Hi everyone! I had a ton of free time this week so I decided to do a surprise update instead of waiting for next Tuesday! Once again, thank you for all your reviews! They mean the world to me.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Perfect
Everyone is currently gathered around the campfire roasting marshmallows in a comfortable silence. I'm pretty sure Beca's 'near-death' experience has resulted in her and Chloe to reconcile, which I'm extremely happy about.
I'm sitting smack next to Emily, clammy palms and all, and on the other side of Flo. At least, I can pretend the blush and my sweaty hands are due to the fire and not the clumsy freshman that's hip-to-hip with me.
"Squirt," Fat Amy speaks from across the fire pit, reaching out an arm and making grabbing motions. "Pass me the goods."
Forlornly, I toss the bag with the last three marshmallows over at the Tasmanian. There's no doubt in my mind that I won't be getting another s'more.
"Everything's just changing and I'm putting so much pressure on myself, you know?" Beca's words come straight out of left field, shocking the group into silence.
She starts to tell us all how she's not sure she's good enough to make it as a producer and wishes she could write songs like Emily can; and, asks her to collaborate with her, to which she happily agrees to. Emily returns that she just wanted to be one of the Bellas, to which the group in question confirm that she already is one. That seems to lift the girl's spirit higher than I thought possible. She exclaims that she feels like a winner and bounces around.
"You're one of us too, you know, Grace," Beca says to me, leaning forward.
"What?"
"Yeah," Chloe grins. "You're like, an honorary Bella,"
Tears start to form in the corners of my eyes, my throat clenching with emotion. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, kid," Stacie shoots me her signature smirk. "Who else would bring out the maternal side of our big bad DJ?"
Beca smiles with her tongue between her teeth and looks away, embarrassed.
"Why doesn't she have to pay the registration fee?" Amy asks. "I want my fifty dollars back."
Beca coughs. "You mean my fifty dollars."
Fat Amy waves her off.
Anything the short captain can respond with is cut off by Chloe announcing that she's gonna graduate, finally.
This encourages all the Bellas to announce what they're going to do after graduation. Cynthia Rose is getting married, Lilly is traveling through time (shocker), Flo might get deported and die, Stacie is gonna be a astro physicist, Fat Amy is claiming to become a jelly wrestler and even though they don't get a chance to speak, I'm pretty sure Jessica and Ashley are gonna start their own restaurant/bakery.
As each one of them goes, it feels like another brick is being placed on my chest.
It's really starting to hit me.
In the next couple of months, this ragtag group of girls is going to part ways, and that can only mean one thing.
I'll be right back where I started before I met them.
Stuck in some foster home where no one wants me, or in a group home with a bunch of criminals.
There's no way I'm going to get to stay with Beca and Chloe, because they'll both probably be in two different places and they won't want some kid like me to tag along.
Chloe starts to sing, and everyone else, besides me, chimes in. It's almost enough to distract me from my current thought direction.
Almost.
"Grace," a nudge to the shoulder draws my attention. "You okay?"
I realize that the singing has stopped and the girls are talking amongst one another again.
Brown eyes meet hazel, and Emily gives me a small smile.
"Yeah," I put my falsest smile on. "I'm great."
"Awesome!" she wraps her arm around me shoulders as Amy stands up.
Whatever I missed, must have been important because she yells, "Bumper!" and runs into the woods.
Whoosh.
Scream.
…..and she's stuck in another bear trap.
Everyone pretty much shrugs it off besides Lilly, who slips out two very sharp knives from who knows where and heads over to Fat Amy.
The smile I wear for the rest of the night, is as fake as the Dolly Parton I saw in NYC when I was six.
"Alright, what the hell is wrong with you, dude?"
I look up and scoot over as Beca plops down next to me on the bus. The rest of the girls are either sleeping or listening to music. I place my book down and cross my legs.
"What do you mean?" the older girl rolls her eyes.
"You've barely said a complete sentence since the campfire last night" she explains as if I wasn't there. "Even when Amy and Stacie drew on your face this morning,"
Rubbing at a spot previously covered in obscene doodles, I reply, "I'm fine. I'm just tired. It's been a long weekend."
"Got that right," Beca puts her hands behind her head, leaning back and eyeing me. "But, I don't think that's it."
"That's it," I echo, throwing her a now custom fake smile and adding a yawn. "I'm super beat."
"Okayyy," blue eyes narrow, flickering across my face, as if looking for a sign that I'm lying. "If you say so."
I nod. "Yep."
Ignoring the way my stomach churns with guilt, I tilt my head back and close my eyes, planning on taking a nap, or just pretending so I don't have to answer anymore questions.
"Sweet dreams, kid," she pats me on the knee, and gets up, presumably to go sit back next to Chloe.
A week or so later, the girls have just finished another grueling practice, actually looking like a team for the first time since I've met them. I actually have to admit that they're pretty amazing, in that nerdy a cappella sort of way.
I've been really closed off, and I think some of the girls are starting to notice.
Amy even offered me the last fudge pop last night.
Fat Amy loves fudge pops.
I'm pretty sure she tried to murder Ashley one time when she'd even touched one.
It's true that the fact that they're gonna leave me behind in a couple months has drastically affected my mood, but I didn't think that I was being that obvious. I've been trying to participate in conversations, yet I find myself in mine and Emily's room sulking, or sleeping most of the time.
Beca is really starting to worry, and she's dragged Chloe into it too.
Yesterday, she even had Emily take me out for ice-cream so that they could talk about me. I heard them asking the taller brunette if she could keep me busy for a little while so her and Chloe could talk.
Emily is still oblivious, or at least I think she is. She hasn't said anything yet.
"So, we have to order our graduation gowns." Chloe says as the group—minus Em, who had to go straight to class— enters the house. "We got the forms in the mail today and their due on Friday."
"Awesome," Stacie sashays into the kitchen. "I can't wait to rock that outfit."
"Stace, you know you have to wear clothes underneath, right?" Jessica asks with a nervous look.
"You don't have too," the girl winks and CR chokes on the water she'd poured for herself.
"Whatever," Beca pulls out a chair and sits down. "That green color we have to wear is hideous,"
"Who cares?" Chloe jumps around the room. "We'll finally get to take the next steps in our lives. What does it matter the color we have to wear to do it?"
Crash!
The bowl for the cereal I was going to pour is now shattered on ground in a million little pieces.
My eyes are shut, so I can't see everyone staring at me. I clench my fists shut and hold back tears.
"Grace?" Chloe steps forward, "Are you—"
I breeze past her before she can finish asking if I'm ok and up into Emily's and my room, slamming the door and locking it.
Now, I can let the tears freely flow, since there's no longer an audience. I can't believe I let my emotions show like that in front of all the girls. They probably think I'm crazy.
There's a knock on the door.
"Grace? You okay?" it's Beca.
"Go away!" my voice is muffled by the my pillow.
"Please open the door, Grace," she knocks lightly again, a little of what I think is desperation in her voice.
Maybe if I don't answer her, she'll just leave me alone for a while.
"Grace?"
"Please, I just want to take a nap," I sniffle, wiping at my eyes. "I'm tired,"
She starts to argue, but a hushed voice speaks to her for a couple moments before she sighs loudly. "Okay, but dinner is at six, so you better be in the kitchen by then."
"Fine."
Its dark when the sound of the door shutting wakes me up.
Blearily, I open my eyes to see Emily placing down her backpack on the bed.
"How did you open the door?"
"Lilly," she says with a cheeky grin.
Of course Lilly could pick the lock, though I wonder why Beca didn't think of that earlier. Or, maybe she did but she didn't care.
My bed dips as the older brunette sits down by my legs. "Hey," her smile is smaller, sad. "Chloe told me what happened earlier. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I turn on my other side to face the wall. "I was just tired and dropped my bowl by accident."
"I don't think that's it," she places her hand on my back, rubbing small circles with her thumb.
Butterflies, once again, erupt in my stomach, so I turn my head to meet her worried brown eyes. "I'm scared," my voice cracks, tears forming.
She shifts so that she's laying behind me, spooning me.
"Of what?"
"Everyone leaving," If I wasn't so distressed, I'd probably be having a heart attack from the lack of distance between our bodies. "They're going to graduate, and go their separate ways. Even you'll be busy starting a whole new group of Bellas."
"Why is that so bad?" she asks, still looking confused.
"I'm going to get dumped back into another place, Em," I wipe my tears on my sleeve. "Beca and Chloe aren't going to want me as baggage."
Fingers wipe the rest of the tears on my cheeks, "Grace. Beca and Chloe aren't going to dump you. None of us are. And even if they did, I'd apply to be your foster parent."
I'm touched at the girl's generosity. "Thanks Emily, but I'm not sure the government would give you custody of a flower, let alone a person. No offense, though."
"It's true," she shrugs, pulling me closer. "But I love you even though you insulted me!"
Not in the way I love you.
"Love you too, Em."
"She's right, you know," is followed by a knock on the open door.
Chloe and Beca are standing in the doorway, with matching smiles.
I gulp. "How much of that did you hear?"
"Nothing."
"All of it!"
They glare at each other and Beca sighs. "Every word."
"And we aren't gonna dump you once we graduate," Chloe steps closer to the bed. "We talked about and we're gonna work something out."
"Really?"
"Yeah, dude," Beca grins. "Why would you think we'd get rid of you?"
"I don't know." I look down. "I didn't think you'd want some troublesome kid around to bother you."
"You don't bother us, kid. But we enjoy it when you bother Amy," she laughs. "You're stuck with us."
Chloe throws her arms in the air. "Well, now that that's settled," she crouches down.
"Group hug!"
The breath is knocked out of me as the redhead lands on both Emily and I. She wraps her arms around both of us and repeatedly kisses me all over my face.
"C'mon Becs!" she calls pausing from attacking my face. "Get over here!"
All the short DJ does is pat Emily awkwardly on the back, which thrills the younger girl, and gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze followed by a soft smile. It's silent for a little while before she clears her throat.
"How about that dinner?"
That's all she needed to say.
And there's chapter 11! I hope you liked it and please leave a review to tell me what you thought.