A/N Hello lovelies! I've had this idea in mind for a while now, and I just got to writing it today. Hope you enjoy, and please review! xoxo
Tick, tick, tick went the incessant drone of the clock. Only five more minutes, I thought to myself as I pretended to fill in my work sheet (although really I was just doodling Cat's name all over a piece of notebook paper). Man, I hated theater history. From the boring lectures that never seemed to end, to the 10-page reports that were assigned almost every week, to the ancient monologues that needed to be memorized and performed, only to be forgotten the next day, it was just too much. But none of those were what I despised most about this class.
What irritated me more than anything were the boyfriend and girlfriend who always sat in the back corner of the room, constantly sneaking kisses while the teacher wasn't looking, and passing notes to each other even when she was.
Maybe it wouldn't annoy me so much if it were just a random couple. But the fact that it was Beck and Cat made me absolutely furious.
When Cat started dating Beck, she changed. At first, it was slow and subtle. The color of her hair darkened a bit. She wasn't quite as giggly as she used to be. Her eyes wouldn't light up as much as they once did whenever you'd mention red velvet cupcakes. No one besides me really noticed these things.
But then it grew worse. One day, after school, we had all planned to head over to Tori's house for a movie night. But Cat couldn't make it because she had other plans. Turns out that those "other plans" were meeting with an interior designer to plan how to redecorate her bedroom. Her once bright pink and floral walls were now a dull blue, the neon printed pillows replaced with solid shades of black and white. To top it all off, every single one of her stuffed animals were gone. Even Mr. Longneck. Sure, it was a nice room for a normal teenage girl. But Cat wasn't normal. She was Cat, and I wouldn't have it any other way. This room didn't reflect her personality at all. Next went her colorful dresses, then her random stories about her brother, and before we knew it, Cat was a totally different person.
I wasn't as close to her as I used to be. That was another thing that this "new Cat" had left behind. Her friendships. Now all of her time was spent with Beck. And although he hadn't ever done anything directly to me, I knew that he was the one responsible for this transformation in Cat, and I hated him for it.
Suddenly, the bell signaling that 7th period was finally over interrupted my thoughts. Since theater history was my last class of the day, I headed to my locker to get my back pack before heading home. But when I turned around to begin my fairly long walk back to my house, I was shocked at who I saw standing in front of me. There stood Cat Valentine, looking up at me with her big brown eyes and smiling (something she did a lot less often now). After a few seconds, I was finally able to blurt out, "Uhhh, hey Cat. Ya need something?" Lame. But hey, this was the first time she'd talked to me in weeks. I was in shock.
"Hi Robbie," she replied. "I was just wondering if you could maybe help me with some homework. I've been failing math…" she said sadly.
That was yet another thing that had changed about Cat. Her grades. Contrary to what many people might believe, Cat was an A and B student, and not just in acting or vocal class. In fact, math was usually one of her best subjects, and to see her now failing was both confusing and saddening.
I didn't have to spend much time thinking about my answer though. "Of course I'll help you!" I quickly responded. "Do you wanna walk home with me?"
She nodded. "That sounds good. Are you ready to go?"
After shoving one more book into my back pack, I answered yes, and we were off.
It was a half hour walk to my house, and there wasn't really much to do but talk, so we did. Eventually the topic of Beck came up, and I asked as many questions as I could without being too nosy. "So… is he treating you right?" I inquired, genuinely concerned.
I think she could sense the worry in my voice, considering how quickly she answered. "Oh yeah, of course! He's great…" she trailed off awkwardly. I could tell that she didn't want to talk anymore, and because of that, the rest of the trip was silent.
We began our homework the minute that we got to my house. We were about five problems into Cat's assignment, when I noticed a large, purple, ugly-looking bruise on her wrist. My overprotective-ness went into overdrive, and I started interrogating Cat about how she got it. She went into a long story about how her brother and she had been playing football, and he had decided that it would be more fun to play with coconuts, and one had hit her, and although I was happy to hear a story about her brother again, I was reluctant to believe her. But, I tried to let it go.
Before I knew it, it was almost 9:00, and we had already completed both mine and Cat's homework, and watched a movie. It was a productive and fun night, although thoughts of how Cat had really gotten her bruise still lingered in my mind. I couldn't help but ask her again. "Cat…" she looked up at me. "Are you sure that's really how you got your bruise?"
The petite girl sitting beside me looked down for a minute, probably deciding whether or not she should tell me the truth. But after sighing, she began to speak. "Robbie… Can I trust you?" she asked me sincerely.
I was actually slightly insulted by that. Of course she could trust me! I'd been friends with her much longer than Beck had! How dare she even question my loyalty. But after I calmed down a bit, I replied, "Cat, you should be able to tell me anything. You're my best friend. Of course you can trust me."
She sighed once more before continuing. "Beck gave me this bruise… He hits me almost every day, Robbie." Tears were now welling up in her eyes, and if I didn't know any better, I would've sworn my heart had just shattered into a million pieces. How could you ever hit someone as innocent and precious as Cat!? I was ready to go beat Beck up right then and there. But Cat must have seen how angry I was, because she tugged on my arm and begged me to calm down. "It's not that big of a deal," she said softly, although the tears falling from her eyes told me otherwise.
I was at a loss for words. No wonder Cat had changed so much. She was depressed from all this abuse she had been going through. How was I supposed to explain to her that this wasn't okay? "Oh Cat… I'm so sorry." My voice was barely above a whisper, and I was trying to hold back tears myself. "But you need to dump his sorry ass. You deserve so much better."
The old Cat would have flinched at the curse word. But this Cat had had her innocence taken away by Beck. Something as simple as a swear word didn't even faze her.
The room was silent for a few moments, until I spoke up again. "Tomorrow, you're breaking up with him. I'll be right there with you. I'll make sure he never hurts you ever again," I said. And I sure as hell meant every word.
Cat leaned her head against my chest, and I stroked her hair lovingly. "You promise?" she whispered.
A small smile grew on my face. "I promise."
Too bad that promise was easier said than done.
A/N Dun dun duuuuuun! LOL. Sorry it's so sad. The next chapter will be A LOT happier, I promise! :) Also, sorry for making Beck the bad guy. I have nothing against him, it's just that he seemed like the right character for this story. :P Pleeeease review! xoxo