Perfect Timing and a Perky Redhead

Chapter 8

Beca sprinted to her dorm room, already feeling the tears streaming down her face. She opened her door, thankful to find it empty. Kimmy Jin had the capacity to be nice, Beca knew that, but she figured this territory would be completely unknown on how to proceed for the Asian.

The small brunette sat down on the edge of her bed, putting her head in her hands. Heavy sobs rocked Beca's body, shaking the young girl. "Fuck this," Beca choked out through her tears. Suddenly filled with pure rage, the brunette looked at her wrist, seeing her great grandfather's watch still adorning her wrist.

The brunette glared at the offending object. "Soul mate? Bull shit. She never cared. Fuck this fucking watch," Beca mumbled to herself, furious that she could fall for something that could never be true.

Practically ripping the object off of her wrist, she walked over to the window in her dorm and chucked the watch out, not caring if it broke or not. Beca started pacing around her room, still allowing a steady stream of tears to escape her eyes, but her sadness was quickly becoming consumed by anger.

Beca glanced over at her DJ equipment, and then froze. A fire began to burn behind the brunette's eyes. She became fully determined.

Quickly grabbing her phone, she sent a quick message before exiting the building to catch a taxi.

"I'm coming over, be there soon."

Chloe ran to the tree that they were under earlier, hoping Beca would be there. However, she had no luck. The senior ran a hand through her curly red hair.

Her room or the radio station? Chloe bit her lip in thought, trying to decide which one seemed more likely. Being closer to the radio station, Chloe started running toward it.

As she walked into the small building, Chloe called out, "Hello?"

"Hi there can I he-" Jesse responded, but stopped when he saw who it was. He crossed his arms and glared at the Bella before him. "What are you doing here?"

Chloe didn't even hold back her eye roll at the boy's snarky attitude. "Have you seen Beca?"

"Why do you care?" Jesse spat back.

Chloe glared at him, wishing that looks could kill. "Just tell me if you have or not, you fucker."

Jesse huffed, but decided to be cool. Luke was in the other room, after all. "No, I haven't seen her. And hey when you're done fucking with her, can you let me know? I think she'd be good in bed," Jesse remarked with a cocky smirk on his face.

Chloe walked up to him, enjoying the fact that she was the older and taller one in the situation. "You will never get your hands on Beca," Chloe practically hissed, feeling defensive of the young brunette.

With that, Chloe left the building without another room and paced over to Beca's dorm. She knocked on the door, hoping someone would answer. The door finally flipped open to reveal a displeased Kimmy Jin.

"Hey Kimmy Jin, is Beca in there? I need to talk to her," Chloe said, practically begging that the DJ would be there.

"No, she's not here," Kimmy Jin responded, and then closed the door.

Chloe sighed in defeat. She walked out of the building, deciding the brunette needed space and Chloe might as well go to her own dorm to relax before the stress and guilt she felt caused her to self-combust. As the redhead walked out of Beca's dorm building and toward her own, she noticed something shine near a bush. Curious, Chloe bent over and picked up the object. Nice watch, Chloe thought to herself.

The redhead inspected the watch, deciding it was in good condition, though it seemed older. It also had a slight crack on the screen, but that may be from being on the ground. Chloe glanced around and, noticing no one was looking for it nor around, decided to put it on.

The watch turned on and blinked for a few seconds on its own when it suddenly brightened with a number on the screen that it began to countdown from.

3:4:14:5:32:31

3:4:14:5:32:30

Chloe glanced at all the numbers, trying to make sense of the order. All she could tell was the last number was seconds. Plus, it counted down, but to what? It didn't even tell time. No wonder someone got rid of it, they probably got too frustrated not knowing the time with a watch. However, the redhead found a certain allure to the item that convinced her to keep it in her possession. Might as well. With that thought in mind, she continued her walk to her room, hoping Beca would turn up soon so that they could talk.

Where that talk would lead them, Chloe herself wasn't even sure.

Professor Mitchell was sitting in his living room when a frantic knock on the door echoed throughout the house. Quickly approaching the door, he flung it open to reveal his daughter, eyes red from crying that had to have occurred recently.

Ushering her inside, he shut the door and tuned into his parental instincts. "Beca what's wrong? Are you okay? What happened?"

Beca looked at her father, a few tears still slipping out from the corner of her eyes. I'm so sick of fucking crying. "Dad, I can't do this anymore. Please, let me go to Los Angeles now."

Beca's father sighed, "Beca…"

"Dad please, I tried to fit in here," Beca pleaded. "It didn't work out and I can't be here anymore. I'll take some community college classes in California if you want, just please let me leave here. Please."

Beca's father looked at the ground, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. He looked at his daughter, the desperation in her eyes. He thought about college and his daughter's future, and most importantly her happiness.

His decision was final.

Bella's rehearsal went on as usual the next day, minus a perky redhead and a sarcastic pain in the ass that they all loved. Chloe was physically present, but she had been up all night thinking about the brunette, hoping she would reply to one of the dozens of messages Chloe had sent throughout the past twenty four hours. The young DJ was still ignoring her and Chloe's only comfort were the mixes she had in her possession.

As they were going over the choreography for "I Saw the Sign" once more (edited so that Beca's position was filled), a brunette stormed into the auditorium.

Everyone paused to look, but it was Aubrey who spoke first. "Get out of here, Treble," she shouted, leaving no room for argument.

Jesse ignored her, however, his gaze fully focused on Chloe who looked at him with a mix of contempt and confusion. Jesse, however, was plainly and simply furious. "It's all your fault!" The Treblemaker shouted, pointing accusingly at Chloe.

"What are you talking about?" The senior replied, her arms crossed and her eyebrow raised at the man who was fuming in front of her.

"She's gone! I had a shot with her, but you went and fucked all of that up!" He replied, not realizing that Chloe was truly confused, as were the fellow Bella's who were completely silent but absorbed in the conversation taking place.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Chloe said, her voice fading, her stomach sinking at who the ambiguous "she" may be. She had a feeling that…maybe…

"Beca! Beca fucking Mitchell is gone! And it's all because you two got in your stupid fight or whatever!" Jesse stated, throwing his arms in the air.

"H-how do you know she left?" Chloe asked. I think I might be sick.

"She unregistered from all of her classes, she withdrew her internship at the radio station, and her weird roommate told me when I went to her room that she packed up all of her stuff this morning and is headed out to California by now. Way to go, you cock block, Beca's gone from Barden now. For good."