Jaiden pulled into the motel parking lot and killed her engine, completely exhausted. She had been driving for the past 13 hours and although she had downed an atrocious amount of caffeine, she was about to pass out behind the wheel. The 18 year old had quickly located the nearest Days Inn and checked her bank account on her phone. Part time jobs through high school and free tuition had left her with a sizeable amount-about $4,000-and she knew she could make it on her own for a while.
Getting out of the small vehicle and stretching her legs, Jaiden pulled up her hood and grabbed her bag out of the passenger's seat. She walked stiffly into the motel lobby to find a middle aged man sitting behind the desk. He glanced up at her in a way that hinted his irritation at actually having to deal with a guest and then begrudgingly sat down his crossword and pen.
"Just a room for a night." The teenager muttered. She handed the man her credit card, signed a quick receipt, and then accepted the small plastic key card.
"Free breakfast in the morning. Enjoy your stay." The man grunted. Jaiden nodded and then started down the hall, towards room 1105. The brunette was struggling to keep her eyes open by the time she got the door unlocked and stepped inside. The room was dingy and smelled faintly of cigarettes, but none of that mattered as Jaiden shut the door behind herself and stripped down to her bra and underwear. She collapsed into the bed tiredly and buried herself under the duvet and fell asleep within seconds.
"She's just completely shut down. I have no idea what to do." Aubrey frowned as she listened to her best friend's voice crack over the speakers in her car. Chloe had called her a few minutes ago and had informed her of the lack of leads in finding Beca's sister over the Bluetooth that the Kia offered.
"What's she doing?" The blonde asked sadly.
"Sitting on the couch with her phone. She just keeps calling her and then hanging up when it goes to voicemail. I don't know how to help her."
"Maybe you should call her father?" Aubrey suggested hesitantly. She knew well enough that the brunette didn't have a good relationship with her father, but she had nothing to offer as far as help went.
"God, no. Aubrey, nothing's going to help her unless Jaiden comes back. And I can't make that happen, so I can't help." Aubrey could hear the tears in her voice over the phone and bit her bottom lip. She knew damn well what it was like to not be able to help someone you love and the frustration that comes with it.
"I'm so sorry, Chloe. I really do hope she comes back. Just let Beca know that you're there for her and call me in the morning, alright? I just got to my motel, so I have to go." She said apologetically. Aubrey grimaced as she heard Chloe sniffle softly.
"Okay. Thanks, Bree. Goodnight." The redhead hung up and her best friend sighed as she braked in the motel parking lot. Aubrey grabbed her phone from its charger and her bag from the backseat before heading into the Days Inn. Motels had never sat well with her, but it was the halfway point between Barden and her new home and she couldn't possibly drive anymore without falling asleep behind the wheel. So the blonde made her way through the front entrance and barely managed to get a room without insulting the man at the front desk's hospitality. Aubrey had just turned and started towards her room for the night when she caught sight of a frozen figure in the hallway. It took only a second for her to realize that it was Beca's younger sister and she paused hesitantly.
"How did you find me?" The younger girl asked, glaring at the women in front of her suspiciously. Aubrey shook her head immediately, hoping that Jaiden wouldn't try to flee.
"I didn't. I had no idea you were here, I swear. I'm just on my way home."
"Bullshit. There's no way you would just be here by accident." Jaiden shook her head in disbelief and started back towards her room. "Whatever though. Even if you call Beca right now, I have a 13 hour head start."
"I won't call her," Aubrey assured the younger girl and followed her carefully. Jaiden turned around and squinted at her skeptically. "Just…she's really worried about you. And Chloe is too."
"Well, I'm fine, so that's unnecessary." Jaiden snapped. Aubrey saw the resemblance to Beca immediately and arched an eyebrow. Before the brunette would walk away from her again, she snagged her by the arm and held her in place.
"Where were you going just a second ago?" She questioned. Jaiden attempted to pull out of her grip and her gaze hardened on the older girl threateningly.
"I was going to get dinner. And if you don't let go of my arm in the next five seconds, you're going to lose one of yours." Aubrey scoffed at her, but let go of Jaiden's arm.
"Let me come with you then. I could use something to eat."
"And why would I do that?" Jaiden could feel the last ounce of patience she had left dissipate as she waited for the blonde's response.
"Because if you don't, I'll call your sister. And when you try to leave, I'll get in my car and follow you, and I'll keep telling Beca where you are until she can inevitably track us both down." Aubrey smirked triumphantly as the brunette sighed and locked her jaw.
"Fine." She relented. With that, she brushed past the taller women and stalked out of the motel, knowing that Aubrey would follow her close behind. Jaiden unlocked her car and plopped down in the driver's seat before starting the engine. Aubrey climbed into the seat behind her and pulled her phone out discreetly as the other girl started the car. They pulled out of the motel parking lot and as Jaiden checked the lane to her left, Aubrey snapped a quick candid of her and then sent it to Chloe. She followed that message with "I just ran into her at the motel and we're going to dinner. I'll keep you posted and try to figure out what's going on with her." With that, Aubrey put her phone back into her bag and turned her full attention to Jaiden.
"No matter what you say, I'm not going back." The 18 year old informed her solemnly. Aubrey studied her profile from the passenger's seat for a few seconds before replying simply.
"Why?"
"Because I just needed to get out of there. I…wasn't doing well. What's your name again, by the way?" Jaiden's voice was significantly less defensive and she glanced at Aubrey for a brief second.
"Aubrey. Beca told me that you guys had some family problems-"
"Of course she did," Jaiden interrupted, shaking her head. "So now you know exactly why I left."
"No. I don't really get why you would leave Beca. She seemed to be like the only one you really had left." Aubrey pointed out innocently. Jaiden was silent beside her for a few seconds before she spoke again.
"Let's say you get into a car accident and you lose your leg, okay?" She started out and Aubrey frowned in initial confusion. "And so now you're an amputee, which sucks, right? But eventually you get used to only having one leg and the pain goes away. Unless you get into a car. Because then your brain can't help but remember the accident and suddenly, you can feel your leg again and it hurts like a bitch. I think they call that a phantom limb. So do you give up riding in a car or do you let it keep hurting?" Jaiden finished and pulled into a McDonalds parking lot. She killed the engine and then turned to look at Aubrey, waiting for her answer.
"I don't know." She admitted finally. Jaiden nodded curtly, seeing that she had made her point, and got out of the car. Aubrey followed her into the fast food place and they didn't speak again until they were at a table with two trays in front of them. Once they were seated, Aubrey took the opportunity to check her phone again. She had two missed calls and half a dozen new messages from Chloe.
"I think I'd keep riding in cars. They have therapy for amputees and your life would be so limited if you couldn't travel. And since you only have one leg, it's not like you can ride a bike instead." Aubrey decided finally. Her younger companion rolled her eyes and bit into a french fry irritably.
"So you'd be able to handle a daily reminder of that car accident and how much your leg hurt before you lost it forever?"
"Eventually, yes. You'd have to deal with it at some point." Aubrey nodded.
"That's what everyone says, but when you're actually in that situation, you can't just 'deal with it'. It's not as simple as that."
"So you've been in a position where you lost your leg in a car accident?" Aubrey raised a neatly plucked eyebrow and tilted her head to the side.
"I'm speaking metaphorically here." Jaiden said. "Beca is my phantom limb. And the second I let her back into my life, I started getting hurt again."
"But she's not the one hurting you, is she?" The question left Jaiden without a reply and she instead decided to focus on her food.
"I don't like you, Aubrey." She smiled bitterly before eating another french fry.
"Why isn't she answering? Do you think she lost her?" Beca paced back and forth behind the couch, staring down at the phone in her hands. She had grabbed the device from Aubrey the second the redhead had showed her the picture. Beca's pulse was racing and she felt practically nauseous with adrenaline at the fact that somehow, Aubrey had ended up finding Jaiden.
"Beca, calm down. Knowing Aubrey, Jaiden's going to have a hell of a time getting away from her. Just let her do her thing. Aubrey knows how to force things." Chloe assured her from her position on the couch. The older girl had been watching Beca freak out since she showed her the messages and knew there really wasn't anything she could do to calm her down. Nevertheless, she'd take this Beca over the motionless lump that had resided in the living room for most of the day.
"Should we go and get her? If we start right now and they spend the night, we could be there before she leaves." The brunette blurted out suddenly. Her eyes shone with both anticipation and hope and Chloe froze, unsure of what to say. Though there was a small possibility that the impromptu plan could work, there was more of a possibility of a desperate 13 hour drive for nothing. It was just past 2am and they were both exhausted as it was.
"Baby, let's just play it by ear for now." Chloe suggested. She watched Beca's footsteps falter and the brunette eyed her questioningly.
"How can you just be so calm about this? She ran away, Chloe. I fucked everything up again and she's just going to cut me out of her life again." Beca shouted. Chloe stood up off of the couch and hurried after her as Beca booked it towards the door. She managed to grab her by the arms just as the younger girl grabbed her keys off of the hook by the door. "Get off!" Beca grunted, pulling away from her girlfriend violently. Chloe managed to keep her hold on the brunette and tugged her away from the door.
"Beca, stop! I need you to calm down." Chloe pressed the smaller girl back against the nearest wall and held her there; afraid of what Beca would do if she let her go. She could hear Beca's breathing speeding up by the second and Chloe suddenly found the girl in front of her hardly recognizable. Never before had she seen Beca this upset.
"Let me go. I need to go." Beca insisted. Chloe shook her head and held on tighter, but Beca finally broke free with one quick shove. The brunette darted into their bedroom and slammed the door shut before Chloe could catch up to her. The redhead jiggled the door handle desperately and knocked on the door.
"Beca, open the door. Please? You're scaring me." She begged.
"I'm fine." Beca's voice shook from behind the door and Chloe pressed her ear to the thick piece of wood. She could hear footsteps and much to her alarm, Beca practically gasping for breath. Rooming with Aubrey for several years had left Chloe well equipped to deal with anxiety attacks, and that was definitely what Beca having.
"No you're not. Beca, please let me help." The redhead pleaded. Upon getting no response from the younger girl, Chloe darted off to the kitchen and began to root through their junk drawer. Much to her relief, she found the master key for the apartment after only a few seconds. Chloe hurried back over to the bedroom and fumbled to unlock the door. The moment that the lock clicked, Chloe threw open the door and found Beca with her knees pressed to her chest on the floor beside their bed. The brunette was struggling to light a joint with shaking hands and Chloe knelt down beside her hesitantly. She reached up to take the small cylinder out of her girlfriend's lips, only to be pushed away quickly. Not wanting Beca to run from her again, Chloe pushed her morals aside and instead took the lighter from her. She lit it with ease and held the flame up to the end of the joint. Beca puffed in and her frantic breathing stopped for a few seconds as she held the smoke in her lungs.
"Fuck," Beca let the smoke drift out of her mouth along with the word and she hurried to take another drag as Chloe looked on in concern. The redhead put her arm around Beca slowly and wrinkled her nose at the smell of marijuana.
"I'm going to try calling Aubrey again, okay? Can I please have my phone?" Chloe murmured softly. Beca nodded and reached into her back pocket before passing her the small device. The redhead dialed her best friend's number and listened to the phone ring.
Aubrey winced as her phone began vibrating in her pocket again and Jaiden eyed her with a subtle smirk.
"Are you going to answer it this time?" She prodded. Aubrey cocked her head to the side and shrugged.
"I don't know. Will I have to chase you down if I do?" The blonde asked. Jaiden rolled her eyes in annoyance, but shook her head and watched as Aubrey pulled the buzzing device out. The older woman kept a careful eye on her as she answered it; fully prepared to take action should Jaiden run.
"Hello?...I'm a little busy right now-what?...I don't really think that's a good idea," Aubrey paused before glancing at Jaiden nervously. "Does Beca have an anxiety disorder?" She asked softly, putting her hand over the speaker as she spoke. Jaiden's eyes widened and she tensed visibly before nodding. The 18 year old straightened up in her seat and uncrossed her arms as Aubrey turned her attention back to the phone.
"She said yes…well is she alright?...Good God, should you call someone else? Like her dad or something-"
"Give me the phone." Jaiden requested suddenly. Aubrey jumped in surprise, but handed the small device over immediately and sat back to listen. "Is she okay?" Jaiden's voice was apprehensive and she couldn't hide her concern for the older girl. She had spent her entire drive convincing herself that Beca would be fine.
"Jaiden? Um, no, not really. Well, I don't know, maybe now she is. She was like, hyperventilating and then she got stoned and now she's just sitting here. I don't even know if she knows I'm on the phone with you." Jaiden felt the guilt she had been fighting crash over her at the redhead's words and she sucked in a deep breath.
"Can you put her on?"
"Yeah, sure," There were a few seconds of rustling on the other end of the line and Jaiden braced herself.
"Jaiden?" Beca's voice was groggy and only half audible; something that caused Jaiden to clench her eyes shut and rub her forehead.
"Hey, Becs. Are you alright?"
"No. Please come back. I don't know what I did, but…but I'm so sorry." Beca mumbled on the other end of the line. Jaiden heard her breathe in shakily and gripped Aubrey's phone tighter. She felt the last of her willpower slip away and shook her head at herself as she began to speak.
"Beca, don't apologize. You didn't…you didn't do anything-"
"Jaiden, please. I need you here." Beca interrupted and Jaiden fought to swallow the ever-growing lump in her throat. She turned away from Aubrey and blinked back a few tears, trying to keep a hold on herself.
"Okay. Okay, just don't do anything stupid. Listen to Chloe." Jaiden hung up the phone and handed it back to Aubrey. The 18 year old stood up and began towards the door without a word, knowing that the older woman would be close behind her anyway.
"Are you going back home?" Aubrey asked hopefully. Jaiden nodded as they made it to her car and got into the front seats. The two girls remained quiet as they drove the quick route back to the motel and Jaiden put her car into park. She was about to get out when Aubrey reached across the console and stopped her.
"Promise me that you are going to go back to Barden?" She requested seriously.
"I promise." Jaiden's voice was quiet, but sincere, and Aubrey didn't doubt her for a second. The older girl nodded once before squeezing her arm and letting herself out of the passenger's seat. Jaiden waited for a few seconds before following her back into the motel and heading towards her room. She grabbed her duffel bag from the foot of the bed and her keys from the night stand before exiting the building and getting back into her car. The 18 year old took a deep breath before starting the engine and pulling out onto the freeway.
So this was a big one! Little glimpse into some of beca's issues and more to come soon. Let me know what you think!