The Right Time

Chapter Eleven

Beca was drying herself off with a towel when Chloe came over. Once finished, she handed Chloe a towel.

'Thanks', she said, as she patted herself down, 'Stacie wanted to know what to get you for a gift'

'Why?', Beca said, eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment. It wasn't her birthday for ages.

'I guess she wants to get you a thank you gift for today'

'Oh, that's kind of nice but unnecessary. Do you want an ice cream?'

'Can I have a-'

'Strawberry with a waffle cone', Beca interrupted.

As she made her way to the ice cream van, Stacie appeared and started to wipe herself off.

'You have to get Beca a present for today'

'What? Why?', Stacie asked.

'I told her that's why you were talking to me', Chloe explained.

'Could you not have thought of an excuse that didn't involve money?'

Chloe shrugged.

'Fine. I'll go to the souvenir shop across the road. What am I getting?'

'I don't know, use your imagination'

Stacie rolled her eyes, then crossed the road to the gift shop.

Beca came back with a vanilla cone for herself, and a strawberry cone for Chloe.

'Do you want to go for a walk with me?', Beca offered.

'Along the pier?'

And with that, the two headed for the pier.

'We should get a friendship bracelet', Beca said, looking at a stall with all kinds of beads and bracelets.

'I wouldn't guess that you were a friendship bracelet kind of girl'

'I'm full of surprises. I like that that one there', the brunette said, pointing to a purple and blue one.

'I like this one', Chloe pointed to a bracelet with dark green and light green hues.

'We'll have these two, please', Beca told the owner of the stall.

Chloe began to get her money from her pocket, but Beca quickly handed her own money over.

'My treat', she smiled, 'Let's get something for everyone to have at home'

The two girls found a shop with saltwater taffy, and bought two large bags for the Bellas. Soon, they had reached the end of the pier, and they leaned on the bars together. Beca pulled the friendship bracelets from one of the many gift bags she was carrying and asked Chloe to hold out her arm. Delicately, she tied the green bracelet around her friend's wrist, then put on her own. The girls looked out over the wide, shimmering water.

'I'm so scared about what happens after The Worlds', said Chloe out of the blue.

'So am I. But we've gotta move on sometime, we can't be in university forever'

'I'm scared about not having the Bellas'

'We'll all be friends until we're old and decrepid. We'll never be able to get rid of each other', Beca joked.

'Okay, but what about us? What happens once we graduate and compete? Are we still doing this?'

'You are never going to be able to get rid of me. I'm sticking around for you, Chlo'

'What about your dream?'

'Why can't you be a part of that?'

'You mean it?'