Chapter 28

A/N: Wow, so I was completely blown away at the response to that last chapter! As a thank you, here's an especially fast update!

Beca threw her backpack into the backseat of her car, moving around to retrieve her guitar from the trunk. Clicking the lock button on her key remote until the car beeped, she made her way back across the school parking lot to the picnic table on the quad where her friends were waiting. It had been two weeks since she and Chloe had told her parents that they were dating, and while her dad was still struggling with the knowledge, Beca had to admit that he'd taken it much better than she thought. It helped that despite teaching Biology, Chloe was an English nerd throughout high school and college. Beca and Sheila had been bored to tears during the last meal when Chloe and Ben had gotten into a spirited conversation about some German author named Szondi, whom Beca had never heard of. Still, she'd sat there grinning like an idiot at the way her dad and girlfriend were getting along, only for Ben to return to the familiar awkward behavior he usually displayed around Chloe when dinner was over.

Beca glanced up, seeing Fat Amy talking animatedly with her hands to the rest of the group. The blonde was sitting on the bench with her back against the table, Benji and Emily were side by side against a nearby tree trunk, Nick was sprawled on his back on the ground seemingly not paying attention to anything Amy was saying, and Stacie was currently whispering something in CR's ear while the other girl rolled her eyes and shook her head. Beca reached the picnic table in time to hear Fat Amy say, "I already reserved the limo, so you flat butts just need to pay up in the next few weeks."

Beca took a quick moment to think over how dangerous it was that Fat Amy was making all the plans for prom night, but shrugged it off and climbed up to sit on top of the table, her feet resting on the bench next to her friend.

Of course they were talking about prom. It was all any of the juniors and seniors could talk about these days; everyone excited to get dressed up and have a night out on Barden's dime. Beca had spoken with Chloe again about going with Nick, worried that it wasn't a good idea after her initial reaction. However, Chloe had assured her that it was fine, and that she wanted Beca to have a good time and enjoy herself with her friends. So she'd agreed, and made Sheila's dreams come true by asking her to join in when she and Stacie went dress shopping.

Beca wasn't sure who was more excited about getting her into a dress, and was beyond over the whole experience after the first shop. Ultimately, Sheila bribed her with diamond earrings and she ended up falling in love with a simple, one-shoulder navy dress. Stacie found a red, strapless gown that she claimed made the girls look amazing, which of course Sheila and Beca were quick to agree with. They'd made a whole day of it, and Beca was exhausted by the time she arrived home after dropping the dress off at the tailor's to be hemmed.

Fat Amy said, "Hey, Shawshank. We were just going over the plans. Are you seriously going to wear a dress?"

Beca rolled her eyes, replying, "Of course. I don't mind them, I just never have a good enough reason to put one on."

CR grinned, saying, "I'll believe it when I see it, Becs."

"You guys won't recognize her. She looked fucking hot in that dress," Stacie said casually, now meticulously filing her nails.

Beca decided it was time to change the subject, asking, "Does everyone have a date?"

Benji nodded and glanced adoringly at Emily, but Stacie cut him off before he could speak. "Yeah, we get it, you guys are adorable and in love and going to prom."

The boy laughed, not letting it bother him as he replied, "Stacie, I'm sure you'll find a date soon."

Beca raised her eyebrows at her best friend, asking, "You don't have a date?"

"I got asked by four different guys and I haven't decided yet," Stacie said, clearly unconcerned about not having made a decision yet. "I'll probably go with Mike, though. He'll look damn good in a tux."

CR shook her head, joking, "Must be tough to be you, huh Stace?"

Stacie winked at her, replying, "The worst."

Fat Amy interrupted, asking, "Nick, did you really convince short stack to switch teams?"

It seemed that Nick had grown accustomed to Fat Amy's antics, lazily cracking one eye open and responding, "Nope, still just friends. The same answer I've given you the last ten times you asked me."

Beca was starting to get bored already, deciding to open her guitar case and started to absentmindedly strum a few chords.

Her friends fell silent as CR asked, "Got any new material?"

Not feeling like playing any of her songs, Beca shook her head no. "Nah, I've hit a block lately."

She missed the glint in Stacie's eye, her head shooting up as her best friend said, "You dirty liar. I know for a fact you've got an endless supply of inspiration."

Nick chimed in, "Yeah...do you write songs for your girlfriend?"

Beca's eyes widened at his words, the rest of the group processing before exploding. Nick looked appropriately alarmed, having had no idea the effect his words would have.

Fat Amy shouted, "GIRLFRIEND?! You have a girlfriend? Who?"

"Finally took the plunge, huh? It's not so bad right? Who's the lucky lady?" CR asked, a grin spreading across her face.

Beca sighed, knowing she couldn't be mad at Nick. How could she expect him to know that it had been a secret when she'd so willingly offered up the information to him. Looking around, she said, "Yes, I have a girlfriend. No, can't meet her. No, you don't know her. This discussion is over."

"Like hell it is," Fat Amy replied. "Why are you going to prom with this scrawny, Harry Potter wannabe if you have a girlfriend?"

Nick surprised them all by grinning and saying, "Wicked. She thinks I look like Harry Potter."

Knowing her friends wouldn't give up until they got some information, Beca said, "Shit, I totally forgot I need to be anywhere but here right now. See you guys later." Quickly packing up her guitar, she said goodbye and started back the way she came, despite the protests and calls that followed from the group.

A few moments later, Nick fell into step with her, immediately apologizing. "Becs, I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was a secret or..."

Beca stopped him, giving him a small smile and saying, "Dude, it's okay. I'm not mad. They would have found out eventually."

Nick studied her for a moment, before sighing in relief, believing she wasn't upset. "So you'll still go to prom with me?" he asked, his voice much lighter.

Beca rolled her eyes and nodded as Stacie strolled up beside them. "Yeah, nerd. It's gonna be fun. Especially if you've got more dance moves like the ones I saw at karaoke night."

He winked and said, "You'll have to show up to find out. See you tomorrow. Bye Stace."

They said goodbye, and Beca began walking towards her car again. "Want to come hang out for a bit before Chloe comes over? Dad and Sheila are out of town for one more night while she finishes a shoot."

Stacie nodded, replying, "Sure, you still owe me the story about what happened when Posen walked in on you guys."

Beca chuckled at the memory. "You got it," she agreed.

Thirty minutes later, Beca was laughing right along with Stacie after explaining the pie incident when things had calmed down. Stacie wiped the tears from her eyes, currently sprawled across the foot of Beca's bed. Beca was leaning back against her headboard, but close enough to reach the pile of gummy bears and m&ms laid out on a paper towel between them.

Stacie sucked in a deep breath, saying, "That's hilarious, Becs."

Beca nodded, popping a few gummy bears into her mouth before adding, "And that's not even the best part! After that, Chloe called Posen so my parents could tell her not to get Chloe fired."

Stacie rolled her eyes. "I can't believe she was going to turn Chloe in. Some friend. I'd never do that to you."

Beca shrugged, countering, "Well, it's a little different. I mean, don't get me wrong, you know I can't stand Posen...but it's not like you can compare their friendship to ours. Chloe just met her last August. It hasn't even been a year. We've been friends for basically our whole lives."

"Touché, Mitchell," Stacie conceded, picking out three red m&ms.

Beca shook her head as she watched, pointing out, "Stace, you know that the color of the m&ms doesn't actually impact their flavor right? I thought you were supposed to be the smart one..."

Stacie flipped her off, retorting, "I'm definitely the smart one. You're the musical one, and everything red tastes better."

"You'd think you were a vampire in your last life or something," Beca muttered, leaning forward to snag some of the chocolate candies for herself.

"I'm definitely hot enough," Stacie said, shooting her a wink.

Beca grinned, "And slutty enough." She ducked as Stacie threw a gummy bear at her, twisting around to dig it out of the blankets and pop it into her mouth. "Anyways, I would have given anything to see Aubrey's face when my dad told her that he and Sheila would be 'very upset if anything occurred to jeopardize Chloe's position at Barden Academy,'" she quoted, deepening her voice to mimic her dad's.

Stacie's eyebrows rose as she said, "Wow, go Father Mitchell," using Beca's favorite nickname for her dad. "What'd she say?"

Beca shrugged, replying, "He also included some shit about how he and Sheila are very generous donors to the school, are currently very happy with the education I'm receiving, and that it would be a shame if those positive feelings were to change. Sheila said Posen played nice and seemed very happy to end the conversation."

Stacie nodded thoughtfully, before asking, "Is Chloe pissed at her? I feel like that's a tough threat to come back from."

Beca sighed, recalling her last conversation with Chloe on the topic. "She's pissed. She hasn't really spoken to Aubrey since. Swanson filled me in a little since Chlo wasn't saying much. He said that Chloe's shutting Posen out, and that Posen has been ignoring him for not backing her up when she confronted us. The whole thing is a giant mess, but thankfully no one else at school is any the wiser."

"You're the luckiest mother fucker I've ever met," Stacie said with a laugh, shaking her head.

"Believe me, I know it," Beca responded. "Somehow, I've made it out of this disaster with my girlfriend, who got to keep her job, and who actually gets along with my parents when my dad forgets the extenuating circumstances behind our relationship, and an offer to produce a single when I graduate...life is fucking amazing!"

Stacie grinned at her best friend, before saying, "You deserve it though, Becs. You've been through some hard shit, and made it out stronger on the other side. I'm really happy for you. I've never seen you like this before."

Beca laid back sideways across the top of her bed, turning her head to look at Stacie. "Like what?"

"I don't know...content I guess. Happy, but that sounds so generic. You just seem like you've really discovered who you are, and that you don't have to shut people out for fear of them not accepting that," Stacie explained, struggling a bit for the words.

"That's all Chloe," Beca said, thinking of her girlfriend. "It all seems surreal to me, especially when I think about where I started at the beginning of the year. Or, how about how I almost didn't even come back for my senior year. I can't imagine not meeting her, not being with her...I don't even want to think about where I would be right now."

Stacie chuckled, replying, "You can thank me anytime, considering it never would have happened if Fat Amy and I hadn't challenged you with that dare on the first day of school."

Beca hummed, looking up at the ceiling before agreeing, "Yeah, crazy isn't it. Nothing would have ever happened between Chloe and I if it wasn't for that stupid dare."

A sharp voice interrupted them, saying, "What dare?"

Beca's heart dropped as she shot up to see Chloe standing in her doorway staring at them, a thump drawing her attention to the bottom of her bed to see Stacie on the floor. She looked back at Chloe, who now had her hands on her hips and looked even angrier.

"What dare, Beca?" Chloe asked again, and Beca knew she was in deep now.

"Hey, babe," she said nervously. "I thought you weren't coming over until later?"

Chloe's eyes narrowed as she said, "I'm here now, and I'm waiting for an answer."

Stacie got up off the floor, looking between the two before grabbing her backpack and saying, "I'm just gonna..." she trailed off and Chloe stepped aside to let her leave the room.

"What did you mean when you said that nothing would have happened between us if it wasn't for that stupid dare?" Chloe asked again, quoting her words back at her.

Beca sighed, deciding that coming clean was her only option. "On the first day of school, Stacie and Fat Amy dared me to get your number and take you on a date," she said, looking up only to shrink back at the anger in Chloe's eyes.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Chloe shouted, stalking furiously into the room. "I risked everything for this, and now you're telling me it was all for a dare? A dare, Beca?!"

Beca swallowed, answering weakly, "No! It was…it just started that way…"

"Don't lie to me! Everything that's happened between us was based on a lie. You just wanted to win a stupid bet with your friends, and you didn't give any thought to how it would affect my life! My friendships! My relationships with my coworkers!" Chloe threw her hands up in the air, her eyes drilling holes into Beca's.

"That's not true! You know I thought about how all of this would affect you. Or are you forgetting about the part where I ended it?" Beca argued, getting to her feet.

Chloe froze, glaring at her. "Oh, so you're saying this is my fault? You're the one who went after me first, all as part of your little game. You fucking played me! All to try and impress your friends."

Beca shook her head, pleading, "It might have started out as a dare, but my feelings for you are real, Chloe. None of that changes the fact that I fell in love with you!"

"Don't," Chloe said, her voice icy. "Don't you dare say that to me. Now I know why you invited me over for dinner that night. Glad I could help you win your dare."

Beca's eyes widened as Chloe spun and quickly left the room. "Fuck," Beca muttered, running after her girlfriend and grabbing her hand saying, "Chlo, wait..."

Chloe jerked her hand away, spinning and leveling Beca with a glare. "Don't touch me."

Beca felt like she'd be punched in the stomach, similar to how she'd felt at her dad's harsh words the night they confessed to being a couple. Stepping back she said, "Chlo…"

"And don't call me that," Chloe interrupted, and Beca could see the hurt in her eyes combining with unshed tears.

"Chloe, you're right, it was a stupid dare. But I'm not sorry for it because it led to the best thing that's ever happened to me. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I wouldn't change our time together for anything. It might have started out as a dare, but my feelings for you are real. I love you, and I know you love me too."

"Of course I love you," Chloe snapped, turning away for a moment. Facing her once more, she continued, "Why do you think it hurts so much? I was just a game to you…" she trailed off, tears falling from her eyes.

Beca stepped forward to take her hands, saying, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…it was wrong. But this…what we have…it's real, Chlo. Don't give up on me. I'm not the same person I was at the beginning of the year."

Chloe shook her head, pulling away from Beca again. "I just…I need some time to think about this. I need some space, Becs. I'm so mad at you right now…" she trailed off, spinning and quickly descending the stairs.

Beca trailed after her, feeling hopeless. "Are you…are you breaking up with me?" she asked tentatively, terrified of the answer.

Chloe paused with her hand on the door handle, giving her a confused look before turning away. "No…I don't know. I don't want to, but I can't look at you right now. I just need some space, okay?"

Before Beca could answer, Chloe was through the door and gone. Stunned, Beca slowly trudged back to her bedroom, her thoughts going a mile a minute. She was in disbelief, wondering if she and Chloe had come all this way only to be undone by the dare. The dare that started this whole dance between them, that had turned to a relationship that had turned to love.

Beca felt numb, replaying Chloe's words over and over. Were they broken up? Chloe had said she needed space, and that she couldn't look at her. That definitely wasn't a good thing. Beca sighed and climbed back onto her bed, hugging a pillow tight to her chest as the pain hit.

Chloe was gone, and there was nothing she could do about it. Her girlfriend didn't even want to see her face, let alone talk to her. Beca heard her phone ringing from somewhere by her desk, but she couldn't bring herself to get up and answer it. It was probably Stacie, wondering what happened. Instead, Beca remained curled in a ball, tears slowly falling from her eyes as she wondered what was going to happen, before drifting into a troubled sleep.

A few hours later, Beca uncurled herself from the pillow, sitting up and stretching her arms over her head. The events from earlier came crashing back over her like a tidal wave, as the realization set in that she was alone and Chloe wasn't coming over.

Frowning, she refused to keep crying, and moved to sit at her desk. As she fired up her computer, she checked her phone to find a missed call and voicemail from an unknown number, along with a few texts from Stacie.

Stacie [5:12PM]: I'm sorry! Is everything okay?

Stacie [5:20PM]: Give me a call…if you want. I'm here for you

Beca smiled sadly, knowing that it wasn't Stacie's fault. Chloe would have found out about the dare sooner or later, and Beca only blamed herself for not telling her about it. She hadn't even purposely hidden it from Chloe, but had completely forgotten about it altogether.

"No way Chloe will believe that," she muttered, opening up the voicemail and hitting speakerphone, setting the device onto the desk and turning her attention back to her laptop.

A woman's voice began speaking, "Hello, this message is for Beca Mitchell. My name is Gail Abernathy-McKadden with Big Machine Records' Talent Acquisition Department. I received your demo and am are very interested in speaking with you. Please give me a call at your earliest convenience. I'm looking forward to hearing from you."

Beca's jaw dropped as she listened to the rest of the message, before playing it again and frantically scribbling down the woman's name and phone number.

"Holy shit," she whispered, staring at the phone number in front of her.

Beca never doubted that Ashley had passed her demo along at the label, but enough time had passed that she'd been sure her music hadn't been good enough. With shaky hands, she picked up her phone and dialed the number, sucking in a deep breath as it rang.

"Big Machine Records, this is Jill, how may I direct your call?"

Beca said nervously, "Hi, I'm returning a call from Gail McKadden."

"May I ask who's calling?"

'Duh,' Beca thought, feeling like an idiot. "Um, this is Beca Mitchell."

"One moment."

Beca took another deep breath as some country song began playing while she was being transferred, not having to wait long before a new voice came on the line.

"Beca Mitchell?"

"Yes…hi," Beca replied nervously.

"Hi, Beca! I'm thrilled you were able to return my call so quickly. How are you?" Gail sounded cheerful, if not a bit rehearsed.

"I'm okay," Beca answered, "How are you?"

"Excellent. Glad to hear it. Beca, a colleague of mine gave me your demo, and I have to admit I was blown away. Are you currently working with anyone?" Gail asked, suddenly all business.

Beca frowned, hesitating before answering, "Uh, I'm not sure what you mean. I just record stuff on my own…in my room. I did just finish recording a proper demo in a small local studio, but those sessions are over."

Gail replied, "Beca, I'm talking about any major labels. If you're interested, we would love to fly you out to Nashville and discuss potential contract options, give you a tour of our studios…show you what we have to offer you as an artist."

Beca's jaw dropped, trying to process what the woman was saying. "You want to fly me to Tennessee? To sign me?"

Gail chuckled on the other end of the line, saying, "Beca, from what I heard on those demo tracks, you've only tapped the surface of what you're capable of. Ashley informed me that you wrote, recorded, and produced everything on that drive without any formal training. Just imagine what you can do with our resources at your disposal. I'd be stunned if you don't have an album out within a year."

Beca was struggling to believe what she was hearing. It didn't happen like this, did it? You don't just get a call one day and find out your dreams might be coming true? Beca had always been taught that if it seems too good to be true, it probably was. Her latest experience with Chloe wasn't doing anything to make her a believer, either.

"Um, could my parents come with me?" Beca asked tentatively, not wanting to go alone.

"Of course! We'll be happy to fly all three of you out here. We'd love to meet with you as soon as possible. Can you make the trip this weekend?"

Beca's eyebrows rose at how fast Gail was proposing this all happen. "It's Wednesday,..." she trailed off, wondering if her dad and Sheila would be up for traveling again so soon.

Gail insisted, "Beca, we want to speak with you as soon as possible. Why don't you talk to your parents and email me if you can make it."

Beca quickly scribbled down the email address, saying, "Okay. I'll call them and find out, and let you know."

"Wonderful! I look forward to seeing you this weekend!"

Beca responded, "I look forward to it as well."

She hung up, and spent a solid five minutes staring at her phone, wondering if that conversation just happened. Someone at a real label heard her music and wanted to sign her. Beca shook her head in disbelief, picking up her phone and freezing with her finger over Chloe's contact name. Sadness hit her again as she realized the person she wanted to share this news with the most didn't want to speak to her.

Scrolling over to 'Father Mitchell,' she hit call, and waited as the phone rang.

"Hey, Becs. Is everything okay?"

Her dad's voice was warm and comforting, and she felt herself break into a grin as she said, "Dad, you'll never guess who I just finished speaking to. Put it on speakerphone and get Sheila."

After explaining the phone call to her parents, she asked hesitantly, "So…can we go to Nashville?"

A/N: All mistakes are my own.

Thank you so much for all the follows, favs, and reviews! The love for this story is seriously awesome.

Would you all believe I thought I could finish this in a few months? Ha, it's been almost a year since I started...joke's definitely on me :-).