Every Day [Bechloe Fan Fiction]

30) The One Where There's A Riff Off

When Aubrey, Fat Amy and Beca entered the bar Cynthia-Rose, Emily, Lily, Flo and Stacie were already there, beers in hand. A cheer went up from their table when they noticed Aubrey and Fat Amy. Beca had slipped to the back of the group, hiding herself from view. She wasn't ready.

Her hand went out automatically and gripped Fat Amy's wrist, causing Amy to jump. She quickly moved her hand so that she could give Beca's a squeeze. This comforted Beca, the security felt reassuring and safe. Right up until she felt Fat Amy's grip tighten as she pulled Beca in front of them just as they reached the table, putting her directly in view.

The room froze. The Bellas sat, open mouthed, staring at Beca like they were seeing a ghost. In a way, they were.

"Damn, this a bigger plot twist than Star Wars," Cynthia-Rose muttered under her breath.

"Not a great plot twist," Beca shrugged, anxiously assessing the situation.

For a moment, nobody spoke. The Bellas gawked at Beca open mouthed, taking in her comment and the fact that she was even there. But then a laugh erupted from everyone. Nobody knew who started it - although Beca had a sneaking suspicion that it was Emily - but it certainly did the trick. Soon Beca was pulled into a seat between Fat Amy and Aubrey, and a round of drinks were bough by Cynthia-Rose.

Everyone shot Beca question after question, but she remained pretty closed off. It just didn't seem right to give her life story in the middle of a busy bar on a Friday night, while she was surrounded by a group of women she hadn't seen in eight years who were simply out for a good time. Luckily, after the conversation started flowing more naturally between the whole group, nobody pressured Beca to talk. They were all too buzzed to notice much, aside from who was buying the next round of drinks.

"Where's Jessica and Ashley?" Aubrey asked, suddenly realising that two of their fellow Bellas were missing.

"They got caught up at work," Stacie explained with a shrug. "They texted me. They'll be here soon."

Not long after that, the illusive Jessica and Ashley appeared at the door of the bar, waving excited to the group. Everyone let out another cheer, calling them happily over.

Everyone, except Beca. She had noticed someone quietly slip in beside the girls. Someone who was obviously not happy to be there. The one person who Beca had been promised wouldn't be attending.

"Amy," Beca choked out, grabbing her friend's arm again. "Look."

"Oh shit," Amy cursed, following Beca's gaze. She nudged Aubrey, but the woman had already noticed - evident by the deathly pale colour she had turned.

Chloe herself hadn't seemed to notice Beca. Her eyes stayed on the floor as she was pulled towards the table by Jessica and Ashley, their arms now interlinked.

The other girls were still chattering excitedly, simply pleased to see their friends. The alcohol had washed memories of Beca and Chloe's history temporarily from their minds. They barely remembered that Beca shouldn't be there at all.

"Chloe!" Flo cheered. "You never come! I thought you'd been kidnapped by traffickers - that happened to me once when I was thirteen."

"I just felt like getting out," Chloe shrugged, looking at her feet.

"Sit down!" Cried Stacie happily, dragging over more chairs from the table behind them. "How'd you guys drag her out of the apartment?" She asked Jessica and Ashley, who opened their mouths to answer. Stacie didn't give them the chance to answered before she began calling for three more drinks for them and Chloe.

Chloe looked up anxiously, her eyes scanning the group of girls. Beca winced, knowing she would probably be looking for Aubrey. After all, they were best friends. But this time she was was met by a horrible surprise.