Chapter Text
“Right, listen up ladies… We are five minutes away from the hotel and I swear if we are not looking beautiful and kick-ass to intimidate the other teams, I will rip your throats out.”
Alice never was subtle, was she? Aubrey rolled her eyes as their Captain’s voice thundered from the front of the bus. She felt Chloe’s heavy head move from her shoulder; her girlfriend had been asleep for almost the entire journey.
“Are we there yet?” Chloe whispered, voice thick with sleep. She lifted a hand and rubbed her eye in that adorable way she did every time she woke up after a nap.
“Soon,” Aubrey murmured in a reply, “and don’t forget to put your scarf on.”
Chloe nodded and grabbed the scarf from her bag, tying it expertly around her neck. It was perfect, even if it ended up a little tight. Anything to escape the wrath of Alice. The bus shuddered underneath their seats, slowing down to a halt outside the hotel.
“Oh my god.”
Chloe turned to find Aubrey staring slack-jawed out of the window, and her own stomach tightened at the sight. The hotel was a dump. A scary looking dump, too. It stood adjacent to a factory spewing dark smoke out of two tall towers, and cars on the freeway hurtled behind. Half the windows on the dingy building didn’t even have glass in, they were just boarded up with plywood or styrofoam or something.
“What is this place?” Leila, the second in command, nudged Alice in her shoulder.
“Everyone else said they were staying here! One of the Trebles specifically gave me the address!” The captain frantically flicked through the Sat-Nav, finding that the given address was correct.
Aubrey, however, knew they’d been duped. It was widely known that the Bellas, despite being bikini body ready and having great voices, weren’t exactly liked in the world of collegiate a-Capella. Especially under Alice’s rule. The Trebles had undoubtedly given them a fake address. To a shit-hole hotel in the middle of nowhere.
“Didn’t it occur to you that they were lying about the address?” She spoke up, immediately regretting it as Alice’s head whipped round. Chloe’s hand gripped hers.
“Shut it, Aubrey. Of course they didn’t lie, they wouldn’t do that. Everyone must be inside.”
Despite her commandeering tone, nobody moved.
“Get off the bus, now!”
Once they’d all filed out in a perfect line, backpacks and purses thrown over their shoulders, the Bellas took a long look at the bus and started walking to the hotel.
Chloe stayed close to Aubrey. She trusted that she’d keep her safe, which was really necessary considering the clientele of the hotel. Pairs and pairs of eyes were following them from the rooms upstairs; Chloe felt like her whole body was itching at the thought of what they could shout or do.
Alice got their room codes from the front desk, and told them who was rooming together.
“Thank god we’re together.” Aubrey let her girlfriend walk in front of her so no leering guys were able to see her ass. They reached the room, opened the door and shut it tight behind them, using both the locks that were available.
“Bree, what are we going to do?” Chloe cried sadly, “It’s the finals tomorrow and we’re gonna get no sleep!”
“Relax, Chlo. I’ve got snacks in my bag, a clean blanket and you can use my travel pillow instead of…” she gestured to the bedspread, wrinkling her nose at the thought of the stains they would find once the covers had been pulled back.
They both shuddered.
“Can I wear your hoodie to bed?” Chloe asked.
“Of course. Put it on now, it might make you feel safer.”
She pulled on the warm grey hoodie, pulling the sleeves over the ends of her hands. Aubrey was right: she instantly felt more at home and safe. They both changed into sweatpants and fluffy socks so as little skin was touching the bed as possible. It might have seemed picky, obnoxious perhaps, but nothing was going to make them get under the duvet. That was for sure.
“Pick a bag. I’ve got Sour Patch Kids or Reece’s Pieces.” Aubrey held up the snacks with a wide smile on her face. Both were Chloe’s absolute favourite.
“Oh my god, babe, it’s like Sophie’s Choice, but for candy. Um, can we go halfsies?”
“How did I know you were gonna say that?” The blonde shook her head but opened up both bags anyway.
“Because you love me.”
Aubrey just hummed in return, her mouth twisting up as she opened the bags of candy. Chloe immediately pushed her hand into the bag but froze up when a scream echoed outside their room, following by the distant thudding of somebody’s impatient fist on a door.
“Bree? I’m scared.” Chloe’s heart was beating a mile a minute, so fast she could feel it.
“Don’t be scared, honey. We have two locks on the door and if anyone even tries to get in, I will do everything to protect you.” Aubrey put the bags of candy on the side table, turned the lights off and wrapped her girlfriend in her arms.
“Okay, thankyou Bree.” She murmured quietly, already sailing off to sleep. Aubrey always envied that about Chloe; she could sleep almost anywhere, anytime.
Her thoughts were halted by the feeling of soft butterfly kisses on the underside of her chin.
“Love you.”
Aubrey grinned, “I love you more.”
She waited for the reply, an inevitable retaliation, but it never came. Chloe was already fast asleep.