Hey guys! Thanks for all the positive reviews on the last chapter. I just wanted to let you know that I don't have a beta, so there's likely to be a couple spelling or grammatical errors in some chapters.
This story is finally about to heat up with some drama so I wanted to add a Trigger Warning for physical and emotional abuse.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Perfect
Hope you enjoy!
After my talk with Beca, Chloe, and Emily, things had pretty much calmed down and gone back to the way they were before the end of the retreat.
Well, besides the fact that the girls have been super focused on preparing for the Worlds and beating those damn Weiner Schnitzels. They had even surprised me with a plane ticket to go with them to Copenhagen.
"Grace!" a piece of paper is shoved into my line of sight, causing me to look up at the girls surrounding me. "We've got something for you!"
"What is it?" I look up at Chloe, who had spoken.
"It's a surprise," Ashley says, and Jessica adds. "Open it!"
I take a closer look at the blank, crisp, white envelope and carefully pull open the flap, sliding out the rectangular piece of paper. Looking closer, my eyes widen.
"A plane ticket?"
"Look closer," Beca nods at the item in question.
"To…Copenhagen?" I pause, squinting in concentration. "Hey, that's where the Worlds are!"
"Yeah, you dummy," Stacie laughs, picking up her pink nail file. "You're coming too. Obviously,"
"Seriously?!"
Chloe rolls her eyes playfully. "Totes serious, Grace! We can't go without our good luck charm!"
"Oh my god! Thank you!" I launch myself at the nearest person, Beca, and since I'm only slightly smaller than her, we fall to the ground in a heap.
"Dude, you're welcome but," she props herself up on her elbow and blows the hair out of her eyes. "Please get off."
I roll off her and onto my back, "Sorry."
"Yayy!" Emily plops down next to me and wraps her arms around me. "We're going to have so much fun!"
"Alright you nerds, let's get ready for practice so we can kick some German butt next month!"
The group erupts into cheers as they all leave to get ready.
"Hey, kid," Stacie's nudge interrupts the end of the memory. "Beca and I are going on the weekly grocery run. You in?"
"Can I get those cookies I like?"
"Hmm," she puts her hands on her hips, pretending to think. "I guess so. Go get dressed."
She turns on her heel and walks into the kitchen, leaving me to change out of my pajamas. After I put on a pair of jeans and a hoodie, I slip on my sneakers and meet Stacie and Beca outside by the former's silver BMW. The drive to the nearest ShopRite is filled with mindless chatter about the setlist for Worlds, and Stacie's lasted sex conquest, to which Beca puts an immediate stop to.
"Stace! We have a child in the car!"
"Beca," I whine. "I'm sixteen years old, not a toddler."
"With that voice," Stacie adds. "You could be three for all I know."
"No one asked you, Conrad," I send her a glare. "But, maybe we can call Aubrey and ask her what she thinks."
Stacie's smirks drops in the rearview mirror and is replaced by a glare, rivaling mine.
"Aubrey?" Beca looks between us confused, wondering, "Why would we ask her?"
"Oh look we're here!" Stacie exclaims pulling into a parking spot and giving me one last pointed look when we get out. "You got the list, right?"
"Yep," the shorter brunette responds, waving the paper in the air, effetely distracted from the previous conversation.
We divide up the list into three different sections so that we can get back in time for Stacie's physics class at two. I'm in charge of dairy and produce, so I head over to that section to get some fruit. After finally finding some really odd looking, weirdly named fruit that Lilly had written down, my final item on the list is milk.
I walk down the dairy isle and stop in front of the glass doors, I grab skim, 2%, and look around for the almond that Chloe wanted.
There it is!
But before I can reach for it, a large, dirty hand is placed on the clean, clear glass.
"Well, hello there."
My heart stops, I freeze, and the milk I have in my hand falls to the floor, breaking and spilling white liquid all over the tiled floor.
It can't be.
Taking a deep breath, I glance up and immediately regret it.
It is.
Brad Roberts, the foster father from my previous home is standing right in front of me with a smirk and a familiar glint in his eye. He looks exactly the same as he did a couple months ago right before I ran away.
Memories start rushing back all at once so fast that I clutch my head.
"Get back here, you ungrateful brat!" a hand comes down across my face.
Smack!
His huge fingers wrap themselves around my neck and lift me off the ground, my feet dangling inches off the floor.
"Did I tell you that you could eat?"
"N-no s-s-sir," I gasp out, clutching at his hands.
"I didn't think so," he throws me to the floor and delivers two kicks to my side, most likely breaking a rib. "And I bet you didn't clean the bathroom like I asked, did you?"
"I was about to, I swear," I cough, covering my face when his breath gets even more ragged.
He leans down and gets so close I can smell the alcohol on his breath. "You're gonna wish you'd have done it already," he pulls back his fist and throws it right towards my face.
My vision goes back.
"Long time, no see."
"L-Leave me alone," I take a couple steps back, but his hand closes tightly around my wrist.
"Where do you think you're going?" he pulls me forwards and grabs my shoulder with his free hand, squeezing roughly.
"Get off of me!"
He looks around to make sure no one can see before he leans in and talks directly into my ear, his breath like acid hitting my skin.
"You know, that old bitch of a social worker reported us to the police," he seethes, grip tightening with each word. "We're probably going to have to pay a bunch of money for a lawyer because of you."
"It's nothing you don't deserve," I find whatever courage is left in me to spit back.
"You little shit!"
Slap!
I clutch the right side of my cheek where he made contact with his hand, and yank my arm forcefully out of his grip.
Turning, I leave the man of my nightmares and try to push past two bodies to head towards the automatic sliding doors at the front of the stores.
"Grace? Where are you going?" Beca's voice follows after me. "Grace!"
It must have been her and Stacie I ran into.
"Hey, Grace, what's wrong?" Stacie steps forward to put her hand on my arm but I flinch and step back shaking my head.
"I can't" I mumble, tears starting to fall.
Stacie and Beca share confused looks before looking over my shoulder and widening their eyes. I look over my shoulder to see Brad smirking at me.
"Grace!"
My feet are already moving and a moment later I'm through the doors, barely noticing the rain that must have started after we went inside. I don't know the area the store is located in, so I pick a random direction and keep running, hoping that I can outrun my own thoughts that are rushing into my mind.
The only sound is the slapping of my shoes hitting the pavement and the gulps of air I try to take.
I cannot see anything in the darkness of the small space.
"Are you stupid?" he barks, waving his hands so close to my face I know he's going to hit me. "I can't believe your dumb school called me in because you failed a math test! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I'm sorry," I flinch backwards. "I didn't get the questions."
"You don't get anything, apparently," he hisses. "I missed the Falcons' game because of that shit!"
"It won't happen again!" I promise desperately, but he doesn't accept that.
"You're right it won't."
He's suddenly gripping me by the elbow and dragging me up the steps, towards the one place I never wanted to go. The small, almost empty linen closet door is thrown open and he tosses me inside with a grunt. Then, the door is shut directly behind me as I fall against it.
The lock on the outside clicks.
"Please!" I beg him."Let me out! I promise I'll won't do anything to embarrass you again!"
He kicks the door, twice. "Shut the hell up!"
I slump to the floor as his thumping footsteps get quieter as he walks away.
"Maybe you'll try harder tomorrow."
The dirty towel in the corner of the space is the only thing I can use to wipe the tears as I wait for tomorrow to finally come.
My lungs are burning and as soon as I make it to a bus stop bench, I collapse on top of it, scraping my hands in the process.
I thought I would never see him again, but of course I was wrong.
He's never going to be truly gone and just a memory.
Never.
And there's chapter 12! I know it's slightly shorter than usual, but I hope the drama packed content is good enough to make up for it!