The Basketcase and The Princess

Chapter 12

Beca stood nervous, laptop bag slung across her, a cup holder full of caffeinated beverages outside the Bella house. She looked up at the big door. The one she had practically ran through the night before.

Still.

So deadly still, because almost every fibre of her being wanted to, was screaming at her with harsh acidity in her limbs to turn and leave and if she even just shuffled on the spot, like she could feel her legs begging, aching to do, she would flee. So yeah she stood there, outside, still, for like a creepy amount of time. Gingerly, a roll of her eyes, she knocked.

Nothing.

Another slightly louder knock and the feeling like she was waiting for a very long time, most likely she knew she wasn't but the beat of her heart was way too loud in her ears that time passed slow as she tried to concentrate on ignoring her pounding chest and focused on the time. The door opened. It opened to two bright smiles. Smiles betrayed by their eyes. Groggy, blood shot, hair ruffled. Jessica and Ashley. But still smiles. Genuine.

They took the coffee's as they welcomed Beca into their house.

"Hmmm try this one."

"What is it?"

"Dunno but it's sweet, so yeah its nice."

"Hmmm yeah that's lovely."

"How about this?"

"Nope too bitter, Aubrey can have that one."

Beca followed them as they tasted the coffee's and settled on sharing the caramel latte. Beca had literally no clue what any of them drank so got a bit of everything. She watched with amusement. A small shake of her head. Playful.

It took a while, with the nursing of everyone's hangovers but with the addition of the coffee's Beca had brought and Jessica and Ashley seemingly already having started making breakfast before Beca had arrived, most of them congregated happily in the kitchen. A bit of a scuffle to be around the laptop.

"I, umm, thought about what Aubrey said last night and yeah just, umm, give this a listen." Beca pressed play. A sharp in take of breath. Now or never.

Beca's eyes stayed firmly on her laptop screen. Too nervous to look, to see their reactions.

"Wow."

Beca looked across, a small glance, to CR. She found CR with her brows raised, impressed.

"No, I mean... what?" A smug little smirk. Beca didn't remotely feel smug, but she knew she pulled off the look. It hid how terrified she really was.

"Really Mitchell, that's... you did this?" Cynthia continued.

"It's nothing really."

"Yeah, I'm with Cynthia," Stacie smiled. Bright. She couldn't believe it had happened this fast. "When did you even have the time to do this?" Beca shrugged in response.

Like it was no big deal.

But she knew it was.

Aubrey was stubborn. So for her to have reached out like that, well yeah, Beca kinda admired how much that had taken out of her. So she was willing to give a little back. Only a little though, and yeah maybe that would score her points with Chloe. Points she may need after the way it had ended the previous night. She was hoping upon hope it wouldn't be weird, but she was feeling awkward and weird enough for more than one person so yeah it was probably really going to be weird.

Not that she knew. Yet. Because there was no Chloe. Yet.

She had left the party last night and worked on the mix all through the night up until she woke an hour ago, laptop on, headphones round her head. Askew. And she had hit play, sluggishly, and listened to her own mix. Liked it. Not loved it. It was all right, a good attempt, not great or spectacular but an attempt, and she had swelled with the need to see Chloe again and hello excuse. Half of her, no not half, a third, maybe felt like she should never have left in the first place. That she should have stayed last night, and just took a chance. The odds on her and Chloe were damn good. Right? Everything she had felt and had let loose within herself and then ran from she had put into the mix. Too much. Too personal. So one quick tinker, a few edits before she had headed over, back to where she belonged. She didn't really belong anywhere. But this was becoming close. A few more generic choices she figured Aubrey would like and she'd saved it.