Who Run the World? Girls.

5 - Aca-Inspiration

"You'll never guess what, Chlo. Jesse got the job as Phillip Daniels' assistant composer!" Beca exclaimed through the phone. Chloe was sitting in front of her computer searching for any decent job that would take her in Atlanta.
"Wow, that's so awesome! I'll send him my congratulations later. So you two are quite the producing couple aren't you?" Chloe said, feeling genuinely happy for them.
"I know right. Anyway, how's the job hunting going? You found anything yet?" Beca asked.
"No luck so far. Looking back, I have no idea why I took Russian Literature. I guess I found it mildly interesting but there aren't any specific jobs that I want to do. Here it has a list of careers including historian, archivist, lawyer... It's not me, Beca," Chloe moaned, closing the tab for the third time in the last five minutes.
"Being a lawyer could be pretty cool. Remember when we watched Suits? Plus, you're smart, confident and you're a great leader. Those are the qualities you need, right? And think of the money too, because you would be pretty loaded," Beca suggested.
Chloe thought about it. "Suits did make it seem pretty cool, but I don't know if I'm that dedicated. I just don't see myself in such a professional environment. Besides, I'd have to study law in some way before I even consider that," Chloe murmured, really giving it thought. She was trying to stay as positive as possible, but it was becoming harder and harder.
"Just sleep on it, discuss it with your parents. You've got more options than you're seeing. And let's be real, who wouldn't employ a gorgeous specimen like you?"
Chloe laughed. "Thanks, Bec. You always bring the sunshine into my life."
"I know. I literally am the sun. I had to sprinkle some of my magic on Jesse when he called me panicking before his exam as well. I can search around too, if you want a rest. Just relax and enjoy your holiday.
"Thank you so much. Talk later?"
"Sure thing. Bye Chloe."
"See you."
Chloe stood up and went to make herself a coffee. She watched out of the window as some kids played soccer across the street. They had so much time before they had to think about adulthood. They were so lucky.

Once Chloe's coffee was prepared, she took it up to her room and placed it on the desk. Then she got out her guitar and pulled a few of the strings to loosen her fingers up. She'd gone back to playing guitar as it gave her comfort. When she was alone in the house, she felt free to just sing her heart out. It made her feel better when she was feeling down, as she imagined herself singing with Beca and the rest of the Bellas by her side. That was a feeling she would never forget.
She thought of Emily's song, and tried out a few chords. After a while she began to get the pattern going and was able to sing along.
"When tomorrow comes, I'll be on my own," She sang. "Feeling frightened of, the things that I don't know. When tomorrow comes, when tomorrow comes, when tomorrow comes..."
Her mind flashed back to the World Championships as she continued the song, where they all stood on the stage, singing like they'd never sung before. When the stage lit up and all the old Bellas were singing with them. When the crowd lit their torches and waved them along to the song. It was such a beautiful moment, and Chloe could remember having tears in her eyes at the time. She could have stayed there forever.
She was so absorbed in that moment that she didn't hear her dad enter the house. It was only when he opened her bedroom door that she suddenly jumped silent and whirled around.
"It's only me. Just wanted to say hi," he said as he stuck his head in.
Chloe relaxed a little, and then bowed her head as she realised she was back in her room and her boring life. Her dad opened the door and stepped in.
"What's the matter, Chlo?"
Chloe paused, before looking up at her father. "I don't know what to do with my life, dad," she said, letting a couple of tears escape her eyes. She found it so easy to confide in him, since he was the only one who would listen when she was a teenager, especially during her rough phase.
Matthew Beale sat down on the bed next to his daughter, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his chest. Chloe may have been 26, but she felt like a child again, and that was a good feeling.
"Oh, Chloe Beale. Don't cry..." he whispered, trying to comfort her.
"Why did I take Russian Literature? It was a complete waste of time," Chloe muttered.
"What happened to becoming a writer? I thought that was the reason you studied it."
"It was originally. But after the first year I realised I had other interests which were closer to my heart," Chloe said.
"Acapella?"
"Acapella."
"I'll tell you what. You may not realise, but there's so much you can do. You could combine those two. You could write songs. You have a wonderful voice, Chloe. And you can play at least three instruments. You've got so much talent, you just need to use it. And you're best friend is a music producer. What more do you need?"
Chloe had never even thought about it, but he had a point. Music was what she lived on, and perhaps a music career was what she needed for her to live life to the full.
"I don't really want to take advantage of Beca..."
"You won't be. Her job is to spot talent and work with it. Just talk to her. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help you out," Matthew insisted.
Chloe hesitated. "Alright. But I'll wait until I get back to Atlanta. Beca's only starting officially next week, so I think I should let her have a few weeks experience before a place my burden on her," Chloe said.
"That seems fair. See, you just need to believe in yourself. I just heard you singing by the way, is that one of your songs? Because it's really good," he said.
"No, one of my friends at Barden wrote it. We sang it at the World Championships," Chloe said.
"Cool. Well, I'm going to make dinner. You want anything specific? Because I was just thinking of putting in some chicken," her dad said.
"No, that sounds fine. Thanks, dad. Thank you for always being here."
"Well, luckily for you, I'm not going anywhere. You know, I remember when you were born and you came out ginger. I actually asked your mother if she had cheated in on me, because neither of us have any known redhead genes," he chuckled. "But I've known, ever since you started walking and talking, that you are my girl. I see it through your kindness and ambition, but most all, you have the same eyes as me so that proves your mine."
Chloe laughed.
"Unfortunately, that means Sophie is too," she said.
"Well, yes. But I love you both equally okay. She may have been more of a mummy's girl, but she's still got my eyes."
Chloe hugged her father, and and he patted her back. Then he stood up and left, telling her that he would call her down for dinner when it was ready.
As soon as the door closed, Chloe grabbed her phone and went on Google.
How to become a professional music artist? she typed in.
Many results came up, and she went through many of them, reading tips, do's and don'ts and many comments on how it's never too late to start anything. Those really made her feel better.
She jotted down some notes and made sure she knew what to do. She couldn't just ask Beca and expect her to do everything for her. And besides, she had her father's ambition, which she could use to her advantage.
She needed a few demos, so first she had to write her own songs. She'd never even attempted that before, but she was willing to give it a go. It was just like writing poetry and then writing music to acompany it. And besides, she could ask Emily for some advice too. The only problem was that she needed a studio to record it. She wasn't sure if she could use the one at Beca's work and Jesse, being the only other person she knew working in one, lived too far away. She'd need an agent, but before that she'd need experience performing if she wanted anyone to take her on. It looked like she would have a busy few weeks ahead of her. But as her mother had always said to her and Sophie, a successful person was 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.