Bechloe - Still In The Dark

Chapter III

The next day couldn't come sooner for Beca. She had a rough night and all she wanted to do was see her friends again and get back into the swing of things.

"So, listen, my cousin is having a birthday party this weekend and since she doesn't have many friends I said that I'd ask you guys if you wanted to come along?" CR suggested.

Beca and her friends were sat at the cafeteria eating their lunch and Beca was yet again in a daze about the jocund redhead, whom of which she would see the next period for English but was also watching from afar. Chloe was eating her lunch with her fellow teachers with Aubrey in front of her and Tom on her right.

"Your cousin? Which one?" Jesse asked.

"Katie. You've met her a few times."

"Oh, yeah! I remember her! She started high school this year didn't she?"

"Yeah, she's having trouble making friends and you know she's a bit shy so I thought we could help her get her confidence so by next week she can start making new friends."

"That's nice. I like it." Stacie nodded.

"So is that a yes? Can you all come?" CR checked.

"I'm free."

"Me, too."

"Where are we going? What are we doing?" Fat Amy probed.

"Well, Katie likes the outdoors so I figured that we'd go camping. There's a nice lake a few hours from here so we could all go there."

"I haven't been camping in ages!" Fat Amy smiled. "I'm down for it."

"Me, too."

"Beca?" CR looked at the brunette who was spaced out again. "Beca!"

"Huh?"

"Camping this weekend? You down?"

"Ah, yeah, sure."

"Nice! I'll make some plans and tell Katie. She'll be so happy!" CR had a massive grin on her face and it made her friends smile. It was always good for the group to see one of their friends happy.

Beca was taking her time eating her lunch as she continued to watch Chloe talk with her colleagues. She smiled and laughed, all of which drove Beca crazy. There was something about the redhead's smile and laugh that made Beca get butterflies in her stomach and she even caught herself smiling several times because of it.

To say that Beca was confused would be an understatement. She wasn't confused about her sexuality, but she was confused about the fact that this woman, this stranger who she met the day before who happened to be her teacher, made her feel such warmth inside her. Beca had a badass exterior with her dark eyeliner, jeans, boots, a t-shirt and, a flannel shirt. She looked tough but not enough to compromise her femininity. She didn't look like the classic 'butch' lesbian - she was more a tomboy than anything else and still liked her makeup, her skirts, and other stereotypical 'girly' stuff - except for boys that is.

Beca was watching Chloe carefully as well as Tom, who was smiling, laughing, and even gazing at the redhead. Nothing Tom did escaped Beca's eye. She knew the Gym teacher had something for the English teacher - everyone knew it. It was only the second day and students had already begun to spread rumours that they were dating. Beca ignored them of course but sometimes she couldn't help feeling like they may be true. The brunette did notice that Tom was being overly friendly with Chloe and Chloe didn't seem to shut him down.

Beca didn't know if the redhead was blind to the fact that Tom liked her, or she was playing along and humouring him, or worse, that Chloe felt the same way. The English teacher had been playing on Beca's mind since yesterday and Beca was beginning to get annoyed. Yes, Miss Beale was a very attractive young woman who was fresh out of University, meaning that she would be going on twenty-three that year. Beca was only seventeen and would be turning eighteen in August. That would mean five years stood between them.