A/N -I just added it up and this story is on like 60k words. I am so sorry, this was only meant to be an ~20k fic, and I'm barely even half way through the plot in my head yet. So I'm gonna speed it up a lil from now on.
It was lunchtime, and the usual chaos of Hollywood Arts buzzed around them. Jade sat with Tori and Beck, half-listening to their conversation while her eyes wandered across the cafeteria. Something was off. Cat had been unusually quiet that morning, not her usual bubbly self, and now she was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Cat?" Jade finally asked, cutting into the conversation.
Tori looked up from her salad. "She said she was going to the music room. Something about working with Andre on their new song."
Jade nodded, though something didn't sit right. Cat loved her songwriting sessions with Andre, but today it felt more like an excuse. Something was clearly bothering her, and Jade was beginning to sense that Cat was avoiding her.
A few minutes later, while making her way to the vending machine, Jade spotted Andre leaning against a locker, chatting with Robbie.
"Andre," Jade called out as she approached, her suspicion growing. "Weren't you supposed to be with Cat?"
Andre looked confused, his brow furrowing. "Nope. Haven't seen her since class this morning. Why?"
Jade's stomach dropped. "She told Tori she was practicing with you."
Andre shook his head. "Nah, I was just grabbing lunch. Everything okay?"
Jade didn't answer. Without another word, she turned on her heel and started walking, her heart racing slightly. Something was definitely wrong.
She knew where Cat was. She had to be in one of the music rooms. Specifically room 8.
Pushing open the door to the hall where the music rooms were, Jade could hear her instantly, boy was she singing her heart out. Her steps slowed as she approached one of the doors. It wasn't the song she and Andre had been working on. It wasn't upbeat or dancey. Instead, it was slow, raw, and heartbreaking.
Jade gently opened the door, and there, sitting at the piano, was Cat, her back turned toward her.
Cat's fingers moved across the keys as she sang, her voice soft but filled with emotion:
"When there's no one else, look inside yourself
Like your oldest friend, just trust the voice within
Then you'll find the strength that will guide your way
You'll learn to begin to trust the voice within, oh"
Her voice cracked on the last note, her head dropping slightly, fingers still pressing down on the piano keys.
Jade's heart clenched. She had very rarely heard Cat sing like this before. Usually, her songs were filled with light, fun, and energy. But this—this was different. This was pain.
"Young girl, don't hide
You'll never change if you just run away
Ooh, whoa yeah
Young girl, just hold tight
Soon you're gonna see your brighter day, oh
Now in a world where innocence is quickly claimed
It's so hard to stand your ground when you're so afraid
No one reaches out a hand for you to hold
When you look outside, look inside to your soul"
It was so sad yet so beautiful, and Jade felt like she was massively intruding on this moment. It was 'The Voice Within' by Christiana Aguilera, she could tell that now.
"When there's no one else, look inside yourself
Like your oldest friend, just trust the voice within
Then you'll find the strength that will guide your way
You'll learn to begin to trust the voice within, oh"
Cat's voice filled the small music room, spilling out from her like a river of emotion that had been dammed up for far too long. She belted out the chorus with such power that the piano seemed to vibrate beneath her fingers. Each note was packed with raw feeling, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade, yet still managing to maintain a delicate control that only someone as naturally talented as Cat could manage.
She let her voice run through a series of those intricate vocal runs she was so well known for. But this time, they weren't for show. The melismas seemed less like flourishes and more like expressions of the confusion and pain she was feeling, each twist and turn in her voice carrying an added weight of emotion. Her transitions from chest voice to head voice were seamless, but in those vulnerable moments, you could hear the cracks. They weren't the cracks of a lack of skill—they were the cracks of a heart breaking, her emotions bleeding through every word she sang.
"Oh, ho, yeah
Ooh, oh, yea oh, yeah
Life is a journey (ooh, ooh, ooh)
It can take you anywhere you choose to go
As long as you're learning
You'll find all you'll ever need to know
Break it
You'll make it
Just don't forsake it because
No one can stop you, you know that I'm talking to you"
It wasn't perfect, but that's what made it so powerful. Each note, every belt, was soaked in the hurt she had been holding back. The crescendos were sharp and filled with intensity, but just as quickly, she would pull back into a soft, fragile falsetto, almost like she was trying to hold herself together through the music. Her voice seemed to waver when she hit certain high notes, her breath catching as if the sadness was too much to contain, the vulnerability seeping into the spaces between the lyrics.
Cat's usual upbeat, quirky self was nowhere to be found in this performance. Instead, this was something deep, raw, and unfiltered, and Jade could feel every ounce of it. Every syllable felt like a plea, a release of all the things Cat had bottled up inside.
"When there's no one else, look inside yourself
Like your oldest friend, just trust the voice within
Then you'll find the strength that will guide your way
You'll learn to begin to trust the voice within
Ooh, yeah young girl, don't cry, I'll be right here
When your world starts to fall
Yeah
Aah
Yeah
Oh yeah
Na na na
Oh yeah
Hmm yeah"
By the time the last note hung in the air, Cat's breathing was shaky, as if she had poured every ounce of herself into the song. Jade had never seen her like this—never heard her voice used this way, like it was the only outlet she had left.
It wasn't just a performance. It was Cat letting the walls crumble, baring her soul in every note.
Quietly, Jade stepped further into the room once she finished. "Cat?"
Cat froze at the sound of her name, her shoulders stiffening. She didn't turn around immediately, wiping at her eyes quickly before Jade could see.
Jade's voice softened as she moved closer. "What's going on?"
Cat finally turned, her eyes red, her usual bright smile nowhere to be found. "Nothing," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Just... needed to sing."
Jade wasn't buying it. She crossed her arms, standing next to the piano. "Don't lie to me."
Cat sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "I didn't mean to. I just... I didn't want to talk about it."
Jade felt a wave of concern wash over her. "Talk about what?"
Cat looked down at the piano keys, her fingers fidgeting. She didn't answer right away, and for a moment, Jade thought she might shut down entirely.
"I just… I don't know how to explain it," Cat finally whispered, her voice barely audible. "I've been feeling really down, but I don't want to drag you into it. It's stupid."
Jade frowned, taking a seat next to her on the piano bench. "It's not stupid if it's making you feel like this," she said, her tone gentler than it usually was. "You can talk to me, you know."
Cat bit her lip, clearly struggling with her emotions. "I guess I just… I don't know. Everything's been feeling overwhelming lately. I feel like I'm trying so hard, but I'm still not enough. And it's just—" She stopped, her voice catching in her throat.
Jade stayed quiet for a moment, letting Cat's words settle between them.
"You are enough," Jade said firmly, surprising herself with how strongly she meant it. "Whatever's going on, you can tell me."
Cat blinked at her, her eyes wide, and for a second, Jade thought she might cry again.
"Thanks, Jade," Cat whispered, her voice fragile but filled with gratitude. "I didn't mean to push you away."
Jade smirked slightly, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah, well, next time you ditch me for a piano, I'm going to be a lot more dramatic about it."
Cat giggled softly, the sound warming Jade's heart. It wasn't her usual, full laugh, but it was a start. "I'm sorry."
Jade nudged her playfully. "You need to perform that somewhere by the way it was. It was fucking stunning."
Cat smiled at that, wiping away the last of her tears. "Swears."
"You're an idiot." Jade teased, shaking her head at her girlfriend. "I'm serious it was amazing. You can't keep hiding that voice you've got."
"Yeh yeh." Cat dismissed, leaning into Jade for a much needed hug.
"I love you." Jade slipped out before she'd even realised. They'd not said that yet, not as a couple at least. Cat had said it 101 times while growing up but not since Jade asked the question -
Cat blinked, her head snapping up to meet Jade's eyes. She looked confused, like she hadn't heard it right. "W-what?" she whispered.
Jade swallowed hard. "I said I love you," she repeated, her voice steady now. "I didn't— I wasn't going to say it like this, but... I can't just sit here and not tell you."
Cat's eyes were wide, her breath catching in her throat. For a moment, she didn't say anything, just stared at Jade like she was trying to process the words.
And then, slowly, a small, disbelieving smile tugged at the corner of Cat's lips. She let out a shaky breath, her eyes filling with a warmth that replaced the sadness that had been there moments before.
"I love you too, Jade," Cat whispered, her voice barely audible but filled with so much emotion that it made Jade's chest tighten.
Jade exhaled in relief, a smirk creeping back onto her face. "Well, good. Because it'd be pretty awkward if you didn't."
Cat laughed—a real laugh, not the forced one she had been using all day. It was light and sweet, and Jade couldn't help but feel a sense of victory, like she'd just pulled Cat out of the dark place she had been stuck in.
Without another word, Jade leaned down, gently pressing lips against Cat's forehead. It was such a simple gesture, but in that moment, it was everything.