Who Run the World? Girls.

2 - Freshmen, Again.

Beca had never really enjoyed plane journeys much. She found them boring, and she always ended up sitting in front of that baby that wouldn't stop crying. She was thankful that Cynthia Rose was with her for company, because she wasn't sure if she'd have been able to handle being on her own with the grief of leaving College forever building up inside her.

She laid her head back and closed her eyes, trying to keep herself cool and composed. After a moment of clearing her head, she sighed deeply, before opening her eyes again and glancing out the window. She watched as the plane ascended away from Atlanta with a small lump in her throat. She knew she was coming back in only a matter of weeks, but it wouldn't be quite the same.

"Are you okay, Beca?" Cynthia asked beside her. She's specifically requested not to be sat by the window due to her discomfort when it came to heights.

Beca's eyes snapped back to the interior of the plane. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little tired. I didn't sleep much last night," she said.

Cynthia nodded. "I feel you. With the past four years behind me, I'm going to find it really hard to settle into the real world. I mean, I'm getting married. I think I'm leaping into the deep end by doing that."

"Mmm," Beca agreed. "But I guess that makes you the bravest of us all. I have so many things on my mind, and despite my attempts to secure my future earlier, I don't feel much more comfortable with it all. But with Jesse moving to LA and everything, I'm just wondering if it'll all work out."

"Don't automatically assume that long-distance is going to doom you relationship, Beca. You two have been together for four years. That means something, surely?" Cynthia regarded.

"You think?"

"I know. Believe me, I'm no relationship counsellor, but you two were made for each other and I know you're going to do just fine."

Beca felt some relief escape her and she even let out a little grin. "Thanks, Cynthia," she smiled.

"I'll always be at the end of the phone if you wanna talk. Even when you're partying hard with Chloe by your side," Cynthia reminded her, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a warm expression.

Beca felt so blessed to have such amazing friends. The Barden Bellas had really changed her life for the better, and she was so grateful for that. She had never dreamed of completing her degree in philosophy, and yet there she was, leaving college with a diploma and a bunch of cool memories to think about on a rainy day.

And she was moving in with Chloe in under two months, which was the main thing she was looking forward to. She had asked her only a couple of weeks before, just after they had returned from Copenhagen. When she first found out that Jesse was moving to LA, she'd felt nervous about it. Beca had always had a picture in her mind of her and Jesse moving in together when they finished college and this was scrunching that idea up and throwing it away. The day when they met for lunch and he had told her of his plans, she had felt a little betrayed. She was angry at him and she didn't talk to him for the rest of that day. In the end, she came to realise that he was only doing what he loved and she couldn't stand in the way of that. She was only being selfish when she didn't want him to leave her

So then she asked Chloe, which turned out to be a whole lot easier than she thought. Chloe had flung her arms around her, causing Beca to say "I'll take that as a yes?"

And now she knew that she had made the right decision, because her best friend who she cherished the most was the one person she wanted to spend her free time with. They'd have a laugh, and she knew it was the way to create even more brilliant memories that would define her youth.

...

Beca paid the taxi driver, thanked him and then turned to face the large detached house where she had grown up with both her parents. Now the driveway only held the one car that belonged to her mother. The old basketball net was still placed on the wall next to the garage and the rusty outdoor chairs were still stacked on the porch by the door. Those were the small things that brought on her feelings of nostalgia and made her embrace this home that she had loved as a child.

The front door swung open just as Beca was picking up her bags and out came her mother, a short, friendly woman with a shoulder-length brown hair.
"Hey, darling! I was expecting you a little later, but no worries," Francesca Mitchell said as she hurried down the steps to greet her daughter.
Beca placed her bags down again, ready for the warm hug her mom always gave her.
"It's good to see you, mom," Beca said into her shoulder.
"You two, sweetheart. I can't believe my baby has finished college. You're an adult! The time has just flown by..."
"Ha, yeah. Well, I've been an adult for quite a while now actually. It's just now I have to act like one," Beca smirked as she pulled away.
"Good luck with that," her mother retorted with a snigger. "Now, let's get this stuff inside before your dinner gets cold. I've made my special macaroni cheese for you."
When her mom turned around, Beca literally punched the air. She loved macaroni cheese more than life.
"Like I said, child. Good luck," Fran added. "The window reflects light you know."
Beca shot a glance at her fist, and then picked up the remainder of her bags and carried them into the house.

They sat down at the table together after Fran had shown Beca the new extension that had just been finished at the back of the house.
"That was a good choice. The new dining room will be great for when I have guests round. It'll save me having to drag the breakfast table into the living room all the time," Fran explained.
"Yeah, totally," Beca nodded with a mouth full of macaroni.
"So, tell me. How did your last few days feel. It must've been hard. Those girls were like your family," Fran said, changing the subject.
Beca swallowed and looked up at her mother.
"Yeah. It was... I mean, it's not going to be the same from now on. Dad was right when he said college was where the memories were made."
"I agree with him there. I'm so glad you enjoyed it though," Fran beamed.
"Ooh, but I forgot to tell you. I'm going to find a flat with Chloe," Beca grinned excitedly.
"Oh, that's great. So now you'll have someone to live with. Have you worked things out with Jesse?"
"Yeah, I get my schedule when I start work next month, so I'll be able to plan when I can visit him. He's staying at Benji's tonight and then he's moving out to LA in the morning," Beca explained.
That reminded her that she needed to call him, just to tell him she'd arrived safely and everything.
Beca put her plate in the sink and then took all her things up to her old bedroom. Her David Guetta poster was still there, and she'd sworn as a sixteen year old that it was never coming down. The room was a little too clean for her liking, but she was only there for a couple of weeks so she was going to have to put up with it.
She sat down on her bed and flipped out her phone. Jesse was top of her contacts list, so she found his name with ease.
A few seconds later she heard his voice on the other side.
"Hey, Bec. You reached Maine okay?"
"No, I'm stranded in the middle of the ocean." Beca loved using sarcasm on him at every given opportunity.
"Very funny. How's your mother?" Jesse asked politely.
"Oh, yeah. She's fine. You know her. Likes to be on top of everything..."
She told him about the extension and macaroni cheese and how she'd helped out at the community fair during the weekend and earned herself a fake medal.
"She complained about that a lot in the space of five minutes. She wanted a real one," she laughed.
There was a small chuckle from the other side of the phone.
"God, I love your mom," he said.
"More than me?"
"Of course not, weirdo. I love you more than I love movies and that's saying a lot. You remember when Breakfast Club was on TV the same night as our anniversary date-"
"And you looked like a lost puppy who had to choose between a bone and a doggy treat as you were leaving the flat. Yeah I remember," Beca cut in.
"But I chose you, you see. What would you do without a guy like me?"
"Well, a lot of things actually..."
"Yeah, alright. You're only covering how you really admire me. Anyway, I better go. Benji's mom's calling us down for dinner. I'll call you when I reach Los Angeles tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure. I love you."
"I love you more."
"You wish."
And then she ended the call. She missed him a lot, and she didn't even know when the next time she'd see him would be. They spent the second-last evening on campus together since the travel plans were so hectic on the last morning, so they thought it would be easier that way. It felt like a long time since she'd left his campus apartment the morning after.
She just hoped she'd get to see him again soon.