It starts out easily enough. Beca has absolutely no interest in the Activities Fair, but she has even less interest in her father so it's really a no brainer. She doesn't even plan on talking to anyone, but then there's red hair and eyes so blue, so full of spark, it's honestly a little startling. Beca just can't say no.

Except, she kind of does say no because the girl with the borderline too cheery voice starts talking about music with just her mouth and Beca just can't. Sure, she sings sometimes - mostly in the shower - but Beca's about thick bass lines and heavy drums that, in the right mix can make you a little dizzy in the best way possible. So she says no.

When she gets back to her room, it's sparks and fireworks on her mind when she slips on her headphones and starts a new mix.

-xxx-

It's almost two in the morning when Beca breaks away from her computer and she should be tired, but there's a half eaten pizza, an unknown number of Fruit Roll-Up wrappers, and an empty 5-Hour energy bottle littering her desk so she won't be sleeping any time soon. On her flash drive, there's an entire playlist worth of mixes simply titled sparks and she feels accomplished in a way she hasn't felt in a very long time. These mixes are different than she's used to - lighter and a little more upbeat - and if anyone ever asks (no one will, because no one will ever hear these), she'll deny the inspiration to her grave.

Titanium is still running through her head when she gets to the showers and she figures no one will be around at this hour, so she doesn't find a need to stop singing the lyrics in her head. She realizes this is a mistake when her shower curtain is abruptly jerked open behind her.

Maybe this is why they hand out rape whistles she thinks, but then she turns around and it's the same red hair and blue eyes she hasn't been able to get out of her head all day. She freaks out the same anyway, because skin and naked and water and oh god she's pretty much instantly transformed into a sixteen year old boy but she can't concentrate so she just continues to protest the nakedness and proximity and tries to keep her eyes up.

She finally sings - mostly because she actually believes this girl won't leave until she does - and then the other girl - Chloe, she finally remembers - joins in and wow, yeah, okay, maybe this chick isn't so crazy after all, because there's this chemistry in their harmonies that isn't exactly easy to come by. (Beca knows this because sometimes there are mashups that just don't work because the voices don't blend together at all.) She starts to offer this half smile but then there's this guy and -

Whatever.

But that's how it starts.