"Why do you have this?", Beca froze for a split second when she spotted the necklace dangling from his hand. She looked away, trying to avoid the heated glare from her brother as she sorted out her gym bag from practice.
"What even is it?", she shrugged, trying to come across as casual.
Beca moved back immediately when Tom stormed across her room, getting in her face now as she backed up against her wall. "You know exactly what it is", he shouted, still holding the necklace up, "Don't play dumb with me"
The soccer star smirked as she noticed his expression turn more heated. Beca knew that she couldn't tell him the truth, "Tom, what's wrong buddy? It's just a neck-"
"I said don't play dumb with me!", Tom grabbed his sister by her shirt pushing her back forcefully against the wall, silencing her with his other hand clenched in a fist. "You don't think I haven't noticed you around her recently?", he snarled and Beca tried to push him away unsuccessfully from the quarterback.
"Dude, there isn't any-"
"Shut up!", he swung his fist down, connecting with Beca's eye and causing her to fall to the floor, on her knees. "What did you do, huh?"
Beca jumped back up, ignoring the stinging pain she felt across her cheek as she pushed her brother back. "What the fuck Tom! I haven't done anything!"
"Oh, please", Tom smirked now in disbelief as he cornered her again. "You've had your eyes on her from the moment you knew I liked her"
"Awh, you afraid you won't get your moment to lose that precious V card", Beca clenched her firsts now, ready to fight back if he tried again as she watched him get closer.
"How do you know I haven't already lost it", Tom started to laugh as he watched Beca's expression suddenly turn heartbroken.
"W-What?", she could my help but stutter as a million thoughts then entered her mind. "When? How? But I thought... Why didn't she tell me?"
Tom finally stopped laughing, refusing to give in as he continued to taunt his sister. "That's right! You can't make fun of me anymore", he shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not little Tommy anymore! And I want you to stay the hell out of mine and Chloe's way", he closed his hand around Beca's throat, holding her back against the wall.
"Y-You're insane! T-Tom!", she struggled to breath, clawing at his hand while trying to make him let go. "I-I... can't.. T-Tom, I can't b-breath"
"Are you going to stay away from her?", Tom whispered close enough to Beca's face, seeing the hatred seeping from her eyes back at him. "Tell me!"
Beca looked into his eyes, noticing tears starting to pool and when his hands loosened to let her breath more she spoke the words he wanted to hear. "I'll stay away from her"
"Good", Tom let go fully of the brunette, stepping back as he watched her take deep breaths and move her own hands up to her throat. The quarterback blinked a few times, realising what he had just done. "Y-You need to find some makeup to hide that bruise", he gulped, looking down at the necklace in his hand before starting to leave, "I don't want people asking questions"
...
The next day Beca pulled her mustang into the usual spot of the parking lot that everyone knew she used. Looking into her rear view mirror, she gazed over the makeup that she had attempted to cover across the bruise that had started to appear below her eye.
Beca had ignored everyone since the incident two nights ago. The soccer star had skipped school, told her Dad that she was sick which kept him off her back. She had turned her phone off to stop all of the calls and messages from Stacie, boys from the team including Jesse and the red headed cheerleader that hadn't left her mind once.
Sighing and not feeling like facing the crowd that she knew would have a million questions about her disappearance, Beca finally grabbed her backpack from the passenger seat and climbed out of her car. "You was sick and didn't feel like talking to anyone", she thought to herself while walking towards the building, instantly noticing her friends stood by the steps, like they did every morning.
"Beca??"
"Wow, you're here"
"I told you she wasn't dead, Amy"
The brunette forced her normally smirk towards her friends, pulling on the strap of her backpack as she looked over the group, ignoring Chloe and Tom that she noticed were holding hands. "Hey guys, miss me?", she pushed Jesse and Amy away as they tried to hug her.
"Where have you been, Shawshank?", the five of them followed Beca up the steps and into the building.
Beca gulped nervously, knowing that they wouldn't drop the subject until she gave them an answer. As she got to her locker, she continued to avoid looking at the or anyone, trying to hide her face while sorting out her books. "I told you guys, she was feeling sick", Tom spoke up before Beca could and the soccer star clenched her jaw at the sound of her brother's voice.
"Are you feeling okay now?", Stacie spun her best friend round by the shoulder and tried to move her hand to Beca's forehead to feel her temperature.
Beca slipped under the taller brunette's arm, knowing that Stacie's suspicions were growing by the second. "I didn't know you were a doctor Conrad", she smirked nervously, still avoiding Chloe's gaze that was watching her carefully, as she turned to walk to homeroom. "I'll see you guys at lunch"
Just as Beca had taken a deep breath and thought she had gotten away from the interrogation she felt an arm slip through her own. "Are you going to tell me the truth now?", Stacie whispered down to her best friend, holding her close to stop Beca from escaping.
"I don't know what you're talking about", the soccer star shrugged her shoulders.
"Right okay, so you wearing makeup all of a sudden isn't suspicious", Stacie moved her thumb across Beca's cheek causing some of the foundation to wipe off and the purple bruise to shine through. "Bec.. what the fu-"
"Alright, come here", Beca grabbed Stacie and quickly dragged her into the nearby bathroom, locking the door immediately.
"Beca, What.. Who.. How did this happen?", Stacie tried to bring her hand back up to Beca's face, watching as she ducked and moved round to face the mirrors instead.
The brunette looked at her reflection, noticing the awful job she had done covering up her bruise. Sighing, she turned on the faucet and used the water to wipe off the majority of the makeup. "Okay, if I tell you, you cannot tell anyone", she kept her head down.
"Beca, we're best friends", Stacie placed her hand on the soccer star's shoulder, turning her to face her again but softer this time as she spoke.
"Fine okay, the night of Jesse's birthday you remember I told you that I put Chloe to bed in Tom's room after I found her throwing up?", she watched her nod before taking a deep breath and continuing. "Well, that's not entirely true"
Beca then went on to tell Stacie everything that she hadn't about that night. From the wandering eyes and stares throughout the night to her and Chloe dancing and then going up to her room to make out and then Chloe throwing up in her own toilet before sleeping in her own bed.
"I", Stacie would hit Beca on the arm, "can't", she hit again, "believe", and again, "you didn't tell me!", and again before being pushed away by the smaller brunette.
"Ow Conrad, I've already got one bruise I don't need another", Beca rubbed her arm.
Stacie sighed, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she calmed down. "And how did you get the black eye?"
"Tom found Chloe's necklace in my room and got mad", she put her hands in her pockets, "he was going off at me about the way I've wanted Chloe ever since he's been with her and before I knew it he had hit me"
Beca looked up at her best friend, watching her face scrunch up in frustration and anger. "I'm going to scratch his eyes out", Stacie turned round only to be stopped by Beca who had moved to block the door.
"No, no Stacie", Beca held her hands up, "No-one can know about this, I just need you to help me hide the bruising"
"You need to tell Chloe", the cheerleader rolled her eyes.
Beca smirked, "Why would I ever do that?"
"Because then she'd dump his ass and fall into your arms to take care of you", Stacie winked as she watched Beca roll her eyes back at her.
"I told Tom I would stay away from her and that's what I'm going to do", Beca moved past her back to the mirrors, hearing the bell ring out for the start of homeroom. "Now are you going to help me with this makeup or can you leave me to do it myself?"
Stacie crossed her arms and walked towards the soccer star, snatching the makeup from her hands instantly. "I'm just going to ignore the fact that you washed it off with water, now", she tapped her hand on the clear space by the faucet, "Sit here and let me help you"
...
At lunch the same day, Beca was sitting with Jesse and Stacie as they talked about the upcoming English exam that they had been studying for. Her mind had been elsewhere throughout today as she tried to avoid Chloe, starting with homeroom this morning and then in English. She hated having to ignore the redhead when she sat down in the desk next to her and try not to even look over at the beautiful cheerleader whenever she would ask a question or try to start a conversation.
Even now her attention was elsewhere from her friends as she watched Chloe walk in with Tom, smiling as they held hands. Clenching her jaw, Beca forced her eyes away while the happy couple got closer to the table.
"Hey guys", Tom sat next to Chloe, smiling around the table and noticing that his sister's head was down and focused on her phone instead. "Have you studied for the English exam next week?"
"We were just saying how we're going to have to pull an all nighter the night before because none of us are prepared", Jesse spoke up now.
"Oh Becs, do you want to get together tonight and study", Beca snapped her head up from her phone to see a pair of bright blue eyes staring back at her, along with the rest of the table looking curious.
"Wait", Tom held his hand up while looking between his sister and his girlfriend, "You've been getting together to study for the exam?", he glared more forcefully at Beca now who just rolled her eyes.
The soccer star shrugged her shoulders, avoiding the look Chloe was giving her. "We only met up once while you was away last weekend"
"Hey guys", everyone turned round to spot Aubrey strutting her way across the cafeteria, waving.
"What is happening right now?", Fat Amy furrowed her eyebrows just as the blonde cheerleader reached the table.
"Posen, what are you doing here?", Beca looked up at the blonde who responded with a smirk and eye roll before placing her hand down on Jesse's shoulder.
"Can I talk to you for a second? Out by the... bleachers?", she looked down at the brunette boy, smiling as he went wide-eyes before jumping up from his seat, grabbing his bag.
"Y-Yeah.. sure", he smiled, his eyes not leaving the girl as she then started to walk away, waiting for him to follow.
"What the fuck was that?", Beca watched her friend practically sprint after the cheerleader before turning back to her friends.
Stacie rolled her eyes, flicking a piece of her hair over her shoulder as she spoke, "Whatever, it won't last"
"Anyway, Beca", Chloe spoke up again, catching the eyes of the soccer star for a brief second, "Tonight? We can study for the exam?"
Beca glanced over at her brother, noticing his fist clenched and his eyes trying to shoot a laser through her head before looking back at the beautiful redhead. "I can't, I've uhh.. got plans?"
"Plans with who?", Fat Amy asked curiously, then spotting yet another blonde making their way towards the table. "Oh, I get it now", she smirked.
"Get what?", the brunette looked over at her friend, worried that her secret was out.
"You and the blonde bombshell are still seeing each other", Fat Amy nodded her head at the smiling girl who had stopped beside Beca now.
"Hey, Stacie I was wondering if-"
"Yup, that's right", Beca jumped up from her chair, putting her arm around the girl's waist as she pulled her closer. "I already made plans with Sophie, sorry", she glanced back down at Chloe, not missing the jealousy that took over her whole body and made her nod and turn away.
"What are you-", Sophie tried to ask the soccer star but was silenced by Beca when she leaned forward and smashed her lips against her own. She didn't protest when she moved her hands to rest around the brunette's neck.
The sound of someone clearing their throat made the two girls pull away. "Are you done?", Stacie crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow up at her best friend, clearly disappointed.