A/N: Here it is, my contribution to the Valentine's Day Challenge ... well, part of it anyway! This fic has slowly but surely taken on a life of its own...it's become quite the monster and I've been on the fence about it for the last week. It's looking like it's going to be at least three chapters. So, please bear with me.

Very special thank you's to Waatp (Corinne) and Raven12 (Stacey) for your constant love and support throughout the writing process. I doubted my abilities a few times and you both encouraged me to stick with it. I will forever be in your debt.

So, without further ado, I give you "The Giving Tree"

o~O~o

"If you love deeply, you're going to get hurt badly. But it's still worth it."

~C. S. Lewis~

o~O~o

o~O~o

As I stare into the cherubic face of my newborn daughter as she nuzzles my breast, I'm immediately brought back to the plethora of events that led up to this point. I am a mother. Holy shit… I am a Mommy. And now I've cussed and have to put money in the swear jar… Fuck! That damn thing is overflowing because of me. After 36 hours of labor, I know I just paid for a fucking 10 day Disney vacation for all of us.

"I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,

Never settle for the path of least resistance

Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin',

Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',

Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,

When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance."

Motherhood is not something I ever saw for myself. It's funny how one person can change the way you see your life. This sweet, tiny, beautiful little girl is here because we love each other enough to fight. Our love is fierce and real. I never truly knew what love was until he came into my life and now, I can't imagine my life without him, without love… only I can imagine it, because for a short time, I did live without him, without love and it was total agony.

"I hope you dance...I hope you dance.

I hope you dance...I hope you dance.

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance."

"Oh my sweet Scarlett Anastasia, you, my little love, are so wanted and so loved. I knew I loved you before I met you and I knew you would be my everything. I hope you feel that love everyday of your life. Your daddy and I couldn't be happier that you're finally here, we've been waiting for you for so long. You are the piece to our puzzle that we didn't even know was missing." I paused and took a deep breath. "Ok, that was getting a little too mushy, so Miss Sassafras, shall I tell you how you came to be?"

o~O~o

"Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it."

~Nicholas Sparks~

A Walk to Remember

o~O~o

It was no secret that I, Beca Mitchell, didn't want to go to college. I wanted Los Angeles, I wanted to produce music and I wanted make a name for myself but my mom and dad wanted college. To keep the peace, I agreed to go to Barden University in Georgia, where my dad is a professor and take some shitty courses that I knew I'd never use out in the real world.

So, I left my mom in Brentwood, Tennessee just a few miles South of Nashville and headed to Barden. When I arrived at the airport, I called a cab and set out to conquer the world... or more to the point to aggravate the living soul out of my dad until he agreed to let me go to Los Angeles. I had my plan all sorted out.

As soon as I stepped foot on campus, I was greeted by one weirdo after another. First there was the bubbly blonde from the welcoming committee then the cute weirdo playing air guitar and singing from the backseat of his parents car. Just when I thought things couldn't get any stranger... enter the roommate and cue the Jaws theme music.

Sure, I'd been to Barden a lot over the last several years. When my parents divorced, I was 14 and it was decided that I would spend every other holiday and six weeks of summer in Georgia with my dad. I knew the campus like the back of my hand but nothing and no one could have prepared me for the things I would encounter as a student.

I was seriously beginning to wonder what my parents were thinking by sending me here, when I was reminded by my dad's sorry attempts to be the cool dad he thought he was as he came to greet me in my dorm room. After an awkward hug and an awful Chris Rock impersonation my dad set out to tell me all about the great things Barden had to offer.

My dad was under the mistaken impression that I wanted to be a DJ. He couldn't have been more wrong. If he would just take two minutes to listen to me, he'd know that I wanted to produce music, not be a DJ like Rick Dees. I didn't even know who Rick Dees was nor do I care. Sure, I worked at the high school radio station three of the four years I was there but it was for the experience and because they let me play my mixes not because I wanted to be a DJ.

In the middle of his long ass speech, I decided to head down to the activities fair, not because I wanted to join a club but because I needed to be away from my dad. Don't get me wrong, he's an awesome guy, the best actually but once he gets an idea in his head he's like a dog with a bone. I guess I am more like him than I care to admit.

Ahhh… the activities fair; cue more weirdos. I had no fucking clue that Barden had a Quidditch team. Were these people for real? As I wandered around the activities fair, I found a booth for the 'Barden DJ's'. Little did I know DJ was short for Deaf Jews.

It was at that booth, that I met a rather unusual Australian chick who talked about 'Fiddler on the Roof' and Aboriginals. Strange! I casually slicked away so I could continue my walk through the quad and was approached by a pretentious blonde that called me a bitch, to my face, and her hyperactive red headed friend. They wanted me to join their a capella group and help them 'make their dreams a reality'. I still shudder at the memory and her extreme peppiness.

I felt like saying, 'Earth to the crazy red head, lose the stuck up blonde bitch and you'll increase your chances' but I didn't. I told them I didn't sing, which was a total lie and went about my way. My dad was seriously mental for not one but two reasons. One for choosing to teach here and two, for making me attend this wackadoo school.

o~O~o

Within a week of starting school, I secured an internship at the radio station. It couldn't be all that bad, right? It would give me something to do and hopefully, I'd get my mixes played on the radio. It was a win win in my book... that was until I showed up on the first day.

Secretly, I'd been hoping to see the cute weirdo that I spotted on move in day around campus. To my surprise and secret pleasure, he had also gotten an internship and as it turns out, we would be spending a lot of down time together. Unfortunately, we were told by a heavily tattooed English kid that 'freshman aren't allowed in the booth', that we'd be stacking CD's and that we weren't allowed to have sex on the desk because he'd been 'burned before'. How fucking boring?! I wanted to play music not stack CD's on shelves that clearly hadn't been dusted in ages judging by the amount of times I sneezed in that first week. Not to mention, I couldn't even reach half the shelves. And this dude seriously thought that we were going to have sex on the desk?! Did he see the layers of dust on everything? Gross! This was going to be a fucking nightmare... or so I thought.

Jesse, the cute air guitar playing weirdo, wasn't half bad. He made working in the the dingy radio station fun. We laughed and joked, ate meals together and even started hanging out outside of work. I had my first college friend so my dad could finally get off my back. Jesse made college bearable. He made it fun and interesting even if he was a movie loving nerd. It also helped that he was quite easy on the eye and had a killer smile.

A few weeks later, an unexpected visit from my dad served to first piss me off then shock the hell out of me. He went on and on about how great college was and how I should be creating memories. I was creating memories, just none that I was willing to talk to him about. When he asked if I had any friends, I didn't offer up Jesse's name, I wasn't prepared to share those visual jpegs with my father. If I did, he would go all overbearing dad on me and preach to me about safe sex. That was the last thing I needed.

I told him I got a job at the radio station and he immediately went on to say that the people that worked there were weirdos and I needed to put myself out there and make an effort to make friends. He suggested that I join a club. A club! He must have heard me growl because when I turned around he told me to join a club and if after a year I still wanted to go to LA, then he would support my decision and help me move but if I joined a club and decided to stay at Barden to finish my four year degree, we would not only help me move to LA he would also buy me a new car. I love my little Jetta but a new car! Wow! Maybe I really did need to give college a shot.

Ok, so maybe my dad wasn't so bad after all. Compared to some parents he was actually quite tolerable. When he left, I decided I need some time and space to clear my head and since Kimmy Jin aka the roommate from hell, wasn't leaving anytime soon, I decided to leave. Seemed like the only time I got any peace and quiet was when I was in the shower anyway.

o~O~o

Despite what I told those aca-bitches at the activities fair, I do actually sing, and quite well I might add and that's not just me tooting my own horn. I'm a music lover. I always have a tune in my head. Walking into the showers, I was minding my own business and trying not to think about Jesse's eyes, lips and ass while and singing 'Titanium' by David Guetta. It was one of my favorite songs. Of course, had I known what was about to happen, I would have gladly kept my mouth shut.

I was no sooner in the shower when I heart, "You can sing!"

"DUDE!" I yelled back, pulling the shower curtain with me. Had I mentioned at this point that I'm as naked as the day I was born?!

"How high does your belt go?" This overly cheerful redhead who looked familiar but I just couldn't quite place her face asked me as she barrelled further into my shower stall.

"My what?! Oh my God!" In my mind I'm screaming 'get the fuck out'. I don't know this crazy broad although I remember her standing next to a stuck up blonde who called me a bitch. To. My. Face.

"You have to audition for the Bellas." the ginger freak said, and I'm lost for words like I'm lost for clothes. She's got her hands on her hips but that doesn't excuse the fact that the see through shower curtain will leave nothing to anyone's imagination.

"I can't concentrate on anything you're saying until you cover your junk."

"Just consider it. One time… we sang back-up for Prince. His butt is so tiny that I can like hold it with one hand." She said in a sing song voice. Dude, I don't fucking care. GET OUT!

"Seriously?! I'm nude!"

"You were singing Titanium right?"

"You know David Guetta?"

"Have I been living under a rock? Yeah! That song is my jam… my diddle jam." Red said, looking so proud. Wait, what? What the fuck did she just say to me? Beyond gross dude. Be polite. Don't make eye contact. She'll leave in a minute.

"That's nice."

"It is. Song really builds."

Oh hell no! Did she just say..."Gross!"

"Can you sing it for me?" Oh shit, is she coming on to me? Bitch just asked me to sing her her diddle song.

"Ewe... Dude no! Get out!"

"Not for that reason. I'm not leaving here until you sing, so..."

Against my better judgment and because it was painfully obvious that the weirdo was not leaving, I sang. As I sang and thankfully she did not diddle herself in my shower stall, but she did harmonize with me. I was quite shocked. I'm not sure if it was the acoustics in the bathroom or what, but we actually sounded good.

After a few awkward glances, Chloe looked at me and said, "Oh, yeah, I'm pretty confident about…" motioning to her body, "... all this."

"You should be."

I guess Chloe started to have some sympathy for me as I was standing there covering my junk with a couple of shower loofahs because she finally turned around, grabbed my towel and handed it to me. I used that thing like a shield of armor as I tried to keep every last shred of dignity I had left.

"Umm… I still need to shower." I said, maintaining eye contact so it would stop looking like we were checking each other out.

"I'm Chloe, by the way." She stood there and offered me her hand.

"Yeah, right… I, umm… I'm Beca. It's nice to meet you and all that but I'm not touching you while I'm naked."

"You have a lovely voice."

What the fuck? Who's that? Wait, I recognise those dulcet tones. A tall dude comes into view and yep, what are the fucking chances! "Jack?!"

"Beca?!"

"Wait! You two know each other?" Chloe asked completely baffled.

"Well... we watched a porn together at a party Junior year."

Chloe screeched. "Oh my God! You two watched a porn together?!" pointing between Beca and Jack.

"And... we kinda fooled around a bit." I said with a proud grin.

"But we didn't have sex." Jack confessed.

"You and I," Chloe said, pointing between herself and Jack, "were just having sex two stalls over. Talk about a small world... Mind BLOWN!"

"Well, judging by the size of his package, more than your mind got blown!" I coughed. "So inquiring minds want to know... does the steam from the shower help things stretch or does it just dry everything out?"

"Beca! That's a very personal question!"

"Oh… excuse me. Need I remind you that you're in MY shower stall? I was over here minding my own fucking damn business when you burst in like a bull in a China shop and asked me how high my fucking belt goes."

"That's true… I did do that." Chloe said having the grace to look somewhat ashamed of herself.

"Well, for the record… I can't tell you how high my belt goes but I can tell you how high my foot goes and getting itchy to kick some ass!"

"Ok, well… I'll see you at auditions!" Chloe singsonged as she exited my shower stall, taking Jack with her. He looked back and winked at me before he walked away. I responded by giving him my best eye roll. Urgh.

Is nothing sacred anymore? I was beginning to think that Barden was just some weird hippy love fest but now… now I know it's something that should most definitely come with a fucking warning label. I really needed to talk to my dad about the weirdos at this school. I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate finding out that some naked, extremely hyperactive, junk diddling weirdo walked in on my shower or that her equally naked boy toy, who I just so happen to know from high school, walked in shortly after. I will admit... the boy was hung, but that's really not the point. My dad thought the people that worked at the radio station were weird. They ain't got nothin' on this chick.

o~O~o

So, I did ultimately decide to audition for the Bellas, but only because Jesse said he was auditioning for the Trebles. He really is quite persuasive and I figured if my cute weirdo could do it, then so could I. I did take him a little by surprise when I didn't sing Kelly Clarkson's 'Since You've Been Gone' because let's face it, I could never be as mainstream as all that. Instead, I stole the aca-Nazi's pen cup, tapped out a beat while sitting Indian style on the stage while singing Lulu and The Lampshade's 'You're Gonna Miss Me'. I could tell I'd pissed Miss. Every-Hair-In-Place off but I wasn't there to make a best friend out of her or anyone else for that matter.

Somehow I got in though.

I knew I was in trouble the minute I took the Bella oath. Who did this bitch think she was? She was not going to dictate who I could and couldn't sleep with. If I wanted to fuck the sexy, organized nerd singing weirdo, than by God, that's exactly what I was going to do.

Things with Jesse and I had already gotten closer than I thought they would and we were bound to go there soon. We were spending every spare moment together and enjoying it. There was a definite attraction. We found ourselves doing things like, intentionally brushing against the other while stacking CD's at the radio station, reaching for the same chip in the bowl, I liked the cheesiest Doritos and apparently, so did Jesse. He even would stretch his arms above his head and oh-so-casually drop them around my shoulder when we were watching a movie. It was actually, dare I say it... cute.

For the first time, I actually found myself caring about what I looked like. I started wearing low cut shirts and tighter jeans, and as a little added bonus, I'd take my flannel shirts off so I could show off the girls. He's a boob guy and couldn't resist staring and I… well, I couldn't resist teasing him, if I'm honest!.

Jesse wore tight t-shirts that showed off his amazing arms and jeans that hugged all the right places. He made a point of doing similar things to me. He once caught me staring at him while I was eating my lunch. I was so far off in my own little world, daydreaming about what I wanted to do to Jesse, that I didn't notice he was no longer stacking. My thoughts were interrupted by his heavenly mouth placing feather light kisses along my shoulder and neck. That resulted was a hot and heavy makeout session and some heavy petting while Luke was on an office supply run.

o~O~o

Initiation

and

Hood Night

o~O~o

Initiation into the Bellas was interesting. As I sat in my dorm room creating a new mix, I heard someone knock and Kimmy Jin let them in. A pillowcase was thrown over my head; I was kidnapped and marched across campus to the Bellas rehearsal hall. It was all quite frightening actually. When the pillowcase was finally removed from my head, I looked around the candlelit room taking in 'the mood' as Chloe called it. They must have been lighting candles for hours or perhaps the Pyrotechnics club was in there before us. I was suddenly feeling like a sacrificial lamb brought to the slaughter.

When I refused to 'drink the blood of the sisters that came before us' from the 'Chalice of Bella Life', Aubrey rolled her eyes at me and said, "It's tradition". Chloe looked at me and whispered, "It's Boone's Farm." Against my better judgment, I took the chalice and tipped it back only allowing the liquid inside to just touch my lip; I didn't actually drink any, then passed it to my left.

Aubrey then handed us each as yellow scarf and told us to repeat after her like we're a bunch of Kindergarteners. We had to take some crazy strange oath and then we had to take this strange oath about not having sexual relations with Treblemakers and wolves ripping out our vocal chords. Initiation night was by far the weirdest thing I think I've experienced.

Except maybe that time I caught our old Principal stroking a chicken in his office wearing fairy wings and then making out with the school secretary who was at least three hundred years past her sell by date. I can't even... we promised we'd never speak of it. Urgh.

After initiation, we all went to the Greek Theatre to 'soften the beach' which I'm guessing is code for destroy the enemy. Within minutes of arriving, I heard what sounded like a dying bird. "Be-caw, Be-caw!" Jesse squawked as he was stepping over the cement benches toward me. Why didn't he just walk around? The boy was weird but damn was he ever hot and he was drunk... very drunk.

He started spouting off something about me being an a-capella girl, him being an a-capella boy and *gulp* we were gonna have a-ca children and how it was 'inevitable'. Yep! He was definitely drunk and wouldn't remember anything in the morning, though he claimed that he wasn't and said that I was 'just blurry'. As he crawled back over the cement benches to go get us some drinks, I told him to 'be careful' and prayed he didn't slip because I wanted a piece of that ass. Mmm... his cute, sweet, tight ass. I wonder if he knew then that he did things to me that I couldn't talk about with anyone.

I lost count of the number of embarrassing things Jesse said and did at the party. The boy had a set of lungs and knew how to use them and while the word vomit that poured from his mouth was entertaining, it was more than slightly disturbing at times. I managed to quiet him down by getting him to sit down and talk. I was being watched like a hawk by the blonde Nazi so touching and other forms of affection was completely out of the question.

Within a couple of hours, we were both drunk and bored out of our minds. Since, Aubrey was inebriated and otherwise occupied with Howie, Jesse and I decided to sneak off to my dorm room since Kimmy Jin was out for the night. She mumbled something about a Wii competition and an origami club meeting. Honestly, I'm not sure why her parents paid for the dorm, she was never in it. She slept out most nights, not that I'm complaining but her snoring made me feel like I was on the beach during Pearl Harbor.

Jesse and I literally held each other up for the long seven minute walk across campus. As we swayed we sang and for two stupid drunk people, we actually sang pretty well. We stumbled into my dorm room and Jesse landed on the floor with a loud thud, we immediately both burst into laughter. We sat around listening to music and talking. One thing lead to another and well… I was very happily trebleboned, three times in fact and I can honestly say, I don't regret it. I'm glad my first time was with someone I trusted as not only a friend but quite potentially more than that.

Jesse was attentive, gentle and kind, loving and sweet. He did his best to make sure that I was comfortable and most of all, he made me feel special and dare I say… loved. It wasn't until after round two that he told me that it was also his first time. I could understand why I hadn't ever been with anyone, most guys were intimidated by me and couldn't see past my snark or my scary ear spike, but Jesse? He's a catch… what was his excuse?

o~O~o

"We're all a little weird. And life is a little weird.

And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours,

we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness

—and call it love—true love."

~Robert Fulghum~

True Love

o~O~o

o~O~o

First Bella Rehearsal

o~O~o

The next morning it dawned on me that some how, some way I was going to have to keep a straight face about the evening's events at Bella's rehearsal. Hopefully, nothing would be said and I wouldn't have to worry about it. No such luck. The minute we were all seated, Aubrey was on it like stink on shit.

I'm seriously convinced that Aubrey is part bloodhound. Her sniffer was working overtime and even though I showered, I was certain that she was going to smell the treble on me. Oh well, who gives a shit if she did? If I got kicked out of the Bellas, then I'm was no worse off than I was before.

I was so right about Aubrey, she was 'Dixie Chick serious' about the oath. Dixie Chick serious? How old is she? I suddenly had visions of Joan Crawford from the movie "Mommie Dearest'… "No wire hangers!" Yes, I've seen the movie... Jesse made me watch it and surprisingly, I stayed awake and watched the entire thing and I will admit I preferred that to some sappy shit he tried to encourage me to watch.

Somehow, Aubrey knew that Kori had done the deed with a Treble and she was disinvited from the Bellas. Is disinvited even a real word? Anyway, she never suspected me or if she did, she chose not to say anything, which I highly doubt. She had something to say about everything especially when it came to the Trebles.

She explained that we could fool around with whoever we wanted to just not a Treble. Stacie, the veteran slut, motioned to her lady bits, and said "that's not going to be easy… he's a hunter.' I can't believe she called it a dude. This chick is off her damn rocker. Aubrey then told us about the Trebles not respecting us and if we allowed them to penetrate us then 'we're giving them our power', what the fuck did she mean by that? Who knows?

When Aubrey asked if anyone had anything to confess, we all looked around at each other, most of us avoiding making eye contact so it was obvious a few of us had something to hide. I pulled my hair around my face and tried to hide my shit eating grin as I remembered Jesse's tricks from the night before.

Poor Mary Elise was caught red handed though and asked for her scarf. She told Aubrey 'it was an accident. It landed in my hand.' Yeah, whatever Mary Elise was seling, Aubrey wasn't buying. Mary Elise dragged her chair part of the way out of the rehearsal hall then ran crying down the hall. This part of the day did irk me somewhat but the Aca-Nazi just flared her nostrils at me when I challenged her. She went so wide, I swear I could see parts of her brain. But, anyway, what did I know? Apparently, 'this is war' and the Bellas were out for Treble blood. What the fuck did I get myself into and was it even possible to get out of it?

Aubrey went on a little rant about 'prepping her soldiers at go to time with three kickass songs sung and choreographed to perfection'. Was she looking at the same set list I was looking at? These songs weren't even from this century let alone 'kickass'. They were lame and boring at best. The only way the Bella's were going to win this war was if the competition didn't show up.

Cue Lilly and her extreme weirdness. From what I've gathered in the short time I've been around her, this adorable little weirdo is extremely quiet and has exactly three speeds: slow, stop and 'Dearly beloved we are gather here today…" Maybe that's where her obsession with death comes from. Someone please remind me how on Earth did she even make the cut? I've heard a lot of strange things in my life but the things this chick mutters beneath her breath takes the cake.

She whispered, "What happened last year?" I could hear her because I was sitting right next to her but the others couldn't hear or understand what she said. A little and I do mean only a little louder, she asked, "What happened last year? And do you guys want to see a dead body?" And no, I'm not shitting you. Ok... now I'm officially looking for the closest exit. Maybe I should have taken Jesse up on his offer to meet me after rehearsal because I don't want this weirdo following me.

Chloe had to calm Aubrey and was heard whispering, 'We don't want a repeat of last year.' Naturally, everyone wanted to know 'What happened last year?'

Turns out that Aubrey's little issue got the better of her at the finals the previous year and the Bella's were disqualified because she sang to her BFF Chuck on the microphone and he was so impressed by her solo that he decided to make an appearance... all over the third row.

After watching the YouTube video of the Bellas performance at the ICCA's, we discovered that Aubrey has a projectile vomiting issue... like bad and that's all I'm going to say about that. Truth, I'm still trying to get over it. It's disgusting but without a shadow of a doubt, the most entertaining Bellas performance to date.

Rehearsal was a complete waste of time. We ran, did vocal warms and were given our Bella issued uniforms and death traps aka the most uncomfortable heels East of the Mississippi. And if that wasn't bad enough, we were taught everything we had just seen in the disgusting, yet informative YouTube video. Same songs, same dance, different Bella's... but something else needed to change. We weren't going to win anything based on the list of songs were we were given at the beginning of rehearsal.

As I was going to collect my things to leave, Aubrey called me over for a talk. Judging by the looks I got throughout rehearsal, she did not like me. I'm positive that the only reason I'm here is thanks to Chloe.

Aubrey called me out on my earrings and ear spike and said that I'd have to remove them for the SBT Fall Mixer. After that, I fully expected that she would say something about my tattoos but I guess she decided to choose her battles with me wisely.

And then she lowered the boom. As she accused me of having a 'toner for Jesse', she looked at my crotch and said 'it's distracting'. I did wonder if she knew then about Jesse and I but she was too busy sharing her definition of what a toner was. Apparently it's a 'musical boner'. Ok, so maybe I do have a 'toner' for Jesse but I won't apologize for it. If she heard him sing, she'd have one too.

o~O~o

SBT Fall Mixer

o~O~o

Our performance at the SBT Fall Mixer, a few days later, was cut short, which I'm actually pretty happy about as Amy was singing so loudly in my ear, that I think I have permanent hearing loss. We sounded terrible, of course, but we could only be as good as our teacher and quite frankly, Aubrey sucked. Who gave her the reins and the wherewithal to rule over all things aca? Seriously?! Did I really just say aca? I need a drink!

Howie referred to the performance as a 'barnyard explosion' and said that he wasn't going to pay us. That actually was bad news for the group as we needed the money to pay for Regionals and according to Aubrey a bikini car wash was completely out of the question.

Personally, I think she was conscious of people comparing her stick figure to Stacie's rather bodacious one. At some point, Amy even offered to take one for the team and I swear I heard Lilly mutter something about her being paid double to put her clothes back on but personally I think Amy is great! Chick says what she likes and there's no fakeness or silly traditions with her.

Aubrey singlehandedly managed to tear into each and everyone of us about our performance as she herded us like sheep to the front of the frat house. She even went after Chloe who's supposed to be her best friend. After being yelled at about her voice not sounding 'Aguilerian', Chloe confessed that she had nodes. What the fuck is Aguilerian? I seriously think this Blondie makes this shit up.

Not knowing what nodes were, I asked and Aubrey looked at me like I was a fucking idiot for asking before finally explaining that it's the 'rubbing together of your vocal chords at above average rates without proper lubrication'. Chloe looked at me with such sad eyes and said, 'They sit on your vocal chords and crush your dreams'. I resisted the urge to shout out at Aubrey that she was the one who crushed dreams but fuck it, I couldn't be bothered. I also couldn't risk being turned to stone by Medusa's glare.

Cue Amy and her ill timed weirdness. 'At least it's not herpes... or do you have that as well?' Geez Amy, talk about blunt! Then she told Chloe that the reason she got nodes was because 'God was punishing you for being a ginger'. She also told us that she had a cat with nodes who was the best cat ever but her family killed the cat in the forest and told Chloe that if anyone asked her to go into the forest that she shouldn't do it. I loved the stunned looks on everyone's faces and how no one wanted to sit next to Amy on the bus ride home). That made my day.

I couldn't help it. I busted out laughing. These bitches were fucking crazy. Between Lilly's weird obsession with fire and dead bodies, Stacey's hunter always being on the prowl and Amy's crazy antics I just couldn't hold it in any longer. I doubled over with laughter. This group of girls were the strangest people I'd ever met. Maybe being a Bella wouldn't be so bad after all.

o~O~o

The next day at the radio station, while stacking CD's and records, Jesse decided to act silly while playing with several of the record sleeves. He held Ted Nugent's 'Cat Scratch Fever' record in front of his face and when he dropped it, I swear his facial expression was spot on and I wanted to jump his bones right then and there.

Unfortunately, Luke saw us playing around and decided to break it up by asking Jesse to go his lunch. Jesse saw an opening and decided to throw an insult Luke's way. He told him that he 'should probably lay off the burgers, you're not gonna be twenty two forever you know?'. I thought it was pretty funny seeing as I only ever see Luke eat some kind of arty farty health food shit he gets from Whole Foods. He said it was better than any 'rubbish' us Americans eat.

Luke lifted his shirt and looked down at his beautifully chiseled abs and said, 'I think I'm good.' My mistake in this whole testosterone filled scenario? Well… I agreed with Luke but in all honesty, he really was good. Don't get me wrong, Luke is hot but he's so not my type and he does seem to get off on pushing Jesse's buttons… especially when it comes to me.

In an instant, the green eyed monster filled Jesse and little sparks of jealousy began shooting from his pores. He mumbled, 'and the chess match continues' as he walked out. As far as I was concerned there was no chess match but I needed to stay in Luke's good graces if I wanted my mixes played on the radio. I knew there was only a snowball's chance in hell that would happen but it was better than a flat out no.

I only have eyes for Jesse and I really wish he could see that. He claims to have seen the way other guys look at me. Personally, I think he's crazy. Not many guys are gonna look at a moody alt girl wearing dark clothes and a scary ear spike. I'm luckier than a dog with two dicks, Jesse is a rare find and for whatever reason he keeps coming around.

When Jesse got back to the station with Luke's 'food', I use that term loosely as he sloshed some green smoothie shit that's got rice, spinach and seaweed and something fluorescent in it, on the desk. Jesse took a few minutes to pout like a petulant child and then came looking for me, which I knew he would.

I was upstairs waiting, hoping he'd come looking for me and… he did! Our hot and heavy make out session turned into us having sex up against the wall. What? Don't look at me in that tone of voice! Luke said no sex on the desk... walls were not mentioned. Nor was the couch at the back of the studio, or the stairs leading to the archives or the parking lot outside or... sssh, never tell... the hood of Luke's car. When the mood hits, always strike while the iron is hot.

o~O~o

The Riff Off was a few days later and Jesse almost got us caught. So I wasn't entirely afraid of the oath that we had had to take to join the Bellas, but Blondie had a way of staring at you that made you feel... I dunno, like she would vomit on you if you didn't adhere to it. I could have killed him though. Ok, that's an exaggeration but seriously, he was not thinking with his head... and for the record, I do mean the lump three feet above his ass.

As I watched the events unfold before my eyes, I have to admit it was kinda cool, but like the cool kids on the back of the school bus, I stood toward the rear of the group and tried not to look too interested in case there was a chorus of Kumbaya to be had and I needed to bail!. Truth? I hadn't paid attention to what a Riff Off was when She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed spoke but seeing as no one turned up with any weapons, as I had first feared, I figured it was worth a look at the abandoned pool that Barden folklore stated was haunted. For the record, it's not, it's actually just a bunch of jocks messing about trying to catch the horny toads who don't want to caught making out in their dorm rooms or some stupid shit like that. I listened as some of the other Bellas harmonized. They sounded good… better than good actually. We were an amazingly talented group, so why wouldn't Aubrey let us branch out? Who gives two shits about 'The Sign'? Aubrey needed the sign to smack her right in the fucking forehead.

I watched in utter amazement as Cynthia Rose strutted to the center of the pool with more swag than all of the Trebles combined and began singing 'S&M'... the girl has some serious chops. And oh wow! Stacie is right up in Donald's face. Sing it girl! The dude has drooled right down the front of his shirt but in his defence, she's got a cracking pair of boobs on her. They make mine look like ant bites.

Jesse! Seriously, this thing between us is supposed to be a secret. If Aubrey finds out, I'm as good as gone but there he is putting on his one man show and making eyes at me, wiggling that fine ass and singing to perfection. Trying not to give anything away, I roll my eyes and pretend that his gyrations aren't getting to me. But then, it happens. I blow him a kiss when what I really wanted to do was boink him right there in the pool, in front of God and everyone. Thank goodness Aubrey couldn't see me. That's when I got the idea to sing 'No Diggity'. I could effectively shut him up and quite possibly win the Riff Off for the Bellas, then maybe, just maybe, Aubrey would let me come up with a new set list.

After hearing Cynthia Rose sing 'S&M' I thought for sure she would have had my back but no dice. Amy was the one that finally came to my rescue. I thought for sure, we won the Riff Off, but Justin and his Treble lovin' self said the word we needed to match was 'it' and we sang 'it's'. Whatever dude! We won fair and square; he just didn't want to admit that we were better than the Trebles. Perhaps Bumper who happens to look like a whack-a-mole from one of those traveling circuses had Justin on his payroll. I dunno.

As we walked away, still feeling good about ourselves, even though we were robbed of our victory, Aubrey said, 'Before everybody goes to bed tonight, I need you to make a list of everything you did wrong.' Hold the phone. Did I hear that right? Did the Nazi just assign us punish work? She can't be serious. Are we suddenly fucking 12 again? We are in college... right? Is she out of her flippin' mind?

I've never done punish work in my life, ok... maybe once when I was in Ms. Richmond's second grade class and I decked Charlie Adams for pulling my chair out from underneath me. He deserved it, even my dad said so but he still made complete the punish work. Ms. Richmond told me I had to write 'I will always keep my hands, feet and other objects to myself at all times'. After writing that out fifty times my hand hurt and I made sure Charlie knew it. While we were waiting in the carpool line the next day, I stuck my foot out and tripped him. He landed on his face and busted his nose. I'm just lucky that I was just as small back then so I hid behind David Cooper and no one knew it was me. Ha! Sucker!

I stormed off after we'd been handed our homework assignment. Aubrey wasn't going to dictate such bullshit and then expect me to comply. I caught up with Jesse as I walked across campus. Without saying a word, I kissed him, grabbed his hand and headed for my dorm room. He knew better than to question me and just tagged along obediently.

The minute we walked in my room, I closed the door and pinned Jesse to the wall, something I'd been wanting to do since he started singing at the Riff Off. I kissed him with everything I had and we were suddenly a jumble of arms and legs hurrying to remove our clothes. In our rush to do the deed, we christened Kimmy Jin's bed… shhh, don't tell. I think I broke her little bonsai tree as I found it in a bajillion pieces the next day and I was finding those little gold leaves for weeks but I hid it in the bottom of her closest and she never said anything about it so who gives a fuck.

o~O~o

A few days later, I decided it was time to share my mixes with Jesse. After dinner, we went back to my dorm room. We were supposed to be studying for Chemistry, when he asked about all of my music equipment. I decided it was time to let him in.

I told him about chord progressions and creating tracks that blend everything together. Pointing to the screen, I showed him the new baseline and matching downbeats. The entire time I was talking, he just sat there, doe eyed and listening intently. Taking off my headphones I realized that I was talking very loudly. Jesse just grinned and nodded. Could he be any friggin' cuter right now?

I handed him the headphones and told him that I was singing on the track. Putting the headphones on, he listened. His eyes lit up. I think he was impressed. In an effort to make me feel better, he yelled, "Babe, this is amazing! Now I'm the one yelling, right?"

As he handed the headphones back to me, he asked, "How did you know those songs would all mesh together like that?" Truth was, I really didn't know. I know the music I like. Music speaks to me and I listen. It all just sorta works out, you know?

Reaching into his backpack, Jesse pulled out a DVD. "I brought this over so we can continue your movication and because I want you to see the end of the movie. Then I can die a hero." He has this habit of making himself at home and surprisingly, because it's Jesse, I don't mind. He's actually quite a good house guest, I think his Mom drummed that shit into him. He tidies up when he leaves which is cool. When he wasn't looking, I stole one of his spare shirts out of his backpack. Damn thing was clean and ironed. Go figure.

I told him that if I was going to watch the end of the movie, then I'd just as well watch the entire thing but he insisted that we just watch the end. Ok, whatever, I'll watch it in it's entirety some other time. The faster we get to the end of the movie, the faster we can do other things.

He immediately went into a commentary aka useless facts mode. He talked about the how "Don't You" launched Simple Minds in the U.S. and how it could have been a Billy Joel song but he turned it down. "What an idiot." He went on to say that the song perfectly summed up the movie because it was equally beautiful and sad.

Never at a loss for sarcasm, I asked, "So, tell me, what does Judd Nelson eat for breakfast?"

Without skipping a beat he said, "Well, like all misunderstood rebels, he feeds on hypocrisy and black coffee. Helps with his morning dumps." Dude's quick, I'll give him that! Yep, I was falling for him hook, line and sinker.

"You're an idiot."

"It's true, I'm full of fun facts."

"You should let other people tell you they're fun."

After a couple of minutes, Jesse looked at me and his jaw dropped. "Wait a minute. You don't like movies but you know who Judd Nelson is. How is that possible?"

Rolling my eyes and giggling, I picked up the DVD case and pointed. He leaned in and kissed the tip of my nose. "You're missing the ending."

We turned our attention back to his laptop and finished watching. It wasn't bad at all and it's probably a movie I'd actually enjoy watching start to finish. As the credits rolled, Jesse gave me 'the look' and I knew movie time was over.

Jesse put his laptop on my desk and had me pinned down on the bed in a matter of seconds. He has the most amazing mouth and his hands… oh God, his hands. Things were getting hot and heavy pretty quickly when in walks Kimmy Jin. Great timing, bitch.

She looked right through me and said, "The white girl is back."

I was up and off the bed before Jesse knew I was gone. "Look Jess, Mr. Miyagi and his pet ninjas are back!"

"Whoa white girl, what's your problem?"

"What's my problem?" I asked, sarcasm dripping from every orifice. "You've had a problem with me since day one… why?"

"I don't like you."

"Well, that's elementary." I responded. "For the record, I don't like you either but it would benefit us greatly if we were at least cordial and respectful to each other."

"I don't need another friend Beca."

"Good, because neither do I, but I would like and deserve some respect, starting with you keeping your minions on YOUR side of the fucking room. If you want to have your little Wii get togethers, fine, but don't expect to lounge around on my things."

Jesse was now standing behind me, his hand resting on the small of my back. "Babe, don't worry about her. We can go back to my room. Benji's with his parents this weekend."

"Yeah, let's go. Maybe the Asian girl will be gone when we get back." Kimmy Jin is infuriating. Where the hell does she get off throwing out insults like that? I've never been mean, nasty or rude to her. I've tried initiating conversation with her because quite frankly, sitting in silence and staring at each other gets boring. Having a roommate was supposed to be fun or at least that's what my dad told me when he refused to pay a little extra for a private dorm room. That was probably the Stepmonsters doing, she probably needed the money for her fillers and botox. She's got enough plastic in her face to throw her own Tupperware party.

While Kimmy Jin gave us her arctic stare, I packed my laptop and books and Jesse threw some clothes in a bag for me. I couldn't wait to get out of there. Kimmy Jin pushes all my buttons. Was it possible that she and the Nazi were long lost cousins? Oh, who the fuck cares?

When we were ready, Jesse took my hand and we walked out. As soon as we were in the hall and the door was closed, Jesse turned to face me. "Hey," he said stroking my cheek and kissing me softly, "don't let that weirdo get to you. You're better than that."

He was right. I am so much better than that. How is it, Jesse could have such a calming effect on me? Without thinking, I reached up and pulled him down toward me. I couldn't resist, I had to kiss him. He had to know that I wanted him. This type of affection was typically saved for when we were safely behind closed doors and away from prying eyes but in that particular moment, I didn't give two shits or a fuck who saw us.

As we walked toward Jesse's dorm, we chatted about silly things. Jesse really was good about helping me forget the stupid shit life throws at me. What had I done to deserve such a great guy? A guy that I couldn't let anyone know about, for fear of being booted from the Bellas.

The minute the elevator doors closed, Jesse was on me. It was hot and the thought of being caught made it even hotter. The ride to the third floor wasn't anywhere near long enough. I wanted him in the elevator. Geez… how had he done this to me in such a short period of time?

o~O~o

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,

And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."

~ William Shakespeare~

A Midsummer Night's Dream

o~O~o

On Sunday evening when I got back to my dorm, Kimmy Jim was gone and so was a lot of her stuff. I did note that there were no Asian size ass prints in my blankets so maybe she did pay attention to what I said. I wasn't sure if she'd moved out or just decided to spend the weekend away but I was thankful that her cold stare didn't greet me when I walked in. Bitch could freeze Hell with that stare. She's got nothing on Elsa. Ahh shit, do not tell anyone that I watched Frozen. Just 'Let It Go'… you heard nothing… Got it?! Oh who am I kidding?! You'll run off and blabber in an attempt to ruin my badass image but I'll deny everything with a straight face. I've got a metal ear spike and I'm not afraid to use it as a weapon should I have to.

I loved spending the weekend with Jesse but I was glad to be back in my own dorm room. All those crazy Star Wars figurines staring at me was unnerving. Between Jesse being draped over me like a second skin and all those eyes staring at me, I had a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep. Of course, we didn't spend a lot of time sleeping, in fact, we hardly left Jesse's room but that's so not the point.

Monday started a new week and with that new week came Bella rehearsals and our first competition. Aubrey was in true Nazi mode and was not to be fucked with. While we were rehearsing, Chloe's nodes decided to act up and she couldn't hit the high notes which prompted Aubrey to fuss at her. Aubrey needed a chill pill or a good fuck. Maybe if we all pooled our money we could buy her one, cos I don't think anyone has tapped that iceberg yet.

Amy was huffing and puffing when she admitted that cardio might actually benefit her. Oh how Aubrey loved that titbit of information if the smug look on her face was anything to go by.

"What Aubrey?" She wheezed as she bent over in half. "Who has time to do cardio? I'm currently training to be able to blow dry AND straighten my own hair without having to take a break for a snack half way through."

It was a struggle to hold in my glee at the look of bewilderment on Her Majesty's face as she looked to Chloe, before shaking her head a couple of times and speaking.

"Ok ladies, that was much better but we have a long way to go before Regionals. Chloe, you have be able to hit that last note."

"I can't. It's impossible… because of my nodes." Chloe said, looking downcast and I felt a bit sorry for her actually. It seemed like the Army General didn't give a shit about her supposedly best friend even if she did pat her on the shoulder as she breezed past her.

"Well, if you can't then someone else needs to take your solo."

Lilly was standing next to me and whispered, "I think you should take Chloe's solo."

"Thanks Lilly, but the aca-Nazi won't ever let that happen." I hissed back.

Lilly turned and gave Aubrey a weird look and started mumbling a strange chant of sorts whilst fiddling with some random totem wrapped around her wrist. I moved away and went and stood behind Amy. She's bigger than me and if shit was about to start flying around the room, I wasn't about to take the brunt.

"I think Beca should take my solo." Chloe chimed in.

"Hell yeah!" Amy yelled. "Beca could nail that shit and those Trebles. Although I don't want her to be singing 1D when she does. Anyone else think it's funny that there's a band called One Direction? 'Cuz that's also the name I give my arsehole."

Did I just hear that right? Did the crazy Aussie just say what I thought she said? Probably not as Frau Blonde is still talking and ignoring what Amy had said.

"No Amy, I don't think Beca would solo."

Why are they talking about me like I'm not here. I'm right fucking here. Oh wait, I'm behind the rainbow tee shirt wearing Aussie and I'm obviously kinda hard to miss in this bright blue hoodie and what the fuck is Lilly drinking now? The brown glass bottle she's drinking from looks like one of those old timey poison bottles. You know the ones with the skull and cross bones on it? She catches me looking at her and for a minute, I'm afraid but she winks and rolls her eyes in Aubrey's direction. Is she sending poisonous thoughts her way? Gotta love that girl. "Oh, I'll solo. On one condition."

"Really? And what's your condition?" Aubrey asked as she pursed her lips, tucking a stray curl behind her ear.

"We pick a new song. I get to do the arrangement and Stacie gets to do the choreography."

The girls started to look around, a glimmer of hope in their eyes, not knowing what Aubrey was going to do. I challenged her. No one ever had the guts to do that before.

"That's not how we do things here." Aubrey finally said.

"Aubrey, maybe Beca's right. Maybe we should try something new. You might get more excitement and enthusiasm from everyone if we performed current songs." Chloe said, gently.

"Aca-cuse me?" Aubrey squawked several octaves higher than was necessary in my opinion. "We're singing 'Turn The Beat Around' and that's the last I want to hear of this."

"That song is tired and old. We won't win with it." I tried to explain. "If we pulled samples from different genres -"

"Let me dumb this down so you'll understand. Our goal is to get to the finals and these songs will get us there. So excuse me if I don't want to take advice from some alt girl with her mad lib beats when she's never been in a competition. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal. I won't solo." I say out loud but internally I'm slamming the lid of the piano down on Aubrey's head. And getting Amy to jump on it too.

"Fine. Fat Amy?"

"Yes sir…" Amy snapped to attention and I wish she hadn't been quite so enthusiastic, I really didn't want to have to put her on my shit list.

"You'll solo."

"Solo yolo!" Amy grinned and I removed her from my Christmas Card list. Not that I had an actual list as I've never sent a Christmas card in my life but if I did, she'd now be off it.

Amy was so excited. We all congratulated her and rehearsal went on after Aubrey had gotten Amy to sign some weird disclaimer thing on a clipboard that she said she was going to laminate. God, she needed to get out more. I was definitely sending out a group text, minus Aubrey, to ask if everyone else was onboard with buying Aubrey a good lay. I'm sure there had to be some poor sap who wouldn't mind Aubrey emasculating him.

o~O~o

Regionals

o~O~o

Saturday morning, after a two hour rehearsal, we had to drive to Carolina University in Chapel Hill. This did not happen without incident. The bus we rented got a flat and we had to wait for a tow truck and another bus. After unloading all our stuff from the bus with the flat to the new bus, we had no time for dilly dallying. Amy got us there just in the nick of time because she's quite fierce on the roads and has no issue taking a corner on two wheels. She made Aubrey squeal in fear so Amy's back in my good graces again.

Fearful for her life and safety, Aubrey nearly chucked into the buses' stairwell until Stacie reminded her that there was an $80 fine for littering on the bus so she dry heaved into Lilly's paper hat that she had insisted on bringing with her and wouldn't even try to explain why. I think Lilly is fucking awesome. Plus she can finish a sudoku puzzle in under a minute. Who does that shit? And have you seen the way she can flip an ink pen around her fingers? I'm telling you; she probably learned her shit at Junior Ninja Camp or something... it's always the quiet ones you gotta watch. That's why you're safe around Fat Amy.

The Sockapellas were just about to start performing and we were up next. Of course, Aubrey couldn't resist the urge to make fun of the group with the sock puppets on their hands. While I admit, it is a little weird, they're different and I bet they didn't sing the same set every competition. They do remind me slightly of some weird cat toy I saw some chick play with on the David Letterman show.

Once again, we fucked up Aubrey's little "all hands in" bullshit nonsense. We might actually have a chance of getting it right if she did less barking and more talking. I will not admit to anyone else that I don't do it right on purpose because that's how the fuck I roll, bitches!

I was super excited for Amy. Today was the day she got to perform her solo and I had a feeling she wasn't going to perform it like she had in rehearsal. Amy's a daredevil, she pushes the envelope and she doesn't give a shit about Aubrey or her rules. This is the chick that eats an entire pizza while the rest of us do cardio. Of course, running in a circle up and down the bleachers isn't the only cardio I get in. Jesse definitely puts me through the paces. Aubrey said to do cardio, she didn't say what kind of cardio, though she did say I couldn't get Trebleboned but what she doesn't know won't hurt her. And she really didn't need to know that I wear Jesse's Treblemakers t-shirt to bed either.

We walked on stage and I looked out into the crowd. I was searching for Jesse, if I could just get a quick glance at him perhaps I could swallow my nerves and get through this boring ass set. Found him! He gave me a quick wink and I felt the butterflies fluttering around in my tummy.

Aubrey blew the pitch pipe and part of me wanted her to choke on it so we could sing something else. This set is the most sleepy thing I've ever had to endure and it wasn't bad enough that we were dressed like 1970's flight attendants but our choreography could land planes as well. I swear, if I make it through this year in one piece my dad is going to do more than pay for my move to Los Angeles, I'm going to make him buy me a new car as well. After all, he wouldn't want me getting stranded on the streets of LA in my little worn out Prius. That thing has seen better days, but it still got me from point A to point B so I guess I shouldn't complain.

Holy Shit! What in the world is Stacie doing? She's fondling her boobs and pulling choreography out of her ass. This chick is going to make Aubrey blow her load. Don't watch her Beca... just mind your own damn business and get this shit over with.

Yes! Time for Amy's solo! Oh Man! Amy is blowing it out of the park. Sista's got pipes!

Oh. My. Word.

No. She. Didn't!

Oh. Yes. She. Did.

She told me what she was going to do and I warned her not to but she did it anyway. Amy just stripped her jacket off and threw it. This is great! Then I looked over at Aubrey... who looks like a human coat rack. Amy landed her jacket right on Aubrey's head. What a shot?! This is not going to go over well. Oh shit! Now she just ripped her shirt open. Holy fuck balls. This is fucking awesome. I love Amy! And praise Jesus the girl wore a cami under her uniform. When she told me her what her plan was, she said she would only be sporting pasties with tassels.

We made our way off stage and right past the Trebles. Jesse just couldn't wait to mock us but he did it as sweetly as he could. He made that heart with his hands better than I did. Problem was Aubrey was right behind me and I'm positive she saw his shenanigans. Which reminds me, I need to send that text to the girls about buying Aubrey a lay. Her birthday is coming up so a good screw would be the best present we could ever get her.

Oh my! The Trebles are on stage and all I want to do is grab Jesse by his hoodie, march him out to the Treble bus and give him a reason to sing. I'm weak in the damn knees and he hasn't even sung a note yet.

Why does he have to be SO fucking hot? Oh God! He's just started singing and I need to sit. My panties are wet and my knees are going to buckle. Maybe sitting isn't such a good idea... don't want to be in a puddle. Shit, I'm going to be in a puddle either way. Whether sitting in it or standing in it, it's a puddle just the same. He can put his boots under my bed any day! Oh wait… he already does!

Oh my goodness! He's singing right to me! I'm a puddle of goo. My panties just caught fire. I'm a goner and so is he when we get back to school. Lord, can I wait that long? Wonder if anyone will notice if we both sneak off? Maybe if I offer to pay for Amy's pizza for the next month she'll create a distraction. The girl can put away some pizza so I'll have to hit my dad up for some extra cash but it'll all be worth it in the end.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. Shit! If Aubrey found out I had my phone on me I'd get beamed to death with the lasers she shoots out of her eyes. It's really creepy. I checked my phone really quickly while Aubrey collected our score sheets from the judges.

"Watched the competition on TV. You looked great but man, the performance really lacked enthusiasm. I think you need to kick that Aubrey chick in the ass. Show her what real music could do for y'alls performances. Show her how it's done Bec. I'm proud of you. Let me know when you get back to campus. I love you!"

"Thanks Dad. Love you too!" Wow! Maybe my dad had been listening when I told him I wanted to produce music and maybe there was truly hope for LA after all. I smiled as I put my phone back in my pocket and I have to admit, I'm quite impressed that my dad knows how to text.

So... we didn't win, the Trebles did but lesbihonest, we knew that going in. The fact that we somehow got second place is a miracle in and of itself. As we left the auditorium and entered the lobby, we became witness to the Trebles and the Tonehangers in a war of words. With that much testosterone in the room things were bound to get out of hand soon. These boys are ridiculous. Bumper has a big fucking mouth and it's writing checks his ass can't cash.

"If I get in the middle of that mess there's going to be dork parts caught in the storm drains of Chapel Hill for months." Amy announced.

Bumper just won't back down. His head is so far up his own ass that he's wearing his asshole for a fucking necklace. What in the world goes through Amy's head as she's tapping that? NO! Nevermind, I don't want to know that. There was one time they ended up in the ER after they'd... actually, well, that's a whole other story. Oh, and tell no one that those two are boinking, I don't want to be responsible for Bumper thrusting his uglies on some other poor soul as Amy seems quite content with him and would be quite upset if Aubrey made them break up.

"Look, you stay here… I'll go check on them." I told Amy.

"But I've wrestled crocodiles and dingos simultaneously."

"Ok, I got it. Stay here, I'll be right back."

"Fuck that Beca. You're not going to have all the fun."

I should have known Amy wouldn't listen. I gave her the glare for all the good that did. I wasn't off the steps when I heard, "The kraken has been unleashed." she said as she followed me, almost knocking me flat on my ass to get to the action. "Feel the Fat Amy force!"

"Fuck! This isn't going to be pretty."

As I approached, Lester the Molester, I don't know his real name but he looks like a pedophile so Lester it is, was trying to get Jesse to hit him. I'll show that fucker what's what. "Hey!" I yelled and as he turned around I reared back and punched the everlovin' shit out of that mother fucker and regretted it immediately.

"Oh my God Beca!"

"Oh my God. Oh my God. That was the stupidest thing I've ever done. FUCK! That hurt!"

Amy grabbed the trophy from Jesse. He was freaked out and immediately at my side trying to look at my hand. I brushed him off to get to Amy but the heffer held the damn trophy over her head knowing I couldn't get to it.

"Feel the fat power!"

"Amy!" I screamed as I tried to jump up and get my hand on the trophy. "Sweet baby Jesus! The beast has been unleashed."

And as if that wasn't bad enough, Lester started yelling, "Fat Amy kick me in the balls! Kick me in the balls!"

Soo… Amy obliged. She kicked him right square in the junk. As he was trying to get up I was still fighting Amy for the trophy. She "needed a sharp weapon" and needed to "put it up his ass". Oh fuck no, no one needs to witness that! Hell to the no! Meanwhile, Lester is now on hands and knees screaming "Cherry on top!" The man really needed a CAT scan. I'm not sure there's anything between his ears. The only purpose his ears serve is to keep his skin from puddling around his ankles.

As Amy and I were fighting for the trophy, it broke. I had a small piece in my hand but the piece Amy had clamped in her fingers flew through directly into a floor to ceiling pane of glass. When it did, Amy took off running. And shit, that girl can move when she wants to! The only time I've seen her move like that was when there was a sale on at the cake shop on campus! Geez! But she did bring me a back an eclair and a muffin so I do love her to bits for that. Leave it to Amy to decide to vertical run at a time like this. Bitch left me standing there to take one for the team.

So there I was getting arrested for destruction of property. There were tons of witnesses that told the cop that it wasn't me but I was holding the evidence, so I got to wear a pair of shiny silver bracelets and take a ride downtown. I'm a badass... or so I want everyone to think, but I've never been arrested before and I damn sure don't want to become Big Bad Bertha's bitch tonight. I just wanted to go back to school, have sex and call it a night. It was not my night.

When I was released from my brief stint in the pen, Jesse was waiting, all smiles and dimples for me. "Hey Hillary Swank from Million Dollar Baby."

"You just have to say 'Million Dollar Baby', you don't have to reference a specific actress."

"Damn! Prison changed you." he said with a chuckle.

"Thanks for bailing me out."

"Well, I didn't."

Jesse motioned across the parking lot... and there stood my dad with an angry glare and a look on his face that smelled of disappointment. "You called my dad?!"

"Babe, they put you in handcuffs. It looked pretty serious -"

"That doesn't mean you call my dad." I growled. "And don't call me 'babe'."

"Why are you yelling at me? I'm the only one here."

"I didn't ask you to be."

Jesse's face was expressionless. "I was only trying to help."

"I don't want your help! You're not my boyfriend!" I regretted the words the minute they fell out of my mouth. Damn it! Why did I say that? I mean, I'm not into labels, so what was he to me?

Jesse slumped. "Got it."

"Dad, it's not a big deal -" I said, turning back to my father who was watching Jesse and I with a very strange expression on his face.

"Yeah, it is a big deal Rebeca. I get a call in the middle of the night telling me my only daughter got arrested for destruction of property. And to make matters worse, I had to call your mom!"

"You called Mom?!"

"Did you think I was going to keep this from her?"

"But you didn't have to call Mom!" I said, half whining because I so did not need her input right now. "It's all a misunderstanding. I was protecting my friends! Putting myself out there! 'Making memories'."

"Don't throw my words in my face young lady! If you think I'm paying for you to move to LA after you pulled a stunt like this? I'm not. Get in the car."

"Don't you want to listen to what I have to say about this?"

"Not tonight, just get in."

My dad really needed to remember that one of these days, I was going to be the one that chose the nursing home he got put in and if he wanted to go into a nice one he'd better check himself.

The car ride back to school was long and miserable. My dad wouldn't hear my side of the story. All he would say was that I had better be at dinner Sunday night and there was no if's and's but's or maybe's about it. The only bonus was that Sheila wasn't going to be there because she was playing Bunco. Maybe I could get him to listen to reason then.

When we got to school, my dad thanked Jesse for calling him then asked him that he make sure I got back to my dorm safely and encouraged him to follow me at a safe distance. I stormed off. The two most important men in my life were acting like idiots. In their defense, I was being quite the petulant bitch. In truth, I was angry with myself for yelling at Jesse. My mom was blowing up my phone so I finally just turned the damn thing off. My dad talked to her on the way back so she knew what was going on, nothing I could say would change the fact that she was going to tear me up one side and down the other.

When we got to my dorm I heard Jesse mumble, "I'm really sorry Beca. I had hoped tonight would have ended differently."

I turned and gave him one last look, "Yeah, so did I." and with that he started walking toward his dorm. "Night."

"Night." He said softly.

"The fire was out

But then the phone rang

And all of the heat came back again

As much as I try

Your hard to resist

And all it takes is just one kiss

And I'm finally in your hands

I'm under your spell

You sent me spinning"

A/N: The next chapter will be posted later today or tomorrow. Looking forward to your feedback. Thanks for reading!