Meet Me at Stagedoor

Chapter 10

He was trying to kill her. There was no other explanation. His stupid face and his stupid smirk and stupid Him was about to drive her insane.

Why was he always just there? When she went to grab a snack at the mess hall, there he was, feet kicked up on the benches. Tapping his fingers to the song blasting from the speakers and talking animatedly to the handful of other students, Jesse winked at her before returning to his conversation.

She hated him.

She wanted to throw him and his smirk off the dock.

Later, when she tried to get some alone time in one of the practices rooms, he was there with his laptop, a movie projecting onto the screen. Popcorn in hand, he hugged a pillow to his chest as the movie continued. The only lights that illuminated his face were from the screen that his eyes seemed glued to.

For these last few times Beca had just taken a deep breath, turning around and heading the direction she had come. She did not need to see his smug expression any more than she had to.

It was the third time that made her seriously contemplate strangling him. It was a real option, maybe the only option. Beca had tried to sneak away towards the kayaks, hoping that maybe she could find some peace and quiet. She wanted to work on some new mixes but with all the noise from the cabins, she had to find somewhere else to work, preferably somewhere where no one would bother her.

He was there. Of fucking course. Why did she ever expect life to be easy?

"Stalker," she huffed, curling the cords of her headphones around her fingers and stomping off towards her cabin.

.....

"Chloe," Beca swung open the cabin door, hurdling herself onto her bed face first, "Make him leave me alone."

Chloe swung her feet around, sitting up on the side of the bed. Wordlessly she already knew who the infamous "He" was. Popping a handful of blueberries into her mouth, and consequently handing a couple to Beca, she said, "Just pretend he doesn't exist. Give him the famous Mitchell stare. Not even Jesse could hold his own for more than a few seconds."

Chloe earned a grin from Beca who propped a pillow behind her head, doing her own version of parkour to reach for more blueberries without having to actually sit up.

"Don't be so sure, Chlo. He is more immune than you think."

In response, Chloe only let out a sigh. "You know, Beca," she began, "You really only have two options. You can stick it out the rest of the summer but know that it involves lots of unnecessary glares and more yelling than I think my ears can handle."

Beca cut her off, "Can't you see that's what I'm doing now? How do you think it's working out for me?"

Chloe jumped off her own bed and onto Beca's, stealing Beca's other pillow as her own. "You didn't let me finish," Chloe rolled her eyes, "Or...you could just kiss him and finally become a couple, which has been inevitable since you two were kids."

Before she could even finish her sentence, Beca had pushed her off the bed, making Chloe land on a pile of Beca's laundry. It didn't hurt. Beca doesn't like to do laundry.

"Have you been living under a rock," Beca laughed right then and there, "What tension are you seeing? Kiss him? Really? Can't I just stick to my avoidance method. It hasn't failed me too much as of now."

Chloe propped herself up on the side of her bed, her legs outstretched in front of her. "Oh please, Beca. Ever since that campfire the two of you have been acting weirder than usual, and that's saying a lot. Just get it over with and do it quickly. I don't think I can stand another one of your staring contests during breakfast. I just want to eat my cereal in peace!"

Beca had already pulled her headphones over her ears, making a point to increase the volume so much that Chloe could hear the music. Chloe was used to it, and she was determined to get through to Beca. Over the last few days it felt like World War III between the two of them. Of course she would have to side with Beca, but she would much rather have a summer of relaxing on the beach and sleeping in the hammocks than what would eventually happen if the two of them didn't resolve their issues.

"You know you don't have to permanently damage your hearing just to prove a point," Chloe huffed, pushing herself onto her own bed and pulling Beca's headphones off her head. There was a slight chance that Beca would seriously injure her for that, but Chloe was willing to take the chance. "When it comes to you and Jesse, you both act like kindergarteners who think the other has cooties."

Chloe knew that when Beca closed off there was no point in talking to her. It would be more efficient to talk to a brick wall. "You could cut the tension between the two of you with a knife it is so thick," Chloe said one more time before she turned over on her bed, returning to scrolling through the latest Instagram posts.

.....

They had made it a point to sit as far from one another as possible. Whatever tingly feeling Beca had around Jesse would be gone if she just made sure to stay away from him...right? Anyways, she squinted to see the clock. It was almost time for class to start and she was watching ever last tick and tock because she could feel a certain someone's eyes trailed on her. He was truly a stalker.

She should keep a lookout for him on Dateline. That may be his future if he continues staring at her.

He liked to make her uncomfortable. You might even call it a hobby. She tapped her pen on the side of her notebook, staring at the clock far longer than any other normal person. She must've thought he didn't see her glance over at him every couple of seconds, but he was well aware.

He smiled.

"Duets. They are a blessing and a curse for many and today, class, you have to prove to me that you actually have some collaborative skills. You can't be the best unless there is someone else to step on, but before you do, make sure you learn from them." Miss Keener's voice commanded the attention of all of the students. As if a wave ripped over the entire class, everyone became silent. In his opinion you could hear a pin drop a mile or two away.

Jesse was now in the process of throwing crumpled up pieces of paper at her back. She could feel the heat rising in her face, as her brows furrowed and her hands turned to fists. She was trying to pay attention...for once...and he was not making it too easy.

"Miss Mitchell and Mr. Swanson, stop trying to disrupt the rest of the class. Unlike other people, you two have never been known to be good at duets. I've looked at past programs and performances and you two are always solo performances, opting for the spotlight set for one rather than for the rest of the ensemble," Miss Keener paced the floor, pausing every few seconds to stare the next victim directly in the face.

She pointed her manicured finger at one of the kids in the second row. "Well, c'mon then," she motioned for the student to start talking, "Don't make me say it twice."

Beca scowled, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Hey, partner," Jesse said, throwing her a juice pouch, "Ready to get to work?"