The day was bright and warm, the air sticky with humidity that clung to your skin; summer hadn't started to slowly creep away into fall yet, but some of the heat that annually scorches the state of Georgia had subsided. The sun was shining brightly through a cloudless sky, beaming down on ancient trees, quads of rolling grass, a sparkling lake, and groups of gothic buildings.
It was move-in day, and Barden University was teeming with activity and the subtle rumble of thousands of footsteps.
The campus was covered in more people than it seemed capable of holding as students new and old were found moving in with the help of families, visiting friends, lounging in the softest patches of grass under wide oak trees, or ambling through the annual Barden Activities Fair—an event giving all of Barden's extracurriculars the chance to showcase themselves and enlist new recruits.
Laughter and excited chatter seemed to ring through the activities fair as kids perused the booths checking out sororities, fraternities, clubs, study groups, and intramural sports. Groups of kids were clumped together catching up, making jokes, some of them were kicking soccer balls back and forth, a few throwing footballs. The activities fair was alive and everyone was enjoying themselves.
Well almost everyone.
It was under the shade of a large oak, with leaves rustling serenely in the breeze, that the reigning champions of the International Collegiate Championship of A Cappella, the Barden Bellas, were clumsily setting up their booth. Very late, for that matter.
It was proving to be a less easy start to the year than their new captain, Beca Mitchell, had intended.
She was in her second year at Barden, a place she had sworn to leave as soon as she could the year before. But now things were different. Now she couldn't fathom leaving the campus early.
But if you had informed her on this exact day the year before as she trudged around the Activities Fair, begrudgingly perusing the various booths that she would be the captain of a championship A Cappella group, she would have happily laughed in your face and declared she would never be found doing something so lame.
Most people, herself included, would never assume she would participate in music made exclusively by her mouth; let alone captain a championship team.
Because Beca Mitchell had spent most of her life brooding in the corner, pouring over her music, and avoiding things and people who would have typically made her cringe. And up until last year, she would have most definitely categorized A Cappella into that group.
But now she wasn't just an A Cappella person, she was THE A Cappella person. This year would be a test of just how much being a Bella had brought Beca out of her shell.
And a very hard shell it was.
Beca was a tiny, moody, alternative-looking girl. Her eyes were an icy blue, noticeable behind dark makeup that made them pop, her wavy brown hair was half pulled up, half down, revealing a smattering of piercings littering her ears, and a few small tattoos could be seen on her pale arms. Short, small, and stubborn, Beca had more personality to her than body.
She would have looked almost bored if it weren't for the large girl rolling around on the ground in front of her, causing the corners of her mouth to upturn in a slightly annoyed, tight-lipped smile.
The scene before her was a train wreck. She couldn't look away, but she also couldn't force the hard-headed blonde girl to accept her help.
Fat Amy, a returning Barden Bella from Tasmania, was attempting to set up their table after she had confidently told Beca she wouldn't need to lift a finger. But they were nearly an hour into the event, and although Amy had broken out in a heavy sweat, the table was yet to be unfolded.
They had arrived, much to Beca's chagrin, 35 minutes late. For 15 more excruciating minutes, Amy had struggled to open the table and, after failing, had instead tried to pry the table open with her bare hands. She was grumbling to herself as she sat down heavily on the ground, the table between her legs, her face slowly growing redder and redder the longer she grappled with the impenetrable hinges.
Beca tore her eyes away from the large blonde woman and anxiously looked down at her phone; she had received a text a bit earlier from Aubrey Posen, the Bellas former captain, that she would be stopping by within the hour with Chloe Beale, another member of the Bellas, to introduce her younger sister.
The last thing Beca wanted was uptight and controlling Aubrey to see her failing to set up at the Activities Fair on time. It would only give Aubrey ammunition to think she was going to run Bellas "proud institution" into the ground.
It didn't help that a few weeks prior, Aubrey had called Beca one afternoon to inform her that, despite having previously shown absolute disregard for continuing their family's legacy, her little sister would in fact be attending Barden this year.
Beca wasn't sure whether this came as a relief or a cause for concern. She didn't know a lot about Aubrey's sister, she'd never mentioned her except in passing. But if she was anything like Aubrey had been last year, Beca had every right to be worried about allowing her to become a Bella.
She and Aubrey had gotten off to a rough start the year before. It had been blatantly obvious from the moment they met and Aubrey called her a bitch that they would be at odds. Aubrey was one for tradition and control, and Beca was anything but traditional and controllable.
Aubrey's strict rules for the Bellas included no sexual relations with their in-campus rivals, the all male group, the Treblemakers, or their "vocal cords would be ripped out by wolves." Beca found this rule to be absolutely ridiculous, especially as she found herself growing a relationship with the Treblemakers' Jesse Swanson throughout the semester.
Before the ICCAs finals, the two Bellas' opposing viewpoints caused them to clash heads so much that it resulted in Beca briefly getting kicked off the Bellas and Aubrey aggressively projectile vomiting all over the practice hall. A habit that was both disgusting and traumatizing for those around her.
The Bellas had started to disintegrate, as well as Aubrey's dream of becoming a champion, but luckily, the two buried the hatchet immediately after the incident. With the help of all the Bellas, they led the girls from the bottom of the barrel to becoming the ICCAs' first all-female group to win in history.
So there was quite a lot of pressure on Beca's tiny shoulders to repeat their success. She wanted to give Aubrey zero chance to think she would fail, and her little sister could very well be a major wrench in her planned sprint to the finals. She found herself begging the universe for a less aggressive form of Aubrey.
As for now, the activities fair was her biggest problem.
"Are you sure—"
"No, I don't need help, Beca," Amy panted, sweat beading on her lip as she groaned loudly, her cheeks puffed out, trying once again to pull the table apart. "I promised my captain I would prepare the area for her—" she groaned again, pulling even harder this time,"—and I'm gonna do it." She gave one more fruitless tug before slowly falling backwards onto the grass. The table flopped onto the ground with a small thud.
Beca bit her lip and looked at their booth. Right now it was just a crooked, sagging sign with their name printed on it, Beca had been too short to hang it properly, and their championship trophy glinting in a small patch of sun off to the side. It was waiting to be placed on the table if Amy could ever manage to set it up.
The other Bellas hadn't arrived yet, most of them were still moving into their dorms and would stop by at different points throughout the day. Not that she didn't appreciate the help, but Beca sorely wished someone else would have volunteered to set up with her beside Amy.
She looked with some trepidation down at the Australian who was now rolling on the grass like a "gas station hot dog" to revitalize herself for another attempt at the table.
Amy had always been the most interesting person in the room, and in this moment, Beca knew that was holding true. She did, however, wish that maybe it wasn't coming at the expense of her booth; she really needed to find a few new Bellas to join them this year and it was hard to make a good pitch with Amy flopping around cursing behind her.
It was, however, attracting a lot of stares.
Beca groaned as a group of giggling girls walked by watching Amy from the corner of their eyes. They whispered together then laughed louder.
She chewed her lip, "Maybe if you just let me help—" Amy glowered up at her from the ground. "I just said maybe," she raised her hands up defensively, "I've just had to talk to like 12 people now and I already hate that enough, but we don't even have a table, and Aubrey's gonna be here soon with—" she trailed off when Amy continued to frown at her. "You know I'll just see if I can fix the banner."
It felt easier to let Amy be than try to convince her she needed help. Plus, if the sign was at least straight, maybe Aubrey wouldn't be so quick to judge. She might even be able to coerce the table away from Amy.
Beca shook her head to herself; nothing would be more embarrassing than Aubrey having to swoop in and save the day.
She turned her attention away from Amy's futile struggles to the banner hanging depressingly from the poles. It was halfway down the poles, sliding further with each second as it fluttered in the wind like a sad hammock.
She tried standing on her toes and stretching as much as she could to get the sign as high as she could, but every time she managed it, it slipped back down. The wind was just annoying enough to make the banner flap around violently every time it slid down the pole again. When it slipped one more time, she groaned heavily, dropping her arms dejectedly to her sides.
This wasn't helping to improve her anxiety.
She set her jaw; if Amy was refusing to admit defeat with a table she should have opened in 15 seconds, Beca wouldn't either. In desperation, she scanned the booths around her for a chair to stand on.
It was as she was surveying the booths across the way that she noticed a girl standing some twenty feet off to the side watching her from under the shade of a tree. Beca paused, not moving an inch as she looked at the girl from the corner of her eye. It was obvious she was staring at her.
Beca thought this was very bold of the girl to unabashedly watch her struggle, so she turned quickly to face her entirely. They locked eye contact, instead of looking embarrassed at being caught, a wide grin spread across the girl's face.
Beca's already strained nerves prickled at the intrusion. The last thing she needed was someone making fun of her right now. Even if the scene playing out before them was actually quite humorous.
"What are you staring at?" Amy suddenly panted from the ground, she had just noticed the girl as well, but seemed more outwardly annoyed than Beca at being watched.
She narrowed her eyes at the girl, "We're not zoo animals you know!"
This made the stranger laugh, before walking through a group of students towards the nonexistent booth, "I'm sorry, that was a bit rude," she admitted, a smaller smile in place.
As she came closer, Beca realized three things. First: the girl towered over her, she had to be well over a foot taller than her, if not more. Second: something about her was extremely familiar, but Beca couldn't place it. Third: she was very very pretty.
With her neck tilted back, she squinted her eyes against the speckled sun to peer into the newcomer's face, trying to decide if she was coming to investigate the Bellas or mock their failing booth. Beca's brow furrowed; the longer she looked, the more familiar and off putting she became. Something about her was giving beca minor anxiety, but she couldn't figure out why. As far as she knew this girl had never done anything but stare at her uninvited.
But Just a glance told her this girl would be Aubrey's worst nightmare. Her long hair was charcoal grey and tightly French braided, her ears were gauged and full of piercings, and Beca didn't have time to take in every piece, but the girl was covered in tattoos.
If Beca's appearance didn't send Aubrey into an early grave the year before, this girl's just might. The thought of enlisting the girl just to spite Aubrey crossed her mind, but she quickly shoved it away.
She didn't know how much longer it was acceptable to stare, but the more she did, the more aware she became that this girl was most likely not there to ask to join the Bellas.
"A Bit rude?" Amy responded stiffly, struggling to get to her feet; she rolled around a few times before she managed her task. Struggling to draw breath, she glared at the girl, who seemed unbothered. Amy crossed her arms in front of herself standoffishly as a few passersby stared at her in interest.
"Ah, what Amy means to say," Beca said quickly, shooting a furtive look at Amy and stepping forward before she could say anything else, "is can we help you?"
Maybe the girl was there to ask about the Bellas after all. It wouldn't hurt to see. A subconscious part of her was really hoping she was, though her hopes were low.
For a moment, the girl didn't look away from Amy; a crooked half-smile remained in place as one eyebrow slowly raised in amusement. With the ghost of laughter still dancing in her grey eyes, her attention slowly turned to Beca, who could have sworn they flashed the moment their eyes locked.
She felt an unfamiliar jolt somewhere deep in her stomach; this girl was putting her on edge in a way no one had before.
Beca's brow furrowed together almost immediately; there really was something so familiar, yet so different about the girl. She chewed the inside of her cheek while she tried desperately to determine where they had met, but fell short as the girl started to speak.
"I'm meeting my sister here. I'm Bams," she informed the other two, before they could respond, she continued, "I was actually going to—ah—ask if you needed…help." The confidence she started her sentence with ran out by the end of it; she grabbed her elbow behind her back while smiling uncomfortably. She had expected a bit more of a reaction to her introduction than she received.
Beca cleared her throat and stood up straighter as she tried to ignore the residual effects residing in her stomach."Oh—no, we're okay tha—" just then, the sign behind her fluttered down noisily. She closed her eyes in frustration, exhaling heavily through her nose to steady her breathing.
"Actually, that would be great," she conceded after a moment, cracking open her eyes to see the other girl with another, less nervous, smile in place. It, oddly, did enough to reset Beca to a much calmer state.
Amy opened her mouth to object, but Beca kicked her lightly. The time until Aubrey was set to arrive was dwindling, and Beca would take whatever help she could get before that happened. The last thing she needed was to embarrass herself not only in front of Aubrey, but in front of her sister during their first meeting.
"Perfect," their helper said before immediately picking up the abandoned table and pressing a small button on the side, causing the table to swing open. With a tight-lipped smile, she handed it to Amy, who looked put out by the ease with which her task was accomplished.
She grumpily snatched it back and stomped three feet away to finish setting it up by herself. If there's one thing Amy was, it was independent to a flaw.
"Thanks," Beca said, trying to remove the grimace from her face. Even though she hadn't been the one trying to open the table, she had second-hand embarrassment for Amy.
"Of course," once again, Bams grinned, easing Beca's discomfort slightly while also skyrocketing her nervous uncertainty. Bams moved past Beca to address the pathetic banner; something within beca made her draw in a sharp breath and she found herself sidestepping the new girl as the smell of her perfume washed over her.
"Barden Bellas," she read aloud as she went to hang the sign. It was a statement, not a question. The nerves that had made home in Beca's stomach fluttered again. "Nice trophy," she commented, nodding toward the ground.
"We won the—"
"ICCAs last year," her sentence, much to her surprise, was finished for her.
Beca's face didn't hide her shock; she knew it had been a big deal that they won, but she hadn't expected people to know who the Bellas were quite yet.
Especially someone like this girl.
This very alternative, carefree, beca style girl.
Bams chuckled at Beca's reaction while she started pulling the other side taut; she realized Beca really had no clue who she was. But if Beca had known her better she would have seen the small look of hurt that crossed bams face.
"First all-female group to do it in history," she continued with a small, playful smirk, easily tying the ropes of the banner tight and hiding her disappointment.
"I—I didn't think—you don't really…look like—" beca didn't know how to complete her sentence without sounding rude, but it was something she couldn't resist explaining.
"Well, neither do you," the girl said pointedly, as far as she knew, she fit into the Bellas about as much as Beca did. "That should do it," she nodded to the banner, turning around to face Beca once more.
"Thanks, dude," Beca said as she took a step back to admire Bams' work. Amy had set up the table behind them finally; they weren't quite in shambles anymore, and chloe, Aubrey and her sister still hadn't arrived. Beca's mood was improving more and more with each passing second.
She wouldn't be a failure to Aubrey after all.
"Of course—honestly, I was sort of impressed…you almost got it a few times—" Beca glowered at her, Bams found the response amusing. "You're just…you're just…tiny," she finished, almost as if she was having to explain this to Beca, "it's very sweet." She almost sounded apologetic, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face.
Beca's eyebrows formed a line. Yes, she might be tiny, but she didn't need this random girl to point that out to her; this wasn't brand new information.
Before she could stop, she heard herself say, "maybe you're just…too big—"
Bams' face fell; she looked dejected at the ground. "Yeah, I know…everyone's told me my whole life…I'm a giant," she sighed heavily; Beca looked horrified at what she had said. Making sarcastic comments to strangers didn't seem the most prudent way to recruit girls.
Almost immediately, a grin split across the girl's face, and laughing, she said, "I'm fucking with you," she shoved Beca's shoulder lightly; Beca was immediately relieved, but she couldn't ignore the ease with which the girl had become comfortable with her. "You're cute when you're nervous,"
Beca's face flushed instantaneously she tried to stammer a witty response, "I…ah…you, you—" but came up empty. Instead She coughed into her elbow to cover it up while her mind reeled. No one calling her cute had made her this flustered before and for now she couldn't place why.
Thankfully, Beca thought, Amy interrupted their conversation from behind, "So, can you even sing or are you just here to insult us and make us feel like we don't know how to use simple furniture—"
"Wasn't doing that," Bams cut her off quickly; she could hear the annoyance in Amy's voice and felt it best to diffuse the tension quickly.
She went to stand on the other side of the table, best to allow Amy some space. "Um, I'm Amber—" she tried again, hoping using her real name would help. From the blank look on their faces, she had confirmed the feeling they had no clue who she was. She stuck her hand out to shake Beca's anyway.
Beca took it cautiously in her own and slowly shook it, her eyes narrowed slightly, her mind working overtime to place where she knew Bams from. Her thoughts slowed as she felt Bams hand in her own—mostly soft with a few calloused fingers, then it hit her like a train.
"I'm Aubrey's little sister—"
No fucking way.
Beca's thoughts flew to the confusing lump in her stomach and the nervousness she had felt. Maybe Bams looked just enough like Aubrey that it had made her anxious…or maybe it was that Aubrey's sister was very pretty and really she had never noticed a girl be so pretty before. She couldn't decide and let the wave of panic wash over her as she forced the thought from her mind.
After the reveal, Beca stopped shaking Bams's hand in surprise, but her shock didn't allow her to let go. Their hands hung together between them, swinging slightly back and forth. Her blood had run cold. Not only had Aubrey's pretty little sister seen how poorly she was running the Bellas, but she had been the only reason they'd managed to actually set up.
She wanted to disappear on the spot. Every panicked thought she'd had since meeting Bams raced through her brain and suddenly everything made sense.
Both Fat Amy and Beca's jaws dropped simultaneously. Neither of them seemed able to comprehend what Bams had said right away even though it was impossible to deny. Beca felt like she could hear Amy's brain beside her, working just as fast as hers.
Her eyes widened and her eyebrows shot into her hairline, astonishment and disbelief dripping off her every word. "You? You're Aubrey's little sister?" This had to be a joke. This was a cruel yet funny joke.
Immediately, Beca looked down and realized they were still holding hands. "Oh," she dropped Bams', which swung down limply to her side. Another small smile was gracing Bams' face; she had been excited to meet the girls.
"Little?" Amy finally whispered as she craned her neck up to look at Bams. Beca kicked her under the table again. Sometimes Amy really was too unaware.
Bams, however, was resisting the urge to laugh; it wasn't the first time someone had made the same comment. She had to say, Amy was funnier than Chloe and Aubrey had described her.
"The very same," she said happily; she figured the Bellas might be a bit surprised to meet her, but she hadn't expected this amount of shock. Obviously her sister really hadn't told them too much about her, but she tried not to dwell on the offensiveness of it all and focused on the two in front of her.
It was almost impossible to believe, but now that Beca was really looking, she began to spot more subtle similarities between the sisters.
Bams's cool grey eyes matched the shape of Aubrey's striking blue ones, the smile that had rarely left her face was the one her sister managed to offer here and there, they had the same nose, and somehow the same freakishly perfect posture.
Their differences were so much more pronounced that Beca understood how she hadn't seen it at first. She never in a million years would have thought the extremely tall, pale, toned, tattooed, pierced, and slightly grungy girl standing in front of her was related to Aubrey in the slightest.
Bams familiarity was obvious now, but beca was still grappling with the unexplained nerves she was feeling around her.
She had been so distracted processing Bams' identity that she didn't hear two pairs of heels clack noisily behind her. the former Bella captain and Chloe had finally arrived.
"You don't need to look so surprised, Beca," Aubrey snapped, her mouth forming a thin line, "It's not that wild—"
"It's pretty wild," Amy mumbled under her breath. Beca nodded in agreement.
"Different dads," Bams said simply.
"Ohhhh."
Now that they were standing beside each other, Beca was able to properly assess the sisters. Aubrey's bright blonde hair was neatly pinned back, her clothes were pristine, a light blue sleeveless dress, with a matching pair of heels, and she carried herself with poise that could be misconstrued as haughtiness. While Bams, dressed in a black crop top, cargo pants and converse, looked like someone Beca would actually want to be friends with.
She internally groaned; she really needed to stop being so negative about Aubrey; after all, Aubrey was her friend now too.
Chloe, who was just excited to see the other girls, pushed past Bams. "O-m-aca-G!" She squealed, a huge smile plastered on her face as she grabbed Beca in a bone-crushing hug.
Chloe was just as short as Beca, but it was hard to tell as she almost always wore heels. Her hair was lightly curled, and her blue eyes popped against her auburn tresses. Freckles littered her tanned nose and cheeks. Amy was in the habit of grilling Chloe over how many souls she had snatched in order to be a tan ginger, she insisted it had to be comparable to the number of freckles.
She was in her fifth year as a barden bella; Beca had been shocked, but also pleased by Chloe's dedication when she informed her she had intentionally failed Russian lit in order to remain a Bella for another year.
This was great news as Chloe had undergone surgery for vocal nodes the year before which lowered her vocal range allowing her to hit the bass notes the girls needed to round out their performances.
Plus, as close as all of the Bellas were, Chloe and Beca shared a special bond after Chloe interrupted her shower the year before to insist she audition for the Bellas. it was a memory neither girl would forget anytime soon.
"it feels like it's been forever," chloe said, releasing a very crumpled looking beca and dramatically pulling amy in next. Some of the unease beca had felt around bams dissipated with the arrival of her friends.
"And yet I had a dream about Aubrey yelling at me just last night," amy informed the group through a mouthful of chloe's hair. Everyone laughed, except for Aubrey who looked grumpy at the comment.
"Sorry, bree, some traumas just don't leave," amy hugged the former captain and took a quick step back, as if Aubrey might lash out and bite her. Bams stifled a laugh disguised as a cough while beca fought back the smirk that threatened to appear. Aubrey was an easy target, the only concern ever was that she might blow chunks at a moments notice.
"Well, I do have a way of making a lasting impression," Aubrey said dryly, choosing to ignore the unintentional insult. Bams and chloe giggled together at this, she wasn't wrong, but the impressions were sometimes not left in the most positive light.
The corners of Beca's mouth turned up, but she suppressed another smile when she caught Bams' eye.
Aubrey turned, narrowing her eyes to glare at both her sister and chloe. The tense blonde rolled her eyes and redirected her attention to beca, "it looks good here at least, beca, I'm happy to see that."
The trophy was now proudly displayed amongst flyers for the Bellas in the center of the table, people who dropped by were no longer questioning what was going on at the shitshow; beca was beyond grateful they had managed to get everything in order right before Aubrey had arrived.
"Oh…yeah…thanks," she said distractedly. Her eyebrows were knit together, she was looking back and forth between the two women in front of her. Aubrey who looked as if she hadn't relaxed properly a day in her life and Bams who looked like she had not a care in the world.
Amy was now slowly circling Bams, viewing her from all sides with her eyes narrowed almost as if she was stalking prey. Bams raised an eyebrow as she watched the Australian tread her path; she couldn't decide if Amy was sizing her up or checking her out.
"Who would have thought you'd been hiding your own extra large beca from us, bree—"
"Amy!" Chloe gasped, glancing at Bams who was laughing. Beca groaned quietly to herself with her head burying into her hand completely unnoticed by Amy. "you can't call people extra large—"
"I call myself fat Amy do you really think I care—"
The four other girls couldn't argue with that statement in the slightest.
After a momentary pause beca heard herself say what she had been thinking, "you HATED me last year because of how I look and your sister looks like…like this!" She motioned to Bams, her eyebrows raising in protest. It was true; Beca's appearance was one thing Aubrey had hated above all else the previous year. Exempt from her treble fraternization.
Chloe, who had been watching captivated from the side, snickered into her hand; the irony of the situation had never been lost on her. However she did think Aubrey always hoped joining the Bellas would set Bams straight. That hope was finally shot the second beca became captain.
"I'm so sorry," beca added, looking at Bams rather horrified, "that was sort of rude—" she wanted to kick herself; perhaps she wasn't making the best impression on Aubrey's little sister.
Bams shrugged, a small smirk in place, "it's a valid point…if it makes you feel better," she leaned in towards beca, "she definitely hated me before you."
Beca let herself smile at this while she nodded her head, "that does help; I'd hate to be a special case."
"Oh definitely not special at all," Bams grin broadened while she joked with beca, she had known they would most likely get along, but she was happy to finally meet the new captain and see it first hand. anyone that Aubrey hated so passionately was usually someone Bams got along with swimmingly.
Beca was cautious, but part of her was already warming up to Bams as well.
"I don't hate either of you—" both girls glanced at each other knowingly before protesting this statement together. "—Well anymore," Aubrey finished rather lamely.
After a moment's awkward silence, Beca heard herself begin to state the obvious, "you guys just seem…really—" Bams interrupted her before she could finish.
"Different…thank god for that—" she earned a hard shove from her sister and a nod of agreement from Chloe who greatly enjoyed the aspects of both of her friendships. Amy laughed loudly before realizing that Aubrey did not find this funny at all. Both she and Chloe earned a vicious glare for their responses.
"Can you resist being an asshole for a second?" Aubrey hissed.
Bams raised her hands up in defense, she was used to Aubrey snapping at her; she'd been trying to wrangle Bams her whole life and that was the only way she knew to do it. not that it was ever particularly successful. the older they got the more Aubrey started to admit defeat and she realized that at nearly 21 Bams clearly wasn't changing her ways.
"You never have," Bams shot back without missing a beat. Beca ducked her head down to laugh, earning yet another glare from Aubrey at the same time. Bams grinned and winked at her. There was that confusing jolt again.
"Just saying—" bams started up again, but Chloes eyes widened at her as if trying to convey something. She cut across Bams before she continued pleading her case.
"Bams," Chloe shook her hand to warn her to stop speaking; as much as Aubrey had improved in the last year, she could still be really intense and Chloe knew better than to intentionally poke the bear. it was better to cut off this conversation before it snowballed into an argument.
After all, she had spent nearly her whole life breaking up and preventing fights between the sisters. she'd actually gotten so good at it she wanted to request being put on the family's payroll.
Amy took over the conversation before either sister could object to Chloe, "I thought you said last year your sister was at a different school to ruin your family's legacy or something," she said suspiciously.
"Who's the asshole now?" Bams mumbled with a look that sent daggers at her sister and a well placed middle finger.
Aubrey's face went red and her eyes widened slightly. This was not something she hoped would be brought up right away. "I did not say that," she answered quickly, glancing at her surly sister who she could tell knew Amy wasn't lying.
Much to Aubrey's displeasure, Beca spoke up next, "Ehhh, you might have mentioned it once or twice…"Beca said, but at the look on Aubrey's face she hastily added, "but probably not exactly like that…"
Both Chloe's and Amy's faces disagreed with Beca, but they chose to remain silent. Everyone could see this conversation was a one way ticket to a vomit shower and they all wanted to avoid that.
"Anyway," Aubrey plowed on, tucking her hair behind her ear and choosing to ignore everything that had just happened. "Bams," Beca resisted giggling at the nickname, "transferred from UConn so she can audition for the Bellas—"
Beca perked up.
"Okay,Bree, I said if I have ti—"
"You'll have time," she snapped, Bams shoulders drooped slightly. it wasn't that she was dreading being a Bella, when she was little she wanted nothing more, But As she got older her priorities shifted. Not to mention, she had just changed her life plan drastically and was struggling with the choices she had made. Walking away from UConn had taken more out of her than she wanted to admit.
She turned to Beca, some of the sparkling light had left her eyes momentarily, "I play basketball for Barden—" she explained, "—I've got a bit of a busy schedule."
It was impossible for Beca to not notice the change that overtook Bams, but looking around no one else seemed to have. But with this news Beca felt a wave of disappointment and sadness crash over her, "Barden has a team?" she asked, trying to hide her disappointment with curiosity.
"Yeah," Bams face fell to match her shoulders and she said slowly with a heavy sigh, "not a very good one, but there's a team…" her mind wandered to the team she had just left and a dull ache formed in her chest.
She glanced at her sister sadly, unsure whether she was looking for support or comfort, but Aubrey seemed to have busied herself with looking anywhere else but Bams. Bams pulled her mouth to one side and chomped on her cheek. She and Aubrey had a slightly strained relationship, but they cared for each other all the same. Still, sometimes Bams really wished Aubrey would make a better effort to understand her.
Hoping to bring back Bams smile, Beca joked, "So are you like Troy Bolton or something?" Chloe giggled and Aubrey rolled her eyes, but Bams did crack a grin. Beca felt satisfaction grow warm in her stomach at the sight despite the embarrassment she felt from her high school musical reference.
Amy raised an eyebrow; it was very unlike beca to work to make someone smile. Let alone a stranger. Let alone a stranger who is actually Aubrey's sister; Aubrey's very suspiciously attractive sister. A lump formed in Beca's throat; what was she even thinking?
Bams crossed her arms and leaned her weight on one leg, "You looking to be Gabriella?" Bams eyes and smile were playful.
Once again chloe giggled and Aubreys eyes narrowed, her jaw tightening, but this time Beca's face turned scarlet and her stomach bubbled hotter. She didn't even know how to respond, instead making a bunch of stuttering noises before falling silent and staring blankly ahead. She had no clue what was coming over her and she felt embarrassment creep up as Aubrey watched her.
Bams bit her lip with another glance at Beca's red face and a shake of her head she added, "Troy Bolton wishes he was me."
She said it as a joke, but it was partially true.
Bams was talented. Her musical ability was surpassed only by her skill with a basketball. She'd spent nearly her whole life perfecting her game; constantly aiming to be the best. If there was one thing she and her sister truly shared in common it was their desire for success.
Everywhere she went she broke records; she led her high school to four straight state championships and broke Georgia's high school all time scoring record at the same time. Freshman year at UConn she led the big east in points and assists, Her sophomore year she had tied Breanna Stewart's season points record and won the big east mvp award.
Winning had been a major highlight, but unfortunately for the last two years the team had been knocked out of the ncaa tournament before the finals. It was a taste of what the next two years were to bring to her, so when she found herself crammed between a rock and a hard place and chose to leave the university she felt all the dreams she'd had her whole life crash down around her.
Her prospects of a basketball career felt like they were going down the drain. Barden was notoriously the worst school in the ncaa as they had never in the history of the school had a winning season. It was a recipe for being left out of the wnba draft at the end of the next year and she was trying to come to terms with it, but it was ripping her apart every day no matter how hard she tried to move past it.
"Well, Troy, I wouldn't want you be a Bella if it's going to stress you out," beca said, even though she wanted to side with Aubrey.
"Thank you," Bams said deliberately slow, appreciating the understanding beca was extending to her; she glared a hole in her sister at the same time. Beca was being more supportive than Aubrey and it didn't sit well with Bams.
But despite their horrific record, Bams still wanted to put everything she had into bardens program; maybe there was a chance she could at least make bardens team slightly relevant. Regardless, there was a lot of pressure on her shoulders from both her sister and the university.
Chloe felt a bit bad. she knew Bams had recently sacrificed a lot, she wouldn't tell them exactly why, but at the same time chloe had to admit she really wanted Bams to join the Bellas with them.
"So what do you think?" Aubrey asked, as if neither Bams nor beca had said a thing.
Beca knew taking in Aubrey's sister would make things a lot easier, but she could tell the girl was unsure about coming onto the bellas. "Only if, Bams,—" Bams surprised herself when she flushed bright red when Beca used her nickname, "—is sure she wants to do it."
"She will," Aubrey insisted. Beca wanted to laugh, clearly some things wouldn't change for Aubrey.
Bams' hands clenched together tightly and she looked slightly annoyed for a second before hiding it well and forcing a tight lipped smile onto her face. "Sounds like I'm auditioning then—"
Chloe couldn't help it, she clapped excitedly as she bounced on the balls of her feet. "Excellent. Can't wait for you to be my siiiissssterrr," she sang happily.
"Unless you're actually terrible and you're becoming a prime case of nepotism," Amy's eyebrows formed a line. It went without question that Amy was still uncertain of Aubrey's little sister.
Bams frowned heavily, her eyebrows lowered and nodded; Amy made a valid point, they could all hate her and not want her to join.
"That's ridiculous," Aubrey said forcefully. "Bams is good at everything she does."
The frown that had been on her face was immediately replaced with surprise. It wasn't often she heard such compliments from her older sister. She knew Aubrey was proud of her, but sometimes it was hard to tell. She was always so busy trying to change things about her.
"Thanks, bree," Bams said gently, still taken aback by the compliment. They were all silent for a second before Amy spoke again.
"Only time will tell if you're trash."
Bams furrowed her brow, "can confidently answer that yes I am—" beca chuckled to herself, but turned it into a cough when Bams caught her eye with another wink. "If you hate me you don't have to take me on," she shrugged at Amy who seemed pleased with this.
"Oh my god! We didn't know you were gonna be here so early!"
Stacie Conrad, the extremely leggy and notoriously promiscuous Bella had just arrived with co bella Cynthia rose Adam's. Stacie was tall and slender with long wavy brown hair and perfectly done makeup and nails; she would have looked more fitting in a sorority than anything else.
Cynthia rose was much shorter. Her hair was done in long box braids that trailed down her back with streaks of pink scattered throughout. She was another one you wouldn't suspect would be into a Capella, but in the last year that's what being a Bella really had become.
Only after hugs had been doled out all around did the two girls finally turn their attention to Bams who was standing off to the side slightly, letting the girls have their moment together.
Cynthia roses caught her eye and gave her an upward nod, she returned it with a small smile. Stacie was more vocal about the presence of the stranger.
"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," she apologized earnestly, "are you gonna audition for the Bell—" all of the sudden her brows came together and she tilted her head to the side, looking at Bams with a new lens.
"You're Bams sinclair," she announced after a moments silence.
The corners of Bams' mouth curled into another small smile as she nodded once; out of all the Bellas, Stacie was the last one she expected to know who she was.
Beca raised an eyebrow; she was equally as surprised as Bams that Stacie had recognized her. As was everyone else.
"My sisters like obsessed with you, she's got five posters of you, I swear, sinner this Bams that," she explained, this didn't clear anything up for the three other bellas, but she had Beca's full attention. Beca made a mental note to find out if Bams went by any of her government names. "like fully made her realize she was a lesbian."
The entire group laughed at this, but Cynthia rose spoke up.
"Wait, you got a gay sister?" It was hard for her to hide the interest from her voice.
Stacie glowered at her, "she's 16–"
"Just checking," Cynthia rose said defensively. It was common knowledge she had been after Stacie for the entirety of last semester, so no one was shocked at her excitement. "You gay?" She directed at Bams who chuckled with another nod.
"Thought so—" everyone stared at her, "—snake tattoo," she said pointing to a snake winding its way around Bams' wrist and hand as if that fully explained it. It didn't.
Beca looked at her blankly, waiting for an answer to this statement while glancing at the snake that wound its way around Bams' toned bicep. "What…snake tattoos? Come on, guys, All gay girls have a snake tattoo," Cynthia rose explained like this was common knowledge."snakes are gay moths are bi…"
From the way Bams laughed it was obvious she was the only one who knew what Cynthia rose was talking about.
Amy had grown bored and was looking back and forth between Stacie and Bams, "so is someone gonna explain why we're supposed to know the giraffe?" Bams pulled her lips in tight to prevent herself from laughing; Amy was unleashing more comments about her height than she was used to.
Stacie turned, her mouth open slightly, "she…she won big east mvp with UConn the last two years…" no one was able to hide their surprise; Stacie seemed like the last person to keep up with collegiate basketball. "My sister," she said pointedly.
Beca glanced at Bams who was looking slightly embarrassed; she couldn't believe Aubrey hadn't mentioned her sister much the year before. It didn't seem like Aubrey to want to hide a family accolade. She had to be really pissed bams had chosen to go to school elsewhere.
"I was about to say ain't no way stace knows about sports—" Stacie huffed, "—women's sports," Cynthia rose clarified. "No one knows the nba roster better than Stacie—"
"Intimately," Amy tacked on quietly.
Beca scrunched up her face, "gross."
Bams, who still hadn't spoken, couldn't hold back her laughter Maybe being a part of the group would actually be really good for her? She was already enjoying her time with the few members she had met; it would be a nice distraction to get a fresh start with good people.
Beca, however, turned to Aubrey looking slightly putout. "Why didn't you tell us about your sister?" Bams bit her lip, that was a sensitive subject, but one she was interested in nonetheless.
"Sister?" Stacie gasped before Aubrey could respond, her eyes popping slightly. "You're aubreys sister? No way." She looked Bams up and down before repeating, "no way. I was not expecting you."
Aubrey's annoyance dripped off her voice and her face contorted, reddening slightly, "why does everyone sound so surprised—"
"No offense, but your sister is like…cool as hell," Cynthia rose answered in slight awe as she took her turn to look over Bams. "No offense," she added again, avoiding Aubrey's eye.
"You know, Just because you say no offense doesn't mean it's not offensive," Aubrey grumbled, crossing her arms tightly in front of herself. She had spent most of her life getting told the exact same thing and it did wear on her over time.
Bams finally spoke, clearing her throat and ignoring the last few things that had been said, instead answering Stacie's original question, "ah, yeah, I am auditioning—"
"You're not at UConn anymore?" Stacie looked wildly around at everyone, as if asking someone to tell her this was untrue.
"Yeah, Stacie, she's literally right here," Amy said, sounding slightly concerned for the other girls mental health. She checked over Stacie like there might be something physically wrong with her, but received a glowering stare from her in return.
"Um, I just decided it would be a nice change of pace to be…to be a Bella—" Bams said trying to sound as excited about the prospect as possible. She knew she was lying, but The group didn't look as if they quite believed her either.
Cynthia rose looked at her like she had lost it, "man, I don't know a lot about sports but I know UConn…you're kind of wack but I like it." She nodded her head approvingly.
"Thanks," Bams laughed lightly as she scratched at the back of her neck, looking around everywhere but making eye contact with no one. The girls grew silent for a moment.
Aubrey, looking extremely grouchy, stepped off to the side where she was whispering hurriedly with chloe who looked as if she was desperately trying to diffuse a bomb. The other girls fell back into chatting and handing out fliers to girls as they passed by.
Beca's eyes slid over the two girls standing alone before resting on Bams anxiously chewing her thumbnail, her attention trained on Aubrey. It was obvious she was nervous for her older sister to be upset. Beca searched around for something to say; suddenly it felt a bit awkward with everyone else preoccupied.
"So what dorm are you in?"
Bams, refocusing her attention, shook her head briefly before addressing beca with a glowing smile, "I'm not. I moved in with chloe—"
"Jealous," beca said simply with a nod of her head. She would have killed to live in an apartment on campus. Or to even have her own dorm room without a roommate. She had to admit it.
Somehow Bams grin grew even wider, "you can just come move in with me…we can get bunk beds, there's gonna be so much room for activities."
"I do love activities," beca joked back with a smile of her own, even though she had felt the blood rush to her legs. She couldn't believe how pleasantly surprised she was to genuinely like Aubrey's little sister. "You know, I was really worried to meet you," she informed Bams who didn't look remotely surprised, "we didn't know a lot about you at all."
Bams eyes darted over to Aubrey again who was looking a bit calmer as chloe kept speaking to her quickly. "I would've been too…" she trailed off into silence. "But She was too busy terrorizing you guys to talk about me," Bams joked before turning back to beca. "She's okay now…but damn she hated you last year," she added.
"I know," beca said, a small smile playing on her lips.
Bams threw up air quotes and put on a high pitched voice, "beca effing Mitchell with her effing toner for that lame treble?" Beca's smile faltered, her eyes flashed and her jaw set, but she quickly put it to the side. not before Bams noticed however. she chose to not pry into Beca's personal life. Not yet at least.
"Beca effing Mitchell, huh?" Beca asked, biting her bottom lip with a chuckle. Bams nodded.
"Kind of thought it was your government name…" they laughed together. She cleared her throat, "I've been very much looking forward to meeting you, beca effing Mitchell."
And she wasn't lying. Ever since Aubrey started to screech in her ear every other day about beca Bams had been interested in meeting the girl in question. "Had to see who made my sister into a better version of herself."
Beca's face grew warm, "ahh," she wasn't used to getting offhand compliments from strangers. Let alone someone who had been anticipating meeting her. "Well…hope I don't disappoint," she chuckled uncomfortably as she looked around at all the other girls who were chatting amongst themselves. The thought of Bams looking forward to their meeting reignited the nerves living in her stomach.
Bams eyes twinkled, "i don't see that happening." Beca blushed even harder; Bams seemed to be enjoying the ease with which Beca's face would brighten.
"Why does beca look like a tomato?" Aubrey asked, an eyebrow raised high. She, looking far calmer than she had, and chloe returned to the group finally. All the girls stopped talking to look at beca who somehow managed to turn still redder.
"She can't take a compliment," Bams grinned toothily, before checking her phone that had vibrated in her pocket. "ah, but, It was really nice to meet you guys and I hate to run," she winked at Beca, whose heart rate quickened. "But I've got to go pick some stuff up from the athletic center—"
"Aw, are you sure? I was just gonna facetime my—" chloe shook her head silently at Stacie who's face fell as she stopped talking and dropped her phone limply to her side.
Chloe was jostled to the side as Amy made her way to the front of the group, "I haven't even gotten to ask any of my questions about aub—" once again chloe shook her head.
"Maybe another time," chloe said quietly, with a soft pat on Amy's arm and a gentle glance at Aubrey. Aubrey however chose to ignore and only responded to her sister.
"I'll come with you," she insisted. Bams heart beat picked up nervously and she chewed her lip. It felt like she might be about to get an earful. "Chlo, you can stay and work the booth."
"She knows she's not the captain anymore right?" Amy asked quietly from the corner of her mouth while looking wearily at Beca. Beca shrugged, she honestly wasn't surprised at Aubrey's comment and didn't take it to heart; from the look on her face, neither did chloe.
Aubrey and Bams bade the three girls goodbye. "Bellas, beca Mitchell," Bams nodded to the four girls, "I'll see you around." She glanced at chloe, "maybe everyone could come over tonight?"
"OOoh, yay," chloe clapped, "that would be amazing! See you guys later." She offered a dazzling smile before tossing her hair over her shoulder to start talking animatedly to Beca who was watching the sisters walk away over chloe's shoulder.
Aubrey pulled her sister away from the booth by her hand. Once they were a good bit away from the activities fair Bams chanced a glance at her; her face was slightly pinched looking, she seemed lost in thought.
Bams brow furrowed immediately, "what's going on, bree?" She asked, a bit weary of what the answer might be; they usually ran into problems when their worlds collided and she had really hoped this time would be different.
Aubrey ignored the question, "Bams, I need you to take this seriously…and keep it in your pants."
Bams stopped walking; her sister really did know how to piss her off. Aubrey didn't notice until she was about 25 feet in front of her. She glanced to her side to see why her sister hadn't answered when she suddenly looked around wildly trying to find her.
"What are you doing?" She asked, retracing her footsteps so there wasn't an awkward gap between her and her sullen sister. She looked around uncomfortably at the people who kept having to walk around them and felt them all staring each time, but clearly she was unaware of how offensive she had been.
"First off, don't tell me to keep it in my pants," Bams knew her sister hadn't realized that would hurt her so, but it didn't take away the sting. "You don't know where I'm at with that, I'm not doing anything and it's none of your business if I did. Second off: How much more seriously do you want me to take this, Aubrey?" Bams voice was icy, as she glared a hole in her sister. Any concern she had for her wellbeing was melting away into annoyance. "I'm literally here at barden, literally changing my whole college plan to do this for you—" that might be a bit of an embellishment, but she didn't care.
"You're not doing it for me, I didn't make you come here," Aubrey countered, she felt the frustration with her younger sister bubbling inside her at the face Bams made. She stopped speaking to glare at a group of boys walking by who were staring open mouthed at them as they argued. "And I'm sorry, but literally everyone could see you were flirting with beca," she hissed.
Bams rolled her eyes and crossed her arms angrily, the thought was making her feel sick. She had really enjoyed beca and she didn't know if she was ready to address this realization. "that doesn't mean I'm trying to fuck her, bree!" Aubrey glanced around wearily. "I was just talking with her, she knows that," she wasn't entirely sure that was true either, but she was going to tell herself that.
"And yes, I am joining the bellas for you! I wanted to focus on basketball, but you want the bellas to win again and you sure as hell hounded me until I said yes—"
"You didn't have to say yes," Bams felt her eyes roll and started walking again, much quicker than they had been at first. Aubrey had done everything to encourage Bams to audition exempt from telling her she'd hate her forever if she didn't.
"Bams," Aubrey groaned, heels clacking noisily as she jogged to catch up with her sister who had much longer legs than she did. "I'm sorry, I appreciate you wanting to do this for me," she panted when she was level with Bams who huffed in response. It was easier to shelve disagreements sometimes. "I just don't want the girls to be disappointed—"
"In who? Me or you?" This time when she stopped walking Aubrey did too. She looked taken aback by Bams question. Bams sighed and thoughtlessly scratched the back of her neck, she wasn't sure she wanted the answer.
"Look, bree, you know I can do this. We know I can do this—and if I join the Bellas or not isn't going to change how they view you. You're amazing in their eyes—"
Aubrey's face fell, "Bams, you heard how they talk—"
"You terrorized them for almost an entire year," Bams responded blankly, she was not going to be participating in the Aubrey pity party when it came to this. "And you threw up all over the practice hall…the fact that they even consider you a friend is a major win I think."
Aubrey's face remained Stoney, Bams bit the inside of her cheek as they continued their walk. "bree?" she prompted. Aubrey who had been staring dejectedly at the ground pulled her attention away from the sidewalk and glanced at her sister.
Bams brows knit together and a dimple appeared in her cheek as she continued to chew on it. "What's going on with you?" They had started walking again, but slowed their pace to a leisurely stroll. Aubrey was still avoiding looking at her sister.
After a brief silence Aubrey turned to look hard at Bams, her voice sounded strained and she looked close to tears as she spoke, "I just really need you to do well at this, okay? Can you do that for me?" Bams silently nodded until Aubrey forced a smile.
"Thanks, Bams. Let's go get your stuff," she motioned with her head and the two took off again.
Beca was having a hard time pulling herself from watching the two sisters retreating backs, when Amy brought her back to the present moment.
"The sexual tension between you two was—" she finished with a long whistle. Stacie giggled while Cynthia rose nodded in agreement.
Beca's blood ran cold, all she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears and her mouth dropped open indignantly, "Amy, there wasn't any—" chloe laughed loudly and beca gave her a death glare. There had been no sexual tension between them; they simply were getting along. Anyone who had paid attention would have clearly seen that.
"Yeah, sure and I've never had sex before," Stacie announced to the group with a roll of her eyes; her smile faltered only when she caught Beca's stare amidst the other girls peals of laughter. "Sorry, Becs," she shrugged and popped a bubble with her gum. A group of girls walked by and Stacie busied herself with handing out fliers.
Cynthia rose cleared her throat, "no offense, Beca—"
"See I feel like Aubrey just said that doesn't make the sentence less offensive," beca interrupted quickly with a slight edge to her voice. This was a conversation she was not wanting to continue.
The other girl stopped for a moment to consider this, only after a second did she decide to move forward anyway. "Yeah, so, like I was saying…no offense, Beca, but I've been a professional lesbian since I was 14 and I can in fact confirm that there were some major gay vibes going off between the two of you."
"Look," beca crossed her arms in front of herself, "just because she's physically flawless and really funny doesn't mean I like her." She realized halfway through her sentence that she wasn't helping her case and hoped she sounded far more facetious by the end of it.
"I mean…Bams IS physically flawless…she creates feelings in others that they themselves don't understand," chloe informed the girls who couldn't help but laugh at this.
Stacie who had just rejoined them, perked up, "is she like, interested in creating these feelings with the entire group or is this just a beca type thing?" Amy nodded along with the question.
"Stacie makes an excellent point…will we all be confused about our feelings for Aubrey's sister this year? I didn't quite anticipate fitting lesbian confusion in with all of my boyfriends—"
"What is wrong with you…" beca buried her head in her hands still chuckling to herself.
Chloe ignored the additional comments from the other girls, "I'm just saying: Bams is really great and she DOES create feel—"
"She's not creating ANY feelings…" Amy's Stacie's and Cynthia roses faces conveyed they found this to be untrue.
Beca wanted to scream; why was it so hard for them to believe her? So what Beca never met anyone that successfully made her blush even once upon their first meeting? Or crack a genuine smile? Let alone both in a conversation in her favorite language—sarcasm? All while her stomach tied itself into a million knots?
Aubrey's little sister had been a major surprise, but not that big of one. "Look guys, shut up, we just really hit it off, I think…I don't know, maybe we'll be really good friends—and she'll be a great addition to the Bellas."
"Mhm; Fast friends," chloe said, her eyes flashed and beca felt her stomach lurch. It was Chloe's final say on the subject before she changed course slightly.
"Whatever happened with Jesse?" She asked, deciding to redirect from Bams, onto a subject that wasn't much better in Beca's opinion. she was looking across the lawn at the treblemakers, one of bardens other acapella groups, where Beca's ex boyfriend was handing out fliers for their recruits.
Beca sighed and stared dully ahead: after they kissed at the ICCAs they had dated for a couple months, but she couldn't get past the fact that he felt more like her brother. Things had ended relatively well, but Jesse took it much harder than Beca anticipated and they hadn't really talked since. Chloe had been anxiously waiting to ask beca about it in person for weeks.
"Just didn't work out," she said simply.
"Maybe because you're gay," Amy suggested with a shrug.
"Amy…hand out fliers," beca said, in the moment, sounding very much like Aubrey as she shoved another stack each at Amy, Cynthia rose and Stacie who grumpily took them and walked away.
"Bams is really great," chloe continued once the other girls were out of ear shot, "I really hope she can make the bellas work. When we were little it was all we talked about, but then she got really good at basketball. Sort of made her change directions…Aubrey never really got over it," she added thoughtfully.
"so you've known Aubrey your whole life?" Beca questioned, she hadn't realized the two were so close beyond the bellas, but With how they had bickered the year before beca wasn't too surprised.
"Mhm," chloe hummed happily, watching a nervous group of freshmen walk by, "Our moms are best friends; they met at this totally lame military thing in Atlanta when Aubrey's and my dads were being sworn in like 30 years ago...They're actually the reason we all stayed together like a family," She added happily.
"I didn't know Aubrey's parents were divorced."
"Oh hell yeah," chloe laughed, "twice actually. Aubrey's dad was Bams step dad for like six and a half years."
Beca felt her mouth part slightly, "Jesus…so much about Aubrey is making a lot more sense…How did I not know this?" Beca wondered aloud.
"You never asked!" Chloe chimed back; she didn't sound remotely bothered. With a happy sigh she looked excitedly around the busy campus, "this is gonna be a great year, Becs, I can feel it."
Beca puckered her lips while she played with the edge of the table cloth. This year was already starting off differently than she expected with the arrival of Aubrey's sister and her awkwardness towards Jesse. This wasn't what she had planned, but her hopes were still high for a great Bella year. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.
