Chapter 17

"Beca?"

The small brunette slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She was buried under her covers in the Beales house and, judging by the rays of sunlight shining through her window, late for school.

"Damn it!" Beca cursed and jumped out of her bed. She grabbed a few pieces of clothing and quickly opened her door, nearly running over the redhead that stood in front of the door, ready to knock again.

"Woah!" Beca exclaimed as she barely managed to stop before she slammed into Chloe. "Dude! I nearly ran you over! What are you doing here?"

Chloe rolled her eyes and grinned. "Good morning to you too. And to answer your question, I was going to wake you up. I don't want you to get in trouble for being late to school."

"Oh. Um, thanks. I'll just..." She motioned for the bathroom door and carefully slid her body past Chloe's.

The redhead grinned. "I'll wait downstairs and make you a toast. Strawberry jam, right?" She turned around and started walking down the stairs while Beca looked after her with a baffled expression on her face.

"You really don't have to..." She mumbled but Chloe was already in the kitchen and couldn't hear her.

Beca blinked a few times but then decided to think about Chloe's behavior some other time. She needed to get ready for school.

The girls rushed out of the house ten minutes later, Beca carefully chewing on a piece of toast Chloe had given her the moment she had descended the stairs. They weren't exactly late but there wasn't time to waste either so they started walking at a brisk pace.

Beca quickly ate her toast and then looked at Chloe. "Um, why don't you go ahead? I'll be right behind you."

Chloe turned her head to look at Beca. "Why? We always go together."

Beca sighed. "I know. But I don't want to bother you." She motioned to the pack of cigarettes that peeked out of the left pocket in her jacket.

"Oh. You want to smoke?"

Beca nodded.

"But you have never smoked on the way to school before."

Beca was starting to get annoyed. Yes, she didn't feel the need to smoke these last few days but today was not one of them. "No I didn't. But I need one now. And I don't want you to breathe it in. So please go without me. I'll catch up with you when I'm done."

Chloe furrowed her eyebrows. "Did something happen? You only smoke when you're feeling stressed, right?"

Beca rolled her eyes and took out a cigarette. "I'm going to smoke now. I warned you." She lit it with a lighter and started walking away from Chloe.

"Wait! Talk to me? Please Beca."

"Why?" Beca walked a little slower until Chloe reached her side.

"Because I want to know when something is going on with you. I want to help."

"You can't help me. You did a lot to make me feel welcome here and I'm grateful for that. But you don't have to do that anymore. I won't be here much longer."

Chloe stopped walking and gaped at the small brunette incredulously. "What? Beca? What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing. Lets hurry up, we don't want to be late." The small brunette said and increased her walking speed.

"No, come on Beca, what's going on? Do you want to leave?" Chloe asked, following Beca's quick pace.

"No. But it's not my choice. It never has been."

"What? Beca, what is going on? Did something happen with Marie yesterday?"

"This has nothing to do with you. Why are you so interested in my life?"

"Because I care about you!"

Beca stopped walking for a moment and looked at Chloe with confused eyes. "Why?"

Chloe groaned. "What do you mean why? We are friends. I care about my friends. And I don't want you to leave."

Beca slowly shook her head and started walking again, albeit a bit more slowly.

"Beca?" Chloe asked a few moments later when it didn't seem like the brunette would say anything to her statement.

"Hm?"

"Aren't you going to say anything about what I just said?"

"No. We have to hurry, we don't want to be late."

"Ugh, Beca! Can you please talk to me for once?!"

"Why? I don't see the point."

Beca continued walking until she heard a quiet sniffle behind her. She immediately stopped and turned her head to look at Chloe with wide eyes. "Dude! Are you crying?"

Chloe put her left arm in front of her face and continued walking. "No."

The small brunette sighed deeply. "Chloe come on. I didn't want to make you cry. But I don't know why you want to know so much about me. I'm a nobody. You shouldn't even be talking to me."

"See? That's what I don't understand. You have such a bad impression of yourself. Why? I get that your life hasn't been easy and I respect your decision of not talking about it but why are you looking down on yourself so much? Please tell me if I can help you. And I really don't want you to move to another house." Chloe had finally let her arm fall and Beca could see the other girl's watery eyes. No tears had fallen yet but if Beca evaluated the situation correctly, one wrong move on her part could make them fall.

"This really isn't the place for a conversation like that..." Beca muttered as she looked around them. They were standing on the sidewalk, about two blocks away from the school. There were a few students rushing past them and giving them questioning looks but since they were also late for school, nobody stopped to talk to them. But they knew who they were. Everybody knew Chloe Beale and the new girl.

Beca sighed deeply. "Okay. I'll tell you about yesterday. But not here."

Chloe's head snapped up and she looked at Beca with wide eyes. "Really?"

Beca rolled her eyes but nodded. "Yes. Now please stop crying."

"I wasn't."

"Right. Um, what about school?"

"Oh! Just a second, I'll text my mom. She will excuse us."

Beca lifted an eyebrow. "Really? Just like that?"

Chloe grinned. "The perks of being trustworthy and going to school regularly. She knows I wouldn't ask unless it was something important."

"This isn't important..." Beca mumbled and quickly got her phone out to send Jesse a quick message. She knew that he would start worrying if she didn't show up at school.

"It is." Chloe stressed and quickly typed on her phone. "Okay, mom will excuse us. Now, where do you want to go?"

Beca shrugged. "I don't really know where we could go."

"There is a nice park a few minutes from here. Want to go there?"

"Aren't there people that will ask us why we aren't at school? We don't really look old enough to be out of school."

Chloe shook her head. "No, don't worry. There aren't many people going to that park so early. Just a few joggers and people walking their dogs. I'm sure they'll mind their own business."

"If you say so."

Chloe nodded and started walking in the direction of the park, Beca following behind her uncertainly. She really wasn't sure if talking to Chloe would be a good idea. But she liked the other girl and it wasn't like she would be telling her all her secrets. Just what she had talked about with Marie yesterday.

They reached the park a few minutes later and Beca barely had time to look at her surroundings before Chloe sat down on a bench and motioned for Beca to join her. The brunette girl sat down next to her, hands grasping her jeans clad legs nervously.

"Beca?"

"Hm?"

"What happened with Marie yesterday?"

Beca sighed. "We went shopping for presents. But I think she just used that as an excuse to talk to me."

"Why? She could have talked to you on the phone, right? Or during dinner the other day?"

"I think she wanted to deliver the news in person and when you guys weren't around. I probably would have hung up on her if she had called me."

"Really? What did she tell you?"

"Well, she didn't really want to tell me anything. She just implied that there is a possibility that I won't be staying with you guys for much longer."

Chloe's eyes widened. "What? No! I mean, do you want to? Live with another family?"

Beca snorted. "Of course not. I kind of like you guys."

"Well, where is the problem then?"

"The problem is that it's not my choice. If the state says I have to live with another family, I'm going to be living with them. I'm a minor, they can do whatever they want."

"But... Marie wouldn't force you to live with someone if you don't want to do that, right?"

"She told me she's trying to keep me with you guys but it's not that simple. She can't make that decision alone either. There are other people who have a say in this. It doesn't really matter if Marie doesn't want me to live somewhere else."

"That's... I don't even know what to say. Do you know why? Or who? Or when?"

Beca shook her head. "No. I got angry at Marie and didn't really listen to anything she said. And I don't think she wanted to give me any details either. They've always done whatever the hell they wanted with me so why stop now? I'm used to this. Marie is just like everybody else."

"I don't believe that. Marie is a good person."

Beca eyes darkened a few shades as she looked at nothing. "Nobody is a good person. Everybody has their secrets and their dark sides."

Chloe really wanted to comfort Beca but she knew that touching her would be a mistake. It seemed like she wasn't really there with Chloe. She looked like she was stuck in her head, seeing things that weren't really here right now.

"Beca?"

Beca blinked a few times and turned to look at Chloe. "Yeah?"

"Let's call Marie and ask her."

"What? No!"

"Why not? Maybe she can give us some answers."

"No. She's angry with me."

Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Why? What did you do?"

"I yelled at her."

"And?"

"What?"

"Was there anything else you did?"

"Um, I didn't say good bye to her?"

Chloe couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Relax Beca, she isn't angry with you. Everybody yells every once in a while. Marie will understand."

"No Chloe, you don't get it. Marie isn't my friend. She is my social worker. She has power over me and if I offend her too badly, she can do whatever she likes to me. I was trying to avoid making her angry but I'm pretty sure I did it yesterday." Beca was fidgeting with her hands now, picking at her sleeves, folding and unfolding her hands and making random fists.

Chloe decided to try calming her down, despite her fears of making things worse. She figured the hands would be a good place to start so she put one of hers on Beca's. The brunette immediately stopped moving and her whole body became tense. The redhead decided to let it go for now and let go of Beca.

"I don't believe that Marie is angry at you. I'll call her and ask. Relax."

"I haven't relaxed in 8 years..." Beca mumbled but Chloe already had her phone on her ear and didn't hear the brunette's quiet words.

"Marie? Hey, it's Chloe. Listen, I've talked to Beca about your talk yesterday and she thinks you are angry at her."

"You're not? Great, that's what I was trying to tell her but she wouldn't listen to me. Do you want to talk to her? Great, just a second."

Chloe held her phone out for Beca who looked at her with wide eyes. "She wants to talk to you. And she isn't mad."

Beca carefully took the phone from Chloe and took a deep breath before she started talking. "Marie?"

"Hey Beca. Listen, about yesterday, I'm sorry. I didn't want to upset you and I can assure you, I'm not mad at you."

"But... I yelled at you."

Marie snorted. "Yes but you were upset. And I didn't get the opportunity to explain things to you. And I have to admit, I could have handled the whole situation a little smoother. I didn't even get my Christmas presents."

Beca couldn't help but grin at that. Not that Marie could see that, but Chloe certainly noticed.

"Um, okay. If you are sure. Can you maybe explain it to me now?"

"Are you sure you want to do this over the phone? I can meet you if you want. Wait, why aren't you in class?"

"Um..." Beca was starting to get nervous again. She had skipped school only once before and the consequences had been so dire, she had never dared to let it happen again. She even went when she was sick.

"I was talking to Chloe and she texted her mom to excuse us because she wanted to talk to me. I'm sorry, it will never happen again, and I'm going there right now, so I think I'll only miss one class, I'm so sorry, and we can talk some other time, I have to go now..."

"Beca!"

Beca jumped a little at Marie's shout. "What?"

"You don't have to go to school today. It's fine. Relax. Do you want to meet me for a cup of coffee or something? We can talk about things then."

"Um, aren't you busy?"

"Not right now, I'm just doing paperwork. I can continue with it later. So, coffee? And bring Chloe, will you?"

"Um..."

"Great! There is a coffee shop not far from your school, do you know it? I think it's on the way to the Beale's house so you should know it."

"Yeah, I know where it is..."

"Okay then! I'll see you two there in fifteen minutes?"

"I guess so..."

"See ya!" Marie said and hung up. Beca only looked at the phone in her hand confusedly until Chloe moved a little.

"So? She wasn't mad, right?"

Beca shook her head. "No. She wants to meet us for coffee."

Chloe lifted her eyebrows. "Now?"

Beca nodded. "Yep. She'll be there in fifteen minutes."

The redhead smiled. "Great. I could really use some warm coffee, it's really cold today."

"Um, yeah. We should go then I guess." Beca mumbled and stood up, pulled her jacket around herself tighter and started walking to the coffee shop with Chloe.

They arrived there a few minutes later and went inside to a nice table in the corner. Beca sat down with her back to the wall, having a good view of the door. Chloe sat down next to her and waved to the friendly looking waitress who was clearing a table at the other end of the room. The waitress nodded and pointed at the table, trying to say that she would be with them in a minute. At least that was what Chloe got from the unexpected game of pantomime and nodded to her with a wide smile.

Chloe turned to look at Beca who was looking out of the window with a far away expression on her face. "Do you already know what you want to get?"

Beca blinked twice and turned her head to look at Chloe. "Um, I'm fine. I don't need anything."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Getting coffee isn't about need. People don't drink coffee because they are thirsty, they drink it because it tastes good, energizes them and it's a good way to create a good setting for a talk. So what do you want to drink? If you get uncomfortable you can just take a sip from your drink and buy yourself a few more seconds to think." Chloe added with a small wink.

"Um, I guess a cup of coffee would be fine then."

"Great! Milk and sugar?"

Beca shook her head.

The redhead nodded and ordered for them when the waitress came to their table two minutes later.

"So."

Beca looked at the other girl questioningly. "So?"

"Is Marie going to tell you about this new family?"

Beca shrugged. "I don't know."

"Hm. Do you want me to leave you alone with her? I don't really want to intrude or something."

"No, it's fine. You would have annoyed me until I told you what she said anyway. You can stay if you want."

Chloe smiled brightly and thanked the waitress who had just brought their coffees. Beca pulled her cup in front of her and folded her hands around the warm cup. She sighed quietly. Her hands had really been cold.

She was just taking a sip out of her cup when the door opened and Marie stepped inside the shop and looked around until she found them. She walked over to them and smiled warmly. "Hey you two." Marie sat down across from Beca and got out of her jacket. The friendly waitress took her order and went into the kitchen, leaving them almost alone. There was only one other person in the cafe with them. A middle aged woman sitting at the counter and reading the papers while she ate a bagel and nursed a steaming cup of tea.

"I'm glad you two decided to meet with me. Yesterday really didn't go the way I wanted it to. I should have told you the whole story from the start. I'm sorry Beca."

Beca moved uncomfortably on her seat but managed to nod at Marie. "Um, it's fine. So you're not mad?"

Marie shook her head. "No. It was my fault. I should have handled that conversation better."

"Um, okay. Can you tell me the whole story then?"

Marie sighed. "Yeah. Are you okay with Chloe listening in on this? I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

Beca nodded. "Yes, it's fine."

Marie was surprised by the easy acceptance of Chloe but decided to let that go for now.

"Okay then. So my boss contacted me a few days ago. He said that the father of one of the foster children in my care wanted to speak to me."

Beca drew in a sharp breath and looked at the older woman with wide eyes. "My father?"

Marie nodded. "Yes. At least he claimed to be your father. He wanted to ask if there was a possibility of gaining custody of you."

"Why?"

"Well, I assume he wants to get to know his daughter."

"Why now? I'm 16 years old! Where has he been all these years?!" Beca growled out, clearly not happy about what Marie had just told her. Chloe remained silent, only casting the occasional concerned glance in Beca's direction.

Marie sighed. "He said that he didn't know about you at first. Your grandma told him about you later but he wasn't really able to care for you then. And when he tried finding you a few years later, you had already been in the system and he couldn't find you. At least that is what he told me." Marie mumbled the last part quietly, not wanting for anyone to overhear. Beca heard her.

"You don't believe him?"

Marie's eyes widened. "Um, I'm sorry Beca. I didn't mean for you to hear that. It was nothing."

"Please tell me. I thought this was why we are here."

"Well..." The older woman sighed deeply. "Okay, so I only met him once. But he didn't really make a good impression on me. But that's only my opinion. Don't let my personal feelings get in the way of forming your own opinion."

"So you don't like him." Beca concluded.

"I wouldn't go that far. I'm just a little weary about his intentions. But we really don't have to talk about the details right now. We're checking his data before we know anything specific. I just wanted to see if you are happy with the Beales because he claimed you looked unhappy. That's why I asked you about that yesterday."

"Wait, he said I looked unhappy? Where did he see me? And how did he know I was his daughter?"

Marie sighed. "Beca, I really don't want to tell you who he is. We still need to do a paternity test, he could be mistaken. I don't want to get your hopes up."

Beca snorted. "These aren't hopes, believe me. But I really want to know who he is. Please don't withhold this information from me. I think I have a right to know."

"But what if it turns out he isn't your father? All this excitement would have been pointless. I'm trying to make it easier for you."

"I've never had it easy, I won't start now." Marie was still a little unsure about telling Beca but the confident look in the girl's eyes made up her mind. She sighed deeply.

"Okay, his name is Warren Decker."

Chloe took in a sharp breath. "The creepy janitor?!"

Marie and Beca turned their heads to look at Chloe questioningly. "You know him?" The older woman asked after a few seconds of silence.

Chloe blushed slightly, a little embarrassed about her outburst. "Um, well not really. I know that he is the janitor at our school. I haven't really interacted with him. To be honest, I think he's rather creepy." She turned to look at Beca. "I mean, I'm sure he is a nice guy."

Beca rolled her eyes. "Sure. Don't bother Chloe. And I think you are right, he looks kinda creepy. Do you know more about him Marie?"

"Not really. I know he's single and lives in Atlanta. And that he works at your school. We'll do a background check and if there is something wrong with the guy, we'll find out." Marie sighed deeply. "I really didn't want to tell you so much. But I guess being honest is the best way in this case. I'll tell you if I get new information, okay? Until then, relax and enjoy your time with the Beales. Are you excited about Christmas?"

Beca shrugged. "I don't really care."

Chloe drew in a big breath. "What? You don't like Christmas?"

"It's not that I don't like it. I just don't get what all the fuss is about. I mean okay, they are officially celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ but only a select few do that. Most people just use the opportunity to buy incredibly expensive things and eat a lot."

"... Well, you do have a point. But what is wrong with that?"

"It doesn't matter, okay? I just don't get the appeal of Christmas. There is no underlying reason you have to get out of me."

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Chloe said, looking at the other girl apologetically.

"It's fine." Beca looked at Marie again. "Was that everything?"

Marie nodded and finished her cup of coffee. "I think so. Do you want me to drive you home?"

Beca shrugged but Chloe nodded. "That would be great. It's really cold and I don't want to be outside longer than necessary."

Marie nodded and quickly paid for their coffees. Beca wanted to object but a quick 'it's fine, I got it' from Marie made her shut up. They left the cafe and walked over to Marie's car. They arrived at the Beales house 5 minutes later and Chloe and Beca said a quick thank you to Marie before they went into the house.

Andrew was at work and Claire seemed to be out of the house as well. Beca excused herself quickly and went back to bed. She had a lot to think about but she was really tired. She would deal with all the new information after a little nap.

The next few weeks went by without much action. After the girls had come back from their talk with Marie, Claire, Andrew, Chloe and Beca all sat down together and talked about the new information regarding Beca's alleged father. Beca even told them that she liked staying with them and would like to continue doing so, regardless of what the paternity test would reveal.

Beca decided that she wanted to give this man a chance but she didn't want to live with him. She would meet him if he asked but she wouldn't promise him anything. She had told Jesse about Mr Decker and he was happy for her but told her to be careful. The small brunette promised him she would be careful and that he could come with her when she met with him for the first time.

They had been trying to gather some information on him but other than some strange looks from him and the fact that nobody really seemed to know anything about him, they found out nothing.

They had another long talk about Beca's decision to run away. She promised him she wouldn't do that without talking to him first. He had been trying to convince her to give up on the ridiculous idea of living on the streets but hadn't succeeded in getting a promise out of her that she wouldn't run away. The best he had been able to get was the promise that she would talk to him first. He hadn't been happy with that but knew that that was all he was going to get at the moment.

Beca had started to not be scared all the time anymore. She wouldn't go so far as to say that she started to relax but she didn't panic as soon as she sat down to dinner with the Beales anymore. She even started eating more, much to Claire's and Chloe's delight.

Chloe was concerned about Beca but had enough problems on her own so she hadn't really been able to have a good conversation with her for a few weeks. They continued meeting up for some mixing and saw each other all the time at school, Bellas practice and at home but they were always around people and Chloe wasn't in the mood to ruin their mixing time with deep conversations.

Bellas practice was going great. Beca liked all of the girls and was happy to exchange a few light conversations. She was still mostly keeping to herself at practice but she was slowly starting to consider the notion of maybe making a few more friends aside from Jesse and Chloe. She liked making music with these girls and even though she would never take a solo, she was happy to stand in the background and support the other girls with a few carefully sung notes.

Tom had started trying to win Chloe back. The redhead was done with him, which she had made clear on numeral occasions, but he didn't seem to want to give up. He had asked her if she wanted to do something after school nearly every day and even brought her flowers a few times. He constantly texted her and begged for forgiveness. Chloe had talked to him a few times but he was still pretty persistent.

Justin had thankfully kept his distance. He didn't really talk to anybody from Chloe's small circle of good friends and hadn't mentioned anything to anyone about the party. Beca's scathing looks may have had something to do with that.

Claire had managed to convince Beca to let her buy her a new winter jacket. Beca had protested for a while but when the temperature had dropped further and further, she eventually caved. She promised to pay her back but Claire had made sure she understood that the jacket was a gift.

Marie didn't have any new information yet so she had only talked to Beca on the phone a few times, making sure that everything was alright.

Life was peaceful. Beca hoped it would stay like that for a while. She was a little nervous about the pending visit from Chloe's brother Nathan but hoped that, if he was anything like his sister, things would go smoothly. He was scheduled to arrive a little before Christmas and stay for about a week. Maybe a little less, maybe a little more.

Two days before Christmas, Nathan arrived at the Beales house. Beca had been nervous the whole morning but steeled herself and shook his offered hand as Andrew introduced them to each other. Nathan smiled brightly, told her it was nice to finally meet her and promptly swept her up in a big hug.

Beca's eyes widened and her breath caught in her chest. She tried to shove him away but he didn't seem to get her unspoken memo. Beca looked around wildly, trying to find someone who would help her. Her wild eyes met Chloe's bright blue one's and the redhead was already taking a step towards them, having seen Beca's panicked state. The brunette's heart was beating wildly and she started getting dizzy. Her chest felt really tight and she started trembling. The last thing she saw was Chloe yelling at Nathan to let her go and then everything faded into black.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait... again. :/ But thanks to all of you who are still reading and enjoying my story :) This is not my favorite chapter and I'm not totally happy with it but I've been trying (failing) to make it better for a while now and I think it's just not meant to be. I hope the next one will be better :D