Let me love you

Chapter 4

By the time for the Riff Off, you've pretty much forgiven Aubrey. She's been sucking up to you ever since and maybe even flirting with you a little, too, which is strange. It's been ages since the last Riff Off and you find yourself getting pumped up for it. The entire idea behind it is riffing off on each other, keeping the songs going until someone breaks the rule and gets cut. The Trebletones have won it every single time for the past several years, but you and the rest of the team vow that it'll be different this go around.

The four a capella groups are situated in the empty pool, a list of the different categories projected on the concrete wall. You wait for the category to be chosen-and it's a category perfect for your team: 80s pop females. As you discuss what song to do, the Trebles jump in and start it all off. You have to admit it's pretty amusing hearing Bumper sing the words to "Mickey," but even so, you're frustrated you didn't get the first song in. The songs are tossed around until one team is cut, leaving only three of you left.

The next category is songs about sex. You're a bit surprised when Cynthia Rose jumps right in, singing your favorite Rihanna song, S&M, which no one can deny was written about sex. The group jumps in and you're all sounding badass until the guys interrupt with a rendition of (what else) Let's Talk About Sex. Just when you're worried no one from your group will step up, Stacie begins singing I'll Make Love To You. You stop to appreciate how appropriate this song is for her before you run to her aid and back her up with everyone else. The riff continues when Jesse brings in Feels Like the First Time. He and Beca are exchanging some serious flirtatious looks and you can feel your chest tightening at the sight, but she's still feeling fiercely competitive despite any flirting that might be going on.

She pushes forward, busting out the rap from No Diggity like it's no big deal. You're all stunned for a long time and don't even recognize the song until she begins the chorus, and finally you all back her up. It seems to be going great and you think you've won until you finish the song and are told that you're disqualified. Beca's rap started with "it's" and you were supposed to match "it." That rule has never come into play before and Aubrey argues against it, but there's no point. The Trebles have won. Again.

The next day, you all discuss the number for sectionals. Aubrey tries to decide who deserves the solo and Fat Amy butts in, heavily hinting that she's interested in the solo. You think that it should go to Beca, but Aubrey doesn't. Fat Amy really wants it and Beca doesn't fight for it at all, so it goes to her. You wonder briefly if she can even pull it off.

For what it's worth, she does manage to pull off the solo. She goes way off from your choreography, though, ripping off her jacket before she opens her shirt and exposes her undershirt. Aubrey doesn't flip out as much about it as she normally would, scolding Amy mildly and reminding her to keep to the routine. You can't believe she's being so easy on her, because if, say, Beca, had strayed from the routine, she wouldn't hear the end of it.

When you get the scores from sectionals, Aubrey realizes how close the Sockapellas were to defeating you. That lights a serious fire under her butt and she kicks things into high gear. Beca tries to make suggestions but they fall on deaf ears, the routine not being changed at all. Even you think it's a serious risk to do the exact same routine at regionals, knowing that the judges will be sick of it and that it isn't good enough to beat the Trebles. You try your best to get Aubrey to listen to reason but she's hearing none of it. Practices continue with the same routine and you guys have it down perfect by the time regionals roll around.

The best part of regionals is the bus ride. Riding on a bus with nine other girls you adore is buckets of fun, especially when your iPod sing along becomes a full on karaoke session. There's a short interlude where Amy freaks out over having Mexican food thrown from the Treble bus as she's pumping gas, but she gets over it. Mostly. Things seem to be perfect as you and the girls sing Party in the U.S.A., even getting Beca to jump in at the chorus. You make a mental note to tease her later for knowing the lyrics to a Miley Cyrus song, but any thoughts of teasing or of anything rational go out the window when the bus breaks down. Fat Amy admits that the drive by distracted her from filling up the tank, and now you are stuck in the middle of nowhere without a ride. But then Amy fesses up to having Bumper's number, offering to call him to beg for a ride.