XXIV

                                    

                                          
Two days until classes started. Three days until the Bella's got together for the first time. Four days until the first Bella's party. Five days until the Bella's held auditions. Two days until Chloe had to face the facts. Aubrey moved away to work. The Bella's were moving into a new house. She and Beca would probably never be together again. Even worse, she and Beca may never be friends in the same way again. Everyone was moved into the house, but Beca. The girls questioned Chloe at first about her and Beca, but Chloe had put an abrupt and a little too harsh stop to the gossip. The girls tried to secretly take bets on why they split up, none of them touching the real reason, but Chloe shot one deadly glare at the whispering girls and that was over.  A soft knock at the door brought Chloe from her thoughts. Beca wouldn't have knocked, so Chloe figured it was safe to answer. Evidently she was wrong; her mom was waiting at the door. Chloe couldn't really believe it. She had seen her mom two weeks ago; it was usually a couple months before her mom missed her and she asked Chloe visited her instead of the other way around.  Chloe was further surprised with the tears trailing softly down the tight lines of her mom's face. 
                          
            "Chloe," Her mom's voice cracked a little bit, Chloe was mortified. She had never seen her mom like this. Her mom was tough; a parent that always grounded her and was always the disciplinarian. 
                          
            "Er... Mom, do you want to come in?" Chloe stuttered, but her mom quickly refused.
                          
            "I won't be here long," her mom quickly wiped away the tears. "I just... I just wanted you to know Chloe, Arthur and I talked." Chloe sucked in air. Here it comes. Chloe thought. She's telling me, she won't see me again until I'm with a guy. "Chloe, you're my first little girl. You're my little cinnamon bun," the softness of Chloe's mom's tone surprised Chloe. "And gosh cinnamon bun, I don't want to do holidays with out you." Mrs. Harper paused, "So, I don't care who you're with," she sounded a little unsure, "but I want you home at Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and New Years." Her om turned, but Chloe grabbed her arm and pulled her mom into her embrace. 
                          
            "Thank you Mommy." Chloe whispered, feeling like a child again, in her mom's arms, her eyes watering. Chloe could feel the sobs starting to echo throughout her mom's body, before her mom pulled away. 
                          
            "I love you two Cinnamon." Chloe's mom said frankly, in her normal tone, before turning to leave. So maybe some things would work out. 
                          
            Beca spent her sweet time moving in. She wanted to be on campus as little time as possible before creating a jam packed schedule in order to avoid the one thing- well person- that was always on her mind. Though the moment she plopped all her things down on her bed, in her shared room with Fat Amy, she knew she had to talk to Chloe. On her flight back, she had more or less realized she needed Chloe in her life. They had to be friends. Beca wished it could be more, but each time she thought of being with Chloe in any more than a friend capacity all she could think of was Chloe with another girl. A sense of betrayal overcame her, and Beca felt like crying. Beca hated crying. Slowly, she got up, her body doing motions, without her brain instructing it. Lightly, she tapped on Chloe's voice. 
                          
            "Beca?" Chloe opened the door hesitantly. God those eyes are unfair! Beca thought, already hypnotized. 
                          
            "Um, yeah, Chlo can we talk?" Beca fidgeted in the doorway. Chloe nodded, motioning for Beca to enter her empty room. Chloe was the only Bella who got a single. 
                          
            "Look Beca-" Chloe started, but Beca cut her off. 
                          
            "Chloe, I need to say stuff, and I need you to listen because if I stop I won't start again," Beca tried to push all her emotions away. Chloe nodded, but Beca didn't start. Beca fiddled with her fingers, looking down, for a couple minutes before starting to speak. "I need you in my life Chloe, but I cant... I can't be with you." Beca finally summoned the courage to reach Chloe's gaze: bad idea. Chloe's vivid blue eyes were glazed over with tears, which only caused Beca to be engulfed further in emotions she hated. "I really would like us to be friends, but I get it if you're not okay with that." Beca finished her short spiel and shot out of Chloe's room, not waiting for a response. She rushed into her own room and buried her head in her pillow, praying that Amy wouldn't comment on the light sobbing sound that was radiating from Beca's bed.