Senior Year

The Riff-Off

"Let's have a look at the first category!"

Everyone in the room stared up at the electronic board, the top section 'rolling' until it clicked into one position.

"Ooh, songs about butts." The scooter man seemed surprisingly pleased at the choice of category. Meanwhile the Bellas wracked their heads for a good choice of song.

"Anything on the radio, right?" Beca suggested to Chloe, the other girls listening intently. A plan was needed if they were to beat Das Sound Machine; this wasn't their usual Uni riff off. Chloe nodded in agreement, "Right."

"Let's start with," the man said, waving his finger around the room. No-one spoke, slightly hoping they would be chosen, but again, not wanting the pressure of going first. "Das Sound Machine!"

Immediately, the German group created a solid beat, mostly down to the spikey-haired man. A few of the front row members were dancing, wide grins staring down the Bellas and anyone else in the room that might of previously thought they stood a chance of beating them.

"She had dumps like a truck, truck, truck. Thighs like a what, what, what."

Although Beca's concentration was on the sheer power of DSM's vocals, the host pointed his finger at the Tonehangers.

"Shake, shake, shake. Shake, shake, shake. Shake your booty."

The host begun to wave his finger around the room no sooner than the Tonehangers had started performing their song. Stacie made her way to the front of the Bellas and grinned to Beca and Chloe. "I've got this," she whispered. Sure enough, the host pointed to the Bellas and Stacie's voice filled the room.

"Shawty had that apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur."

Fat Amy and Lilly followed close behind her, matching the beat that DSM had originally set. Now knowing what their plan was, Beca began to relax. She and the other Bellas joined in.

"With the fur! The whole club was looking at her. She hit the floor, she hit the floor. Next thing you know, shawty got low, low, low, low, low, low, low low."

Without meaning to, the Bellas got into the song and were dancing all over the place. As the Green Bay Packers were chosen to continue the beat, the brunette realised she had been dancing with Chloe without a care in the world. She felt her cheeks start to burn and attempted to ignore the beam on the redhead's face.

Time passed and songs were sung. Benji let his nerves get the better of him again leading to the Treblemakers being dropped from the competition. Beca wondered if Emily knew it was because of her. The Green Bay Packers and Tonehangers didn't last too much longer, both failing miserably on their song choice, or lack of one.

"Now we have a showdown!" The host was waving his arms all over the place, the crowd getting excited. "Let's do this face-off style," he said, getting a cheer from the crowd again. Everyone in the world of A Capella knew that the Barden Bellas had to beat Das Sound Machine to get their reputation back and that was something worth watching, unlike the Sock-a-pellas.

"This is how we do it. I'm kind of buzzed and it's all because this is how we do it."

DSM had come up with a good song and their beatboxer was rocking out along with about four others helping to create the thick beat. Pieter and Kommissar were taking the lead but the other members of the group didn't seem to mind; they seemed to have ranks in their group unlike the Bellas who were a group of friends.

"Girls you know you'd better watch out," Cynthia Rose jumped into action, an annoyed expression burning into Pieter's face. "Some guys, some guys are only about that thing-"

"That girl is poison." Pieter got up in Amy's face although she didn't seemed fazed by the looming figure bearing over her. "Never trust a big butt and smile that girl is poison."

As Beca suspected, Fat Amy held her own. "Here we go yo, here we go yo, so what's, so what's the scenario."

"Insane is the membrane. Insane in the brain!"

As Pieter hit back at Fat Amy, the Australian was unable to think of another song as a comeback. Beca looked to Chloe but both shrugged their shoulders, a panicked expression on both their faces. No-one seemed to have an idea of what to sing next.

"I got all I need when I got you and I 'cause I look around me and see a sweet light," Emily had started singing but it was even worse than before; Beca couldn't recall ever hearing the song before. In the corner of her eye, she could see Chloe biting her lip. Obviously the redhead knew the song but why wasn't she singing it?

"I'm sorry. What 90's hip-hop jam is that again?" The host slowly walked towards Emily, the Bellas not knowing what to do other than to move out of the way. Sure the Legacy had accidentally killed the entire beat and almost certainly lost them the riff-off, but the host hadn't acted like that before.

"More like a 21st century jam. That's it. Yeah, I wrote it."

As soon as those words came from Emily's mouth, the redhead knew her worst fears had come true. Beca didn't look too pleased either.

"You're saying it's an original?"

"Yes, I'm saying it's an original."

The crowd started to boo at the Legacy, her once smiling face now looking disappointed.

"What is your name?" The host looked calm, but Beca could see tears welling up in his eyes.

"Emily."

"Emily." The host paused, silence covering the room like a thick blanket. "I hate you."