I GUESS I DO

Chapter 3

"It means I'm bringing someone to the wedding…" Chloe corrected her, actually enjoying the game she was playing seeing as she usually wasn't even close to having the upper hand on her mother.

"Does this someone have a name?" Chloe was sure her mother would fall on her ass on the floor if she edged any further off her seat.

"… Beca." Chloe was being stingy with information now just for the power kick she got with it.

"Hm." Her father's grunt didn't go unnoticed, though it was ignored by both women.

"Oh well no need to make up the guest room then." Chloe's mother stated mater of factly. "No chance of an unexpected grandchild with Beca I presume, so she's more than welcome to stay with you."

"Mom!" Chloe's jaw hung slack at her mother's words.

"Oh don't mom me. Do you think I came down in the last shower of rain? I know what you college kids be up to these days." She scoffed.

"Mom!" Chloe's eyes bulged. "Ew!"

"Oh, we all do it honey, nothing to be embarrassed about." Her mother smiled, seeming to consider this to be the right thing to say as her daughters face turned the same colour as her hair.

"Oh my god… kill me now." Chloe murmured; sinking back into her seat and wishing the world would swallow her whole.

"Now honey, don't be a drama queen." Her mother scolded lightly, rising from her chair as she spoke. "I'm going to make tea, I'll be back." She added then with a smile, turning to leave the room before Chloe had a chance to offer help.

The red head knew exactly what her mother had been doing. She was now alone with her father, a tactic her mother had tried every opportunity she got from when Chloe was fourteen. Why she still bothered was a mystery to the red head.

"So… how do you know Beca?" Her father's gruff voice filled the excruciatingly painful void that had been left in conversation after her mother had left the room, everything about the way he spoke seeming strained.

"We're in the Bellas together. She joined this year." Chloe nodded; pausing for a beat to rake her brain for anything else she could add to fill the silence. "She's um… she's a freshman and she's really into music. She works for the school station." That was it; that was literally all she could say without making the conversation feel any more forced than it already was.

"That's nice…" Her father nodded, seeming satisfied by the twenty seconds of silence that was filled. "Bellas, what's that anyway?" He added after a moment, obviously having employed the same digging for conversation tactic.

"It's the singing group I'm in dad…" Chloe tried her best not to allow her voice to sound strained. "I've been in it for four years now." She added, willing herself not to roll her eyes.

"Oh right, yes. Of course!" He agreed then, though Chloe knew from the tone of voice the meaning of the Bellas was still just as lost to him as it had been when he'd asked.

Conversation died completely after that. Neither could come up with anything new to say on the topic of Beca that wouldn't seem weird and forced.

There was an actual physical feeling of relief when Chloe's mom finally called the pair for their tea.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"How was your weekend?" Aubrey enquired; looking up from the law book she was taking notes from when she heard their dorm door swing open.

"Frilly, loud, and just as awkward as usual." Chloe replied curtly, discarding her bags on the floor, kicking the door shut and running the distance between her and Aubrey's bed to fling herself on top of the blonde. "Kill me now…" She groaned into her best friends shoulder, as Aubrey awkwardly wrapped an arm around her to pat the red head on the back.