Beca Runs Away

Chapter 1

On a Saturday at 4 a.m., Beca finished her last night shift at the radio station and headed back to her dorm room. As she was falling asleep, she couldn't help but hear in her mind what Aubrey had said following their semi-final performance, as she had for many nights since.

'Your attitude sucks...'

'I told you she wasn't a Bella...'

'It's not your job to decide what we do and when we do it...'

Those words pestered her until she had a headache. It was so frustrating - why was Aubrey being so close minded? Couldn't she handle input from a new member without being a jerk about it?

"I don't know why she has to make it so personal," Beca groused to herself.

She spent an hour and a half working on new mixes, to distract herself from thinking about Aubrey's harsh words, then finally went to sleep.

Six hours later, Beca's alarm clock rang. She was still out of shape after hearing Aubrey's words in her head. "I know now what I must do," she said as she reached over for a pad of paper and a pen and began to write a note. She headed over to Aubrey and Chloe's dorm room and slid the note under their door. She then returned to her own dorm room to pack a small bag before leaving campus.

By noon that same day, Aubrey and Chloe had returned from Spring Break and were heading back to their dorm room.

"Honestly, Aubrey, that was the best Spring Break I've ever had," Chloe said.

"Me too. I really think all that yoga I did brought my stress level down," Aubrey agreed.

"Well, let's hope it stays down long enough for us to become national champions," Chloe smiled as they opened the door.

"Hey, what's this?" Chloe asked as she noticed the note Beca left. While she looked at the note, she heard Beca's voice in her mind.

"Dear Chloe,

You are my best friend and probably always will be. If it wasn't for your encouragement, I never would've auditioned to be a Bella. However, after what Aubrey said to me after our semi-finals performance, I just can't be in the same room as her right now. After her words started repeating in my mind, I decided to run away. The rest of the Bellas probably won't miss me, but at the same time, I know you will. If I never see you again, thank you for being an amazing friend.

I'll never forget you,

Beca. xo"

"Oh, no; this can't be," Chloe said, worried.

"What's wrong?" Aubrey asked.

"Apparently, Beca ran away," Chloe replied, showing Aubrey the note.

"What?!" Aubrey gasped. "Let me see that," she grabbed the paper, scanning the note. "I thought she'd just quit the Bellas. Not run away from everything?!"