After a month of absolute mania and busyness, including have to postpone their Milan trip, Cat's first album was finally out on September 30th. It debuted 3rd in the the US Billboard chart - and everyone at Radius was ecstatic with her. The details for a small North American tour were already being made, and the contract for a second and third album was being arranged between Radius and Jason's law firm. This was now well beyond a fun summer of 'let's see where this goes' and was now well and truly a leap into a fully fledged music career. And although it had all happened so fast, and she had been rushed off of her feet- she did have one evening free.

Cat walked into her and Jade's house and stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes grew wide, and her mouth fell open in awe as she took in the unexpected scene before her. Their usual living room had been transformed into something out of her own colourful daydreams, and she could hardly believe her eyes.

The room was now awash in shades of pink and red decoration. Garlands of pale pink fairy lights twinkled along the walls, crisscrossing the ceiling, and hanging from them were heart-shaped cutouts and shimmering red streamers. The home's usual modern stylising was temporarily hidden under bright, pink and red decor, and even the couches had pink, fuzzy blankets draped over them.

Clusters of pink and red balloons floated near the door, with a huge banner that read Congratulations, Cat! in elegant, glittery letters. A table in the centre of the room held a cake with light-pink frosting and decorated with little hearts and swirls of whipped cream. Around the cake were bowls of Cat's favourite candy—gummy bears, jelly beans, and chocolate-covered strawberries—all in matching pinks and reds. Cat blinked, speechless, and then turned to see Jade leant against one of the walls with a small, proud smirk, her arms crossed as if waiting for Cat's reaction. "Surprise," she said casually, though the glimmer in her eyes betrayed her excitement.

Cat squealed in delight, rushing over and throwing her arms around Jade. "Oh my gosh, Jade! This is amazing! I can't believe you did all this… for me?"

Jade rolled her eyes, but her smirk softened into a small smile. "Yeah, well, you only release your first album once," she muttered. "And, you know, it's kind of a big deal. Thought it deserved a little effort."

Cat pulled back and gazed around, taking in all the careful details. "Jade, this is amazing! How did you do this?"

Jade shrugged. "I had help."

At that moment, Tori and Andre popped out from the kitchen, both grinning and holding up their arms. "Surprise, Cat!"

Andre chuckled. "Took us three hours to get it all set up," he said, looking pleased as he gestured around the room. "It's not every day one of our friends charts an album."

Cat laughed, bouncing on her toes with excitement. "You guys, I don't know what to say! I love it!"

Jade squeezed Cat's shoulder and pulled her to the centre of the room, where Tori and Andre had cleared a little dance floor area. They even had a speaker set up, ready to play Cat's new album.

"Now, here's the plan," Tori said with a grin, handing out little champagne flutes from the countertop. "We're gonna listen to the album, eat cake, and basically celebrate the fact that our friend is a superstar."

Andre raised his glass. "To Cat Valentine," he declared, his voice full of pride. "For never giving up on her dreams."

Cat's eyes sparkled with tears as she raised her own glass. "To all of you," she said, looking around at each of them. "For being the best friends in the world."

They all clinked their glasses, and as the first track of Cat's album began to play, she felt a swell of gratitude and joy. They spent the night laughing, dancing, and singing along to her songs, celebrating in the perfect mix of gothic elegance and joyful chaos that only Jade, with help from Tori and Andre, could have created. Robbie may have been away at Carnegie Mellon University and Beck was somewhere in Washington in his RV, half way to Canada on the start of his roadtrip. But Cat knew that if they were here they'd be celebrating with just as much enthusiasm as the others. They all really did love her to pieces.