her way home, as Laura spoke again, "So Stacie came by office just before I left to get her passes for the show tonight. I was going to get her on the guest list, but she said she didn't want VIP access, just general admission."
"Wait, Stacie… God damnit, that's right, she wanted… She wanted three passes for tonight, right?" Beca said, her mind making a connection suddenly that she didn't like. When Laura confirmed, Beca just growled and said, "She told me it was for a couple of her classmates. I might have to kill that girl tonight. I gotta go, I need to call her now!"
Barely giving Laura a chance to say goodbye and wish her luck, Beca hung up and immediately had her phone call Stacie. It rang several times, and Beca was just starting to think that the busty brunette was going to let it go to voicemail when the line picked up and she heard Stacie's voice say, "Hey Becs! What's up tiny DJ?"
"Don't you fucking tiny DJ me, Stace. I'm not in the damn mood. Who are you bringing to the fucking show tonight? So help me god, if it's who I think it is we're done…" Beca said fiercely. If the other girl had invited Chloe and, heaven forbid, Aubrey to her show, Beca might just have security toss them all out on their asses.
"Wow, angry midget much?" Stacie said, but Beca thought that she heard something in the other woman's tone that she didn't like. However, when Stacie spoke up again, she seemed completely sincere as she said, "I told you when I asked for the tickets, Becs. They're for me and a couple of classmates. We need a break from studying, studying, and more studying. If it's a big deal we can not come, I guess…"
"Stacie…" Beca said warningly. She wasn't sure, really, whether she could trust the other girl. And that was a problem for Beca, because she wanted to. Over the last couple years Stacie had become a good friend, one of Beca's very few here in LA. And she didn't want to throw away all the time and effort she'd put into the friendship.
"Beca…?" Stacie asked, her tone again its typical friendly and flirty mix. Beca sighed. She didn't have any proof, though she was almost positive that the busty brunette knew that Chloe, and probably Aubrey too considering they had been practically inseparable at Barden, were now in LA. However, Stacie also knew how Beca felt about the pair. She decided to put her faith in trust, but with a veiled warning.
"Nothing, I guess. Have fun at the show tonight. I'll probably be too busy to come down and say hi, though. And if I see them there…" She let her words hang in the air for a brief pause to emphasize them. When she was sure she'd gotten her point across, and she saw her house was rapidly approaching on the GPS, she said, "I gotta go. Enjoy the show. Bye."
She didn't give the other girl a chance to respond before she hung up the phone. Stacie wouldn't be too upset, especially since Stacie probably knew that Beca knew that Stacie knew that those two were in LA. Pulling into her driveway the gate opened when she approached and she tried to get the events of the evening out of her brain. Tonight DJ Ti.B was going to be rocking the house at Sigma to celebrate its grand opening, and Beca had to start getting into performance mode.
Chloe was restlessly pacing back and forth in her living room. Every time she made a complete circuit she'd lift her phone to see if she'd somehow missed a call from Stacie. Every time she looked, though, the display said nearly the same thing and the changing time merely mocked her. For what must have been the thousandth time since hanging up with the brunette, Chloe considered calling her and finding out what Beca wanted.
Or, more accurately, how pissed at Stacie the short brunette was for her having hidden the fact that she was in LA from Beca for so long. She was just stopping to think that maybe she really should call Stacie, it had been almost an hour since she'd hung up with the other girl, when a knock sounded at the door.
"Chloe! Can you get that, I'm still getting dressed." Aubrey's voice called loudly from her bedroom. The blond was aware that Chloe was nervous about something, but the redhead hadn't explained when she'd blazed through the door forty-five minutes earlier looking almost as bad as Aubrey had after their first appearance at the ICCA Finals.
It had taken all of the blond's considerable wheedling skills to get that it had something to do with a phone call with Stacie, but nothing more. After twenty minutes of talking to her, Aubrey had convinced Chloe to go take a quick shower and get ready. She'd promised to watch the redhead's phone in case Stacie called and even interrupt her in the shower should the brunette call while she was in there.
In the end Chloe had accepted the offer, knowing that she had to get ready anyway if they were to have any hope of making it out tonight in a decent fashion, but it didn't stop her from checking her phone about ten times a minute while she got dressed. She had only half paid attention to what she was pulling out of her closet, and thankfully Aubrey had come in for her opinion on the blond's choice of outfit otherwise Chloe might have gone out in a hot pink top and green yoga pants.
Thankfully the blond got her sorted out and with a skill drilled into her during her seven years as a Bella, Chloe managed to pace restlessly up and down their living room in a short, black, leather miniskirt and black, high-heeled ankle boots with ease. The blond had also selected a relatively modest black and white, striped shirt with a moderately low neckline. Fairly conservative for club attire for Chloe, but the redhead hadn't really cared much.
Hurrying over to the door she opened it and felt her jaw drop at the sight in front of her. Her eyes goggled a little as she took in Stacie from her silvery high heels up the many miles of leg that the brunette was showing to take in the ridiculously short and impossibly tight silver dress she had on. The dress was so tight that as Chloe's eyes reached the brunette's impressive bosom, the redhead wasn't even sure of the physics necessary to keep them contained inside the silvery material. The ample cleavage that Stacie had on display was accentuated only with a simple silver necklace that, unless Chloe missed her guess, was the one which Aubrey had given to the brunette as her parting gift as Captain when she'd graduated.
When her eyes finally found Stacie's she saw that the taller girl was smirking at her, and she made sure to close her mouth before she drooled. She had never had any allusions about the fact that Stacie was crazy hot, but dressed like she was, Chloe was certain that the brunette would probably cause people to have heart attacks when they saw her.
And she still couldn't figure out how her tits stayed in the dress. Reaching out she tentatively prodded one with her finger as she asked, "Uh, Stace… How do they stay in there?"
"Very carefully, so stop that! Can I come in or do I have to wait in the hall?" The brunette asked with a laugh as she slapped Chloe's hand away. After stepping aside to let Stacie in Chloe closed the door carefully before rounding on her. Stacie looked nervous as Chloe met her gaze, but otherwise she seemed no worse for wear.
"So? What happened? What did Beca say? Is she going to get me fired? I just know they'll pick her over me, I mean, she's like a famous producer now you said. I'm just a nobody massage therapist. Why didn't you call me? You said you were going to call. I've been freaking out over here, damnit!" Chloe said, all so fast that Stacie opened her mouth several times to reply, only to be bowled over by the redhead. Eventually Stacie had to cover Chloe's mouth with her hand to get a word in edgewise.
"Jesus Chlo', calm down already." Stacie said once she'd finally shut the redhead up. After looking into her eyes for a few seconds, though, Stacie just sighed and went on, "Don't worry about Beca. She was pissed I didn't tell her you guys were in LA. But she didn't even mention having you fired, so will you stop freaking out about that?"
"Oh my god, she's going to hate you too now. And after you finally got back into her good graces. I should have just told Mr. Vallencia no. I could have, you know? I mean, he probably wouldn't have fired me for that…" Chloe said after prying Stacie's hand away from her mouth. She spun on the spot and started pacing again as she realized that she'd probably ruined Stacie's friendship with Beca now too.
"Seriously Chloe, to quote Aubrey here, you need to take the dramatics down a notch, mmmmkay." Stacie said, catching hold of the redhead's arm and bringing her pacing to a halt. When Chloe stopped she saw Stacie look her up and down and smile approvingly at her outfit, the girl always did have an excellent sense of style, and so the redhead at least felt relief that she and Aubrey hadn't completely messed up with her outfit choice. As Chloe freed her arm and walked over to perch on the arm of the couch, Stacie spoke up again and said, "Beca isn't going to hate me. Yeah, she's mad, but she'll get over it. We'll meet for lunch or something next week and talk it out. I know how I can explain it to her in a way she'll understand. We'll be alright."
"You know, I don't know that you ever really explained how you made her talk to you in the first place, actually…" Chloe said as she thought back on their conversations regarding the short brunette. All that Stacie had really told them was that she'd met Beca a year or so earlier and that, through some extenuating circumstances, she'd managed to become friends with the brunette again. Of course, she hadn't really explained what had happened, but both girls had been so shocked to hear that she even spoke with Beca to dig deeper.
"Well… It's kind of a long story." Stacie said and she looked a little nervous as she said it. Before she could elaborate though, a door opening deeper into the apartment heralded Aubrey's arrival into the living room. Both her and Stacie turned to take in the blond's outfit of choice and she couldn't help but whistle approvingly.
Aubrey had chosen an elegant red dress that hugged every curve she had. It dropped from a deep, v-shaped neckline that showed off a decent amount of Aubrey's cleavage and hugged her ribcage and hips before flaring out slightly as it fell to just below her knees. Aubrey's well-toned, stocking-clad calves ended in a pair of strappy, black high-heels that Chloe adored and wished she had for herself whenever the redhead saw them. And yet, despite how gorgeous the blond looked, Aubrey still goggled at Stacie's outfit when she finally entered the room.
"Sweet Aca-Gods, Stacie. Are you trying to kill people? You said we had tickets to get in, that we didn't need to dress slutty to impress the doorman." Aubrey said, eyeing the tall brunette's barely contained chest warily. Chloe chuckled a little as she saw Stacie preen just slightly under the blond's gaze.
"We don't, I just wanted to look nice." Stacie said somewhat coquettishly, which was odd to Chloe's ears coming from the normally brash brunette. Chloe was somewhat surprised to see Aubrey blushing just slightly and was wondering what part of the conversation she was missing as the two eyed each other.
"Yeah, well, dressed like that you look like you're ready to find someone to take you home for something not so nice." Aubrey said, finally breaking her gaze away from the busty brunette. Chloe watched her walk over to where she'd left her purse and start transferring the necessities into the small, red clutch she had picked to go with her outfit.
"What makes you think I haven't already found someone I'm hoping will take me home for some not so nice things?" The brunette shot back, and Chloe couldn't help but giggle. Of course, she was well aware that Aubrey and Stacie had hooked up after their performance at the ICCAs, but as far as she was aware it had only been the once. Aubrey had been gone from Barden shortly after and Stacie had moved on to other conquests. Apparently the brunette wanted to try for a second go around.
"Then I think you're forgetting the fact that we'd both agreed it was a one-time thing. 'No remorse, no repent', like you'd said… Besides, you have a life here in LA and who knows when I'll be picking up and leaving to go home." Aubrey said, her back still to the two girls by the couch. But Chloe could tell by the slump of Aubrey's shoulders that the blond was hurting with the words.
"You know what…? I'm not nearly drunk enough for this conversation. Come on, ladies. Let's go get some jiggle juice and get our dance on!" Chloe said, interrupting the awkward moment and reminding both girls that she was still right there. They both seemed content to put the discussion aside for the time being, but Chloe had a feeling it might come up again. This hadn't been the first time Stacie had hinted at hooking up with Bree again. It was just the most blatant.
As Stacie and Bree composed themselves, Chloe pulled out her phone and opened her Uber app to call for a ride. After a few taps she had one hurrying towards them to take them to Sigma. Tucking her phone into her clutch she said, "Alright, our Uber is on its way, should be here in five. Let's head downstairs."
As promised their chariot, modestly disguised in the form of an Uber driver's Honda Civic, arrived outside the apartment building in just over five minutes. The driver, a not unattractive guy in maybe his late twenties, seemed quite happy to have three attractive ladies pile into his car, even though all three of them climbed into the back seat. It was a little crowded, but the three of them didn't mind that much. And judging by Aubrey's yelp of surprise and the way she smacked Stacie's leg when they first sat down, the blond had gotten stuck in the middle, Stacie had no doubt taken advantage of the situation and pinched Bree on the ass. Chloe giggled and Aubrey spared a glare for her before the car took off.
The trip to Sigma was a little bit longer than Chloe had expected, and thankfully the driver just put on some music for the trip, possibly too intimidated by the three smoking hot ladies currently in his car. Chloe took the chance to pull out her phone and do a little more research on this mysterious DJ that Stacie was taking them to see. She'd said when she'd first told the other two that she had gotten tickets from one of the doctors at her hospital who had had to cover for another doctor that had taken leave that the "elusive" DJ Ti.B was one of the hottest names playing the LA club circuit. She said that the tickets for one of their events usually went for upwards of a hundred bucks a piece.
Naturally Chloe and Aubrey had jumped at the chance. But in the week or so since they'd known about the opening, Chloe had been sporadically doing bits of digging for information about the DJ. She'd easily found some music on Youtube and had been hooked from the first song she selected. It was a simply incredible blend of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself For Loving You" and Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" that had had Chloe dancing around her room despite only having been half-dressed in bra and panties. When Aubrey came in to see what the commotion was about, the blond had smiled at Chloe and joined in the dancing a little.
A few other internet queries had been sent out as well, but aside from music there was very little information that Chloe could glean about the DJ. She, and Chloe only assumed it was a she because the few pictures showed long brunette hair, was apparently super concerned about her privacy. Even going so far as to wearing…
"We're here!" Stacie's voice interrupted the redhead's musing and brought her head whipping up to see lights flashing some distance in front of them. Massive spotlights bracketed the entrance to the club and were flashing wildly into the night sky, and there was a line wrapped around the building. Their driver had, quite wisely it seemed, stopped about half a block away from the club. It made sense, too, since the curb area right outside the entrance was quite packed with limos and other very nice cars depositing people right at the door.
Chloe goggled at the sight before she realized that Aubrey was moving beside her. Sliding out of the car, she thanked the driver somewhat absently and watched as a limo in front of the club drove off and what looked like a Maserati pulled up. A couple of girls climbed out of the car, Chloe vaguely recognized one of them as being a star from some tv show she was tangentially aware of, and a valet stepped up to take the gorgeous vehicle to a safe spot. The two girls hurried their way inside amid the flash of camera bulbs from paparazzi who were lining one side of the club's main entrance.
"Jesus, Stacie… How did your doctor friend manage to get these tickets?" Aubrey asked as they watched the Maserati pull away. From where they stood it was now obvious that there were two separate lines out in front of the club. One was decidedly smaller than the other, and as the girls approached they realized that the shorter line was for people who had tickets to the event.
The other line, it seemed, were for people who desperately wanted tickets to the show, or were hoping they could get in once everyone else was inside, and possibly after some people had left. At least that was the impression Chloe got as they walked towards the club and people started screaming out offers to buy their tickets. The redhead heard someone offer two hundred bucks for it and she was really tempted, but by this point in time her curiosity over the mysterious DJ was well and truly piqued so she wasn't going to sell her ticket for anything.
When the trio walked up to the rear of the shorter line a well-muscled man in a nice suit politely asked for their tickets with casual disinterest. As Stacie pulled them from her wristlet and handed them over he looked them over very carefully, ran a small black light flashlight over them and nodded with a smile. Handing them back he then asked for IDs, which all three produced and he looked over much less carefully before nodding and handing them back. Each girl got a stamp on her wrist, the Greek letter Sigma, which was visible under black light Chloe assumed because it was relatively invisible otherwise. With a casual wave he gestured towards the shorter line with a polite, "Welcome to Sigma."
After that it was just a waiting game. Thankfully it seemed that they were letting folks from the ticket holder line into the club in between various VIPs who pulled up to the front of the club. That was how, about ten minutes later, the trio found themselves walking into the dark, slightly smokey room with the low thumping beat of bass already resounding through it. Chloe could already feel her earlier tension and stress over what had happened at the spa starting to drain out of her and the urge to dance was quickly replacing it.
As they were making their way up to one of the bars in the club, Chloe surveyed the place quickly. The décor seemed fairly club standard with various levels of dancing, gyrating bodies packed in as tightly as they could get. Along one whole wall of the club was a raised area that held a rather massive bar and a dozen or so tables and booths. Most of them were packed, but it seemed that there might be a couple open if they moved fast. Along a separate wall was a staircase that led up to a loft area that was apparently the VIP section as it was roped off with two more massive men in sharp suits standing at it. Attached to the VIP section by a short walkway and standing out over the dance floor was the DJ booth. The redhead could just barely make out a short dude with glasses spinning at the tables up there, which told her that DJ Ti.B had yet to arrive.
By the time the girls got up to the bar, Chloe's hands were over her head and she was dancing as she walked, swaying her way across the floor. When Aubrey caught sight of her, the blond just rolled her eyes, but she had a smile on and it told Chloe that tonight was going to be aca-awesome! Stacie, with her ample cleavage on display for the world, was easily able to catch the eye of one of the bartenders who hustled over and gave the brunette his undivided attention. Not long after that Chloe was delighted to find a shot and a nearly overflowing Appletini in front of her.
"To girls' night out!" Chloe said, raising the shot up to clink against the shot glasses of the other two. She was so happy that she'd decided to go through with girls' night instead of canceling, it was just what she needed after her day. And she hoped that the others managed to enjoy themselves as much.
"And to getting back what we lost!" Stacie added before they could toss back their shots. Chloe thought it an odd thing to say, but when she saw the tall brunette shoot a look at Aubrey, the redhead figured she knew what Stacie meant.
"Cheers, pitches!" Chloe agreed, and all three of them threw back what turned out to be rather expensive tequila. Apparently being a med student paid pretty well, Chloe figured, as the heat of the alcohol burned a trail down her throat. Wincing only slightly she slammed the shot glass back onto the countertop and felt more than heard the other girls' glasses slamming down as well. With a wink and a grin she picked up her Appletini and turned towards the section with tables and booths.
It didn't take her long to spot one, and after a sip from her drink she motioned for Bree and Stacie to follow her. They swooped down on the table just in the nick of time too, as another group of girls was only a few steps behind Chloe. Grinning her friendliest grin at the three girls who looked rather upset, Chloe slid onto one of the stools and laid her purse on the table.
She was just starting to wonder how long it would be before the real show started when the music from the last song faded out and a voice came over the speakers, "Alright LA, I hope you're having a good time tonight here at Sigma!"
A huge roar went up from the crowd and Chloe heard herself giving a hearty scream too. She didn't feel too embarrassed about it, though, because Stacie screamed with her. As did basically the entire club. The DJ apparently liked what he'd heard because he was laughing a little as he went on, "Hah, alright, yeah. Well, I'm DJ Kai and it's been a blast playing for you folks, but tonight you're in for a special treat. I hope y'all are ready for one of my all-time favorites. Give it up, LA! It's DJ. T.I.B!"
The club, which hadn't been quiet to start with, seemed to explode with noise as the so-called DJ Kai backed away from the turn tables and the lights dimmed. The smoke machines, which Chloe figured must have been mounted on the ceiling somehow, kicked into gear as the room was suddenly hazy and dark. Lights began to flicker through the smoke, bursts of green, blue, and white as the crowd kept on cheering. Chloe caught a slight glimpse of movement before the noise, which had subtly been rising in the speakers, broke into a crescendo.
"Are you ready, LA? Let's do this!" A voice rang out through the speakers, artificial and synthetic, but undeniably energized. Chloe had known it was coming, she'd read that DJ Ti.B always spoke with a synthesizer, but to hear it in person was literally giving her chills. As the shadowed form of the DJ started speaking, two glaring spotlights flared to life and lit the entire booth in bright light. It glinted almost blindingly off the gleaming metallic Phantom of the Opera style mask the figure was wearing.
This too, Chloe had known from her research, and it intrigued the redhead to no end. However right there, in that moment, it was possibly the most amazing sight she'd ever seen. If one looked very carefully they could just see one high, delicate cheekbone exposed by the half-mask. But as soon as the music started playing, Chloe didn't even stop to question, she just needed to dance.