A/N: I really cannot express how surprised and overjoyed I am by the response to this fic. I literally checked my phone to see how it was doing and had to sit there for a second to take it all in. Thank you all so SO much for all the favorites, follows, and reviews. I never thought this fic would be that popular. I really hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as the first one! Once again, thank you all, it really means a lot.

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Chapter 2: Dreams Touch Reality

Barden University was not exactly what Beca expected, but then again it was exactly what she expected. The smiling faces and happy families all lugging various objects behind them and the tearful hugs goodbye as parents reluctantly let go of their children, was expected. The generally beautiful grounds and tug of inspiration that could be drawn from them, was not expected. When one thought of a real physical embodiment of hell on Earth one does not think of beautiful inspiring surroundings. They think of fire and brimstone. Although Beca knew she was being dramatic, the fact that her initial thought was not hate, was still surprising. Jesse on the other hand was ecstatic and could not seem to contain it, almost literally bouncing in his seat beside her in the yellow cab they shared. The petite brunette was sure to occasionally glare at him, hugging her mixing equipment tightly to her on her lap and headphones securely strapped to her ears to block out his exclamations of glee. Beca almost couldn't believe the trader besides her was her best friend.

Before long, the taxi came to a sudden stop and Beca was forced to become a part of the crowd of bumbling freshman, a group, to her great dismay, she was now associated with against her will. Originally the brunette was planning on using Jesse as a human shield to bypass all the cheery people with Barden shirts that were just begging to help anyone and everyone. Sadly Jesse was whisked in one direction and her in the other, their room assignments being in the opposite ends of the cluster of dorms. She was just glad she still had her headphones to help protect her from the over eager few trying to make friends, while simultaneously trying not to collapse under the weight of their belongings. Beca couldn't help the smirk that graced her face at the hilarity of it all.

The petite girl was doing well, avoiding being almost trampled on several times, until one of those overly cheery people in a Barden shirt stopped her. Forcing her to actually take off her headphones, as she was presented with a rape whistle and the ridiculous accompanying slogan "Don't use it unless it is actually happening". What did that even mean? Was it supposed to be helpful? Wanting to actually start off without verbally abusing someone within the first 10 minutes of her arrival, Beca simply put the whistle in her mouth. With the action, the cheery Barden helper's face drooped to an almost appalled look, pleasing the brunette who didn't even need to say a word for once to achieve her wanted affect.

With minimum trouble she located her dorm room. Her roommate, Kimmy Jin, couldn't be more different than Beca. First the girl was quite. Like didn't speak at all. Well at least not to Beca. It wasn't even clear if the girl knew English. Then there was the obvious style differences. Kimmy's half of the room was all sterile white and perfectly organized minimalism. Beca's side was organized chaos of records and mixing equipment. Within the first week Beca was sure to have a healthy collection of empty red bull cans and junk food wrappers strewn across her space. Kimmy Jin would make it her hobby to secretly and not so secretly mock 'the white girl' she lived with every chance she got.

After fully settling in, Beca fell back onto her bed, arms crossing beneath her head. She took in the room around her, ignoring her roommate. She took in the small scuff marks around the base of the walls. The only indication that someone else had once lived in the room she now occupied. She took in the blank ceiling above. That held a sterility equal to the aesthetic held by her roommate's half of the room. A room that was never meant to be a home, but was supposed to hold the same worth for the length of her stay. A concept that Beca was not sure the meaning of. She never felt that way where ever she was settled. All of the places missing that tangible piece that defined that word, home. So she just sat there in the silence taking it in, cheap generic sheets scratching her skin slightly, thinking this is it. Beca hoped to be like the ceiling above her by the end of her year at Barden, untouched.

The silence was soon interrupted by the buzzing of her phone, indicating she had received a text message. Kimmy Jin was quick to shoot her a glare. When Beca paused at the look, her phone buzzed again. Kimmy huffed and gracefully stomped out of the room. Beca looked down at her phone, scoffing at her roommate as the other girl left.

She had two messages one from her dad and another from Jesse. The one from her dad mentioned him stopping by and taking her out to dinner. Beca imagined how it would go in her mind, the memory of every rom com she fought to forget resurfaced. He'd probably come in give her a short lecture, make a stupid joke, and try to bond with her absent roommate. Then a dinner full of clique jokes and awkward questions, all in a hopes of forming some late and weak bond with the daughter he left behind. Beca really wasn't in the mood to play 'happy family' with a man she had only communicated with through brief monthly phone calls for the past six years. Phone calls that always lasted just long enough for the man, her father, to pretend like they still had a relationship, but never long enough for it to be true. So she quickly moved on to the text from Jesse, not bothering to reply to her dad. She was hoping it would hold something more promising than being forced to spend time with her old man. She was only half sedated with his text.

J-Man: Meet me out front? We can check out the activities fair in the quad.

Before she could reply there was another message.

J-Man: I'll buy you food.

Beca couldn't help the small smile that over took her as she replied.

BeCaw: Hope you brought a lot of cash with you. See you out front.

Once they found each other, they quickly headed in the direction of the quad. Their difference in gait was almost comical. Beca was all slouched shoulders, her hands tucked into her jean pockets, trying to act disaffected, holding back as many full smiles as possible. Jesse was all big smiles and had a spring to his step, as he went on about his roommate and some sort of singing group. She was only half listening as she took in the fair as they got closer.

The activities fair was comprised of tables wrapped in cheap plastic table clothes. Thick vinyl signs hung from the front of the tables or were hoisted in the air by metal poles behind them, advertising what group was at each table. All the tables appeared to be in two big "u" formations around the quad. Some tables tried to entice students to stop by with bowls of candy or displays that pertained to their club. Each table had at least two representatives with smiles of different kinds, as they called out to students or handed out flyers to try and get them interested in joining. The students mainly reacted with equal vigor, going from one table to the next, collecting the free handouts.

Beca found herself smirking at all of the groups that came from different backgrounds, but merged at this central location. A united nations of sorts for Barden University. None of it really mattered. Beca doubted there would be anything of interest to her in the sea of over eager freshman. She was about to make a sarcastic comment about the singing boy band wannabes just off to the right to Jesse, but when she turned to him the boy was already gone. To her horror he was headed for the exact group she planned on mocking. She scoffed and aimlessly walked through the crowd of people, taking in the different tables, not wanting to be seen in close proximity to the want to be boy band.

Just as Beca thought, the fair had nothing for her. She had almost joined a club for Deaf Jews, mistaking their logo for something to do with DJs. After the mildly embarrassing incident, she wandered from place to place, not daring to approach another table. Beca was coming back around to the annoying group of singing boys, her eyes skimming over the excited faces around her, feeling out of place, when she froze.

Red hair and a shade of blue eyes, she had only seen in her dreams, met her much darker shade. Then before she knew it a bright smile was being directed at her and a flyer thrusted into her hands. Beca couldn't believe her eyes. The woman before her looked exactly like an older version of the girl from her dreams. Her heart constricted as an all too familiar pull jerked harshly on the tether connected there. A sensation Beca had almost completely forgotten had ever existed. Sure over the past few years it had still been there, but never so strong. Never so present.

Instead of being snarky, Beca had quite a few well lined up lines for acapella groups, she found herself listening to the woman before her with rapt attention. Her eyes skimmed over every feature of the woman's face, looking for any new blemishes. Anything marking the woman as being anyone other than the girl she had long ago banished to her dreams. She was exactly as Beca remembered her, down to the scar on her forehead. She panicked slightly at the mention of the other girl's name, Chloe. The other woman's identity confirmed with that short utterance. The panic did not express its self physically, thank god, at least not visibly so. Beca's heart rate quickened and her stomach knotted. She didn't know what was happening to her as a heat began to form at the base of Beca's neck. She hadn't felt this way since she was 12. Since that day when she was going to… and she found Chloe and Ja-.

Luckily Beca didn't have to finish that thought, the blonde woman next to Chloe making her presence known. The other acapella woman's disdain towards Beca was obvious and did not go unnoticed by her. She was secretly thankful for the blonde's distraction, able to ignore the butterflies settling in her stomach, as she settled back into her sarcastic and semi-rude default mode. The sudden drop of Chloe's smile was both somehow heartbreaking, but satisfying. Beca feeling the tether slacken slightly at the disappointment found clearly displayed on Chloe's face when she told them she couldn't sing.

With her proclamation and the, now, clearly two upset Barden Bellas, Beca was going to slink away, when Chloe's brows furrowed and one last question blossomed from her lips.

"Do I know you?"

Jesse had the best timing, choosing that exact moment to find her again.

"Be-CAW!" She winced slightly at the sound, but quickly greeted him, before falling into step with him.

"Do my eyes deceive me or is badass Beca Mitchell joining the Barden Bellas?"

"In your dreams." She punched him lightly in the arm and smirked as they began to walk away from the Bella's table. She left Chloe's question unanswered, hoping her childhood friend didn't register Jesse's mention of her full name. Chloe didn't appear to. She didn't call after Beca after all. The first thing Beca felt was relief, but something else settled in her limbs that weighed her down slightly. Disappointment. A deep disappointment that she was forgettable, but her role was 'the friend' after all.

The feeling was quickly forgotten as Jesse burst with excitement about acapella tryouts for some group called the "Treblemakers". He then whisked them towards an internship booth that advertised positions at the University's radio station. Both of them signed up, excited at the prospect of working together. The whole time, Beca had the distinct feeling she was being watched, but shook it off as they left the fair, the feeling fading the further away they went. She chose to ignore the strong pull on the tether at her heart, which refused to dull since her reunion with Chloe.

The rest of their night was spent at an old 50s themed diner on campus, where they feasted on burgers, fries, and milkshakes. All paid for by Jesse. Benji, Jesse's roommate, eventually joined them. She liked the kid. He was a little odd, but in the harmless socially awkward way. A way that Beca understood well. For the first time, in between stories about shenanigans from high school, lame jokes told by Jesse, and Benji's kind of impressive magic tricks and nerd debates, Beca felt like maybe college wouldn't be so bad. She might even have fun.

Her mind did not even register Chloe again until she fell into bed. The only thought running through her mind before being overtaken by a dream state was 'She's real…'