Chapter 1
the iccas were a few weeks away and the barden bellas were doing everything they could to ensure they made it to the top once more. they were reigning champions and, of course, they couldn't disappoint. with aubrey gone, it was the first year that chloe and beca took the reigns as co-captains. they were, admittedly, a little nervous.. although chloe seemed more excited than anything else. to her, nothing could go wrong. beca, on the other hand, wasn't so certain. of course, she was confident in her track mixing abilities.. it was the leadership skills she wasn't super sure of.
the duo stood amongst their fellow bellas in the auditorium - their usual rehearsal space. the perky redhead was scribbling something down on the whiteboard, going on about all the exciting ideas she had when it came to acapella. beca watched intently, more so than the others did, but didn't notice how her crystal blue hues lingered on her best friend.
the petite brunette was sitting at the rounded table only a few feet away, her headphones rested around her neck. she was supposed to be pulling up samples of songs, ready to find the perfect mix for their next performance. not that she didn't have plenty of time.
it was their first rehearsal since their last performance and the room was buzzing with activity. it was mostly just small talk, catching up as if they didn't live in the same house. if anything, it just made beca roll her eyes although the action was more playful than anything else.
" okay bellas! we have two months until left until the icca finals so we gotta work our socks off! "
and the redhead's yapping continued. and, with chloe taking the lead, their rehearsal went well.
----------------
when the rehearsals were over and everyone had exercised the bodies and voices enough to leave them all exhausted, the girls packed up and went their seperate ways. although they mainly just ventured back to the sorority house they had on campus. not that they were a sorority or anything of the sort..
beca, however, did not walk back with the others. instead heading to the meetup spot her and her boyfriend, jesse, had picked out. they were going on a date. not a flashy one, as per beca's request, but something 'thoughtful'. in reality, jesse's constant pick of the same restaurant was a little boring for the dj but she hadn't told him yet. she was unsure how to let the boy down slowly since she'd never actually had a serious relationship before.
-----------------
chloe watched as beca strayed from the group, eyes on the messages her boyfriend had sent. it was normal, by now, for beca to disappear unannounced to go hang out with jesse.. but that didn't mean the redhead was fond of it. she wanted to be the one beca snuck off to hang out with. the one that beca wanted to hold hands with and kiss.. but no. chloe was instead left waiting on the side while her crush seemed oblivious to her advances. although, she had to admit, since the brunette announced her commitment to the treblemaker chloe's attempts at showing her adoration had been few and far between.
a small sigh left the redhead's gloss-coated lips but she did her best to hide her disappointment as she followed stacie and amy back towards the house. and once they were home, the woman headed right up to her room. the room she used to share with aubrey. she shut the door behind her, causing a wayward glance from stacie, and simply flopped onto her bed.
what did jesse have that she didn't? besides a penis, that is. she was certainly prettier than him.. and she could bet that she knew just as much about the brunette.
a sigh left her lips as the jealousy settled in her chest, tingling in the back of her throat. only.. it wasn't jealousy at all. no, something much darker was brewing beneath the surface.
swallowing thickly as she forced herself to sit up, chloe covered her mouth with her hands and let out a harsh cough. her shoulders shook with the force of her coughing fit, wincing at the tension in her lungs. and then when she finally pulled her hands from her lips - taking a moment to catch her breath - that's when she saw it. a singular white rose petal, painted with the same crimson that now stained her palms.
" ...shit. "