The return to school was relatively easy. To everyone else it had just been a normal weekend. If Cat hadn't told all of her friends- they wouldn't have known anything had happened. There was a part of her that was tempted to keep it a secret, but she needed a little help with carrying things still- so it was worth the conversation. Of course, everyone was more than happy to help- and also incredibly sorry to her about what had happened. Cat hated this, at they all looked on her with pity- like Matteo was some awful monster that had attacked her. That just... wasn't right. It wasn't Matty's fault, it wasn't anyones fault. It just was what happened.
The hardest part of the day came in the form of their songwriting task. They were only half way through Tattooed Heart now- most of the lyrics done and melody settled. Cat could still carry a tune but every time she tried anything even relatively close to projecting her voice just hurt too much. Each controlled breath felt like a knife being forced into her lung- it just wasn't worth it. They had a lot of ways to fill their time over until Cat was healed. It meant they could really think about the vocal placements, rather than just winging in with Cat behind the mic- they carefully crafted harmonies using tracks of Cat's previous singing, layering and blending them together artificially. It reminded Cat of Imogen Heap and the gloves, a singer that Cat had already brought a lot of inspiration from with her vocals.
"This sounds sooo good!" Andre jeered as he played back a particular harmony that he'd crafted up. It was a good challenge for them, he'd decided, and forced them to try a new path of music making. If they weren't predicted an A already, it was guaranteed now.
"I'm glad there's a silver lining." Cat smiled at the boy as she laid back on the floor of the room, trying desperately to find a way to position herself around the slow-healing bruise on her back. "I think you could add another note like a hmmmm-hmmm" She hummed softly, referring to the vocal blend- picking a new step of tones.
"Okay got it." Andre spun around on his chair, manipulating a new layer to the deeper notes that Cat hummed to him; and played it again. "Yeah-ha! Andre nodded along to the piece, Cat's addition perfectly adding something he didn't even realise it was missing. "The fact you're not going into music after HA baffles me constantly, Cat." He told the girl, shaking his head.
"I think I'll always write." She replied honestly. The time her and Andre had spent creating this 'album' really had shown her how much she loved music. Well she'd always loved music but bringing it from nothing to something this good- really did stand out to her. "But it's fashion I love most." She shuffled herself around a little, thinking more. "I guess I just like making things!" She concluded.
"For me nothing compares." Andre replied, scrolling along on the tracks on his laptop, listening in for any other takes he could chop around. "How're the ballad ideas coming along?" He asked.
"I'm at a bit of a dile-Emma." Cat replied, slowly pulling herself upright.
"Dilemma?" Andre corrected.
"No I'm pretty sure it's dile-Emma." Cat shook her head at him. "I thought about making it a breakup song- cause that will fit with the 'album' more- but I haven't got the breakup feelings to write about at the moment." She replied honestly, there was so much going on within herself emotionally at the moment- she couldn't bring herself to conjure up more fake ones to add to the mix. Ballads were about writing from the heart, not just writing whatever.
"I'm gonna be honest Cat- you've got a lot of sad chiz going on to write about." Andre said honestly, standing from his chair and sitting on the floor beside Cat.
"I don't think I want to air all of that out for everyone to hear." Cat replied quickly. She played with the cuff of her sleeve, her fingers tugging on loose threads.
Andre shook his head. "Yeah, maybe. But look, some of the best songs come from real life. If you put your heart into it, people are gonna feel that. Even if it hurts a little."
She stayed silent, he wasn't trying to push her—he just wanted her to know she had permission to be honest and vulnerable.
"You think people would get it?" she asked softly, after a long pause.
"Yeah," he replied, his voice sure. "If you tell it right, they'll understand. And maybe," he added, glancing at her with a hopeful smile, "it'll make you feel better too. Sometimes, when you get things out, they're not as heavy."
Finally, she nodded, taking a shaky breath. "Okay. Maybe." It wasn't a yes, but it wasn't the firm no of a few minutes prior. She had a hundred and one lyrics about her home life, but they weren't in this notebook- they were in on the top drawer of her dresser- wait no it was on the top of the wardrobe- maybe? She actually didn't know where most of her things were anymore after unpacking. Putting your whole life in boxes and then unpacking it all again in a day made things hard to keep track of.
"Think on it." Andre told her. "We've still got a few weeks until we need to really start working on the ballad, we've got time."