Chapter Text
The morning of the competition arrived far too quickly.
Aubrey barely felt like she had closed her eyes before her alarm went off.
For a few seconds, she remained still.
Staring at the ceiling.
Trying to remember where she was.
And then everything came rushing back.
The competition.
The hotel.
The nerves.
The rival groups.
And the warm hand resting beside hers on the sheets.
Aubrey turned her head slightly.
Beca was still asleep.
Her hair was a mess.
And her expression was surprisingly peaceful.
It was enough to bring a small smile to Aubrey's face.
One that lasted exactly three seconds.
Because the moment Beca cracked open an eye, she spoke.
"If you're watching me sleep, I need you to know that's weird."
Aubrey rolled her eyes.
"Good morning to you too."
"Morning."
Beca smiled.
A few minutes later, they both got ready to meet up with the rest of the Bellas.
When they finally stepped out of the room, the hallway was already packed with competitors.
Some were heading for the elevators.
Others were rushing around while reviewing songs.
And several groups were already making their way toward the buses that would take them to the venue.
Aubrey and Beca walked side by side.
Still half asleep.
And without really thinking about it.
Their fingers intertwined.
A completely natural gesture.
Familiar.
So routine that neither of them paid it any attention.
But someone else did.
At the far end of the hallway.
One of the members of a rival group watched the scene unfold.
And discreetly raised his phone.
One photograph.
Just one.
Quickly taken before he slipped the device away.
An unpleasant smile crossed his face.
And disappeared before anyone noticed.
---
The Bellas arrived at the venue shortly afterward.
The atmosphere was completely different from the hotel.
There were technicians.
Judges.
Sound crews.
Competitors warming up their voices.
And hundreds of people moving in every direction.
For the first few hours, everything seemed normal.
Until the looks began.
The whispers.
The conversations that suddenly stopped whenever one of the Bellas approached.
And little by little, the atmosphere started to feel strange.
"Is it just me, or are people acting weird?"
Chloe asked.
"It's not just you," Stacie replied.
"They've been staring over here all morning."
Amy looked around.
"Oh.
That never means anything good."
Beca frowned.
Something felt off.
And then she saw one of the guys from the rival group showing his phone to another competitor.
Both of them immediately looked toward the Bellas.
And smiled.
A smile that made her stomach twist.
"Oh, no," she muttered.
Aubrey heard her.
"What is it?"
Beca didn't answer right away.
Because she had just realized exactly what was happening.
---
They didn't have to wait long for confirmation.
Half an hour later.
An event staff member approached them.
"The Bellas?" he asked.
Everyone looked up.
"Yes?" Chloe answered.
"We need two of you to come with us for a moment."
Aubrey felt her heart stop.
Beca was on her feet immediately.
"What for?"
The staff member looked confused.
"We just need to discuss a complaint that was filed this morning."
And in that instant.
The entire group fell silent.
Because they already knew exactly who had filed it.
The silence became almost unbearable.
Aubrey felt a knot forming in her stomach.
Not because she thought she had done anything wrong.
But because the situation reminded her too much of other times in her life.
Other moments when she felt every eye was on her.
And she hated that feeling.
"Let's go," she finally said.
Beca turned toward her.
"Aubrey—"
"I want to know what's going on."
The blonde tried to sound calm.
But Beca knew her far too well.
And she could hear the tension hidden behind every word.
Without saying anything else, the two followed the staff member.
While the rest of the Bellas watched from behind.
Amy was the first to break the silence.
"If this is about the time I took four muffins from breakfast, I still maintain that they were technically free."
"Amy."
"What?
It could be relevant."
---
The walk to the office was short.
Too short.
Aubrey barely had time to prepare herself.
When they arrived, they found a woman sitting behind a desk.
Several folders.
A computer.
And an expression that looked more tired than angry.
"Thank you for coming," she said.
"Please, have a seat."
Beca remained standing.
The woman noticed.
But decided to ignore it.
"This morning, we received a complaint from another competing group."
Aubrey felt her heart begin to race.
"What kind of complaint?" she asked.
The organizer opened a folder.
Looked at a sheet of paper.
Then seemed to suppress a sigh.
"According to the report, two members of your group are involved in a romantic relationship."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Beca blinked once.
Then again.
And finally spoke.
"That's it?"
The woman looked up.
"Yes."
"You brought us here for that?"
"Believe me," she replied.
"I asked the exact same question."
For the first time, Aubrey looked genuinely confused.
The organizer closed the folder.
"Listen.
I don't know what the people who submitted this complaint expected to accomplish.
But the personal lives of the competitors have absolutely nothing to do with this competition.
The only thing we evaluate here is musical performance.
Nothing else."
Beca crossed her arms.
Still annoyed.
"So there's no problem."
"None."
"No investigation?"
"No."
"No warning?"
"No."
"No—"
"Beca," Aubrey murmured.
The brunette reluctantly closed her mouth.
The organizer smiled faintly.
"You can return to your group.
And if anyone continues bothering you about this, let me know.
Because the problem wouldn't be you.
It would be them."
---
When they stepped out of the office.
Aubrey stopped in the middle of the hallway.
As though she'd only just realized she'd been holding her breath for several minutes.
Beca immediately moved closer.
"You okay?"
Aubrey let out a small laugh.
A mixture of relief and exhaustion.
"Yeah.
I think so."
"Told you they couldn't do anything."
"I know."
"Although I still want to punch somebody."
"Beca."
"Just a little."
Aubrey shook her head.
But she smiled.
And that smile made part of Beca's anger fade away.
---
When they returned to the Bellas.
Everyone jumped to their feet.
"What happened?" Chloe asked.
"Are we being arrested?" Amy asked.
"Why is that always your first conclusion?"
"Because I have imagination."
Beca dropped into a chair.
"It was a ridiculous complaint.
That's all."
Chloe understood immediately.
And her expression hardened.
"Was it them?"
Aubrey nodded.
For a few seconds, nobody said anything.
Because it wasn't just a joke anymore.
Or a nasty comment.
They had tried to use something personal against them.
And that was different.
Very different.
"Well," Amy finally said.
"Then we have a solution."
"Amy," Chloe warned.
"No, hear me out."
Amy pointed toward the main stage.
"We're going to go out there.
We're going to sing better than every single one of them.
And then I'm going to enjoy watching their faces."
For the first time all morning.
The Bellas smiled.
Because she was right.
And because the best possible response was only a few hours away.
On stage.
In front of everyone.
And this time.
Aubrey didn't feel ashamed.
She didn't feel afraid.
Only a quiet determination.
Because their rivals had tried to drag her back into the past.
And had just reminded her exactly how much she had changed.