A/N: Definitely let me know if you like where this is going, so far. I love hearing from people who read my stuff, and have something to say.
Despite Jade's insistence, Tori decided that it was about time for her to stay with Cat overnight, and the little redhead agreed.
"You need some time to yourself, Jade." Tori had said, nodding her head towards the door.
"Yeah, Jade. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." The smaller girl giggled, frowning when she saw the sadness suddenly flood the pale girl's eyes.
"It's not funny." The Goth's eyes squinted as they threatened to fill with tears again. Sighing, she looked at the two girls. "Fine." The redhead held her arms out, giving Jade an expectant look. The raven-haired girl strode over and gave the smaller girl a quick hug. "Love you, babygirl." She whispered, kissing her forehead.
"Love you more." The redhead beamed, waving as Jade grabbed her bag and her car keys.
"Call me, if anything's wrong." The paler girl narrowed her eyes at Tori. "Especially with you."
"There's nothing wrong with me." The singer shot a panicked look at the Goth.
"Right." Jade rolled her eyes. "Just call me."
"I will. Get out of here, West." Tori huffed, crossing her arms.
"Bye, Cat."
"Bye!"
Later that night, Tori was finishing up her homework on her computer, long fingers tapping away rhythmically at the keys, when the redhead's head suddenly popped up to study the singer. After a long couple of minutes, the half-Latina became aware of the brown eyes boring into her skull.
"Can I…help you…?" Tori asked, warily keeping her eyes on the redhead.
"Question." The redhead said simply, before a thoughtful expression settled across her face. "Why did Jade say there was something wrong with you?"
"No reason. Jade's always saying that. It's just a dumb joke." The singer shrugged, effortlessly slipping into the lie.
"Really?" Brown eyes stared intensely at Tori's facial expressions, tracking them.
"Yep." The singer confirmed easily, before returning her attention to her computer. "You wanna watch a movie after I'm done here?" There was a short silence, before Cat's brow straightened and she spoke.
"Yeah. That would be fun!" She nodded enthusiastically, keeping a careful eye on the singer.
Tori sighed in relief as she settled back in her chair, keeping an eye on the slumbering redhead. She hadn't wanted to explain her illness to the smaller girl just yet, and it was just like Jade to let slip that Tori wasn't exactly normal. I guess Jade noticed I've had appointments here a little more often than usual. The singer thought to herself, shaking her head slowly. The Goth wasn't wrong. Tori had been hearing the voices, albeit very quietly, again, and she had been very suicidal the last couple of weeks. This, however, had to have been set aside to take care of Cat. Rolling up her sleeve, amber eyes slid over the wounds, all in various states of healing. She sighed, sadness tugging rhythmically at her heart again as she remembered what Cat had said about her mother. She just stood by and let it happen, just like my mom. The singer's eyes welled with tears. It was four months after Jade had taken her in and her parents still hadn't contacted her. Swiping angrily at her tears, she shook her head. Pull yourself together You're such a loser. She jumped as a voice stood out suddenly, and she shook her head again, settling her nerves.
"Just keep it together for a couple of hours." Tori muttered to herself. "Jade and Dr. Daniels will be back soon." As much as she hated herself for relying on the two for her sanity, she needed to; they were the only two people who understood her right now. The singer was suddenly knocked out of her thoughts by screams, and when she looked over, she saw that the Cat was in the middle of another nightmare. Unsure as to what she should do, she grabbed the other girl's hands and tried to calm her down.
"Cat, wake up, it's just a dream! You're in the hospital. You're not home. Cat! Cat!" The singer head snapped the to the side as the redhead's flailing fist connected with the side of her face. "That's it." Tori scrambled onto the bed and gripped the girl's forearms, shaking her gently. With a scream, the redhead's eyes snapped open and dilated pupils met frantic amber eyes. "Cat." Tori breathed, loosening her hold on the small girl's arms and collapsing over the other girl in relief. The singer's forehead rested on the other girl's abdomen, and she could feel the redhead still panting, her heart racing with fear. When she looked up again, Cat had looked away, silent tears streaming down her face. Sitting up, Tori toed off her sneakers and shuffled to the opposite end of the bed, keeping her eyes on the girl. Silence blanketed the room, broken only by the whimpers and sobs every now and again from the smaller girl. After Cat had calmed down a little, the singer spoke quietly. "I know what it's like, you know." The redhead looked up, watery eyes meeting hooded amber ones, the singer's eyes full of a darkness she usually kept pushed down.
"To have nightmares?" Cat's voice wavered, hoarse from crying.
"To be so lost in your memories and your head sometimes you can't separate them from reality." The half-Latina let out, finally revealing herself to the redhead. Cat gaped at her.
"B-but…" Astonished at the spot-on description, the redhead was stunned speechless. After a moment of silence, she gathered up her scattered thoughts and sobered up. "You never did tell us why you were in the hospital."
"I was…scared that you wouldn't like me anymore." Tori's voice cracked with unshed tears. The singer looked away for a moment, to compose herself. The redhead spoke right away.
"I would never do that." Cat was quick to reassure her. "I like almost everybody!"
"That's it, though isn't it? You like everybody. What if I turned out to be the one person you don't like?" Tori looked at her hands, fiddling with her sleeve.
"You won't. Now tell me why you understand." Cat crossed her arms, as much as could with the bulky cast. Tori sighed, and looked to the ceiling.
"I'm schizophrenic. I hear voices in my head all the time. And it's hard, sometimes, because they're not always nice. My parents used to lock me in my room to not have to deal with me. I guess it was a hassle to have a daughter who always talked to herself. Four months ago, Jade brought me to this hospital. And now, four months later, my parents still haven't called. They haven't come to visit me. The only family who's talked to me is Trina. And she only does it when it's necessary." Tori said flatly, her eyes dulling from the clear amber they were before. The singer sighed, before getting off the bed to fall into her chair, destitute and despondent.
"You look like Jade. Your eyes." Cat remarked quietly, the singer's words having struck her deeply. They were more alike than the redhead had initially imagined. Tori's eyes snapped up at her words, before looking away slowly.
"Yeah. I think that's why we've gotten along so well since I've moved in with her." The half-Latina rubbed her sleeve unconsciously, a nervous habit. The redhead studied her for a moment, head tilted to the side.
"You don't have to hide from me. Or be nervous. I promise I won't judge you." Cat soothed, sitting up in the bed. After a short, thoughtful pause, she spoke again. "Jade's always tryna protect me from the dark, you know? But she doesn't really get it. I won't let it consume me like she did. Our personalities are just really different." She shook her head, smiling a little. "You're in between us, Tor. Jade doesn't hide that she's dark, and I don't hide who I am. But you have dark and light. And sometimes I can see you hiding the dark." Cat's words spilled out, having watched Tori for a while.
"I think if I didn't, people wouldn't get it." Tori sighed, shaking her head sadly.
"Like some people don't get me or Jade?" Cat asked simply. "It doesn't matter who you are, Tor. There's always gonna be people who like you." The redhead laced their fingers together. "Like me and Jade." The redhead looked thoughtful. "It's probably a lot of work, hiding who you are all the time." The singer nodded mutely, looking helplessly up at the redhead. "Then don't." She said simply, flashing her dimples.
"I wish it were that simple, Cat." Tori sighed, squeezing the redhead's hand gently.
"The only thing holding you back is yourself. That's always the hardest part." Cat grinned, patting the singer's hand.
"When'd you get so smart?" The singer joked half-heartedly, setting her chin in her palm. The redhead shrugged.
"Well, maaaaybe you should've listened to me before." The redhead rolled her eyes and pushed the words out in her high-pitched voice.
"You're right. But haven't I been such a great listener these past couple of weeks?" The singer consoled, her smile slowly slipping off her face as she took in the bandages and casts that Cat was in.
"What?" The smaller singer blinked, peering at Tori.
"Nothing." The Latina shook her head and blinked rapidly.
"Tor…" The bed-ridden redhead narrowed her eyes, tightening her grip on the other girl's hand.
"Fine. I just…I never got the chance to say I'm sorry before." The singer wouldn't meet the other girl's eyes. "I'm sorry. I should've offered to…take you away from that house sooner." There was a short silence, before Cat laughed quietly. "What?" Tori looked up, confused.
"I just find it a little funny. Everybody in this room earlier thought it was their fault that I was here. Including me." The redhead exhaled and laid her head back onto the pillow. "It's hard."
"I know it is." Tori nodded, squeezing her hand again. "But you can do it." The redhead's eyes flickered over the singer. "You can. We'll be here to help you."
"I believe you."