Chapter 13

A/N: I'm back! My apologies, I've been away a bit longer than I anticipated, but life was SO much busier than I thought it would be. Now that I'm officially married, the holidays are over, and we are somewhat settled (naturally still TONS left to do), I feel good about picking this story back up.

Also, my beta gave me a friendly shove in the right direction. Honestly, you can thank her for this update since it probably would have taken me another month to get there on my own.

Beca was standing in the corner of Stacie's living room, her hands massaging Charlie's shoulders as the boy rolled his neck back and forth. She leaned forward and spoke in his ear, eyeing their opponents across the room. "You got this dude; you can take him all day," she encouraged. "Remember what's at stake."

Charlie turned his head, giving her a serious look. "There's no way I'm losing this. I'd rather die than call him 'King Cody' for an entire week."

Beca gave him a grim look, asking, "Ugh, yeah, how'd those words taste coming outta your mouth?"

He grinned. "Probably as painful as it would be for you to call Godzilla 'Mistress' all week long if we lose," he answered.

Beca couldn't help but chuckle at the twins' nickname for Stacie. As she processed the rest of his sentence, she raised her eyebrows at him, her mouth dropping open. "Hey, you two weren't supposed to hear that part of the bet. And don't call your sister Godzilla," she chastised, without any real authority behind it.

Charlie rolled his eyes. "But she calls us the twin terrors. Besides, she's giant, and mean, and ruins everything."

Beca quickly spun him back around to face his brother before he could see the wide grin that stretched across her lips. She had to admit, the boy at least backed up the nickname with some logic. "Forget about your sister, this is between you and Cody," she said, deftly changing the subject back to the task at hand, both of them watching Stacie whisper into her brother's ear.

The stage was set and the bet was made. Couch cushions were organized to create the boundaries of a large square in the middle of the room, the center filled with pillows from every bed in the house. Cody had decided, with his sister's help, to go shirtless this time. Both boys were wearing shorts, a long bathrobe, and masks that Stacie had dug out of a bin of old Halloween costumes. Cody had immediately grabbed the classic Jason hockey mask, while Charlie, much to Beca's chagrin, had chosen the Phantom of the Opera one that covered one eye and half of his face. When she had asked him why that mask, he responded that the Phantom was a 'badass,' and that it left his mouth free so he could breathe. Once again, Beca was hard pressed to argue with his logic.

Stacie stood up straight and motioned for Beca to join her in the middle of the 'ring.'

"Okay twerps, listen up," she said, getting their attention. "No punching, kicking, elbowing, or biting. Just good, clean wrestling."

Cody lifted his mask and shouted, "No crotch shots!"

Beca snickered, covering her laughter with her hand at the serious look on his face as Stacie rolled her eyes. "Fine," she agreed. "First one to get pinned or tap out loses."

She nodded at Beca, and they each rejoined their 'fighter' in their respective corners. Beca lightly slapped the side of Charlie's head that wasn't covered by his mask, pulling the robe away as he shrugged out of it and swung his arms around to loosen up. "Don't hold back, or we'll both be screwed," she warned. "Picture the satisfaction of him having to serve you breakfast and dinner for a week."

He nodded and started bouncing on the balls of his feet, jabbing fake punches at the air. Both boys met in the center of the ring and shook hands, clearly squeezing much tighter than necessary before splitting apart. Beca looked over at Stacie and smirked, mouthing, 'Best idea ever.' Stacie winked back at her and nodded, before holding her phone up above her head. Beca quickly pulled her own phone out, snapping a picture of the boys and texting it to Chloe. She slid her phone back into her pocket and looked up at Stacie as she waited until both boys were looking at her, before pushing a button that caused a loud bell to ring out.

Both twins started circling each other, starting out cautiously. Charlie made the first move, lowering his shoulder into his brother's stomach and taking him down. Beca cheered him on, shouting instructions like she knew what she was talking about. Stacie, too, started shouting at Cody, and before Beca realized it, Charlie had been flipped onto his stomach and put in a headlock. He managed to squirm out of it, both twins hopping back to their feet to circle again.

Cody charged forward this time, going low and tackling his twin by the ankles. After about a minute of wrestling on the ground, Cody sat atop his brother, trying to force him from his side to his back. Charlie was struggling one-handed, one of his arms trapped uselessly under him. Thirty seconds later it was over, as Cody used his full weight to pin his brother to the ground with his knees on both shoulders.

The victor shouted excitedly, jumping up to sprint over and high-five his sister. Charlie remained on the ground, wallowing in his defeat and probably thinking about the torturous week that awaited him. Beca walked over and helped him up. "It's okay, dude," she said, trying to console him. The boy flung the mask off and shook his head, glaring over at his siblings who were still celebrating.

Stacie looked over at them and asked, "You guys ready for dinner?"

Beca nodded, replying, "Yep Stace, where are we go..." she trailed off at the look on her friend's face, and the way her hands were now resting on her hips.

Cody grinned and said loudly, "That's not her name anymore, BB!" He quickly cowered as Stacie smacked the back of his head.

Beca looked around confused, taking in the guilty looks on boys' faces and the mildly irritated one on their sister's. "Someone want to fill me in," she asked cautiously, not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer.

Both boys blushed and shook their heads, looking down. Stacie rolled her eyes and shot Beca a grin. "They think you're hot, so they call you Bangin' Beca, or BB when our parents are around," she said, not bothering to hide her amusement.

Beca's jaw dropped for the second time that evening, looking from one twin to the other. Both were deeply red in the face and refused to look at her, instead training their glares on Stacie. She heard Cody mumble, "And she wonders why we call her Godzilla."

Stacie laughed, grabbing her brother in a tight hug before he could escape. "Aw, don't be embarrassed guys. I tell Beca she's bangin' at least twice a day," she said with a wink. Cody squirmed out of her grasp, dashing over to stand beside his brother.

Beca smirked at the boys, sensing they needed some validation at the moment, despite the fact that their embarrassment was fading. "Yeah, really, don't worry about it. I'm honored you thought highly enough of me to give me a nickname," she said, unable to stop herself from shooting Charlie a wink, biting her lip to keep from laughing as his face turned bright red again.

Stacie clapped her hands loudly and changed the subject. "Who's up for In-N-Out?"

The boys instantly began shouting about milkshakes, and ran away to get dressed as Beca helped Stacie clean up the cushions and pillows. She rolled her eyes at her friend, asking, "Bangin' Beca? Really?"

Stacie laughed, shrugging her shoulders as she answered, "They're only nine. They don't have game yet."

"I pity the girls in their class if they turn out anything like you," Beca replied, chuckling again at the nickname.

They rolled their eyes as they heard the twins shouting for them to hurry up, putting the last of the cushions back in place before making their way out to the car.

By the time they got back to Stacie's house, her parents had returned from their date. The twins sprinted inside, still gripping their milkshakes, shouting about the wrestling match. Beca stayed outside and leaned against the hood of the car as Stacie quickly ran inside to speak to her parents, neither expecting the Conrads to be home so early. Stacie returned a few minutes later, joining Beca on the hood of the car.

Beca looked over at her friend, asking, "Are your parents pissed about the whole wrestling thing?"

Stacie shook her head no. "Nah, they know what a handful the twins are. And no one was hurt…" she trailed off, shrugging her shoulders with a grin.

Beca nodded in agreement. "True. That definitely helps us out."

Stacie looked over at her, asking curiously, "So, where were you this afternoon? You didn't think I was gonna let you off the hook after hearing you're getting your groove back, did you? Spill."

Beca couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she thought back to her afternoon with Chloe. "Um…" she locked her fingers together, not knowing exactly where to start.

"Don't get shy on me now, Mitchell," Stacie said, giving her a wink. "At least give me some details about the hickey on your neck that has magically appeared since I last saw you."

Beca immediately clapped her hand to the side of her neck, just below her ear, feeling her cheeks heat up as she blushed furiously. For some reason that Beca couldn't explain, she didn't want to tell Stacie yet. It was something new, and exciting, and for now it was just between her and Chloe. Beca had done the one thing she promised herself she wouldn't do this year, get involved with someone. She didn't regret the decision, but it felt special, and she wanted to keep it all to herself for at least a night.

She could see the impatience on Stacie's face as she answered, "I don't really want to talk about it, Stace. Not yet."

Beca looked down, feeling her friend's eyes studying her carefully. "You're being weird, Becs. Is everything okay? You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Stacie asked, her voice turning a little concerned.

Beca nodded, meeting Stacie's eyes and giving her what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I know, dude," she replied. "You're literally the only person I would consider talking to about this."

If Stacie had any suspicions, she kept them to herself. Beca hoped the brunette knew her well enough to trust she would open up on her own terms. Plus, she knew that Stacie's help would be essential in getting alone time with Chloe.

"Thanks for not pushing it, Stace," Beca said gratefully. "I gotta go. We've got tons of calculus homework and I still have to work out what song to perform on Friday."

Stacie nodded, and gave Beca a quick hug before heading towards her front door. Beca got in her car and started the engine, checking her phone before going anywhere. There was another missed call from her dad, and two texts from Chloe. She quickly called her dad, putting it on speakerphone and changing Chloe's name in her phone as he answered.

"Hey Becs, are you gonna be home soon?" her dad asked.

"Yeah, I'm leaving Stacie's house now. We just finished babysitting the twins. Is everything okay?" she responded, clicking back to the call screen.

"Everything's fine. I forgot you two were watching the boys tonight."

Beca rolled her eyes and said, "Okay, well I'll see you in like five minutes."

She hung up, scrolling through her phone to check the texts from Chloe.

My Muse [7:12PM]: OMG! What are you letting them do?

My Muse [9:03PM]: Call me later xoxo

Beca broke into a wide grin as she read the messages, before shutting her phone off and driving the short distance home. She grabbed her backpack and headed inside, finding her dad and Sheila in the living room watching something on TV with a couple of pizza boxes laid out on the coffee table. Checking the clock, she saw it was almost ten at night.

Beca raised her eyebrows when she recognized what was happening. "You guys are watching The Bachelor without me?!" she asked, deeply offended.

Sheila paused the show and turned to look at her. "Sorry kid, you know the rules. We tried to call you twice and waited thirty minutes after it started. Come on, we're only about fifteen minutes in."

Beca frowned, thinking about how much homework she had to do. Most of it wasn't due until the end of the week, but she wanted to get an early start on it because of the concert on Friday. In the end, she couldn't resist their Monday night routine, grinning as she dropped her backpack and settled into the couch between her parents. Grabbing a slice of pizza, Sheila quickly caught her up on what she'd missed, before resuming the show and letting the drama unfold.

It was nearly midnight by the time Beca made it upstairs to her bedroom. Not realizing just how late it was, she collapsed on her bed, pulled her phone out, and called Chloe. It rang a few times before a sleepy voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Oh shit, you were totally sleeping. Sorry for waking you up," Beca fumbled through an apology. "Go back to sleep…"

"Hey, slow down," Chloe's voice sounded more awake as she cut Beca off. "It's okay, I wanted to talk to you."

Beca rubbed her eyes and apologized again. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was almost midnight. I got distracted."

"I can imagine. From the looks of that picture it was an intense wrestling match." Beca smiled at the humor in Chloe's voice.

"It was beyond intense," she replied, grinning up at her ceiling. "After that we took the boys to dinner. Then I came home to find my parents watching The Bachelor without me."

Chloe's sarcastic reply resonated in her ear. "The horror. Not The Bachelor?!"

"Bite me," Beca retorted.

"Happy to," Chloe replied. "Didn't realize you were into that, Becs," she continued playfully.

Beca groaned, knowing she'd walked right into that one. "It's our thing," she explained, deciding to ignore her teacher's comment for now. "Every Monday we order pizza and watch The Bachelor, just the three of us."

"Cute," Chloe said. "So, what did Stacie say when you told her about us?"

Beca hesitated, surprised that Chloe would bring it up. "Well, I…uh…I didn't tell her," she confessed, closing her eyes.

"Why not?" Chloe's answer was swift, her tone curious.

Beca shrugged, even though she knew Chloe couldn't see her. "I don't know," she finally admitted, a yawn surprising her before she could continue. "It's not that I don't trust her, because I do. I think I just wanted it to be between us at first, something special that no one else knows about," Beca finished, rolling her eyes at how stupid the words sounded.

"Aww, you're adorable," Chloe replied, and Beca could tell she was smiling.

"I'm a badass," she quickly corrected, sighing as she heard Chloe snicker.

"Whatever you say, Mitchell."

Beca didn't want the conversation to end, but she could feel her eyes growing heavier with each passing minute. Chloe must have sensed it as well, and the next words out of her mouth were more than welcome.

"It's late and you sound exhausted. Get some sleep. I'll see you at school tomorrow," Chloe's voice sounded as tired as Beca felt.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. G'night, Chlo," Beca said, trying to stifle another yawn.

Chloe paused on the other end, before replying, "Goodnight, Becs."

Beca trudged down the hallway to her locker, sipping coffee from the travel cup Sheila had shoved in her hand as she walked out the door. Unfortunately, the caffeine was slowly jolting her into reality, and she frowned upon seeing her friends circled around her locker. She met Stacie's eyes, watching her friend say something to Fat Amy and CR, before they all turned to stare at her with creepy grins on their faces.

"It's way too early for you guys to be acting so weird," Beca grumbled as she reached them. "You all look like serial killers."

"Good morning, sunshine!" Stacie said cheerfully, while the rest of the group waited expectantly.

Beca narrowed her eyes at the taller brunette. "Stacie, what the fuck is..."

Stace shook her head, cutting her off by clearing her throat loudly. Beca looked at her bewildered, eyeing the rest of her friends, who were glancing back and forth between them, grins still fixed on their faces.

"I'm way too tired to play games, dude," Beca said with a yawn. "Just tell me what's going on."

"Have you forgotten about our little bet already?" Stacie's voice was sickeningly sweet, and Beca's eyes widened as her brain realized what she was talking about.

"Oh, come on," she said with a nervous laugh. "We were just messing around for the boys. I didn't think you were serious..." she trailed off, recognizing the look on Stacie's face. Fuck. She was completely serious, and Beca was now seriously screwed.

Fat Amy snickered at Beca's realization, chiming in, "Say it, Shawshank. We're not leaving you alone until we hear it with our own ears."

Stacie prompted her, asking, "You ready to go to class, Becs?"

Beca glanced up at Stacie pleadingly, but the brunette just gave her an evil grin and shook her head. There was no way out of this now. She looked around her circle of friends, before sighing, resigned to her fate for the remainder of the week. "Yes, Mistress," she said, her voice low and eyes glued to the ground, positive she had never blushed so hard in her life.

Her friends all burst out laughing, Fat Amy wrapping an arm around her shoulder as she said loudly, "I knew you were wild in the sack Shorty, but I never pegged you for a bottom!"

CR held her palm out towards them, Beca shooting her a confused look before Amy slapped a twenty into her hand. Eyes widening again, Beca looked between the two of them.

"You bet on our non-existent sex life?" she said in disbelief, as CR's grin only widened.

"Of course not," Cynthia Rose said, slipping the bill into her pocket. "We bet on your very real, very kinky sex life, and I won." Beca shot Stacie a hard glare as their friend continued on, "I had a feeling that when the two of you were alone, Stacie took charge and whipped your sarcastic ass into shape."

The tall brunette grinned wickedly, sliding her arm around Beca and pulling her close. "Okay guys, that's enough. You'll have plenty of time to torture Beca about this for the rest of the week."

Beca looked sweetly up at Stacie, turning to face her and leaned up to whisper in her ear, "You are beyond dead for this, you know that, right?"

Stacie nodded as she whispered back, "Mmhmm. But it's totally worth it."

Fat Amy's loud voice interrupted the moment. "Teacher alert! Stop making out!"

Beca rolled her eyes, turning around to have her sharp retort get stuck in her throat as she realized who was coming towards them. 'Shit,' Beca thought, as Chloe approached the group, her normal smile in place although it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Good morning, ladies," Chloe said as she passed them on the way to her classroom, giving a second glance at Beca and Stacie's proximity to each other.

Beca still hadn't found her voice, remaining silent as the other three girls chimed out in unison, "Morning, Ms. Beale!"

Fat Amy looked curiously at Beca. "No greeting for the sexy Bio teacher, Shawshank?" she asked. "Has Stacie got you that whipped already?"

Stacie grinned, replying, "I'm keeping her very occupied."

CR snorted, "I'm sure you are."

Beca decided she'd endured enough teasing for one morning, grabbing Stacie's hand and starting off down the hall. "It's a sad, sad day when I'd rather go to Posen's class than keep chatting by the lockers," she grumbled, hardly believing the sharp left turn her morning had taken.

Stacie laughed, her long legs quickly falling into stride with her friend. "Aw, don't worry Becs. It won't be that bad. I'll only rub it in a little bit," she said with a wink.

"Speaking of gloating, how bad was Cody this morning?" Beca asked, have a sneaking suspicion of the answer.

"The worst, of course. He won't let Charlie talk to him without first asking 'King Cody' for permission," Stacie laughed. "They'll be at each other's throats by the end of the day."

Beca smiled before shaking her head, mumbling too low for Stacie to hear, "You'll be lucky if I'm not at your throat by the end of the day." Inwardly, she knew it wasn't that big of a deal. She was pretty certain that despite the teasing, their friends knew she and Stacie were just friends. 'Chloe doesn't really believe you're just friends, though.' The thought flashed through her mind, and it took her a minute to process it before fully grasping the implications. Beca swallowed as she realized what Chloe saw in the hallway, and what she could have overheard. Fuck. She had a sinking feeling that by the end of the day, she was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

When the final bell rang, Beca breathed a sigh of relief and closed her notebook. Chloe was pissed at her, and there was nothing Beca could do about it because they were at school, and that would violate rules one and two. She had let it slip that she was going to see Jesse after school and work on a song for Friday, resulting in both Stacie and Benji insisting on tagging along. Benji, though he'd been absent this morning, had been shocked at first, as throughout lunch, Beca continued to refer to her best friend as 'Mistress.' However, by the end of the hour, he had joined in on the teasing, laughing right along with the rest of them.

Beca, for her part, had moved on from her earlier embarrassment, deciding that the week would go by a lot faster, and with a lot less blushing, if she got over herself and just rolled with it. At least, until they reached Biology class. Beca was stunned at how quickly everything went downhill. She had followed Stacie into the room, carrying her friend's books. Stacie had asked her a random question, and she had responded automatically with a grin, an eye roll, and a very sarcastic "Yes, Mistress."

Chloe, who had been making her way around the room, returning some homework assignment from last week, snapped her head around to stare at her. Beca felt the grin freeze on her face as Chloe approached their table next, her face blank as she flipped through her stack of papers. Benji had cracked up immediately, and Stacie, who couldn't see their teacher right behind her, had replied, "Now, now, Beca, I don't think that tone is really necessary. I don't want to have to punish you later."

Beca met Chloe's eyes as they locked onto hers, flashing dangerously, and she felt her stomach drop at the redhead's stare.

"As interesting as your extracurricular activities seem, Miss Conrad, I'll have to ask you not to discuss them in my class," Chloe said, her tone strict as she set Stacie's homework down in front of her.

Benji stopped laughing immediately, having the decency to blush and mumble an apology. Stacie remained completely immune to embarrassment, shooting their teacher a slightly guilty grin along with a quick apology. Beca finally found her voice, muttering an apology as Chloe set a paper in front of her without a word. Stacie had shot her a look, but Beca had shrugged the exchange off and busied herself putting her homework away.

As the rest of their classmates exited the room, Benji hopped up from his chair excitedly, asking, "You guys ready to head over to the choir room?"

Beca glanced up at the front of the room, but Chloe was staring intently down at something on her desk, not paying the students any attention. She nodded, slowly rising from her chair, letting Stacie and Benji walk ahead of her hoping Chloe would look her way. The redhead never looked up, and Beca sighed as she exited the room, pulling out her phone as she threw her books into her locker. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw a text from Chloe, instantly feeling nervous to read it. Steeling herself, she swiped the message and unlocked her phone to read it.

My Muse [3:22PM]: Care to explain?

Beca sighed, feeling a little relieved. Maybe her teacher wasn't as upset as she'd thought. At least Chloe seemed to be willing to hear her out. She typed out a quick reply, glancing around to make sure her friends were still occupied.

Beca [3:29PM]: Lost a bet. Trying to make the best of it.

Beca [3:30PM]: Call you later to explain?

She hoped her answer would satisfy Chloe until she could explain further. Shoving her phone into her pocket, she quickly stuffed her backpack into her locker, deciding to grab her stuff for the night after her visit to the choir room. Before she could head over to join her friends at Stacie's locker, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She quickly checked the reply from Chloe, breaking into a small smile as she read the words.

My Muse [3:31PM]: Maybe don't try so hard...

My Muse [3:32PM]: Or don't lose in the first place ;-)

Beca [3:32PM]: Sure, just pile it on. As if I'm not getting enough shit for this already

Slipping her phone into her pocket again, she walked over to where Stacie and Benji were chatting with Fat Amy.

The Australian wasn't ready to let her off the hook so easily, immediately quipping, "So if Stacie's the Dominant, that makes you the Sub, right?"

Beca rolled her eyes and retorted, "Yeah, except I'm a terrible one. Following orders isn't exactly my style."

Stacie played right along, smacking Beca lightly on the ass. "Give yourself some credit, Becs. I think she secretly just likes to be punished, and screws up on purpose" she said with a wink at Fat Amy.

The blonde nodded, agreeing with Stacie. "Makes sense, and it explains why she's in detention so much."

Beca sighed and interrupted her two friends. "Okay, I'm heading to see Swanson. You guys coming or not?" Not waiting for a reply, she set off down the hallway. She smirked as her friends rushed to catch up, not wanting to miss hearing any more of her original songs. Stacie and Beca listened as Fat Amy and Benji chatted about the set list for the concert, arguing over a few of the selections. Due to sports practices starting right after school, Jesse couldn't schedule choir rehearsal until later on in the evening, allowing Beca some time to steal the guitar from his room and practice on the stage.

When the group entered the choir room, they found Jesse leaning back in his chair with his feet propped up on the desk, flipping through some sheets of music. He looked up, greeting them with a wide smile.

"Hey guys," he said, tossing the papers on his desk and standing up. "Beca, did you decide to perform on Friday?"

She nodded, rolling her eyes at the excited shouts from her friends. "Yeah, I'd like to perform if the offer still stands," she replied, unable to stop herself from returning Jesse's smile. Sometimes, it really was hard to believe he was their teacher, mainly due to his boyish face and youthful excitement. Beca couldn't help but laugh as he jumped in the air and fist pumped like he'd just won the lottery.

"Awesome! Have you decided on a song to sing?" he asked, already reaching under his desk and bringing out the guitar.

Beca shook her head no, answering, "I'm trying to decide between two songs. One is more upbeat, and probably better for the concert, but I'm not as confident about it. The other is slower, softer, and way more personal. I'm comfortable singing it, but I don't know if I want let people hear it yet."

Jesse nodded, his expression understanding. "Do you want to play the first one for us? Maybe you just need to play it a few times to work out the kinks and get comfortable," he offered, moving to place a stool at the front of the room, before gesturing for the other three to find a seat in the makeshift audience.

Beca didn't answer. Instead she removed the guitar from its case and slipped the strap over her head as she took a seat on the stool. After strumming a few times and adjusting the knobs at the top to tune it, she took a deep breath and began playing.

She hadn't played the song since declaring it finished, and she stopped to restart a few times before finding her rhythm. It wasn't long before her fingers were strumming the guitar effortlessly, eyes nervously glancing around the room as she navigated the lyrics. It definitely helped that her audience seemed completely enthralled by the song, Jesse's mouth dropping open and Stacie's wide grin giving her a much needed confidence boost. When she finished, the four broke out into a loud applause, complete with Fat Amy shouting for an encore.

Jesse spoke up first, seeming more than a little surprised. Beca figured that was to be expected, since she had never played any of her original songs for him, let alone performed one live. "Wow, Beca," he said, his tone reflecting his amazement. "You wrote that?"

She nodded, feeling her face flush a little, still not used to putting her music out there and receiving compliments. "Yep, it's all mine," she said, her lips easing into a small grin. "Music and lyrics," she added, knowing Jesse would get the movie reference.

He grinned, pointing a finger at her as he replied, "Good one. Well, I know you said you didn't feel very confident about it, but I think with a few solid practice runs on the stage, you'll blow everyone away."

Beca glanced at her friends, noticing for the first time how silent they were. "What do you guys think?" she asked, her nerves returning instantly.

Benji spoke up, his voice full of encouragement as he said, "That song is perfect, Becs. The ones you played for us before were really good too, but that one is perfect for the concert."

Fat Amy nodded in agreement. "The lame magician over there is right," she said, ignoring the glare Benji threw her way.

Stacie hid her laughter behind her hand, composing herself before she gave Beca her opinion. "I think Jesse is right. With a few days to practice, I think you'll get comfortable with it and nail it on Friday."

Beca looked around at the smiling faces of her friends and teacher, feeling lucky to have such strong support for her music. She suddenly felt determined to work out all the kinks and perform flawlessly on Friday. "Okay," she said, her voice strong and free of doubt. She hopped up off the stool and removed the guitar from around her neck.

"It's decided then. Let's take this party to the stage."

A/N: As always, thanks to my beta Ravenclawsome33 for the edits, and giving me that nudge in the right direction.

Another shout out goes to the guests and users who reviewed asking for updates. Yep, I saw them, and yep, the guilt was overwhelming. Anyone who's still reading and was waiting for this chapter can shoot them a quick thanks ;-).

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please R&R and let me know what you thought, even if it's just to tell me I'm rusty after taking such a long break ;-).