Aubrey walked into the apartment in a panic, consequently waking Beca and Chloe from where they had fallen asleep on the couch. Beca immediately jumped up, putting as much distance between herself and Chloe as possible. Chloe frowned, but chose not to comment, instead focusing her attention on Aubrey.

"Have you guys checked your phones recently?!" Aubrey exclaimed, running into the living room in a panic.

"Um, no… What's going on?" Chloe looked at her roommate alarmed.

"Jesse got arrested. Everyone is talking about it." The two seniors looked at Beca.

"Oh… I may have gone to the police station and filed a report." Beca said, with a shrug.

"What? When?" Chloe questioned.

"After I left the auditorium. I figured I should go before I lost my nerve. I didn't think it would get out this fast though…" Beca explained.

"Well, it did and it's spreading through campus like a wildfire. As far as I can tell, no one knows why Jesse was arrested, but it's only a matter of time before that gets out too." Aubrey's expression softened when she saw the look of misery on Beca's face. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine how horrible it must be to have your personal life on display." Chloe placed a comforting hand on Beca's shoulder.

"Oh my God! I didn't even think… my dad is gonna hear about this! I have to call him." Beca jumped up and grabbed her phone off of the coffee table. She ignored the multiple text messages from people wondering about Jesse, and immediately called her father. She anxiously listened to the ringing on the other line and breathed a sigh of relief when she heard a voice on the other line.

"Beca! Where are you? I was just at your dorm!"

"I uh… I'm at a friends…" Beca replied, her eyes meeting Chloe's. The red head gave her an encouraging smile. "Listen, Dad, I need to-"

"Beca, what the hell is going on?! I was told by a coworker, of all people, that my daughter's boyfriend was arrested! What have you done now?!" He exclaimed, exasperated.

"Me?! I haven't done anythi-" Beca was cut off again by a bitter laugh.

"Oh, save it Beca. We all know you have a propensity for getting yourself into trouble. I just feel bad that you roped that poor boy into your web."

"My web?! Are you being serious right now?!" Beca could feel her anger rising and she turned away from Aubrey and Chloe's questioning looks. "God, will you ever just listen to what I have to say before making an assumption?"

"I don't have time to listen to excuses, Beca. Now, I have a reputation here as a distinguished professor and your 'activities' are starting to tarnish that reputation. I would appreciate it if you could at least try to get your act together so I don't have to keep defending my screw-up of a child. I have to teach a class now. We will finish discussing this later." With that, the line went dead.

Beca stood speechless, staring at the phone in her hands. Aubrey cleared her throat awkwardly. "So, I'm guessing it didn't go well?" Beca simply shook her head, running a hand through her hair.

"What did he say?" Chloe tone was much softer and gentler. She approached Beca slowly, putting a comforting hand on her arm.

Beca sighed, feeling the tension leave her body at Chloe's touch. She shook her head again, almost as if to rid herself of the harsh words of her father. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. Forget him." Chloe still looked worried, but decided to let it go.

"Okay. What do you wanna do now? Watch another movie?" Chloe practically bounced with excitement.

Beca sighed again, looking at her watch. "Actually, I think I should head out. I don't want to walk back in the dark."

"Are you sure? I can give you a ride." Chloe pouted, and Beca chuckled lightly.

"I'm sure, Chlo. I could use the fresh air." Beca stepped forward and gave the disappointed red head an apologetic hug. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? We can grab lunch or something."

"Okay!" Chloe's mood seemed to brighten at the prospect of seeing the short brunette the next day. Aubrey shot her a knowing gaze, but kept her observations to herself. She watched as Chloe walked Beca to the door, giving her one last squeeze before allowing her to leave. Aubrey's eyebrows rose as she watched her roommate deflate now that the short brunette had left.

"I get the feeling we have a lot to talk about." Aubrey said with an amused tone.

"You have no idea."

As Beca began her walk back to her dorm, she pulled on her headphones, quickly finding a playlist that would suit her mood. She quickly became lost in her thoughts, images of a certain red head assaulting her brain, not that she minded. Naturally, she thought again about the kiss and what it meant. It was clear to Beca that her feelings for Chloe went beyond that of an average friend, but the question resided in what she would do with that information. She didn't consider herself as a person that was good with relationships, and generally tended to avoid putting herself in situations where her heart was vulnerable. She thought of how badly the relationship with Jesse had ended, and she knew that she was nowhere near ready to throw herself into another romance. But, on the other hand, she couldn't bear the thought of distancing herself from Chloe, as she would normally do when she felt that someone was getting too close. Chloe had already managed to worm her way into the brunette's guarded heart, somehow, and Beca found that she didn't mind. That had to mean something, didn't it?

She continued her internal debate, completely unaware of her surroundings. So, she was understandable startled when she crashed directly into a body in front of her. She inwardly groaned when she recognized the signature red Treble sweatshirt. Thankfully, it wasn't Jesse, but one of his teammates, whose name she had never bothered to learn.

"Hey, you're Beca, right?" Beca stared at him stonily, not really intending to start a conversation. "Yeah, you're Jesse's girlfriend." She groaned audibly.

"Ex-girlfriend." She corrected, before turning slightly so that she could walk around him. To her displeasure, he followed her.

"You're the reason Jesse got arrested, aren't you? In case you didn't know, his dad already bailed him out. He told us that you're causing him trouble."

"You might want to get your facts straight, bud. Jesse caused trouble for himself." Beca scoffed, though she was bothered by the thought that Jesse had already been released.

"Hey." He grabbed her arm tightly, forcing her to stop. "You mess with one Treble, you mess with all of us."

"Let go of me." Beca growled. He merely grabbed her other arm, pushing her into the brick wall of the building they were standing next to. "Hey! What are you—"

"Whatever you have on Jesse, drop it. I don't know why you're messing with his life, but you aren't going to win. Things are going to get really ugly for you, Beca, if you don't leave him alone. Jesse has a lot of people backing him up, and we will ruin you." He stared right into her eyes, as if daring her to fight back, before releasing his grip on her body. "I'll see you around, Beca." He casually walked away, leaving an astonished Beca still pressed against the building.

Beca would be lying if she said she didn't feel intimidated and frightened by what had just happened. The boy's threat had seemed very real, and she suddenly realized what she was up against. The whole situation seemed rather hopeless; no one would believe an 'alternative', aspiring DJ over a charismatic, normal-looking student with a clean record. Frustrated, she kicked the side of the building, wincing as her foot came into contact with the hard brick. The words of her father echoed in her head, as she turned and walked in the opposite direction of her dorm building.

She needed alcohol.

A/N: That slimy rat! Okay, so I think I need to stop predicting when this story is going to end, because I am clearly horrible at it. I guess I want to know if this feels too drawn out or if you like the direction that this is heading in. Full disclosure: I don't really have a plan. I know how I want it to end, but I have absolutely no idea how to get there, so suggestions and ideas are welcome. Also, sorry this is a shorter chapter, but I should have the next one up in a day or so, so yay for free time! Okay that's all for now. Don't forget to read, review, and repeat. Oh, also follow, favorite, and... flip out? Yeah, I don't know, I tried...