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                    THE REPERCUSSIONS OF THEIR PERFORMANCE WERE WAY WORSE THAN EXPECTED.  The national Accapella association had gotten involved with the situation and their school. As the group walked through campus towards the Deans office, they couldn't ignore the number of eyes that followed them through the courtyard like they were the most outrageous thing they had seen since the school got rid of pizza in the cafeteria. But even when they got to the dean's office a certain redhead didn't relax.

Beca and Elle had followed her pacing with their eyes and it was making them dizzy due to how long she had been doing it. "Chloe, chill out. It was a mistake. They're not gonna burn us for witchcraft." Beca said once she had enough.

Chloe looked at her incredulously. "No, but the National A Cappella Association is in there talking to the dean about us, and who knows what's gonna happen?" She stressed, running her hands through her perfectly curled hair and down her dress to smooth it out so she could look as presentable as possible for the association.

"We won three championships. Whatever happens, in there, we're gonna be fine." Elle grumbled, laying her head back against her chair and closing her eyes. The whole situation was giving her a headache. "Maybe it's time to think about other stuff." She suggested, awaiting Chloe's impending rant once she did.

"What other stuff?" She asked quickly, quirking an eyebrow at her question.

Beca looked at Elle in agreement since she had been thinking the same thing. "You know, school, jobs, life." She shrugged and Elle nodded in agreement, keeping her eyes closed and her head back the whole time. She was frustrated with the whole situation and the fact that Jesse and the Trebles were doing the introduction performance for the freshmen and she wanted to go see him—now she couldn't.

Their relationship had progressed immensely over the past year. She had met his parents—although he had to physically push her through his front door to do so—and it undoubtedly came with a mass array of nerves for the girl. But in the end, they both appeared to like her and her relationship with their son—despite the brunettes worry.

Jesse couldn't speak more highly of her, he used any opportunity he had to brag about his girlfriend to whoever would listen. She was the same—although admittedly sometimes she didn't realise she was doing it and words just slipped out. Nevertheless, she had to avert her attention away from the blue-eyed boy and back to their current situation.

"This group is my life. I've intentionally failed Russian Lit three times so I could be a Bella. This is the worst thing that's ever happened to us. Ever." She continued to stress despite the girl's words and dropped down frustratedly into a seat beside Florencia with a huff.

The black-haired girl beside her looked down at her frown with one of her own. "You know, before coming to Barden, I had diarrhoea for seven years." She told them all who looked at her with looks of both confusion and disgust. "But yes, this is terrible." She grumbled, especially when Chloe shot her a panicked look.

It was at that point that the secretary of the dean, an old woman with glasses balancing on the tip of her nose, had walked out of the Deans office with a grumpy frown on her lips. "The dean is ready for you tramps." She spoke with distaste and the group of girls all looked at each other shocked.

"Oh, jeez," Elle grumbled as she stood up and lead the girls into the office alongside Beca and Chloe. They all stood before him and the association, trying to ready their expressions—none of which looked remotely positive.

"Ladies, you have dragged the good name of Barden University into the gutter. And you've really upset these people whose names I've already forgotten." He lectured, gesturing towards Gail and John who were sitting at the desk beside him.

John nodded. "Your little southern exposure in front of our Commander-in-Chief has irreparably damaged the entire institution of a cappella. Just blew it up. Funding is drying up, sponsors are pulling out." He listed, the group of girls looked between each other wearily, ultimately waiting for the penny to drop.

"Mmm-hmm." Gail hummed in agreement. "Unfortunately, an example must be made. It is the decision of this governing body that the Bellas are hereby suspended from competing at the collegiate level." She revealed. Elle watched as Chloe's eyes grew so large she thought they would pop out of her face.

"What?" Elle asked with a frown. "Isn't that a bit excessive?" She scoffed.

"The terms of your suspension are laid out in this document. I'm sorry, but it's over." She determined, handing a blue pamphlet over to Elle who read through it was a scowl before handing it over to Chloe who did the same.

Beca noticed their disgruntled expressions and immediately knew that the terms must be harsh. "Hi. Okay, can we be reasonable? Fat Amy apologized. This was an accident." She stressed.

"Was it?" Gail asked doubtingly. Elle rolled her eyes at the woman who was so clearly being dramatic. As if Amy would expose herself on purpose. It was ludicrous and anyone would agree with them.

"You're taking us off of our victory tour? Who's gonna sing the national anthem at the Puppy Bowl?" Chloe suddenly asked sadly, her shaky hands holding their terms so hard they almost ripped right through the booklet.

Gail nodded in confirmation. "You're being replaced by the European champions. A German group of total professionals." She said, stressing their integrity since she clearly thought the Bella's had none.

"In other words, they're gonna keep their pants on." He added with a sarcastic smile.

Chloe's breath became slightly more rapid—if it was even possible—"So we can't defend our title and we can't tour?" She added, listing their restrictions which only made their situation even worse.

John raised his hand slightly before trying to speak but the Dean beat him to it. "And you can't hold any auditions. We don't need your ranks to grow like a fungus." He added which was a completely unnecessary sanction since they had no need for new recruits if they had been stripped of everything that made them the Bella's—besides themselves.

Chloe sighed shakily. "Oh, so that's it, then? So, basically, the Bellas are over?" She said harshly since they had been restricted from so much that they may as well not even be an acapella group anymore.

"Look, ladies, I'm sorry that this disciplinary action has shocked you. Especially since you're all seniors. But the truth is, you're just women." He spoke and they all glared at him and looked between themselves with a disgruntled expression.

"Aren't you the feminist," Elle said sarcastically.

"And you'll all be pregnant soon." He added while Gail shook her head beside him.

Chloe's eyes suddenly lit up and Elle hoped that she had somehow found a loophole. "Hold on. There is nothing in here that strips us of our national title. And if we're still reigning champs, then we are automatically invited to represent America at the World Championships this spring." She pointed out and they all smiled and then looked at the trio in front of them expectantly.

"Ah, yes, the World Championships of A Cappella, where, every four years, groups from around the globe compete for world domination." She spoke passionately. "I'm sorry. I just feel like I always have to be on, you know." She sighed and John nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah. Well, look, ladies, we can't stop you from going to the Worlds competition. It's not gonna help your case here. Not at all." He shrugged.

"What if we win it?" Beca asked and they all of a sudden started to laugh dramatically.

"What if you win it? Like, you... You out-perform the other groups? How do you fit such big dreams in such a small body? What if you win it? Never. What if you win it?" John rambled between his laughter, pointing between the group like he was looking down on them like he didn't think they could do it. Elle didn't know if they could do it, but they had the ability.

"Yeah. If we win, will you reinstate us?" She asked sharply, sick of their commentary.

"Sure. But no American team has ever won. That's because they hate us. The whole world. The whole world hates us. Hate us." Gail stressed between her laughter.

"Well, I don't know why we're taking Capella advice from two people who haven't done it in forty years, thank you." The brunette scoffed and the duo shut up immediately while she smiled at them sarcastically.

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