"Oh. Aubrey. Hey."

Aubrey stood and watched Beca from the stairwell door for a second, sucking slightly on the backs of her teeth. She made no attempt to hide her displeasure at coming face to face with the insolent freshman - who happened to be liked so very much by her best friend. Aubrey advanced towards Beca, feeling the resentment bubble in her gut.

"What are you doing?" she snarled, feeling the irritation at Beca slide off her tongue with every syllable. As Chloe's best friend Aubrey held a moral obligation to mute her distaste towards Beca whenever Chloe was around, but as this time she was nowhere to be seen, Aubrey felt no desire to hold back. The Bella's were hers, success would be hers - and an inexperienced freshman with an attitude that stunk so hard it bit at the back of Aubreys throat was not going to stand in her way.

"I was just leaving." Beca said, and tried to turn away from Aubrey. Instead Aubrey reached out an aggressive arm across her chest and stopped her in her tracks.

"All right," she spat. "We can play this game. What were you doing? In my room." She glanced at the bundle of clothes in Beca's arms. Beca's wearing Chloe's gym sweats, she noted, and her eyes narrowed. Beca saw this, and brushed simply past Aubrey's extended limb without a second glance.

"It's Chloe's room too." Beca said as she walked away. Aubrey spun on her heels, her fists balled angrily at her side. Before she had a chance to exhume her anger in vicious insults, Beca paused, one hand on the stairwell door, and turned back to face her,

"Aubrey, I know -"

"You don't know anything!" Aubrey fumed, unable to hold back. Beca raised one eyebrow, with an unsympathetic smile creeping into the corners of her tight-lipped mouth. This only infuriated Aubrey more. Her breathing became heavy, and she tried everything she could not to lash out.

"I know you don't like me," Beca said matter-of-factly before Aubrey even had a chance to move. "But what I do in my spare time is absolutely none of your business. In fact, I think I've told you that before." she turned back to the door, about to leave. Before she could, Aubrey blurted,

"Why were you in my room?" she felt her shoulders tense, and anger bubbled in the deep of her stomach like bile.

"Why do you care?" Beca asked, sounded exasperated.

"I know what your type is like." snarled Aubrey, folding her arms.

"My type?" Beca turned back to face Aubrey, who felt pleased at having instilled some kind of anger into Beca too.

"Don't play games with me." Aubrey growled, her eyes narrow. "Chloe might not be able to see it, but I sure as hell can. Now get out of my sight before I call campus police. You're not supposed to be here."

"See you at rehearsals then." Beca said, turning away from Aubrey, who huffed at the sound of Beca slamming the door. She chewed the inside of her mouth, holding back any temptation she might have had to scream profanities in Beca's direction. She angrily fumbled with her key before flinging the dormitory door open, and throwing her back down. The mess of auburn hair stirred sleepily at the noise.

"Wharraydoin'?" Aubrey heard, muffled from beneath her thick sick-day duvet which was sprawled across Chloe's bed. Thankfully her own bed was as neat as she had left it yesterday morning. Otherwise, she thought, had Beca slept in there there would have been even more hell to pay.

"Beca, is that you?" Chloe said, bleary eyes peering out from the bundle of quilt.

"Wake up." Aubrey said, unapologetic.

"Oh, it's you." Chloe flopped back to her bed.

"Why was Beca here?" Aubrey continued, perching on the edge of her own bed.

"Where's she gone?" Chloe yawned. Her stretch, however, was cut short and turned into a groan as Aubrey pulled apart the curtains.

"Never mind where she's gone - I was hoping you'd have an explanation of what happened last night? Last I'd heard there was nothing going on between you - and now I find her sneaking out of your room - dressed in your clothes - you, well-" Aubrey stood up and pulled the duvet from Chloe's bed "You're hardly in the best-oh god!" Aubrey dropped the quilt back over her friend, heat rising in her cheeks as she noticed how little clothing she had on.

Chloe haughtily rolled over, pulling herself out of her hungover fetal position into a sat-up-scrunched-up-ball, knees tucked tightly under her chin, hair messy around her face, and the duvet tucked snugly around her. "Thanks for that," she said, pouting. "What happened to Beca, again?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "She was leaving as I came home - I got snowed out last night."

"We got snowed in," said Chloe, and blushed before she even realised what she said. Beca's naked torso swam into her mind, and she avoided Aubrey's glare.

"Evidently." she heard her say stoutly. Chloe looked up to see Aubrey, eyes narrowed, and her arms folded in such a malevolent manner she found herself unable to feel anything but guilt.

"Nothing happened!" she said, only half lying.

Aubrey exhaled deeply from her nose, before pouncing; she could hold back her feelings on the matter no more.

"What you get up to in your - private - time is none of my business," she snarled, "unless I see the prospect of you getting hurt. Which I do."

"What? I'm - Beca's - I'm not going to get hurt-" Chloe tried to interject, but Aubrey continued furiously.

"Chloe will you listen!" she spat, and Chloe flinched. "I have supported you all the way through this - this phase of yours that you seem to be so fixated on-"

"It's not a phase!"

"-I had to lie to your dad when he asked me about it, I held your hair back when you cried so bad it made you sick - I even had to cancel rehearsals to make sure you were okay. I am not going to let all of this hard work I have put in be ruined by you getting hurt by some stupid girl!"

Chloe watched Aubrey fume, and blinked back the tears. Her voice came to her eventually, tiny at first.

"Aubrey. How can you... Beca's not just some stupid girl I know." Aubrey let out an exasperated sigh.

"Then why isn't she here? Why am I picking up the mess she's left behind?"

"Thanks very much, Bree. How can you make this about yourself? I don't understand what you're say-"

"I just thought you'd have more sense - after everything you've struggled with - every time you've come to me and asked if I'd still be here when every one else had left - I thought you might have the sense not to pick another fuck-and-chuck."

Chloe's mouth widened unexpectedly. She couldn't believe what she was hearing - and from her best friend too. She glared for a second, and then climbed from her bed - not caring she was dressed so scantily - and stood a mere few inches from Aubrey's face.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she snarled, her voice feral and low through gritted teeth.

"You know exactly what I mean." Aubrey replied, her voice sharp on her tongue.

"You have no right-"

"I have every right!" Aubrey snapped "Chloe - don't you see? You've made such a name for yourself that even freshman girls don't give a dam about you anymore!"

"You bitch." Chloe spat, her voice loud. She didn't care who heard - she felt no remorse for the hatred she felt in her chest for Aubrey. "I can't believe you are turning this on me. Last night you said I should go for it - changed your mind now have you? Just because you don't like-"

"Maybe I lied last night! Maybe I'm sick of you having to fall back on me when people leave."

"Maybe I'm sick of having to juggle all of your overbearing dick-like insults - always dragging me down - and all the Bella's - you're exactly what we said we wouldn't become after last year- you're just conveniently forgetting about all the times I've had to be there for you-"

Aubrey said nothing. She stared at Chloe, staring deep into the raging blue eyes that glared back. She, for once in her life, couldn't find the words to fight back. She had no way to express how she felt-

"I knew it." Chloe said, quieter. Aubrey could hear the malice in her voice. "And you knew it too - you just couldn't stand someone else being the centre of attention for a change. And that's what Beca is to you, isn't she?"

"That is not true!"

"Don't patronise me, Aubrey. Not any more!" Chloe shouted, and angry tears spilled down her cheeks. "I just wanted you to be happy that I'd finally found someone to be with, someone that isn't going to mess me around-"

"Beca's not that person-"

"You said-"

"I know what I said - and I've changed my mind-"

"You can't do that!" Chloe said, and her foot stamped beside her unexpectedly. More hot tears flowed from her eyes, but she did nothing to wipe them away. For the first time she felt liberated to stand up for what she beleived in, stand tall against Aubrey's demeaning glare. She wasn't going to be treated like this anymore.

"She is a nightmare waiting to happen." Aubrey breathed. "Look at what she has done to you."

"This is not Beca!" Yelled Chloe, and the fury in her voice made Aubrey falter. She stepped back, stumbling on her bed. "This is you Aubrey - you've done this to me!"

"How dare you-"

"Aubrey, don't you see? It's never going to work between me and Beca if you keep putting your ego in the way."

Aubrey shook her head slightly. Her voice had faltered. "You're making a big mistake." There was no more reasoning to be done, she thought, and turned away from Chloe.

"Where are you going?" Chloe said, cocking her head to one side as Aubrey made for the door. "Bree, don't - we can fix this-"

Aubrey paused, one hand on the door knob. She turned back to face Chloe. Her arms were crossed across her body, as though vulnerable all of a sudden. Not wanting to show her how much pain this caused her, Aubrey turned back and opened the door.

"Bree -don't-"

"Chloe, you've made a choice-"

"I haven't chosen anything!" Chloe pleaded, but the door shut before she could reach it. There was no response from Aubrey on the other side, who blinked back her own tears briefly before strutting away down the corridor. "You're being ridiculous..." Chloe tried to shout, but her voice resembled nothing more than a frustrated sob beyond the first word.

Aubrey had these moments of madness, Chloe recalled, but this time it felt different. It felt like something between them had broken, snipped in two by Aubrey's billigerant words. Chloe had never intended on having to make an ultimatum between the pair - but if she had to - no, she couldn't chose. Not yet, not after everything Aubrey had just said. She would shower, calm down - sort her head out - let Aubrey clear her own, talk to Beca. Beca. Her thoughts faltered as she formulated a list in her mind, and came to the thought of Beca. She desperately needed to talk to her too, she thought.

As though exhausted by the weight of it all she flopped onto her bed, putting her head into her palms. Aubrey was right in one sense - Beca had left without any word of warning, but this time it felt different. She would normally say to Aubrey that she wanted them back, but after a drink or two and the passing of some time in which she could think about how much of an ass they really were, she would get over it and concentrate on putting in a better performance for the Bella's at the next rehearsal. The guys were just a relaxing distraction from the strict regime that Aubrey laid down - but the next day she felt liberated to pull her weight at practise again, content she had relaxed enough and could get back on track. This time though she wanted Beca to be the one she went back to practise with. She wanted Beca to be the one she walked through the auditorium doors, holding hands with, and her and she wouldn't need to look to Aubrey for a comforting word or two when things went wrong. Because they wouldn't. She was going to fight to bring her back. This time was different. She angrily wiped tears from her tired eyes, and muttered,

"Damn it Mitchell, what are you doing to me?"