Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter is the first day of school from Chloe's POV. Enjoy!

"Okay everyone, that's it for today. Don't forget to read chapter one by the end of the week!" Chloe called over her shoulder as she erased the writing on the board leftover from the class. She smiled at the various calls of "Bye Ms. Beale!" and "See ya Ms. B!" as the students filed out of the room.

Chloe sank down into her chair, turning away from the door and opened her calendar. After three straight sections of freshmen Biology, she finally had a break during the shortened period for electives. The younger students were forced to choose an art during this time, and the juniors or seniors could either take a class or have a free period. Chloe loved the emphasis that Barden put on the arts, offering electives in dance, choir, drama, drawing, painting, band, and even pottery. She briefly wondered if any of the students would be interested in A Capella, smiling at the memory of her old group from college.

She pulled out her phone to text Jessica, her best friend and roommate from college.

Chloe [11:05AM]: 3 classes down! Love it here but miss you!

She placed her phone on her desk and smiled thinking about how well her first day was going. So far she had only taught freshmen, but they were bright and energetic as they attempted to hide any first day of high school jitters. Chloe truly loved teaching. There was something about working with students and helping them master complicated material that made her feel like she was making a real difference. A gentle knock on her open door startled her out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Aubrey smiled apologetically. "I wanted to swing by and see how your first day is going. It can be a little overwhelming here."

Chloe gave her a wide smile, beckoning her into the room. "No worries, Bree! Please come in," she said warmly. "I think it's going really well. The students here are wonderful!"

Aubrey smiled replying, "Yes, most of them are very bright young men and women, and a joy to teach."

Chloe looked at her curiously. "Most of them?"

Aubrey frowned. "We have a few troublemakers here, none more so than Beca Mitchell. I already had to give her detention for the entire week after her behavior in my class this morning. You'll want to watch out for her, I believe she's in one of your AP Bio sections."

Chloe ran her fingers through her hair thinking over Aubrey's words, finding it hard to believe any of the students here could be that bad. Still, she didn't want anyone causing problems in her class. "I'll keep that in mind, Bree. Thanks for the heads up."

Chloe had been paired with Aubrey on her first day of orientation at Barden. Aubrey helped her learn the ins and outs of Barden throughout the week, and would be acting as her mentor during her first year. The two connected instantly after discovering their shared passion for teaching, music, and bad reality television. Having taught at Barden for 3 years, Chloe felt lucky to have Aubrey's knowledge to draw on, and peppered her with questions for the entire week. Aubrey also introduced her to several of the other teachers, and Chloe had felt less and less like an outsider the longer the week went on.

Aubrey yawned as she stood up checking her watch. "You're welcome, Chloe. Only one more class, and then Jesse and I want to take you out to lunch to celebrate your first day at Barden! Meet outside the front doors after 5th period?"

Chloe smiled replying, "That's so nice of you two! You don't have to do that."

Aubrey's face took on a mock-serious expression. "We absolutely do! Plus it's meatloaf day in the cafeteria, you don't want any part of that. Trust me."

Chloe chuckled before agreeing to meet them for lunch. Her phone chimed as Aubrey left the room, and she glanced down to see a new message from Jessica.

BFF Jess [11:19AM]: CONGRATS! Miss you too girl. Not the same without you

Chloe [11:20AM]: Ditto. You should come visit! It's beautiful here

BFF Jess [11:20AM]: I've never been to Cali. How about a long weekend over fall break?

Chloe [11:21AM]: Totes! I'll be settled in by then. Call you this weekend?

BFF Jess [11:22AM]: Perfect!

Chloe put her phone down on her desk and stood up, stretching her arms over her head. She had made some huge changes in the past month, but she felt nothing but happiness as she looked around her new classroom. Smiling she turned back to her desk, using the last few minutes of her free period to look over her lesson plans for the rest of the week.

Chloe slid into the passenger seat of Aubrey's convertible, taking her sunglasses from on top of her head and slipping them on. "Thanks so much for taking me to lunch! I can't imagine my first day going any better," she said, beaming across the seat at Aubrey.

Jesse hopped over the driver's side door into the backseat, receiving an exaggerated eye-roll from Aubrey. "Seriously, Jesse? You act more like a student than a teacher."

He grinned at Chloe, ignoring her tone. "That's why I'm their favorite."

Chloe laughed as Aubrey pulled out of the parking lot retorting, "That's because you teach choir. The worst thing you tell them is they have to sing a song they don't like. Try teaching a real class."

Jesse leaned back into the seat, clutching his heart with a wounded expression. "Why do you try to hurt me, Bree? You know you've never missed a performance in the two years I've been here. I think you just wish you could take my class," he finished with a wink at Chloe.

"Don't flatter yourself, Swanson."

Chloe looked over to see a small smile on Aubrey's face. She had only known the two teachers for a week, but could already tell they had a close friendship. Confirming her thoughts, Jesse leaned forward with his head between them and whispered loudly in her ear, "Don't listen to her, she's secretly in love with me."

Chloe burst out laughing as Aubrey reached over and slapped the back of Jesse's head, forcing him into the backseat. She glanced over at Bree and noticed her cheeks were tinged with red, thinking to herself that maybe there was something more between the two after all.

Chloe quickly interjected, "Well I just wanted to thank you both for making this transition so seamless for me. I never thought I'd have the courage to move across the country, but so far it's been an amazing adventure."

Aubrey pulled the car into a space in the back of the school parking lot designated for teachers. "Of course, Chloe! I can already tell you're going to fit right in here." They got out of the car and made their way towards the front of the school, Chloe trailing slightly behind the other two. She looked up at the sound of Aubrey's raised voice, spotting a group of students near the front of the school rushing frantically towards a nearby trash can.

Jesse slowed his pace letting Aubrey charge ahead and groaned under his breath, "Damn it, Beca."

Chloe fell into step with him as they followed Aubrey towards the students in time to hear a voice dripping with sarcasm say, "Don't worry Posen, we were just plotting our grand escape from afternoon classes, complete with diagrams and fake hall passes." Jesse stepped up beside Aubrey, and Chloe stayed a step behind, taking in the situation.

The four girls were standing a little too close to the trash can, three of them slightly behind the fourth. They seemed like an odd group to Chloe. The tall brunette was gorgeous and looked like she should be modeling somewhere, confidence oozing from her stance despite the guilty expression on her face. An overweight blonde that Chloe vaguely remembered passing in the hallway stood next to her in the middle, and an African-American girl with a short blue mohawk was on her other side. The fourth, a short brunette was meeting Aubrey's glare with her arms crossed, challenging her to disagree with the obvious lie. At her words, the taller brunette broke into a small smile. Chloe's eyes lingered over the girl's face, intrigued by her dark blue eyes framed with heavy eyeliner and the line of piercings up the edges of her ears. Jesse's voice snapped her back into the moment, surprised when the girl gave him a small smile.

Jesse stepped aside, politely including her in the conversation by giving her a small introduction. Chloe took a step forward with a bright smile, hesitating for a split-second at the frown on the girl's face before offering her hand to the short brunette. The girl twisted her face into an attempt at a smile and shook her hand, introducing herself. "Beca Mitchell."

Chloe beamed at her, replying, "It's so nice to meet you!" The girl stepped aside, crossing her arms over her chest again as Chloe moved to shake hands with the other girls, learning their names. Just as she stepped back from Cynthia Rose, the bell sounded from inside the school. Chloe automatically looked at her watch, noticing she had 5 minutes to get to her classroom. She said a quick goodbye and followed Aubrey and Jesse back inside, thinking to herself, 'So that's the infamous Beca Mitchell? I thought she'd be taller.'

Chloe breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of the last bell, watching her second group of AP Biology students stream out of her classroom. Her eyes lingered on Beca and the look of irritation on the brunette's face as she left the room. Chloe had been prepared to handle any insolence or attitude from the girl, but was surprised to find that Beca only spoke when prompted, otherwise remaining stoic in her seat. As the last student filed out of the room, Chloe grabbed her water bottle, taking a sip as she strolled over to lean against the doorframe and watch the students milling around in the hallway. Over the loud chatter, she heard Aubrey's voice ring out clearly.

"Ms. Mitchell! Aren't you supposed to be in detention right now?"

Chloe's eyes widened. Shit. She totally forgot that it was her week to monitor detention. Chloe rushed back to her desk to check her calendar, recalling the staff meeting at the end of her orientation week. Jesse and Aubrey had looked at her sympathetically as Principal Williams had assigned her the role, being the newest teacher. "Don't worry Chloe," he had said with a smile. "It's the first week. I doubt you'll have a single student." So much for that sentiment. There it was, right there blocked off at the end of the day in all capitals. MONITOR DETENTION: Room 224. Chloe sighed and locked her computer, quickly gathering her things. She hurried down the hallway, knowing she was already a few minutes late.

She entered the room and easily spotted Beca slouched in a chair, eyes on her phone as she typed out a text. Chloe set her things down on the desk at the front of the room, steeled herself, and approached the brunette. "I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed to use your phone in detention." Settling her mouth into a firm line she held her hand out for the phone, her eyes calmly locked on Beca's dark blues. Her stomach twisted nervously under Beca's steady gaze before the brunette shrugged and dropped the phone into her hand, mouth twisting into a smirk. "Whatever you say, Beale."

"Thank you." Chloe smiled brightly, walking back to the front of the room to place the phone on the desk. She turned around, leaning back against the desk to find Beca staring out the window with a frown. Something about the small brunette was unnerving, giving her a strange feeling that Chloe simply chalked up to suspicions from Aubrey's warning. Like she was expecting Beca to spout off at her any second, in the same manner she had confronted Aubrey outside the building at lunch. Still, she took another moment to study the girl, wondering how much trouble she could possibly be. Maybe Aubrey was being a little dramatic. Her brief interactions with Beca had left her more curious than anything else, remembering how her entire demeanor had changed as she spoke to Jesse about her music.

Beca's voice broke the silence. "So what's your deal?"

Chloe realized she'd been caught staring, as Beca's frown was trained in her direction with her arms crossed over her chest. Chloe met her stare responding, "What do you mean?"

Beca scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Don't play dumb. What did Posen tell you about me?"

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "That's Ms. Posen," she corrected. "And I prefer to make my own decisions about my students."

"The way you were just staring at me says otherwise."

Chloe's face took on a look of confusion, as she stayed silent waiting for the brunette to explain.

Beca smirked and continued, "Like I was about to start streaking across campus? Or grow horns and attack you with my pitchfork?" Chloe's face burned at how easily Beca had read her expression, and she glanced at the clock wondering how only 15 minutes of the hour had passed.

Beca nodded, her smirk fading back into a frown. "Thought so. Posen thinks I'm trouble." She held her fingers up using air quotes around the last word, rolling her eyes at the thought.

Chloe watched the brunette lean back in her chair and turn away to stare out the window again. "Prove her wrong then," she challenged, watching Beca slowly turn to meet her eyes.

"I never said she was wrong," Beca replied, her eyes darkening as she purposefully trailed her gaze down Chloe's body, biting down on her bottom lip. Chloe found herself unable to look away as Beca's eyes moved back up to meet her own, that feeling returning to her stomach as the statement hung heavy in the air between them. She felt her breath catch and realized just how little control she had over the situation when Beca rose out of the chair, slowly walking towards her with a smirk.

"Relax, Beale," said the brunette, sliding past Chloe to perch on the desk beside her. "What Posen and I have can't be replicated. It's a mutually exclusive hatred."

Chloe raised her eyebrows, unable the help the small smile from forming as she responded, "Is that so?"

Beca nodded and shifted a little to face her, leaning in closer. "That is so. It doesn't have to be like that between us," she said with a wink.

Realizing the situation was close to getting out of control again, Chloe smiled and retorted, "Well if you behave yourself, it won't be." She pushed off from the desk, putting some space between herself and the brunette.

Beca sighed dramatically. "Where's the fun in that, Beale?"

Chloe laughed at her antics. "The fun you'll have when you're not stuck in detention your entire senior year." She glanced up at the clock. "Go ahead and get out of here. There's only 10 minutes left, and I want to be here about as much as you do."

"I won't tell if you won't." Beca grabbed her phone and hopped off the desk, heading over to grab her backpack. Chloe watched her leave, shaking her head at the "Later, Beale" the brunette called over her shoulder. She ran her fingers through her hair and sat down in the chair behind the desk letting out a deep breath. Chloe wondered if Aubrey had any clue just how much "trouble" Beca Mitchell really was.

A/N: As always, a MASSIVE thank you to my beta, Ravenclawsome33!