She's the Worst

Initiation

Aca-initiation night was finally here.

I was excited just as much as I was anxious. The pressure was on even more than before now and the success of this group was mostly reliant upon how well I performed in my leadership role. Every action I took would determine whether the Bella's would progress to the championships. That thought alone was stressful, and that wasn't even all the responsibility I would deal with. There was the girls and making sure they followed my orders accordingly, got along, and made a genuine effort and put in the hard work during their training sessions.

I was certainly in for a challenge, but I felt equipped enough to manage it. Thanks to Alice, the previous girl in charge last year, for leaving the detailed plan she used that had got us to the I.C.C.A.'s I felt prepared. The steps were all there and I had every intention of following in her footsteps...exactly. There was no way in heck I was going to let anyone, myself included, ruin our second chance at redemption.

Speaking of ruining...I was still having serious doubts and nerve's about my decision to let Beca join. I knew she would be an asset with her vocals, but the truth was, something about her put me on edge. Like the thought of being around Beca and seeing her frequently gave me feelings similar to the ones I would get on stage before singing in front of an audience. My body would be consumed with this fluttery type of motion inside and I would feel anxious yet excited at the same time. I understood that feeling when it came to a capella but Beca...that was something I was struggling to comprehend.

Whatever. I'm sure it will go away eventually. Until then, I will just ignore these confusing feelings and only deal with Beca when I had to. Easy enough.

I forced a smile as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, placing my concentration on more important matters. Like my outfit for one. This was now my fourth pick of the night and I was just as dissatisfied as I had been with all the other options. Honestly, I wasn't even sure why I was trying so hard to look good. It's not like I had anyone to impress. As a matter of fact, impressing people wasn't really my forte at all. Sure, I took pride in my appearance because I liked to look good for myself. It was a great confidence boost, but I was never this picky.

Not wanting to give it any further thought, I walked to my closet again, rummaging through my collection of garments with determination. After lots of shuffling, I finally landed on something I approved. A glimmering pink shirt tucked in the far back, untouched and unused with a tag still attached. This wasn't uncommon for me to find brand new clothes I bought some time ago from one of my days of shopping. Let's just say I did a lot of retail therapy.

I slipped on the cool silk top and tucked it into my jeans, leaving a bit of the fabric to hang at my waist in a fashionable manner. After adding some accessories on my ears and wrist to enhance my look, I applied makeup and styled my blonde hair, being sure to emphasize the waves I created with my curling iron. As a final touch, I put on some pumps and neatly tied our Barden Bella bandanna around my neck.

Just as I was about to gather the remaining things needed for the Bella initiation, a gentle knock at my door sounded. Knowing it could only be one person, I walked over and opened it.

"Hey, everything's—oh," Chloe trailed off as her eyes skimmed over my outfit before meeting mine with an approving smile. "You look nice."

"Thanks," I said, giving her a smile of my own. "You do too," I complimented back, gesturing to her suit jacket and blue top. She thanked me then I went to grab a bandanna from my desk. "Here," I said extending it to Chloe.

"Oh." She took it and attempted to put it on. I watched her struggle for a few seconds until I motioned for her to come closer and turn around. She gratefully obliged and swept all her ginger locks to one side of her shoulder. "Everything's just about ready by the way. Isn't this exciting? We're going to be running our own group, creating close bonds, and working together to win the championships."