A/N: This was inspired after watching The Blonde Squad and seeing that Mr Purple (Cat's purple giraffe) had bandages on his legs. It could take place pretty much any time though.
Jade was curious. She didn't get curious about much, but when something piqued her interest, she wouldn't forget about it until she knew every sordid little detail.
Which was why she had invited Cat round to her house.
She didn't really hang out with Cat as much as she did before she started dating Beck, and she hated to admit that Cat just fell by the wayside a little bit. So that may be why she didn't start noticing the changes, however little they were.
But now Cat was sat on her bed, legs crossed, arms wrapped tightly around Mr Purple's body, with her hands hidden in her cardigan sleeves.
Jade sat opposite her, trying to work out how to ask her the question that was worrying her.
Deciding to just bite the bullet, Jade leant forward, resting her hands on Cat's knees, causing Cat to look up through her lashes to make eye contact with Jade. She knew that this was going to be a serious conversation; she just wasn't sure what about.
"Cat," Jade began, gently clearing her throat, "Why does Mr Purple have bandages on his legs?"
Cat froze, her breath caught in her throat, before answering carefully, "Sometimes he hurts, and he needs to make it stop."
Jade nodded, moving her hands into Cat's, gripping them tightly, whilst rubbing her thumbs over the back of Cat's knuckles.
"And is it only Mr Purple who feels this pain?"
Cat looked down, trying to work out in her head what to say, before deciding to try and back out of the conversation.
"I don't think I know what you mean Jade. Can we go and get some ice cream?"
Jade sighed and rubbed her hand over her face.
"I think you do know Cat. I know I haven't been around much lately, but I'm here now. You can trust me."
Cat nodded slightly, taking a deep breath before saying,
"Mr Purple only feels bad when I do."
Jade looked at Cat sympathetically, before looking at the sleeves of Cat's cardigan. Cat, who sensed what Jade wanted, held her arms out slowly, and Jade slowly pushed the sleeves up to her elbow to reveal cuts and scars running up the inside of her arms. Jade could feel the tears welling up inside her, but forced them back down, instead leaning forward to pull Cat into a tight hug, kissing her softly on the side of the head.
"I didn't know what to do," Cat cried. "It just hurt so much. Everyone seems to have someone they can talk to, and I didn't want to bother any of you, and my mom and dad were always looking after my brother. I didn't want them to have to worry about me too."
Jade pulled her closer, rocking side to side to try and comfort her.
"You have me now baby girl," she whispered in her ear, "Please come to me when you next want to do this. We can talk about it, and try other ways to help you cope. Please Cat, never feel alone again. We all care about you, and you can trust me. You're safe."
Cat nodded, knowing that it would be easier said than done.
A/N: I can't decide whether to leave this as a one shot or to add one more chapter. What do you think? I'm going to holiday tomorrow, so if I do add another chapter, it won't be for another two weeks at least.