Welcome to Barden || Bechloe High School AU

Sorry

Narrator's POV 

Bellas practice was torture for the girls. 

Not because of Chloe and Beca, this time it was actually their voices that were the issue. With Chloe having nodes and the limited time-span the Bellas seemed to be able to be able to work with, and the fact that it was already almost two months into the semester and they still hadn't come up with a set-list, or even choreographed a dance for the ICCAS, the Bellas felt like everything was breaking down, Chloe felt like she wasn't doing a good enough job at being the Bellas' leader. And she hated that feeling.

She longed for some self-pride, but at that time, none could have been achieved. It was simple, the Bellas, in her opinion, were over. Before competitions even started.

So on the second last rehearsal the Bellas had before the upcoming ICCAS, Chloe made sure she had a killer dance choreographed and one of Beca's best mixes to play alongside it. She worked the Bellas like how Aubrey would have, like her soldiers that she needed to prepare for war.

ICCAS were war, as long as Chloe was concerned, she hated acknowledging it as that, but it really was. If they didn't place in the competition, she wouldn't be able to coach the Bellas, and the Bellas would lose their all-famous reputation. So in that case, it was war. And Chloe had to make sure they survived it and came out top out of all at the end of it.

She was really becoming like Aubrey.

—

"Chlo? You wanna meet up for lunch?" Beca asked Chloe on her way out of the empty auditorium-warehouse thing the Bellas rehearsed in.

"Don't you think it's a little weird to ask your teacher out?" Chloe responded sharply, taking Beca aback.

"I just wanted to talk about ICCAS, that's all. But it seems like you don't want to hear about it," Beca said hesitantly, noting the way Chloe visibly tensed up at one mention of the intense competition they were taking part in. "See you, Chloe."

"Beca?" Chloe asked shyly, stopping the brunette in her tracks and attaching a smile to her face. "Maybe I changed my mind."

—

As the two girls sat opposite each other, slurping their smoothies (Beca's an oreo flavoured one, Chloe's a chocolate), they discussed the most important deadlines of the year involving the Bellas. Beca knew it was a wrong move, seeing how put out Chloe was with the whole situation involving competition, but she still needed to help the girl improve and prepare the Bellas for it. It was inevitable, they had to talk about it at some point.

"So, if we win ICCAS, we'll get promoted to regionals, is it?" Beca asked the redhead curiously.

"Can we not talk about this, Beca?" Chloe responded with another question, her voice spiky and sounding like venom. Beca, clearly exasperated with the older girl, released the metal spoon from her hand with a loud 'clank'.

"We have to talk about this, eventually, Chloe. Why are you so mad? Are you mad at me? I thought we were together now, are we not? You can tell me you know, I should have a say in this too." Beca rambled on, not noticing the way Chloe frowned deeper with each word said.

"You think I'm being unfair?" She asked the girl incredulously. "Hello? Who's the one who's been stressing over ICCAS for the last few months? Me! Do you not know how tired I am of that word? Sure, I'm mad alright, mad of you being so insensitive! If we do not place in ICCAS, I'll get fired from coaching all of you! I'll ruin the whole of the past Bellas' reputation, because guess who's leader? Me! And are we together, Beca? I really don't know at this point. If we were, you'd actually be trying your best to help me in prepping for competition instead of lazing around with Fat Amy and the other Bellas! Do you not realise that I'm the only one actually interested in winning this thing? So, Beca Mitchell, does that answer your question? I am mad, okay? Mad at ALL THE BELLAS!" Chloe responded, her voice growing louder and louder with each word, almost to the point that Beca feared that her nodes might worsen and she might not even be able to perform at the dreaded ICCAS. By the time her speech was over, it seems that the whole cafe was irritated with the two girls for ruining their afternoon.

"Sorry." Beca uttered to Chloe.

"Apology accepted," Chloe huffed, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at the brunette in front of her.