- Part 1 -


Arrhythmia


I can feel the flames on my skin,
Crimson red paint on my lips.
If a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing;
I don't regret it one bit, 'cause he had it coming.
-Taylor Swift


"You're going to go in first," Cynthia-Rose says, brushing some dirt and leaves off herself as the other Bellas follow her out in the open. "The rest of us are going to be right behind you and meet you in the locker room."

"How long have you been planning this?" Beca asks, picking tiny, dried flower petals from the bushes out of her hair. She glances at Aubrey. "Hey. Can I have my phone back now?"

Stacie shrugs. "Since this morning. I told you we were bored."

"In the locker room," Aubrey repeats with what confidence she can muster up, determined to appear in more control over the situation now that Beca has ungraced them with her presence. Not looking at her, she offers Beca her phone, content that that will make her go away.

Beca stares at the phone.

Of course the thought of Beca taking her belongings and leaving is too good to be true. "Are you taking your phone or not, Beca?" Aubrey snaps, glancing over at her.

Beca clasps her hands in front of her chest and takes a long step forward. She snatches her phone from Aubrey's hand then takes several quick steps back as though if she lingers, Aubrey might decide to tear her limb from limb. Glancing back and forth between the device and Aubrey, she wipes the screen off on her shirt then stuffs it in her pocket.

"You were saying before Beca rudely interrupted?" Aubrey asks Cynthia-Rose.

Cynthia-Rose glances back and forth between Aubrey and Beca then gets back on topic. "We're gonna meet you in the locker room after Luke goes to get changed." She looks around at everyone. "We ready?"

"I was born ready," Stacie announces absently, examining her fingernails.

"I need to change." Aubrey rolls her shoulders, beginning to feel as though there is a boa constrictor wrapped around her body as opposed to a jumper. "I told Luke I was going to change." That has to convince them.

"Don't worry, Aubrey," Fat Amy says, the only one to address her. "You'll be changing at the spa."

Aubrey shakes her head. "But -"

"Beca!" Jesse yells, walking across from lawn from where he was positioned on the steps.

Beca plasters a smile on her face and looks up.

"We need to make a decision on napkin rings." Jesse frowns at Aubrey as he walks past, eying the book in her hand. "There are the silver with the -"

"Can we do it later?" Beca interrupts him.

Jesse stares at her in silence for a moment. "This stuff is kind of important, Bec."

"It's just napkin rings," Beca says. "I mean, I kind of want to hang out with The Bellas."

"The Bellas?" Jesse lowers his voice. "The Bellas have Aubrey."

Aubrey frowns.

"She's not always that bad, Jesse," Beca says, attracting a look from everyone surrounding her.

Jesse takes a step toward Beca. "She stole your phone and she's wielding a weapon," he argues.

Aubrey glances down at the book in her hands.

"Look, I want to hang out with my friends, despite the necessary evil," Beca replies.

Necessary evil? So much for not that bad. "I'm standing right here," Aubrey points out.

"We're here for our wedding, Beca," Jesse says, taking a step back. "These things are important."

"Yeah, that's in a few days." Beca breathes an incredulous laugh. "And they're just napkin rings."

Cynthia-Rose steps between them. "Right, well, you guys can go work this out," she says, "'Cause the rest of us have things to do and places to be."

Stacie finally looks up from her nails, lowering her hand to her side. "Let's go." She turns and starts walking toward the main road, followed by the rest of the group.

Aubrey trails behind them – aware of their constant glances to make sure she's still there. She looks at Beca as she walks by her, feeling for the first time like she fits in and Beca doesn't. It's about time – even though she's doubtful that anyone other than Chloe and Fat Amy actually likes her. She closes some of the distance between herself and the rest of the group, still hoping that this, whatever this might be, lasts.

"They're just napkin rings," Beca repeats to Jesse, slapping her thighs with her hands. She jogs to catch up with The Bellas, slowing down once she reaches the middle of the group.

Aubrey watches her run past – trying to decide if 'not that bad' is the same as being rated a 5.

xxxxx

"Move, Beca." Aubrey pushes her way through The Bellas, who are hiding along the side wall of the spa, and peeks around the corner. She spins back around. "Why is he here already?"

Beca takes several steps back, out of her way. "Watch it."

"Because he likes you?" Stacie answers.

"Because he's desperate to get laid," Beca corrects her.

Stacie shrugs. "Or that."

"But why by Aubrey?" Chloe asks.

Aubrey looks at her and frowns.

"That's not what I meant, Aubrey." Chloe rubs her arm. "You know what I meant."

Aubrey's eyebrows shoot up. Chloe's words had been pretty clear. "No, I don't," she says, interested in what Chloe has to say. "What did you mean?" She grips her book, ready to clock anyone who even so much as thinks of the number 5.

Chloe shakes her head. "Aubrey, don't..."

"Not everyone just likes you, Chloe." The words slip out without Aubrey meaning them to – at least not in front of the other Bellas. But, for serious. It's not just Chloe who can get hit on by sleazy men.

"Here we go," Stacie mumbles.

"I know that." Chloe places her hands on her hips. "Do we have to start here?"

"Guys, stop," Beca whispers, stepping between them. "Can we focus on the matter at hand?"

Of course, Beca thinks it's her place to come between the two of them. That's nothing new. "Zip it," Aubrey hisses.

Chloe draws in a deep breath and leans back against the wall. "Maybe this is all a bad idea."

"Oh, so now you think it's a bad idea." Aubrey rolls her eyes. She couldn't have thought that when Aubrey was putting up a fight about going along with The Bellas' master plan. She hopes Chloe realizes they could still be in their hotel room, getting along right now, if Chloe hadn't been so adamant that they join their 'friends' for the day.

Chloe nods. "Yeah." She drops her arms by her sides. "Because we're supposed to be having fun."

"Not to take Aubrey's side," Beca speaks up again, looking at Chloe, "but wouldn't that require doing something actually fun?"

"Exac-" Aubrey stops herself and wrinkles her nose at Beca.

"Hey, he keeps checking his watch," Stacie whispers, peering around the corner. "We're on." She grabs Aubrey by the arm and pushes her around the side of the building.

Aubrey faces The Bellas, her back to Luke. "What am I supposed to say when he asks why I didn't change?"

"Girl, you shoulda thought of that before you told him you were going to." Cynthia-Rose takes the book from her and hands it to Chloe.

"Be Stacie," Lilly murmurs.

Aubrey shakes her head incredulously.

"Yeah," Stacie agrees. "Just be eager."

"Don't you mean 'easy'?" Fat Amy asks.

Stacie shrugs. "You can be that too. But I think Luke likes a challenge."

"He picked the right person then," Chloe mumbles under her breath.

"You can hit yourself with that book," Aubrey says, wishing Cynthia-Rose hadn't taken it from her so she could do the honors. "We wouldn't be here right now if you hadn't insisted we go swimming."

"I wanted to stay at the pool!" Chloe reminds her. "You wanted to follow everyone to that stupid game."

"Trap shooting isn't stupid, Chloe," Aubrey informs her. "You wanted me to spend time with everyone else."

"Swimming, Aubrey!" Chloe attempts to cross her arms, throwing her free arm in the air when the book gets in the way.

"Guys, shut up," Fat Amy whispers and glances around Aubrey at Luke.

Aubrey looks over her shoulder at her sleazeball in waiting. He had been so charming on the boat. She tries to channel that.

"Be blunt with him," Beca says, "He's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed."

"You seriously remindin' Aubrey to be blunt?" Cynthia-Rose asks.

"Okay, enough!" Aubrey snaps at all of them, then takes a calming breath. Neither being blunt nor dealing with idiots is unfamiliar territory. She grits her teeth, thinking. "I'll make something up."

Fat Amy raises her hand. "Maybe I can help. I -"

"No." Aubrey holds a hand up to stop her. "You've helped enough." She pulls at a strap of the jumper and shoots them all one last condescending glare before turning and stalking toward Luke.

"Make sure you tell them he wants the full honey treatment!" Cynthia-Rose calls after her in a loud whisper.

Aubrey holds her breath. They should have used a whiteboard to plan this out.

Luke looks up once she's less than a few feet away. "Thought you had to change." He motions toward her.

Of course those are the first words out of his mouth. "You're early," she points out. But so is she.

"You're anxious," Luke replies. He looks at a sign on the door – a simple, pink floral sheet of paper held up by tape, listing a few of the spa's basic treatments (prices not included). "Do they serve alcohol here?" He looks at Aubrey. "To loosen you up?"

Aubrey grabs the door handle, nearly pulling it right off the door as it swings open easier than she expected it to. "We're doing drinks later," she reminds him. Or, at least she and Chloe will be. She forces a tight smile and holds the door open with her foot.

Luke walks past her, inside. "I just thought since you seem to be getting an early start on everything else."

Aubrey lets the door shut behind her and approaches the desk, blocking out Luke in favor of being greeted by a plump Asian lady with a pleasant smile.

"Posen, I presume?"

Aubrey nods mutely.

The lady at the desk gives Aubrey a double take. "We don't get many customers this time of year," she explains. "Yours was the only reservation today."

They had made her a reservation and everything. When had they done that? It had to have been while she was putting on this damned jumper. "Of course." Aubrey scolds herself for not sounding surprised about the lack of customers. No one wants to spa on an island that smells like fish though.

"How does this work exactly?" Luke asks, placing his hands on the desk.

"I'm sorry?" The lady at the desk replies.

"This." Luke does a circular motion with his hand.

"He's never been to a spa before." If it's the truth, Aubrey isn't sure why she finds that so shocking. "He'll take the honey treatment."

Luke places his hand back down on the desk. "Honey?"

Aubrey ignores him and watches the lady type something onto the computer in front of her.

"Great," the lady says. "And for you?"

Aubrey looks at a sign identical to the one that had been on the door posted on the wall. "Hot rocks." The Bellas had better be paying for all of this.

"Perfect." The woman finishes typing then reaches into a basket beside the desk and pulls out two white robes. "Ladies' changing room is through the door behind me and on the right. Gents' on the left."

Luke takes one of the robes and unfolds it, holding it out in front of him. "Seriously?" He looks at the woman at the desk and then at Aubrey. "I'll look like a Teacup Pomeranian in this."

Aubrey can't disagree. She takes the other robe and drapes it over her arm. "Thank you." Somehow she can't find the slightest ounce of appreciation, even if this does lead to Luke resembling an overpriced show dog. "Do we meet you back out here?"

"Our masseuse will be along to meet you in the hall once you're changed." The woman smiles.

Aubrey nods and walks past the desk, pushing open the door and holding it open for Luke once more.

"You know, it's not too late to change your mind about this," Luke says, wrinkling his nose and forehead as he walks past her. "Or to get the drinks first."

"I do have other plans tonight," Aubrey mentions. "We could always drop this and I could push them forward." The thought actually gives her a sense of relief. Would she rather spend time going back to the clinic with Beca than at a spa with Luke? She reminds herself that at least time with Luke won't extend past the spa and definitely won't include any more cocktails – thank God.

"Plans with Chloe?" Luke asks, stepping into the hallway.

Is he jealous? The door shuts behind them. Of course he's jealous; he thinks that she has a thing for Chloe. She is dating her, after all. Aubrey nods. "With Chloe," she confirms. Her throat feels dry as she tries to figure out how she's going to escape Chloe to meet up with Beca. "We're going to dinner."

"After drinks and sex?" Luke asks.

Aubrey makes a struggled 'mhm' sound that sounds more like a mouse dying in her throat. "She's going to want to know how it was."

"How it was?" Luke asks.

Aubrey nods. "On the ten scale." She pushes open the door to the locker room.

Luke nods slowly and pushes open the locker room door, not taking his eyes off of her.

Aubrey turns and steps into the room, letting the door swing shut behind her. She tosses the robe on a bench and looks around for a place to change that isn't completely out in the open. Her only options look like a few toilet stalls along the back wall, and she isn't that modest.

The door flies open again and The Bellas all rush in at the same time, bickering at each other as they get stuck in the doorway. Fat Amy shoves her way through, panting as she pushes Stacie and Cynthia-Rose out of the way. "They need to make bigger doors."

The rest of the Bellas begin to form a line and file in, Stacie first, Beca bringing up the rear, continuously glancing over her shoulder, presumably for Luke.

"First things first." Stacie steps in front of Aubrey and unbuttons her shorts. "Put these on."

Aubrey watches Stacie shimmy out of her pants, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head.

Stacie looks up once her shorts are around her knees and holds them in place. "Unless you want to be in your underwear around Luke." She drops her shorts to her ankles and stands up straight again. "They're going to notice if you're wearing that under your robe." She looks at the jumper.

"This is ridiculous," Aubrey mutters. At least she's getting out of this uncomfortable jumper though. She wrestles her arms through the holes. "I could have changed."

"You are changing," Cynthia-Rose points out.

"Into my own clothes!" Is that not the obvious problem here?

Cynthia-Rose rolls her eyes.

Aubrey shoves the jumper down, gripping her underwear with one hand so they don't go down with it and further humiliate her. She steps out of the outfit then grabs the shorts out of Stacie's hands. "This had better be worth it."

Cynthia-Rose looks at Chloe. "Does she complain this much as home?" She looks at Aubrey again, her eyes settling on Aubrey's bare legs.

"Let's just get on with the plan," Chloe answers, not missing a beat.

Aubrey yanks on the shorts, sucking in her stomach to get them buttoned. "At home, I don't have to deal with this." She tries to exhale, the button on the shorts feeling ready to pop. "How do you have circulation in your legs?" she asks Stacie.

Stacie shrugs. She picks the jumper up off the floor and slides it on with ease, seeming to have perfect the art of jumping to get into her clothes.

Aubrey pulls on the robe and ties it.

"Everyone know what to do?" Cynthia-Rose asks, receiving several head nods in response. "Chloe?"

"I'm on it," Chloe answers. She turns to face Aubrey. "Sit down."

Aubrey wonders if in order to fit in, one has to always feel left out – but it seems as though she is the only one that's out of the loop. She frowns at Chloe but takes a seat, not about to start her on another 'trust lecture' – at least not in front of The Bellas.

Chloe brushes her fingers through Aubrey's hair a few times then begins to braid it back. "To keep out any stray honey," she explains. "We don't want a repeat of what happened to my hair."

"For serious?" Aubrey tries to spin around, but Chloe's grip on her hair prevents her from moving too far. "Ow, Chloe."

"Well, stop squirming." Chloe takes a hair tie from Stacie and secures the braid.

"He's coming," Lilly whispers.

"He's coming!" Fat Amy repeats, frantically waving her hands, motioning for Aubrey to get up.

Aubrey straightens the robe as she stands, running her hands down along the front of it, reminding herself that, if anything, she's still wearing a bra and doesn't have to push the robe down any further than her waist for hot rocks – unlike Luke who is getting a full skin treatment. Her head snaps up. "What if he's naked?"

Beca leans back, trying to peer out the crack between the door and wall. "Nope. Definitely wearing a robe."

"I meant under the robe, Dumbass," Aubrey growls.

"Even I've seen a man naked before," Cynthia-Rose says. "It ain't pretty, but it ain't like a nuclear weapon, girl."

"Do you need to know what it's going to look like?" Stacie asks casually.

Aubrey folds her arms. "No, I don't need to know what it's going to look like," she snaps.

"You sure?" Beca asks in a tone that Aubrey can just hear the smirk in. "Real life penises aren't like your front row seat at Magic Mike XXL."

Aubrey turns and gapes at Chloe.

"You were getting popcorn. I was bored, so I texted Beca what we were doing." Chloe shrugs. "She didn't text back."

"Yeah, I was busy with the real thing," Beca blurts out.

Chloe's breath catches mid-way and she blinks a few times.

"Guys," Fat Amy interrupts. "Luke is waiting." She motions toward the door.

"Right. Luke is waiting." Chloe plasters on a smile and slaps Aubrey's rear. "Go get him, Champ."