Getting a phone call in the afternoon while rehearsing Bella's practice was an inconvenience. Answering the call and finding out it's from the National A-cappella Association was slightly nerve wracking. Finding out through that call the Bella's may not qualify to perform that year was absolutely terrifying to the co-captain, Chloe Beale.
Her and Aubrey had put in so much time and effort to find 8 girls who would best fit the Bella's. They sat anxiously at the activities fair, giving out flyers and hoping people would take them into consideration. Auditions were very nerve wracking as well. Chloe and Aubrey listened to some talented, and some not so talented girls. By the end of the night, they settled on their 8 and began to set up rehearsals.
It was the second week of rehearsals when Chloe got the call. Normally, Aubrey would have received the message, but she was dealing with a family problem across the country at the moment and wouldn't be back for a couple of weeks. This left the already stressed out Chloe in charge of all rehearsals and making sure the Bella's were in the best shape they could be in. Getting the call sent Chloe into a small panic as she had to excuse herself from the room to try and calm down.
When she re-entered the rehearsal room, all eyes were on her as she tried to fake a smile. She continued teaching the dance moves and showing them the arrangements, trying to push the news into the back of her head. The Bella's were her everything, so she needed to do anything for them to be good.
After they ended, all the girls went over to their bags to pack up and head out. Chloe slumped over to hers, taking a drink out of her water bottle when she felt a small hand on her shoulder.
"Are you alright? You seem pretty messed up after that phone call." Beca Mitchell said from behind her.
Chloe was one of the few Bella's that Beca would go out of her way to talk to. Maybe it was the fact that they saw each other naked in the shower or maybe the fact that they became super close at hood night. Whatever it was, the two were becoming great friends.
"Yeah, just some stuff with the Bella's I need to deal with. Ugh, I wish Aubrey was here." she said, slumping into the chair next to her bag.
"Personally, I think it's better without the aca-dictator here, but that's just me." she joked, sending a small smile to Chloe's face. "But seriously, whatever it is you're going through, i'm here for you."
"Such a softie, Mitchell." the ginger said, earning a side glance from Beca.
"Hey, tell anyone I said that and we will never speak again." she threatened sarcastically, making Chloe laugh again. She loved Beca's sarcastic and witty comments.
"My lips are sealed." she mocked the hand motion of zipping her lips.
"Good. I got to get to work, but I still stand by my words, call me if you need anything." Beca said, grabbing her bag and heading out the door.
"Will do." Chloe said, a small smile on her face as she grabbed her bag and left through the back door.
As she entered her vacated apartment, she set her bag down and made her way to the kitchen to heat up some mac and cheese for dinner. Not having Aubrey home meant she didn't need to cook anything nice for dinner.
As she took the bowl out of the microwave and stirred it, her mind wandered back to the phone call. She felt nerves bubbling deep inside of her at the thought of the Bella's not being good enough.
She sat down and ate while she wondered if she should call Aubrey and tell her. Part of her thought she deserved to know, as she was basically the captain, but the other half of her decided it would be best to wait. Her family was priority at the moment and Chloe thought she could figure everything out by herself.
She kept overthinking the call while absentmindedly doing her night time routine. She took a shower, changed, brushed her teeth, folded some laundry, and crawled into bed.
Once she shut off her light, it felt like the blanket protecting her from the truth was ripped off of her. Her mind was going a million miles an hour as she wondered what was going to happen. Eventually, Chloe knew she needed to do something to calm herself down. She decided to take up Beca's request.
Her shaky hands reached for her phone where she tapped on her pinned contacts and called Beca. The brunette picked up instantly, to Chloe's surprise and relief.
"Hey Chlo." Beca said, the background flooded with music and voices.
"Hey." she said in a breathy and shaky sigh which Beca noticed immediately.
"Are you alright?" she said and Chloe noticed she must have moved into a quieter room as the voices and music eventually faded into just Beca's voice.
"I just needed someone to talk to- about the call." she said, breathing slowly to calm herself down.
"Okay, take deep breaths. What's going on?" Beca said soothingly. Just the sound of Beca's voice was already calming Chloe down, but she still wanted to get the news off her chest.
"It was the National A-cappella Association. They called and told me that the Bella's might not qualify for this year. I don't want the other Bella's to know yet, because I don't want them to just give up. But what if I can't fix this? What if I don't get to be a Bella anymore?" she whispered the last part, her voice cracking as a few tears slid down her face.
"Hey, breathe Chloe, you're okay." Beca cooed into the phone. "Have you told Aubrey yet?"
"No, her family is more important than the Bella's right now. I don't want her to worry." she said quietly.
"Okay. Here's what you should do. It's pretty late, so tomorrow I'd send Aubrey a quick text saying there was an issue with the Bella's and when she got back it needed to be resolved. Don't give her full details, just the general idea. But for tonight, I think you should get some sleep. Because right now, you sound exhausted out of your mind." Beca said, somehow choosing her words perfectly to put her mind at ease.
"I-I can't." she whimpered out.
"Can't what, sweetheart?" Beca asked gently.
"I can't sleep. Not alone at least. Not when I'm in my head like this."
"I'll stay on the phone until you fall asleep" Beca said immediately like it was no questions asked. "I can't leave work tonight, but I can talk to you until you sleep."
Chloe's heart melted at the suggestion coming from the badass Beca Mitchell. She knew the brunette had a soft spot for her, but she didn't think she would ever do this much to make her feel better.
"Thank you, Beca." Chloe whispered, a small, teary smile on her face.
"It's nothing, really." Beca responded.
The two continued to talk for a few more hours about anything and nothing, until Beca could sense by the way Chloe's words were starting to slur and how her mind seemed to be slowing down.
"Chloe, you sound tired. You should try and get some sleep." Beca brought up.
"Can you wait to hang up until I'm asleep though? I feel better with you on the phone."
"Of course, I already said I'd stay til you were asleep, didn't I?"
"Yeah, thank you Becs." Chloe said softly while getting under her blankets.
"You're welcome. Sleep good, sweetie."
"I love you, Beca." Chloe said before drifting off.
"I love you too, Chloe."
A/N
Hey yall! This ones a little longer, but the words just kinda flowed. I hope it's a good one :D
